Sheltering in Place

[Drunk Monk]

Day 17: woke up feeling really depressed about it all.  may not do anything today.  was debating about just staying in bed and binging the rest of 4 walls, but i must get up to eat and eliminate.

[Greg]

Get the fuck up and do something.

[Drunk Monk]

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Beach time.

[Drunk Monk]

Beach time.

It's overcast down the coast here. Rain impending.  How is it up there?

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Light rain. Just cooked lunch (I am now cooking again, another sign of The End Times). Will finish coffee, food, clean up and go for a stroll around the block.

Harriett will be coming over later, so I’ll go pick up her Bag o Stuff on the bike while she walks over from the Haight.

[Drunk Monk]

Yeah, I should cook lunch next.  Mmmmm lunch.  

Maybe I'll make oatmeal.  Maybe eggs and sausage.  Already had toast & tea.

It'll be like...

[Greg]

Back to the bonfires! Good practice for witch season.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

I approve the above messages

[Drunk Monk]

They removed the fire pits from seabright beach when the shelter-in-place began.  no more bonfires. 

It's raining here now.  I'm not going out beyond my veranda and maybe my trash bins.

[King Bob]

I was looking for more ways to work out, so I got a set of Indian clubs, which I've wanted for a long time. (Who doesn't want to exercise like a Victorian gentleman?) I kept reading that it was good for shoulder strength and flexibility, and I've had pec tendon issues in both shoulders, and I sit in front of a computer at work, so I thought it was worth a try. I got a cheap set without any DVD, but luckily there's a lot of instruction on YouTube. I'm still working on the first move; you martial artists would probably pick it up faster than me. It's surprisingly tiring even though the clubs only weight a pound each. I've been doing it for about a week and have to say that certainly I haven't gotten more flexible or stronger yet, but I am feeling more aware of my posture and might not be slouching in front of the computer as much.

[cranefly]

A P-3 Orion flew over yesterday, likely out of Moffett Field a couple miles away.  I think that's what it was.  It was big, multi-prop, military grey.  I can't recall the last time I heard or saw an aircraft go over.  Maybe I imagined this one.  You know how you dream about things that disappear from your everyday experiences?  The passing of a loved one, or the end of classes at college...  Yeah, maybe it was just a dream, a vivid daydream.

I remember how P-3s were always going over when I first moved out here in '81.  Whole fleets of them headed out to sea.  Sub hunters, dropping sonabuoys and then taking radar readings from them.  Every day they'd head out in the morning, one after another.  Every evening they'd come back.

My best friend John worked at Magnavox on the coding of sonabuoys back in the '70s.  John is a year younger than me, smart as hell, valedictorian of his high school class.  Not only smart, but singular in his thinking, his attitudes and beliefs.  He was the one who coaxed me out of Indiana to Pennsyvlvania and was instrumental in setting in motion my growth and eventual migration out west to Oregon and then California.  We fell out of contact after that, and it's been decades -- really, a whole lifetime -- since we've communicated.

Just a couple weeks ago his wife Sally said hi to me on facebook, and I'm now friends with her and John.  They're retired now, snowbirding it Florida, but otherwise living in New Hampshire or thereabouts.  I owe a great deal to the two of them, and it's great to be back in contact, and wouldn't it be wonderful for us to get together sometime, fill in each other on what we've been up to.

The problem is, I've been seeing John's posts, and have yet to give a thumb's up to any of them.  Most start with "One wonders..." and then make some political comment and reference an article.  A lot of his "one wonders" refer to the virus, which he insists on naming by its place of origin, and the referenced articles are typically negative towards that place, and whether it should be held accountable for what's happened to the world.  He's overall very political, and while the referenced articles hit politicians of various parties and stripes, there seems a definite conservative lean.  Anyway, this is very upsetting to me, and I've considered unfriending him (kind of silly, after initiating the friend request) just so I don't have to glimpse "w**** virus" in one his posts, which pisses me off to no end and is very depressing.

What the hell, John?

Anyway, over the past 24 hours I've given the matter a lot of thought, and I've finally come to a decision.

It wasn't a P-3 Orion that flew over yesterday.

[Greg]

The P-3 Orion was the symbol of Santa Clara in my youth. It's odd they went away but I'm sure they found better ways to find subs. One of my classmate's father was killed in a P-3 crash over the Santa Clara Golf Course. There was a mix-up and one plane was give permission to take off when another plane was landing.

Sorry about your friend. That seems to be happening a lot. I've got a couple of people on my to be unfriended list.

[Drunk Monk]

DAY 18. It's raining hard.  Stacy decided to give her calves a break and not hike today.  She made lentil soup, which is simmering now, filling our bungalow with warming scents.

I've done my web surfing, started my laundry and wrote a little.  I'm chipping on something for the school where I train, a volunteer contribution because they can use the content and I'm in a unique situation where I can't use an idea I thought of while hiking recently for KFM because of the furlough.  I conceived of it completely in my head and put about half of it down a few days ago.  Didn't like it.  But I'm re-working it now and it's coming together.  It's really just to keep my writing practice up.  Stay sharp.

I spend an hour and a half yesterday sorting a billing problem with ATT - an hour waiting on hold and a half hour working with the rep (he was actually very helpful).  I think it's fixed.  

We also got a decent refund on our taxes according to our accountant.  That's more money coming from the government someday.  Someday soon hopefully.

Haven't worked out yet today.  Maybe next.

Who doesn't want to exercise like a Victorian gentleman?

Right?  I've played with Indian clubs a little. It's a great workout.  But I swing heavy swords and such so it seemed a bit redundant for me personally.  I respect the strength and flexibility building for Indian clubs, but I also like to train how to strike, stab, cut and such.  It vents more anger for me - a critical aspect in my sanity maintenance.

It wasn't a P-3 Orion that flew over yesterday.

Dayum.  What a flashback.  I forgot about those.  I'll probably dream about them tonight.

I've got a couple of people on my to be unfriended list.

I have yet to unfriend anyone for their politics.  A lot of my fb friends are from the martial world, and there's a lot of trumpers there.  I'm constantly astonished at the level of ignorance.  At the same time, I find it important to monitor it - sort of that 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer' thing.  Nevertheless, I'm continually shocked by what some old friends and acquaintences post - such vitriol. You think you know some one.  

That being said, I gotta give Scapino props for his political rants. He's really on point with many of those making me take back some of the stuff I've said about him over the years...but only some of it.  

[Drunk Monk]

DAY 22? And we're back!
Today's schedule includes my first ZOOM meeting with that consulting prospect.  Otherwise more of the same...
Thank goodness the forum is back.  Thank gregness.