Friday Night Adult Beverage And Share the Good Things That Have Happened During the Shut-Down

1) because of tomorrow (see #2 below) I picked up some Bells Oberon, Founders Double Trouble, 3 Floyd’s Gumballhead, Murphy’s Irish Stout, and of course a 30 pack of PBR.

2) as a mere 41 year old (I feel old) ... I get to celebrate my 22nd anniversary tomorrow by drinking the aforementioned beers and grilling ribeye and filet mignon for me and the old lady .... she’s 39 but still MY old lady.  Probably some roasted baby red potatoes.  Wanted to do a balsamic rosemary pork tenderloin and a brisket but .... it’s just me and her.  Fuck covid.  We had much more planned but ....

3) I only get to FaceTime my son and daughter tomorrow ... they’re usually involved in our anniversary, and all the food as they request the tenderloin .... but we moved for my job and they’re stuck back in MI so .... sad face

4) with a massive fucking hangover, I get to drink a Bloody Mary, smoke some blue dream, and golf a nice 18 hole course located in Cuyahoga Natl Forest on Easter Sunday.  Win?  Life is good but miss my kids so i’ll call it a draw 

Miller High Life in a tulip glass bc why not?

Fucking nothing. 

1) Drinking water because I have a newborn (3 weeks old) at home and he needs a sober dad. I made broiled chicken with Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes for dinner (and warmed up a bottle of milk for the little nugget).

2) While I could use some assistance from family and friends with a newborn at home, I've been able to focus a lot on the important things in life while quarantined - my relationship with my wife, bonding with my son, and why both make life worth living to its fullest. I know that sounds hokey but it's true.

Also, I undervalued sleep before my son was born, and I now see the folly of my previous cavalier attitude towards sleep.

Traverse City Whiskey Co. Barrel Proof.  Also Virtual whiskey tastings Tuesdays and Wednesdays are a good time. 

Bota box. Drinking the cheap stuff and loading up the wine cabinet for when the wife finally plucks the baby out. We’ll probably be too exhausted to drink most nights anyway, but at least the booze will be there when we want it.

A lot of house projects we’d put up off have now gotten done. New fans, lighting fixtures, doorknobs and hinges. And we’re healthy. That’s all that matters.

Picked up some curbside Heady Topper tonight.  So I got that going for me, which is nice.

Since I’ve been working from home I’ve been able to see our daughter crawl for the first time, cut her first teeth, stand up on her own, and tonight work like a champ to make it up the stairs, all on her own.  Couldn’t be more proud. ?

Marcia Pankratz, ready for that scholarship offer!

Drinking El Segundo Clear AF. My fav right now. Clear IPA—tired of the Murkey stuff.

I live in So Cal—grateful every day I can be outside, even though its raining.

My kids are on their phones. A lot. But—even so, they are the best. I love that they are good humans.

Grateful I am working and relatively stress free personally... also proud that I work for a company who may be one part of an eventual solution to a global crisis.

I’ve gotten to spend pretty much every minute he’s awake with my 2 year old. It makes for very long days but years from now I will be so thankful for this time. 

My son brought home a Hungry Howie's pizza and a Greek salad for me this evening. He works at the shop on Union Lake Rd. It was the first food made in a restaurant that I've had in weeks. I don't even care that it wasn't from a wood fired oven. It was awesome.

Second, the company I work for is a major online retailer and we opened a special Covid-19 supply store so that healthcare facilities, government agencies, and others on the front lines could get what they need to fight the pandemic. We went from concept into production in about a week, which is just incredible. We have gotten a lot of emails from customers in those situations who are extremely grateful for what we have managed to do on their behalf. Actually, it was a privilege for us to do it.

Oberon.

Chicken wings on the grill with a salt and vinegar dry rub on half and Hooters' Thai honey sauce on the other.

I'm debating getting an air fryer soon.

I can't think of anything especially good to come of this crisis, other than my girls talking to each other more. Brother-in-law was furloughed today. We're getting plowable snow on Sunday. I've got a tooth that's killing me, but the dentist won't see me unless it's an "emergency."

Missing the Masters something fierce.

Sipping a New Holland Lake & Trail Copper Ale. Had takeout from a local restaurant as we are trying to support the local small town economy and as a teacher I'm still getting paid and my wife's disability checks haven't stopped. Saving a package of ribs for tomorrow night, as I returned home too late this afternoon from buying groceries for my elderly parents to do the ribs justice.

Good news? My wife's most recent PET scan was extremely positive. Her 91-year-old mother and my mid-80's parents are all still healthy and tolerating their social isolation. I get to recommence teaching next week after effectively a four-week spring break. I got a couple flats of pansies before Menards had to shut that part down, so now I'm getting compliments from all the neighbors who are out walking and, from a distance, meeting each other for the first time. Lots more little things that are positive that I could bore you all with, but life is still good in this household. May yours be as good as mine, or even better!

The duck pen just got it's netting over the top, so there's that.  Looks like I'll be replacing the deck over the next couple of weeks.  The foundation and piers are good good, as are most of the joists and girders.  Might have to replace a girder or joist on the end, where some deck boards are rotting through.  Won't know until I pull the boards off.  The lack of ~2.5-3 hours of commute time has been nice...

Drinking some cheap peach flavored whiskey.  I've heard whiskey is an acquired taste, i've yet to acquire it, hence the flavored variety.

Just trying to get a lot of house work done (new trim, wainscoting, baseboards etc...)  with my time off while I wait for my unemployment checks to start coming in.  Making a lot more progress then I would have working 40 hour weeks.  Unfortunately i'm almost out of lumber and the lumber mill is closed along with everything else.

Left hand milk stout nitro

Chinese food and red wine with some family euchre. 

Picked up a growler, plastic one time use growler, of a beer called Amber has Two Moms.  Light crisp Amber beer.  Pretty good.

1. Black eyed peas

2. got the youngest potty trained

In my cup: Basil Hayden dark rye.

Still have to work, but traffic is fantastic. Get on the freeway leaving work, set my cruise to ~12 over, and 42 minutes later I'm home. Usually takes an hour.