Hello Out There: Random Rambles from the Great Lockdown of 2020

by Michael Shea

What do you do when you find yourself locked in the house for months due to a global pandemic? Take up knitting? Painting? Learn the guitar? Fix that creaky step? All worthy undertakings but instead Michael Shea started writing a series of random posts to his core group of friends and followers, setting out musings on topics that ranged from the nature of the virus (serious stuff!); the economic impact of the pandemic (Super-serious stuff!); the demise of the Hostess Fruit Pie (now we're getting somewhere!) to the qualities that make up good pizza (life or death!!!). In turns funny, serious, nostalgic, forward looking, angry and hopeful the trail these posts left provide a picture of the lock down experience in real time, as it was happening. No doubt in the future some will look at these posts to figure out what these times were like - for a casual reader they are simply something to provoke thoughts, laughs, and their own reflections. This is a unique e-book experience as Shea sought to make the writings fully interactive. You'll find links to everything from historic documents, old film clips, vintage advertising, music, videos and photo's - all intentionally included to make this a multi-media exercise. Drawing on the example of television shows like "Connections" these are true "rambles" - a network of writings that start in a certain place and finish wherever the musing may take you. In many instances that is to an unexpected but revealing destination. This is a book you can pick up and find yourself unable to put down - or that you can pick up again, and again - reading selections as your available time allows. Many of us had a bit of free time on our hands through the lock down experience - the hope is that these essays represent at least a somewhat beneficial use of that time. "How much free time do you have?" is a good question - but the answer is always going to be "never enough to waste even a bit". Using part of it to read these essays will be time well spent.

468 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 22, 2020

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