The Other New News

So, shelter in place is a phrase I never thought would apply to me. Funny how words or sayings that were new to us just a few weeks ago are now ingrained in our daily lexicon. Boggles the mind.

If all the maps and news briefs are correct, it looks like Florida's corona virus cases are going to explode soon  This does not surprise me at all. In addition to all the wealthy Northerners that have fled their homes to their second homes here, the fact that our governor is pretty useless setting any guidelines and locals didn't really get the message until they shut EVERYTHING down, we will hit the peak and probably surpass many states in infections and deaths.

Not a great message. But, I feel like it's true. Personally, I've been sheltering in place and saving a ton of money not eating or drinking in all my favorite establishments. But, it's not easy. Well, yeah it is for us introverts.  I have a friend here that is very much an extrovert. This is killing her. She 'feeds' on people to get her energy and she is extremely social--- and that's just not happening. I did meet her out back over the weekend where we sat six feet away from each other and drank and talked and looked at the stars. To me, the size of that 'gathering' was perfect. LOL  I have never understood the need to socialize and be out with a large group of people. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy getting together with four or five of my friends for an evening out, but afterward, I'm good for awhile.

All these people Zooming and Face-timing and streaming Netflix that now has chat capability and pause etc so your "group" can all be on the same page (I'm sure there are other ways to Remote Gather) I just don't get it. So many people don't have any idea how to be alone or just with their families.  I do Face Time and text my family and friends---I'm not that anti-social but I also don't feel the need to chat with them on a daily basis.

When I am alone, I recharge--being social is very draining. I'm totally serious about the saying "It's too people-y out there, do not recommend!"  This is another reason why I am so suited to working from home full time. The drama and interaction with people, in an office setting day after day after day was enough to make me take a mental health day once in awhile and also--my lifesaver---wear headphones all day, every day to drown out the yapping.

I do have contact with people during my work day. But it's pings on Skype or the phone. I can totally handle that. I will say that once in awhile, a co-worker-friend and I will have a non-work related chat and catch up on their life and life in general. I enjoy that.

So, what have I been doing to entertain myself? Well, as always I've read a ton of books. If you have Amazon Prime, take advantage of Prime Reading and Prime Music. Both are included with your Prime membership. I love not spending $13-$14 a pop for the latest best seller. If you belong to your local library, use their online service to check out E-books for a week or two at a time--also free! (although you wait a bit for newer books---but hey---free)  <-------your tax dollars at work!

I am also doing some painting. I find I need to move when the mood strikes me and get as much done as possible. So, the foyer and the accent wall in the living room are finished. I am going to brave Home Depot to get more paint and rollers and continue in the living room. Goal: to have the room painted by bedtime, Sunday night.

So what are some positive news stories I've read this week:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/26/tech/dyson-ventilators-coronavirus/index.html
The Dyson guy is making ventilators and will donate 15K of them, I think. Pretty awesome!

I saw these for sale:

If I had to pick one, I'd pick Rose. Everyone needs a little Betty and St.Olaf stories!  Get yours here:

https://www.delish.com/food-news/a31928956/the-golden-girls-tiki-mugs/?utm_campaign=socialflowFBDEL&utm_medium=social-media&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1keu2bGXsaA30U_9BCQD1sq6eCK_19f26Z0q1RVOH0bhZWuEb3BRNeGBQ

I also saw these things and now I think I need them.

I used to have a hot tub back in the day................and I used it almost every night for years. It was the only place I could relax. And believe me, when my kids were teens, I desperately needed to relax. But that's another whole story....I digress.

I have been missing it lately and this one would fit on my lanai---barely. So, who knows....

I about peed my pants laughing when I listened to this guy. Super funny--the guy sounds just like him. https://twitter.com/i/status/1242515702688485376
Another link: https://god.dailydot.com/jl-cauvin-trump-impression/?fbclid=IwAR1JdVwRPI6IphgVts5nhxcxsplSQVT-3ijwc5zcLlwy4WW_FVVXPV5Dd-Y

This is just what we all need----------------My carb cravings continue..........
https://people.com/food/girl-scout-cookies-are-now-available-for-purchase-online-for-home-delivery/
OH yeah-----  What's your favorite? Mine is Thin Mints.

If this woman could live in a well for 3 years and never bathe, you can easily suck it up and stay in your comfy home..............http://powerfulmind.co/lockdown-whiners-slammed-by-holocaust-survivor-grandma-who-hid-3-years-in-a-well/?fbclid=IwAR0y-ueVTzKe2B7iQuCBepZ5VoziyZ7GeYb3QAlI2Xta1-4qTmW1MMOmCgs

And I'll close with some random facts for your amusement:
There are no mosquitoes in Iceland.
How long do you think the dashed lines on the road are?  Most people are way low when they guess.... the actual distance is 10 feet!


Be safe and take care............until next time....jilly

In Search of OTHER News

Here I am in Florida, self-quarantining, like a good citizen. It's been a few weeks and I'm going a bit crazy! So, what can I do to mitigate that feeling? Go up to the community pool and do a water aerobic workout?  YES! No.................all the people here that have friends and family in Michigan or New York seem to have flown them all here. Are ANY of them doing a 14 day self-quarantine? Ummm. NO!  Instead they sit up at the pool all day, crammed together at one or two tables, eating and drinking like it's just another day in paradise.

I was able to go up there the other day after work and sit down at the opposite end of the pool area from them but between being annoyed at them and listening to the THWACK of a bean bag hitting a wooden board every few seconds (Yes, they turned the shuffleboard court into a CORN HOLE paradise) I was beyond irritated and quite afraid I would snap and start screaming at these fools. So, I haven't been back.

They closed our beaches so that's out of the question. Those EFFING spring break kids would not go home and kept crowding the beaches, ignoring all the rules. What I want to know is where the F are their parents? Why did they allow them to go in the first place? They actually interviewed 2 young women today, looking all dejected because they flew the whole way from Ohio yesterday to enjoy the beaches and  "stuff" and now there is nothing to do, everything is closed.  Again, where are the parents?

Every day lately, I ask myself "are people really that stupid"?  And the answer is YES! Until they shut everything down, there were people packing the bars and restaurants like it was just another day. Yes, most people will not get really sick---but what about the people that have underlying conditions or the elderly? They could easily carry the virus to God knows where. But hey, they need to have a beer and a piece of fish and they COULD NOT WAIT.   Arghhhhhhh.

Alright, rant over........for now.

Ok, I can clean my house. Oh, yeah, I already did that. And cleaned out my closets and on and on. Hmmmmm. I know........................................I'll start writing my travel blog again.  But you are in your home and will continue to be for quite awhile yet.............Yes, I know, but I am sick of corona virus news on 24/7. I am sick of the covidiots that continue to make news for being assholes.  What did we talk about before corona virus?  Do you even remember?
(I am really having this conversation inside my head as I type!)

I want to know what happened to all those vaping issues that were all over the news a few months ago. Have teens stopped dying? Is it safe to vape?  Where are the articles about that?  (please discuss among yourselves)

What's going on in Syria, Iran, Iraq????? Is the violence going on the same as ever? Not one news story to be found.

I'm not really seeing stories about the stock market any longer either. Hmmm. Maybe because there is nothing to brag about to help someone's reelection in November. I looked at my stuff and it was not pretty.
And you know, that $1200 stimulus package is not going to help people that have lost 30% of their portfolio in the last month. Had this country LISTENED to the warnings way back in January, I'm pretty sure a lot of all these problems would be much, much smaller than they are now. Had our leaders taken this seriously and truthfully informed the country............well we all know. And honestly, so many people think this isn't for real or doesn't pertain to them to this day, we are going to hell and no one is driving the handbasket.

Wow, that was dark.   Ok. It gets happier---I promise!

Here is a helpful tip I discovered the other night as I was lamenting the fact that yet another candle has burned it's way to the bottom of the container, yet there was still wax all over the sides. I got creative!  I thought if you could remelt the wax, it would all settle in the bottom of the container and presto, another couple of hours of burn time.

I thought--double boiler---that would work. Except I don't have one. So, I took a large saucepan, put in a few inches of water and inverted my vegetable steamer and put that inside the pan and then put the jar candle on top of that. Turned on the heat and in about 5 minutes. BOOM all the wax melted. I removed from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes, then took the wick out with tongs and when the wax started to set up again, pushed the wick gently back into place.  You would have thought I discovered a cure for this virus--I was that pleased with myself. Walkin' around my place all tall and sassy..........like a damn boss.
Pictures for your enjoyment:

Here is an article on choosing the best bidet. Something most Americans have never even thought of before toilet paper hoarding became a thing:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/16/cnn-underscored/best-bidet/index.html?iid=CNNUnderscoredHPcontainer

Personally, I never even saw a bidet until the first time I went to Italy. The place we stayed had a toilet and a separate bidet. Well, you know I just had to try it out. I have to say, it was a bit odd the first time I used it. But when you think about it--only using toilet paper is sort of gross. I think that is why those adult baby wipes are becoming so popular. We use a moistened wipe to clean our children's behinds, but once you use the toilet---paper only is good enough for you. And we call ourselves a first world nation! HA.

Back to the bidets though. The second time I saw them, I was in Hawaii. My hotel room had a standard looking toilet, but a control panel on the wall that activated some crazy things on/in the toilet. The one thing that was pretty cool, was there was a toilet seat warmer button on the toilet. LOL But there were bidet controls for water pressure, oscillating, front and rear cleansing and a dryer.
Click here for pictures from my blog.

Now onto something completely different:
https://www.cnn.com/videos/travel/2020/03/26/reporter-vs-bison-herd-montana-travel-orig-ch.cnn/video/playlists/cnn-travel-environment-and-conservation/
Just a funny video. The man's eyes.................LOL

A pleasant diversion for art lovers!
Here is a link to a lot of museums offering virtual viewing:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-culture-guide-for-socially-distanced-art-lovers/

That is one of my resolutions when I can get back outside and out and about. To visit the museums that are within a few hours drive of me. Heck, there are a bunch in St. Pete and so far, I've only visited the Dali Museum--which I loved!
Click here for pictures and a summary of my day there with Miss Lindsey.

You either love 'em or hate 'em. 
Personally, I love 'em but only when very stale!
https://www.wfla.com/news/peeps-production-stops-but-easter-is-taken-care-of/

I always enjoy the Peeps Diorama contest every year!  2018 winner!


I like this one too:


Cravings?
So, is anyone else experiencing CARB and SUGAR cravings? I hope it's just not me. I was eating really clean for months and last week started these intense cravings. And the worst thing for me is a Publix right across the street that has a bakery to die for. And even more "disturbing" is that they are so darn friendly, they will split up a box of freshly iced donuts and let you pick just the ones you want. See that pack of fresh cookies we just baked? You don't want a dozen, well yeah I do, but I'm gonna ask for 3............NO PROBLEM And boom, there they are in your cart just waiting for that icy cold glass of milk. Sigh.   Of course I have no pictures to share because I already ATE everything.

And for all you daredevils missing some adrenaline, check this out:
https://youtu.be/DCjTozEeLMI

And finally, I'll leave you with this....................
https://www.facebook.com/MermaidMusings/videos/2817794534981630/?t=8

Peace, tranquility and continued good health to all.     ---We got this!
jilly

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