Green Room - Week 8 - Day 1

[clauderainsrm]

 If there is one lesson from this mini season (so far), it's that "sometimes life happens" and we need to make the best of it. 

It's not disappointing to anyone else. Or, if it is, clearly they need to reassess their own priorities.  ;) 

It can still be a bummer... suck... be annoying if you are the one directly experiencing it. Or were just hoping for more.  I certainly know that people were hoping for more out of ME this time around. I definitely was.  But I hope that what you are getting is still enjoyable. 

That's kind of like every other aspect of life. There are a lot of things completely out of your control.... there are one or two things that are, as difficult as it is to believe, out of MY control.... (for now).  But we find a way to make the best of it. 

***

Last night's results are up https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1115656.html
and so is the new prompt https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1115986.html

***

What are YOU doing to help yourself get by these days? 

Comments

[adoptedwriter]

Gary,
I know your job situation is chaos on an “easy” day right now. No judgement from me. Life happens. Shit happens. Good things happen. It’s out of our control and like the last prompt and as you say, we do what we can with what we have when and where. Idol has always been enjoyable and part of my self-care (even when we were surviving on an island! Ha!)

[alycewilson]

I agree with this post, and I know why you posted it. The contestant who worried about disappointing people is not only a former teammate but has become a friend. She is the sweetest person in the world and often comes up with thoughtful, creative pieces that surprise and delight me. But as I told her, everybody has off weeks, and I never see anyone, as a writer, as reduced to their worst week. I think that's what I like about this season. Too often, I'll have a strong season and then, due to a weak idea, which I typically agree with the voters is not my best work, I get eliminated. This time, I have a choice in how I go out. If I don't have the time to write, I can just take a strike, or I can do what I've been trying to do, and do my best, in that moment, every week. Then, it will take three weeks of less-than-stellar writing -- or three weeks of writing that's less stellar than my competition -- to be eliminated. It's hard to say at this point, because it always sucks to be eliminated, but I imagine when it happens, it will feel a little bit more fair than it has sometimes seemed in the past. Just because I'll know it's the consequence of a downward trend, and that it's my time.

[gunwithoutmusic]

I agree on this format - I think it'd be too unwieldy if there were a LOT of people playing, but I've seen people go out before on just a bad week when they've had a great run in the season, so it's nice to have that buffer for when you get a dud, which we all do from time to time. :)

[roina_arwen]

Yes, exactly this!

[gunwithoutmusic]

I'll be honest, I'm having a tough time getting by these days. There's nothing dire going on, but work has been extremely chaotic for the last month or so (and will not let up until AT LEAST July), and home life has been stressful, as well, as we rapidly approach the six-month mark of my father-in-law living with us.

The thing is that he's not impossible to live with or anything, and he (for the most part) minds his own business and stuff, but I just don't get any alone time and I feel like my house is not my own, like that feeling of having company over and not knowing what to do with yourself because you can't just relax like you do when you're home alone, but just always. It's hard when you can't point to any particular behavior and have to just say, "Your existence stresses me out!" because it seems unreasonable.

[roina_arwen]

I feel ya on the living situation. My hubby and I have a nice house, but we have three housemates, and while two of them mostly live in the downstairs half, the other (all of whom are dear friends, we aren’t living with strangers) is mostly upstairs with us. She has her own room when she wants/needs alone time, but I agree that sometimes it’s nice to not have to deal with other folks in your space.

[gunwithoutmusic]

Oof! Well I feel a little better about my situation; at least it's (supposedly) temporary. It's hard on me because my husband made the decision to take my father-in-law in without really letting me have any say. Not that I would have said no, because seemingly the options were "my dad loves with us" or "my dad dies alone in the street," since my sister-in-law has already taken him in once before and refuses to do it again (I don't blame her). I would have liked to have been consulted, though. Maybe we could have figured out another option.

Also, my husband and I are both very non-confrontational, so the idea of having "the talk" about setting a date for him to be out is like torture for us both, especially since his father is highly defensive in everyday situations, much less an actually stressful one. But that's more on us than him, of course!

[roina_arwen]

I get it, and I completely understand! Being consulted on situations that affect you both is a courtesy at least, even if he knows you’d have said yes. There’s still the option of you both figuring out another option for FIL in the future; maybe if you can do that, it would be less confrontational to talk with him? Hugs to you both!

[gunwithoutmusic]

Thank you :) That's not a bad idea about maybe figuring out a different living situation for him if he doesn't figure it out on his own.

[mollywheezy]

One of my closest friends lost everything in Hurricane Katrina and lived with my husband and me for nine months. It was extremely hard and we decided we'd never do it again. My husband actually offered to have my mom live with us when my dad died, and thankfully she didn't want to. It's hard to have other people around even when they are kind and helpful and you love them because you can never completely relax and always have to be on your best behavior. Hang in there! *HUGS*

[gunwithoutmusic]

Thank you! :) My husband did also take in a friend of his once, back when we were living in a one-bedroom apartment, and she ended up staying with us for close to a year. I try to put things in perspective, because now we're in a three-bedroom house so at least there's space to spread out.

But darn it I wanna be able to walk around the house in my underwear again!

[banana_galaxy]

Like roina_arwen, I've been living with housemates (technically my tenants, since they paid me rent for the rooms in my home) during the pandemic. However, once they told me they were moving out, I found myself feeling relief that I'd no longer have to worry about other people being around. Sure it means a cut to my income, but I think overall I'll feel less stressed out, because there were certain moments that just made me feel awkward in my own home, and I'd had enough of that in my previous relationship. The way you describe your situation feels a lot like how I've felt with my tenants.

[gunwithoutmusic]

Yeah, it's little things like being able to walk around in your underwear or taking a shower without having to remember to bring your clean clothes into the bathroom with you so you can change immediately after. It sounds silly but it really becomes noticeable after a long enough time!

[banana_galaxy]

Yeah I worry sometimes about going out into the hallway to turn lights off after I've taken my pants off for the night, so I hear that. I have an ensuite attached to my bedroom so I at least don't have the exact same issue as you (otherwise I wouldn't be able to do that anyway because of my kids).

[dadi]

I am grateful that Idol is continuing, and that there are no twists and turns so far :)
And very probably I have just jinxed myself ;)

[roina_arwen]

Ya think??? Lol!

[roina_arwen]

Hubby and I had a nice vacation, but alas we both got Covid along with it (fortunately neither of us tested positive until we got home - we both had negative tests on 5/12, positive for me on the 14th and for him today.) He’s been sicker than I have - like the flu; mine is more a cough and bad cold symptoms, but getting better.

On the plus side, I’m able to work from home this week, and just using some sick leave here and there depending on how I’m feeling.

This is one of those weird topics that I've finally located my “in” on, so it’s just a matter of seeing how it pans out. I agree with the other comments that I like the 3 Strikes format and am definitely having fun with Idol this season. Thank you for continuing to do all you do, Gary! We appreciate you!

[banana_galaxy]

Oof, I hope you both feel better soon! I guess testing positive once you're home is better than whilst on vacation and having to change your plans around. I'm glad you enjoyed the vacation!

[roina_arwen]

Testing positive at home is definitely cheaper - if we had tested positive while still on board the cruise ship, they would have made us quarantine there, which would have meant paying for another cruise, I think. 🙄

[mollywheezy]

Hope you both feel better SOON!


I like the three strikes format, too, so everyone can stay longer. I really appreciate all the feedback I have been receiving! :)

[mollywheezy]

This is my first time in LJ Idol, and it has been a very good experience so far, especially making new friends and receiving so many thoughtful comments. Dadi talked me into participating, which was a big step for me, since it's the first time I've made real life writing public. I have been finding it helpful in dealing with my grief over my dad's death, even though my husband often finds me staring at my Chromebook crying. Thankfully after almost 26 years of marriage, he's used to me. ;)

[aggienaut]

This week's prompt is... a song lyric? Google search only brought me a link to something on spotify?

Also I feel strongly it should be ""You are >s>an a opossum living in the trashcan of my heart" since the o is silent.

[clauderainsrm]

It is. "I Hope That I Don't Fuck This Up" by Dollar Signs.

I'm pretty sure that it's "A" in on my most of the lyric sites. But I must have grabbed the ne where it's "an". :)

[aggienaut]

Aha yes verily I have listened to it now and it's "a" in the song

[erulissedances]

I'm not doing anything special - I work out either on the treadmill or in the swimming pool six days a week, I meditate first thing in the morning every day, and I work - hard - at a variety of things since I own my own business and my success depends on my efforts. Same old/same old - LOL.

I'm a newbie - never participated before. I was talked into it by Bloedeswan (not sure if I spelled it right - sorry!), and I'm really happy I dove in. I'm enjoying the three-strikes format but more than that, I love writing to a challenge. The problem I have is producing quality work each time because sometimes the words sing, other times it's dragging them backwards through a comb. Still, it's a lot of fun and I'm here for as long as I can manage it.

- Erulisse (one L)