Things....because well, things

Things are wild right about now, aren't they?

We just had a Zoom call with Man-Child and while it was good to "see" him, it made me miss him even more.  And the people at Zoom must be loving this pandemic; considering how many people I see are "Zoom-ing" of late. 

Worst of all?  I hate to contemplate that this may be the only way that we can have Easter together.  Let's not talk of it.

I am continuing to try to work from home as much as possible BUT The Husband has decided to take two days off this week since his workload has lessened since they closed the bank lobbies and curtailed his various duties that required him to be and out and about.  He kept seeming to forget that I needed to be "working" during work hours - granted not all hours needed to be "worked" but the majority of them did...thus the term, "Working From Home" which basically translates into I need to be available during those hours.

His next day off is Thursday.  I'm thinking THAT will be a good day to go into the office for a tiny bit to do the actual stuff that I can't do from here.  Generally, there are only two other people on the floor, so I don't feel to icky about it.

It's forward thinking like this that keeps our marriage solid...and me from killing him.

As Naptimewriting noted, this is a generation-defining moment.  Without a doubt it is.  And I have been wondering what the outcome will be.  Will humanity become more compassionate?  Considering where we were and where some of us still seem to be (hoarding on purpose), I despair. But maybe, hopefully, humanity will surprise me. 

And I am finding that I am having waves of low, low, lows and then waves of hope and optimism, as people share the good that they are noticing during this very difficult time. 

I can't tell you how many times I've been moved to tears by news of teachers creating a parade through their students neighborhoods, etc.

I am also finding that people are blogging more (myself included, kind of) and commenting more.  This, I think, speaks to the connection to others that we are all craving due to the lack of physical presence - well, the physical presence of someone who isn't with us practically 24/7.

And then there's my hair.  Of course, it is.  Since this nightmare has begun I have found myself saving my favorite products - which give me better hair, I think - to using all the other products I've tried and deemed to be duds and lie languishing under the bathroom sink.  Waste not; want not...plus, who cares?  No one is going to see me...other than The Husband.  In the midst of these fluctuating hair days - thrown on top of a day that had me running my fingers through this mop more than normal (making me look like a Mad Scientist), The Husband randomly asked, "Are you ever going to wear your hair straight again?"

*sigh*

He claims to find me beautiful however I wear my hair - but I know he prefers it straight.  But, to be honest, this is a fight that I've pretty much left behind me...unless I cut my hair super short; which I know I won't because...maintenance.  I never have, and most likely won't any time soon, have my hair cut on a regular schedule.  (The *why* behind this eludes me constantly) This is the one area where I have thrown in the towel straightener, so to speak. 

Who knows, maybe I'll get bored enough to spend an hour on my hair...but I doubt it.  But I am eyeballing the trim work that needs painting and the weeds that need pulling.

Stealing pillows...

As we are in the throes of what appears to be a long haul - a little humor (albeit a bit macabre)...

Apparently, in addition to talking in my sleep on a nightly basis, I have taken up a new sleep-hobby.

Stealing pillows - violently yanking them right out from under The Husband's sleeping head, much to his utter dismay.

According to him, I thrash around a lot at night and sometimes knock one or more of my allotted three pillows to the floor.  And when that happens, I flounder about in my sleep until I "find" a pillow and then SNATCH it out from under him.

If he tries desperately to hang onto his pillow, he swears I growl at him, "GIVE it to me!"  And eventually he acquiesces for his own safety.

I must confess I collapse into uncontrollable giggles when he  informs me, very much aggrieved, of my crime the next morning.  He points out all of my nocturnal crimes the next morning, apparently thinking that will change my wayward behavior.  Unfortunately for him, this has yet to work and, I'm pretty sure it never will at this point.

I must also confess, that while typing the previous paragraph I had to stifle my giggles.

What does that say about me as a person?

At any rate, as The Husband was driving today he heard a news item reporting that a local 57 year old women beat her husband with a bat, no reason for why she did this was mentioned.  While relaying this information to me he added, that is very first thought upon hearing this horrific news was, "He just should have let her HAVE the pillows!!"

How we can help and stay connected

Swistle posted a very good question on Twitter the yesterday

I have had a question about whether anyone knows if hospitals can take/use donations of handmade masks, or if they can only take/use donations of the storebought/manufactured kind.

— Swistle Thistle 🐝 (@Swistle) March 21, 2020

And it was determined that, yes, homemade masks and gowns are being accepted and Joann's is behind this 100%.  Not only that, you can place an order online and choose curb-side pickup.  All you do is call the store when you arrive and they will bring your order to you.

If you are looking for a way to be of some assistance this might be something you can do.  I may order fabric and give it a shot although I am by no means a seamstress.  I will need to do it in the evenings or next weekend though.

Also, as we keep our distance from friends and family you can still connect.  The Husband and his extended family are currently on a Zoom video conference call.  You could also use Skype.  Both apps work for both android and iPhones.  In order to set up this call, a group email was sent out and they all agreed to chat at 3:00 pm today.  It currently sounds like there is a big party going on in the living room as they are laughing and talking over each other. 

I can't tell if it's because of The Husband's phone or if it's the app - but it seems to me that Skype is easier to use.  But I'm almost certain that it's The Husband's phone.

Stay safe, my friends.

Well...things are weird now, aren't they?

The whole world is just strange and scary right now.

Last Monday afternoon, my company sent everyone home to "practice" working from home.  Most of us actually have this ability thanks to our recent upgrade which gave almost all the employees at corporate laptops.  Prior to this, we were all tethered to our desks with clunky desktops.

Despite the fact that the "practice" afternoon went well, I was gobsmacked when we were informed on Tuesday that the majority of us would begin working from home on Wednesday.  I say gobsmacked because historically this company has never closed.  Also, historically, this company kind of lived in the Dark Ages.  But we are a new company, obviously.

But of course there were some hiccups on that first day.  First up, everyone started logging on to the VPN and it crashed.  For some this really isn't an issue, as they don't need the VPN - I do, of course.  It also became quite obvious that I have a real need to print.  This is something that I take for granted when in the office.  What's so frustrating about that is that I have a printer at home but IT has us so locked up that I can't access that printer.

So my choices are these:

1) Go to the office - which kind of defeats the whole purpose of working from home.  And, I've already had to this twice and have another trip planned for Monday to notarize some documents.  This is when I regret being a Notary - in order to notarize, I have to personally witness them signing the documents.  We are being careful to stay far apart and since the majority of personnel aren't in the office, I'm thinking it's fine.

2) Email the material to my personal email, go to the home computer and print - too many extra steps.  Not to mention, that I'm sure sending the material to my personal email is most likely against company policy.  But at this point, needs must, I suppose.

But, these are first world problems and we'll figure them out eventually.

On Day Two of working from home, The Husband had taken a vacation day.  We had planned to have a contractor come to give us some ideas and quotes.  They cancelled - which we totally understood given the state of things.  I have learned that having The Husband home while I'm trying to work is, generally, not a good idea.  That previous statement?  Understatement of the year.

Laundry has become an everyday activity of late.  Towels are being washed constantly and we are in need of some detergent soon.  

My friend two doors down texted me yesterday that she has had one kid after another taking turns throwing up every other day begging me to go out to see if I could find toilet paper.  As paper products are something I regularly keep stocked up; I was able to offer her a couple of rolls, as well as a box of tissues as all of our allergies are kicking up here in North Carolina.  And, of course, when I went in search of toilet paper there was none to be found.  

Which reminds me; have you seen this article?  Infuriating.  Quit hoarding people (not you, I know you aren't).  It's selfish. 

In other, random news, I discovered that working from home means that I can paint my nails at my desk table, with no one here to disapprove.  So I decided to try my hand at The Daily Connoisseur's DIY Freestyle French Manicure.  I am pretty pleased with the results.  Is it perfect?  No, but that's okay.  I have a decent manicure that didn't cost me a dime, as I already had the polish.  I was able to get the manicure while being socially isolated.  And I'm happy with it.

We are also *this* much closer to having the great door knob replacement project complete (we have slowly been replacing all the door knobs to keep from having to absorb the cost all at once).  The only hardware left to install is the front door.  I had hoped to have a new door to put the hardware on but since that *simple* project seems to be forever doomed, I will have The Husband install that hardware on the old ugly door tomorrow.  I am very pleased to have all the round, gold knobs gone.  We went with oil rubbed brass oval knobs, which I love!

Next up?  Replacing all the hinges!  The Husband can't wait!
(Yes, he can - although, he did admit that they really stand out against the white)

And in another random pivot, I received a text from my dear friend in Houston, checking up on us.  She is an office manager at MD Anderson.  As her job is very similar to mine, I sometimes forget that she actually works for a hospital...until today.  As our text conversation wandered on, she mentioned that she may be assigned as a screener at the hospital next week.  After asking her about it, they are planning to use office personnel as screener's to keep the nurses available for the front lines of this virus.  She is hoping that she won't be assigned because she is her parent's main caregiver and her spouse has asthma, not to mention she has high blood pressure - none of which is good if she were to become a carrier.

Other than all that above, today has been very quiet.  The Husband and I went for a drive this morning just to get out.  He cleaned up the back patio and prepped it for Spring usage and then we dined al fresco for lunch.  Now we are hunkered down for the evening, waiting to see what tomorrow will bring.

Well, this was a random post, wasn't it?  That's where we all are right now, at loose ends and random.  So I'll just hit publish and be done with this post.

Stay home.  Wash your hands.  Stay safe.  Sending virtual hugs to you all.