Bfth's Boring Blog

Here we are at the end of the month.  Can anyone actually remember the beginning of this month?  I always thought February was the longest month.  It USED to seem that way, even though it only had 28 days.  This year it had 29, but it seems like it was 29 years ago.  Days are blending into each other and memories of what used to be normal are fading fast.  When we do return to "normal" (and we WILL...although it might not be exactly as it was once before and that could be a good thing), I don't think we will forget this "abnormal" time. Despite the fact that these are stressful times,  (I should never have watched 60 Minutes  last night; this might be why I had such a difficult time sleeping) the weekend actually had some fun associated it with.   The weekend weather was NOT conducive to being outside, but I did sneak a little sun worshipping in late on Friday because if you are home, you SHOULD take sunshine breaks when you get them.  Warm weather and blue

Welcome to Friday!  The only reason I know it's Friday is because I know I needed to go to the grocery store.  That's my Friday thing (and it's also become my Tuesday thing.)  So I went today to my local (still under construction/renovation) Shoprite .  I got most of what I needed.  The shelves were pretty well stocked.  There were even cleaning supplies, which I didn't need, but I did check.  This time however, there were absolutely NO paper products.  Not a lone paper towel roll (not even the off brand that doesn't really work).  Not a box of tissues.  Not a napkin.  Not a roll of toilet paper.  I don't need any of those things...yet...if they had been available I would have gotten a box of tissues and a roll of paper towels, but...The store was not crowded at opening.  As a matter of fact it was probably close to being back to the "usual" Friday crowd; the people, like me, who go every Friday when the store opens.  I saw several "regulars&quo

What do you do on a weekend where you can do nothing?  I probably should have cleaned the house.  I did clean the bathroom.  But it was relatively nice out so on Saturday I went for a nice long walk.  I keep asking my son if he'd like to go for a walk, but he doesn't.  I think this is a mistake, but...  Most of the good stuff that happened over the weekend were the result of my being SAFELY outside. What do I mean by that?  Well, I walked and greeted people as I saw them, but I did stay a safe distance away.  I did not walk in the park, which is supposed to be closed, but people are ignoring that.  Not cool.  As a result of my walk on Saturday, I found a new development going up in the town next to us.  As a result, when I got home I grabbed "the boys" and did a drive by.  Not much of a family outing, but a family outing just the same.  In the same ride, I also ventured into a liquor store.  A friend had a birthday the past week and she has four kids at hom

It has been suggested (and I had already thought of this, but not yet followed through) on keeping a diary during this crisis.  I used to keep a diary when I was younger...and older too (like the first year of my son's life).  Now I blog about my life (sort of) and general things, but why not let loose with whatever.  If someone reads, so be it.  If no one reads, so be it.  We're coming up on my 7th year anniversary of blogging and I do look back on what I wrote from time to time (I forget what I write), so maybe this will be helpful to the future me? Here goes... Today is Friday, March 20th.  I've been working from home for a week.  I've always has the opportunity to do so.  When I was hired the man I worked for said that if I asked, from time to time, I could do so.  I asked my new boss last Thursday if I could work from home because the schools were having a half day and my son had to bring home all his stuff.  (It was only a week ago that they decided t

I am NOT a snow fan.  Yes, a slight white snowfall is nice around the holidays, but after that?  It stops being white and pretty and quickly becomes gray and dirty.  Then there's the ice, sleet and the whole mess.  Yuck! I am NOT a winter fan and the fact that spring is just few hours away brings a smile to my face.  (And during this time of crisis, don't we all need something to smile about?) So do the crocuses that have popped up on my neighbor's lawn.  (I wish they were on MY lawn.) With all that said, I'm a little sad (?) that this was a winter without snow.  Let me take that back:  this was a winter with barely any snow.  We did have ONE snowfall.back in January.  It was enough to bring out the snowblower and do some shoveling but it wasn't that much.  The photo that heads this post is from that "storm". We've had some really cold days.  (Like Valentine's Day when the wind was brutally whipping around and as I was at the NJ shore, th

I've been thinking that I SHOULD have been keeping an online diary or something since this mess of a pandemic began.  Now we're in the thick of it, but it's never too late to write something down.  I think it's important to keep record of what's going on so that we can look back...some day we WILL look back.  But for now... This is my third day of working from home.  Friday I asked to work from home since the schools were closing early and I didn't know how much stuff my son was going to need to bring home.  After all kids keep a LOT of crap in their lockers and they were told to clean them out. I envisioned him carrying ton a stuff...I was wrong.  (Or maybe there still is a bunch of stuff in his locker that he should have taken home but didn't...I'll never know.)  On Sunday night my company allowed most people to work remotely and I chose to do so since my son was home.  Before that I was planning on going in.  My office suite is small and social

"And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil." With the worldwide pandemic, many churches, as well as other houses of worship are closing their physical doors.  That doesn't mean they are turning people away; most are turning to non-traditional ways to reach out congregants as well as the community.   Though there may be no physical interaction, there are podcasts, virtual preaching, social media streaming...all creative ways to spread the word without the threat of infection. The fact that this need for social distancing is happening during Lent speaks to me.  I'm not necessarily a fan of social distancing, but if it HAD to happen, Lent seems to be the "best" time for it.  As the Bible tells it, Jesus goes off by himself.  As I see it Lent is a time for personal reflection and self-sacrifice; specifically for me it is a period where I try to

Friday the 13th has usually been a lucky day for me.  I was married on a Friday the 13th.  I like Fridays (even though they mean a longer than usual work day for me...but that's another story).  Growing up I adored the book Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers.   But this Friday the 13th has got to be the FREAKIEST I've experienced.  I'll bet it's one of the freakiest for you too. Let's start out with the fact that it's a rainy and foggy morning.  That just adds to the atmosphere that surrounds us all right now.   Because it was raining, I dropped my son off at school.  This is his last day of school at least until the end of the month! The announcement came last night (while I was in the shower...because that's when the crap always hits the fan) that today, which had already been mandated as a 1/2 day so that the administration could figure out remote learning, would be the last day of "regular" school.  Monday and Tuesdays are "snow

"I don't want anybody else. When I think about you, I touch myself..." NO!  Wait!  That is NOT what I am talking about! What I'm referring to is my unconscious and frequent touching of my face.  And while all know that during this pandemic (if that's what it's become?), we are NOT supposed to touch our faces. (Just as I wrote that, I scratched my nose.) Just thinking about keeping my hands off my face makes my face itch. (I just scratched again!)  I will admit it I am a chronic face toucher.  I'm a face toucher, scratcher, hand rester, hair adjuster....And horror of horrors (please don't hate me or unfriend me), I...(I can barely admit it)...I've been known to pick my nose! (Insert dramatic music here!)   Furthermore, it seems the more I think about NOT touching my face, I DO touch it.   I am not a criminal, but I'm pretty darned close.  Other than tying hands together (which wouldn't be very practical), all I CAN do

In the movies, the bad guy never knows he's the bad guy.  (I'm using the masculine, but hey we know that the villain  can be female too, right?  I'm sticking with the he because it's easier that way.)  Sometimes the bad guy is over the top, so he MUST know he is the bad guy.  But I don't think he (or she) necessarily does.  No one says "Hey you are the bad guy."  (Or maybe they do and I missed it...if so fill me in.)  The bad guy does what he does to get what he wants accomplished.  He wants to get his way pure and simple.  (Well, maybe it isn't pure and rarely is it simple, but you get my point right?).  The bad guy is looking out for his best interest.  He's getting what he wants.  In most cases, that's why he's the bad guy, because what he wants isn't for the greater good.  He wants what he wants.  He goes about his business not thinking "hey I'm evil" but rather thinking about himself and his goals.  Would he change

A year or so ago, I bought a digital picture frame from the thrift shop where I volunteer.  My husband pointed out that it was old and the technology behind it was not great, but it was cheap and I wanted one for my desk at the office. I got an SD card and filled it up with photos of our family.  (Ok, let's be honest it was mostly photos of my son.)  I managed to get maybe 200 photos on it.  (I have a LOT more photos stored on my computer and in the cloud...I may not be the best photographer, but I LOVE to take photos.  They are my history and preserve my memories.)  I put in in the card slot in the frame and turned it on.  NOTHING.  It didn't seem to load.  Crap! Then I took the card out and turned on the frame.  Photos came up.  Photos of a family that I didn't know.  I wanted to delete them, but there didn't seem to be a way to do so.   They seemed to be mostly scans of old photos.  There were a few "newer" ones; like the picture from Disne

Usually when I write a blog post, I'm aiming to get as many people to read what I've written as possible.  (According to Google, that's not very many people, but that is okay.  However, if you are reading this and would like to share with friends...go for it!)  While I'd love for hundreds, thousands and millions of people to read this, this post is for one specific person.  While I'm not counting on him to read this (I have serious doubts), this blog post is for Pete Buttigieg.   Mayor Pete, I am disappointed that you have dropped out of the race.  I understand and your words touched my heart:  "But I hope that everyone who has been part of this in any way knows that he campaign that you have built and the community that you have created is only the beginning of the change that we are going to make together."  Your words were full of grace, but I continue to feel a sadness that you are no longer part of this race. I believed in you.  I STILL bel

I have lots of complaints when it comes to customer service; or rather the lack of.  This past Saturday, once again did not receive any mail, which is not surprising.  What WAS surprising is that I never saw a mail truck out in our area.  When I asked on our neighborhood bulletin board I was NOT surprised to find that many in the area did NOT get mail and that many feel that complaining does nothing.  (And they are right.) Bemoaning the lack of customer service seems to have become second nature to me (and many others as well).  Customer service is a rarity (sadly).  Which is why I wanted to share a POSITIVE story about customer service. On a cold Saturday evening (because it HAD to be one of the cold ones), my parents heat shut off.  They are older and live at the Jersey shore, which is well populated in the summer, but NOT in the winter.  There aren't a lot of businesses open in the area during the "off months."  The Wawa that is about  a mile from their house i