Blog day 29 – back to hard work?
Dear fellow captives,
Well celebration over and most boxes ticked. Lovely. Now the inevitable back to work should my commitment and concentration return to pre-lockdown levels.
Goal for today – zoomy time
Have a zoom meeting today so must look vaguely presentable. I am aiming for a semi-recognisable form of pre-lockdown self. To interpret, that means putting on a smart casual top and keeping full casual (in fact downright disgraceful) remainder of the outfit down to slippers. Zoom camera is then carefully adjusted to display upper-half dressing only.
Yes, yes that’s only half the story. Hair and make-up. Okay. Lockdown rules for zoom makeup and hair in the SO house are these:
- hair pulled tight back so creates a mini-facelift and avoids obvious lack of hair cut since December. Does fully display re-growth but that is now obvious in any form of hairstyle;
- keep lighting in room dim so no makeup is required unless the particular zoom meeting is critical (and it would have to an important new client/Court hearing. Not much else fits the critical threshold) or some awful blemish that needs to be hidden. Even then slippers stay on and camera stays upper-half only.
- as soon as zoom meeting is finished, return to pre-zoom state of lack of motivation and easy distraction until guilt overwhelmingly pushes SO to do some work.
Great excitement
So it turns out, big day yesterday. Said husband returns home from gentle bike ride yelling “man down, get the medical kit”. Expecting aortic blood flow, duly dutiful wife gets medical kit to disappointingly, but typically, see a small slice in said husband’s leg from equally poor display of bike skills on a modest (read embarrassingly small) obstacle that husband managed to tackle by flying like superman over his handle bars. Good effort on humiliating yourself in front of teenager number 1. Top marks.
Teenager number 1 also abused for biking down short local bike path. Grumpy elderly man adverse to any form of fun or entertainment swears at and abuses said teenager. Actually the language from the elderly man was quite bad and sufficient for offensive behaviour charge. Teenager did not bike at or near man so no reason for alarm. Luckily teenager dealt with man in mostly respectful manner. No return swearing. But staunchly refuses to give his name or address. Well trained. Grumpy elderly man says he knows people and tries to show teenager contacts in phone of notables he know and will ring and complain to. All lost on teenager. Nice local Dad also using the same bike path comes to rescue and attempts to diffuse elderly man. Somewhat successful but still expect Council or police complaint or both. Lucky I know some lawyers to help!
I offer to teenager for me to walk back to bike path and speak to grumpy elderly man. Swearing is not appropriate and he should let them be. Teenager immediately declares my kind offer to be counter-productive as he says I will get into an argument with the man and “make matters worse”. Husband rudely intervenes and compliments teenager for being so instinctive and insightful about my kind, and now rejected, offer.
How I am the one that comes off worst in that encounter? #no respect or appreciation. But in fairness, I would not have let the man get away with calling said son a “f…… w……”. Not cool.
So after that excitement we are going to have a quiet day. I will let the teenagers slumber on while I pull my upper-half together for the zoom meeting. Husband will continue to limp around the house summonsing sympathy that won’t be forthcoming. And as usual the dog will get all positive attention and love. Another day in paradise!
On that note of positivity, kia kaha, my lovelies, and adieu. Stay safe and remember we have surpassed the first hurdle of 28 days!
The Silky Otter – day 28