What are you doing these days?

[sothereiwas]

Things are almost normal here, which is sad in some ways. I went to Costco yesterday and the cashier had to ask the next people in line to step back. We were all masked up as per company policy (more later) but even so they also have little marks on the floor and they'd missed their mark as they say. I was really enjoying the enhanced personal space. The more is that while technically everyone was wearing masks, about 1 in 10 were wearing them on the chin and an additional 3 in 10 or so were just wearing them over the mouth. 

It's theater, to get people back engaged in commerce. Whatever. 

Sold another rifle for more then 2x what I paid for it and banked that check yesterday. So that was good. 

Today, probably just work, maybe some chores. 

Edited August 6, 2020 by sothereiwas

[Happy Lemming]

10 hours ago, sothereiwas said:

Things are almost normal here...

Yes... I went to the grocery store early this morning when they opened.  All in all, things were pretty normal.  Masks were required, which wasn't a big deal and lines were kept 6 feet apart.  The shelves were full except for a few items, but nothing I really couldn't live without. 

I picked up a few things that were on sale so I could start to re-stock my pantry and freezer.

A good trip to the store, no complaints.

[schlumpy]

10 hours ago, Happy Lemming said:

  The shelves were full except for a few items, but nothing I really couldn't live without. 

I find it odd. There is always something that is not stocked or is missing. Like you said, nothing I can't do without but always something.

It has to be an indicator of something wrong in supply chain but what?

Could be not enough labor to get the product out the door.

Could be difficulty getting ingredients to make the product.

Is it deliveries?

One week butter was missing! Dairy has struggled to keep up and is still struggling.

It's just a clue if you pay attention but where do you think it leads?

[sothereiwas]

1 hour ago, schlumpy said:

I find it odd. There is always something that is not stocked or is missing.

I have noticed this a bit. I wondered if it's maybe a case of prioritizing shelf space. For instance in the local Costco, some products are now in truly strange locations within the store, with entry mats, for instance, being moved to a far corner wedged between the bottled water (which has also been relocated) and the facial tissue. Away from the area rugs, which is where they used to be, and which makes more sense. 

The baked goods section seldom has the dinner rolls in stock. Used to be there every time. They should, theoretically, require essentially the same materials and labor to produce as the other baked goods, right? But they sell for what, $4 for 35 rolls? Maybe they are a low priority product if space is limited? I don't know. I'd like things to get back to normal, except I want to keep the no-talking and personal space. 

[Ruby Slippers]

I made a phone appointment for an initial consultation in 2 weeks about adopting a kitten from my local SPCA. I want to get a dog someday, but at this stage I'm not ready for that level of responsibility. I have a 12-year-old rescue cat and I've been thinking about getting her a buddy for a long time. Lately she's been sitting in the windows meowing longingly at the neighbor cats that love to hang out in my yard. She can't play with them. When I take her outside to try, she's immediately in territorial battle mode. But a tiny little male kitten who won't threaten her queenhood is just the ticket. I've already found two little male kitten candidates whose descriptions of temperament sound just right to get along with her. Now I'm thinking about a cute name 🐱

Edited August 7, 2020 by Ruby Slippers

[Piddy]

4 hours ago, Ruby Slippers said:

I made a phone appointment for an initial consultation in 2 weeks about adopting a kitten from my local SPCA. I want to get a dog someday, but at this stage I'm not ready for that level of responsibility. I have a 12-year-old rescue cat and I've been thinking about getting her a buddy for a long time. Lately she's been sitting in the windows meowing longingly at the neighbor cats that love to hang out in my yard. She can't play with them. When I take her outside to try, she's immediately in territorial battle mode. But a tiny little male kitten who won't threaten her queenhood is just the ticket. I've already found two little male kitten candidates whose descriptions of temperament sound just right to get along with her. Now I'm thinking about a cute name 🐱

We have four strays we've taken in.  There must be a sign somewhere out there to come to our house if you're a stray cat.  We also are feeding a stray that we can't take in right now.  One of our guys (Piddy) is getting old and when he passes we can take him in then.

Introducing cats to each other can be a problem sometimes.  One of our younger guys had to spend more than a year in our bedroom and could only come out when the older cats were out in the pool area.  He would attack one of the older boys.  

It takes patience, but he finally was able to fit in and not fight.  Ironically he's a sweet little cat.  He's a lap cat and is the most affectionate of the four.  We find they name themselves.  Piddy is the oldest and has a long story that started out as Pitter Patter that became Piddy (probably should've been Pitty).  Tiger is because the Vet said he has Tiger striping.

Beastie is because when he was a stray he'd kick Mina away from her food and was a Beast to Mina.  Beastie is just the opposite of a beast.  He's the most gentle of them all.   And then there's Squinty the little Eddie Haskel.  He got his name because he has one green eye and one blue eye and would squint when looking at us. 

Mina was Squint's sister and I trapped her and her kittens and got her fixed and the kittens placed.  But she was too skittish to be a house cat so we just took care of her as she lived mostly in our backyard.  One day after about a year or so she disappeared. 

And the stray we feed now is called Little White.  He's actually all black except for a little patch of white on his neck chest area.  His brother was Big White because he was all black also, but had a larger patch of white on his upper chest.  But Big White no longer comes around. 

Good luck with your new cat Rubes.  😺

 

[Ruby Slippers]

2 hours ago, Piddy said:

Good luck with your new cat Rubes.  😺

Thanks! I would have adopted one of the neighbors' many outdoor kitties, but I couldn't catch the darn things. They love to hang out and play in my yard but are wild and skittish. I like adopting from organizations because they check them for diseases (which outdoor cats may have, and I don't want my indoor kitty to contract) and often spay/neuter them before you adopt them.

In other news, I took a long lunch at the swimming pool today, sunbathed and swam tons of laps and it was absolutely heavenly. Second time this season, late in the season because of the C-bug, and man, it was blissful. I've been jamming to my quintessential summer music all day, good, classic reggae.

This evening I'm doing a video happy hour with a friend and have other fun plans this weekend. Feeling good!

[Piddy]

2 hours ago, Ruby Slippers said:

In other news, I took a long lunch at the swimming pool today, sunbathed and swam tons of laps and it was absolutely heavenly. 

Just remember when you get your own pool to get those tight no see through slats in your fence so you can go o-naturale. Lol

I still laugh thinking of that. 😀  Classic line by you. Lol

Edited August 8, 2020 by Piddy

[Ruby Slippers]

1 hour ago, Piddy said:

Just remember when you get your own pool to get those tight no see through slats in your fence so you can go o-naturale. Lol

I still laugh thinking of that. 😀  Classic line by you. Lol

🤣 You can count on it, Piddy.

I haven't gotten much sun all summer till now thanks to lockdown, and my tan lines look crazy. It'll turn to tan soon, but for now, lobster pink chest, then milk white, lobster stomach, more milk white, then lobster and kinda tan legs. I was thinking maybe I'll say screw it and tan naked in my backyard to even it out some. People shouldn't be peeking through my fence, anyway lol

[Veronica73]

I have finally gotten back to work. I had been out of work since the middle of March (I’m an independent contractor and work grinded to a halt with Covid). Most everyone at the office is working from home. There is only one other person who goes into the office regularly. So I go in on the days she isn’t in, or I go in in the evenings or weekends. 

I’m VERY introverted, but I don’t think this much isolation is healthy for me.

[schlumpy]

3 hours ago, Veronica73 said:

I’m VERY introverted, but I don’t think this much isolation is healthy for me.

The isolation has changed my perceptions also. I feel a bit awkward interacting with people. It's like I'm out of practice. Do you think that being good at socializing is innate or like most things in life it requires a steady interplay with others to look normal and not forced?

[Veronica73]

3 minutes ago, schlumpy said:

The isolation has changed my perceptions also. I feel a bit awkward interacting with people. It's like I'm out of practice. Do you think that being good at socializing is innate or like most things in life it requires a steady interplay with others to look normal and not forced?

I’m not sure. It’s certainly not innate for me, but the few people I have interacted with since Covid struck already knew me and have already accepted me. And I haven’t noticed a change in my ability to talk with them. (They might have a different opinion!) I have noticed the more I isolate, the more I get in my head and feel like I don’t want to talk to anybody. It’s like a negative feedback loop. I think I feel and do better when I am in fairly regular contact with people who I care about and they care about me. With Covid, I feel like I have been isolating too much and I swear I could disappear and it might take 2 weeks or more for anyone to notice I’m gone. That doesn’t seem good. But I also feel like it’s okay to be a little awkward with interacting with people. I think most of us are having way fewer interactions with people and are happy when we can connect with someone. It’s a rough time we are going through. 

[Eternal Sunshine]

I’m in an unlucky state where the strictest lockdowns we have ever had have just started. It’s basically house arrest. I feel isolated and lonely and worn out (lockdowns since March). A lot of my friends are trying to get me to do video calls but I find that they are not the same. I should stop complaining because I just get more video calls scheduled. They feel like a chore. I want to go to a coffee shop, bar, art gallery, road trip. I have discovered that I don’t actually enjoy talking to people unless we are doing some sort of activity.

My only niece is 6 months old and I have only seen her once. The worst part is that I don’t see an end in sight. 
 

[regine_phalange]

I am okay, preparing for my move in a few weeks, hopefully there won't be any new lockdowns in my area and the country I'm moving to. This summer has not touched me at all, I just have felt heat and... that's all. Thank god last year I had so many epic holidays and this year I can reminisce like an old lady.

 

1 hour ago, Eternal Sunshine said:

I’m in an unlucky state where the strictest lockdowns we have ever had have just started. It’s basically house arrest. I feel isolated and lonely and worn out (lockdowns since March). A lot of my friends are trying to get me to do video calls but I find that they are not the same. I should stop complaining because I just get more video calls scheduled. They feel like a chore. I want to go to a coffee shop, bar, art gallery, road trip. I have discovered that I don’t actually enjoy talking to people unless we are doing some sort of activity.

My only niece is 6 months old and I have only seen her once. The worst part is that I don’t see an end in sight. 
 

It is a difficult and abnormal situation and I think what you are feeling is 100% valid. This will probably go on for a while, but this kind of situations normally have a beginning, a middle and an end. Wish you the best and join the calls if you can, maybe you guys can do some pub quizzes? That's what has kept my colleagues and I from going crazy!

[regine_phalange]

3 hours ago, Veronica73 said:

I’m not sure. It’s certainly not innate for me, but the few people I have interacted with since Covid struck already knew me and have already accepted me. And I haven’t noticed a change in my ability to talk with them. (They might have a different opinion!) I have noticed the more I isolate, the more I get in my head and feel like I don’t want to talk to anybody. It’s like a negative feedback loop. I think I feel and do better when I am in fairly regular contact with people who I care about and they care about me. With Covid, I feel like I have been isolating too much and I swear I could disappear and it might take 2 weeks or more for anyone to notice I’m gone. That doesn’t seem good. But I also feel like it’s okay to be a little awkward with interacting with people. I think most of us are having way fewer interactions with people and are happy when we can connect with someone. It’s a rough time we are going through. 

It is very rough, and I can see why you feel the ability to connect with people is going away. Something similar happened to me in a period that I was really depressed and lonely (long before COVID) and when I got out of it I just didn't remember how to act around people. It's really embarassing to admit, but it does go away once you start being around people again. Especially now, I can't see why anyone would blame others for being a bit awkward, the entire situation IS awkward. 

[sothereiwas]

Finished up some random chores, did a few honey-do tasks, and sat down for a moment. Cranked up 'Barracuda' just now, on a whim. 

If I smiled any bigger I'd have to have 2 faces. 

[Ruby Slippers]

I'm doing some serious sprucing up of my house. I had this cute wood plant stand on the sun porch. I moved it in the living room to better arrange my growing garden of house plants. I just got some adorable new pots and they look fabulous, especially the shiny rose gold ones. 

I'm adopting a kitten soon, so I'm cleaning out the extra bedroom, which will be his until he and the cat I already have get properly acquainted. So now I'm in there organizing all my extra piffle, like arts and crafts supplies and the like, on another shelving unit I brought inside.

My house is looking great! I have tons of energy and am whipping it into fantastic shape, elevating everything to line up with my elevated state of mind.

Edited August 10, 2020 by Ruby Slippers

[schlumpy]

7 hours ago, Ruby Slippers said:

I'm adopting a kitten soon, so I'm cleaning out the extra bedroom, which will be his until he and the cat I already have get properly acquainted.

Next item on the list a nice cat tree 48 inches or taller.

[Eternal Sunshine]

I broke the lockdown rules yesterday.

I called a friend who lives close enough to me and convinced him to go to a hike in the woods that's about 1 hour drive. We took the back roads because police was everywhere. We didn't get caught and had a great day out. I figure that as long as we are not endegaring others (we were the only 2 people in the woods), it's OK. We plan to do it every weekend, perhaps even set up a camp. I feel much better after getting out.

[QuietRiot]

11 minutes ago, Eternal Sunshine said:

I broke the lockdown rules yesterday.

I called a friend who lives close enough to me and convinced him to go to a hike in the woods that's about 1 hour drive. We took the back roads because police was everywhere. We didn't get caught and had a great day out. I figure that as long as we are not endegaring others (we were the only 2 people in the woods), it's OK. We plan to do it every weekend, perhaps even set up a camp. I feel much better after getting out.

Friends...with potential for more I'm guessing? 😉

There is an actual enforce-able lockdown where you live? Figured that was over and done with back in March/April.

Edited August 10, 2020 by QuietRiot

[snowboy91]

On 8/8/2020 at 9:05 PM, schlumpy said:

The isolation has changed my perceptions also. I feel a bit awkward interacting with people. It's like I'm out of practice. Do you think that being good at socializing is innate or like most things in life it requires a steady interplay with others to look normal and not forced?

I've had this issue on and off, when I go through phases of being socially anxious or get too busy with work (this is pre-Covid times). I always find the first interaction is quite awkward, but I get a lot better with practice.

It's a lot worse now that I have very little face-to-face interaction with others, but everyone else has the same problem with isolation so I'm finding most people have been a lot more forgiving of awkwardness. We laugh it off and it becomes something to talk about, so it kills the awkwardness 😉

[Ruby Slippers]

I'm finding that for me, it's a HUGE stress reliever not to have to deal with people all day long. I love certain people, but I prefer to deal with ones I've carefully vetted, and I really don't like the constant forced socializing and random interruptions at work. I find that totally draining and distracting from the very focused zone I need to be in for work. This way I feel so much healthier, happier, and more energetic. And I'm way friendlier and more outgoing when I do go anywhere, because it's my choice to do it only when I want to. I also LOVE not being around the constant sniffles, coughing, and general sickness in the office environment. I've always hated that people often come to work even when sick. When I used to work from home for years, I never got sick, so I'm loving this. 

Edited August 10, 2020 by Ruby Slippers

[sothereiwas]

Working again. Had a relaxing weekend, didn't push to get too many tasks done, but got a few. Back to the grind today, but I feel rested for the first time in months. 

The wife made coffee before I got up, and is clattering around in the kitchen, which bodes well for breakfast. 

[Ruby Slippers]

I have a new fascination: latte art. I want to learn how to do it, you know, the cute designs with milk in the espresso crema. My first attempt this morning was unsuccessful. I have a small plug-in espresso maker, but it doesn't produce the crema, the flavorful froth formed when air bubbles combine with the coffee's oils. You need that crema as a palette in which to pour the milk and create designs. I have a little Italian stovetop pot that does produce the crema, so I tried that this morning with the foamed milk. I'll have to experiment. According to videos, it's a careful balancing act with the frothed milk. They say it's easier with full-fat milk, while I'm using skim. I might have to splurge on a better espresso machine. But first I'll tinker with what I have. Maybe the full-fat milk will do it.

[regine_phalange]

I'm on my way to cutting out sugar. I do use a carob choc syrup on my yoghurt for now, but that's about it. 

I wake up really early to cook because I want to avoid heating up the kitchen when the temperature is raised. Then I spend the evening sitting next to the fan with wet hair (how haven't I gotten a frozen neck?), looking at my boxes and going down on memory lane, watching asian simple living videos and eating cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. 

I need to send invites to my colleagues for my digital goodbye gathering.