Like anybody else, we had plans for the long weekend. But we actually got some of it done!

I love how these horizon tape lines, and the sudden turn, remind me of Lightcycle trails from TRON.

I know I said that Nathan was doing really great with riding a bike. He is! Truly! But everyone can have a bad day, right?

I can't believe it's been five weeks since I did my first one of these COVID Diary posts. I guess I really haven't had much to say. Or maybe I have, but it's just too damned depressing. I'll try to keep it light.

You know those images you see (or maybe situations you experience firsthand) where exercise equipment used for storage or a clothes hanger or, well, anything other than as exercise equipment?

For years, us geeks and nerds used T-shirts and hats to show our dedication to our loves. Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, etc., etc.,  ad infinitum. 

Happy National Haiku Poetry Day!

Today also doubles as the day when Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that the 2019-2020 school year is officially over as we know it. Illinois students will not be going back to their school at all for the remainder of this academic year. 

Yesterday afternoon, Nathan and I looked outside and discovered it was snowing. Nothing big. Just some mild waves of flakes floating down. It ebbed and flowed throughout the rest of the day and into the evening.

I’ve been holding off on doing the proverbial COVID Diary that so many others are doing on their blogs and social media. Sure I’ve mentioned tidbits here and there. Just nothing that was clearly a detailing of my life in relative isolation. 

While waiting for a dinner pickup tonight, I went for a walk through the deserted streets of Geneva, IL, our hometown. This is how it looked...

Nathan tore through the rest of his LEGO Batman Scuttler build like it was going out of style. He actually finished this on Monday and has since been playing the LEGO DC Super Villains game on the Switch, but that’s another story for another day.

We’ve begun a Shelter-at-Home project. No, not home renovation. We finally finished that damn bathroom today so I hope to be reno project free for a while. 

I flirted with sleep last night. Balancing the weight of my eyelids with the desire to finish whatever show it was we had playing on TV. 

It’s certainly been an interesting week, hasn’t it? That’s not to take away from the previous couple of months, of course. But this week marks the official declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic worldwide and a national emergency in the United States.

I finished a book!

An actual, physical, non-audio, non-graphic-novel book!

Nathan had a day off yesterday. So Katie took him to the local library. They got a bunch of books, movies, and Switch games for him to enjoy.

Remember how I said I hit a wall with reading last year and it persisted through last month with me only getting one book read to start the year? Well, here’s the visual proof of that wall (at least in terms of audiobooks)...

Really?

A big happy birthday to the best partner, wife, mother, and friend that Nathan and I could ever hope for. We love you with all our hearts, Katie. We couldn't do it without you. 

A couple days ago, a guy I know posted his 10 Movies to Know Me. In other words, these movies are so vital to him personally that understanding him requires an intimate knowledge of these films. 

This morning, I backed out of my garage to go to work and saw that my neighbors’ garage door was open with no cars present. 

For Christmas this past year, I asked for a Hartford Whalers hat. I've been a Whalers fan for much of my life. They are the very first professional sports team I ever truly loved. I cried when they moved to Carolina and ceased to exist.

This morning before I started work, I went for a walk around the neighborhood. I knew it wouldn't be a long walk because it was really cold and it had snowed overnight, but I wanted to get some motion in before I spent the rest of the day sitting in front of my laptop.

I work in an office full of diverse people who live a variety of lifestyles. Especially when it comes to diets. 

Oh, thank God it’s...

I first ate at a Chipotle restaurant in 2004 while on a business trip in a Washington, DC. I was in love. 

Sometimes, vacation just sucks. And, no, I don’t mean (just) the obvious “when it comes to an end” bit.