Joseph illustration

Joseph Tatum is blogging and listening to:


    Fuck Wildfires

    True Hell / Outside
    True Hell / Outside

    Oh. My. God. This year just CONTINUES to fuck us, doesn't it? I'm currently looking out my window at sad smokey Portland. Our AQI at the moment is just under 400 (the top of the scale is 300) and it has been consistently over 500 and sometimes even over 600 since Saturday. We have the worst air quality on planet Earth. It's really bad, folks.

    On a positive note, it seems as if our air quality is finally starting to get better but this weekend was trash. After living for 6 months with only being able to be outside we now can't even do that. 😑 But! Rain is on the way. The smoke will (probably) clear over the next few days and I can at least go on walks with Charlie again. Also, my friends Connor and Ruthie stopped by and helped us tape off our windows and gave us a makeshift airfilter so we can, you know, stay alive.

    Yes. The gas masks are necessary. Things are actually that bad here.
    Yes. The gas masks are necessary. Things are actually that bad here.

    So, the last few weeks!

    Mulan finally came out. I was super excited about it. A few people came over and we put our TV in the courtyard so we could all watch it together. It was just okay. Honestly, it's not the same without the songs. Here's a pic of the setup (I've been watching bake off again).

    The TV Setup
    The TV Setup

    Last Monday was Labor Day and we had the day off so a few of my friends and I went out the Mt. Hood National Forest (RIP) to have a river day. It was nice.

    Charlie
    Charlie
    Posing at the Narrows
    Posing at the Narrows

    My long time friend Rob was in Portland from Los Angeles a few weeks back. We met when I was still in high school at a "lets not be gay" support group. It didn't work for either of us. We got thai food and ate it in our courtyard. It was great to catch up with him.

    Bad Flash Photo of Rob and I
    Bad Flash Photo of Rob and I
    Typical Weekends for Us Now
    Typical Weekends for Us Now

    So this is where we are these days. Just, you konw, waiting for something good to happen. I think I've hit my peak 2020 depression levels. The wildfires have thrown me over the edge. I'm trying to do what I can to find little bits of happy in life. Here's a list of happy things in my life at the moment:

    • Eating Trader Joe's Pumpkin JoJos
    • Making a poor mans latte (drip coffee with frothed oat milk)
    • Playing Animal Crossing
    • Having helpful friends
    • Watching the Princess Diaries last night
    • The new electric bicycles at the bike share
    • The $2 babys breath at the grocery store
    • Listing to "I Know the End" by Phoebe Bridgers
    • When Charlie cooks dinner
    • A clean kitchen
    • Getting to watch an Apple event
    • Watching random youtube videos about Japan

    I hope you're finding some happy wherever you are. It's hiding in the little places these days. ❤️