They tell us to use hand sanitizer religiously. Fine…done. But they fail to mention that hand sanitizer can, under the proper circumstances, splash up into our eyes when opening the lid if we aren’t careful, causing sheer agony and momentary blindness. Not a good combination when you’re driving in your car.
Or maybe this is the type of thing that only happens to me…
Irregardless (which is too a word!), it burns like a mo-fo. In case you were wondering.
Yesterday, I made an unexpected trip into the office. I’d been watching the battery level on my work-issued MacBook drop precipitously low…even though it was plugged in. I’d been using the power cord for my personal MacBook Air, but a quick Google search confirmed this was a no-no, because the wattage requirements are different. When I left the office nine days earlier, I hadn’t bothered grabbing the cord, because I’d always just used the one I had at home. Which worked in a pinch (i.e., the few hours or occasional day spent working from home), but this extended WFH period obviously necessitated more juice. By the time I reached 76 percent, I figured action was required.
No big deal. I’d planned on making a trip to Target on my lunch hour anyway, and Ye Olde Media Company is basically on the way. So I pulled up to the building, and the first thing I saw was our office manager diligently disinfecting the door handles. Good for her (us). When I walked inside, there were only four other people there; over half the office was WFH. My boss joked (?) that I shouldn’t be there since I was exposed to the world, but I needed that power cord, man. It was nice to catch up with everybody, and I was able to give my best dog friend Marley a hug. They say she moped for a couple of days in my absence. Aww!
Afterward, I drove to Target. Two observations: I have never seen it so empty…or so clean. It was like a ghost town in there, one with sparkling floors so shiny they nearly blinded me.
There were only a handful of other people; I’m pretty sure employees outnumbered customers three to one. I found most of what I was looking for (Halo Top ice cream, Spindrift® sparkling water (remind me to write a separate post about my love affair with this product!!), wine, popcorn), but the paper towels and tissues that Tara coveted…not so much.
My next stop was Ichiban for sushi. Like I’ve mentioned, I am trying my damnedest to support local businesses during this crisis. I phoned in an order and it was ready for pick-up when I arrived ten minutes later. I was pleased to see another to-go order alongside mine. I tipped them generously on my way out the door, giving them much more than I would have under normal circumstances.
Got home, ate sushi, knocked out a bunch of work.
For the record, I really like working from home. I’ve always tended toward introverted-ness, so pandemics are right up my alley (weird thing to say; hopefully, you know what I mean).
But I also miss my coworkers and the office dogs.
They say “April is the cruelest month” (they being T.S. Eliot), but it’s always been one of my faves. It’s my birthday month (shout out to April 27!), though it’s looking like this year’s festivities are going to be very low-key. The nice thing about April is, the weather is usually* very pleasing — not too hot, not too cold. There is nothing extreme about April; I think the only other month that can make that claim is September.
*Then again, the normal rules don’t apply to South Dakota…
Because we woke up to this today:
It started snowing last night, and by the time we went to bed, it was practically a white-out, snow so heavy you could barely see across the yard, and winds gusting to 45 mph. The type of night not fit for man or beast.
Which meant over half a foot of snow on the ground this morning and a windchill of -10º. But on the plus side, I got to use the snowblower for a third time this winter (wait, it’s spring)…third time this season. All told, it took me about an hour, and I had to break my own rule and start work before showering. But at least I don’t have to go out anywhere today.
By the way, my last post was admittedly different. I wanted to try something new and step way outside my comfort zone, stretch my creativity almost to its breaking point. I make no allusions to being a poet or possessing exceptional literary skills, but it was a fun exercise. One that I may try more often.
Has spring sprung in your neck of the woods yet?
Mark My Words 
Spring has sprung at the north Oregon coast: if you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute.
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They say the same thing here, lol. 69 on Tuesday, 20 today, 65 next Monday…it’s a real rollercoaster ride!
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Irregardless is a Kardashian word, like “like” and “disinvite”. 😶
I’m typing this outside in shorts and tshirt…is it real? Is spring here?
Keep your snow.
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A Kardashian word?! Crap. Now I can never use it again.
I always assume our weather is a precursor to yours, but who knows? Maybe this storm will skip to the south of Toronto.
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Yes.
And yes. Do your part South Dakota. 😉
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Pretty pictures! Thanks. That’s all I’ve got today because spawn is seriously stomping all over the house.
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Oh, boy…good luck with that. Stay sane!
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I’ve never seen a Target that looks like the one in your photo. That’s trippy. It is definitely spring here now. On Monday, like magic, our gloomy winter colors snapped to spring colors. I’m sure you’ll see spring soon too, right?
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Trust me, neither have I. They’re predicting 65º by Monday, so the cold and snow will be short-lived. As is usually the case this time of year.
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The improved weather conditions has been the only thing that’s made lockdown bearable.
I’ve had similar issues trying to use various Apple cords to connect with Apple CarPlay. Though the cord may fit, it doesn’t always work.
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A cynic might say this is all one big corporate Apple conspiracy to get people to buy more Apple products.
They’re probably not wrong, but damn, how I love my laptops…
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Mark, I use a spray sanitizer that I got at Trader Joe’s and it’s so funny you mentioned getting it in your eyes because a few days ago when I went to spray it on my hands, I didn’t realize the nozzle was pointed towards my face. OUCH!
WOW…I’m amazed by how vacant your Target is because the two different Targets I go to here are not packed by any means, however, they do have a steady stream of traffic because people are purchasing various supplies.But I think that’s because I live in a city.
” I’ve always tended toward introverted-ness, so pandemics are right up my alley (weird thing to say; hopefully, you know what I mean).”
Yes, I totally know what you mean because I’m the same. And although I enjoy being around people, I don’t mind going solo.
I am TOTALLY blown away by those photos of the snow!?!? And although I’m enjoying Spring, I wouldn’t mind some snow because we literally got NADA this past winter.
Stay well, my friend. And have a superb weekend!
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I live in a city, too!
(Albeit a much smaller city… 🙂
I’m sorry your winter ended up so disappointing, Ron. We’ve had something like 75″ of snow since October, which is almost double the norm. Wish we could have shared the wealth with you a little more.
Take care and have a great weekend!
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I’m going to pretend you didn’t say irregardless is a word. It simply didn’t happen.
I’m going to have to disagree with you about April, too. Here in Minnesota (not all that different than SoDakistan weather-wise??) I consider April to be one of the biggest tease-months of all. It’s 70! It’s 25 and snowing! It’s 55 and sunny! School-cancelling snowstorm ahead! It’s the month that LOOKS gorgeous when you look outside from the warmth and comfort of your home. Then you step outside and reality slaps you in the face. It’s the month of repeated false starts. By that I mean we put the Adirondack chairs out facing the golf course, and the first beautiful-looking morning (and all that follow because I don’t ever seem to learn my lesson) I got sit out there with my cup of coffee, only to come running back in the house – shivering – after about 4 minutes.
Gimme May anytime!
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Trust me, I’m annoyed about the whole “irregardless” thing, too. Took me a while to accept it. I’m still kinda on the fence.
South Dakota and Minnesota are in the same April boat, lol. That’s why I added the asterisk. “Spring” isn’t the same here as in other places, that’s for sure. Even May can be dicey: last year it snowed two or three times that month!
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Fences are spiky and uncomfortable. You should come down off the fence… onto my side. Ha ha! 🙂
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I want to be angry with you about irreg — I can’t even — anyway, I can’t be mad at you because dogs miss you when you’re gone.
I do not enjoy working from home. I think I would if I had access to everything, but it’s not like that for me, which is a real bummer. I’m glad it suits you. As you wrote in your other post, you should do it when you can and it’s not a pandemic 🙂
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Fortunately, I need very little to work from home. But I’m very lucky in that regard. I can’t imagine doing it if I had certain other jobs!
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