The Problematic of the Unproblematic

kakashi: No more home office for me, starting August 3rd. I don't wanna. Trotwood: All our offices are supposed to be "ready" by August 15. But because of the social distancing requirements, my admin and I can't be in there at the same time and receive guests, so we are going to divide up the week between us. Have to wait to see what the local schools do before we can do our final schedule though. I'm fine only going in to sign documents once every other week, but I'm not ready for every day. JoAnne:  We've been phasing people back in at work, very slowly and with staggered schedules and enhanced protocols for distancing and cleaning - but my group is part of Phase 4 and will likely be one of the very last within the phase since there's nothing we can't do remotely.  It might even be the New Year.  I've already spoken to my boss, casually, about my reluctance to return given some chronic health conditions, and I'm confid...

kakashi: I have trouble keeping up with what day it is. Time moves incredibly fast, dammit. I watched BBC's The Musketeers , it's not exactly a good show, but the boys are really cute and very manly. Panda: Hola! I am still only watching Midsomer Murders (now on season 7) with a sprinkling of movies here and there. Saw The Old Guard on Netflix starring Charlize and Hot Jafar and it was not bad :) I keep writing down series to start; Issy has me intrigued about Song of Glory, Feather has recommended Love in Between, I have my gargantuan TBW pile and yet... SIGH. Hope everyone is staying safe. Love  Sometimes I know when it is.  I wake up, clean up, pour coffee, open laptop, answer emails, do things.  It doesn't really matter what day it is.  If it's nice I sit outside a bit.  Some of my neighbors are working a couple days in the office and a couple days at home so that's not really a clue, if they're around.  I'd say it's nice that we're back to exp...

kakashi: I'm on my way to the mountains!....... I'm here! (sorry, my fault for posting so late :) JoAnne:  Yay!  That is excellent news for so many reasons!  Panda: Fantastic news K! Enjoy!! I'm trying to be faithful to Cardio July ( something I and pals coined) to beath the Covid bulge. LOL. I'm also tearing through Midsomer Murders which I loooove. Trotwood: I'm so glad that you are able to get away, Kakashi. Sigh. I had lost half inches in places in June, but all the ham I've been eating has put them back. Working an extra job isn't helping.   But the big news this week in my drama world was how a drama made in one country "fixed" a hated ending for a drama made in another country!  Pp

Trotwood: Helloooo! Is anyone out there? Once again not watching a lot. The days seemed to meld into one another, and I'm having difficulty distinguishing days. I picked up a new drama, but nothing is replacing Midnight Pop-Up Bar right now. kakashi: I'm kinda here, Trot! Missing the mountains... my mom might be able to leave the hospital next week so it's possible we might go up there for a while. I'd love to. Every additional day with her feels like a gift. Meanwhile, Covid-19 still sucks. And I'm still reading Historical Romance books like crazy. I make myself laugh.

Trotwood: I'm in a slog, trying to prepare for summer courses that I was supposed to be teaching in China but which have moved online, but not enough time to prepare since I've been to busy with COVID-19 response work as well as dealing with campus repercussions because some people just realized that there is racism in America. duh. Anyway, what I'm watching I'm liking and there may be subs for the 2nd season of BG: Shinpen Keigonin/Personal Bodyguard , and there are more pics of Kim Ji Hoon with long hair, so I'm happy. kakashi: Thank you, Trot. Has his drama started? (it hasn't) Panda: I have a week vacation! I had no idea how much I needed this time off work till I found myself randomly dancing in the kitchen this morning just from not having to do anything. I am eagerly awaiting BG2 too, and in meantime going through my crime drama suggestions. I finished Rosemary and Thyme and am now on episode 3 of Shakespeare and Hathaway and I looove it! JoAnne:  I...

Trotwood: I've gone nocturnal. It's hot, and I have major deadlines this week. So I'm sleeping early and getting up at midnight to work when it is cooler. I work until it gets hot again and my arms start sticking to top of my desk. Since I'm having difficulty distinguishing one day from the next, it seems to be working for me so far. I only have one evening meeting this week, so . . . Still not watching much cause you know--deadlines. Panda: Binged first 2 seasons of Rosemary and Thyme and I'm currently halfway into season 3 :) JoAnne:  I have no idea what that is...I finished the entire Homeland series, though,  and from start to finish: Claire Danes is a genius but my GOD I would have pushed Carrie Mathiesen off a bridge.  She was not a good agent, not a good friend, not a good sister, not a good mother, and she got all her lovers killed.  She LUCKED into any big discoveries and she took unacceptable risks and she falsely viewed herself as the only person wh...

kakashi: My dear friends, sadly, my mother isn't doing well. I will be around but maybe not so much. Trotwood: I'm sorry to hear this, Kakashi. Please take care. Thank you. Some days I'm doing fine, some days less so. But life goes on, doesn't it... Panda: I am so sorry Kakashi, please do take care. Hugs and Light to everyone.  I did watch 1 episode of Joy of Life, then got distracted by crime shows on Acorn tv. I binged Queens of Mystery, and then started My Life is Murder which stars the fabulous Lucy Lawless (of Xena and Spartacus fame) and am currently on ep 7 out of 10. I would love if anyone can recommend other fun, not grisly or too dark crime shows. Khamsamida in advance :)  JoAnne:  I'm so sorry, my friend. If we line up pictures of pretty men would it help to distract when you need that? How can it not?   Guess who?

Panda: I finally finished Crash Landing on You and feel like I deserve a prize. LOL. I was determined not to start another kdrama till I finished that and it was a loong struggle but VICTORY! Next step is Joy of Life kakashi: Hahahaaaaa. I'm only reading historical romance, Bridgertons and such. It's giving me the necessary shades of pink. JoAnne: Since last we met, I have watched 3 seasons of Homeland.  Claire Danes is amazing, but I really do not like the character she plays. I don't much like any of them, actually.  Well, Peter Quinn.  So far.  But I started out being very suspicious of him. I also finished Hospital Playlist and the next two episodes of King. I decided that little boy is the human manifestation of the manpasikjeok. Trotwood: I did watch some things early in the week, but as the week wore on I just wrapped myself up in Chinese drama fluff. I'm still reeling from the Ancient Detective reveal and proud of everyone who has finished it weeks ago wh...

kakashi: Equality for all, please, before the world goes to pieces even more. Panda: WORD! In other news, saw 6 underground (blah), Spenser Confidential (surprisingly funny and interesting) on Netflix; Aqua-man again ( movie's cinematography is so pretty but the movie is so cringey; still had fun), Shazam , and Die Hards 1 and 2 on HBOGo. I find it ironic that I seem to have watched more stuff on HBOGo in 4 days than 3 months of Disney+. JoAnne: I'm still not watching much KDrama - this week it was only King, and there's really nothing to say about that. I watched Spenser Confidential a while back, Panda - I enjoyed it but if you ever find it anywhere, do not miss the chance to watch the original show (just called Spenser back then.) I also watched Shazam! It was fun - I always like that guy. Can't remember his name right now. What else? All 3 seasons of Ozark . Starting S3 of The Leftovers . I now have six (I think...it might be more) cross stitch pr...

Trotwood: (on tip toes and whispering) Helloo? Where is everyone? kakashi: I completely forgot it's Tuesday, Trot. We had a public holiday last Thursday and it's messed even further with my perception of time and space. I watched zit, but I read a few of Panda's favorite historical romance novels! It's funny that they're a lot like Asian dramas, I never knew that before.  Panda: Happy belated Memorial Day! I swear I thought today was Monday. Hullo everyone :) K, I had a phase in my life where it seemed like all I read were historical romances. I was in High school when I got shamed for them (that they were too lowbrow) and stopped. So glad I have recovered over that BS and have returned to them with a vengeance 😊. In addition to doing lots of reading - HR, contemporary romance and an unusual amount of fantasy; I have also continued watching mindless action movies. This week we saw John Wick 1, 2 and are halfway in Parabellum; Angel has fallen, Hunter Killer and...

kakashi: Can we cancel Mondays? I hate all the meetings I have, they're useless, depressing and vicious time destructors. I watched about five episodes of Ozark before the wormhole did its usual thing and sucked away all my time and it was Monday. Trotwood: I forgot to do an opening! I was so busy trying to recover from all the tension built up waiting for our governor's press conference for guidance that I  completely forgot.

kakashi: Lockdown partially lifted. My kid went to school this morning. We have way below 100 new daily cases at the moment... fingers crossed it'll stay that way. I might - or might not - try Longest Day in Chang'an . JoAnne:  Trot, we DID apparently have snow (late last night, and a very brief shower but grainy, hard little clumps like grains of sand.  May 8th!  It was all gone immediately, but I am still offended that it happened at all. Panda: Howdy y'all!! The days keep blending into each other, and I kid you not the past 2 weeks I completely forgot when to check in, and then when I remembered I was like "eh, I am not watching anything anyway" so I just didn't bother. I am still not watching anything, but today I remembered early!! Whoop whoop. How is everyone? I missed you all.  Trotwood: Yup. We had freezing rain and black ice and then snow the next day. The sun cam out while it snowed. Then everything cleared up for a day and warmed up a bit. Then w...

JoAnne: We had two days of sunshine! In a row! It's a quarantine record! I actually got to go outside! kakashi: This is week 490802098 of quarantine and our lockdown is lifted next week, May 11. I kinda feel like I'm in that place between 0 and 1. Trotwood: We've had lots of sun, and even one day where it was warm, but I feel under a cloud seeing all these crazy people demanding (with guns mind) that we open everything back up even though people are still getting sick and dying and I'm afraid that we'll have to open up too soon. I went to buy another sympathy card last week on my one day i the office, and there were only 4 left.

JoAnne:  I feel like I'm watching tv all the time, but I think I'm not really watching, watching - it's running in the background while I do other things.  I'm not really 'watching' many shows but am up to season 5 of Supernatural binge, and liking an Aussie crime solving medical show called Harrow (Ioan Gruffud!) kakashi: I had such good intentions! I meant to watch more Maggshimush and start on the Marriage disaster but alas! It's   Tuesdays already and I haven't watched anything. But you know what! It's raining and I'm so happy about it, we didn't have rain for 6 weeks. I also went on a walk with two of my work colleagues this afternoon, it was lovely to see them (I will have to stay in Home Office until the end of August) Trotwood: I am in the middle of a huge and morbid project at work while trying to figure out if our institution is going to survive this crisis. I've been watching here and there and then binged over two days al...

kakashi: I'm reading books, have no time for dramas. And I mean non-academic books! It's an achievement. I'm very deeply into the Chronicles of St. Mary's, it's loads of fun. I've stumbled across this author quite by coincidence. Well... because a mutual on Twitter did one of those online quizzes called "who's your historical ex" and I got "A Bachelor" and the book cover of The Bachelor Establishment . Which is by the same author. Turns out that quiz was a very clever way to market some books, but it intrigued me enough to start reading and now I'm still reading. Over and out, otherwise, the morale is quite good. I'm so used to living in lockdown I'll have a hard time adjusting back to normal life, that much is clear ! JoAnne:  I'm actually about a third of the way through the first book, myself!  I didn't do the quiz but must have seen some of the conversation because I looked it up and was intrigued. Trotwood: Toda...

kakashi: Major pet peeve. People pretending they're playing a flute on TV but VERY OBVIOUSLY not even knowing how one plays a flute (Yes, I'm watching The Untamed ). JoAnne:  Mine is having people chew loudly in my ear on the phone. Do not do that. Panda: I can see Kakashi being so sucked into The Untamed she starts recapping. Hehehehe. I can't concentrate on reading subs, so watched Miss Fisher and the crypt of tears (It fell very flat for me) and then discovered the very entertaining Agatha Raisin.  Trotwood: I'm not a nice person, so I have far too many pet peeves to list here. I am thankful that I still have power. It went in and out yesterday with the storm. Over 130,000 people still don't, so I'm not complaining about anything at all here. Not even dramas.

kakashi: How is everyone doing? I'm finishing week 3 of lockdown (well, ours is a soft lockdown). I have my ups and downs. I also have nightmares of crowded places I need to walk through. Panda:  How's everyone? Surviving? Take it a day at a time is the best advice I have heard. LOL. This is my 5th week at home, 4th with the kids, and now their school is closed physically till August (new school year) so... In more cheery news I finally finished Kingdom! YAAAY! Note this in no way was due to drama's quality but my general funny mood and lack of concentration. Needless to say, I absolutely loved it maybe even more than season 1 and I can't wait for 2021 and an anti-hero Jun Ji-Hyun JoAnne:   Yesterday we neighbors all stationed lawn chairs around the back yard and yelled at each other for a while, drinking coffee.  That was fun...  I'm on week 3, I think, but I'd been home for most of two weeks just a week or two before that so it feels like I've been home ...

Trotwood: Preparing to have all our courses go online, moving students out, establishing emergency housing, and doing a gazillion Zoom/Micosoft Team meetings was beginning to take it's toll last week, but all our study abroad students are back home (finally--it took our student in Northern Ireland the longest). This week will be settling into the new normal whatever that is. I picked up some new shows, but I don't know how long I will keep with some of them. Not that they aren't good, but my mind seems to want to reject anything too dark or taxing. kakashi: I am settled into the new abnormal and coping quite well ... at the moment. Even getting some work done. Drama watching... not so much but that's normal for me too .

kakashi: Everybody, stay healthy! Like Kim Ji Hoon, see below. Trotwood: I knew he was buff, but I had no idea he was so flexible. It makes a person think things.

kakashi: Corona destroyed my entire work week and sucked the life out of me. Now that we have some clarity - school is closed until 26th April, no teaching at my university anymore, move to home office in part - I hope that I can get some work done. I wonder whether all of this makes it more likely that I can write a book until the end of May. In any case: have some kittens! UPDATE: We are now on total lockdown until 19th April.  Trotwood: I'm in charge of helping to switch my uni to remote work, including providing support to the move to doing all the rest of the semester's coursework online and providing safe, potential isolation protocol amenable housing to homeless and housing insecure students. The news and directives sometimes change every hour. We meet daily sometimes multiple times a day including weekends, so please excuse some of the problems below. I erased a bunch of my reviews by accident this weekend and had to rewrite at least half from memory. Panda: It...