Lockdown Diary - Monday 22nd June 2020

A normal week after a week's leave, so I attempted to get out of bed at a sensible time (sensible being debatable), namely 6:30am. Actually, that's not sensible, but it is when I got up.  Tomorrow I'll have to do the same as it's back to work, though starting work will be delayed because tomorrow morning will be dominated by a trip to hospital for my pre-op assessment, part 2.

Today is my first day of complete self-isolation. No going out for any reason, not even exercise. If anyone comes to the house I have to stay away and wear a mask. Wearing a mask in my own home, damn it! This has to last from now until 6th July when the operation is due to take place.  At the moment that seems a long way off and it feels like it will be a struggle getting there.

At least I can carry on with yoga. Did my usual 75 minutes on a Monday, which went pretty well, despite yesterday's exertions.

Calls to make to my GP and two departments at the hospital not to mention lots of fun with this week's online shopping order, necessitating a couple of phone calls to them, before it was finally resolved.

Not wanting to waste my last day before returning to work, I watched the last two lessons in The Idler course, 'The Science of Psychedelics'.  Great course, really interesting and makes me want to read some more, at the very least.  Next course I'm going to do is 'An Introduction to Anarchism', which looks interesting and is also quite short.

I've also finished the 'Nestor' chapter of 'Ulysses' - I'm now at the start of chapter 3, 'Proteus'.  The first two chapters are a breeze, but things start ramping up now.  I also found time to read some more of 'The Binding': I'm now about 40 pages from the end and I just need to make a concerted effort to finish it.  

Tonight the book club crew are having an impromptu meeting, just to catch up - no books to be discussed - seems like a good thing to do especially as I can't see anyone outside the house and hospital for two weeks now. Not only that, I won't be at the next book club meet to discuss 'The Binding' as I'll hopefully be recovering from the anaesthetic at that time. Apart from all this reading and video-watching, I have done a bunch of boring chores, but they were so boring that's more of a mention than they deserve. 

In the time between the last carer call and the book club meet I managed to finish, 'The Binding', which I was glad to do. If I hadn't finished it today, I may not have done, for reasons that'll have to wait until after I 'publish' a review after 6th July.

Enjoyable catch up with a select bunch of 'Quarantined Critics', though drug-induced tiredness began to kick in towards the end, which neatly coincided with the time people wanted to leave.  Until the next one.

Back to old favourites Saint Etienne with 'After Hebden' from their album 'Home Counties' which, I am surprised to find, came out in 2017!!!


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