With a little autobiographical writing project, a return to work on the horizon, a fabulous streaming service for a cinephile like me, a crop of television shows I've enjoyed and a lot of gratitude to early contributors to the blog and podcast, I’m managing to get through this thing.

I’m not going to lie: the pandemic and the quarantine, isolation and loneliness that it has produced are taking a toll. Some days are better than others, certainly. And I have allowed moments or even entire days where I let myself off the hook and ignore the pressure to be productive or use time to make lemonade from sour lemons. Sometimes, it’s okay to say ‘fuck it’, do nothing and be sad. But when you go to that place, just make sure you don’t move in.

Let’s not paint an entirely dark picture, though. I’ve also had some really good days with my dogs and terrific conversations with old friends. It’s been a time of much reflection and introspection, assessing what I really need and what really has value to me, which has been cathartic - a much needed cleansing and a purging of things that aren’t working.

But peering through the lenses of these good and not so good days, I do have enough hindsight and experience to know that this, too, shall pass, and that there will be change. The key is to be open and adaptable, which I plan to be.

In the meantime, there’s much to read, much to listen to and so much to watch. I hope you enjoy the episode, and I thank you for listening.

Be safe out there. (And wear a mask!)

George