Day 175: Sunday Quiet

Yes, we have reached 175 days locked down. From all I have read, I would say we are now halfway through this emergency. The President has pushed hard for a vaccine, and we have to remember though I do trust him, I know the people making the vaccine love their children–it will be safe. It takes three weeks for the vaccine to work, and it requires two doses, so you are looking at six weeks. Assuming we get a vaccine released in early November, that puts it out about twelve weeks (84 days) and then to get it to everyone that needs it will be a month or two (60 days). So I believe we are beyond the halfway point. As said in Doctor Who, “halfway out of the dark.” We have months to go, and it will be hard to wait, but the dark is fading now.

Today I got going about 9ish. I did not sleep until 2ish, so I still did not get enough sleep. Maybe tonight. I just want to do so much in a single day. I only head to bed at a reasonable time when I have work the next day.

I have to admit that I had a bagel and putted around. I then watched “Deadliest Catch” on Discovery. I found some pasta leftovers and had that for lunch while I watched the crab fishing reality TV show. This and the Alaska Gold shows are almost the only show I watch. I did miss “Lovecraft Country” today, but I watch it on my Apple and will catch-up this coming morning. I loved the book, and I like how they have presented the same themes with changes to fit more visual media.

Returning to crafts, I also worked on my Scythe items, getting them to the last stage, oil paint shading. This is my newest system of painting. I like oil paints as they do not change color or fade when they dry. I also have an excellent nearly clear spray I put on before the oil paints. This protects the acrylics I use for the main detailing. I have also moved to use homemade decals. I create a design and then print it on decal paper, expensive but available online, using my inkjet printer. I then spray the finished sheet with a heavy coat of the same spray I use on the figures. This makes the design waterproof on the water decals–my first attempt without the stabilizing coat was not very successful; it melted. I cut the decals and then use water and a paintbrush to apply them. It requires some skill and luck. The decals are also transparent, so it is best to white color under them.

I tried last night to work on the USS Maine, but the kit has some issues and will require me to do some rework (holes are the wrong size for parts, some parts have to be assembled, masts need to be replaced with brass wire, and some parts may have to be replaced). That is rainy night work, so I will pick this up in the fall. Disappointed, but instead, I will paint some more figures.

Corwin and Susie got going later, and I asked them if they want to head out for dinner to celebrate the holiday. It is hard to go camping or visit the beach without taking risks–so masks and dinner are about as risky as I can get. We did nearby Orenco Station and found the French place was again only take-out. So there is an excellent Thai place, so we did that: Nine Dang Fine Thai. The food was excellent, and Susie and Corwin finished with a colossal coconut ice cream dessert. I had to help Susie with her’s.

We then came home, and I got out the old DVD of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and we watched it. I forgot how good it was. We enjoyed just watching it. You could hear one of use saying one of the lines once in a while. I miss going out to movies.

About four-hundred people in the USA today passed away from the virus.

Yesterday I picked an opera. This time I went the other way with some Latin: Ave verum corpus (Byrd) The Gesualdo Six at Ely Cathedral. I had to look this up, and you can find more information here: Ave verum corpus Wikipedia.