The "Idle Janie" Journal - Days 16 through 20

Photo credit: David Bryan, Lisbon, Portugal November 2018


The “Idle Janie” Journal - Day 16

“No Hope For Compromise”
It’s not looking good, folks. Every day that I wake up, I wonder if it’s even possible for the political divide to grow any greater in this ridiculous excuse of a country. We are a nation founded on freedom. But when freedom becomes freedumb, we’re in trouble. No longer does anyone else’s rights, thoughts, beliefs, or opinions matter. And, in fact, your freedom stops as soon as it comes in contact with mine. How in the hell can a country thrive — or even simply survive — if there is absolutely no room for reasoning with others?
I obviously don’t need to inform you of the huge chasm of very heated opinions that has opened up with regards to mask mandates. But I figured, at the very least, there might be SOME semblance of sanity regarding whether our children and teachers should be forced — by the federal government — to return to the classrooms en masse in the fall, in the face of a pandemic seemingly spiraling out of control with its sights set on superseding the infamous influenza of 1918.
So I was a bit relieved yesterday to see a very conservative christian friend of mine post on her timeline, telling her local school system something to the extent of “you should be ashamed of yourselves — you don’t care about our kids.” FINALLY we’ve found an issue we might all agree on!
Nope. I read further into the comments section and realized that she was objecting to the school board saying that there WON’T be “in class education” offered this fall. They are going to continue with the virtual model for now.
Surely a signifier for what is going to become the partisan issue du jour — if it isn’t already and I just missed it — we’re now going to have countrywide chaos as students, parents, teachers, administrators, local elected officials, and school boards SCREAM at each other over whatever decisions are made for each school system. Every mother will become a martyr, every father furious, every girl a guinea pig, every boy a bargaining chip, every administrator angry, every politician a pariah, and even every janitor jaded. No matter what is decreed, it is the absolute WRONG decision. But that very decision is also the absolute RIGHT decision.
No matter what, come hell or high water, WHATEVER is declared is the doing of the devil.
How the hell did we get here???????
We basically live in two very different worlds, and EVERY. SINGLE. ISSUE. is substantially weighted on both ends of a very wide spectrum. And that spectrum is stretching further apart each and every day — to the point where it is simply going to SNAP. And soon.
Basically stated, we’re screwed. With absolutely no coordinated federal response or leadership since day 1, and with partisan infighting inundating every single level of state and local leadership even 6 months and over 140,000 deaths later with no end in sight, it’s obvious that this ship is swiftly sinking. The captain is completely wasted, the crew are scrambling around looking for answers, the naive neglected passengers are fist-fighting over the choice of appetizers offered even though the head chef had a heart attack and can no longer cook, the communications system has malfunctioned, the anchor is busted, the lifeboats were outsourced to third world countries for cheap labor, and a tsunami is swift approaching.
It’s literally going to be every man, woman, and child fending for themselves.
At least we’re working towards helping mother nature manage the spiraling global population explosion. It was really only a matter of time.
Wow, can’t wait to see what else 2020 has in store for us. 🙄
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Thanks for reading. If you like what you read, and want to support my fledgeling career as a writer and musician, you can drop a few bucks in the virtual tip jar. It all adds up!
Venmo: @David-Bryan10026

😎

Photo credit: David Bryan, Arles, France October 2017


The “Idle Janie” Journal - Day 17
“It was fun while it lasted”
I know not many people are reading these entries, and I knew that would be the case. We live in an era of information overload, and posts that pass the 20-word mark are simply skipped over because NO IT’S TOO MUCH AHHHH I CAN’T BE BOTHERED TO READ ALL THAT.
All of the news is fake anyway, we’ve been told, so why bother spending 10 minutes of your valuable time reading something that might not even be verifiable? Seems like most of the folks on Facebook get their news from memes these days anyway. So, what’s the point in writing at all?
Well, as I said early on, this writing is mostly for ME. It has really helped me navigate the post-employment waters, along with a bunch of other daily activities that have basically helped me achieve a sense of BALANCE that had been missing from my life for the last 12 years. For those who HAVEN’T been following my journal (but happen to be reading now), check out my post from DAY 9: it lays out a list of things I have incorporated into my daily life to give it some structure and a sense of sanity.
Since my job ended on July 1st, I have found that I AM HAPPIER THAN I HAVE BEEN IN OVER A DECADE. I've dedicated myself to music and writing. And I have finally been taking care of myself — physically, mentally, psychologically and spiritually. For a little background leading up to this point, check out this article I composed early on in quarantine:
If you “don’t have time to read it,” I’ll sum it up for you in one sentence: I HAD BEEN ON THE VERGE OF A HEART ATTACK, STROKE, OR NERVOUS BREAKDOWN FOR THE BETTER PART OF 2 YEARS — and the lockdown, followed by my job being vacated, have me now holding on to the happiest and healthiest time in my life in recent memory.
But all good things must come to an end. My meager amount of money in the bank will run out soon, so I have applied for unemployment insurance — which, of course, mandates that I must be actively looking for a job, and then jump at the opportunity to accept the first invitation offered. Which will then be followed by a return to the 40-hour a week hellhole of prostrating myself to some supervisor and giving my time, talent, and training — in THIS economy — to the lowest bidder. All just to put some bread in my basket.
Is my music, my writing, my creativity, my contributions to culture, not enough? No, it never was. Think of artists such as myself, and what WE could do with those trust funds that fall into the hands of worthless heiresses such as Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian; or the sons and grandsons of the likes of Jeff Bezos, who will inherit literally billions and just live the party life, never once knowing the worth of a hard day’s work.
Literally ALL I need, in order to live a simple PRODUCTIVE meaningful life, is money. (Well, that and maybe an agent!) But I wasn’t born into the winner’s circle with a silver spoon in my mouth. So, it’s off to beg the new boss for a bonus — or else end up standing in line at the soup kitchen. Both of which will eat up my valuable time spent being a creative person.
I know I’m not alone, that countless creative types have always put their artistic aspirations on the shelf in lieu of looking for work. That such art, music, poetry, photography, the written word, and whatever else works towards making life more bearable to everyone else out there — that NONE of that can compare to the golden calf of capitalism that degrades the dreamers and squashes the souls of all those talented folks out there who wish simply to hone their craft and CREATE is, simply put, sad.
So, off I go in search of the soul-sucking scenario of another full-time job. When my number comes up, I guess I’ll bid you farewell and say: It was nice knowing all of you, but it looks like I’ll be resuming the rat race and heading for that heart attack again.
But DAMN if I didn’t enjoy the last however many months of my life that ends up being! And who knows - maybe after I’m gone, some folks will finally take notice of all I’ve given.
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Thanks for reading. If you like what you read, and want to support my fledgeling career as a writer and musician, you can drop a few bucks in the virtual tip jar. It all adds up!
Venmo: @David-Bryan10026

😎


Photo credit: David Bryan, Avignon, France October 2017


The “Idle Janie” Journal - Day 18
“Is this the end of America?”
In the words of the venerable Reverend William Sloan Coffin: IF YOU’RE NOT OUTRAGED, YOU’RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION.
I have a question for any of my Trump supporting friends.
I hope this news has been flooding everyone’s feed for the last few days. Supposedly protestors in Portland are being approached by unmarked out-of-state vehicles, out of which leap military-garb laden paramilitary types with no identification on whatsoever, who are grabbing up the protestors, throwing them into said unmarked vehicles and driving them away to undisclosed locations. Trump says about this, “We’ve done a great job in Portland.”
LAST TIME I CHECKED, IF YOU LIVE IN AMERICA, EVEN IF SOMEONE IS BREAKING THE LAW, THERE ARE CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTIONS IN PLACE FOR THEM. (Never mind that peacefully protesting is, in fact, a right guaranteed by the constitution!) What is currently happening in our country is getting frighteningly close to fascism, dangerously close to a dictatorship. And it seems to be getting worse by the day.
So, Trump fans, my question is, are you cool with this? Or, restated, is your hatred of the Black Lives Matter movement SO strong, that you are thinking to yourself, “good, they deserve it”?? Meaning, are you really THAT stubborn in your defense of any and all of the Trump administration’s actions, that you’re comfortable with the constitution being ignored altogether?
I think the dream of democracy is slowly starting to die. I don’t know what the future holds, but it’s sure starting to look like something vastly different.
By the way, Trump fans, don’t forget the dominoes. You can’t pick and choose which portions of the Constitution you support. If the 1st falls, so follows the 2nd. How do you feel about that?
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ADDENDUM: Also in the news this week was the recurrence of cancer in Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — who apparently was briefly hospitalized with an infection.
I’m incredibly curious about something. How many of you so-called Christians, who profess that “all lives matter” — HOW MANY of you PRAYED that Ginsburg WOULDN’T survive, so that McConnell can cram another conservative onto the bench?
I’m sure I’ll hear crickets on this last question. But, if ANYONE thinks that there weren’t COUNTLESS “Christians” guilty of this gross misappropriation of prayer, then I’ve got a bridge to sell you.
Shame on them all.
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Thanks for reading. If you like what you read, and want to support my fledgeling career as a writer and musician, you can drop a few bucks in the virtual tip jar. It all adds up!
Venmo: @David-Bryan10026

😎

Photo credit: David Bryan, Uzes, France October 2017


The “Idle Janie” Journal - Day 19
“Post-Pandemic Possibilities, Part 2: The Full-time Funnel”
In my entry for day 15, I mentioned how American workers are “forced through a funnel,” such that they are then declared “a this thing or a that thing.” This has me thinking also about the full time workweek, specifically the hours during which most businesses are open.
If you want any kind of social safety net in this nation, you really need a job that provides health care, dental, vision, life insurance, and retirement. And if you want that guarantee, you have to play their game.
When quarantine began, and my job went fully remote, my schedule lightened up a lot. I was a very “hands on” person at the church where I worked, so there wasn’t really a whole lot for me to do in this new virtual vocation. My supervisor had to come up with creative new things for me, so that I could keep my job. We all know how that worked out! LOL 😂
BUT — one thing I noticed, and appreciated intensely, was how nobody was checking in on my hours; there was no time clock to punch, and no pressure to be awake at the usual “start of the working day.” For *most* of the “working world,” the standard day is 9 to 5. Many movies and songs have been written about this, and I believe such artistic output expresses the frustration of feeling like you have to bend to someone else’s will for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 50 or so weeks a year. FOR 45+ YEARS.
I have ALWAYS been a night owl. Whether during my big drinking days of staying out til last call in NYC bars, or even if I’m just bingeing Netflix or reading a novel well into the night, I have always found that my body naturally works well with a later sleep schedule. So, again, this was one of the “saving graces” of the stay-at-home order. I still had to wake up for some Zoom meetings a few times a week, but most days I simply stopped setting an alarm. Now that I’m unemployed, I’m not setting ANY alarms at all — and I have found that my body begs for sleep when and only when it is needed. I’ve learned, or rather confirmed, that my natural sleep cycle is something like 3am to noon. My body has spoken, and I have heeded those hours. And one upshot of this is that I am NEVER tired during the day. On most days, I am musically and intellectually productive, and am also doing the things I deemed necessary for my overall health. THIS is what I was missing all those years, as I struggled to keep my eyes open in the afternoon at work, and then would often waste away my free time at night watching TV, too tired to do anything productive unless I had an upcoming performance to prepare for with my band.
It strikes me as odd, then, that IF you want that social safety net, you are required to also be “funneled” into a predetermined sleep schedule, set by someone else. What a ridiculous notion! That EVERYONE needs a full 8-9 hours of sleep every night, and that it HAS to conform to the cultural clock at large.
Sorry not sorry, but this is potentially one of the stupidest aspects of our workaholic culture. Big Ben be damned! I’m sure if and when I get a new job, I’ll just force my body to readjust, and I’ll pull it off just as I diligently did for the last decade. But it also causes me to cringe, realizing how unhealthy it is to NOT listen to the natural rhythms of your OWN body, your own mind, and even your soul, as you’re forced to psyche yourself out of bed to begin each day.
Maybe, just maybe, this is one of the reasons why this global reset had to happen. Maybe on the other end of this, we can start to reimagine WORK — and figure out some semblance of a system that will work for the worker as well.
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Thanks for reading. If you like what you read, and want to support my fledgeling career as a writer and musician, you can drop a few bucks in the virtual tip jar. It all adds up!
Venmo: @David-Bryan10026

😎

Photo credit: David Bryan, Vieques, Puerto Rico October 2019


The “Idle Janie” Journal - Day 20
“Holy Hell, It’s Hot, Batman!”
Figured I’d take a break from the politics for at least a day, and discuss the hellacious “heat dome” about to cover the country.
I was broadcasting my Sunday evening internet stream last night, drenched in sweat that made my fingers slippery on the fretboards, and hardly able to handle the bar chords due to the humidity. I live in Harlem, which gets a little rambunctious during the sweltering summer nights, so had to keep the windows closed, as to not broadcast the beats from the streets during my stream. I have a one-bedroom apartment, with a small single air conditioning unit in the bedroom, which ever-so-faintly fills the rest of the apartment, but not if you’re actively doing anything other than sitting still. MAN was it hot!
I guess that’s what I’ll just have to endure for the next two months or so. But it has me thinking about electricity — and how completely dependent we are on fossil fuels. How have we not yet, as a nation, implemented alternative forms of generating the power we need? Weren’t we warned, even as many as 40 years ago, of the coming climate catastrophe? I’m sure those families in the suburbs, and those hippies in the woods, will fare just fine if the power goes out. But here in the city, there is no way to escape the heat, living in such close-quarter Brady Bunch boxes piled on top of one another. The only thing that saves our sanity is our ACs.
With many millions of people demanding so much electricity in densely populated areas like NYC, it’s hard to imagine we won’t at some point again bear the brunt of a ubiquitous blackout like those that happened in 1965, 1977, and 2003. And when facing a forecast like the one we are to expect over the next 10 days, it’s a little disconcerting to think of life without respite from this heat. And it seems this is the case over much of the country right now.
I have no astute answers to this pending problem. Other than to suggest that each and every household try to reign in our consumption of carbon. Maybe keep your dwelling dark during the day? At night, turn out the light in any rooms you aren’t frequently setting foot in? If you’re able, replace that old AC with an energy saving unit? And cut down on the so-called “vampire power.” Unplug all appliances when they aren’t actively being used. I’d imagine if all apartments in NYC did these few things, it would literally lower the overall temperature even just a tiny bit. Just as modest contributions to my “virtual tip jar” add up when compounded (shameless plug LOL), we could probably cool down the city a bit if everyone observed these simple practices. They will also save you money as well!
But most importantly, make sure you don’t take your AC — or the electricity which feeds it — for granted. We’re so spoiled as a nation, it’s hard to imagine that everyone is even aware of — and thankful for — that which we literally have no control over. Just as it takes the likes of a 9/11 to remind everyone to hug their loved ones every day, it would also only take a few days of a blackout to bring folks back to appreciation for that one appliance on which we all depend. So let’s work together to make sure we can avoid that otherwise inevitable outcome!
Given the way 2020 has treated us all so far: at the very least, with coronavirus careening out of control, with the economy in shambles, and with protestors, rioters, police and apparent federal gestapo goons duking it out in the streets all across America — at the very least we no longer have to worry about climate change anymore. Thank god our visionary federal government gave us the gift of clearing up that pesky problem once and for all!
Right?? 🙄
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Thanks for reading. If you like what you read, and want to support my fledgeling career as a writer and musician, you can drop a few bucks in the virtual tip jar. It all adds up!
Venmo: @David-Bryan10026

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