My brother recently visited and he was urging me to start the show in time so he could watch the finale with me when he flew down. I didn't get round to it but I've got it on my list to check out now!

Oh wow I just checked mine, approaching 2500 days. I'm barely here but I do enjoy just popping in and seeing what people are posting etc. Nice work on the 3k mark :)

I've started encouraging discussion about the situation. But my manager is super not keen on allowing WFH, so it's kind of under the table at the moment. Kiwis are allowed to travel overseas now finally, so one staff member has flown to the USA for a month, and I said she could work from home in the build up - lest she get Covid and have to cancel the trip.

Sure enough my manager said no to working from home in the build up, so I told my staff she could do it anyway and we wouldn't tell anyone. She WFH, got on her flight and is enjoying herself. Nobody outside of our area knew and her work didn't alter in the slightest.

With winter approaching, my parents have surprised me with a very nice early birthday present. They hired a pro gardener to take care of my large but overwhelming backyard. My partner and I have been in maintenance mode with it since we bought the place, but never really stamped our mark on it.

This guy has come along, trimmed the hedges right back, dealt with the weeds, and took care of the massive compost pile that was sitting up the back, comprised mainly of things that are not degrading. He estimates about 5 years of stuff has been piled onto it and honestly I was just ignoring it as best i can; especially as we hadn't added to the pile since we took over ownership.

It's now gone, and I have a nice large section like a blank canvas! First project, build an actual compost bin. Once spring hits, I'll be ready..

My work was adamant we had to return to the offices as soon as we could. It's so strange seeing them try to sell it to us, after we adapted to remote working damn near seamlessly.

My staff are the operations people supporting the teaching that goes on in our institution - they don't need to physically be there for anything, and haven't since our rapid adjustment in 2020. But no, the powers that be want us all to be on site, wearing masks in the empty offices, continue paying for parking/commuting as the price of living creeps up.

Does my head in. I'm allowed to work from home when I need to, management perks, but I really hate doing that when I know none of my staff are offered that same flexibility.

I'm also so sorry this is happening to your family - I'm so glad your father is able to get the care he needs though. The support structure you've provided is immense :)

Glad to hear things are improving for you over there!

Yeah my main worry is our teeny tiny healthcare system. I think we still have like, maybe 180 ICU beds in the country? Vaxx rates are high, and boosters are rolling out. I can only get mine in March sadly, but I'll do it when I'm allowed.

Been listening to Lorn pretty much non-stop. I find it really useful when writing.

We're bracing for our first cases in our town since.. Maybe late 2020?

It's so goddamn easy to get complacent here in NZ, especially down south. I still only personally know one person who has had the virus in any form.

Um. I bought a house. Scary times.

Got promoted at work, I'm now a manager and I'm very tired. Finally got my first of 2 Covid-19 jabs and we had another recent lockdown.

Also hello, hope you're all well.

Interestingly, I've been more sociable during and post-lockdown. We would host ZOOM beer sessions, play games with each other and sometimes even stream a movie together on Discord for a laugh. My social circles grew by quite a range thanks to Covid and some of the circles have now intersected.

I used to be able to go a full weekend without talking to anyone outside of my partner and perhaps my immediate family via text but now every day I'm talking to people. Can't think of a day in a long while that I haven't at least had a conversation with friends.

For whatever reason, my sociability went into overdrive when I realized I wouldn't be able to see people for a long while. The result has been really nice.

Yep a wee drive down the island from Christchurch and that's me! Sounds like we're spot on then :)

Aw what a lovely idea. If I'm doing the time conversion right, 6PM EST for me is ... noon Friday the 11th?

Time travel yo.

Ah shit, would have loved to hop in! Missed my shot. Next time :)

10k kettlebell swings challenge.. I've hit some lifetime lifting goals and am genuinely stuck for something new to aim for. May give this a go!

I've been seeing massive lines for voting in the US. Glad people are putting in the time to get it done!

In NZ, we famously re-elected Labour/Ardern and my vote took me less than 2 minutes. No line, staff were almost bored waiting for more people to arrive. Two ticks in the booth and back down the road to work! Gotta love small towns.