Hi readers,
The Corona Lockdown continues on!
Any good recommendations from the weekend?
No, none, but I do have a recommendation on recommendations - look for the three-star reviews. For some reason, these are far more helpful than the gushing 5's or the spiteful 1's. If someone says about something 'I liked feature X, but I hated element Y', I have enough information to decide if it's right for me.
So are you reading three star reviews for $10 wine?
Well, those are probably ten bucks because they only get three star reviews.
I see.
Anyway, just book reviews, I'm cruising through five years of blog posts, newsletters, and end of year reading lists. The search for future TOA Book Award winners is exhaustive, and I'm doing very little actual reading. But if I emerge from lockdown with a few additions, it will have been a productive time from the limited perspective of my reading list, so I'm not worried my current lack of reading.
Wait, let's go backward, so how do you buy wine, just walk into a packy and point?
Right, more or less, it's not like the $10 wines are exactly the same, but for me the consequences of choosing poorly are irrelevant. I should just write wine reviews at this point, I think my teeth are permanently red. The clear winner thus far is Alamos Cabernet Sauvignon, I've liked it enough that I might keep buying it after all this is over.
Why wine?
Well, if I had beer, I would just drink it at all hours, because I know I can handle beer. When I drink wine, I know I'm drinking, which is important right now. Kids, I'm working from home!
It's kind of how I suspect learning how to swim is one way to increase your odds of drowning. Drinking wine is like wearing jeans to the beach.
Wait, what?
Huh?
Never mind. Are you buying other stuff?
Sort of, when they have it. I'm noticing that the stuff I tend to overbuy in good times - butter, tofu, hummus - is the stuff that is sometimes hard to find these days, at least at LOL Foods. I'm not sure why that is, although I've ruled out some kind of innate intelligence factor regarding supply and demand. I'm sure it's just an odd coincidence.
LOL Foods?
Trust me, it's a survival tactic, like I said last week someone stepped on my foot. Am I supposed to call the cops? I laughed instead, let's call it my first foray into improv comedy.
Sounds like a fascinating social life.
My social life at the moment revolves entirely around walking slowly to the store. Courtney Barnett, what a prophet, I did my laundry last Monday, too.
Honestly though, it could be worse. I'm exercising, sleeping well. I'm not here yet, but I'm definitely not here, either.
No touching!
I'd love to add no bees, but for now I do have honey.
And I guess I am on a couch...
At least you are leaving the apartment?
True, slow walks, runs, laundry, all good activities. I think I need to start doing a morning walk.
You've been promising a post about routines, surely you have the time to actually write it?
I'm almost there, the challenge is to actually lock into a routine. Honestly, I'd love to write it, but I just don't have the routine yet. Maybe end of the week.
Anything else?
Just a couple programming notes to wrap up, I'll have some stuff going up soon that is 'corona inspired', I'll leave it with the same 'proper corona admin' label but use a roman numeral to differentiate it from these (dull, dull) diaries. I'll consider such posts part of regular TOA programming, so those will count toward my word limits.
Second note, big announcement coming, probably on April 1.
No, it won't be a joke.
Probably.
Until then!
