Solitude Times

[AeroFan_07]

So this is a little different post/thread I am starting here. Yes, there will be a few jackets featured, along with boots & jeans. So hopefully it still fits in the "outerwear" section. However the focus will be much more upon lifestyle, activites, travel and most of all, what any or all of us are doing to deal with these rather solitary times we are living in presently. Hope we can add to this thread in a similar manner as "What jacket are you wearing today" Instead what are you doing today to go outside your normal routine?

In my case, I grew up on a farm in East central Illinois. For the past few days, mostly being in my home (though very fortunately not ill) and fully working from home, I just needed to get out onto some gravel roads. I decided to return to my roots here, practice "distance socializing" and in this case, just refect some in my time of solitude.

You will see some jackets - an Unbranded Denim jacket, and Aero 30's Half Belt, and a simple black t-shirt of a Des Moines shop I patronize often. I am working a bit on photography, so what you see here is a work in progress. I intentionally wanted the kind of day we had - foggy, fairly warm, overcast. Not yet greened up, but signs of spring all all around. So I took my rusty farm truck and found a place to use the tripod.

Sometimes we just need to slow down & reflect ---

Even using un-natural objects, we can still relate to them differently...



Hope this is enjoyable and restful. Go try something similar. It's great to get out & away...

 

[navetsea]

^ Be careful not to get abducted by extra terrestrial.

I have many longplay/ let's play ...... (video game title) list on youtube I want to watch, all TV channels are free, and I make more icecubes in freezer to make it look like fortress of solitude.

 

[AeroFan_07]

^^ Ha! This is Iowa, not many extra-terrestrials here, very few spiders and snakes even.

 

[Seb Lucas]

^^ Ha! This is Iowa, not many extra-terrestrials here, very few spiders and snakes even.

Well it does look exactly like the kind of landscape where a mother-ship would abduct a farm boy in the early hours of the morning, leaving nothing behind but mysterious circles in the long grass.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

It does look quite lonely and alien abduction prone, but right now stuck inside in the suburbs, I'd love to be out there right now.

 

[Lebowski]

Looks like Skyfall landscape from the self-titled famous movie. Nice photos Randy!

 

[Dav]

Taking the opportunity to wear a jacket all day, yesterday it was the A2, who knows what today.
Tbh, being as I live alone not much has changed really, so here's a quick snap of me cooking pancakes, in the jacket of course.

 

[zebedee]

I was waiting for my next job in Asia to materialise and was staying with folks in the UK when lockdown happened, so now we are all in the same house. There is much talk of how this will alter life forever, but I can equally see things getting back to irresponsible normal within a year of this passing. Due to prior experience of ARS of various types in Asia, I pulled the kid out of school before others did and was told I was overreacting; five days after that everyone followed suit.

We are lucky in that we have a garden and are fairly suburban. I'm a keen reader and am using the time to catch up on things. I am reading Jim Crace's 'Quarantine' (not about a pandemic), re-reading Robert Stone's 'Dog Soldiers' and Maya Jasanoff's 'Dawn Watch' on the life of Joseph Conrad. I was also going to watch 'The Irishman', but I don't have that much time on my hands.

 

[zebedee]

A gift in dark times:

 

[jacketjunkie]

I feel staying put for a while is easier when you focus on the now and don't think much further than next day's meals. Accept the situation, accepts there are things you cannot change and do other things instead rather than contemplating about the former, slow down and live a bit more day to day.

I started working at the court in March, judge-in-training essentially and ten days in, everything was shut down. The judge who is supposed to train me has terminated all our appointments until end of April. I just practice my cooking skills now which can eat up a considerable amount of time each day, I work out a lot and take care of all those things at home that accumulated over the past months. It's been almost three weeks now and I'm still perfectly sane. I find myself doing more online-shopping though which is a problem I may have to see to..

 

[Monitor]

Having pretty much nobody to talk to is what I'd call my biggest gripe about all this. I haven't got any family left and only two RL friends but we all got so busy with life we barely talked even before the stupid virus or so right now, whenever I say "Thank you" to a cashier in a store when buying groceries, the sound of my own voice surprises me. Talking to myself would help I suppose but I'm still not that far gone. Yet. I did notice the other day my life more and more resembles that of Travis Bickle and it wasn't a happy realization.

But Covid aside, I don't really think much would've been different for me anyway. As I got dumped just a few days before crap hit the fan, I don't think my days would've been much if any different without it so I guess it's more about getting used to being alone (again), rather than adjusting to the new situation. That didn't take long.

They did close down the bars and that hurts. Going out for a beer in the evening was somewhat of a tradition for me. Just one, one hour before closing. Not many people, good music... That was nice. I'd just chill, read something... Well, that's gone now and it's the biggest impact my life has had since the madness started. Luckily, perhaps I should add...

What I am hoping to do is to pick up my drawing, to avoid calling it "art" because that's what for sure it's not. I feel I absolutely need an iPad for this but the damn thing just costs sooo much, more than a high-end computer and I'm not even sure I'd even get back to drawing even if I got it. That's been my only preoccupation for a while now. Either that or Carlos' 613 Perfecto. It's nice to plan, though.

 

[zebedee]

Having pretty much nobody to talk to is what I'd call my biggest gripe about all this. I haven't got any family left and only two RL friends but we all got so busy with life we barely talked even before the stupid virus or so right now, whenever I say "Thank you" to a cashier in a store when buying groceries, the sound of my own voice surprises me. Talking to myself would help I suppose but I'm still not that far gone. Yet. I did notice the other day my life more and more resembles that of Travis Bickle and it wasn't a happy realization.

But Covid aside, I don't really think much would've been different for me anyway. As I got dumped just a few days before crap hit the fan, I don't think my days would've been much if any different without it so I guess it's more about getting used to being alone (again), rather than adjusting to the new situation. That didn't take long.

They did close down the bars and that hurts. Going out for a beer in the evening was somewhat of a tradition for me. Just one, one hour before closing. Not many people, good music... That was nice. I'd just chill, read something... Well, that's gone now and it's the biggest impact my life has had since the madness started. Luckily, perhaps I should add...

What I am hoping to do is to pick up my drawing, to avoid calling it "art" because that's what for sure it's not. I feel I absolutely need an iPad for this but the damn thing just costs sooo much, more than a high-end computer and I'm not even sure I'd even get back to drawing even if I got it. That's been my only preoccupation for a while now. Either that or Carlos' 613 Perfecto. It's nice to plan, though.

I worked the majority of my adult life in Asia; post-divorce I repatriated to the UK and was not in a good way for the best part of a year and then was back in Asia for two years before family concerns again brought me back to the UK- I lost contact with most of the people I knew, companies in Asia didn't want to hire me as they thought I was a 'bouncer' (despite having got to the top of my trade by about 38) and I realised that I had run out of what I'd call 'internal patience'- you're fine day-to-day, but increasingly aware of time passing and, recently post-40, the feeling that you cannot make things work out (even though you have the experience/qualifications/track record) can really get you down. The problem is that hiding that feels artificial, but expressing it is alienating to others. It's easy to drink too frequently, and most bars come with ready-made 'drinking friends' - if you meet them blasted outside of pub hours, you see the dangers. I hated the idea of joining any form of meet-up or reading club (it seemed like an omen of doom, like salsa class post-35) so I started reading, did some online tutoring and rewarded myself with wine on Friday nights. If you can self-discipline, other things will work out, although it can take time.

I hate fitness training, but I try to eat sensibly, reduced smoking to about 3 a day (and sporadically quit) and may dig the rowing machine out: I don't think that I can buy things to improve my mood in the way that I could in my twenties and early thirties, so I pay attention to mastering things (this is academic for me) and relaxing properly instead of pouring energy into irritation or anxiety (which gets on others' nerves and make quality of life worse). Lockdown and quarantine are potentially interesting in internal ways: for a lot of people, this is going to be an episode of professional and (relative) social resetting (we are in the same boat); nobody else can hugely achieve at the moment either, so anything you can do - in almost any sphere - is a win: if we all have 'dead' time free of judgement, we can animate it in new ways. There is now only time, so force that 'patience' with yourself. 'Apocalypse' was originally the revelation of things as they are, the basics. You have 'you' to work on, free of distractions.

 

[Bfd70]

I’d like to start by observing that @AeroFan_07 is shaving less and @Dav is shaving more.
I am fortunate. I get to leave and go to work everyday. I don’t do sit down very well. I do have more free time since all of my kids activities have come to a halt. I’ve been using the time to read more. Currently reading Unbroken. It’s the story of an Olympic runner turned WWII POW. Talk about cabin fever! This guy spend 40+ days floating in the ocean on a raft. The weather is starting to cooperate so i can run outisde and the spring migration has begun.
Good vibes to all the loungers.

 

[navetsea]

A gift in dark times:

View attachment 223506

Hard to listen to a dude who doesnt wear leather jacket... impossible if the dude wears cardigan...

Went to my mum to give my sister her birthday present, my mum give me a homemade mask.

 

[Monitor]

@zebedee , excellent post but you've nailed it with...

...the feeling that you cannot make things work out (even though you have the experience/qualifications/track record) can really get you down. The problem is that hiding that feels artificial, but expressing it is alienating to others.

Nothing to add just that this is so well put. No matter how happy I am at any given moment, that storm on the horizon, the realization that I may have f'd everything up, it's always there. But I guess that's how we all often feel, no matter how accomplished our lives are.

But on to happier things, yeah, the feeling that I'm not really missing out on much is... Well, relaxing, let's just put it that way. Before all this, I'd have this feeling I should be doing this or that, that there's so much more going on somewhere else and I'm missing out on it all...
Now, though, I am exactly and where I should be and there's something calming about it. No better time to try to pick up some of the projects I've had in plan for years and the best part, don't even need to rush things as there's gonna be plenty of time to go about it.

@navetsea , Lol, why don't you play the games? I never quite understood why do people watch Let's Play videos as you could be actually playing those games. Except if you don't have a good enough rig which often is the case. Same for me and Alyx. As much as I'd love to play it, I don't wanna end up spending a $1000+ just to play one game.

No doubt though, the gaming on a TV screen is over. I've been saying that for years, you can't really do anything anymore on a 2D display and I so happy they're moving toward the VR even though I won't get to enjoy it any time soon.

Alyx is a huge thing. Nothing quite like it. Gabe knows where it's at.

 

[sweetfights]

So this is a little different post/thread I am starting here. Yes, there will be a few jackets featured, along with boots & jeans. So hopefully it still fits in the "outerwear" section. However the focus will be much more upon lifestyle, activites, travel and most of all, what any or all of us are doing to deal with these rather solitary times we are living in presently. Hope we can add to this thread in a similar manner as "What jacket are you wearing today" Instead what are you doing today to go outsde your normal routine?

In my case, I grew up on a farm in East central Illinois. For the past few days, mostly being in my home (though very fortunately not ill) and fully working from home, I just needed to get out onto some gravel roads. I decided to return to my roots here, practice "distance socializing" and in this case, just refect some in my time of solitude.

You will see some jackets - an Unbranded Denim jacket, and Aero 30's Half Belt, and a simple black t-shirt of a Des Moines shop I patronize often. I am working a bit on photography, so what you see here is a work in progress. I intentionally wanted the kind of day we had - foggy, fairly warm, overcast. Not yet greened up, but signs of spring all all around. So I took my rusty farm truck and found a place to use the tripod.

View attachment 223461 View attachment 223464 View attachment 223466

Sometimes we just need to slow down & reflect ---
View attachment 223474

View attachment 223476

Even using un-natural objects, we can still relate to them differently...

View attachment 223477

Hope this is enjoyable and restful. Go try something similar. It's great to get out & away...

View attachment 223478

Thank you for this post. Sanity!

 

[Bfd70]

@sweetfights you guys doin ok otj?

 

[Monitor]

What possible use would aliens have by abducting people, anyway? They have the technology to reach Earth from light-years away but not to study people without physically abducting and exposing them to long, primitive and basic examinations? Lol, alien medical tech is pretty backwards if they need to probe people in order to learn about us. I'd think one quick scan from the orbit'd tell 'em all they need to know.

Not to mention they survive thousands of years worth of travel (provided they haven't figured out how to travel FTL and I'm willing to bet they haven't) only to crash here!

Still, as far as I am concerned, the alien abduction sequence in Fire in the Sky is still the best I've seen on film. The only aliens that actually feel... Alien. Everything about the ship is so foreign and off. That filthy corridor they're dragging the guy through with all the objects from different eras scattered around... Weird, nonsensical gravity... Dead people in the pods... Brilliant.

 

[Carlos840]

What possible use would aliens have by abducting people, anyway? They have the technology to reach Earth from light-years away but not to study people without physically abducting and exposing them to long, primitive and basic examinations? Lol, alien medical tech is pretty backwards if they need to probe people in order to learn about us. I'd think one quick scan from the orbit'd tell 'em all they need to know.

Not to mention they survive thousands of years worth of travel (provided they haven't figured out how to travel FTL and I'm willing to bet they haven't) only to crash here!

Still, as far as I am concerned, the alien abduction sequence in Fire in the Sky is still the best I've seen on film. The only aliens that actually feel... Alien. Everything about the ship is so foreign and off. That filthy corridor they're dragging the guy through with all the objects from different eras scattered around... Weird, nonsensical gravity... Dead people in the pods... Brilliant.

Butt probing, it's all about butt probing for these little alien bastards... They are obsessed with butts!

 

[zebedee]

On Alpha Centauri there is one mystery that remains unsolved despite advances in infinite energy, telepathy, immortality and phase-shifting. It's why anyone would need more than one high-end leather jacket and a decent pair of boots. Information can only be gleaned by way of a rectal probe and even then it's partial, fragmentary.

Animal abductions are actually a cover for attempts to replicate 'fit jackets' to cajole answers out of reticent abductees, but the trance-slurred responses always dry up if the grain and patina isn't right.