Not a very good weekend for me.

Since COVID I’ve been getting more and more introverted, and it’s only gotten worse this year. So I scheduled a series of events this fall to try to force myself out of the apartment.

On Saturday, I went to the NY Art Book Fair, which is a very crowded event. I went, walked around, bought a few books, and I did my best to try to control my anxiety. I probably stayed there a little too long.

Afterwards, I went to my regular bar to try to decompress. Back in the day, if you go to a bar in NYC at 4–5pm on a Saturday, it would always be deserted. The bars wouldn’t get crowded until after 9. You could set your watch by it.

But for Gen Z? Apparently, 5pm on a Saturday is prime time for them. The bar was absolutely slammed. And loud. So no introvert time at the bar for me.

So Sunday, I ended up not leaving my apartment at all. Maybe my plan to force myself to go out more is backfiring? I still have so much residual anxiety this morning.

Wednesday, I have a bookbinding class scheduled. It should be a lot more lowkey. Hopefully, my anxiety will have dissipated, at least a little. Friday, another book event, also hopefully a lot more lowkey.