hope this helps, no worries if not!
unserious stuff I'm doing to survive in the Bad Place
Floor Time
/flôr tīm/
noun
the 15-60 minute time period spent laying on the floor in the middle of the work day, typically as a relief from the soul-sucking reality of corporate America.
Hello friends. How are you? I hope you’re taking care of yourself if this has been a tough week for you (I think for most reasonable people, it has been). I feel it, too. I debated whether or not to even put together a Floor Time this week—it seems trivial and irrelevant during a time when many of us feel despondent and confused. But I reminded myself of the literal verbiage I use to describe this newsletter on my website and to others who ask about it: “distracting,” “irrelevant,” and “unserious.” So that’s what this will be. If this isn’t what you need right now, I completely understand and take no offense to you immediately sending this to the trash. But if you’re here because you want to feel less alone and more distracted for a moment, I’m glad you’re here.
Even though it’s been 80 degrees in New York because the planet is burning and so are our dreams of immediate climate action, I am at my core a festive and seasonally-minded person. I have been jonesing to go through the rituals that mark the changing of seasons1. But after Tuesday, I honestly am not feeling particularly festive. The October Clarice that loved pumpkin-carving, cornucopia-making, and closet-purging is, for the timebeing, not in the room with us. I’ll bring her back in for upcoming Floor Times (I’ll be damned if I don’t get to share my thoughts on Thanksgiving food). For now, the less-festive me just wants to offer a little distraction and levity by way of unserious things I’ve done this week to help myself cope. Take what you need.
Reading fantasy books. Probably my most reliable form of escape. No screen needed, and no risk of getting an untimely NYT notification. I’m on the last few pages of Fairy Tale by Stephen King and it’s offered the perfect escape from our reality. I likely will be reading fantasy / science fiction for the rest of the year…
Watching cute animals videos. Again, I DO NOT stan Moo Deng. So this isn’t about her. But I started seeking out cute animal vids after this handy how-to from NPR on how to get out of a funk. I do think the funk in question will last much longer than 15 minutes this time around, but I support cute animals as a remedy. I particularly have loved seeing Pesto the Penguin enter his teen years, and also reminiscing on old puppy videos of Klaus.
Building a tiny house. My friend Lauren introduced me to Rolife craft kits way back when and whenever I feel like I need to dissociate for a bit, I whip this out. Something about constructing teeeeeny tiiiiiiiny pieces of furniture is good for the soul.
Doing midday workouts. I am fortunate enough that I set my own work schedule, and being able to work out in the middle of the day (when I’m most tired and at my lowest productivity anyway) has really made a difference in my mood and energy.
Receiving a prolonged hug. On Wednesday when I got to Andrew’s house, I walked through his front door straight into a hug that lasted 30ish seconds. Later that evening, we met friends for happy hour and shared a group hug of the same length. I think we could all use a hug(s) this week.
Making a laborious recipe. During COVID, I picked up cooking as a way to relieve stress. Today I still rely on it as a stress reliever. Sometimes it’s just nice to have instructions telling you what to do. It’s nice to spend time kneading dough, or making a reduction, or waiting for a stew to simmer. And at the end, you get a nourishing homemade meal. Most recently I spent time cooking this gumbo (I freaking LOVE gumbo and usually make it at least once every couple weeks in colder months). Below is also the homemade squash gnocchi topped with a Thanksgiving chili crisp.
Upping my sleeping game. I am famously a bad sleeper. I am a good sleeper, in that I can fall asleep anywhere (the car, the train, the plane etc.), but I am bad in that I don’t really enjoy sleep. So I’ve been wanting to find ways to change that. I’ve been on a shopping ban this fall, but I let myself invest in a nice new set of PJ’s. I grabbed myself (and a matching pair for Klaus hehe) this set from The Gap (obviously not an ad, just sharing that I love these and they were so affordable).
Crying when I need to. I think this one speaks for itself.
Something I Thought of in the Shower
Something To Laugh About
Finding it where I can. Here are this week’s gems:
Bet you didn’t know I was like this, a closet country music stan.
Raise your hand if you have been singing Domingo for two weeks. This me.
I can’t believe I’m not the only one who bullies their utensils. This is crazy to me!
NEW YORKERS, I’ve been screaming from the rooftops about this but “Maybe Happy Ending” is the standout Broadway show for me right now. I can’t explain how impressive and amazing it is. Please go see it it will thaw your cold heart during this dark time, I promise.
Something for Clarice
Hey! This newsletter is free and I intend to keep it that way. That said, if you love it and want to show your appreciation, buy me a coffee :)
Something Pretty
I went leaf peeping in the Catskills last weekend—hopefully you can smell the crisp🤌🏽 through this pic.
By the way…I’m reading this.
I plan to finish Fairy Tale by EOD and then move on to Vicious, which I am SO excited about. Dark academia and fantasy are exactly what I need right now.
And I’m watching this.
Actually nothing at the moment. Got any recs?
Sending you all a big, prolonged, [virtual] hug. Take care of yourselves, and each other.
‘Til next time, fellow humans. Your friend,
Clarice
The added bonus here is that it reminds me that time goes on, and the only way forward is almost always just through.