Day 7 - 182 -- Unexpected Happenings

The day began with hot water. I got a fuse changed, but that did nothing. It seems the heating coil has ceased to function. Tomorrow is a holiday, so it will be Thursday before the replacement arrives and is installed. I will need to pretend I'm camping and heat water for dishes and bathing. <smile>

Once the water issue was settled, it became clear the furry one was in some distress. Everything was fine last night, but by early afternoon something we've seen before resurfaced. I called and asked the vet to call me back since the office was booked solid today and again for Thursday. He told me to bring him in and they'd fit him in where possible. So, out we went and sat in the parking lot until the vet came to fetch him. It took 5 minutes to clear the issue and we headed home. Furry dude is sleeping -- missed morning sleep due to visitors for the water heater and afternoon due to his issue. He is one tired boy.

What was to be a quick visit to the library, became longer. The librarian worked diligently to help me place holds on the newest version of a set of reference books. It took a lot of time, and she worked with other patrons as we went along so others didn't have to wait for us to figure out the glitches in the software that I'd encountered. It appears things are on hold -- we'll see which turn up for me, since I had a hold placed on on volume and received an older version when I went in yesterday. It appears things are back on track. We'll see what transpires.

So -- having written about the mundane nature of the past couple of days, today certainly pushed me out of that rut -- not sure I like how life did this, but will not complain -- well, not too loudly <smile> There is a need to breathe through the onslaught or roll with the punches. A song with a similar sentiment fits well today. Stay safe. Enjoy!

Roll with the Changes -- R.E.O. Speedwagon

Day 7 - 181 -- Nothing Amazing

The day began later than expected when I slept through the alarm. After adding caffeine into the system, I got ready for an online meeting to discuss possible edits of a piece of research writing. I then headed outside to run a couple of errands. One worked well and the other didn't. So - 1 out of  2 isn't bad. <smile> I will need to return to one venue again tomorrow to try to clear up the mix up in my order. Luckily, it wasn't something needed immediately. A delivery brought a new adapter for an electronic device. One arrived almost two weeks ago, but didn't function. The one today works like a charm. So -- maybe I should move the good things meter up to 2 our of 3 <smile>.

The house cooled well last night, and I am hoping to continue this pattern tonight. The rest of the week is to be hot and humid again with a break nearer the weekend. I cooked using the stovetop again tonight, which felt great. I do love cooking.

It seems this was another day of mundane ordinariness. <smile> A song lyric that deals with the minutia of a day came to mind. It even mentions a similar weather report to one often included in this blog <smile>. I'll share that one here tonight. Stay safe. Enjoy!

Busy Doing Nothing -- The Beach Boys

Day 7 - 180 -- Just Another Day

It was cooler out today with heavy cloud and sporadic periods of rain in the afternoon and evening. Prior to that it was spitting a bit. The house cooled slightly or perhaps it just didn't heat up as it has been doing lately. By evening, it was definitely cool outside for the first time in a long time. Windows open with hopes of coaxing some of that cooler air inside. <smile>

The migraine still here, but this may be the downside. I'll know for sure tomorrow. I finished the laundry and ran out to get milk, eggs and tea biscuits. Too hot to bake at home at present <smile>. At the pharmacy, I was the only one with a mask -- and there were several people there. At the corner store-sized convenience store, again, no one else had a mask on .There were 8 people in the place and that was the limit for the store size. Two cashiers behind plexiglass did not wear masks either. As I was leaving, I encountered a woman putting on a mask before entering the store. I paused to tell her how good it was to see someone else wearing a mask.

I actually cooked supper, rather than reheating it, since the kitchen was cooler today. Two reports with revised due dates of Monday and Tuesday were completed. That was pretty much the sum total of my day. Nothing too exciting.

I was reminded of a song recently when watching Laurel Canyon and this band appeared. The lyrics also fit well with my desire to go many places that just aren't here and see many people that aren't close enough to see at present. Stay safe. Enjoy!

Six Days on the Road -- The Flying Burrito Brothers 

Day 7 - 179 -- Fuzzy Thinking

Woke with migraine pain today. Meds helped but a combination of dizziness and nausea persisted through the day -- day three for this one. I did the first load of laundry at 5 PM. The rest of the day involved sporadically looking at social media and recorded TV programs.

So again, a less than productive day unfolded. I'm not feeling lazy this time, but I was sorry to have to tell others that deadlines would be missed by a couple of days. Telling myself that was even more difficult. When I tell people about being waylaid by a migraine, I'm not searching for sympathy. I just dislike having to tell people that cognitive functioning is affecting, which makes writing coherently a challenge. So, I do need to wait a day or two so the final product is something more useful to recipients.

This song title fit where I felt I was today. Familiar sounding lyrics describe having a sharp tongue or short temper when things hurts -- thankfully, not always, but there have been days. <sigh>. The rhythm of the song felt soothing today, too. Stay safe. Enjoy!

Valley of Pain -- Bonnie Raitt

Day 7 - 178 -- Learning New Tricks

People can be their own worst critics. This may lie in the need for perfection. I had a great plan for today; it didn't materialize fully. I slept poorly so rose later than I'd hoped. I had a virtual appointment that went well -- technology on side for a change. I spent time in a sweltering office on campus as I found electronic and paper files needed for the next reports. I left there 45 minutes before a campus-wide 12 hour power outage. So -- I didn't get to write a report due by tomorrow and another by next week. Notes are ready for all reports, but coherence for comprehension is needed for others to understand the key points.

I felt frustrated that things didn't end as planned today, but I had been occupied during the day -- no sloth involved. Yet, I still seem to think I could have done more. As someone, once asked me when I was moaning about missing a self-imposed deadline, "Did anyone die?" <sigh> I an be a hard critic and expect much from myself. Treating self with kindness seems difficult. Is my 'to do' list a measure of self-worth? Now that's a scary things! I've told recent retirees of late that it takes a year to allow yourself to watch a movie and not do six other things at the same time. Perhaps as academics, the measurement is based on productivity. So not too odd that we feel inept at times given that environment. One more things to work on -- and yes, that is another list <grin>.

The title of the song chosen to share today says it all -- a hard lesson to absorb. This recent version shows that old dogs can learn new tricks -- hope spring eternal! <grin> Stay safe. Enjoy!

You Can't Always Get What You Want -- The Rolling Stones

Day 6 - 177 -- Musical Broadcast History

WOW! Felt like the hottest day so far and the most humidity I've felt in weeks. The day began with a coolish breeze but turned on a dime to mega-heat and mounting humidity. I worked indoors with a meeting and several reports and information bits that need forwarding to others by tomorrow or Saturday -- Too many things with deadlines all at once. Bizarre how these just sneak up on you. <smile>

I had a great chat with a friend that helped me to see humour in the events of the day and not just the darkness. I've said it before, but it bears repeating -- I am so lucky to have such great friends.

Today is Global Beatles Day, celebrated on June 25 for over 12 years. This particular day was chosen as it was the day The Beatles did All You Need is Love that was broadcast internationally in 1967 -- the first times this happened so it was a really big deal <smile> with satellites and such.Watch this brief explanation of the historical moment.  So, it seemed that the song should reflect my day and the global celebration of a group that greatly influenced music, culture, fashion and business. Be well. Enjoy!

All You Need is Love -- The Beatles

Day 7 - 176 -- Crystal Ball Gazing

The heatwave continues and my day was spent indoors online with meetings and virtual conference sessions. Humidity is a bit higher than yesterday so it feels a bit stickier inside. The events of today had me reflecting on how daily routines have changed so much over the past 100 days when I officially began isolating. While we see communities "opening up" a bit more and people able to travel locally and meet in groups on occasion, I'm still wearing a mask when away from home but inside a building with other people I don't know. I still social distance and have to bite my tongue when others don't. I carry hand sanitizer and use it if a business hasn't put sanitizer by the door for people entering and leaving. The news of loosening guidelines a small bit and that no active cases exist in the province with no new cases in almost two weeks, may give an unintended message -- that this thing is over and we can just do 'normal' things again. Well, we can't. I don't want to see numbers increase locally, but do expect that this may occur sooner than later. <sigh>

Much of my career was in community and public health, so I have seen disease outbreaks and localized epidemics. This pandemic is global and the disease is less treatable and more virulent than other more common viral and bacterial outbreaks. No one alive has lived through a disease pandemic of this nature. My grandparents and great-grandparents lived through the 1918 flu epidemic, from which epidemiologists learned many things about how to curtail community spread. These have been working well and will need to continue until we have a vaccine with a good efficacy level. Once one is developed and enough produced to vaccinate the world, it will take time to get it all rolled out to people. Only then might we be able to be freer to a greater degree. What that will look like is nothing more than wishing, guessing and hoping. <smile> Until then, masks will be the new fashion accessory at my house.

A song I head when I ran an errand this morning seemed apropos for the many thoughts I've had about life today and tomorrow. The pandemic inspired the lyrics. Stay safe. Enjoy!

6 Feet Apart -- Luke Comes