COV7D-19 (part 2)

The process of becoming a stay-at-home worker continues.

Some mornings (in the very small sample size that I currently have) I get going at the start time and I am very focused and everything is mostly okay. And then other mornings, I'm sitting down and I've got my laptop on and I'm connected to all of my files and etc. But it feels like its just lots of clicking and typing and then I look up and it already past 11 am.

I've started using new communications platforms that I had but didn't need to use before (Teams). And this afternoon I got the small, cheap, portable plug-in monitor that I purchased a few days ago. I could have gotten one of my work monitors from my desk office, but honestly, I didn't want to set that up at home. For you see, I've been working at the dining room table down on the main floor all of this week. And when I'm done working, I need to close it all up and put it somewhere else. And I didn't want to hassle of moving that monitor and the cables and related power cords all over the place each and every day. My desire for order is already stretched to the near breaking point right now as it is--what with all of the kids and their laptops and charging cords and phones and charging cords and glasses and napkins and whatever everywhere all the time. They've got nowhere to go and so everything is everywhere. And Lynda is already set up mostly in the basement at our secondary table down there. (Mostly because she is involved in far more phone conference calls than I am every day and needs to be in a lower amount of ambient noise for her WebEx connections. Plus it's colder down there. And there is less sunlight than where I am with a window directly to my left and the big picture window in the room to my right.)

But speaking of sunlight . . . I'd dearly love more of it. As I'm sure it has been with you, it's been two days worth of rain lately. And I'm even more stressed. Plus the kids have no chance of getting out to go for a walk or anything. Bad times.

And then . . . the week started well with my not eating too much. But in the last few days, I've been snacking more than I should. And Grace and Sarah (bless them) made chocolate chip cookies last night, so that is also a temptation that I'm not avoiding well.

When I'm done working for the day, the girls and I have started rewatching LOST (including Hannah for the first time). Hannah--as is her nature--is always asking questions. And you know that LOST is not a show with quick, abundant answers. Plus . . . waiting for the reveal is so much a part of the fun. But she doesn't realize that yet. I don't know how long we'll keep it up or how far we'll actually get. But maybe I can get a few more entries completed in the long fallow LOST Rewatch project.

In other other other news . . . I conceived of a few digital ideas for private groups that are turning out fun--stuff for the North Marching Band, and of course the launch of the #OfficialHat2020 campaign. (I'm really asking people to put their increased computer time to more focused use. I just hope they will click on all the links and vote like I want them to.)

I'll probably dream of something else to do soon. But that will be a blog post for a different day. I'm sad that the unfinished Band Room decoration project is on hold, but there is plenty of school-based stuff that is sitting still right now. I hope that when this all passes, I can dive right back into that and check that box complete soon.

That's it for today. My back hurts and I'm tired of staring at this laptop screen any further.

Check back in tomorrow for video #2 in this year's #HatofSummer fun. (And don't forget to go vote!)

COV7D-19

It's time to get the voting started!

I will be launching the hat-specific videos one day at a time over the next several days. You will be able to go to the indicated Google Form page to cast your vote for my #OfficialHat2020.

The same rules apply as in every previous year--there are precious few rules. But the ones that exist are thus:

1. There is no limit on voting. This is NOT a democracy. This is a popularity contest and a gauge of commitment.

2. All votes must be cast on the Google Form page that is indicated in the information panel of each video.

3. Once the videos start being promoted live, the voting can begin. All voting is open and available from that time until I close voting on Memorial Day weekend and our summer hat wearing begins.

4. Whichever hat gets the most votes between the start of voting and the close of the Google Form on Memorial Day weekend will be the ONLY hat that I wear all summer long, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

Enjoy, everyone . . .  and DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!

VIdeo Info:

This video marks the start of this year's #HatofSummer campaign. I hope that you enjoy the videos to come as much as I have enjoyed thinking about and creating them. May this diversion give you a moment of happiness in stressful times. #OfficialHat2020 Hats of Summer 2020 playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... Official Hats of Summer (full) playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...

COV6D-19

Monday evening, Sarah, Grace, and Hannah built a room-sized pillow fort in the front room. And it appears that they slept down there as well. So, I guess they are finding ways to occupy their time.

Grace and Hannah do have digital work assignments that they need to complete from their teachers, even if they are not in classrooms right now. So I've got to make sure today that Hannah spends some time doing schoolwork instead of watching YouTube. But in that way, it makes it like every other day--virus isolation or not.

Sarah is supposed to resume her sophomore semester on Monday after having an extended week away from classes. And she'll be participating in digital-only instruction. Neither she nor I really know what that means in the context of art classes. How do you digitally instruct watercolor painting techniques? I guess we'll find out. Or maybe I won't, because . . .

. . . is Sarah going to want to go back to campus over the weekend? I'm afraid that she will want to. And that she will say that she can socially isolate on campus and in her apartment taking digital classes just as she has been doing here at home for two weeks. I don't think the CCAD campus has closed so I am bracing for this conversation to occur. And I am worried about it.

[UPDATE ON THIS FEAR--I talked to Sarah about it this morning and she will NOT be returning to campus for the restart of the semester on Monday. She doesn't know how her classes are going to proceed digital only. And she surely misses her roommate Josiah. But that at least is clear for now. I am definitely sorry for her and wish that something could be done to ease this burden for her somewhat.]

In other worrisome events: it looks like the latest personal casualty to the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States is our end-of-May summer vacation to Myrtle Beach. I'm saddened but not surprised that this happened. But it is starting a frustrating chain of events for us. We canceled our trip to DisneyWorld last December because we were uncertain about our company's financial footing. And that turned out--for us at least--to be overly cautious. (Even though it was definitely prudent.) And now we are being pragmatic again and cutting off this trip before too much is pre-paid and we learn down the line that we wouldn't be able to go anyway. Being an adult sucks.

In other other news . . . my video-making for #OfficialHat2020 has been going well. I've made a teaser video that went online yesterday. And I've also made a start the campaign video and three other videos for 60 percent of the hats on option this year. As befits this time of uncertainty, I'm trying to capture the mood in my videos this year. It's been a bright spot of fun in some otherwise frustrating days, so I hope that everyone enjoys the fun when it all goes live very soon. I'm debating when to actually start releasing finished videos and in what order I want them to appear. Or even if I want to try and order them in any sequence. Maybe I should just put them up all at once?

I hear voices downstairs, so I think the pillow fort bunch is waking up. I guess I can go downstairs now and make some coffee and get ready for the workday to begin.

I hope you are healthy, relatively happy, and have a path forward for this day.

We'll talk again tomorrow.

COV5D-19 (part 2)

Last night Governor DeWine (Ohio-R) announced that he was going to postpone the primary elections that are scheduled for today. He did this based on the continuing advice of the head of the Ohio Health Department and the people that have been guiding his actions during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Ohio has gotten praise, at least what I have seen, for its aggressive actions to fight the spread of the virus. The governor closed schools last week. He closed bars and restaurants yesterday. He's done all that he can to tell people to stay apart, to socially distance, to ride out this initial period to lessen the impact on the health care system.

All of that makes sense.

And YET . . . I'm very disappointed that his actions last night strikes right at the heart of our democracy when we so desperately need to believe that the government is working for us. We definitely are getting mixed messages from Washington D.C. and the Republican ideology of every state for itself may prove to be a real stumbling block as we move through this. I understand that holding the primary votes rubs against the social distance rule. But could not some rules have been set in place. Wouldn't the people who wanted to cast their vote today have been willing to stand in spaced-out lines and move through the voting area slowly? Might it not have played an important role in reinforcing that the nation moves on. That we, its guiding citizens are still making our choice? Couldn't something have been discussed?

I am selfishly happy that Lynda and I went to vote early last Friday on our first work-at-home day. And I'm glad that Sarah pushed herself and her friends to go vote early a few days before us.

There is SO MUCH at stake in this country right now. And the votes cast in the Democratic primary in these short few months between February and June are crucial for citizen engagement, for government legitimacy, and for deciding a better path for our government.

I'm afraid the problems are just piling up.

COV5D-19

On Monday I got up (after snoozing a few more times than usual, because . . . well, the kids didn't need to be pulled out of bed or anything), took my shower, decided to shave and put on approximate work clothes to establish some baseline of routine.

Then I went downstairs, made coffee, prayed the Morning Prayer Daily Office because I felt like I needed to start things that way, ate a bowl of oatmeal to stop myself from snacking through the morning, put away last night's dishes, and then set up my work station on the dining room table.

It's going to be a challenge to be productive. But it's definitely something that I need to do. I need to try and pull my routine into shape through this craziness or its going to become aimless and depressing really fast--for me at least.

Positive Things:
1. my kids are here--and we more often than not get along well.

2. I've been trying to get better at reaching out to my family on a more regular basis. So this will help with that goal rather nicely.

3. I'm closer to windows that show the coming Spring than I am at the office. And I don't have to turn my chair around to look out at the world.