Brightside

Got in trouble with my doc for my weight and have been trying to lose some lbs. Down about 5 pounds, but can't break through. Going back up if anything. So hat tip.

 

My wife made a food run 10 days ago and took the small bills from my wallet for a tip.
I made a food run last night and I had no small bills. Haven't had to go into my wallet for cash in about 3 weeks.

Topped off the gas tank on March 20 and still have more than a half tank.

It has been raining a lot but the roof isn't leaking, so we're in pretty good shape.

Wife and daughter got haircuts just under the wire. In fact, my daughter had to cancel her appointment when the county originally announced the shutdown. Then the county said that announcement was a mistake, we're still open. So she hustled in and got her haircut. The county shut it down again the next day. However, I didn't and our dog didn't. Dog looks like a ragged mop and picks up debris in her fur in the park. I fear being confused for Santa Claus again. Yes, this has happened before. I've been confused for Kenny Rogers, too. I hope that doesn't happen any more.

 

He was looking for the bright side, TSP.

 

I'm 48.
Since I can remember, I get up between 5-515. I go to bed 10-1030.
The last month, I've still gone to bed the same time but get up anywhere between 6-7.
The difference is off the chart.

 

Oh, I’ve also been clippering my hair on a zero setting for about a decade. Not razor close, but very short stubble.

Since this started in mid March, I have let the hair on my head grow out like a hockey playoff beard.

I recently purchased shampoo.

 

For me the downside of working at home is that work hours don’t have much of a limit and, with state agencies in emergency mode, they need a lot of design and editing help. Monday, I worked on a rush deadline project into the night until 3:30 a.m., got a couple of hours sleep and was back at the computer early Tuesday morning.

I design and format data for three reports daily, Monday through Friday, that end up on the governor’s desk in late afternoon. The numbers folks keep changing the data sets, so I need to adapt on the fly almost every day. Until three weeks ago, when I left the office, almost always at a regular time, there was almost no possibility that I would be called back.

But this work is much more similar to journalism than the regular day-to-day stuff and, even though I’ve been out of the field for three years, I’m comfortable with the new pace and urgency. I’ve missed the old newspaper-style firm deadlines that seem impossible, but are still met.

And, it would be difficult to quantify the value of the family time with 3/4 of us always under one roof. My wife have had to take walks and talk about more that schedules and and problems. I think that we’re rediscovering why we’re together and I’m not sure when or if that would happened without this lockdown.

We worry about our grown daughter in Brooklyn, but know that’s where she wants to be. Our son, a senior in high school had handled the disappointment of evaporating celebrations and opportunities pretty well.

I feel a bit cooped up at times. Talking with friends who do not have a choice to stay home quickly cures that.

I’ll welcome the return to the old way of living, but I’m appreciative of the luck and benefits our family has in this situation.

 

If I manage to get out for about three or four hours a day -- walks, bike rides, trips for takeout or craft beer pickup -- it breaks up the day enough that I don't feel crazy cooped up.

I haven't had a day yet where I haven't gotten out of the house in some capacity, even if it's for an hour or two.

I can't tell if I've been drinking more craft beer or not ... especially on the weekends, I'd usually be out all day hopping between breweries and bars. Instead, I pick up a four-pack and sit at home and watch movies/TV and practice darts. Speaking of which, when this is over, I think I'll be ready to compete at a very high level in our local dart leagues.

 

I don't normally get up as early as you, but close enough. I'm getting up an hour later than usual and the additional sleep is a huge benefit. It's going to make me want to go to bed earlier when things return to normal.

 

Last week, a 90-year-old member of our Kiwanis club died from non-virus-related causes. The family had a private burial ceremony at the graveyard, and 30 or so of us gathered in our cars (and one motorcycle - the deceased had taken several cross-country trips, even in his 80s) at the mortuary and drove slowly past the site while the family members waved solemnly to us. Since I respected the deceased but wasn't at all close to him or his family, I liked doing this instead of going to a funeral and then a visitation, as it was a way to show sorrow & support without intruding or acting like I was closer than I was. The only downsides were that it didn't look like the family members were distancing, and that I assume with so many cars having tinted windows, they may not have been able to see who was in all the cars.

 

I just made a crucial discovery: BeIN TV is being carried over the air on one of the side channels in my market. Not available on my satellite.