Sabra avoided me for about 4 hours after her bath and blowout but got bacon drippings with dinner and all was well with her world again. Last night Todd and I tag-teamed her so we could shave her face and, while she hated it, she looks so much better.

I am proclaiming myself queen of risotto. I made it one night for dinner with a combination of cheddar and Italian cheeses with peas and bacon and OMG. I know it might not sound like the top of your list of ingredients, but it was killer. Better than the asparagus and spinach risotto I made last time.

To that end, we are now out of white wine. Because when one makes risotto, one must finish the bottle one has opened to make it.

Zoom meeting etiquette. For the love of God, don’t forget you’re ON CAMERA and save your eating for after the meeting. No one wants to see an extreme close up of your food and – more importantly – your mouth. (Friends – this was NOT you, FYI. It was an accidental spotting in someone else’s Zoom meeting.) New hashtag #saveyoureatingforafterthemeeting. I can see it now – it’s gonna be the new viral hashtag.

Speaking of mouths, why the hell are the COVID-19 task force members ALWAYS touching their faces during press conferences? Am I the only one who saw Trump rub his nose and touch the same podium that Dr. Fauci later put both hands on?

Lingering feeling of exhaustion over the last three days. The emotional toll of this is soul-sucking. Todd works all day every day, five days a week, and when he isn’t – he’s bored and bordering on depressed. Except Sunday. He moved the cars in the garage and built additional shelving in the back. For what I don’t know, but I can assure you it aint for my overflow.

Todd warned me he was going to burn these old wooden chairs I’ve been holding on to with plans to refinish – since they’ve been sitting under the deck for the last I-don’t-know-how-many months. And later – Opac threatened to throw out the boxes I have stacked in the workout room. WTF? No one appreciates my creative process.

SO, I started stripping the chairs which isn’t as easy as I thought. AND, I can’t buy new fabric or cushions for the foreseeable future. As for O’s threats, Green Drop isn’t picking up so I’m stuck with all the shit I’ve packed up for donation. Maybe Todd will let me put them in the back of the garage….

My hands are actually peeling. PEELING. Between my fingers and now across my palms, that thin layer of skin like the layer that peels after sunburn. I’ve taken my wedding rings off because it was worse under them.

I was banished recently for applying the Body Shop’s British Rose Petal Soft Hand Cream. After a long, crappy day in the office in an uncomfortable chair, apparently Todd had exhausted his infinity stones for the day.

I am currently without makeup. Anyone who knows me, knows I don’t go without makeup. Well, this is a new era. So brace yourselves. I’m also considering an experiment with my hair called – let’s see how long we can go without coloring.

There are honest concerns about the morale around here. Todd is feeling it. Opac is feeling it. And Sunday – I met Veruca and her dad with some supplies and school notebooks she needed – and when I hugged her…. you know that feeling when someone is hugging you as hard as you’re hugging them and you just know you’re both crying? Yeah. Fuck you, Coronavirus.

When is this going to end? Nobody really knows.

Meantime, working from home was bumpy for my first day yesterday. There are SO MANY things we have to download and activate for access to be able to do our jobs. However, I managed and in retrospect it was actually pretty awesome. It’s amazing what we’ve been able to do in this short period of time.

Finally, is there a term for stress drinking? Asking for a friend.

And also, a shout out to the stretchy pants I still own. You are saving my life, ya’ll. Another pair of work pants have failed the button-up challenge.

*******

Mental Health: 7

Physical Health: 7 (had to have a nap after work yesterday – felt exhausted)

Paper Supplies: 10 (I thought we were out of paper towels and I went in the closet to get another roll and found a trash bag filled with them! —-They were from my in-laws who were here a couple weeks ago and dropped them off.)

Alcohol: 6 (four bottles of wine down, and Luksusowa is lower than half full)

Books read: Pachinko (currently reading)

Today’s T-shirt: Since last posting: navy blue with white cassette tape image on front (was made for him by one of his students), plain black t-shirt, ACDC, his college t-shirt, and today – Chesapeake Inn.

And Sabra has requested I add this:

Puppy Treats: 5 (we are dangerously low on cookies and there are fewer than a week’s worth of Greenies. Status of Pupperoni remains stable for now.)

*******

With no further explanation I offer these random tidbits:

In 1978, two men stole Charlie Chaplin’s body for $600k ransom.

Africa, the world’s second largest continent with 11.73 million square miles, is the only one with land in all four hemispheres.

Asia is the largest continent, with about 2,300 different languages spoken. An estimated 2,000 are spoken in Africa.

Louie Louie was the subject of a 31-month-long FBI investigation due to allegations of profanity and graphic depiction of a sexual encounter between a Jamaican sailor and his lover. The song had been banned by many radio stations and the Governor prohibited it in the state of Indiana.

The Parental Advisory sticker on music today was born of the Parents Music Resource Center, cofounded by Tipper Gore. She was reportedly motivated by Prince’s Darling Nikki after finding her 11-year-old daughter listening to it.