The Joy of Complaint

There is lovely weather today in my neck of the woods, Reader Dear (though I don't live in a woods, and I see nothing neck-like about this spot of land where my head rests itself each night).  I won't complain about odd figures of speech, however.  And I will definitely not complain about the weather.

But, ahem.

SINCE THIS WORLD-WIDE PANDEMIC IS DRAGGING ON FOR SO LONG,  I FEEL LIKE I'VE GOT TO COMPLAIN.  For starters, I am so starved for the old way of life :

All events illustrated below, with the exception of one,  took place less than six months ago.  So, the "Old Way of Life "to which I refer  is really not all that old.  It just seems that way*
*Saving that complaint for future use.

 1.  I AM YEARNING  FOR REAL OUTINGS!
     A. I miss going to Performances:

1. I miss Symphonies!

2. I miss Dance Performances!

3.  I miss Choirs!

4.  I miss Elementary School and/or Drum Concerts!

B. I miss Eating Out:

         1.  I miss eating out with friends!

           2. I miss eating out with  family!

            3. Heck, I even miss eating out with strangers!

C. Birthday parties....(alas)

To be Continued....

(I mean, I hope not...[you know, not the worldwide pandemic part  (I sincerely hope THAT part is NOT to be continued... [however, you know as well as I do that we've got little input on the matter])])

It's just my complaining that is likely to go on.

(And you, Reader Dear, if you prefer not to see my complaints, you have all the power in the world to hit "shut down" [do you not?).    Or--here's a bright idea--Keep on reading these moans and grievances, but make up a few for yourself, Dear One!  You could have yourself a grand old time muttering and griping and talking about the things you don't like and the things you miss.  It's The Joy of Complaint!

Sleepless in Seattle

One could likely name any city around the world and discover that sleeplessness is on the rise.  In this day (or, more appropriately, night) of stress and anxiety and paranoia, there are times when I lie awake and wish to be dreaming.  So here's a quasi-hopeful remedy I've learned to employ.

I begin with the letter "A" and think up a new line for every letter of the alphabet.  Study the list, Reader Dear.  I know  you're going to  quickly spot the pattern that leads me to (semi-peaceful) slumber (I've got to admit, luck is also involved).






Alice ate avocados in Asheville.
Betty bakes bread in Buffalo.
Carol cooks chocolate chip cookies in Cooperstown  (yes, yes, Dear Reader, I'm well aware that usually the term for  cookie-making  is "baking";  I give myself a lot of leeway when making my list).
Dorothy downs doughnuts in Denver.
Edna eats elderberries in Evergreen.
Franny favors fruit in Fort Eustis.
Grace gorges on grapes in Greenville.
Heidi helps herself to hefty helpings of ham in Houston.
Ilsa ingests ice cream in Indianapolis.
And on and on...

Do you get my drift?

Keep in mind there are so many ways to vary your list, Dear One, should you choose to concoct one yourself as you strive to drift off to sleep.

Augustina acts as an activist in Athens.
Babette begins to beguile in Barcelona.
Carolina changes course in Constantinople.
Diana designs her day in Dusseldorf
Ellianna enjoys entertaining in Edinburgh.
Francesca fancies frittering away time in Florence.
And on and on...

Several notes:
*I've learned it's easier to stick with "women's" names; there's far more variety. **
**In this somewhat conservative area in which I live, roughly every fifth man is named John [strictly my own statistic, pulled directly from my head (from whence the list, not to mention this very blog post, is springing).
***Give yourself a lot of leniency if you come to that wished-for swimming-off point around U-V-W. You really don't want to get to "X" without feeling that Xavier would be fine as a gender-neutral name.

***As a precaution, it's helpful to have new categories lined up just in case you should manage to eke out a list of 26 lines and still feel wide awake.  (Countries, cities, activities, species of animal or bird, to name a few).

*****

 Sweet dreams, Reader Dear!

**************************

****Hmm,  I've never tried "life-threatening ailments" as a category, Dear One.  If you wish to do so now,  however,  think how you've got one more choice than ever before (Camilla coughed and coughed with COVID-19 ) Yikes.  I don't recommend this category if you're looking to banish paranoia!