Category: covid-19

One Tiny Missing Detail

It just dawned on me that Covid-19 has taken something away from me that I used to look forward to. It’s a teeny tiny detail, but I didn’t get to experience it this year. Note: this is not a complaint at all, just a comment.

I’ve mentioned on this blog (one or two thousand times) that I have a long, painful commute to work. Thanks to the Covid lock down I haven’t had to make that commute in over nine months. This is a good thing. The silver lining to our personal Covid nightmare, if you will.

Traditionally speaking, there is only one day each year in which my horrid commute is actually pleasant. One day out of the roughly 260 business days over the course of a year where I don’t really mind the drive to and from work.

That one day is the last business day before Christmas. On that day, there is never any traffic. I get in the car, hit the highway, and I’m in the parking lot in record time. It’s brilliant.

Today is the last business day before Christmas. Again, I’m not complaining. It’s just another little thing that I always looked forward to (on the rare moments that I actually thought about it) that I don’t get this year. Obviously my commute today was better than any other year. I just sat down and started working. I’m just saying, okay?

Shipping Blues

There are three Christmas packages that haven’t been delivered yet. At lunch today I took a minute to check their status. Let the laughter and the tears commence.

Package #1 was ordered from a popular brick and mortar store’s website. The order was placed on 12/10. I received a ship notice two days ago. Prior to that, the estimated delivery date was 12/24. When the shipping notice came the date was changed to 12/22. That’s today. The order page currently still shows the estimated delivery date of 12/22, but when I look up the tracking number on the carrier’s website…

They haven’t received the package yet.

Package #2 was more of a last minute thing. I ordered it on 12/16, figuring if it arrived on time that would be great, but if not it’s not the end of the world. This order was placed with the manufacturer’s website. When I check my account, the order page states that the estimated delivery date is 12/22. What a coincidence! When I look up the tracking number on the carrier’s website (a different carrier than package #1) it says…

The estimated delivery date is 12/28.

Package #3 was ordered very early, on 12/7. It includes one Christmas gift and two unrelated, non-Christmas items. The order was placed with the big guy: Amazon. The package shipped on 12/8. Good customer service right there, eh? The estimated delivery date was 12/10. It hasn’t arrived. What does the tracking page say?

It could be lost. I called and got a refund.

It’s a Covid Christmas after all. HoHoHo

Weekend Wrap Up

On Saturday I posted my to do list for the weekend. How’d I do?

  • Wrap Christmas Presents. I only have one person’s gifts left to wrap.
    • Every Christmas present I had in the house that was not wrapped is now wrapped. I’m still waiting on a couple of deliveries, but that’s not a big deal. Almost done!
  • Do Christmasy things with the whole family, specifically we need to watch Elf.
    • Oh hells yes. Elf, Polar Express, Christmasy stuff all over the place. WOOHOO!
  • This is a late arrival to the list but I am going to help Jen make a shit ton of cookies. Hell yes.
    • So many cookies were baked. So many delicious cookies. I’ve done a decent job not devouring all of them, but I doubt my will power is going to hold out for very much longer.
  • MUSIC
    • Holy crap! 48 hours ago the December music was nine songs, seven of which had rhythm guitars. That’s it. Now? 10 songs, all of the rhythm guitars are done, all of the lyrics and melodies are done, eight of the songs have vocals done, two of the songs have all of the tracking done, and one of them is mixed. I did a car music yesterday, and another today, and I’ll need one more tomorrow. December music is suddenly on fire.

So there we have it. My weekend to do list may have been short, but it’s complete. Big time complete. I like it when a plan comes together. Now we just have three work days, and a Christmas Eve to go before our first and hopefully last ever Covid-19 Christmas. Here’s hoping the little bastard goes down in history as a unique little blip on the universe. HoHoHo.

Rest in Peace

We lost an old friend today. Someone from the old neighborhood that we knew since we were very little. She knitted our Christmas stockings for us. Growing up my whole family had one. Then when my sister and brother and I started having families of our own she made more.

Rest in peace.

No Spoilers

The downside of watching the finale of season 2 of The Mandalorian right after I woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head, is that no one else has seen it and I can’t talk about it. Normally I would listen to a recap podcast or five and I can’t even do that. I beat them all to the punch.

I need to share my fanboy happiness with other people and no one around has seen it. It’s like some new form of torture!

This has been a brutally long week for some reason. Well, the last two days at least. Just loooooong. We’re going out to look at Christmas lights tomorrow. Fully masked up, with armor plated windows on the car. The ‘rona’s gonna need a tank to get at us, and that’s how it should be. The city actually released a map of quality light viewing locations. We’re going to pick a few off tonight. Wish me luck, both with the light displays and not spoiling Mando.

Unique to Me

I just did something that I bet none of you reading this did. Well, at least today. Probably not. Actually… given the circumstances there is a pretty decent statistical probability that I wasn’t the only one to do this…

I just dropped two at-home Covid-19 tests off at the UPS drop box. There aren’t any symptoms or anything and it was just a precaution, everything is fine. I’ll tell all of you the back story someday. Maybe next week. Whatever.

Did anyone else drop two Covid-19 test kits off today? Was I the only one?

The Stir Crazy Files – Episode 68

Quinoa. It’s not all the same. Who woulda thunk?

When I was still going to grocery stores I bought quinoa from what we’ll call Brand A. When I cook the one dish I know how to cook I put one cup of quinoa into two cups of boiling water and it takes about 15-16 minutes for the quinoa to absorb all the water.

For most of our lock down, instacart has been bringing us quinoa from what we’ll call Brand B. When I cook the one dish it takes about 9-10 minutes for the one cup of quinoa to soak up the two cups of water.

After months cooking with Brand B, instacart brought us Brand A again. Hooray! Not that it is better tasting (thought I think it might be) but just because it was fun. Unfortunately I was in such a groove of needing 10 minutes that having it take 15 completely threw me off my game.

In true stir crazy covid spirit though, I can’t help but wonder what the difference is? Why does one brand act so different from another? I mean, I can get two brands of onions and they cook up pretty much the same way. I can get two brands of chicken and they cook up pretty much the same way? What’s so special about quinoa, and is one brand normal and the other not? Is 15 minutes the industry standard while 10 is some kinda freakin’ freak?

Enquiring minds need to know.

It’s a Covid Christmas

It was bound to happen, but did it have to happen to that one?

It’s a Covid Christmas so all of my shopping has been done online. It’s a Covid Christmas so all of my shopping was done much earlier than I usually do it out of fear that somewhere along the supply chain the workforce would be having health issues and things would be delayed.

I found out today that my one big gift… the showstopper, if there were an actual showstopper this year, has had it’s estimated delivery date changed from this weekend to 12/24. Covid Christmas Eve.

I mean, I knew some of the gifts were going to get delayed, and some would probably be delayed long enough to morph from Christmas gift to Birthday gift, but why did it have to be that one?

Ho Ho OhNo!

(No worries, I have a backup plan. I’m covered. I mean, it’s a Covid Christmas after all, right?)

Fantasizing

Dinner dates with my love.

School music concerts.

Long drive day trips where we can stop at a gas station to take a piss if we need to.

Tejas chicken at the Border Cafe (though maybe they should think about changing the name. Freedom fries, maybe?).

LIZARDFISH!!!!

Christmas, though probably not until July.

High school graduation.

Vacations that are not staycations.

Disney World

Live music. If Jeff Beck plays anywhere in North America, we are going.

Weekend visits with the college student.

Seeing family and friends in person.

Hugs, high fives and the like.

Busy Evening

First, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected the seditious attempt by the fascists to overthrow the presidential election.

Then the FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine. Sure, Cheeto tried to take credit for the brilliant work of a German company that developed the vaccine without taking operation warp speed money, but hey… every word out of his mouth since at least 2015 has been an instantly verifiable lie so I guess you take what you can get.

Overall, today has not been a good day, but those two things have brightened it up a smidge.