September 19, 2020

 

It was pretty funny working out in the gym this morning.  When I entered I was number four in attendance.  Shortly thereafter the number grew to five, then six, seven, and topped out at eleven.  Adherence to the four person limit had gone to hell and nobody cared.  During that time, one person popped their head in the door and was reluctant to enter.  Several looked at him and waved him in.  We all followed the COVID protocol, just not the numbers restriction.  I think we could take down the notices regarding person capacity limits.

 

I continued loading my daily accounts into the blog account I plan to launch on Monday.  I only wish I would have known how to build the blog page before I entered the bubble so I could add to it daily but that is water under the bridge.  I hope there is an interest in my daily accounts.  They have proven quite therapeutic for me if anything.  And at my age they will help me recall the wonderful things I had experienced in this bubble.

 

I am off again today.  From here on out I will work one day then have the next day off.  Lunch was, for the first time, horrible at our dining center.  I swear I will never have broiled chicken for many years to come after this tenure.  Our selection at lunch was broiled chicken (of course), some rough looking rice composition, a medley of various colored steamed vegetables, a pasta selection that appeared to be missing the main ingredients, and something else I couldn’t identify.  I simply had a salad and followed it with three slices of watermelon.  Again, it may sound like I am complaining, and today I am.  I usually can eat anything and appreciate it but not today. 

 

Later that afternoon I ventured to the pool for a little reading and relaxation.  The temperature had dropped a good ten degrees since our arrival back in July and it was wonderful kicking back in the sun.  There was no sweat escaping from my pores like before and let’s just say it was perfect.  The pool area had a completely different vibe as well.  The officiating crew had been reduced from forty five at the onset of the reset down to twenty.  Support personnel had been reduced as well.  Under normal circumstances the pool would had been rocking but it was quiet and subdued.  Our numbers had been reduced dramatically and it showed.  I started to feel a bit nostalgic as I looked around.  It reminded me of the end of summer vacation when all the families headed back to where they came from and returned to their normal lives.  Our NBA bubble was transitioning in the same manner.

 

It seemed our desire for whiffle ball is waning.  We met at 6:00pm but the field was still a bit saturated.  That had never prevented us from playing before and a couple of guys had opted for pickle ball anyway. So we walked a few yards over and started to play that instead.  It turned out to be the right choice.  There were now three pickle ball courts set up in the parking lot so anyone that wanted to play could play.  We divided up and played four or five games before darkness set in and halted our exercise.  I hadn’t played pickle ball for several weeks and it was an excellent change.  Of course we promised to play a few more times before our departure.  We will see if that happens.

 

Game three of the Eastern Conference finals took place in the evening.  Miami held a two to none lead but couldn’t go up three to zero. Gordon Haywood played sparingly for the Celtics as he was coming of an injury but his presence was enough to propel Boston to the win and put them back into this series.  ESPN is covering that series so it can go for seven games and I wouldn’t care.  I like Boston to win it and face Los Angeles.  A throwback to the eighties when Magic and Bird squared off.  We will find out soon.