Anything Good out of Covid? My Nails, maybe?

Yes, I've got something... Something trivial to most of you, but which has plagued me all my life.

My nails...

I'm sure a fair few of you out there do the same and I know it's terrible to watch, but when I'm sat programming and take a moment to think about something or just sat bored I chew my nails.  Really quite badly.

I'll gnaw at the nail itself, pulling around to tear off the quick, I'll eat into the skin too, I'll bit and suck and peel until my fingers bleed.

I've tried everything, no more chew stuff, I've put plastic caps on them, I've kept elasto-plasting all my finger tips.  But in forty two years it has never worked.

However, with covid I've an actual reason to NOT chew my nails, going out and touching things in stores or street furniture (like the button on the pedestrian crossing) I don't want to then stick my finger in my mouth; and I really would have before!  I am disgusting I know.

So to combat this, I wash my hands when coming in, I wash them through the day too whenever I've been out and about; which not often, but enough to make me think.

At my desk I've also taken to having a set of nail scissors too, so whenever I feel the urge, I can instead cut my nails.

I'm no expert at cutting my nails, I remember my mother doing it when I was a kid, her having me sit next to her, loop my arm under hers and she'd cut them, the scissors felt cold and alien under my nails... and I didn't like it, it scared me, someone else with a very sharp thing at my very sensitive finger tips.  And worse still she'd cut the nail and the fleshy pad underneath, it'd bleed... so I'd suck them....

Forty two years is a big habit to crack though.  However, I've done a fortnight now, in the new lockdown.  My finger nails were positively long last week, so I cut them, and I've just cut them again now.  I find it very strange to see my finger nails with actual white excess nail sticking out, as I'd have chewed th

Noise Generators & The Conservatory (Work)

That moment you tell someone you're going to go do some programming work in the conservatory during a rain storm and their mind melts as they can't figure how the sound of rain helps with your concentrating and keeping the alpha brain waves flowing....

I use noise generators whilst I'm working all the time, such as this one:

https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/campingRainNoiseGenerator.php

And I really like this one:

https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/thunderNoiseGenerator.php

But my favourite is this:

https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/primevalEuropeanForestSoundscapeGenerator.php

They're works of genius.

And as the new lock-down looms I'm relying on them more and more for that little taste of the outdoors whilst stick in doors.