I will not talk about the frequency of my blog posts in this blog post. Dammit, I did it anyway.

Moving on.

Two things are on my mind right now: 1) the Post Office and 2) my writing.

Thing 1: Post Office, or How America is Still Climbing Uphill

We all remember last year, the gas leak year, when some whacko became the Postmaster General and decided what the USPS needed was fewer resources. I’m not sure why he did that; I’m not sure why anyone would think that a main artery for the lifeblood of American commerce should be hogtied and beaten with a stick, but he did. Of course, the backlash was swift and he suspended his changes, but the damage was already done. The Post Office struggled with timelines for the latter half of the gas leak year, and when the winter holidays came, it was overwhelmed with mail and everything got very, very far behind. No joke; my dad sent us a package via 2-day priority mail that took over a month to arrive. Thanks for the Xmas masks in January! I ordered dog poo bags on January 6 and they’re still not here. I ordered them from a small company that makes eco-friendly bags made of cornstarch that biodegrade even in landfills, which is great, but I still don’t have them, which means a lot of other people probably don’t either, which means people are probably asking for refunds, which means poor Sir Waggington’s is probably suffering financially. But don’t worry, poo bag purveyor: I will continue waiting. I will not seek a refund. I will receive them eventually.

A lot of small businesses are suffering due to the mail delays. I read an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about it. It’s largely being ignored, though, because my god, do we have a lot of leaks to patch right now. 2021 is already doing a little better, but we’re chugging along like molasses in a concrete chute. Vaccines, mail, etc. Let’s get cracking, Joemala. I don’t want Sir Waggington’s to fold. I want my dog’s shit wrapped lovingly in cornstarch.

My grandmother is a retired postal worker, and her time at the Post Office is one of her favorite things to talk about. Her memories are there. My mailman is a really nice guy with a pretty thankless job. Quit fucking around, government.

Thing 2: Writing

I’ve gone back to working on my old novel, the one I’ve tried to write and then shelved again on and off since 2010. I must complete it. It is imperative. I will not pass Go! unless I finish it. I’m not sure what that means, but it sounds like I’m threatening myself with imminent harm, which I promise I am not. But I’m outlining, outlining, outlining and I’m really excited to get through it. I think my optimism will fuel me. I must believe. I must also do actual work. I’m a big fan of planning and believing and getting excited, but I’m not super diligent about actually doing things. We shall see.

I don’t even have a title yet. I wonder if I should start referring to the novel in here by some working title, and tagging posts, so I can feel like my blog is my accountability buddy. I love having a buddy! I will call it the Forever Book, since it’s taken me forever to write. I’m so smart.

B