Well, we're into the self-quarantine phase of the arrival of the coronavirus, a/k/a Covid-19, a/k/a the Chinese Virus, and I've noticed some curious things that have occurred as a result. Not about what's happening in society generally -- although there's been plenty of that, to be sure -- but with my habits and free time. So I thought I'd jot down some of the weirder elements of my time in self-quarantine:
-- For years I've been trying to watch the movie Schindler's List, and now I finally have. It was a little less daunting than what I'd been led to believe, and I'm still unsure if Oskar Schindler did what he did purely out of altruism of if he was led there after profiteering. And just to keep me in the mood I saw Black '47, a movie of revenge during the Great Famine. Just the kind of movies to watch during a pandemic.
-- My eating has changed, but for the better. I'm actually losing weight. Karen's making loaves of sourdough bread and I eat my fair share, but I'm losing weight. Go figure.
-- One positive result of staying home is that we got a jump on our spring cleaning, especially the yard work. I had a brush pile that needed cut up and burned an it's down to a few spare branches. Karen got her flower beds squared away and we cleaned out a corner of the garage that was in desperate need of a thorough cleaning.
-- Walking has seen an uptick. We take Mosby for walks that are about a third of a mile in total. It's nice to get out and breathe in fresh air. Being with Mosby is, as I've often said about our dogs, like being with the Beatles. People stop and ask about him or smile and laugh as they drive by. Mosby, for his part, is the most aloof dog we've had since Sherman.
-- Our dogs don't know what to make of us being home full time. On the one hand, not being stuck in a kennel all day is preferable for Custer and Maisie. On the other hand, being told not to pee on this or to stop whining or not to hump one's aunt (Mosby) is a little disorienting.
-- We've binge watched a couple of shows. One, Tiger King, was a complete waste of time. I don't need to watch a show about misbehaving trailer trash as entertainment. Ozark, on the other hand, was engrossing. Watching Jason Bateman act snarky and sarcastic while in a serious role was refreshing. The characters in that show are...interesting.
-- Reading has also seen an increase. It would seem, however, that sports books are put together without any thought. I read one about my Blackhawks that was written by the old Chicago Stadium announcer and it was so poorly edited...Cliff Koroll came out liff Korol. The 80's and 90's were all but ignored, the poor man repeated stories every other page, paragraphs ended with exclamation marks all too often and it was written with an Andy Hardy Gee Whiz tone that was long out of date. This was nothing but a money grab for the guy.
-- Having to watch updates about Covid-19 is getting redundant.
-- On social media, people are putting forth all manner of stupid quizzes and test and Show Me Your Pictures...ugh, enough already. And the political sniping....it's sad.
-- Sleep. Ah, how my habits have changed. I used to rush to get in bed before 10p. Now, I'm lucky if I'm in bed before 11.30p and even luckier if I'm awake before 8a.
-- The firewood pile has grown. I may as well cut up the logs, since we're having fires on account of the cooler than normal weather we're having and the fires in the fireplace we're having as a result.
-- Going out for food with a mask on is weird, but it's even weirder going to the bank with a mask on. Think about that one for awhile.
(c) 2020 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
