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So, Hey, How Y’all Doing?
[Ricochet is not an airport, so arrivals and departures need not be announced, but here I am anyway. If you’re not a fan of such posts, this one probably isn’t for you. I’m sure the PIT (is that even still a thing?) is hopping if you need an alternative.]
Just reactivated my Coolidge membership on a whim to follow James Lileks’ dialogues from what he’s calling the Duration, which he’s also documenting over on the Bleat. It’s — comforting, maybe? — to read that the bizarre circumstances of 2020 thus far are happening to everybody. I’m also leveraging my membership by watching the live GLoP podcast at the moment and laughing a bit, even though Sanctimonious Mode Jonah makes my teeth itch in ways no dentist can treat. Also, if I spend any more time on Facebook reading misinformation, indignation, and Trump-bashing (as though this isn’t happening to the entire world), I might start acting out the memorable bits of The Shining; I’m really hoping sanity is still the rule at Ricochet.
Life hasn’t really changed for me in Ohio as things have shut down bit by bit by order of Governor DeWine. I’ve worked from home exclusively when not traveling since 2015, after my near-miss with unemployment, so I’m used to WebEx and Skype meetings and usually run video so that I’m not just a voice to my customers. I joke with my newly-isolated co-workers that I was socially distancing before it was cool. The only thing that’s markedly different is the presence of my 15- and 10-year old sons all week long. We have a finished basement with lots of computers and videogames, and most importantly a door, so we don’t really notice their presence. The additional food consumption is really the main clue that something is different.
The boys thought that not going to school constituted a long-term break. Even though they had been sent all their assignments via Google Classroom, they didn’t really include schoolwork in their plans, preferring to sleep in, play games, and avoid schoolwork entirely. Thus, on day 2, we instituted daily 8:30 a.m. stand-up meetings (along the lines of a Scrum stand-up for those who know about such), in which we review everyone’s achievements from yesterday, plans for today, and any issues impeding their progress. It turns out that having a project manager as a dad is less fun than it would first appear.
What else? I opted out of Ubering and Lyfting in mid-February after it became clear that we were all about to experience a major plot twist. Not my proudest moment, but what shook me about driving was taking a Chinese couple of college students from a restaurant back to their Denison University dorm, and all I could think of was “I really hope they spent winter break in Ohio, or anywhere in China other than Hubei Province”. From reading the local Facebook driver’s group, I’m far from alone in my hiatus.
The now 19-year-old daughter is as angsty as ever, having graduated high school and parked herself firmly on our couch, expecting that state of affairs to last forever. Her parents disagree with her plan, noting that we are not doing our parental duty if we allow this extended failure to launch to continue in perpetuity. We had originally set a 1 June deadline for her to find something — anything — to do outside of the house, but it appears that we are going to have to push that date to the right until things get back to normal (whatever that will look like) post-lockdown.
Also playing a lot of Call of Duty Mobile — I’m not normally a gamer, but CoDM has me hooked. Will share my nickname and UID with anyone who’s similarly addicted. My current ‘friends’ list runs a little toward Latin American wannabe gangbangers whose knowledge of English consists mostly of words beginning with ‘F’.
Anyway, didn’t want to skulk back into the room without catching up. Anybody else still here from the old days? How are you holding up?
Published in History
Welcome back, Rapporteur!
Funny.
A good strategy I discovered a couple years ago is to totally remove ones-self from Facebook entirely. I have done the same with Twitter but usually for a month or 2 then I pop back in. A recent trick I learned is to ignore all news on the weekend. With the weather warming up and an actual break in the rain around here that has been very liberating as well.
As far as how I’m doing? Well the government has officially declared me “essential” so I’m keeping my head down and working as much as possible. Things are pretty normal really other than not being able to go into restaurants etc….
I bless my lucky stars pretty much every day that I’m not a project manager.
Welcome back!
And yes, the PIT is still a thing. I’m the Mistress. I know, only took stupid number of years of ingratiating myself with the core members in order to usurp their Patriarchy.
But now, it is mine! Bwahahahaha!
I’m not one to complain, mind you, but TheRightNurse’s iron-handed rule over the New PIT is being enforced by armies of women in Sixties clothes and go-go boots.
She and her nearly-as-new husband, @mattbalzer, have not hesitated to use every instrument of intimidation, even their own bodies as models for the new universal uniforms of men and women:
Much like the Moon, she’s a harsh mistress.
That’s the kind of line that earns an automatic like.
Unlike many of my fellow conservatives, in the mid-70s I projected movies, including German-made porno movies, on Times Square, and I have to say, they were really into that harsh mistress thing.
Thanks for the Bleat link!
Welcome home.
Thank you for the upbeat, entertaining post. It’s good to hear from you.
Here is what we’ve been doing at our home.
You’re welcome, OGH — and from a longtime Bleatnik, thanks for all the free ice cream over the years.
I went on self-induced Facebook hiatus after the notification of my tenth (!) FB-versary, which prompted me to total up the amount of time I’d
wastedspent over there. I’m still active, although scaled down quite a bit from my peak, and have started to appreciate the value rather than focusing on the dross. For example, I connected with a former co-worker from 14-ish years ago, which would have been unlikely outside of the FB context. Still, your advice is worth considering.Hey now, we’re not so bad once you get used to us. We’re a pain in the arse and we hold a lot of meetings, but without us, how would you know whether you’re on the critical path or not?
Appreciate the confirmation, and congrats on smashing the patriarchy, or something. :)
Oh, I understand that project managers are necessary; I just don’t want to be one. Estimating is very much more my style.
What Gary said.
I have been working from home for almost 10 years now. So, its basically business as usual.
Where’s your badge?
I dunno – is there a tutorial on such things?
Nope. That’s the beauty of it.
I suppose the ‘badge’ entry on the profile screen was too obvious. Added.
Never saw that before! Thanks.
I’m not trying to act superior about it….just worked for me. FB can definitely be helpful keeping track of friends and family, catching back up with people etc….. Just started getting on my nerves and I can only be on one social media platform (twitter) that I participate in and simultaneously hate. lol