European Soccer back on TV

Like everybody else, the pandemic is "top of mind" 24 x 7 for me. I'm writing to help myself not internalize all of it. You can find other posts in the series at https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/tag/coronavirus.html

This morning brought some normalcy back to my life with European soccer on TV on a Saturday morning. Some silly online quiz said my personality made me a Dortmund fan, so I went with it. They won easily 4-0, something I'm not used to as a Southampton supporter in EPL! It was a little odd at first watching with no fan noise. I could hear the coaches and players yelling, but I couldn't make out what anybody was saying. It was probably an opportunity to learn how to curse in about 12 languages.

I tuned into the #GraduateTogether 2020 special on TV expecting it to be an overly commercial and hokey build up to Obama's commencement address. I was pleasantly surprised in that the entire thing seemed to be produced to trigger Trump, and that it seemed to strike just the right note. Also, I knew none of the musical artists, which suggests they were all hip and relevant to the class of 2020. I was surprised to see the Jonas Brothers featured, however my wife tells me that are popular with the kids.

Obama's speech was spot on. It was short, hopeful, self-depreciating, and didn't ignore the orange elephant in the room. It delivered more warmth, compassion, and yes, hope, in 7 minutes that Trump has managed in 3.5 years. The POTUS Twitter account will be on fire tonight and tomorrow.

We did take out from our favorite local Mexican joint tonight. Right next door is a pub with a little bit of outdoor seating. It was about 50% full, with the chairs from adjacent tables basically touching. The clientèle was exclusively white and middle aged or older. Nobody was wearing a mask. Social distancing simply isn't possible in that space. We have eaten there a couple of times in the past and found the food bland and overpriced. The stack of take out orders awaiting pickup at the Mexican place gives me hope they will survive this.

One small business that won't survive this is my kickboxing gym. They announced today that they won't be re-opening. Stupid virus. I wish I had a basement so I could install a heavy bag and keep it up. It's the most fun I've ever had working out.

Today's musical interlude comes courtesy of fellow Richmond area blogger Jason Kinney. It's a 20 minute live version of Purple Rain, and it's even more fabulous than you are expecting.