The Binge, Revisited

 “Netflix gives you 15 seconds between episodes to decide whether or not you’re doing anything with your life today”

--- Internet Meme

Image by Rob Dobi via https://bit.ly/2PT63qy

 

A little over five years ago, I was stuck at home, unable to go out because of a health issue. No, there wasn’t a pandemic, everyone else was out and about, eating in restaurants, shopping in stores, and going barefaced. My issue was a new hip, and honestly, at least back then I had an excuse to lie around and be unproductive. Now? We’ve reached the Pinterest portion of the pandemic, and everyone is all over social media By everyone, I mean, not me. Sorry, but artisanal bread, kale chips, and gourmet chick pea salad is not how I roll, even if I am trapped in the house.

 

Initially, I bought a few sacks of flour, collected enough butter and eggs to choke a horse, and stockpiled a collection of Tasty and Buzzfeed food videos of deliciously decadent treats. Haven’t made any of them yet. The reason? I've fallen down the rabbit hole of online streaming. Between Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime, there are several thousand movies and shows to choose from, and honestly, binge-watching has become my video Valium of sorts. If I can’t sleep, Mary Tyler Moore, James Bond, Bob Newhart, and classic film noir movies are always there for me.

 

Five years ago, I wrote about the beauty of the binge, and how when there is downtime, it helps to have a distraction. In 2015, I wrote:

“What’s the answer? A good binge, that’s what. Now before you think anything untoward, I am not talking about vodka or chocolate cake. The new “Lost Weekend” is known as “binge-watching” and it’s perfect for those times when you don’t want to deal with the crapfest that passes for entertainment on some networks. There are a lot of ways to binge-watch too, depending on what you have available.”

That is still mostly true, except now, the crapfest is, sadly, the national news. It seems that everything is blowing up, from COVID numbers to fireworks factories, and Twitter rants, and that gets old after a while. Back then, however, if I couldn’t find something good online, there was Chet’s Video, with their delicious popcorn and candy. They even delivered movies for me while I healed. I miss that place.

The bonus now though? With online streaming, the viewer is the boss. It might be just a coincidence, but the TV “clickah” is actually called the “remote control.” How perfect is that? We’re all stuck learning remotely, working remotely, and doing so much else in an isolated way, and now we get to push some buttons and rule the world. Well, at least the screen anyway. I can wield a remote like a pro, zipping through channels at a seizure-inducing pace. I can’t make the pandemic go away. I am powerless to open the schools, I can’t sit on my favorite barstool at the Barnacle, munching on clams and sipping the perfect Bloody Mary. No hugging my friends, or traveling, or going to a ballgame. So much of what was normal in the “Before Times” just can’t happen now. So, this is one part of life that is entirely up to me, and you bet your sweet bippy, I’m going for it.

Back then, it was frustrating to be physically limited. No bike rides, no badminton matches, I couldn’t even walk Penny the Pug. Now the limits are different, and while I'm grateful to be healthy, it's still frustrating. We are moving into a new phase though, and just maybe in a few months, some of what we are missing will come back. In the meantime, I will be turning away from the 24-hour news cycle of death and destruction, and going for the beauty of the binge. 

 

 

 

 

Wrong You Are: There Is Always Try

“Do or do not. There is no try.”

---Yoda

 

Ok, who am I to argue with a tiny Star Wars puppet that is beloved by so many, but…sorry my little green friend, you are so wrong. Because we are on this frustrating pandemic times calendar shift, it’s finally graduation season. Well, at least it is at my house. If I might just brag for a quick second, since December, my daughter has held a co-op job at a medical practice, passed the state boards for cosmetology, passed the state written and practical exam to be an EMT, and passed the national EMT license exam. She also navigated losing her last season of track, kept up with her duties as a class officer, and arranged college classes for the fall. I mostly stood by watching, and occasionally writing a check. The rest was all her.

 

Sure, that is a lot of doing. However, if you think there was no trying behind that, you’d be wrong. Like all of us, she tried, tried, and tried again. Also, like all of us, some of what she tried didn’t work out so well. And so it goes. We were chatting about everything that’s coming up for her in the next few months, and there will be a ton of choices she has to make. It’s daunting when you think of it.

 Last week I talked about decisions, and the times we have to choose between multiple options, even when none of them are ideal. There’s a big decision coming in November, and it’s going to be wicked hard for me to look at all the facts, search my soul, and try to pick the right one. So far, I think carrot cake will be the winner. Come November 6th, my birthday cake will be carrot cake, with cream cheese frosting. Decision 2020, made.

Kidding aside, I know that the Yoda quote is supposed to be inspiring, but honestly, it’s not for me. It's like this. I’m a big fan of space exploration. The research, the cutting-edge technology, the going where no man has gone before and all the rest is exciting, and, in my opinion, crucial to our survival. The Star Wars movies get that. Sure, it's fiction, but they show us that there’s so much out there. Truly, we should be looking skyward every day and finding new ways to get to, “infinity and beyond.” Space exploration starts with someone, somewhere, saying, “What if we tried this?” If you look back at the very beginnings of NASA, there were a lot of attempts that, well, flopped. Did we stop trying? Nope.

 

As we look toward schools reopening, the economy righting itself, and a political landscape that seems fraught with peril around every corner, it’s important to remember how to try. We need to think of new ideas, even ones that sound a little off the wall. Before this year, who would have thought of a drive-by commencement? Who could have conceived of a virtual baby shower, via a Zoom video call? An event I always love to attend is Harrington Reads, at Harrington Elementary in Lynn. I get to meet young readers, authors, and educators and share what they love about literacy. This year, it went virtual. All videos, posted on YouTube. It was that or cancel it altogether. Someone was smart enough to ask, “What if we tried to…” and then made it happen. That is try. It leads to doing, but first, there is try.

 

So far no one has asked for my advice on any of the conundrums we are facing, but, for the record, here it is: There must always be a way to try. No doing can happen before we dare to try. If you’re job hunting, try looking in a field you might not have considered. If you’re facing a decision on whether or not to send your kid back to school? Try it, see what happens. If it’s not the right move, move on to another option. My father was always spewing forth what he thought were incredibly wise words. Some were, and others, not so much. One of my favorite pieces of advice from him was this: “Brenda, the only part of your life that will be carved in stone are the dates on your headstone. Everything else is up for grabs. Try it all. If one path doesn’t work, go another way. You’ll get there.”  He was so right. Let’s keep trying.

 

 

You do You? Not Always....

“You do you.”

--Unknown, unattributed

 I keep hearing this quote lately. Whether it’s masks, or quarantine, or eating in a restaurant, it’s all, “You do you!” You know what? I have had it with this. Faithful readers of this column (all three of you) can look back and see that I have, much to everyone’s surprise, been Miss Good Vibes Only during this pandemic. This week, I’m so done with that. 

Graphic from The Atlantic

I get it; it’s bad out there. I lost my job. No worries, there’s always waitressing and substitute teaching, right? Oh…wait…never mind. But hey, I’m not the only one. It’s not just about me. There are nurses, doctors, EMTs (hello, my daughter is one) out there keeping people alive, I have no reason to complain. I will find a writing gig at some point, I am just grateful not to be hacking up a lung, you know? Ask around though, and you’ll find that a common reason people are ticked off is that they had to go a few months without a haircut. Really? Picture me right now, channeling my inner Marisa Tomei from “My Cousin Vinny” and hollering, sarcastically, “OMG, what (blanking) nightmare!”

Most of us have never navigated a pandemic. First it was stay home, and if you have to go out, wear a mask, stay six feet apart, don’t touch anyone else, or even your own face. Then it got tougher and became a mission. Hoard the wipes, buy all the Lysol, stock up on bleach! More of that “you do you” mentality, right? We all want to keep our loved ones safe, but it’s gone beyond that to something that is, quite frankly, ugly. G-D forbid you whip through the dozens of mega rolls of Charmin you managed to snag back in March, right? You have to keep going, you need more of everything! The world is going to end if you don’t get another roll, another dozen eggs, three more loaves of bread, and a gallon jug of hand sanitizer.

You do you is straight up selfish at this point. So many are just refusing to look outside their own bubble of oblivion and recognize that someone else might need a hand. People are struggling, but it’s OK, you do you; that person you whipped in front of in Market Basket might have needed that last bag of rice, or that last sack of flour. Hey, no worries, right? You were just doing you.

Stop it, it’s gross.

I’m no infectious disease expert, but the science (remember science?) says that masks can reduce risk not just for ourselves, but for others. See how that works? I wear a mask because it might help someone else. Doesn’t make me a hero, just like singing in the shower doesn’t make me Beyoncé, but still, I’m happy to do it. Because…others. If you interpret “you do you” as a reason to not wear a mask, or not wash your hands, or not social distance, then you’re not doing you, because, newsflash, public health is not just about you. The word public means all of us. You are risking the health of your neighbors, you are standing up for selfishness, and you’re making it harder for everyone else to get through this sh….poop show. I’m so sick of it, my head is going to fly off.

OK, deep breath. Yes, this is a rant, and I too am being crappy. It’s just really hard to see people disrespecting others over…well…everything. Even those that have always been revered and respected are getting tossed under the bus. We all love teachers, right? It’s all apples and appreciation, until we think about school starting up and then we say, “Teachers need to get back to class, the economy is gonna tank, if they’re too scared, they shouldn’t be teachers.” 

Seriously? Yes, we all want school to open, but how many people have to die or risk grave illness to make it happen? Could we spare a moment for the people that are literally educating, caring for, and protecting the next generation? Can we please look out for them and respect the work they’ve done this year, under unimaginable circumstances? You think supply lists were bad when they asked for a box of Kleenex and some pencils? How many cans of Lysol do you have stashed away? How many masks, gloves, and wipes? How many are you willing to part with? Or perhaps you could just tell them, “Hey! These are mine. You do you!”

There is a lot we can each do for other people. We can wear the mask and shut the hell up about it, for Christ's sake. We can wait in line, six feet apart, and shut up about that too. We can stop driving like jerks, flipping people the bird because we are ticked off (I admit, this one is hard for me too, I get it.) We can stop calling the police on teenagers, shaming them over dog poop and social distancing. The cops are too busy for you, Karen, put the phone down.

Try this. Buy a teacher some of the good wipes. Drop off a Dunks gift card at the police station. Say thank you to the checker at Crosby’s, not because they bagged your groceries, but because they showed up. Stop doing you and do someone else. Wait… that didn’t come out right. Whatever, just pull your head out of wherever it is and look around. No, we cannot live in fear. But we can live in compassion. We can live in careful caution. We can live in a world where we help others, where we look outside ourselves and reach out to lend a hand. We can do anything, with good sense, with science, and with the help of friends, neighbors, and even strangers. We can do this, but we have to do it right. See if there’s something that needs doing and doesn’t involve your own needs. Be kind, be helpful, lend a hand. Thank you.

Being a Five Year Old

“Play is the highest form of research”

--Albert Einstein

 Now that we have plodded through a couple of phases of COVID re-openings, fifty-seven days of June, and a dozen or so senior parades, and socially distant graduations, it’s a proper summer.  Family corn hole games on the lawn, beach buckets, and BBQs are back again. As the pandemic progresses, every week brings some new item that's in short supply and high demand. Toilet paper, jigsaw puzzles, home gym equipment and so much else. Right now, kiddy pools are sold out almost everywhere. At my house, the TP is all stocked up, puzzles are lined up for the next bunch of rainy days, and I find myself turning to toys. Little kid toys. It’s like I’m five years old again.

Mr. Potato Head, Play-Doh, and Matchbox cars have all made an appearance in the last few weeks. The other night, when two friends came over for some backyard distantly social snacks, we pulled out craft kits and made plastic mermaid sun catchers, with stained glass gel paints.

Perhaps one good thing that could come from this pandemic is the return to the fun parts of our younger years. When my high school senior lost her last season of track, her senior awards night, her prom, and her job, refuge was found in coloring books and board games. Most people I know with Class of 2020 kids have said that watching them lose so many milestones, brought back their own memories of sweating it out on a football field in a polyester cap and gown, staying out until dawn on prom night, and having that last team dinner. I got to experience all of those events, but my daughter didn’t, and that is a real loss. When I graduated, the world was my oyster. I had college to look forward to, new people, travel, and so much more. I was going places. The Class of 2020? Quarantine and Zoom classes. Face masks and empty classrooms. Canceled plans and almost constant worry that their world will never be the same.  Is it any wonder that turning to the playthings of childhood would be a comfort?

Playtime doesn’t keep anyone safe, it usually doesn’t bring in a paycheck, but sometimes you just have to head for the toy box. Think about it. If you’re five years old, and the world isn’t teetering on its axis, one chest x-ray away from a corona-pocalypse, what makes you happy? Toys and food, most likely. Scraped a knee? Have a Freeze Pop. Having a bad day? Go play dollies and racecars. I’m way older than five, and confession time: I built a pug out of Legos this week and spent a few happy hours playing with Silly Sand. Also, they still make Super Elastic Bubble Plastic, in the tubes with the little straws. It still burns your lungs out, and it’s still wicked fun.

When my kids were little, I was the terrible mother that hated crafts. I never wanted to do activities with a whole bunch of little pieces that needed to be assembled. Paper chains, pipe cleaner caterpillars, and paint by number kits were all necessary evils, stashed away for snow days. When there was a five-year-old at my kitchen table, it was about fighting off the spread of glitter glue and crushed Oreos. These days it’s all about fighting off dread, fear, an invisible and insidious virus, a few creditors, and an Internet full of lies, damn lies, and statistics that I should shut off, but never quite manage to do. Maybe there is something to be said for putting away the adult worries, the job hunting, the Netflix binges, and sitting down to play with something.

Then I found it, this week’s little bit of happy fun time. I was in Marshall’s, a place I hadn’t been since February. Finally, I could return the blouse that didn’t go with the jeans that are now a wee bit too tight. On a clearance shelf was a tiny plastic space ship, a small bit of fake grass, and a magnetic cow. When you press on the little alien inside the UFO, the lights blink, the toy whistles, and then you wave it over the cow until the magnet activates and sucks Elsie right up. It even lets out a long “Mooooo” as she is whisked off to outer space. Does it get any better than that? I giggled like, well, a five-year-old with a fresh tube of glitter glue.

I have no answers about COVID-19. I cannot solve the racial issues that are everywhere, and just as illness-inducing as the virus. I can’t holler anymore at the news on TV; I’m going to barf up a vocal cord. What I can do, however, is take the time to pick up a stupid toy now and then and do some serious playing around. It won’t solve any of the big issues, but it will provide a few light moments. We all need more of those. Stay safe and play nice, OK?

Unpopular Opinions

"All progress resulted from people who took unpopular positions."

---Adlai Stevenson

Since so many of us have been homebound lately, social media is becoming a way to share jokes, memes, Netflix suggestions and other, well, nonsense. I'm annoying people with too many pictures of my pug, but again, I don't accept the premise that there can be too many pictures of a pug. 

Man, I need to get out of the house. 

Anyway, unpopular opinions are a hot topic if you're sick of everything being about the C-word (Corona, that is).  While chatting with a few people, via social media distancing, of course, here are a few opinions that are not popular, but are fiercely held by some of my friends.

·      More than a few women I know do not like pedicures. While a pedi is usually seen as a lovely, pampering indulgence, and, by some, an absolute necessity, I have friends who'd rather have a root canal than a pedicure. From the time it takes, the price, and the squick factor, to the spa environment and experience, these women are not having it. One of my friends finally realized she disliked it so much she felt she was essentially paying someone to torture her. 

·      Travis (not his real name) is a sexy beast. He claims his wife agrees, but she had no comment. In his experience, he hasn't found that a lot of people share this opinion, but he's convinced of it. Points for confidence, you have to give him that. You go, Travis.

·      Going to a trade school is a better choice than going to a traditional four-year college. Better? Well, that is highly dependent on the kid, but my friend was right when she talked about the attitude that vocational education is for the "dumb" kids or the delinquents. All the labor statistics, career projections, and financial concerns over college debt prove that trade school is a phenomenal option. Still, there is a general feeling among many that it's somehow, "lesser than" or inferior to, a four-year college path. I have a kid in trade school; unpopular or not, her high school experience has been nothing short of amazing. She's also headed for another unpopular option, community college. Oh, the shame! 

·      Leashes on toddlers are a good option. Sure, some parents cringe when they see a kid on a safety lead, but think about it. Suppose you have an active toddler, and a newborn and the stroller/backpack/death grip isn't cutting it. Then what? If you're at a fair, or near a busy street, a rambunctious little one could dart right away from you. Try not to judge a parent using a harness or lead. One of my kids was a runner, and no amount of threats, discipline or whatever else the "experts" advised was working. I regret not using one a few times; it would have made some outings much less stressful.

·      Nothing smells as good as a horse. What? This is insanity! Hot cinnamon rolls, buttered popcorn, bacon frying, ocean waves, French fries, the list of wonderful smells is longer than your arm, and nowhere does it say, "horse." I love horses, there's never been a police horse that didn't get a pat on the nose from me if I come across one, but that doesn't mean smelling like Mr. Ed is an option. A nice whiff of a barn and some hay? Sure. Saddle sweat? Not so much.

Obviously, everyone's definition of popular or unpopular will vary, but that's the good part, right? What if we couldn't while away some of this downtime arguing the merits of pineapple on pizza, wine in plastic cups, or the proper way to put toilet paper (if you can find it) on the roll? We'd be even more bored, and we wouldn't learn anything new about our friends and neighbors. Now that I know one friend thinks mashed potatoes are an abomination, I can work on changing her appalling lack of culinary knowledge. Stay well, people. Summer is coming.

It's Not Just For Pandemics: Working From Home

"The main advantage of working at home is that you get to find out what cats really do all day."

---Lynne Truss

We don't have a cat at our house, but we have a tiny pug, Miss Penny, and she leads a pretty nice little life. Her schedule is well organized from what I can tell. She sleeps late, barks at passersby from her spot by the window for most of the morning, begs for snacks, takes a nap, and then starts the routine all over again. Pugs excel at three things: snacking, sneezing, and snoring. We've grown used to each other's habits though, and she's a pretty good work from home office mate. Sometimes.

The stay at home advisory has more people than ever all of a sudden working from home, and for some, it's been an adjustment. Not me though. Welcome to my world, won't you come on in? I'll be the one at the dining room table, wearing a lovely silk blouse, a scarf, and my Betty Boop pajama pants. That's so when the next Zoom video meeting starts, I'm camera-ready, from the neck up anyway.  I'm also barefoot most of the time, and just out of the frame is a kitchen with dirty dishes in the sink and leftover pizza in the microwave.

There is a way to make working from home efficient and productive, and the reason I know this is because I've been working at home for most of the last ten years, and I've made all the mistakes. Finally, though, I have a system down. Here's what works, for me anyway.

1)    The first word in "Work from home" is? WORK. It's not a day off, it's not a half-day, it's not playtime. Setting a schedule is helpful because otherwise, the day has no structure, and before you know it it's dinner time, and you're still staring at a half-finished Excel spreadsheet, and your project is yet another day late. People think that working from home means you can just decide what to do and when to do it, and if a chance comes up to hit the beach or have lunch with a friend, you just go. No, that's not it all, sadly. While there's more flexibility being at home, the work still has to get done and here's a pro tip: You can't work at the beach or the pool. Don't even try it, it won't happen. BTDT and all I got was sand in my hard drive. Soccer games, the carpool lane, and the parking lot at school are also not conducive to cranking out the work.

2)    Get childcare. Seriously, if you have young children around, and you're sitting there on the computer, they're going to think you're playing Minecraft and you won't have a minute's peace. You can't plop kids in front of a TV for 8 hours either, so get some help. Maybe trade kids with other work at home parents, or split the day up between work hours, and kid hours. It might have been funny on the BBC when a cute little girl came strolling in on her dad's live interview, but your clients won't think it's funny when a batch of slime or a round of Nerf gun bullets goes whizzing by your head during a video conference call.

Meme via @with_love_becca

3)    Make a land grab. Find a spot in the house that's (relatively) quiet, has room for your gear, is comfortable, and is just yours. Plant a flag, surround it with caution tape, do whatever it takes, but own your space. If you're constantly wandering around with your laptop and a notepad, with a pencil, stuck behind your ear, you're lost before you've begun. Let everyone who lives with you know where the work zone is, and that interfering with it is a felony.

Working from home just might become the new normal, even when the pandemic has passed. It's not always easy, but it has some real benefits as far as reducing commuting time, making companies more profitable because they save on office rent, and helping employees strike a better work/life balance. Good luck, and make sure to reward your family now and then for putting up with all those important, yet mostly unproductive, video team report status check-in update meetings.

Top Ten Pandemic Positives

Originally, I wrote this to my wonderful group of Badminton friends, because we are not playing anymore. Yes, a first world problem, and truly, I'm glad we are all being safe, but it was a chance for me to reflect on some positives.

TOP TEN BENEFITS FROM CORONA VIRUS/COVID 19

10) Clean hands. I shudder to think what has been happening before now, but thankfully, now people are doing better.

9)  I have time to declutter parts of my house. I’m not actually DOING it, mind you, but I have time.

8) The Charmin Toilet Paper Bears are now national heroes. I do so love it when a big, fat, hairy creature is recognized, it gives me hope as we exit winter and realize the damage four months of minimal shaving maintenance has done.

7) Anxiety over food shortages, illness, family members with chronic health conditions, and debate over how long germs live on surfaces has forced me to walk the feck away from social media and this is a GOOD THING.

6) I am so feckin caught up on laundry, I’ve discovered I might be a laundry savant. Could I parlay this into a job? Which I desperately need? Perhaps.

Perhaps material for medical masks?

5) I take joy in something simple like “Wanna take a ride?” “Wanna go for a walk?” Essentially, I have become my pug, Penny. Not all together a bad thing.

4) Day drinking is no longer entirely frowned upon. So far, I am resisting, but it is nice to know that if I decide to have half a glass of wine at 2pm, no one will tell me I need a meeting.

3) I’m cooking more. Wait, that isn’t really a benefit, to anyone but Stop and Shop, but it’s made me realize I can feed my family without greasy bags and pizza boxes. Winning!

2) I appreciate my friends so much more. I’m going to become one of those obnoxious huggers when this is over

1)    I realize how much I treasure a the first world pleasure of getting to gather at my badminton club, the Gut, see women who inspire me, be supported despite my level (right around an F I would say) of play, and be welcomed, every week. This was about my badminton buddies, but honestly, it transcends social groups. I am so grateful for all of my friends, even from a social distance of six feet. And completely loving that technology means I can stay, at least a little, in touch

STAYING SANE IN CORONA TIMES

“The simple fact is that each day you have a choice. You can be a germ and infect people with your negative energy, or you can be a big dose of vitamin C and infuse them with your positive energy.”

---Jon Gordon, author “The Positive Dog”

As I’m writing this, I half expect to look out my window and see Negan walking by with his barbed wire bat, because it seems like we’re all trapped in a bad episode of “The Walking Dead.” Now, full disclosure, I am not a scientist or a medical professional. I barely passed high school chemistry, and I have no idea what RNA, cell apoptosis, and virology have to do with the price of toilet paper at Market Basket. Still, if someone as unscientific as me can understand the basics of what is now a pandemic, then it shouldn’t be that hard, right? Whether you think it’s a big fat hoax or the end of days doesn’t matter. We’re all going to just have to wait and see. Here are a few tips to help you through COVID-19 without becoming a zombie snack.

• Wash your hands. It’s basic hygiene, and there shouldn’t have to be a global pandemic to get people to do it. Weren’t we already washing our hands regularly? Please tell me we haven’t all been wandering around dragging our snoogery boogery fingers all over every available surface? The stakes are a little higher now, so we need the reminders. However, there is no need to go to the store and buy 5 cases of water, 400 rolls of toilet paper, and every jug of hand sanitizer on the shelf, so you can stack it up in your garage. You’re not making yourself any safer, you just look silly. Cut it out.

• Stay home if you can. Schools have closed, some universities are extending spring breaks, and workplaces have encouraged anyone who can, to work from home. Is this an overreaction to something that is essentially a mild flu-like illness? We don’t know yet, so why not take a little time off from some of the needless running about and just stay in? Don't go full-on Bubble Boy about it, but when was the last time the whole family stayed in? Get out the board games, binge watch Netflix, make popcorn, bake cookies or just hang out. My plan is to get some closets and dressers organized…OK, that’s a lie, I have no plans to do that. I won’t be hitting up the mall or the movie theater though; I’m settling in with some Jiffy Pop and my DVD collection. 

• Check on your neighbors. Not everyone can run to BJ’s or Costco and bring home a Suburban full of granola bars and canned soup. COVID-19 is especially dangerous for the elderly or those with chronic illnesses like asthma and COPD. Look around; there is likely someone nearby that needs a pot of stew or a pan of lasagna on their doorstep. Call your friends that live alone, chat them up. You know that big square electronic thing most of us have shoved in a pocket? It can make phone calls, so reach out and touch someone, just not with your germy hands. 

• Calm the heck down. About everything. Yes, it stinks that your spring break trip is canceled, your preschoolers are home all day, and your job is a mess from trying to reschedule business trips, but did you die? If you’re reading this, no you didn’t, and I’m glad. You should be glad too. It’s a huge cluster “duck” right now in the public health arena, and everyone is impacted in some way. And so it goes. Freaking out never solves anything, so chill, if you can. There’s no need to get all bent out of shape unless Netflix goes offline, or we lose power. If that happens, I’m reaching for my bat. In the meantime, try to be as positive as you can. Be well, be nice, and be safe.