Category Archives: blue funks

OCCUPIED: Day 65 Too Good to be True

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There was always gonna be something. The dude is required to be out by 8 am on Jan. 16….. except, the judge, sensing the tension and hostility rampant now, set a date of Jan. 26 to return to court in case he trashes stuff.

This opened a road of nebulous possibilities, apparently. I went straight to the court clerk’s office and paid the $25 fee to file a writ, which is the document that says “get out.”

But the writ gives the person 72 hours to go from time of serving. So it makes sense the court would allow it to be served on Jan. 13, right? Wrong. They won’t serve it until after 8 am on Jan. 16, and that will be in accordance with their schedule for that day.

They are really good at getting to these quickly, my lawyer’s office told me when I went back and said, in essence “what the hell?” And the continuance will have confused the civil officers. They don’t know whether to serve or not.

You mean….. he might not get served until after Jan. 26, even though the eviction order says Jan. 16?

Well, nobody’s sure. This is part of the weirdness of the whole court experience. Things are specific and prescribed–until they’re not. Do this, do this, do this. Okay now sit back and wait and maybe something will or won’t happen. And if it is illegal, well, that’s terrible, but we don’t actually prosecute.

I have never seen anything quite like this exactitude meets chaos system. I hope I never do again. Meanwhile, a locksmith is going out the morning of Jan. 16 to change the locks. If he’s gone, he’s gone, and if he’s not, he will likely be as hostile as he was on Dec. 29, when I did the court-ordered inspection. I could try calling the sheriff if that happens.

Yeah,maybe I’ll do that little thing. If y’all would, please say a prayer for Jan. 16, ‘k thanks.

Occupied: Day 55 (Why Yarn is Better than Xanax)

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I’ve seen the week between Christmas and New Year’s called the lost week online. Netflix even recommends some binge watching for this “week without purpose.”

Me, I’ve been clocking the Mondays. Dec. 22 was the two lawyers meeting for the judge to set paperwork war parameters and order me an inspection on Dec. 29.

Dec. 29 was that terrifying inspection, with the resultant pursuance of a protective order.

Jan. 5 is the eviction hearing, and the separate protective order hearing.

There are times when self-care becomes survival, but the question is, what does it look like in that moment? When you literally go numb and wonder what else could drop out just as you think you’ve reached bottom. Chocolate and bubble baths aren’t going to cut through the fearsome static that fills the void of silence, wondering: will this ever be over?

It being over is a blog for another day, and an interesting part of tenancy law. This week, off from my day job and trying to be myself, I have taken up arms by taking up yarn.

I made this hat for a friend going through extreme stress.

Self-care is better when it’s calm rather than indulgent. What do you need most? OK, find that. I need calm. So I am crocheting a stained glass bedspread in Rennie Mackintosh blocks. And logging a lot of Netflix and podcasts. Fortunately, it’s a good time of year to be binge watching and listening to stuff.

Yarn is better than Xanax. When I sat in court waiting to speak to the judge about a protective order, I fetched my yarn from my car so I could crochet. The lady behind me also seeking an order grinned. She knew.

Now, as that imagination that makes me a writer also runs crazy with “what next,” I am finding the zen of repetitive movement helpful. Slide the hook through the hole, grab the yarn, everything is interconnected. Enjoy the moment. Let your mind slide with the hook.

Crafters know how to get to The Zone. We enjoy the fact that, at the end of not thinking about what we’re thinking about, we have something to show for it. Sometimes the stitches are tighter in certain places, but they are all holding together. This time, the center can hold. So can our nerves. Yarn is cheaper than Xanax, doesn’t have side effects, and amounts to something when it’s all put together.

Taking up yarn today and I might just finish this bedspread. I’ll post pics when I do. Best wishes, y’all–and thank you so much for your kind comments, private or public. It means a lot to know other people have survived this kind of difficulty with their sense of humor and faith in humanity intact.