What kind of a lunatic sets the camera timer on top of the garbage bin so he can take a picture of himself rolling the recycling bin to the curb?!

(Sunday Paper, Year VI, Issue 36)

It is so funny that I’m writing about routine this week because everything is going to change now that, as of Wednesday, the girls are back in school.

(Well, in a few weeks. As per usual, there are a bunch of days off mixed in these first couple of weeks so they won’t have a full, 5-day week of school until the end of the month.)

(Oh, also - 3 kids in 3 different schools! Big year!)

Anyway, for the past year-and-a-half it has been the same ol’, same ol’, week in and week out.

And…well, to be honest, I don’t hate it.

It used to be just the year that had a rhythm. But now, with the unusual past year and a half, the weeks have developed their own rhythm. This is mine.

I hope it’s not boring to tell you what my Monday through Friday is like. Please feel free to tell me what yours is like too - I am so interested in this type of thing. Really. Post it in the comments here, or on the Facebook page….or just call or text me and we’ll talk about it.

Just try not to interfere with my regularly-scheduled activities. Here’s what they are.

Sunday: I spend much of Sunday not doing a whole heck of a lot. I am usually up early so I post the Sunday Paper by 7am. I’ll read the newspapers, work on the crosswords and whatever specialty puzzle the New York Times Magazine has to offer (the Acrostic is my favorite, which I’ve written about before), and then Sunday night, as you see pictured above, it’s time to put the trash and recycling bins to the curb.

Monday: I usually take the weekend off from work, but my work is such that if I have to get something done, sometimes I’ll put in a little bit of time on Sunday…that happened last week. But Monday is when I get back to at least sitting in the office for a little while. If I’m lucky, I write or I get other stuff done. If I’m extra lucky, I won’t be in the middle of something when the trash and recycling truck comes by and I can watch that magic happen. But really the weekdays are about getting through work time to dinner time. And Monday is the beginning of that effort.

Tuesday: Usually I put aside a little bit of Tuesday to make sure I have a picture and something witty to write for the Wednesday #EveryWeekOnWednesday Facebook post. You’d be surprised how much time I spend thinking about “What should I post on Wednesday?” I think it’s good for my brain. (This week’s and next week’s are two of my all-time favorites, for what that’s worth.)

Wednesday: Make sure the #EveryWeekOnWednesday post is all set. The past couple of months we end our Wednesdays with a Marvel show - first there was ‘Loki’ and right now it’s ‘What If?’ Also, Wednesday around mid-day is the vegetable pickup. Sometimes it’s my responsibility, sometimes it’s my sister-in-law.

Thursday: Thursday is a big day - it’s compost time! After dinner I transfer the kitchen bag to the outdoor bin and make sure all the compost is together and ready to go to the curb. It’s a real credit to the bin that no animals get into it overnight. Yet, I guess. (Knocks furiously on wood.) Thursday compost time is one of my favorite parts of the week. I still love the compost…we’re due for another full post update on that.

Friday: Fish pickup. Maybe a beer at Exhibit ‘A’. (Maybe a beer pickup with the fish.) Friday is usually family TV night - there was ‘WandaVision’ when that was on…currently it’s ‘Lego Masters’. (Great show. I should write a post about Lego Masters.) Maybe a movie in the in-between when there are no shows. It’s also when Kathy and I will squeeze in ‘Ted Lasso’ now at some point.

Saturday: Another quiet day. (Especially with my running, which is a whole different ball of routine wax…but I’ll address that another time. But Saturday is my long run day, so I’m shot for the rest of the day.) By the end of Saturday I’ll make sure the Sunday Paper is good to go and ready to be posted Sunday morning.

So that’s it - Garbage, Wednesday post, Compost, Sunday Paper. For the duration of the pandemic this has been my week. (I didn’t want to write just “Garbage, Wednesday post, Compost, Sunday Paper” without providing the appropriate context.)

it’s probably not going to change a whole lot anytime soon. (Well, except for that huge change where I get the girls’ breakfasts ready or take them to school or pick them up.) I’d love to get back to working in a comedy show here and there, but that’s not in the cards right now.

I thrive on a good routine. Right now I have a decent one.

Notes

*Remember Julie Vick from the Artist Share post a few weeks back? Well, she gave a shout out to me and the Sunday Paper as a thank you for shouting out about her and her book and so I’m going to shout her out again here and see for how long this back-and-forth will continue. (You can still find her book and support her work and sign up for her newsletter at this link.)

*Here’s another good piece of art I shared on my regular Facebook page but didn’t talk about on this here page: My friend Erin has an album out and it is a really beautiful collection of songs. If you’re in the market for some good music, give ‘We Can Hear Each Other’ a listen. I was so impressed by it and it’s in the CD player of my car (oh yeah, I bought the physical CD) so I can pop it on whenever I feel like it.

*Matt Tour Update: After a couple of days off last week Matt was back to the grind with the Counting Crows out west. His show in Seattle reminded me what a good time I had in Seattle back in 2010 for a teaching conference. I loved that city, had a fun time with a teaching friend, and Kathy flew out to join us for the end of the week. It was grand. Anyway, Matt is a musician and you can find his work here.

*Look at that. I’ve given links to three other people before I even got to mine. That must be a sign of maturity. I’m on Facebook here, I’m on Twitter here. Like, follow, et cetera.

*Oh, I had a tweet that went a little bit wild early in the week, about what a disaster the Mets were (before they started to play better again). That was a fun hour. And if you’re not Liking the Facebook page, you’re missing some pretty good content these past two Wednesdays.

*Running Update: Saturday was a long run with Team Framingham. We started in Hopkinton at the start line and ran the first 18 miles of the course. The weather was ideal - the kind of weather I thrive in when I run. It got a little hot towards the end, but it was certainly as close to ideal as anything we’ve had during training so far. I felt great, it was definitely the kind of run where I was like, “Hey! I can do this!” Which I guess is good, since we’re about a month away.

*This was encouraging - the BAA sent out a big update this week about protocols for Boston Marathon runners. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test are required to run. So I am encouraged that the race will be moving forward no matter what - this seems like it makes a cancellation less likely. Now I just need to make sure I don’t forget to bring my vaccination card when I pick up my bib number.

*And last but not least, please consider donating to the Framingham History Center and supporting my Boston Marathon effort. There’s this link to the site to give, and I appreciate it. If you’re local, you should also know that there will be an in-person fundraiser at Exhibit ‘A’ (outside! at the beer garden!) on September 14th at 6:30pm. (That’s next Tuesday already. Holy moly.) Tickets are $30, half of which is split three ways between the 3 FHC runners. I’ll be there, obviously, so the bonus is we get to hang out. But if you’re unable to make it, donations to the link above are credited directly to my fundraising effort.