The Hard Reset and COVID-19

[Cosmo]

Two of our member clubs were supposed to be hosting the U.S. Mid-Amateur starting this weekend. Of course, it got canceled. We didn't have anything on the schedule for this week in anticipation of that since our staff was going to be heavily involved, and I have a bunch of unused PTO, so I'm just packing my bike, clubs and beach chair and heading over to the eastern shore (Va/Md/Del) for the week. No concrete plans. Will priceline rooms at the last minute. Will be nice to unplug and get outdoors and see an area that I really haven't visited much, at least as an adult. Seems to be a lot of pretty state parks/wildlife areas out that way, so I'm looking forward to exploring.

 

[Driftwood]

The social aspect is not really a thing for me because I'm much happier by myself on or near the water than I am being out and about. Last weekend, a woman my wife works with and her husband came to our house. While my wife and the woman were inside doing whatever she'd come to do, I had to sit in my back yard talking to this person I'd just met for about an hour. We discovered we were about the same age and both veterans. That topic of conversation lasted a few minutes, and then there was nothing else in common to talk about. It was just random chatter. I was miserable.
COVID hasn't changed my life from a going out and doing things standpoint very much at all.

I did make an observation yesterday. My wife and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings (we got that right when they opened the doors and had the entire bar area to ourselves for an hour before leaving). Anyway, they have QR codes on the table to scan to get a menu on your phone. I told my wife we'll probably never see a physical menu at a chain place again because that is too easy as well as time and cost beneficial.

 

[Cosmo]

Not just chain places. Almost every local restaurant/brewery in my area has gone to the QR code system. I like it.

 

[MileHigh]

Not just chain places. Almost every local restaurant/brewery in my area has gone to the QR code system. I like it.

Yup, same for me. Even the just-here places. Very simple and easy.

 

[maumann]

Two of our member clubs were supposed to be hosting the U.S. Mid-Amateur starting this weekend. Of course, it got canceled. We didn't have anything on the schedule for this week in anticipation of that since our staff was going to be heavily involved, and I have a bunch of unused PTO, so I'm just packing my bike, clubs and beach chair and heading over to the eastern shore (Va/Md/Del) for the week. No concrete plans. Will priceline rooms at the last minute. Will be nice to unplug and get outdoors and see an area that I really haven't visited much, at least as an adult. Seems to be a lot of pretty state parks/wildlife areas out that way, so I'm looking forward to exploring.

Enjoy a couple of rounds. I've been told golf courses are really busy in a lot of areas because people have nothing else to do. Hoping to get out tomorrow for the first time since we got back from Florida.

 

[MileHigh]

Golf courses are jammed here. And they just reopened a redesigned city course that was shut down for two years. Tee times two weeks out. Usually gone within 15 minutes of coming open.

 

[Songbird]

For those close enough, Vermont is tops in the nation for lowest coronavirus issues ... and we have lots of good golf courses including one in this town.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Enjoy a couple of rounds. I've been told golf courses are really busy in a lot of areas because people have nothing else to do. Hoping to get out tomorrow for the first time since we got back from Florida.

Golf courses here on the Cape have been jammed since Memorial Day, even the many 9-hole munis. BUT, the state-mandated mandatory tee time policy where you sign up on course Websites has reduced the absolute paralysis some public courses suffer in July-August.

 

[PaperDoll]

Big things I miss: The ability to travel abroad and quite honestly, sitting at a bar. The whole point of going out and grabbing drinks by yourself is the chance that you'll meet interesting people along the way. Now, you can go out with your group but tables are encouraged not to interact. Really hard to meet people that way. And dating during this whole thing is a mess.

I hear that! My summer Scandinavia trip was nuked, and I lost pretty much my entire break. High school sports head back to practice soon, and I'm exhausted instead of excited. I've also got this low level of anxiety that never seems to go away.

I mostly go from my apartment to the local park with a book, not even walking farther afield because all of a sudden all the people in this big city are potential health threats. There are so many good restaurants nearby but dining outdoors alone feels wasteful, almost offensive to a server because there's no way they're going to make as much off me as even two people together.

The highlight of most afternoons is watching these two old hippies feeding the birds and squirrels, because the pigeons turn a branch above their preferred park bench into an amusement park ride. They all line up on this thin limb 'til it bends, then it bounces wildly as they fly off simultaneously to get whatever the guys throw for them. It's seed and peanuts in the shell, so maybe it won't do worse than teach bad habits.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I'm just finding myself not that interested in sports that much. I'm weirded out by the NBA and NHL playing now. I'm happy with baseball being played, but I'm almost just dismissing this season as an aberration. Someone gets hurt or is having a lousy year, team is in a big slump and I'm like, eh, we'll think about it next year anyways.

The NFL season almost came up upon me as a surprise. No preseason games. I haven't paid much attention to training camp, because I'm half-figuring something will happen to the season anyways. I was surprised to get the email from my fantasy football league commissioner to schedule the draft. The draft itself was fun and felt like a normal part of my life, but of course, nobody gives a fuck about my fantasy team.

I miss going to movies, but a drive-in theater about an hour away from us had the new Bill and Ted film, so we packed up the car and went to it. My wife was still nervous about using the bathroom there. And we packed our own snacks, so we continued social distancing.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Well, I had a hard reset by losing my job. Now I'm working part-time in an outdoor gear shop (think REI, but local). I'm enjoying it. But I dread missing holidays with my family (let alone our extended families) due to working retail.

Watching sports out their traditional seasons feels weird. Watching the Derby with no fans felt wrong.

I'm now the primary housekeeper and parent since the Mrs. still has her corporate gig.

I'm tired of our neighborhood quarantine bubble. I love them. They have saved my sanity. But I'd like to be able to do something besides sitting outside with them. I miss concerts the most.

 

[ChrisLong]

Jack tacos for lunch, grilled ribeyes for dinner. It's becoming a habit.
Oh, after my wife had a few failed attempts at making sour dough starter, her sister gave her some and now we're having the best sour dough bread ever ... and I've been to San Francisco.
Other than that, I'm feeling pretty dismal now. Not into NFL or NBA at all. I am watching the Angels, but the poor quality of play is appalling ... makes me feel the players just don't care. I do follow the NHL, enjoying the glut of games every day to where we are now with one a day for the next two weeks. Hockey teams are supposed to be reporting for camp in the next week or two. College football should be going full steam.
Personally, my 50-year high school reunion was supposed to be this upcoming Saturday and three weeks later, a fundraiser golf tournament with high school friends.
We've been out to dinner once in California (did go out to lunch INSIDE a restaurant in Vegas, we were the only ones there at noontime). The restaurant in California had patio service. No customers allowed in the building. They also had one of those fancy trailer-type portable bathrooms and a hand-wash station in the parking lot. The tables were completely cleared and sanitized. Only when you sat down did they bring tableware. Menus were paper. Other restaurants have set up big tents in the parking lot. That doesn't entice me. Our favorite Italian restaurant never opened, despite takeout pizza being pretty easy to do. It eventually closed permanently. They had no way to set up outside and I don't think I want to eat Italian food outside anyway.