It is February I think and the next two weeks are forecast to be bracingly cold. I haven’t left the house since last February I think and so I mention the weather only as a topic of conversation. I exist almost exclusively within the confines of the built world these days. But yeah you know, like when you would run into someone and idly chat about the weather. Remember running into people? And we’d chat about the weather! So that’s what I’m saying.
Isolation has changed me in manifold and not-yet-understood ways. I’m told that vaccines are coming but I haven’t seen my government execute a simple operation (much less a house-to-house public health Atlas heave) in my waking lifetime so we’ll see I guess?
Anyway here’s a list of things to do:
- clean out the gutters
(The latest winter storm got the gutters all choked up with ice. I put in a rain barrel at the downspout in the summer to collect it and use it for my flowerbeds, but I forgot to drain the barrel before it all froze up. So that didn’t help. Also I planted a bunch of weed in that gutter sometime but I forgot about it. So it’s kind of a mess up there.) - do the laundry
(Since I work from home now my standard wardrobe consists of jeans, t-shirts, and zippy hoods. Nearly a year into my sentence now and the hours and hours of intense, strenuous mope and decay have left me gaunt and pallid. My clothes sag and hang in every which way. I look like my little brother came to visit and didn’t have anything to wear but I didn’t have anything clean.) - wash the dishes
- prep dinner
(One great pandemic recipe we’ve really enjoyed a lot is to put some hot dogs in the freezer for just a bit. Last time the five-year-old came bouncing down the stairs shouting “We’re having cold dogs tonight??!! Yaaaaayyyyy thanks dad!!!!” It has been a challenging time for all of us but we really have grown together as a family. And it’s important to appreciate those little moments when they happen.) - take out the recycling
(I built a scaled model of a Norman-style keep in the backyard with all the Amazon boxes that had piled up. But I forgot to tear it down before it rained. Then it was Halloween and I got caught up with some work stuff and I kinda forgot about it. Anyway it needs to get to the recycling center. The neighbors are starting to scowl like Lombards.) - order grass seed
- Take some time to relax
(I’ve been doing a lot of trans-dimensional liminal metaflecting recently and I’m worried the stress of it is beginning to take its toll on me. I’m really close to a breakthrough on the triad restatement paradox, but I haven’t slept since February I think and you know that whole work/life balance thing. I forgot about that.) - Open the door
(I remember a door being there.)