COVID-19 - 71 days of shelter-in-place

Wow I'm drinking a lot of beer over this "stay at home" period. And when I'm out of beer (more often than I think is good), I am making a serious dent in my supply of the hard stuff. The weather has been warm, so Mai Tais have appealed of late.

No good will come of this.

On the plus side, I'm doing lots of my own cooking. As I'm lazy as hell, I tend to go for things that make good leftovers (soup and pasta, mainly). I make my own pasta sauce, too. Hell, I have an actual pasta maker and make my own noodles when the mood strikes. Probably healthier than store-bought tortellini and ravioli. Though less-tasty.

I'd like to think I'm adapting well to this work-from-home situation, but it's a mixed bag for me (as it is for most people, I'll wager). Still, could be worse. At least I have a job at the moment. The future is lookin' mighty grim in that regard.

This is really the time I ought to be burning through all those Netflix series and HBO shows I haven't seen. Hell, I should get the free month of whatever the Disney streaming service is called and watch "The Mandalorian". Unfortunately, I just can't sit still long enough for that. I sit too much at my computer as it is.

Been doing "virtual" sessions with my martial arts class. It's weak tea next to the real thing, but at least it's something. Gotten some good tips for do-at-home cardio workouts. Been doing those lately and it's making a difference.

So now the States are loosening up restrictions for COVID-19. And they're starting to see spikes in areas that aren't observing the precautions (wearing a mask, keeping a bit of distance, etc.). The petty monster in me feels there's some comeuppance due to the idiots who ignore the medical warnings, but mostly I find that alarming. Innocent (and vulnerable) people will likely get infected by these irresponsible idiots.

It's amazing how fast this country's descended into mass stupidity. I don't actually think these fuckwits are the majority, but there's an awful lot of them.

Scary.

In lighter news, reading material is starting to come in that's got promise. Will Wight finally concluded his "Elder Empire" series with the twin books: "Of Kings and Killers" and "Of Killers and Kings". I'm working on "Of Kings and Killers" (the book about the not-pirate) then going to "Of Killers and Kings" (the book about the not-ninja). A worthy distraction.

COVID-19 - 56 days of shelter-in-place

So it's Mother's Day.

I was all set to head out to a family picnic that would observe social distancing and all that. Even packed my own cocktail to toast Mom.

Went down to start my car and the fucking battery is dead.

Wasn't dead from disuse, mind you. I just took it for a drive last weekend to do a delivery. No, since then, something went to shit in the battery. Tried to jump it, but the battery is corroded and the car is an inert lump.

Not how I wanted today to go.

COVID-19 - 24 days of shelter-in-place

I have to say, all this shelter-in-place has taught me a few things.

I always knew I'm a bit of an introvert. Well, probably less an introvert and more a misanthrope. Hm. That's not really right either. I like people fine enough in doses and the right numbers. I certainly like the people I like. I do like having my space, though.

Working remotely has been a challenge, to say the least. It's hard to get people's attention via messaging systems. And it's hard for me to get my job done without the attention of people whose assistance I require.

I am still pretty comfortable, all said. I'm okay on supplies, though I'm running low on some things and planning a resupply run soon. I have masks, gloves, and a lot of soap, so there's that. I'm okay on food. I'm doing okay on booze, too. So all the essentials are covered.

The hardest thing really is those moments when I really do need to do the whole human contact thing. There are people I care about who are in pain right now. As far as I'm aware, the situations aren't directly tied to COVID-19, but the damn virus and shelter-in-place sure as fuck isn't helping. And I can't go help.

The news is promising in California. There's a possibility they may be able to unclench a bit and relax some of the restrictions "by Summer". That's an interesting way of saying May is going to be in lockdown as well. I dread what things are going to be like as this drags on.

And I'm counting my blessings right now.

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!