COVID-19 - 18 days into shelter-in-place

So we've been under a "shelter-in-place" order in California for about 18 days now.

Been a hell of a thing.

In truth, the impact on my life has been minimal. I don't go out much anyway and it's allergy season, so I'm actively trying to avoid the outdoors due to pollen.

Upsides:

• I get an extra hour of sleep every morning due to not having to commute.
• Pants are optional.
• Feel like a beer at any time? No problem, provided there's some in the 'fridge.
• I have a guilt-free excuse for not going outside.
• Can do laundry almost any time I like.
• Did I mention the awesome commute?
• I can justify take-out orders as helping the economy rather than just me being lazy.

Downsides:

• There is no toilet paper to be purchased for love or money.
• If I want a beer, I have to have some on-hand or get a to-go growler from a brewery.
• All food is to go.
• Can't buy basics at local supermarkets: canned goods of nearly any sort, flour, sugar, soap, detergent, paper towels, and fucking toilet paper!!!
• Almost everything is closed (for good reason, but still...)
• Slight stir-craziness.
• Did I mention the toilet paper thing?

Okay, my downsides are pretty minor. Hell, I managed to score a pathetic roll of paper towels this morning! I only had to get to the damn store at 7am...

Everyone wears masks and gloves now. In a way, I'm glad the fires last year had me invest in some masks. The news keeps flipping back-and-forth between "you don't need to wear masks" and "for the love of god, wear masks". That's not counting the gibbering nonsense from the Cheeto-in-chief who initially claimed this was all a hoax and that COVID-19 would be gone by Easter. Nice job, asshole.

I'm told by friends in the medical industry and in local government that I should prepare for the shelter-in-place to stay in effect until at least June. Gotta say, that's going to be brutal, but it sure beats getting hooked up to a respirator. Or, y'know, dying.

Crazy world. Stay safe out there!

Thoughts on a COVID-19 world

It's been about a week of hysteria over COVID-19 (aka "coronavirus").

While I recognize it's a nasty disease to get, especially if one is vulnerable due to existing conditions or being of a certain age, it seems to me that people need to calm the fuck down and stop hoarding toilet paper and bottled water!

As far as I'm aware, diarrhea is only a symptom in some instances of COVID-19. And, as far as I'm aware, the virus does not inhibit the ability for the utility companies to continue to provide water as well as electricity and gas.

I might have missed a memo in there, but fucking hell.

All of this really drives home to me how utterly and completely fucked we are if there's an Ebola pandemic or something like that.

Leap!

This is mostly just an excuse to post on the 29th of February. I'm perversely fascinated by the leap year day. I really don't have anything in particular to say.

Nothing to see here.

Move along.

Move along.

Welcome 2020

And now it's 2020. I don't seem to have a flying car. I'm mostly okay with that. Given what dumbasses most people can be when driving in two dimensions, I don't wanna add a third to the complexity. Especially given how I drive! I don't have a jetpack. I'm okay with that for the same reason.

The world is a hot mess. Literally, on a global scale. Large chunks of the Amazon (a huge part of our oxygen supply) has been burning. Most of Australia is on fire, it seems. California's got a break right now, but we'll see more fires as the weather warms.

Politics... brr. I'm not ready to rant about that today.

In lighter news, I binged through all eight episodes of the Netflix version of "The Witcher". Not too shabby at all! I found some of the casting choices to be a bit odd, but the actors and actresses did an excellent job. The production values were high and I find the bard character's probably my favorite. "Toss a coin to your Witcher" is in my brain now. Argh!

I don't have any specific resolutions. I don't think I'm going to bother. I have to figure out some goals and focus on those instead. I think I can do this.

Okay, 2020. Let's see what you've got!

See ya 2019!

2019 now comes to a close in a few hours here.

I've got a belly full of tasty pizza. I've had more than my fair share of beer (and now am enjoying a glass of whiskey). I'm doing a marathon of "The Witcher" and pretty much chilling.

Been a hell of a year. Some bits were good. Some bits were bad. Most of it was just variations of batshit crazy.

I'd like to hope that 2020 will be different, but I don't really think it will. I think we're in for scary times ahead. I hope we're all ready to deal with them.

Maudlin thoughts to end the year, but that's what booze does, I guess.

If you're reading this, I hope the best for you in 2020. Guess we'll see what happens.

Some ramblings as 2019 comes to a close

Not sure if I'll get around to posting to the blog before 2019 ends, so I figure why not ramble now?

2019 has been a hell of a year. Trump is President. Lord knows why. People still support him. Lord knows why.

A new Star Wars film came out. I find myself surprised how little I care. The Last Jedi really did a number on me. I can't work up any interest in seeing any more Disneyfied Star Wars.

Except maybe the Mandalorian. Provided there's a way to watch it without giving the Mouse money for their streaming service. I have no desire to do that.

Game of Thrones ended. Also a disappointment.

Indeed, I find many things in 2019 to be surprisingly-disappointing.

Can't say I'm holding out high hopes for 2020. Looking like things could tilt either way next year and I'm increasingly-happy I don't have kids to inherit the shitshow I expect is coming.

Ah well. At least there's good booze to drink. On that note...

Review: "Zero History" by William Gibson

I finished "Zero History", the third book in William Gibson's "Blue Ant Trilogy", last month. I meant to write up a review, then November just happened, distracting me from ever thinking about my much-neglected blog.

"Zero History" starts up a few years after "Spook Country". It revolves around two of the protagonists from "Spook Country": Hollis Henry, the former musician turned journalist and Milgrim, the translator and drug addict.

"Zero History" explores more of the politics of Blue Ant and Hubertus Bigend's control of the company while dealing with another MacGuffin in the form of a mysterious clothing designer. Fashion remains a consistent theme throughout the book, echoing "Pattern Recognition". Indeed, many, many, references call back to "Pattern Recognition" in this book.

Overall, I quite enjoyed it. It goes from rambling observations of fashion and culture right into a caper in weird ways. I enjoyed all the characters, though I tended to find the Hollis Henry character a bit annoying by the end. Still, there was surprising closure for "Pattern Recognition" which pleased me. Loved it.