Drive Thru

I did something yesterday that I don't think I've ever done before.  I got a McDonald's meal via drive thru.  I think I've had a McDonald's breakfast at an airport within the last 5-10 years, but I haven't had a proper meal from there for ever so long.  But I had an unexpected craving to get something from there.  Maybe not so unexpected, because I have been listening to the Doughboys podcast regularly which for the last month has been doing a Tournament of Chompions featuring the McDonald's menu.  And since a lot of the fast food places round here have drive thrus, a preference at the moment, what the hell I went for it.  And although the burger itself was nothing special, I forgot how good the fries are from there.  That was satisfying.       

Flashing the Cash

I was cleaning the inside of my car, and getting frustrated at how ineffective my car vacuum cleaner was.  So what did I do?  Yes, I ordered a cordless Dyson. Oh la la - what extravagance. 

Dark Phoenix

Time for another film review. For some reason I had recorded X-Men: Dark Phoenix on my DVR a little while ago, so I decided to finally get around to watching it last night.  This despite it being an X-Men movie - a franchise that I don't care much for, consisting of a series of films that run the gamut from mediocre to middling, yet which I seem to have watched most of if not all of (which is more than I can say about than the Star Wars franchise).  And my expectations were not exactly sky high - this film had a really poor Rotten Tomato rating.  So what did I think?  Yep, this film is definitely in the same spectrum as most of the other X-Men movies - nowhere near as good as Logan, which is probably the best of a bad bunch, but not as bad as the worse (X-Men: Apocalypse?).  Which is probably better than I expected.  It was very blah, very forgettable, not very long (probably for the best) and about as basic as it comes - the kind of film you watch with half your brain cells switched off.  Maybe that makes it perfect for a Saturday night film.  But not for me, and much like every other X-Men movie I'll never watch it again.  2 stars.     

Walking Etiquette

I'm doing a lot of walking round my neighborhood in these end of days.  So are a lot of other people.  And sometimes maintaining the 6 foot recommended social distancing is not possible.  There are a lot of roads without sidewalks (pavements) in my neighborhood, so my preference is to walk on the left hand side so that I face oncoming traffic.  However, it seems that most other walkers tend to prefer to walk on the right hand side with the flow of the traffic.  I'm not sure which is correct (mine seems more sensible).  However, I have accidentally discovered a quick way to get other people to cross over to the other side of the road and out of my way.  Cough.  That gets people to avoid me in a hurry! 

Supermarket Status

An early morning entry, because I've just come back from the supermarket (I was there at 7.45 am!) and I have a few comments.  Firstly, I need to start wearing gloves when I go.  I noticed a lot of people were doing that, and it seemed like a sensible precaution.  However, I also noticed that a lot more people are wearing face masks and I'm not prepared to do that until I have to.  I know the US administration have been considering whether to make people wear face masks whenever they go outdoors - but I don't know whether it is necessary.  The science is extremely questionable about whether they make a difference, and just from a morale point of view it just makes things seems so very real and so very apocalyptic.  Like we're living in a nuclear fallout or something.  Scary.  But I did check yesterday, and I do actually own a face mask so I have one if I need it.  Also, I've been going to different supermarkets in the vicinity and this one was by far the best.  Was able to get everything I wanted without problems, and was even able to get things I didn't need - like toilet paper.  Yes, in classic panic buying style I bought some toilet paper even though I didn't need it.  But it was the brand I normally get, and there was a limit to how much you could get so I thought what the hell.  Even as early as it was, the place was quite busy - so you wonder how long all the shelves will remain stocked for - so I think I will continue to go shopping early.  Strange times indeed.       

Binging Status

Finished the first season of Evil, a network series in the vein of X-Files, but more religion vs. science, and more middling in quality.  Now working my way through The Outsider, an HBO series definitely more on the quality side (the most recognizable actor got killed off at the start of the 2nd episode - a good sign) - so far it's predominantly procedural, but since it's a Stephen King adaptation you know it's going to get supernatural quickly.  Then it will be time to attack the ongoing series currently being recorded on my DVR: Westworld, The Plot Against America, Better Call Saul, Dispatches From Elsewhere, Briarpatch.  That is still a lot of hours of shows to get through.  Sooner or later, we are going to hit a vacuum of no original programming - and if there is still no sports on by then, this is when things are going to get tough and I'm going to have to work through my DVR/Blu Ray collection.  Good job that is quite extensive.   

Census Day

Today was Census Day in the US - which is the day when everyone in every household should be counted.  I think I filled mine in online a few weeks ago - which took all of 5 minutes.  I know there was lots of controversy about whether they were going to include a question about the citizenship status of everyone, but I guess they decided to exclude it.  I'm sure there was "no" chance that the private information wouldn't have somehow got to ICE.  I don't think the census is a high priority for many people right now, so I don't imagine the completion rate is very high.  The literature that came in the mail about it made clear that everyone is federally mandated to provide the information, but I don't know if and how they are going to enforce that - especially in light of the current environment.  It's not like you can send someone round to collect the information door-to-door.