Happy 4th of July. This post will be going up at the usual time, but I will likely still be fast asleep because we had late night movie night with friends, and it went until early o'clock. I wouldn't have slept well last night anyway, due to all the noise.
Because it's around the 4th of July, and I live in the US, I currently live in a place where fireworks will go off at any given moment, especially if it's night time. Autistic sound sensitivity, meet "nobody cares, enjoy your frazzled nerves and general ill-will." Yyyyep, that's right. Just because it's a national holiday does not make all those explosions somehow friendly or easier to tolerate.
This is my first 4th of July in this house, and I was kind of hoping it'd be a bit quieter than it is. Which isn't to say it's not quieter than my old apartment was, mind. People there thought it was acceptable to light fireworks off at, say, 3am, regardless of whether it was 2 weeks after the 4th, or before it. Even knowing many of my neighbors were immigrants and thus at a lot higher of risk if the cops were involved, I almost called law enforcement several times. I never quite got to that point, but I was mad enough to scream out the window several times.
You are now perhaps wondering how I manage July 4th at all, and whether I attend fireworks shows or do events at all, considering what I've described. The answer to the first is "poorly." When explosions can happen at any time, with no warning, I find myself a lot more rattled, anxious, and distractable. I mostly survive this time of year. The answer to the second is "yes, with proper motivation." Fireworks shows aren't just about the fireworks, they're also about spending time with people. I do find fireworks pretty, and I approve of their use of gunpowder over the more standard ammunition and guns. I can prepare myself somewhat to be bombarded with the sounds, bring ear plugs, and clamp my hands over the earplug-wearing ears to further dampen the sound.
This year my friends are busy, so I'll miss the fireworks show downtown. I'm not sure whether I'm sad or relieved. It would be fun to spend that time with them, but my nerves are already pretty frayed. It's been a pretty crummy last few days for me. In addition to the fireplace gunk I mentioned last week, I think something molded in the house and my throat's been sore and scratchy for weeks. I've been unable to help my grandmother get her stereo system (multi-CD player) working properly, despite putting literal hours into it at this point. I ran out of some of my supplements, had major gastointestinal issues, and the house appears to have developed an infestation of tiny bugs. They seem to be attracted to the tub, kitchen counters, and bathroom counters, whereupon they die, en masse. All neatly and evenly spaced. It's both bizarre and disgusting.
The last thing to mention is that I'm getting a bit disheartened with my 5 day/week exercise routine and fasting diet. The latter makes the 3 days of biking kind of unpleasant, because I don't eat until noon, but with it being hot out, I need to bike before noon. This would be fine, but I'm also still not losing weight, and I have a limited amount of patience for things that degrade my enjoyment of life with no positive effects to show. I'll perhaps talk to my doctor about upping my "eating time" to 10 hours instead of 8, and starting to eat at 10am instead of noon. I might be able to have breakfast 2 biking days out of 3, if that happened.
Because it's around the 4th of July, and I live in the US, I currently live in a place where fireworks will go off at any given moment, especially if it's night time. Autistic sound sensitivity, meet "nobody cares, enjoy your frazzled nerves and general ill-will." Yyyyep, that's right. Just because it's a national holiday does not make all those explosions somehow friendly or easier to tolerate.
This is my first 4th of July in this house, and I was kind of hoping it'd be a bit quieter than it is. Which isn't to say it's not quieter than my old apartment was, mind. People there thought it was acceptable to light fireworks off at, say, 3am, regardless of whether it was 2 weeks after the 4th, or before it. Even knowing many of my neighbors were immigrants and thus at a lot higher of risk if the cops were involved, I almost called law enforcement several times. I never quite got to that point, but I was mad enough to scream out the window several times.
You are now perhaps wondering how I manage July 4th at all, and whether I attend fireworks shows or do events at all, considering what I've described. The answer to the first is "poorly." When explosions can happen at any time, with no warning, I find myself a lot more rattled, anxious, and distractable. I mostly survive this time of year. The answer to the second is "yes, with proper motivation." Fireworks shows aren't just about the fireworks, they're also about spending time with people. I do find fireworks pretty, and I approve of their use of gunpowder over the more standard ammunition and guns. I can prepare myself somewhat to be bombarded with the sounds, bring ear plugs, and clamp my hands over the earplug-wearing ears to further dampen the sound.
This year my friends are busy, so I'll miss the fireworks show downtown. I'm not sure whether I'm sad or relieved. It would be fun to spend that time with them, but my nerves are already pretty frayed. It's been a pretty crummy last few days for me. In addition to the fireplace gunk I mentioned last week, I think something molded in the house and my throat's been sore and scratchy for weeks. I've been unable to help my grandmother get her stereo system (multi-CD player) working properly, despite putting literal hours into it at this point. I ran out of some of my supplements, had major gastointestinal issues, and the house appears to have developed an infestation of tiny bugs. They seem to be attracted to the tub, kitchen counters, and bathroom counters, whereupon they die, en masse. All neatly and evenly spaced. It's both bizarre and disgusting.
The last thing to mention is that I'm getting a bit disheartened with my 5 day/week exercise routine and fasting diet. The latter makes the 3 days of biking kind of unpleasant, because I don't eat until noon, but with it being hot out, I need to bike before noon. This would be fine, but I'm also still not losing weight, and I have a limited amount of patience for things that degrade my enjoyment of life with no positive effects to show. I'll perhaps talk to my doctor about upping my "eating time" to 10 hours instead of 8, and starting to eat at 10am instead of noon. I might be able to have breakfast 2 biking days out of 3, if that happened.
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