We’d be seeing friends and family more often and going out on weekends.

I’d probably be visiting friends in Billings right about now.

I was supposed to be in Colorado this week to see David Gray at Red Rocks, and then go hiking in the Rockies. That has been postponed to July 2021.

About the same thing as I usually spend most of my summers indoors, prepping for Fall classes.

The Fall is where it’ll be really different.

I’d be going out to some live outdoor concerts.

Hiking everyday and taking photographs, rent a car and go even out further.

Riding in the Jeep with my girl at this very moment. She’s in the U.S. and is about to go for a Jeep ride. I’d be right beside her.

Thursday nights at the local bar/grill, sitting outside on the patio listening to live music and playing board games. Bonfires with the neighbors on the weekend. Maybe another block party to meet all the new people that have moved in.

I’m not really a people person, so not all that much would’ve been different, but there are changes. I’m still going hiking and going for bike rides like I normally would, though I’m traveling less (might make a day trip to a national park or the beach, which aren’t options right now). I also often used weekends to visit a friend and that’s not happening either, not with the same frequency.

I’d be in NY getting a tattoo for my birthday.

Same shit. But without a mask.

I would be planning to attend the Hot Jazz Jubilee at the Hilton for my 45th wedding anniversary, Labor Day weekend, but the jubilee got cancelled.
As an alternative, the Ragtime Festival in Sutter Creek is still on, August 15, so we are having our celebration there.

I was supposed to be in Hawaii now.

@LuckyGuy Waiting for Douglas?

I’d be wearing all my cute, summer dresses and skirts. Because I have nowhere to go, I hang out in shorts and my Red Sox and Nationals t-shirts. Hey, come to think of it, that’s not a bad thing!

Nothing different. Maybe more group meetings.

I’d have had several doctor’s appointment and a dental appointment.

Possibly I’d be in Tennessee rather than Florida. If I was in Tennessee I guess I’d be setting up a new house and going to zumba a few times week maybe if I joined a gym.

In Florida I’d be dancing at night with friends, going out for breakfast lunch or dinner 2–3 times a week, going to discussion groups in person, taking 3–4 zumba classes a week, performing with my folk dancing group. Fun every day.

Hopefully dinner and a show. I miss the simple things like that a lot.

Not much different maybe eating out more, this covid has cut our eating out to almost nothing, since March have only had a couple of take out pizzas that’s it.

I might be at one of the several concerts I had planned to attend, that were cancelled. I might be at a friends house, in another city. I might be eating in a restaurant. I might be shopping in a number of different stores. I would probably be helping several friends with projects, dog walking, babysitting, gardening, house cleaning etc. I would probably be walking with two friends at the beach. I would have been able to hug my family members who are moving to another state tomorrow. I would either be camping, or planning a camping trip, and I likely would be planning, and doing, my Christmas shopping. Pretty sure Christmas is cancelled for this year.

This is sort of related. But it is Saturday and I want to tell a story. A story of supreme greed and stupidity. And how to totally fuck up a good thing in these covid times.

My sisters twins moved out about a month before the first case of covid hit Washington. My sister lost her shit. It was just me and my sister floating around a 4K square foot house. Her husband was working out of state and I mostly dork around in the basement. My sister had some serious empty nest shit going on. She got a new puppy to add to the two dogs she already has. And a new kitten to add to the four cats. She was desperately lonely.

She still was making dinner like everyone was still around. Five pounds of ground beef on taco night. Even though nearly all of it would go bad. It was kinda sad to watch her empty nest drama.

Enter Cassandra.

A “gutter punk” my sister knew in high school 25 years ago that has decided to never grow up. And she needed a place to crash while she got back on he feet. Perfect. We have two furnished bedrooms that the twins just vacated. Cassandra can live here for free!!! Forever.

Cassandra is a drunk.. And that means a lot coming from me. And she dragged my sister down into morning vodka instead of coffee. You know it is bad when I give my sister shit about her drinking.

Cassandra had it so easy. Lovely house, free internet and tv, free booze and food.

One fucking rule once the covid thing rolled around. No bars or parties. She just had to sit around here drinking free vodka and eating free burritos. The fucking horror.

I am dealing with cancer and my meds have compromised my immune system. If I get covid I will die. So one rule. Stay the fuck home and drink on the porch.

But Cassandra came across some money. And decided to go out to a bar and post pictures of herself partying with her arms all around people on facebook.

My sister saw these pictures and sent her a message that was something like “Come home now or don’t come back”.

So in the morning Cassandra sent my sister a text that said “I think I made a mistake”. My sister replied with, “Your stuff is on the porch”.

One fucking rule. One simple rule.

Eating at a certain Chinese Buffet, The Red Sun.

It scares me to think that the endless variety all-you-can-eat buffets are probably to be no more.

@Yellowdog I used to love buffets. Now when I think about it I cringe.I would be surprised if they survive. I’m pretty sure my buffet days are over regardless.

@johnpowell Thank goodness your sister stuck to her guns.

The drunks here are the worst of everyone. We have plenty of people who are covid deniers, but the ones who drink are constantly congregating in large groups.

You’re a great story teller.

Training and racing with my canoe club.

My weekends are not boring but they’re not what they used to be pre-Covid. I might be at the movies, pre-Covid, and I did enjoy shopping without a mask on.

My week days now in the summer of 2020 are way more relaxed as I’m only in the office for a few hours per week, as are the majority of employees where i work. I am more relaxed and have more time for doing typical summer things, like swimming and spending time with friends. I have a small group of friends who I have been seeing since March, so it’s not like we’re socializing all over the place. On any other summer day pre-Covid, I’d be rushing to get my daughter to camp in the morning, then rushing to work, extra stressed because of the longer commute. Then after work I would be picking her up, taking her home, she’d have to get in the shower and the clothes would have to be washed, and then we’d have to get ready for the next day. It was very rushed and very hectic, and this summer it’s a whole lot nicer. She’s not in camp. I’m saving a lot of money not putting her in camp (camp is closed), and we’re have a more relaxed time without that daily routine.

Changing jobs. Joining Black Lives Matter marches.

Floats, new fall wardrobe, lots of family and friend bbq’s, concerts, etc… I’m so over all this.

Going to the movies more often

@anniereborn y’know, I’m not even afraid of eating from a buffet, though I know its extremely risky. Perhaps even foolish;.

What I hate the most is, they will not likely ever be available again—

Several all-you-can-eat buffets I would eat at several times a year—were not that expensive, and the variety was incredible. My favorites were Chinese which would usually have generous offerings of other Asian foods. The all-you-can-eat status was not necessarily a ‘fat boy’ thing, either —it was more like you could get a wide variety of foods one cannot even name or find on a menu, but can usually identify by sight.flavors and textures and combinations I will always remember but never know how to order, and cannot order together.

Then, there were truck-stops and 24-hour buffets where you could eat even at three and four in the morning.

There will never be a safe way to do this again (was there ever?), nor will they even be available.

Church potlucks and dinners are probably a thing of the past also.

I’m pretty sure our Golden Corrals are open here. I think now the employees serve you everything, I’m not exactly sure how it works and I don’t know if it is still all you can eat.

When I took a cruise several years ago the buffet was served by employees only the first 2 days and then it switched over to passengers being allowed to do it themselves to prevent outbreaks on board. Same idea.

They’ll give you a small-to-medium portion and say, “that IS all you can eat.”

I’d be fishing, in the cooler parts of the swamps. Fishing from mm shore, by my favorite beach bar, and cooking up my catch, in the bar.
Going to cookouts, and house parties.
Meeting girls.
Working more…
Probably still have a gym membership…
Going to farmer’s markets, and festivals.
Living much happier.

I’d hug my Mom…. Haven’t done that, in 4 months….

I wouldn’t be wondering if they have homeless shelters here.

No, it won’t. There’s been viruses before this one that were more deadly. This one is just hitting the media more than it really needs to be. It’s a bit much, but I understand the need for caution.

House goes up on the market on Monday. I bought it 21 years ago.
Damnit. If I’m going down in flames after all these hard working, back breaking, soul crushingnyears it’s going to be a controlled burn on MY terms.

@Dutchess_lll: Where are you going when you sell your house?

Well there are some cozy little apartments for Seniors in the town my son and 4 of my grandkids live in. Rent is based on income.
Or, of course, we have our new giant camper! We could just go camping for the rest of our lives.

Both sound like a good option, @Dutchess_lll. Do the apartments allow dogs?

Uhhhh….IDK! Good question.

I met some folks on a cruise one time that were retired on the cruise lines. They literally lived on cruise ships and that was their retirement homes. It was just as cheap as owning your own place or renting, paying bills, etc. And they had medical care on board as well, all included in the price.

^^^^^ I’ve heard that rumor.

I may have answered the wrong question by mistake or read it wrong, with my above answer. However, if Covid 19 never happened, I’d be doing my swimming at the public, which is sadly closed.

Pools around here are open.

Yeah but we are only in phase 2 of our reopening for WA state. We have to be in 3, for pools to be open to 50% capacity, and sadly our governor keeps extending it where we can’t advance to the next phase. I understand it though.

I’d be going into town for dinner—we have a fantastic cafeteria. I’d go to the movies occasionally and to Target and Marshall’s. Just ordinary things that are now no fun since they frighten me!