Weekend Plans Post: Holding Steady
I’ve reached the point of hypochondria. Every time I notice a tickle in my throat, I freak out. AUGH IS THIS BECAUSE I CHECKED THE MAIL and then I drink some water and I feel better. I cough and OH MY GOSH I JUST COUGHED wait, I had some pepper bacon 10 minutes ago and that was a pepper cough. I blow my nose and notice that I’m blowing my nose a lot and that doesn’t freak me out because seasonal allergies, man. This wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t right in the middle of the time of year where I have to blow my nose every 10 minutes anyway.
I go for jogs sometimes and we go for a walk around the block other times and that’s pretty much the excitement we have. Shall I jog south then east before turning around and jogging back? Shall I instead start north and go in a big circle? So many options! That all involve turning around after about 15 minutes.
Gaming with friends is possible with online tools like Discord and Virtual Tabletop and I have a couple of games for the PS4 that I’ve played 20 minutes of and then said “wow, this is great! But I’m going to play Batman again!” and maybe actually dig in deep to those this time around.
I have rediscovered the joys of cooking and playing with different variants of what I find in the fridge. Today, chicken and rice. Tomorrow, marinara and shells. If you have been wavering on whether or not a rice cooker is worth it, lemme tell ya, I bought a cheap $20 one and I can’t believe how much I’ve used it (and it makes the rice PERFECTLY).
I’ve gone from washing my hands 3, maybe 4, times a day to washing them, like, hourly. I’ve discovered that this is rough on one’s hands. So I’m now washing my hands, drying them, then applying lotion. Or “bag balm”, the tin says.
And I wait for the news that something has turned the corner.
So… what’s on your docket?
(Featured image is Alice getting a tummy rub and refusing to let Maribou’s hand go. Photo taken by Maribou.)
Maybe we have to go to a “What WOULD you have planned, if you weren’t staying in?”
I guess….I guess I will be recording more lectures for my online class. And trying to remotely troubleshoot problems people are having. I posted the first test and one student has already sent me evidence of connectivity problems limiting his ability to succeed at it (and no, I do not think there are any shenanigans going on, knowing this student – and he sent me evidence of his attempt).
I never want to hear the old “those who can, do, those who can’t, teach” thing after this. I have learned to do a ton of stuff on very short notice, while also being freaked out and sad and in mourning for what my life once was. And I still might lose my job through no fault of my own if my university dies.
So yeah. A workend. Kind of like in the before-times, except I’m at home instead of in my office.
I sewed a cloth mask last night so this afternoon I might venture out to a store to get some hamburger meat if I feel very daring and like doing something dangerous.Report
That, right there, is going to be next weekend’s post. Thank you!Report
My trip to the grocery yesterday was surprisingly dangerous. The parking lot was mostly empty. Drivers in two different cars were ignoring the painted lines, other moving vehicles, and pedestrians. There was still no Diet Citrus Drop, Kroger’s imitation (and possibly superior) Diet Mountain Dew knock-off. There was Diet Mountain Dew, but only in packaging that is priced outrageously. I have started an online deep-learning computer-vision class. How am I supposed to code new things without a glass of sugar-free caffeine-laden green carbonated nectar at my side?Report
Was re: Ignoring the lines. My little Subaru and I were nearly squashed by consecutive vehicles–one one of those big mall-crawler four-door jeeps, the other a jacked-up Ford F-150–swerving around parked cars to get around the person in front of them who was staying in the driving lane and driving at a reasonable speed for a parking lot.
Many one-finger salutes were rendered.Report
I’ve noticed the bad parking lot etiquette too. My guess is that people’s sense of personal distance is so off-kilter it’s affecting their driving. Every encounter is treated as a threat. Although it could just be rustiness. I know I’ve felt a little less confident behind the wheel after minimal driving for a month.Report
The remaining drivers on the road are all shitty. Traffic is so light that no one has to pay attention. As a cyclist my commute has become even more terrifying.Report
Well, hooray, the student with connectivity problems, when I opened it back up for him, was able to submit it like normal (And the answers are identical to the screenshot he send me, so he didn’t take advantage of it for a do-over, though I would have severely doubted this student would, or would even need to)
But crickets in the other class. I am not happy with this. I know students are sad and freaked out like I am and some may have device-sharing issues, but not even doing a short survey that will allow me to know how well people can connect? Yikes.
I really hope this doesn’t end with me facing some kind of disciplinary action for not being more of a “hero” though I don’t know what I can do when a student says “but I can only get wifi on my phone and only if I hang out in the McDonald’s parking lot.” It feels like solving that should be above my pay grade…Report
3-6 inches of snow overnight.Report
The nerd lords, having over two months of no D&D are getting restless and looking into online tools to play our adventure. Roll20 I think. It’ll be another week since I don’t have a mic and amazon is back ordered on those items, but I think we’ll play next weekend.Report
What about gaming headphones? Or even something like these. $10 and they’ve got a mic.Report
I really wanted non in ear phones. I managed find some and they will arrive sat…too late for gaming this weekend…Report
She and I were actually holding hands, with her hidden paw, more than her not letting my hand go. She puts her paw up against my thumb and kneads very gently, and I wrap my hand around that paw, and then she puts her other arm on top of my hand (as pictured). We can spend half an hour like that and I usually don’t even notice that we’ve started (only notice when I want my spare hand for something and it’s busy cuddling the cat).
I like this life, though I’d prefer to still be having the life where I’d be frantically rushing around to get ready to travel again right now.
This one has its compensations.Report
We watched the new Emma (2020)… it was cute. The hats and music were quite good. Impressions:
Emma: Played to a type (think Nellie from LHotP) … not quite how I’d direct it, but plausible. [B]
Mr. Knightly: Underplayed, and not a very impressive figure… even in his great moments. [C-]
Mr. Woodhouse: Grew on me as the movie wore on [C –> B+]
Mr. Elton: Kinda Meh… but his part was written down quite a bit [B-]
Mrs. Elton: Very good, but very brief [A-]
Miss Bates: Quite good, I like her rather more than the last iteration… they capture her benevolence well [A]
Jane Fairfax: Adequate, but Jane needs to be exquisite, not adequate… [C]
Harriet: Too plain (IMO)… but she played the part well [B]
Frank Churchill: Not good… not a well written part, nor well directed [D]
Certainly worth watching if you are an Austen fan… if only to marvel at their choices, good and bad.Report
This would have been the weekend of the big Portland swap meet, along with the PIR (Portland International raceway) swap. All told, four days of vintage automotive diy, that would take all four days to cover it all. (I have a special three wheel bicycle I ride for the PIR portion, which covers all of the racetrack) But this has been cancelled for reasons well known. So, the big plan instead is to walk down to my garage, stare at the current lumber situation, figure out if I have enough to build a window seat for upstairs, in order to get rid of the weird situation for the laundy shoot. (I am not really going to try to explain that oddity.) Then, at some point, I will go out to get takeout for date night tonight (every Friday) and we will go and park next to the park.
I wonder when drive in theaters will come back?Report
We’ve got a drive-in theater down the road in Pueblo. It’s great!Report
We had one in SLO when I was growing up, and while I know that the facility is still there, I don’t know if it is still doing movies.Report