Archive for April, 2020

As in Life the first month is always the easiest. You either don’t need toilet paper or have enough stock! At first it begins like a little adventure and also gives you a great reason not to socialise with the great unwashed or GUH as we now call them – great unwashed hands. The fun part wanes pretty early mind you when the impact of no family gatherings hit especially with Easter front and centre. Luckily with social media these days still able to see the Grandkiddies enjoy Easter in their different ways

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Missing the usual Della campout at Maplehead was sad if for no other reason than to drink someone else’s alcohol for a few days. Your own never tastes as good for some reason and trust me I have tested this theory extensively of late.

Travel, especially of the international kind, will be the most affected aspect of this period as the months pass. Scotty from Marketing says not only are we flattening the curve but we are crushing it like ingested disinfectant on a susceptible lung.

 

Many people are struggling of course as unemployment takes off. Still give Scotty from Marketing an A- so far and that could dip depending on how he handles the easing of restrictions. By all means be careful but lets not be too silly about it. I am just glad I never have to apply for a job again. 50% record to date with first application was successful in 1977 and then a brief attempt to become a Sales Rep in the 90s failed even with my noted people skills. Not sure if was my honesty or the way I wore my hair for the interview

 

First up our short trip to Melbourne in June is off and we have taken a “flight credit” for now. Prepaid accommodation may be lost. There really is no point going somewhere just because a plane takes off and lands a few hrs later if you cant walk around the city and partake in the eating drinking caper as usual. Next up of course is Las Vegas in October and again looking very dodgy. I suspect USA will reopen too early but regardless of that the real issue is doubt Qantas ( again fully paid up fares) will be flying to USA in 2020. Pretty well accepted it wont happen and while nowhere near happy about it have come to terms with it and looking at other ways to escape Maryhole. By then I imagine domestic travel will be mostly running and pubs and restaurants open in Australia so maybe Melboring in October will be the go. Then I have NYC in Feb 2021 which would put at only 50-50 at present again because of Qantas restrictions I imagine. I could start to lose some of my renowned easy going nature if that were to occur. Finally we then roll into Call Me Bwana 2021 in March which maybe looks about 80-20 at present. Most of the travel in doubt are solo international trips for this LBD and while I can live with missing Las Vegas the same does not apply for Feb 2021. Two main reasons travel these times is do love the solo visits to big cities but also to escape a few weeks of Qld heat. Not sure could survive another summer at home. This raises the question maybe of a short solo trip to Sydney for example in August/Sept this year but really not escaping any Qld heat then

There are many ways to fill in time and still interact with folk during these times and first one is always Top 10 lists – music, movies, TV…. Given cinemas are closed it at least provides some discussion of movies given new releases are limited

The clear indication for moi from these processes is how much the 70s resonated with me for music and movies whereas it was later decades that TV clicked in. Movies in the 70s still have a particular look and colour and no doubt the lack of CGI also gave them a more realistic look and of course you had to rely on obscure things like plot and acting to enthrall the masses. Another popular thread is the “View from my Window” one and believe I wouldnt mind moving into most of them for 6 months! I posted mine and most comments were “what crime did you commit and how long are in for”. A comparison perchance?

Golf has continued and despite some outcries from the plebs the fact that the majority of players are almost 100 and no one has caught the virus yet kinda supports the return the play process with social distancing in place. Fully aware of course the potential for that statement to bite me on the bum in coming weeks. In an odd turn of events, even before the dreaded plague descended, I was playing good golf even if mostly on one leg for last 9 holes. My handicap dropped from 13 down to 8 over 3 months after a rather impressive 74 off the stick 2 weeks ago. Of course after a party comes the cleanup and so shot 88 last week. Golf is a fun game but maybe not supposed to be that funny. Still it is a very pleasant way to spend a few hrs on a Wednesday morning and only have to talk to one other person. Speaking of one person coming home afterwards to rest ankle and “netflix and chill” certainly loses some of its appeal solo. Unlike international travel 🙂

 

 

 

 

Hard to go a month without talking about Buffoon Bob but really where do you start. The daily “press briefings” are killing him as more people see his stupidity on full display. Of course we see the whole gamut of his peculiar personality as well. He tried to say the nonsense about disinfectant and light were sarcasm. Ah no. Better still he continues to throw his sycophant supporters under the bus like the Georgia Governor. As his re election campaign goes to shit in a handbasket expect him to explore all avenues for postponement/cancellation of November election. I think this meme best sums up his supporters. Majority are 2s

TV land has been good with Bosch Season 6 great as always. Second Season of After Life is what you expect. You either like Gervais or not – I do. In small doses. BCS ended in usual solid fashion and Homeland built nicely to upcoming finale today. There have been two constants really in this month that are guaranteed to bring a smile to the dial. Mad as Hell even without an audience is great week in week out and Bludging on the Blindside podcast with Roy and HG is a very welcome return. One really does get sick and tired of sports shows filling in the weeks with their “best ever mid week grandfinal rematch” . Hopefully PGA tour returns soon

Yesterday was Anzac Day of course and it was a unique one for obvious reasons. I did stand out of footpath with candle at 6 am and would say compliance in my neighbourhood was about 20% as expected. One thing Maryhole has done very well in recent years is build a memorial in Queens Park. Its understated but brilliant in its simplicity. Judge for yourself folks

 

In the 70’s they developed Claytons – a non-alcoholic, non-carbonated beverage coloured and packaged to resemble bottled whisky. It was the subject of a major marketing campaign in Australia and New Zealand in the 1970s and 1980s, promoting it as “the drink you have when you’re not having a drink” . As is the Aussie way it quickly lost popularity as a drink but the name remained in our vernacular to denote an imposter if you like.

The current COVID-19 situation raises many questions of course – the first being “What happened to the first 18” ? Would generally give Scotty from Marketing a pass mark as long as he stays away from the God Botherer stuff. The problem is mixed messages and a state by state approach. It can be confusing which is another good reason to stay at home

My coffee shop has stayed open which is good as has the golf course as opposed to golf club. Golf is a game that can be played with social distancing but what exactly is the point if you cant have a beer afterwards? Not sure its a good look though – bit like J Lo going to a private session at a closed gym. I thought of offering my services to Marybhole Pathology again but with the new lab size and social distancing in place could only have 2 staff in there at any one time……..Speaking of gyms the closure here has been the biggest downside I notice. Here is one I prepared earlier

Some folk say we should all follow NZ PM for advice – except on orthodontists obviously. I suspect her main plan was to save the NZ Warriors from another dismal season but some people have proposed rather than closing borders we just get a Trump Sharpie and do some creative cartography ?

The main problem at present seems to be that many clowns dont understand social distancing and what it is trying to achieve.

Its a bit like the mask debate – experts would say the aim there is to prevent you spreading it rather than stopping you catching it. They can be buggers to wear at times though

Memes of course are sprouting up everywhere and are the only real reason to stay on social media. It certainly isnt to see what particular brain dead “celebrity” is doing today in isolation

Many people off course have to work from home including my offspring. One way to maintain a semblance of normalcy is still to do roll call in the morning

At the end of the day though if this drags on for months as predicted some creative ideas may be needed.

One thing we do all know of course is no matter how good an idea a particular activity sounds on day 1 by day 50 it starts to lose its appeal

I actually found Frasier rather boring by Day 7 to be honest….. There is plenty of great TV to catch up on though with a new season of Ozark having dropped , Better Call Saul and Homeland concluding seasons and many movies having an early digital release. The lack of live sport on TV certainly leaves a noticeable hole in the day

Travel plans of course are very much a month to month proposition. A short 5 day stay in Melboring in June is maybe a 30-70 prospect at present and really no big deal in the scheme of things. Of more concern is “What Happens in Santa Monica” planned for October. Would give that a 50-50 chance at best. Then there is NYC in February next year which should be a goer but then NYC is going to take a long time to recover methinks and may not be the same vibrant city for years. Call Me Bwana 2 is pencilled in for March 2021 at this stage but a lot of ducks have to line up and Qantas have to give us some money back. And then far off on the horizon like a big ocean liner docked off the West Australian Coast is our Viking Homelands Cruise in September 2021. There is a distinct possibility that I could be going on 3 significant overseas holidays in space of 7 months next year but it wasnt planned that way trust me and it will mean a rather bland 2020 has occurred. All first world problems of course and one does have to maintain a sense of reality and also try to save money where one can. With that in mind have already saved on my next T Shirt purchase

Signing off from Self Isolation which actually resembles my usual existence remarkably closely…