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Black Face Tuesday

 You see, to the untrained eye that headline would make most people feel uncomfortable. 

But it pales in comparison to having your noise invaded by a swab and how do I link these things together?

Well, as part of my routine maintenance schedule. Today is black bamboo mask Tuesday. I had cleansed said face and shrouded it in hot towels for the recommended amount of time. I then applied the black goop with a plastic brush and paused to admire my work.

Unfortunately, I then had to attend to a phone call. It was reception telling me that I had to go and get the last PCR test of my stay. I said this was fine, I was just doing some treatments and I would be down in a second. So I leapt into the shower and started peeling, gouging and scratching said blackface off. I had barely finished having a shave and my door started knocking…..

It was the Nurses. Luckily I had my large black gown which I use for such occasions. My temperature was fine. I’ve been running quite cool here. Certainly cooler than I do in Europe. 

I went down the lift and I had the final test of my stay here. I can certainly smell Rotorua so I believe I am COVID free.

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Sunday/Monday

I had a bit of a low key Sunday. Initially, my plan was to wear as little as possible and do less than anything.

Unfortunately, I still had my daily Nurse visit to contend with. So I chose a morose black ensemble. When I am feeling excessively sanctimonious in my abilities to do very little I shrowd myself in black. Think of a Ninja that never attacked anyone or did a thing. A black canvass. 

I did have quite a good movie marathon. I started with Goodfellas which I am somewhat loosely connected with via a previous employer.  I then moved onto The Dark Knight Rises, and he’s always in black and housebound at the start of the film. I dallied with Scarface having spent a bit of time in Miami in the last few years. I think people wear more clothes now than they did in Scarface. I then meandered into The Godfather, which if I was to choose had to be the pick of that crop. I had to abandon the Godfather halfway as it got a bit late.

Today I had a good bout of hotel room exercise. I have become very good at doing things with suitcases and chairs as well as my swiss ball and yoga matt. My breakfast arrived on time but I would not have known it as by this point I had lost my watch. There is something quite comical about a man with all of the time in the world losing his watch. It was under my bed of course. The last place a person would look for a timepiece. 

My nurses still managed to me catch naked as I was having a shower but I did all of us a favour by throwing on some clothes. I then continued to watch the Godfather and created a terribly shoddy meme.

It has got very warm here now. I believe it is currently 24 degrees outside. I would partake in some superficial solar radiation to stimulate melanin but no. That would require clothes and it still feels like Sunday.
Tomorrow I hope I have my last COVID test of the year. Not long now.

In closing have also managed to craft a new acronym.

TIAPSOP

Thriving in a perpetual state of purgatory.

 

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Dragon Unchained

This post is from the past. The clever thing about blogger and the internet, in general, is that you can write things and then set them to automatically appear as you desire.  

After my somewhat rude awakening, I finished watching Django Unchained. I had started watching it the night before in conjunction with my somewhat crude attempt at having a good nights sleep. I am sure you have seen Django Unchained if you have not and are squeamish wear your COVID mask over your eyes and hold your ears with your hands.

It is terrifyingly violent but extremely satisfying. A slave becomes a freeman rescues his Wife and kills a lot of bad people with some good explosions thrown in for good measure.

I helped a friend with a business project drafting up a very rough spreadsheet with some ideas. I hope it helps him. If it does not I can work on it today. The beauty of having a some what absent schedule.

As the Sun had appeared I thought I should take a walk in our yard. As I went to enter the lift I saw someone leave who looked ill not wearing a mask and somewhat dishevelled. I surmise it was just jet lag but I did take the liberty to lubricate all of the lift buttons with copious amounts of hand sanitiser which is dotted around the premises.

Our yard is on the basement level. It is really the car park but as all the “guests” arrive by bus it serves as a walking track. People walk in a clockwise direction at a slow pace and there is plenty of friendly Army personnel to talk to from a distance. 

I did notice a few salty types. Despite my actual electromechanical tendencies I do know what sailors look like and with a bit of eavesdropping, I learned they are part of the English Americans cup challenge. Grant Dalton if you are reading. They are big units. I hope you guys have got a good program for your boys. 

After my lunch, I think I spent about 5 hours working on a new mix which I shall record as soon as I get back to my decks. I could do it here but the karma and yin/yang and all that jumbo here is a mess.

So I actually feel like I had quite a productive day. It appears if you put Dragons in cages they can be quite industrious. But DONT TELL ANYONE.

Today is actually a Mayan Frequency Shift day.

My last thoughts before I sleep. I have that Friday night feeling that you learn as you discover the world. I feel like I am missing out on something. I wonder to myself in 40 years will I still have that feeling from my sumptuous Dragons Den or will I be a Dragon chained.

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Beam Me Up

Under the advice of some podcaster who was babbling to me during my jetlag induced insomnia, I started using an app called Sleep Cycle. Sleep Cycle uses your microphone to gauge how well you are sleeping. After one night use, I have discovered a couple of bugs.

It does not mix well with sleep aids. I had to use a sleep aid last night as I had a nap during the day to pass the time you know how it goes. I also received some coffee from countdown as I felt a bit guilty drinking the hotel out of coffee sachets all the time as much as I enjoy talking to the reception. This meant I drank a bit more coffee than is usual and I did not get to sleep until after 12am.

So at approximately 6:15am I started to hear a weird sound. It was a bit like a star trek transporter sound so from the depths of torpor I began thinking I was finally being taken home to my alien home. About bloody time. 

But alas it was Sleep Cycle politely reminding me that I am alive and I should be doing something. So here I am. I am well. I am seven days into Isolation 7 more to go. After 5 days of using Sleep Cycle, it will tell me if I need to start sleeping in a coffin or uninstall it. Now that is a smart app. Get on your bike.

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How to have a happy Isolation

This year, I have isolated at home in a bubble. I have isolated in a hotel for 7 days in Florida, 14 days in a hotel in Auckland. 7 Days in an apartment in Antibes and I am 6 days into my last 14 days of isolation in Rotorua New Zealand.

I have some experience.

Here are some lessons I have learned, which I trust will help you if you have to isolate returning home or visiting somewhere.

Before isolation

Make some lists of things to take.
Books to read.
Movies to watch.
Things to learn.
Hobbies that you have always wanted to do.
Some knitting needles and wool.

One thing you will have is an abundance of is TIME. Managing your time will make your isolation go faster.

During Isolation.

Try and have a routine. I get up at the same time each day, meditate and then exercise or just some simple stretching to kind of warm-up my middle-aged body for a day of not much. I have a simple bedtime routine all of my devices go onto flight mode or are turned off and I make my room very dark.

If you are able to go outside each day. DO THIS. It is very important for your mental well being. Even five minutes of sunlight is going to do wonders for your mental health.

Don’t be afraid to ask the hotel for coffee or anything else. It’s always nice to hear a human voice.

Get some exercise. If you can use stairs use them. My exercise equipment at the moment is a yoga matt and a swiss ball and there are a lot of things you can do with not much at all. That suitcase of clothes you don’t have anywhere to wear is probably 20 kilos.

Read. I have rekindled (pun) my love of reading during isolation. It’s a great way to pass the time and escape from reality for a while.

Write. Well here I am, or you could have a personal journal. I do despair at people complaining about isolation. But it is a necessity in this strange new world. I know it’s not nice but if you follow my guide you too can be an ISOPRO.

I have spent a lot of time preening myself in isolation but clipping my nails, cutting my own hair and generally being a human has made me feel like one. 

Listen to music. Music is such a good way of changing your mood, day, everything. 

Don’t expect your internet to be blazingly fast. You are probably going to be in a full hotel with lots of people wanting to stream things at night time. Put some media on a drive or you know, pack some books those old school things people used to read.

Pack an HDMI cable as well so you can watch your legally acquired media on your hotel television.

Stay away from the news. I have blocked a lot of news sites and do not watch the news. If something serious happens regarding COVID you will be contacted by your local health authority and they will not be hunting clickbait. Most news is shit and the real story is only accurately reported 6months or a year later.

Annoy your friends. If they do not enjoy being annoyed then maybe they are not really your friends. Jokes. I had a very lengthy voice call with a dear friend yesterday and it was REALLY good for me.

Use your time wisely, rest you are probably going to have jetlag anyway so use your isolation to deal with that without causing anguish on people you would usually see.

In my experience, the first 7 days go pretty quickly. It’s the last 7 days that test your mental resolves. Don’t be afraid to use services that are on hand to help you with your mental health.

Finally

As your day of Freedom approaches or before. Start making dates to see people and do things. Maximize your time at home it’s precious. If you are returning to work look forward to seeing your work friends and eating some food that hasn’t been delivered in a bag.

Ciao x ISOPRO

I will keep updating this as I am still learning.

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The Referral Post

Hello all.

We are living in a weird world. I am thankful that I have a job and things are reasonably stable but there are no guarantees.
Preface I am not a financial advisor but if you are interested in cryptocurrencies or saving money on foreign exchange I have a couple of referral links which will help me to help you. The crypto market appears very healthy at the moment with a positive future.
I use transferwise for any payments or subscriptions that are not in my home currency. This saves me money as the exchange rates banks use are not fair. Depending on where you live you can get a debit card as well. 
Crypto I have been using Dollar Cost Averaging every month for the past few years. I have a positive investment. 
I use EasyCrypto to purchase coins. Link
My favourite exchange for trading coins is KuCoin. They have a nice App and the security is top-notch. Link,
Sharsies. A very easy way to invest in the stock market. Sign up and you will get $15 free to invest.
If you want me to write more on my blog click those links and sign up. I have a few ideas one is titled boiling frogs which sounds a lot crazier than it is 🙂
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Covid testing update

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My thoughts on Isolation

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Gratitude

Hello,

On Saturday the 11th of April I made the somewhat puzzling decision to return to work during a pandemic. I was told by my Captain I did not have to return to work.

Why did I run this Gauntlet?

In these strange times, I craved normalcy.

Being cooped up at home reminded me of being on board for a crossing, and after serving a mandatory week of hotel isolation and subsequent test I was in the best vessel for a crossing. A boat.

We are now in a stationary crossing for the foreseeable future. Work needs to be done and my 25 bubble buddies are the best company.

Like a crossing crew activities are a unifying morale boosting antitode for any malaise.

Since I have returned we have.

Done a group fitness class
Had a farewell cocktails and bbq for a departing crew member
Watched films
Made pottery
Played online games (counter strike still sucks)
Weathered a squall
Extensive Karaoke system tests
We even have a small crew gym which I will never complain about again.

Have I mentioned our 3 chefs?

Next week I am going to host a mystic evening. We will have a primal costume party. I am sure more things will be planned.

I always tell people our primary function is hospitality. Adversity makes people revert to core functions and we are doing great work.

Let alone just being able to work or being lucky enough to still have a job.

For all of this I am very grateful.

Thank you universe. My predictions of an incredible 2020 are in tatters but I am very thankful for my current trajectory.

What I wanted was home and home is where ones heart is.

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How I deleted facebook #deletefacebook

It took about 9.5 months to delete myself from Facebook.

Luke Skywalker deleted Facebook on the same day. I am in good company. The original StarWars came out the year I was born. Somehow my sisters convinced our whole family to go. I lasted till Darth Vader and spent the rest of the time in the lobby.

I was an early adopter joining Facebook when it was important to say which school you were from.

I saw the rise of apps, advertisements and algorithms.

I wanted to delete my account when Cambridge Analytica broke. I had an inkling earlier that my time on Facebook was making me angry and sad.

I realised given my work I can talk to people with unfounded opinions pretty easily. I can also talk to myself about subjects I know little about.

I prefer Reddit if I am interested in a specialist topic. If I’m feeling crazy I dive into twitter. I am pretty convinced that most of the insane posts on twitter are bots.

I broke ties on the first of March. I had a relapse in October but that was it.

Things I missed.

Events.
Specialist groups that do not have an Instagram presence. I realise Instagram is owned by Facebook. I realise that over 10% of instagram is bots
Birthday messages. I received about 10 internet messages, something you will miss if you take the plunge.

How I deleted Facebook?

I personally messaged people I want to retain contact with my email address and contact phone number for signal.

I migrated my Facebook birthdays for my contacts a long time ago.

I backed up my entire Facebook account.

I read Permanent record by Edward Snowden.

If I have something really important to say I will say it in person if at all possible, then a private message or email.

I do actually enjoy talking to people and private messaging. It’s more bespoke.

The final straw

Facebook is so addictive that when you delete your account if you log in within 30 days your account is enabled. This makes me think your data is always part of Facebook and is used in apps like Instagram.

I do not miss Facebook.

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