I love to cook but cooking has been a drag lately. I see many of your posts and you are making actual meals. I am making whatever can be thrown together and still resemble a meal. One night we had steak which was great. Another night, toast.

Right Now:

I’m being told that it should be warming up soon. It’s been cold for us here in Southern California. I would gladly welcome a warm day or two. It would lift the spirits.

In a little bit, my high school group is meeting via Zoom.

This Week:

Work. Work. Work. Even though I am working from home, the workload has been steady and just keeps coming. You’d think this would make the day pass quickly but no. It’s just a long slog. Plus, I don’t have my fancy ergonomic office chair and this dining room chair has done a number on my back. My left arm is perpetually numb.

Reading:

I just finished The Woman in the Dark and hope to have the review up soon.

I need to read Just Mercy for my book discussion next month but I’d like to fit someone else in before I jump into that one. I need a quick, page turner. Something really good to take my mind off of all this.

Watching:

Still watching The Crown.

The finale of The Walking Dead won’t air now until fall because they could not complete the post production work. We still have an episode or two to watch before that but waiting until fall for the last show will be strange.

Unable to watch any movies. Cannot concentrate for that long.

New Things I’ve Tried:

Long before any of this hit the fan, I made a grocery run for staples and picked up these oatmeal cups at Walmart, of all places. These Earnest oatmeal cups are like a buck a piece and have 16+ grams of protein AND are gluten free. They are super filling and healthy with very low sugar. I picked up a half a dozen and now I wish I had gotten more.

Grateful for:

• Wi-Fi. Can you imagine doing this without it?
• All the streaming concerts and theatrical productions.
• That my son is still doing okay on campus

The one thing I try to remind myself of, is that for some, nothing has changed. I look at the birds outside and they are happy as can be. It’s like that Bible verse about how the birds don’t worry so why should we? These are strange times but clearly, we put too much emphasis on some things. I mean, I wanted to clear my schedule so badly and guess what? My calendar ruled me for so long and now I am left feeling the withdrawals of that. It’s a good thing. At least that part is good.

What good thing can you take away from all of this?