Coronavirus Quarantine Diary: Day 34, Entry Ten, A Routine Writing on My Daily Routine

Me prepared for my daily walk.

Despite the quarantine and the fact that I'm not working I still set the alarm. Of course I no longer avail myself of an alarm clock. My iPhone suffices. (I also use my iPhone in lieu of a camera and cam corder and watch and a large hardbound dictionary and fold-up maps. It also serves as a place to check Instagram and twitter, breaking news and sports scores). Setting my alarm assures that I do not sleep too late and get a late start to my day. It also fosters discipline. I need to maintain self-discipline because I've got a lot to do. Yes, I'm unemployed, home bound and yet busy. Always things to do.

One of my projects has been curating this blog. I've been re-reading every post from the 12 years this blog has existed. As I am at times prolific, this is a big job. To date I've made it through just over eight years. I aim to finish by the end of this month. One thing I've been doing is adding labels to many of my posts. This has also entailed altering some labels, adding many and subtracting a few. The blog not only records my impressions of life these past dozen years (with many more to come, I hope) but includes a lot of short stories and a lot of personal and family history. I've also documented my struggles with depression and panic attacks. There are humor pieces aplenty, though other should judge just how humorous they are.

In editing my blog I've mostly been changing its to it's. There is an occasional their where a there should be or a there where a they're is required. Even some excepts replacing accepts. Many commas have gone missing and need replacing. There are instances of excess verbiage so I've done a bit of trimming but have also tried not to re-write posts -- except for clarity -- as I want posts to reflect my mood at the time of writing. I've also been doing some formatting, particularly with pictures and quotes at the top of posts, which is mostly a matter of closing gaps and being consistent in the way quotes are formatted. (Quotes should be in italics followed by a double dash, then the "from source by author" in regular type except that the name of the source -- usually a book, poem or song -- which should be in bold letters.)

I've also had to make the call on which posts garner the "favorite posts" label. I've added a quite a few new ones to this category and when I'm done I'm going to cull the list. I've got just over 100 now and should try to pare that down to...well, I'm not sure. Maybe 50 is unrealistic, perhaps around 75. Favorite posts are simply the ones I deem my best work. It wouldn't do to have too many. It would be like over crowding the Hall of Fame.

A year ago I started copying and pasting my fiction into a folder titled short stories. My aim is to someday publish them in a collection. Initially I only included the very best stories but have become much more democratic on that count including merely adequate stories that I believe can later be revised into absolute pearls. One hopes.

In addition to the blog I've got novel number two to work on although I've only been pecking away at recently more focused on the requisite research. So each day has to include a minimal amount of reading. Each day also has to include watching a film. Weekends I'll watch two or three movies. I've got to keep up. I've got over 240 films as part of my extensive DVD collection and they aren't there just to look good. There's also my queue on the Criterion Collection, plus Netflix sends me two DVDs a week. Amazon and Hulu and the TV also provide more viewing opportunities. Given all his my average of ten movies a week barely suffices. No. No, it doesn't suffice.

But I've also got to get in my walks, stretching and a bit of exercise. Nothing is going to make up for the gym not being open but I'm doing the best I can.

I also have to keep up with the news no matter the circumstances, but when there's a pandemic, it's especially important.

Some days I'm slowed by depression but if I've got strict routine it's easier to power through it. So far the depression hasn't been either more frequent or more pronounced than pre-pandemic but that could change. These days everything is subject to change.

Last but not least I'm in quarantine with two of my favorite people: wife and oldest daughter. The latter is busy with her studies so mostly it's the missus who's stuck with me. Fortunately we enjoy one another's company enormously (I know, what does she see in me?) and can yak about this or that for hour on end. Oh, and we've also got a few shows we watch together: Better Call Saul, The Plot Against America, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (all three ending next week!) The Last O.G. A Late Show With Stephen Colbert and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

I've been seeing fewer people on my walks and one and all seem more determined to keep their six feet of social distance and usually opt for more. My last few walks I didn't come within 12 feet of anyone. Who ever imagined that this would be a thing? I've also taken to wearing a mask -- see photo above.

I sill miss having sports as a distraction and the immediate future in that regards looks mighty bleak. I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that neither I nor anyone else from the general public will be going to Cal football games this coming Fall. This one hurts mightily as it is one of my favorite things to do in the whole world and has been a rich part of my life for most of the last 55 years and all of the last 38. And that this comes when Cal was (is?) likely headed for its best season in 14 years -- by objective standards -- makes it all the worse. (Why couldn't the 2013 season been obliterated?)

But I keep showing up. There's no other way. There have been days in which I've wanted to just lay in bed and do as close to nothing as humanly possible but there's a large part of my make up that won't let that happen. I thank my dad for instilling in me the spirit of survival and determination in the face of any all setbacks and obstacles. He was a paragon and I miss him still these 12 years since his death.

I got a comment on my last blog post suggesting that I must be "an excellent teacher." I replied that despite failings in many areas I am a "pretty good teacher." I wish I hadn't said that. I still may teach yet and I don't need to be labeling myself one way or the other. It's a bad practice. Better to say that I'm a dedicated, hard-working teacher who has earned praise from students. These are empirical facts and motivate me to continue to improve. Whether I'm a poor, okay, good, pretty good, excellent or outstanding teacher is for others to say. I've written about this before.

Time I wrapped this up. I've got a movie to watch and some reading to do and the dishes need my attention and I've barely yakked with the wife yet today. Busy times.