Hermitage

I have been quite the introvert lately. That almost never happens, and is usually a forced condition. In this case, it's been a result of fairly significant life shifts, especially those in the social realm of my life, and a little bit of situational depression. People I thought were my friends clearly aren't. The lifestyle that used to energize me now exhausts me. I'm trying to be healthier, to find friends who are less draining and more mutual, to figure out what my life looks like if I'm in bed before midnight. So, I've been more or less a hermit, for me anyway, which means you can usually find me at home by 9pm, and I haven't sung karaoke in weeks. No wonder I'm depressed.

However, there are some things I've learned in my reclusive state:

- I feel better when my house is reasonably clean. Rushing around like a maniac and only being home to sleep and shower is not conducive to that.

- The best carpet odor remover ever is baking soda. All hail the wondrous power of baking soda, which has eradicated months of gross dog smell from my front hallway.

- Even when I'm home a lot, it still feels like a waste of time to cook real meals for one person.

- My dog is really happy when I'm a hermit.

- I need to run. I forgot how much better I feel when I do it, even though my body aches unbelievably.

- My dog does not get as tired as I expect from running. Instead, she becomes more energetic, and still needs to go to the dog park, where running has caused her to morph from Crotchety Old Aunt of the pack to Miss Social. Fortunately, the dog park is a good social outlet for me as well.

- Helium.com is addictive. I've been writing random articles, and it fuels both my writing impulse and my competitive streak. I get irrationally irritated when my rankings fall, though.

That's all for now. I'll try to direct more of my writing here instead of Helium, now that my creative juices seem to be flowing again.