The Virus Diary: Random Musings for Thursday, the 13

 



It's NOT Friday the 13th; it's THURSDAY the 13th which might be scarier because I've got some random things rolling around in my head and I'm just going to let them blurt out in bullet points for you to read and learn how crazy my brain is. (I was also inspired by the artwork in the photos above.  The artist has been doing some wonderful work on his front lawn, giving the community something new to look at just about every single week since the spring.  For more on his work:  http://www.youarelovedmurals.com/)

  • I went grocery shopping today, not my usual day (Friday) because I'm heading to my parents’ house early tomorrow (and leaving the boys behind).  I THOUGHT Thursday early morning was for seniors only (and felt a little guilty about taking advantage of it), but there were LESS people than on Friday and it wasn't all seniors.  As always there were places where there were holes on the shelves.  It's obvious everyone is having wasp issues (https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/one-thing-i-dont-like-about-summer.html) because there was no wasp spray, but plenty of other flying insect and ant sprays.  That particular item was also on sale this week which could explain the issue as well.  Also, since the head of Clorox announced that there would be a Clorox Wipe shortage until 2021 I found NO wipes of any kind on the shelves.  I was having no problem finding off brands or even small containers of name brands prior to this announcement.   Cleaning products in general were down; although not laundry or dishwashing detergents.
  • Once I'm back from grocery shopping (and doing my drop offs), I need that cup of coffee. I have to say I'm pretty happy with our new Kitchen Aid coffee maker.  The glass carafe and hot plate keep the coffee nice and hot. Of course it takes different filters than our old one, so I had to get new ones and now I have to remember which ones they are when I got shopping (because you get into that habit). Hubby's freshly brewed Dunkin Donuts coffee never tasted better.  
  • Speaking of which Dunkin Donuts is bringing back their pumpkin coffee NEXT WEEK.  Now I LOVE a Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin latte.  (Although when it comes to plain flavored coffee, Wawa has them beat!)  HOWEVER, August 19th is NOT Pumpkin coffee season.  Pumpkin (and pumpkin spice) season SHOULD NOT begin this year until September 4th (Friday before Labor Day) and should end of December 1.  Bfth has spoken (again)!
  • I've noticed that back to school items are in full force.  What IS back to school this year?  Does anybody know?  (And I can't blame anyone for NOT knowing.)  Let me be clear, I want my son back in the physical classroom.  I want him to learn in the traditional way and have the traditional high school experience, like he had for the first half or so of the school year last year.  With that said, I don't want ANYONE getting Covid-19:  my kid, your kid, you, the teachers, the administrative staff, and the custodians....What I want and what reality is are two very different things.  The easy answer is THERE IS NO EASY ANSWER.  Remote learning has its challenges (and we are lucky enough to have the technology we need to do this) and is far from perfect.  Being physically in school has its challenges and hazards.  There is not right answer.  Most answers may seem to be wrong.  The only answer is do the best you can and know what is best for you might not be right for your neighbor
  • Speaking of which, I should be having a new neighbor living next door very soon.  The port-a-potty moved last week. (There is nothing like the smell of port-a-potty being "cleaned" in the summer.)  The dumpster moved out this week.  The under the eaves outside lights are on at night. (I don't need a light to read in my sun parlor/music room in the middle of the night anymore!) I'm eagerly anticipating the sweet smell of tar as the driveway will probably be paved soon.  (No more parking on the front lawn...putting that truck right on the spot where the oil tank once resided underground never seemed like a good idea to me, but...) Finally, Spragg the Living Hill (check out your Marvel Comics) is flourishing in the backyard and may even be migrating towards my yard. (I'm not 100% on the property line.)  Spragg is blossoming with what I am told is Jimson weed...the way this year is going I may need to harvest and ingest so that the next few months are as hallucinatory as they can be.
  • Last week for my son's pandemic/hurricane birthday I bought him 2 balloons:  a 1 and a 5.  They have been tied on landing outside his bedroom; not quite touching the ceiling and randomly bobbing around.  The 5 is starting to deflate a bit and is taking on the shape of a demented 7.  Now it seems to be creeping into the office where I am working.  (It's lurking in the doorway).  Should I be concerned?
  • What kind of person am I?  I am sitting in my home office (with balloon still lurking) eating pretzels that I rescued from my "real" office back when I went in for an hour or so:  https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2020/07/wtf-was-i-thinking.html).  So my breakfast consists of pre-pandemic opened bag pretzels and coffee. I don't know if that's better or worse than when I eat leftover pizza (cold).  And I am still obsessing over the lack of music in my son's upcoming school year (whatever that year looks like, but I've already covered that point).  I never heard back from the choir teacher and I didn't get a notification that she read.  Since she's not even on the teachers webpage (not that she ever was which I don't quite understand), I don't know if she is coming back or not...I know, I need to let this go.
  • More about me that you probably don't want to know: I have really fine hair and haven't had a haircut since the first Sunday in March.  The stylist I go is immunocompromised and prior to the pandemic worked out of his home.  (I didn't realize how lucky I was to get into his schedule back in March.)  He is (understandably) not cutting hair or having any sort of contact with people.  Now I'm wondering what to do.  I'm not all that keen on going back to the salon (where he once worked and where I DID go for a while after I left.)  There was a salon that had outdoor cutting, but I think the hurricane killed that.  So I'm looking for advice on what to do.  Thin hair does not work well long.  (Although I do like to throw it up in a hair clip and go...I wash, but don't dry and use no products like I did religiously before this all happened.  When I have plans to go "somewhere" or see someone, I do wash and style and try to look presentable [even going as far as putting on a bra, which has been very low on my priority list this hot summer].)  Thoughts?  West Essex NJ peeps...recommendations?
  • Finally, I spent quite a bit of time last weekend reading Oprah's Book Club selection:  Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson.  I haven't read all of the books on her list of 86; I've "only" read 23 (and some of them I didn't like at all).  This is a book for our times.  It is easy to read in the sense that it is very understandable and relatable.  It is NOT an easy read because the truth and reality is harsh.  This was a book that I couldn't put down, but I HAD to put down because I couldn't take the pain and yet I had to keep reading.  I HAD to wrap my head around the facts that I could not have bared to imagine.  I truly think this should be required reading for high school students and I'd recommend that you read it too.

Enough ramblings for now...I continue to ask/wish all to stay safe and stay well.


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