flashman181

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

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