REAL COOL STORIES (week ended 3/28/20)
Well, life has become all about COVID-19, so here is my week!
Day 11 (Sunday) – Went for a run in the morning. Watched and bet on some horse races from Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita – not a great betting day. Took a long walk on the beach with my son, daughter-in-law, grandson and her parents. Very nice and super busy at the beach. Many people walking but trying to keep a safe distance. Decided to support a local restaurant and got take-out – pizza and salad. Back to the TV for a couple of episodes of Mindhunter. Total hand wash – 22.
Day 12 (Monday) – Started the day by washing our bed sheets – a weekly Monday morning ritual. Usually, our cleaning lady comes, but we gave her the week off (with pay!). So, the next couple of hours we cleaned the house. I focused on the floors, mopping the hardwood and vacuuming the carpet. My wife cleaned the counter tops and bathrooms. We took a long walk late in the afternoon. The beach was packed! Shortly after we got home, the beaches were closed. Too many people not practicing “social distancing”. Sheesh. Streamed first episode of Big Little Lies and another episode of Mindhunter. Total hand wash – 16.
Day 13 (Tuesday) – Started the day with a long walk (six miles) while not on the beach. Walking and car traffic was very light. Went on a major grocery shopping trip for our son, daughter-in-law and grandson. They are fighting a common cold in their family. Made several phone calls to friends, luckily all good! Decided to take my wife’s car to get gas (she likes to stay above ½ a tank). It was pretty quiet at the Costco gas station – no waiting while the store looked lit. Another short walk later in the day. Did a bit of handicapping of Gulfstream. Back to another episode of Big Little Lies and Mindhunter. The days are starting to have a rhythm. A bit different, but OK. Total hand wash – 17.
Day 14 (Wednesday) – Started the day with a long walk (six miles) in the opposite direction of yesterday’s loop. It was interesting to note things by going a different direction than you typically do. Time to make a few bets on the Gulfstream card. Tough series of mostly maiden (non-winners) races. Went for another later afternoon walk to the grocery store. Ran into a guy that we knew from Florida. Small world indeed. He moved here early in 2020. We attended a Zoom happy hour with local and east coast friends. It was terrific to chat about local impacts of COVID-19. Back to Big Little Lies and Mindhunter. Total hand wash – 16.
Day 15 (Thursday) – Took the long walk (again!) this morning. The days are starting to run together – feels like being in Vegas – don’t know the time, day and having a drink whenever is cool. Bet a little on the ponies. Tried to do some cleaning (not my forte!). Another short walk in the late afternoon. Ate spaghetti for the first time in years. Delicious! Another episode of Big Little Lies and Mindhunter. Total hand wash – 15.
Day 16 (Friday) – Took a long walk on a different route. Ended at CVS and Vons to shop a bit. Also, got a terrific breakfast burrito. Pretty lazy day. Sat outside in the sun for a quite a while. Talked with a lot of family members – mostly in Michigan. All is well for them so far. Late afternoon walk through town was eerily quiet. Got take-out (salad) for dinner. Last episode of Season 1 of Big Little Lies – all I can say is WHOA! Total hand wash – 16.
Day 17 (Saturday) – Took a long walk to start the day – sound familiar? Then, spent a good chunk of the day betting on Gulfstream race – Florida Derby Day. A couple of my degenerate friends joined in the fun. We made many multi-race bets without a lot of success. Still fun to be with the guys (virtually of course!). Had a real nice facetime with our son and daughter-in-law for her birthday. Really enjoyed the time together. Started on Season 2 of Big Little Lies. Another Mindhunter episode. Total hand wash – 17.