Smokey, Folks.
It really is kind of amazing that there seems to be no end to the overwhelming, dystopian shitstorm happening. I’m wary to say it can’t get much worse because obviously it can. Much.
I’m just trying to deal. Trying not to let grief and sadness catalyze into real depression. It is hard. I’m up against some pretty steep obstacles in the process here. One of them became my hike. Which is a fairly steep incline and one of the few things keeping me sane.
The air was fairly unbreathable here in LA last week. Granted it was not as bad as some places but it was awful. It gave me a headache, sore throat, itchy eyes and achy lungs. It was real. It was scary. It was maddening that I couldn’t exercise. The one way I know to keep my sanity relatively in check was being hijacked by the apocalypse. By the time Saturday rolled around I had been sitting inside at home like a sad cat staring out the window for days at the burning orange end times sun. I felt my brain and body atrophying. I had to make a choice.
Is this what life is going to be now? Just a day to day struggle to adapt to environmental adversity and disease? If I am choosing to live in this reality shouldn’t I be figuring out a way to engage with that life in a way other than being a victim? Adapt. I mean, this may be what it is for the rest of my life. It may even get worse. Why wouldn’t it?
So, I woke up. Checked my air quality app. It was moderate. There was a window. It looked like it would last a couple of hours. So, I strapped on an N95 mask and it wasn’t for Covid, it was for air quality (and Covid). I had never climbed the entire mountain with a mask. That was my goal. I usually take it on and off depending on proximity to other people. Not this time. I was going all the way and I was going to deal with it. This was what I needed to do to live in this reality, I thought.
I did it. Sadly, I was proud of myself for being stupid and hiking in unbreathable garbage but rising to the situation by masking up properly for smoke. I was excited that I was beginning the adaptation process. This is the exciting life of struggling to survive, trying to enjoy the pastimes of better days.
Today I talk to the amazing Toni Collette about many things. Including Charlie Kaufman’s ‘I’m Thinking About Ending Things,’ which annoyed me. Not her, the movie. On Thursday I talk to the amazing character actor Wendell Pierce about his life and work. Love that guy. Great talks.
Enjoy!
Boomer, Monkey and LaFonda live!
Love,
Maron
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