Muscle Memory

For the longest time, I've worn my hair in what could best be described as a modified buzz cut. All clippers, no scissors. A style that lives somewhere between "civilian trying to look presentable" and "Marine Corps recruiter might nod in approval." Never quite a full high-and-tight, but close enough that nobody would accuse me of spending too much time in front of a mirror. Then came the pandemic. Like millions of others, I suddenly found myself cut off from barbers, restaurants, and any […]

https://xinkblotz.com/2026/06/23/muscle-memory/

Job Title: Yes (Other Duties as Assigned)

There isn't a single human being on this floating rock hurtling through space who has managed to live life playing only one role. Not one. If you know such a person, please let me know. I'd like to study them. Strictly for academic purposes, of course. Not because I suspect they're an alien trying very hard to blend in. The truth is that from the moment we're old enough to wander away from our parents in a grocery store, we're trying on different identities. As kids, we become explorers, […]

https://xinkblotz.com/2026/06/22/job-title-yes-other-duties-as-assigned/

Social interaction 🩵

I have some good friends, though I don't see them all too often these days. I can chat with friends through apps, I interact with folks on the FediVerse, I write texts for this blog... I sometimes see people and talk with them, like when I visit my parents, when I walk with Koa, or when I see my friends. But, most of the time, it's just me... Well, me and Koa now... But Koa isn't the best when it comes to conversations. 😉 I manage to do OK most of the time. As said, I write for my blog, share things on the Fedi, I email almost daily with a sweet friend of mine, and I occasionally chat with other good friends... So I don't struggle too much. But, there are moments, where I am overcome with something, and that triggers a deep feeling of loneliness in me. And, that happened a little while ago... So, I did what my mind told me what could help: I wrote an extra email to that sweet friend, reaching out to someone that would hopefully understand... And... They did! ❤️ […]

https://cynnisblog.wordpress.com/2026/06/22/social-interaction-%f0%9f%a9%b5/

Babbling… 🤯

Lately, my brain has been in an overdrive. Struggling to find a working routine with my young little dude. Missing out on things that usually help me to cope, like visiting the gym. Missing out on decent nights where I can get come good quality sleep. Worrying if I am doing things right when it comes to raising Koa. Struggling with a lack of spoons, well, a lack of any type of cutlery, to be honest. Dealing with more physical pain. Partially due to the teeth of my little dude... Partially due to the stress, the lack of a proper routine that can help me relax at times... My brain has been trying to compensate for all the changes, for all the discomforts, for the lack of spoons... I have been dealing with feelings of loneliness. I have been searching for any type of connection, to be seen, to be acknowledged. And somehow, my brain keeps thinking of new things to write about, to share, to deal with. I keep starting to write things, and then, after a little while, I think of something new that I need to write about instead. It's my ADHD going all 💯 in! But... How can I keep this up, and, even more important, how can I can get my brain back to its more "normal" levels? […]

https://cynnisblog.wordpress.com/2026/06/20/babbling-%f0%9f%a4%af/

No Wi-Fi, No Agenda, No Problem — Doing Nothing and Loving It

There used to be a time when "doing nothing" was actually doing something. You'd see it everywhere. A man sitting on the front porch after work, coffee cup in hand, staring at absolutely nothing and somehow thinking about everything. A grandmother on a porch swing, watching the world pass by at a speed slow enough to appreciate. A dad standing over a grill, tongs in one hand and a cold drink in the other, solving all of life's problems between burger flips. A mother sitting in a lawn […]

https://xinkblotz.com/2026/06/19/no-wi-fi-no-agenda-no-problem-doing-nothing-and-loving-it/

Note 51 - L'effet miroir avec mon fils

Le pouvoir de l'effet miroir est incroyable. Je vous raconte rapido. [...]

https://geoffreyarduini.com/note-51-leffet-miroir-avec-mon-fils

A new part of my journey…

...comes with new routines and challenges... When I was in a relationship, my routine got formed by work and my partner. When I lost the ability to work, my routine shifted more about being there for my partner... But, I found out that I needed some different things, and when I tried to get them, it wasn't appreciated... So when I divorced, and moved with Arwen, I had no real routine. I was so terribly depressed, and I just lived to care for Arwen, as good as I could. I abused my own health for a while, and I know that Arwen's health suffered a bit because of it as well. But, she never complained, and she made sure that I was slowly getting better. Taking better care of her, and myself. Arwen and I found a nocturnal routine worked best for me. Arwen easily adjusted to it, she loved the long nightly walks, where I allowed her all the time to sniff and enjoy her things. We were quite a team together, and when we moved to the new home, it took only a little while to adjust. But then... Surgery, another surgery, and then... She passed away. I struggled to find a routine, and slowly was able to adjust the old one a bit. But now... My journey has changed, as Koa had entered the path at my side, and he has his own needs and wants. And, I had to adjust my routine, to allow Koa time and all, to show me what he needed, and to slowly learn him to be OK on his own... It's a work in progress... […]

https://cynnisblog.wordpress.com/2026/06/17/a-new-part-of-my-journey/

The Meta Standoff at Calexico High School

It was high noon at Calexico High. Not the romantic kind of high noon with tumbleweeds rolling past the cafeteria and someone whistling a Morricone soundtrack.  No. This was the modern version. The sun hung over campus like it had a personal grudge. Heat shimmered above the blacktop. The halls were quiet. Somewhere in the distance, a bell had rung and students had drifted into classrooms like townsfolk ducking behind saloon doors before a gunfight. The air conditioner was losing a fight […]

https://xinkblotz.com/2026/06/15/the-meta-standoff-at-calexico-high-school/