Captain's Log - Day 45

Captain’s Log – Day 45

Hello Friends –

How are you doing these days? Does anyone else feel like they are living in a never ending episode of the Twilight Zone or a dark version of Ground Hog Day?

I’ve been doing my best to stay positive, look on the bright side and find any and all silver linings but it has been difficult. The hits just keep coming and we don’t have any idea when or how it will end and what life will look like post-pandemic. As hard as things may be for us, I know there are many more people dealing with harder struggles than ours so I’m doing my best to be thankful for all our blessings no matter how small or insignificant they may seem in the grand scheme of things. I’ve been frustrated with some friends and family members who have been taking unnecessary risks by going out and getting together when they don’t have to but I need to keep reminding myself that I cannot control what anyone else does so I just continue to remind them to be safe and try to convince them to stay home and not take any unnecessary risks.

I know many people who think this virus has been blown out of proportion but when it hits close to home and someone you know and love is being put in hospice or struggling to take their next breath, it hits exceptionally hard. This pandemic is no joke but finding something to laugh about can certainly help keep us healthy and sane. After all, laughter can be very good medicine, right?

I’m so grateful to all of those on the front lines including my brother-in-law and my cousin. My BIL is pictured here keeping spirits up by playing the hospital piano while waiting for his next anesthesia patient. I strongly believe in the power of music and how it can help heal and comfort us. Is it a coincidence that “Sweet Caroline” just started playing as I was typing this? I’m certainly looking forward to the day when I can shout “so good, so good, so good” at a Red Sox game again. I always have music playing and I’ve been thinking of trying to organize a virtual dance party with friends. What else do we have to do?



My cousin is working the front lines in the ICU. She is the most positive ray of sunshine I have ever known. No matter how hard her days may be, she always seems to have a smile on her face. Even if you can’t see her beautiful smile here because she has her mask on, you can clearly see her smiling eyes (or “smize” as Tyra likes to call it).



I can only imagine what they have seen and had to do over the past couple of months. I pray they and everyone else working the front lines stay healthy and safe and I pray the same for all of you.

Take care my friends. Stay home and stay safe.

Physically distant but socially engaged,

~ MB

Captain’s Log – Day 44 - Star Date 04.29.2020 – Wordless Wednesday – Then and Now

Captain’s Log – Day 44 - Star Date 04.29.2020 – Wordless Wednesday – Then and Now

Physically distant but socially engaged,
~ MB

Captain’s Log – Day 43 – Who am I?

Captain’s Log – Day 43 – Who am I?

Hello Friends –

I hope all is well with you and you are staying strong, home, healthy and safe.

It has been fascinating to learn new things about our coworkers, friends and family through all this social distancing and the need for video conference calls from home. We have been able to get a small glimpse into people’s homes where we get to see their pets, kids, spouses and decor. We’ve been forced to get back to basics and, for better or worse, we’re beginning to see some people’s true colors (and some people’s true hair color).

Our office staff recently played a game of “Who am I” where we disclosed two interesting facts about ourselves to one person and then everyone else had to guess who that person was. These were things we never would have known if it weren’t for our current situation. Who knew we work with someone who ran with the bulls, someone who’s gone night diving, or someone who’s a serious gamer? It was all very interesting and we had so lots of fun learning more about each other.

Lately I’ve been feeling like a character from an 80’s movie who famously said “I want to wear my sandals. I want to go out to lunch. I want to be NORMAL again!” I’ve been repeating this line over and over again for the past month or so.

I thought it would be interesting to see who knows who said it and what movie it’s from.

Quote: “Oh, okay I took my life in my own hands, I made a mistake, fine I'm sorry! I'll never do it again! I want to wear my sandals. I want to go out to lunch. I want to be NORMAL again!”

Who am I?



Are there any interesting facts about you that people may not know? Please feel free to share.

I hope you have a great day. Take care, stay home and stay safe.

Physically distant but socially engaged,
~ MB

Captain’s Log – Day 42

Captain’s Log – Day 42

Hello Friends –

I hope you all had a great weekend and found some time to relax and unwind from the stress of the work week. Our calendars that were once filled are now blank or full of crossed-out/cancelled events. They are just sitting there waiting for the day we can start filling them up again. We’ve got nowhere to be other than right where we are in this moment so we might as well get settled in.

I’ve been seeing things in a whole new light these days. Ordinary beauty is all around us and is just waiting to be seen and appreciated. I certainly get some funny looks when I point my camera in a direction nobody tends to look. I’ll point it to the sky to capture treetops, clouds or the tops of buildings or I’ll point it at the fruit and vegetable section of the grocery store (not lately). Some people will stop and ask what I’m taking a picture of and then shake their head when I tell them. For years I was obsessed with macro photography because it made me look much closer at this big world of ours. I seem to focus on some of those everyday things we don’t even take notice of anymore. The things that are always there until they’re not. It’s like a telephone booth or a rotary phone - they used to be everywhere but now it’s a rare sighting. What’s next?

This is an ideal time for us to take in our surroundings with fresh eyes. If you live with others, really look them in the eye, notice the details of their face and memorize the sound of their voice. If you live alone, look in the mirror or pay close attention on your next video chat with friends/family and look at those details. Take a walk around your house. Soak in all the beautifully flawed spaces and appreciate the fact that you have a safe place to take shelter. There is so much to be thankful for even while our thoughts tend to be consumed by all the things we are missing out on. Life is full of wonder but it’s not usually the big moments, the “what’s next” longings or the “if only” moments. It’s in the right here and now. This ordinary everyday life that’s right smack dab in front of us. This is it.

I’m doing my best to appreciate all that we have to get us through these tough times while we wait for this danger to pass. Until then, we just wait.

The waiting is the hardest part

Every day you get one more yard

You take it on faith, you take it to the heart

The waiting is the hardest part

Oh don't let it kill you baby, don't let it get to you

Don't let it kill you baby, don't let it get to you

I'll be your bleedin' heart, I'll be your cryin' fool

Don't let this go too far

Don't let it get to you

~ Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Take care, stay home and stay safe.

Physically distant but socially engaged,
~ MB

Captain’s Log – Day 39

Captain’s Log – Day 39

Happy Friday My Friends!

Wooohooo! We’ve almost made it through another work from home week.

I was going a bit stir crazy yesterday so Bill and I took a road trip to Boston after I clocked out of work. It took less than 7 minutes to get from my house to the Public Garden. It would normally take well over an hour to get there during rush hour. Silver linings everywhere.

Spring has certainly sprung on the blue blood streets of Boston. The tulips in the Public Garden have been planted but they have not fully bloomed yet. The trees are budding and the willows look beautiful but it’s not “peak” spring foliage just yet. Maybe next week.

It was very strange to stand in the middle of Boylston Street and St. James Avenue during rush hour and not worry about getting run over. I definitely got an eerie feeling walking around our neighborhood that is usually hustling and bustling with activity at that time of day.

Here are a few of the pictures I took on my walk through the park yesterday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last photo was taken through my windshield so it’s not great quality but I wanted to show you all how empty the streets are these days.

I hope you have a great weekend. Take care and stay safe out there.

Physically distant but socially engaged,
~ MB

Captain’s Log – Day 38 – Keep Calm and Carry On

Captain’s Log – Day 38 – Keep Calm and Carry On

Greetings Comrades – 

How’s everyone doing today? I hope all is well in your area of isolation.

“Keep Calm and Carry On" is to Brits what "I heart NY" is to New Yorkers. The phrase is plastered on every printable surface and remixed thousands of ways. If you bring it up with a Brit, you'll likely be met with an eye-roll much the same way a Bostonian may roll their eyes when a tourist asks if they can “pahk their cah in Hahvahd yahd.”

The Keep Calm and Carry On poster was originally commissioned in 1939 by the temporary Ministry of Information in England, following the printing of two other inspirational posters stating "Freedom Is In Peril. Defend It With All Your Might" and "Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory." It was intended to be used to strengthen morale in the event of a large-scale attack or occupation, which many considered inevitable at the time. Though more than a million of these posters were originally commissioned, after the war ended they were kept in storage where most were destroyed.



In 2000, Stuart and Mary Manley found the poster folded at the bottom of a box of old books they purchased at an auction for their bookshop. Not knowing its origins, the couple had it framed and hung it in the shop, where they began selling prints of it the following year. Since then, many have used it to encourage people to Keep Calm and “X”. I know many of us are struggling to keep calm these days but calm also has a coefficient.

Here's what Seth Godin recently said about it:

“Panic loves company. And yet calm is our practical, efficient, rational alternative. If you’re on a crowded plane and one person is freaking out about turbulence, the panic will eventually peter out. If, on the other hand, six people are freaking out, it’s entirely possible that it will spread and overtake the rest of the plane. Panic needs multiple nodes to spread.

The same is true with a cabin of 10-year-olds at summer camp. One homesick kid usually comes around and ends up enjoying the summer, because being surrounded by others who are okay makes us okay. But three or four homesick kids can change the entire dynamic.

While calm is a damping agent, it’s not nearly as effective at spreading itself as panic is. The library is usually a quiet place because the dominant cultural narrative in the library is to be quiet. Because it’s dominant, the coefficient of its spread is sufficient to keep it that way. We have to expend effort to create environments of calm, because calm has a coefficient that can’t compete with panic when it comes to spreading.

And Twitter? Twitter has been engineered to maximize panic. Calm is penalized, panic is amplified. And if you are hanging out in real life with people who spend a lot of time on social media and news sites, you’ve invited all of those people into your circle as well.

We can find lots of reasons why fifty years of watching just three dominant TV networks wasn’t ideal. But the combination of oligopoly and the FCC meant that none of them spread panic. They weren’t built for it. When cable “news” showed up, they discovered that panic was a great way to make a profit. Not to make things better, simply to spread anger and fear. If panic is helpful, of course you should bring it on. But it rarely is.

Instead:
Curate your incoming.
Stay off Twitter.
Do the work instead. Whatever needs doing most is better than panic.
Being up-to-date on the news is a trap and a scam. Five minutes a day is all you need.”

Keep Calm and Isolate On because Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory
Take care, stay home and stay safe.

Physically distant but socially engaged,
~ MB

Captain’s Log – Day 37

Captain’s Log – Day 37

Happy Administrative Professionals Day to all my fellow admins! It was so nice getting to see some of your faces on our zoom meeting this morning. I’m looking forward to seeing you again IRL someday soon.

Happy Hump Day and Happy Earth Day to everyone else. One of the few positives to come out of all this madness is the gift to our environment. Air quality has improved significantly in many cities around the world since there are so few cars out on the road and many factories have stopped their pollution production. It just goes to show how much damage we do and how we really could make things better by changing some of our ways.

In honor of Earth Day, we should all try to be like a tree:

-Stand tall and proud
-Go out on a limb
-Remember your roots
-Drink plenty of water
-Be content with your natural beauty
-Enjoy the view!









So, how did you do on the Rebus Puzzle? Were you able to get them all?

Spoiler Alert! Below the puzzle are the answers I got. I’d be interested to know if you got something different.



1. Sandbox
2. Man Overboard
3. I understand
4. Reading Between the Lines
5. Long Underwear
6. Crossroads
7. Downtown
8. Tricycle
9. Split Level
10. Three degrees below zero
11. Neon Lights
12. Under Eye Circles
13. High Chair
14. Pair of dice
15. Touchdown
16. Five feet underground (I think this should have been 6 feet)
17. Mind Over Matter
18. He’s beside himself
19. A Backwards Glance
20. Life After Death
21. G.I. overseas
22. Space Program
23. See-through blouse
24. Just Between You and Me

Thanks for playing along.

I hope you all have a great day!

Take care, stay home and stay safe.

Physically distant but socially engaged,
~MB

Captain’s Log – Day 36 – All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy

Captain’s Log – Day 36 – All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy

Hello My Friends,

How’s everyone doing today? I hope you are well and have everything you need to get you through the days (weeks?/months?) ahead.

Now that we have been working in isolation for six weeks(!), I think we can all better understand how Jack went completely nuts in The Shining. While I am extremely grateful we are able to work from home during this time, I can better understand how people who work from home can feel like they never get away from “the office.” I strongly believe we need to take time away from the screens and phones and have a little play time or we will certainly go crazy.

When I saw the rebus puzzle below, it made me think of the puzzles on the caps of Haffenreffer bottles. Haffenreffer was a brand of malt liquor my friends and I used to drink back in the day (it’s probably the #1 reason why I hate beer now). It had several nicknames: "The Green Monster" (referring to the left field wall at Fenway Park), "Haffenwrecker" and "The Green Death" all due to relatively high alcohol content.

It took me a while to figure out a few of these but I eventually got them all. How many can you get?



Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to get away from the screens and break out the games (board games, playing cards, Uno, crossword puzzles, word search puzzles, Sudoku, Left/Right/Center, crayons, gel pens, adult coloring books or whatever you got) and lose yourself in some playtime. Video games are fun but you are still staring at a screen so I’d suggest breaking away from all the screens (after work hours of course) and GO PLAY!



When the dust settles and our world rights itself again, I think we will realize how little we really need, how very much we already have, and the true value of human connection.

Take care of your physical and mental health, stay home and stay safe.

Physically distant but socially engaged,
~MB

Captain’s Log – Day 35 – Patriots Day/Marathon Monday

Captain’s Log – Day 35 – Patriots Day/Marathon Monday

Happy Patriots Day – NO Marathon Monday

It’s all very surreal. There were no runners boarding busses to Hopkinton early this morning. There were no runners to take a right on Hereford, left on Boylston. There is no Red Sox game being played this afternoon. There is no marathon being run on this Marathon Monday. This is the first time the Boston Marathon has been cancelled in its 123 year history. The 2020 Boston Marathon is now scheduled for September 14th when we all hope to be living our best lives in a post-corona virus new world.

Marathon Monday is a day about triumphs and tragedies. We will never forget what happened in 2013. It was a beautiful sunny Marathon Monday, the Red Sox won, and the annual running of the Boston Marathon turned upside down in an explosive instant. We were all shook to our very core and our world forever changed. We could not believe what we saw and heard that day but we all came together and showed the terrorists that we are Boston Strong, we will overcome and we will never forget.

Once again, our world has changed and has been turned upside down. We are now fighting a very different fight but we need to come together now more than ever so we can win this battle and come back even stronger.

I look forward to seeing you all sometime soon and I look forward to seeing all the marathon runners in September when they will be able to run Boston again.

Stay strong, stay healthy and stay safe.














Physically distant but socially engaged,
~ MB

Captain’s Log – Day 32 - TGIF

Captain’s Log – Day 32 - TGIF

Happy Friday Friends!

We’ve almost made it through another week of working from home and maneuvering through all the challenges that come along with it. We are all finding different ways to accomplish things we hardly gave a second thought to before this pandemic put a halt to our regular routines. We no longer waste time commuting but we are spending more time waiting in line at the supermarket. We don’t have to rush out to drop off or pick up the kids from school or daycare but we are now home schooling. We are not meeting up with friends for lunch, dinner or drinks after work but we are using technology to get together virtually. Things are definitely different but I think we’re all managing to create our new routines.

There will always be a choice on what road to take to accomplish any goal. How do we make those decisions? Are you someone who just randomly picks a road and heads out or do you research all of the possibilities and carefully consider your options? Is it as simple as a random “eeny, meeny, miney, moe” game or making a list of pros and cons to each direction? No matter how careful you are in making a decision, you can still find yourself on a road you never intended to go down or you may be pleasantly surprised by the detour you have to take in order to get to your destination. Sometimes when we are in the thick of it we are unable to see how close we are to our destination so don’t give up. We all may need to get a little lost to eventually find our way through.

When all this is over and we're looking at this period in history in the rear-view, I want pictures of what it all looked like. Pictures remind me what it felt like at the time and I don't want to forget what any of this felt like. I’ve got pictures of empty streets that are usually packed with people and vehicles. I’ve got pictures of deserted parks and stores that have been closed down. I’ve got pictures of the long lines of people with masks on waiting six feet apart to get in to the supermarket. There is nothing special about these pictures but it will be a reminder of what the world looked like during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020.

Whatever we're calling it today - social distancing, self-isolating, quarantining, battening down the hatches, extreme cocooning, full-contact pie-eating - there's no denying how unique a moment in time this is. As difficult and bumpy this road may be, we are all traveling it together.

Please be safe out there and don’t get too discouraged if you come across the Bell of Frustration. Keep moving forward and eventually you will reach the Bell of Success. As I often say to my fellow snowmobilers – Be safe, ride right and ride on. J


















Physically distant but socially engaged,
~ MB

Captain's Log - Day 31

Hello Friends –

I didn’t think I’d be writing these logs for 30+ days but here we are on day 31. I hope you are all doing well in isolation.

Since we are all stuck at home and can’t go anywhere for the foreseeable future, I thought I would share a link to visit some famous museums that are offering virtual tours.

I’m so incredibly thankful we have the technology to stay connected and take virtual tours like these.

Check it out – no passport needed - https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours

The Travel and Leisure site also has links to some great animal cams and other cool places to “visit.”

Safe “Travels”/Tefilat HaDerech!

Have a great day!



Physically distant but socially engaged,
~ MB

Captain's Log - Day 30 - Wordless Wednesday

Physically distant but socially engaged,
~ MB