April 2020

April ... an entire month of staying home. I mean, Hubs and the boys are still working. I went out grocery shopping a few times. The littles haven't left the house all month though. Masks are now a thing. As none are available for purchase, simple sewn ones are the next best thing. There were some home haircuts (by #3, himself and #5). More online schooling - it was made official that kids will NOT be going back to school this academic year. More games ... #3 brought chess out again. We had a simple Easter. Some bike rides, burgers and jet flyby. I hosted a backyard Zumba ... stayed socially distant, dancing six-feet apart (which is actually pretty standard unless it's a packed class). My motivation for exercise is down, and I haven't even been attempting to track my eating. And it shows.

NUMBERS: Starting weight 192.10. Ending weight 193.9. High 195.2. Low 190.3. Average 192.66.  Average burn was 2465. Average steps 14585. Cardio minutes 1747/2432. 122.3 logged miles.  EXERCISE: I didn't get in an hour of elliptical any day in April. I got 30min fourteen days this month. I did better on the treadmill, walking two miles 27 days, and 8 days I did double duty (another 1.5-2 miles). Only two Zumba classes ... but now that I've brought it back, it should be up a bit next month, although I don't know that I have the stamina/option/motivation for five days a week as I did previously. I did do weights this month! Four sessions, a total of 190 minutes. 

What I Watched While Working Out

I watched a Starz series ... getting in the first season of Black Sails. I liked it. Very cable. I plan on continuing, but I also wanted to get in some movies this month. Some were on Starz, others were Showtime (which I don't have, but it was being offered as a special access over cable) and then we got Disney+ for a month, as #4 wanted to watch Onward. So far, I've watched it, and he still hasn't! 

Parasite was one that Hubs and I watched together upstairs ... almost like a date.

I didn't get in quite as many books  ... lots of my listening was during drives, while watching basketball, shopping, etc. Those things aren't happening as much. It's been a little hard to keep concentration too. I finished up my Audible Escape trial, and then was a bit surprised when I was able to sign up for the 2-month free Kindle Unlimited offer (it wasn't only for new subscribers). I like that my library allows me to push back holds. They've also upped the number of holds a person can have (from five to ten). 

So that was April ... under quarantine!

TV Tuesday - Two Season Six, One Season Sixteen

TV Tuesday ... What have I been watching? Even before the whole pandemic started, I'd grabbed a Starz deal. Six months for $20. I'd watched the first five seasons of Power and figured I needed to see how it all ended. Then Hulu invited me back - a free month, so I said okay, and saw that Homeland was included (I hadn't noticed that it was also available through Showtime on Xfinity, even without a subscription). And of course ... I love my Grey's Anatomy. I recorded the episodes using PlayOn as I don't watch live.

• POWER: I'll admit ... I was a little tired of all the back-stabbing and craziness going on. I was pretty much ready for any/all of the characters to be killed off. This final season did have an interesting turn. Episode 10, was "the end" ... I do NOT love the theme song for this show (I always fast forward through it, annoyed that Starz doesn't offer a "skip intro" button like other services) but it was very effective the way it was brought in and used during that episode. Slowed down, minor key. I was a bit confused in the next episode ... I'd already seen this, did I press a wrong button? Then I figured out we were going back and seeing things from a different perspective. From Dre. Then the next episode, it's from the perspective of Paz. Then the next episode from Tommy ... we are seeing some things for the second (or third, or now fourth) time, and some things for the first time. A couple more characters are featured, and all is revealed. I thought it was a really interesting end, although I still have to say "huh?" to a couple things. 
• HOMELAND: I must admit ... I couldn't quite remember where I'd left off, or when. It had been a while. I tried looking here on my blog to see if I'd documented it. I went through some of the season recaps and finally figured out it had been season five I'd finished last. So I started on season 6. It was a little hard to get into. I struggled with poor Quin.  I finished the season but didn't feel like moving on to season seven/eight. I did record them so I'll have access if/when I want to return. 
• GREY'S ANATOMY:  I'd kept up with things until January ... when I got my temporary subscriptions, I put my Grey's on hold, and had to hide following them on Facebook so I didn't see spoilers. When I finished my other two programs, and the (shortened) season finale (pandemic problems) was about to air ... I binged my Grey's Anatomy. I had several episodes to catch up on, but I liked watching them all back-to-back rather than waiting a week or more in-between episodes.  It was hard to have two beloved characters (Deluca and Webber) seeming to lose their minds. I liked the resolution for Richard anyway ...  On a side note, Dr. Avery Jackson (the actor anyway) was in the season six of Power, NOT a very Avery roll! Just a small part, one episode, but he was more of a gang-banger, grungy and tatted, not a doctor. 

I don't really have any certain series calling out to me at the moment ... so I might go back to movies for a bit. I only managed a few in March. We'll see how I do in April. I'm better off than many with this pandemic going on, as I am already a homebody, spoiled with a home gym ... elliptical, treadmill, bike, weights. I really have no excuses!