Ah, the sweet, sweet sound of the lawn Nazi next door mowing her grass for the second time this week. #IMissMyOffice

Austin Kleon is one of my favorite people on the Interwebs. Here’s one reason why: “Not everything will be okay (but some things will).”

I’ve lost count of how many allegedly indestructible chew toys we’ve seen in the past six months.

The upshot of this McSweeney’s list, “Unfollow, Unfriend, or Block: A Pandemic Guide": Just back away from all social media.

Got the replay of the KBO opening day matchup (NC vs Samsung) on the ESPN app while I fight off some nausea on pain meds at the work station. Korean baseball is totally propping me up right now.

Apparently it takes being hopped up on painkillers to finally win a round of Cards Against Humanity (Family Edition) at our house.

Annoyed that I ordered Marvin Gaye stamps and got John Lennon stamps instead. Not that I necessarily dislike Lennon or the Beatles, but still. Just checked the USPS site; the Gaye stamps aren’t available, so I guess they’re sold out. Could be way worse.

“Just as the initial coronavirus outbreak caught hospitals unprepared, the country’s mental health system — vastly underfunded, fragmented and difficult to access before the pandemic — is even less prepared to handle this coming surge.”

“I’m not O.C.D., but I love routine. I get less depressed with routine. … That makes me feel better. I don’t want too much mental freedom. I have too much of that anyway.” (Jerry Seinfeld) 💬

It’s official: ESPN will broadcast Korean baseball games starting at 1 a.m. ET Tuesday!

Time to figure out who to root for. Best primer I’ve found is on the Athletic site, but it’s subscription only.

It's been a weekend

  • ER visit with CT scan and – hooray – new painkillers.
  • Lots of Kindle reading between scans and blood pressure checks and nurse/doctor chats.
  • First decent night’s sleep in weeks thanks to Tramadol.
  • Sunday drive with family along parts of the Fox River.
  • Crazed solo drive to a Jollibee drive-thru that turned out to be closed, followed by a visit to walk-in-only Jollibee with a long line. The bucket of fried chicken with rice, gravy, and peach/mango pies made it worth the lengthy wait, which no doubt aggravated my newly diagnosed sacroiliitis.
  • Long nap on a heating pad with the first of many lidocaine patches on my lower back.
  • Achievement of level 50 in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, allowing me access to the second floor of the cabin I operate in the game. And yes, I worry about myself.
  • First backyard fire of the year, cut way short by surprising gusts of wind and a “pneumonia front” that ended spectacular weekend weather.

And with all this behind me, I’m taking a sick day to make doctor appointments and get more acquainted with my new friends Tramadol and lidocaine.

A highlight of my weekend that didn’t involve a CT scan and painkillers.

Spent a lovely spring afternoon at the local emergency room trying to get to the bottom of my recent flareup of abdominal pain. A CT scan revealed bulkier-than-before uterine fibroids and sacroiliitis in both sacroiliac joints. Need to follow up with my doctors Monday.

I made C. drop me off, and the nice ER people masked and Purelled me before I asked C. to head home. He had to take care of something first.

A murder hornet? Now 2020 is just showing off.

Things I’ve ordered that are supposed to arrive this week:

  • 3 face masks
  • 2 sets of postage stamps
  • A copy of “The Essential Rosary” by Caryll Houselander
  • 2 graphic novels for Frannie
  • Moomins T-shirt for me
  • Animal Crossing shirt for Frannie
  • A pulse oximeter

Who says impulse shopping is dead?

The tween insisted on making the dough for tomorrow’s bread before bedtime.

I did this week’s big household grocery run. I used to enjoy grocery runs. Now they’re stressful and depressing. (And it didn’t help to wear a mask that I could barely breathe through.) Glad it’s done, though.

Reasons why I mute or unfollow people on social media:

  • Excessive political or religious zeal.
  • Excessive self-promotion.
  • Excessive promotion of offspring cuteness and/or genius.

I have been guilty of all of these things at one point or another, particularly the excessive promotion of offspring. As it increasingly annoys me elsewhere, and I am generally annoyed with excessive social media usage these days, I am especially conscious of all of these tendencies in myself and try to avoid them.

God forgive me for straying in these respects online. I have enough problems with the sin of pride without broadcasting them on the Internet.

I’m not sure I agree with Jason Kottke’s thought that 1984 was “perhaps mass pop culture’s high tide,” but I appreciate the college flashbacks from this mashup of 1984’s highest-charting songs.

I only checked news sites once today. And it felt great.

A problem I never thought I’d have to deal with: ordering face masks from several different Etsy sellers until I find one that fits.

Former Chargers coach Harland Svare has died. I only remember him because my father spit out his name during a Chargers game; it was the first time I recall hearing my father swear.

Finally sent a letter and check in the mail that was long overdue. It marks the end of an era from which I have desperately needed to move on. I am feeling very liberated right now.

Under my desk—also known as Winslow’s personal thunderstorm bunker.