Today I managed to sleep to about 7ish. I was up at 6ish and checked my email, and I could sleep a bit more. Usually, I can’t fall asleep when I do this. I woke just past 7 with a start. Mostly, I was startled that I was asleep and did know where I was or why I was waking up. This left it a hard start this morning.
I had Zooming meetings all day. I also had two calls to align on some issues. The crises of the moment multiplied until I was working on multiple issues and doing a bit of Zoom-email-slack juggling. Nothing exciting but much on critical paths, so it is all a crisis. When everything is an emergency, it is hard to focus on solving issues.
I went with my normal approach; I took a break and went out to get lunch. I got a Whopper meal. I picked up a McDonald Happy Meal and asked them to ensure that it had apple slices. I got an eye-roll, no really, when I told the McDonald person getting me the Happy meal it was not for me, but my wife and she is only happy with apples.
Yes, I got attitude from a Portland Greater-Area McDonald’s. I thought it funny. The pandemic may have ended the overly and slightly passive-aggressive polite Portland! I thought I had noticed a bit more aggression in waiting in lines, six feet apart, lately in grocery stores, and getting seated in restaurants. The pandemic seems to have removed the Portland polite.
Back to Zooming at Nike. I continued with more work and more crises. I start to slow down but try to work through it. I am coughing non-stop from the pollen. I did take a few short breaks. I took some pictures of our flowering bushes during the break. These plants came with the house, and I understand they came from another house, so many maybe 50+ years old.
The coughing wears on me. By 4PM, I am done. I will be back online this evening to work IST (India) time.
I take Corwin’s suits to be cleaned at our local dry cleaners. Masonic meetings are running again; he needs to look sharp on Thursday. The owner of the store takes my order and then recognizes the name Wild. She is so happy, and her eyes are damp. “I have so missed my customers,” she tells me. She remembers me–I used to have suits for church I would clean every month. The dry cleaner store is closing, victim to the pandemic, she explains. “Nobody has come,” she tells me. She says she feels so alone. But, she is overjoyed to take my order and that I remembered cash or check only. We are sad together but so happy to meet at least one more time.
I return home a bit sad. I read and take a short nap. And I poured a glass of wine.
I make dinner. Schwann’s steaks browned in butter on the stove and finished in the stove. I remembered to put an oven mitt on the pan’s handle, so I did not burn myself! Instant mash potatoes and Schwann’s green beans, microwaved, almond slivers with salt cooked in butter in another frypan, and green beans stir-fried in the hot butter and almonds. Steaks removed from the pan, and the juices and butter mixed with a bit of water and corn starch to make a small pan gravy while using the oven mitt and not burn me on 350F pan. I added a bit of wine, a few tablespoons still left in my glass. Spoon over meat and/or mashed. Good!
I was watching the old classic Doctor Who for lunch and while making and eating dinner. I have a copy of the famous Shada lost episode. It was never finished, and some filming was never completed. The new version includes computer-animated sections for the missing sections. The original actors mostly voice the animated sections, including Tom Baker, the 4th Doctor. You have to be a Who fan to watch this.
Back to work at 10PM on India time. More data conversions. Corwin does the dishes for me.
853 people in the USA died from the infection today.
I opened the hymnal, and it just turned to Here I Am Lord. I found this happy church-service version of a giant British choir.
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 