March 31, 2020 - 200 - <--- Check it: Bicentennial of Daily Posting! / Thank You!!!

https://unsplash.com/photos/I9j8Rk-JYFM

200 Daily Posts In A Row!

March 30, 2020 - 199 - "Couples, Contentment, Covid, and Captivity"

Having Fun:  Not Always What You Think It Is

March 29, 2020 - 198 - "Adjusting To Changing Times"

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When Flight Attendants Work From Home

March 28, 2020 - 197 - "Life As Disney Musical!"

All Singing!  All Dancing!  All the time!

    "All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players."  -William Shakespeare

     Oh, Bill,...if only that were true.   *Sigh*

March 27, 2020 - 196 - "A Hit of Happy...Then a Barrage of Bad Times and Make Believe"

(Joke Credit goes to my favorite Mike H's:  

Mike Haley told it to Mike Hiett,

...who then told it to me.)

March 26, 2020 - 195 - "Enthused About Enthusiasm"

Vindication

March 25, 2020 - 194 - "New Series: Daily Hit of Happy" and "Counting Underwear"

New Feature:  Daily Hit of Happy

March 24, 2020 - 193 - "Of Couples and Card Games"

From:  https://www.spiritbutton.com/31-power-couple-quotes/

     

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Disclaimer:  Information changed quickly in the early days of Covid-19 (then known as Corona virus).  

Please forgive comments that now seem lacking in, uh, judgement and/or empathy.

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Michael and I have always liked Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson in a random kind of way.  We periodically re-watch "Sleepless in Seattle" and sometimes joke about a scene the two of them shared in it.  In the movie Rita Wilson is Tom Hanks' sister.  The movie "An Affair to Remember" comes up and Rita starts crying just thinking about the tragic story of romance-gone-wrong. 

March 23, 2020 - 192 - "Stress Eating"

 

My Kingdom For A Donut!   

     Oh my Lord.  All I wanted for the past week or so is carbs and sugar, sugar and carbs!  

     For the most part, at home, I am resisting the urge.

     However, on my work trips I've been eating way above my normal servings of C R A P.  (I don't guess I have to specify "work" trips these days. There's no such thing as a "fun" trip...not even to the local store.). 

March 22, 2020- 191 - “Okay, Uncle! I Just Want To Go Home Now”

 

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Disclaimer:  Information changed quickly in the early days of Covid-19 (then known as Corona virus).  

Please forgive comments that now seem lacking in, uh, judgement and/or empathy.

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It All Started Out Fine

      Our flights from DFW to San Antonio and back canceled this morning.  We just had one flight to Newark and one back tomorrow (Monday) morning.  

March 21, 2020 - 190 - "Work is Strong Medicine"

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Disclaimer:  Information changed quickly in the early days of Covid-19 (then known as Corona virus).  Please forgive comments that now seem lacking in, uh, judgement and/or empathy.

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Not Excited by the 'R' Word

     The idea of retirement has always sounded unpleasant to me.

     I've never quite been sure why.  I mean, I love my time off.  When it's time to go back to work it's not like I'm chomping at the bit to go.  I love being home.  I love being with Michael.  I actually dread going back to work on a fairly regular basis.  (Well, maybe dread isn't exactly the word...but, for sure, am always wishing I could push it off for another day or two.)

Don't Know What You've Got 'til It's Gone

     Yesterday on my flight I had such a transcendent feeling of well being.  I was on the cart with a very fun fellow-flight attendant.  I was helping people to get where they needed to be.  I was doling out drinks, a little levity, aspirin, information, and sympathy, according to the varied needs of the passenger on my flight.  And I felt very, very, happy.

     Disclaimer:  I do all of the above very imperfectly.  For sure there are plenty of moments when passengers get my goat.  (Like when I've worked to move everyone who wasn't traveling with someone to a seat with at least one empty seat next to them...and a few people insisted that they needed an entire row to themselves. )

March 20, 2020 - 189 - "The Rubik's Cube of Hotels"

    I'm staying at a hotel I first stayed at about 28 years ago when I was a brand new flight attendant based in New York.  It seems most hotels change every time I'm back in a city...but not this one. 

    I'm usually excited to see this hotel chain on the schedule.  "Yay"!, I think.  "A Doubletree!  I get a cookie!"  'cause they pass out The Cookie.  Each one contains a barrel of dark chocolate chips, two sticks of butter, and some especially-addicting form of crack cocaine.  They pass them out hot.  Complete ooey-gooey perfection.  

   They tantalize your taste buds, hep your nerves up, fatten up the physique, and leave you craving for more, more, more!!!  In short:  they are heaven.  There goes the healthy eating...again.

---

     But at some point around arrival I tend to think:  "Oh...yeah.  This hotel.  I'd better allow extra time to get down to the lobby in the morning."  

March 19, 2020 - 188 - "Of Pandemics and Productivity"

 Hell in a Handbasket

     But On the bright side....  I'm really getting some shit done!

         Sure our economy's going to hell in a hand basket.  People are dropping like flies with no end in site.  We're all cooped up in our houses checking our temperatures and the latest rampant rumors...but I'm trying to remember about all those things I said I'd do when I 'got time'.  When I had some time at home...

     Well here we are!  I bet you've got that list in your head somewhere too.

     Use that nervous energy you would spend fruitlessly worrying about the future of your family and nation...and channel it into cleaning out a closet, finishing that novel, or binge-watching all those series you haven't been able to (Hope you're  home is stocked up with a big box of Kirkland popcorn, my friends!)

    I actually wrote this post three days ago.  In the past six months that's happened only...well,...never.  Not even once!

     See:  pandemics are our friends!

March 18, 2020 - 187 - "Somebody's Gotta Do It"

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Disclaimer:  Information changed quickly in the early days of Covid-19 (then known as Corona virus).  

Please forgive comments that now seem lacking in, uh, judgement and/or empathy.

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 There are certain jobs where you go to work in tough times.

     If you're an ER doctor you don't stay home because there's been a big disaster.  If you're a fire fighter you don't stay home because there've been a lot of wildfires and it's smoky outside.  If you're a mail carrier you don't let a little, rain, sleet, or dark of night get in your way.

    And, if your job is to help people get where they need to go you don't stop doing it because of scary times.  Not if there have been terrorists flying your colleagues and customers into buildings-not if there are germs lurking everywhere.  You just go to work.

---

     On my last trip we got a large group of kids, and their chaperones (Who were still very upbeat and pleasant-heaven help those brave souls!) back home from a "week-long" trip to D.C.  ("A three hour tour...").

    We had passengers who'd been on business trips who needed to get home.

     We had people who'd checked in for their cruises...and then been sent away because the cruises cancelled.

    Their families wanted them to be home.  They wanted to be home.  The FAA requires there be crew on the plane that gets them home.

March 17, 2020 - 186 - "Life Ain't No Cabaret, Old (Social-Distanced) Chum"

Cootie-free Cabaret

    So I was singing "Cabaret" around the house this morning.  For Ella's amusement...and mine.  But then I actually listened to the lyrics and realized, well:  Maybe life isn't a Cabaret.

    I started re-working the lyrics to fit the times.  I think the new words work better with our 'new normal'.

    Sorry Sally Bowles, I know you meant well, but positivity is way out of vogue.  

Times change, I suppose.


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Pre-Corona:                                                        Post-Corona:

Cabaret                                                             Hideaway
-by John Kander                                               -by John Kander...and Susan Stewart

What good is sitting alone in your room?     Please go and sit alone in your room
Come hear the music play                                Keep all your cooties at bay
Life is a cabaret, old chum                               Life is a hideaway, old (socially-distanced) chum
Come to the Cabaret                                          Covid has closed the Cabaret


Put down the knitting,                                     Pick up the knitting,
the book and the broom                                   the book and the broom
It's time for a holiday                                       Time for a nice home-stay,
Life is a cabaret, old chum                              Life is a Hideaway, old (socially-distanced) chum
Come to the Cabaret                                        Stay clear of the Cabaret!

Come taste the wine                                        Stay home and drink alone
Come hear the band                                        Stay in and clean the house
Come blow a horn                                           Wipe down your horn
Start celebrating                                              Start isolating
Right this way,                                                 Just that way,
your table's waiting                                        Your go-order's waiting.

What good's permitting some                      Start by permitting this
    prophet of doom                                             prophet of doom
To wipe every smile away                              To wipe every smile away
Life is a cabaret, old chum                            Life ain't no cabaret, old (socially-distanced) chum
So come to the Cabaret!                                Stay home in your Hideaway!!

March 16, 2020 - 185 - "Too Much of a Good Thing?"

     I was texting with my dad today...because a visit is probably not a good idea. Not sure when I might have 14 days of non-exposure in the near future.  So we might have to learn to FaceTime together.

    Anyway, I asked if they had all the supplies they need.  He said they were fine without even doing anything different "When you shop at Sams you look to be hoarding", but he insists they're really not.


    I believe.  It's not because of Covid 19 that we have 19 rolls of toilet paper.  It's because we also shop at big box stores.  Costco is our store of choice, but it's the same thing.  

    Nowadays if we get down to half a package of something from Costco I put it on the list to get next time.  (Mainly because we don't go that often and I don't want to forget.)  Pre-big-box store, the amount in half a package of most things would have looked like a lifetime supply.

    I guess this semi-hoarding of frequently used items is paying off in this challenging time.

---

"I go to Costco every weekend.  It's my favorite part of the week."

-Jimmy Kimmel

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March 15, 2020 - 184 - "Change is Gonna Come"

Small Wardrobe Change Equals Big Hassles

     We had a new uniform launch on March 3rd.  Since I was on vacation I didn't wear it until a few days ago.

    Seems like no big deal...just a new outfit to wear to work.  What difference does it make?

    But it changes everything.

March 14, 2020 - 183 - "Sick and Inappropriate Humor/Half-way Through a Year of Writing Daily!!"

Uncle Germ Wants You!

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Disclaimer:  Information changed quickly in the early days of Covid-19 (then known as Corona virus).  Please forgive comments that now seem lacking in, uh, judgement and/or empathy.

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Germs Germs Everywhere

     I worked a trip yesterday for the first time in a couple of weeks.  I asked my crew:  "How's it going with the corona thing?  Are passengers freaked out?"

     "Meh." was the main response.  "On every flight there are a few people with masks  on, and a few people wipe down their seat areas, but for the most part:  same old same old."

---

    When we did the first service it seemed not many people asked for drinks.  When I asked about it my crew said:  "Oh yeah.  Less people want stuff from us."  

     I was working the beverage cart with a young man named Bob*.  (*Names are changed to protect the guilty.)

     Me:  Great.  I'll just ask if you're feeling better when we pull the cart up to the front of the cabin.

    Bob:  Perfect.  Then I'll cough into my elbow and say I'm feeling a little weak.

    Me:  We'll probably be able to walk through the whole cabin without anyone wanting a thing."

   
---

     We, of course, did not say any of this.  

     This is because  a) we are very responsible and kind servants of the common good, and b) we wouldn't want to get our flight quarantined for weeks.  

     But it did make us chuckle.  

     It's, of course, probably for the best that we all distance (as much as is possible on an airplane)...but, yeah, we're all breathing the same air.

    Still, there are people who still have to get places.

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Strong Connection Between Agoraphobes and Germaphobes

     One strange thing I noticed:  The passengers who wear the masks, as a rule, not only won't respond to greetings, instructions, or questions...not from crew members, not from fellow passengers.  But, also:  they won't even make eye contact.  

March 13, 2020 - 182 - "Pandemic Pandemonium"

A couple of people sitting in the lounge areas,
and four people in the actual concourse...all
in airport uniforms.

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Disclaimer:  Information changed quickly in the early days of Covid-19 (then known as Corona virus).  Please forgive comments that now seem lacking in, uh, judgement and/or empathy.

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All's Quiet on the Flying Front

     After a blissful couple of weeks pretending to be a lady of leisure in Mexico,  I came home yesterday.  I unpacked,  I repacked and went back to work today.  

     I had no idea what to expect.  Mainly it was just another day at the office...except for that pesky pandemic lurking around every corner.  

     Chicago O'Hare, on a Friday afternoon, in spring break season...was pretty much a ghost town.  I sent a video to Michael to show him that I, quite literally, heard crickets chirping in the concourse.  

Quiet, But Weird

March 12, 2020 - 181 - "Oh yeah, I Recognize This Life Lesson! ...AGAIN!"

 
     For the past couple of weeks I've had such a hard time doing my workouts.   I've done them, but not without an outrageous amount of mental and physical effort. 

     I dreaded them beforehand, put them off until as late in the day as possible, gasped and groaned my way through them, and grumbled about them afterwards.


    And every day I thought:  Huh.  Wonder why these seem so hard lately?

    Maybe it's just a low-energy day.  Maybe it's the higher altitude in San Miguel.  Maybe there's a lot of pollen in the air and I'm not getting as much oxygen as I need.  Maybe I didn't sleep as well as I thought last night.  Maybe I have Corona virus.  Maybe it's this particular workout.....

March 11, 2020 - 180 - "Strange Days Indeed"

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Disclaimer:  Information changed quickly in the early days of Covid-19 (then known as Corona virus).  Please forgive comments that now seem lacking in, uh, judgement and/or empathy.

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    Michael, Ella, and I came home from Mexico today. 

     Ella did great, by the way.  She cried more than on the way down...but that's because she was less gullible about the drug-filled treats I was giving her than last time.  

     There weren't many people on our flight.  The immigration and baggage claim areas were dramatically less busy than normal.       

     Then I heard the NBA has suspended games.  

     Then I heard that Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson tested positive to Corona virus.

---

      We had dinner with friends in Mexico last night.  They asked if I was worried about Corona virus.  I said no.  

      From what I can see there's at least as good a chance of getting the flu and dying of it, as there is of getting Corona virus and dying of it.  But in my age group, and being fairly healthy and fit, with no respiratory issues, etc. etc.  I doubt that's going to be what kills me.

     I could be wrong.  You can have the last laugh about that if I suddenly stop posting and you see an obit with my name on it.  

    But I'm just not as up in arms about this thing as so many others are.  There are a lot of people getting it...and then getting better.  

---

March 10, 2020 - 179 - "La Gata (The Cat) in Mexico"

     This past visit to San Miguel was such a 'win' in our life with Ella.   We always hated leaving her when we travel, and missed her when we were gone, and worried about her until we got back.  But she hated leaving home so much, even for a short trip to the vet., we thought we'd never be able to bring her to San Miguel with us.   

March 9, 2020 - 178 - "The Bells of San Miguel de Allende"

     Michael and I were walking out of the main market one day, trailing behind a group of college age American kids.  They were earnestly discussing the logic behind the bells in San Miguel.  Michael pipes up and shares:  "I've been coming here for 20 years and I still have no idea what they mean."

     The kids laughed and went on their way.  

     I reflect on that little encounter a lot.  It was a funny moment because it was so true. An indicator of one of the many mysteries of San Miguel.

March 8, 2020 - 177 - "It's Not That Easy Finding Greenery...continued"

Every Vision Has It's Challenges

     So, our vision for clumps of bamboo morphed into a vision for a particular kind of trees.
     Ficus are common here and are easily trimmed into the sort of shape we wanted.  ...but they drop a lot of leaves.

    Our gardener, Rodolpho, suggested laurel trees.  

Adventures to the Plant Nursery (Viveros)

     So we headed off in search of trees.  Me with Fabian, Rodolpho's son, in the cab of Fabian's truck.  Michael and Rodolpho in the back, (riding in the back of a truck is still legal in Mexico) sounding like two teen age boys.

     ...except when Rodolpho would get onto his son about exactly where we were going, and exactly what the perfect route to get there would be.  For a long time Fabian said 
respectfully.  Si.  Si.  Si, Papi.  Oh, si...  But after a while he was saying:  "Okay...relax.  Relax.  I've got this...."  (I don't know the exact translation of this but it was pretty obvious.  It was the International Language of Fathers and Sons.)  

     The roads were bumpy and I was hoping Michael was holding on, instead of just yucking it up with Rodolpho...but I didn't want the guys to hear the International Language of Nagging Wives.

     The first nursery we visited was closed.  (Hours are approximate here.  There might have been a family event, like a wedding, birthday, or the fact that it was Saturday night and everyone wanted to get together.). 

Beautiful Plants

...unfortunately, they just had two of the laurel trees we were looking for three.

Onto The Next Nursery

March 7, 2020 - 176 - "It's Not That Easy Finding Greenery"

A Vision in Green

     We had a vision for this one wall on our rooftop.  

     We seem to be afflicted with more visions than two people should probably attempt to bring to life.  The problem is we have a hard time letting an idea go.  

      We talk it over and mock it up and envision it at every stage of a project.

     This particular vision involved a big, stark white, wall...and a picture I saw of clumps of bamboo (corralled in pots to avoid spreading, of course) behind a couch.

    So this photo to the left is our vision.  

     Simple, clean, easy.  How hard could it be?

How We Got the Huge Wall To Begin With

     On thing the crazy dining room rooftop did was create a distraction from all the crap on the neighbors rooftop.  The guy likes to start seedlings in cans...lots and lots of cans...and he has green mesh strung over metal frames, presumably to create the right kind of light for the plants he's starting over there. It's. basically, a rooftop nursery...but an unusually messy one.

     Between that and the tinaco  (huge water tanks that live on everyone's rooftop and provide back-up water for, and water pressure to the house) there's a lot of visual clutter next door.

Lots of Clutter Distracting From the View

    ...so we had a wall built.

     All that visual clutter made you mainly think:  "What a dump!" 

Building a Wall 

    We were surprised that building a huge wall between us and the churches actually made the view more noticeable.  (Though I don't have any pictures that clearly illustrate this fact.  You'll have to trust me on this.  In person before you saw:  Mess!  Now you see:  Stunning churches!!)

    Still, the solution had some issues.  Mainly that it was a really big wall.

    

March 6, 2020 - 175 - "The Better It Gets, The Better It Gets"

 

   I heard this idea a few years ago that basically goes like this:  Every moment in life is a decision point;  a 'Y' in the road.  You can choose a little bit happier...or a little bit sadder.

    It's not a big choice in that moment.  It seems an insignificant choice...but it has huge effects.  Over time, you get to a higher and higher place-one tiny choice at a time.

    You can't go from really depressed/something horrible just happened...to ecstasy.  That option just isn't available to you in that moment...but you can maybe go from ‘really depressed/something horrible just happened’...to, well, ‘maybe life will suck less tomorrow’.

     I get asked a lot of questions about how fearful I am about X (X = The latest Horrible End-Life-On-the-Planet disease/threat/event).  My answer is usually:  Not very.

    At some point you just get tired of worrying if that powder on the counter in the lavatory is dust from the Kleenex box.  Or anthrax!

    If Swine flu, bird flu, mad cow disease, sars, lyme disease, west nile disease...might get you.  Or will it be someone with an automatic rifle who feels sad and disenfranchised, can't get a girlfriend, or believes his god loves him and hates you?

    Huh.  I'm kind of at a point where I think:  I will worry about layoffs when I get a pink slip.  I will worry about the latest threat when it comes knocking on my door...but for now I'll take the happy fork in the road toward:  I'm here now.  Think I'll go pet Ella, kiss Michael, text a friend, eat something sweet...or any one of a million options that are happier than thoughts of doom and gloom.

    Here's to feeling just a teeny, tiny, bit better in each moment...leading to all kinds of goodness!

---

Some Wisdom from Bobby McFerrin:

"In every life we have some trouble
But when you worry you make it double
Don't worry, be happy
Don't worry, be happy now"
---

March 5, 2020 - 174 - "St. Patrick in San Miguel?"

 St. Patrick?

    Years ago, I was wandering around inside the middle of La Parroquia, the beautiful church in the center of  the town of San Miguel de Allende,....in the very center of Mexico.  I came upon a saint robed in green and white, holding up a clover.  

     Saint Patrick?  What the heck was Saint Patrick doing in a church  Mexico?

     Someone told me there were Irish soldiers who fought for Mexico to gain their independence.  I assumed it was during the Revolution, fighting against Spain.  Turns out that was not quite right.

     They actually fought against the United States in the Mexican-American War.

Sons of Ireland Fighting for Mexico

March 4, 2020 - 173 - "Behind Closed Doors"

Socializing in San Miguel

     It's social-week for us.  There are a lot of 'Big Reveal' moments for our house this  week.   It's                     finally done, and we're both finally here at the same time.  

---

One of These Things is Not Like the Other

    What I always notice when I spend time with a lot of people in rapid succession is just how complicated all of our stories are. 

     Each individual has a million back stories...put two people together as a couple and you've just multiplied the stories by two.  

     There's usually at least one couple in a crowd where you just love one half of the couple...and spend a lot of time wondering how in the world that person ended up with their spouse.  I've always thought:  No one knows what goes on behind closed doors.  A romantic relationship, especially when it turns into a decades-spanning relationship, has so many subtleties that only those inside the relationship can possibly understand.  

   It's like a country unto itself.  There are social norms, and insider-jokes, and histories only those involved can understand.

March 3, 2020 - 172 - "Thanks for the Daily Dose of Beauty, Zeferino Gutiérrez!!"

A New Park in San Miguel 

     The other day we called our favorite taxi driver, Julio.  He took us out to a local consignment store, La Finca, to search for a rug.  

    Turns out they thought a whole, whole, lot of the their rugs, plus the sizes weren't quite what we wanted, so we gave up on that, but the owner told us about a lot of development out on that edge of town, including a new park.  

Honoring a Man of Vision

     Julio gave us a little tour of the new park on our way home.  It's called Parque Zeferino Gutiérrez. 

          "Where have I heard that name?", I wondered out loud. 
   
          "He's the man who built La Parroquia.", Julio said.

          "Yes, of course!  I love that man!"

     Don Zeferino lived about a hundred years before my time, but I owe him big-time.  

March 2, 2020 - 171 - "No Post Today/No Wait!...Here's the Post of the Day: Grand Designs"

Throwing in the Towel

At 8:02 p.m. I posted the beginning title above with only this text: 

Damn it!

     ...but now it's 9:07 p.m. and I'm back at it.

     Because I am no quitter.  Even when quitting is probably not a bad idea at all.



---

Grand Designs     

     About a year ago the friends we bought our house in San Miguel from told us about a British TV show called "Grand Designs".

     It was the beginning of a serious addiction.   

     Finding episodes to watch is very hit or miss.  The show is in its 20th season.  We have found some on Netflix, some on YouTube, some on Amazon Prime.  There are around 200 episodes and we've probably seen about half by now.

Format of the Show

     Kevin McCloud is the show's host and he really draws you in.  Each episode begins with Kevin meeting the people starting a home build project.  He goes to the site with them.  A computer generated mock-up of the design gives an idea of what they're aiming to accomplish.

We started with the more recent series and were amazed when
we saw some of the early shows:  Hey!  Kevin had hair!

    He then asks how much their budget is, and how long they expect it to take.  This, as in real-life,  is always the comic relief/tragic element of the show.  

   As anyone who's ever tried to do anything with their house; from repainting one room, to rebuilding it from the ground up, knows:  it's going to take way more time and waaaaay more money than you could ever anticipate.  

    Kevin usually registers his skepticism with an eye roll and a mild comment like: 'interesting' or 'I see'.  

March 1, 2020 - 170 - "Mexican Casa - 11 - "Our House in History"

Looking out of the doors of the Allende house/
Museum of San Miguel

Tourist for the Day

     I've vaguely intended to visit the Museum of San Miguel de Allende...for the last twenty years that we've been coming here.  A visit from Michael's brother, Andy, caused me to move it from the 'do someday' list to the 'do today' list.  And I'm really glad we went.                                                                                                                                        The museum is in the home of Ignacio de Allende.  The house itself is very grand.  There's a central courtyard with loggias on all sides.  There's furniture from around the time he lived there and information about how the house was used and customs of the day.                                                                                                                                                   There's also a lot of information about the role Allende played in Mexico's fight for freedom from Spain.                                                                                                                     

City Planning in San Miguel

      What was most interesting to me were the displays with information about how and where the town was founded, and how it's developed through the years.                                                                                                There were some paintings done to illustrate the vision of early city planners.  (Early 1700's)  The paintings, themselves, sort of cracked me up.  Part of the painting was how the town currently was, but they had these split images; part showing how things were currently, and part showing what the vision was.   Sort of like a suburban Fox and Jacobs (insert major builder in your area here) community layout...with pictures of the fields, orchards, and farms they were about to level, in the same painting.

Hey - That's Where We Live!...but 300 Years Ago