COV31D-19

It's been a stressful day today because not all days are great. But maybe the rest of it will be alright.

I don't have much to say today, except Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate this day. It has been an unusual one. In many ways it has been the most unusual Easter Day of my life. And in some other ways, it is just like every Easter. 

So, since I don't have much to add, I'm going to leave you today with a video of the five cats that we have been fostering for two weeks. The kittens are still only weeks old and extremely tiny. But they are--as you can see--finally becoming more mobile and interesting.

COV30D-19

If you have been a regular reader of this blog over its almost sixteen-year run, you know that I frequently talk about my preference for routine. I'm a middle-aged man living in the suburbs, with growing kids and a job. My life is eminently predictable. And I've liked it that way. Predictability is security.

But I've gotta say that when we are let loose from this shelter-in-place quarantine, I may bit down really hard on my promised mid-life crisis and get a bit nuts. I'll bungee jump off a dam with my hair on fire. Because . . . well, BECAUSE! I've known people that skydived for reasons.

So--how can I break myself out of a full month (and more to come!) of routine and rut? How will I be different because of this experience and what will I do to cement its lessons into the rest of my life?

(If you've got suggestions, why not leave me a comment?)

COV28D-19

 It's another quick update today to remind you that the #OfficialHat2020 voting remains open now and will remain open through the rest of April and May--until Memorial Day weekend.

There are many unknowns for all of us in the coming weeks and even into the coming months. But one thing that you can be confident about is that the #HatofSummer will continue. This coronavirus may drive us into our homes. It may weaken our economy. It may expose the weakness of our president. It may change our priorities. 

What I will not let it do is derail the #HatofSummer. 

Luckily you can practice perfect social distancing every time you vote--as I have helpfully created an online voting platform. (If only the rest of the country was so considerate, right?)

And best of all, you can vote MULTIPLE TIMES!

Are you upset that the primaries are effectively on hold right now? Do you have a democracy itch that you just want to scratch? (Even though the #HatofSummer voting is more of a popularity contest than a strict democratic contest.) But it is still voting, voting, and lots of voting. PLEASE take some of your in-house sheltering time and spam that voting link with your hat preference. And then, when we are all back breathing fresh air again, you can take such pleasure in seeing me out on the town wearing the #OfficialHat2020.

So--do you remember what the hat choices are? If not, that's okay because I'm dropping the playlist of hat videos here: 

So . . . first--go and refresh your memories on the choices. Then follow this link (https://forms.gle/VCUt5LzZVgRDSN1F9) to go and cast your vote many, many, many times.

Finally, here is a report on the first couple of weeks of voting so far. (If you don't like what you see, then go vote and make that number change!)

COV27D-19

Maybe it's a coping mechanism, but I've been watching a lot of Buddy v. Duff cake competitions on Food Network.

In season 1, which I watched  On Demand, the show really played up the disagreement and personality differences between the two bakers. And I was fine with that since I prefer Duff's graffiti artist sensibilities and his cool. Buddy, on the other hand, is all NY/New Jersey bluster and braggadocio. He's not my cup of tea and his bigger-than-life cartoonish cakes didn't seem as striking as Duff's detailed and precise recreations.

In season 2, things are a bit different.

Duff is still making very detail-oriented cakes with lots of real-as-life elements. But he has also enlarged his scale to batch up with Buddy's normal output. And the show has done a better job of reinforcing the respect that must exist between these two professional artists. And I appreciate that aspect of the new show especially.

Still, I know its a scripted show with predetermined story beats. It's no surprise that even with a 3-1 win total this season, there is only a one point lead separating the two competing teams.

It's not important. But its fun to watch.

What sort of TV are you watching to keep your mind off of the problems of the world?

COV26-19

It's approaching a full MONTH of working from home. It honestly doesn't feel like I've been away from the office that long. It doesn't feel like its been that long since the kids all came home and we hunkered down to ride this out. It is remarkable what your brain can accept. Or maybe that is just MY brain . . . filtering out the stuff that I don't want to think about. (And I've had little in the way of crisis through all of this. A few bad days here and there, but my lucky streak continues, compared to so many others out there--some whom I know and other hundreds and thousands I'll never know.)

Good luck to us all. And may our democratic experiment continue through all of this and may we have time in the summer and fall months to reset the national conversation back to the EXTREMELY important question of what leader and what people and what goals will guide the United States, and your state, and your town beyond COVID-19 and into the rest of this decade. Who makes the decisions that direct your days is vital--as I hope you have seen through all of this. The way decisions are made. The people who make them. The motivations they bring to those decisions. The way that they communicate those decisions. And (God help us . . . ) but the slim chance that they might inspire us and motivate us . . . ALL OF IT IS IMPORTANT.

**steps off of soapbox**

I don't know about you--because, well, obviously . . . I'm not you. And I can't get inside of your head. Nor can you get in mine--beyond what I choose to write here on my blog. And it is only an imperfect representation of what is in my head--either by conscious choice (whereby I selectively edit what I think in written form to protect my true inner self) or through the imperfections of my skills as a writer (whereby both you and I struggle to convey information in the most efficient, clearest way possible . . . and this last paragraph is most definitely NOT an example of THAT, amirite?

ANYWAY . . .

I don't know about you, but one of the first and hardest decisions of my day during these shelter-in-place days is footwear.

Do I put on shoes during the day? Or do I simply put some slippers over my socks and get to shufflin' through the day.

Either choice has merits and consequences.

Slippers is obvious, as I'm definitely NOT going anywhere and so why put my feet through the uncomfortableness of strapping on shoes? But slippers don't promote proper walking technique--something that I need to be aware of for personal/medical reasons. And even beyond those considerations, which matches my clothing choice for the day? Because hey, maybe no one will see me, but I've got mirrors don't' I? If you don't try to impress yourself, then why even get out of bed and shower every day? (And if you're not doing that . . .. then we've got to increase that six-foot distance between you and I.)

What mundane problems plague you these days?