Thoughts during the apocalypse, Part 24.

Hey, folks! I haven't had too many random thoughts lately because there has been real news to put up here. But as I'm waiting for the NFL Draft to start (and yes, I will throw in a few updates over the next few days), here are a few thoughts to tide us over:

Our long national nightmare has ended. I have TP.

** I went out on a shopping run today, and I was responsibly dressed with latex gloves and a brand-new mask, a shipment of which I received from Amazon the other day. And joy of joys, I was finally able to scoop up a package of toilet paper that won't feel like sandpaper on my tushy.

As I was down to eight rolls in the house (not counting the two rolls of one-ply Scott I bought at Shaw's in Sharon last weekend), I did not feel as if I was hoarding to purchase one 18-roll package of Quilted Northern at the Mansfield Stop & Shop. That's not my usual brand -- I usually get the brand endorsed by those bears that don't shit in the woods -- but I'm not complaining.

The store offered a maximum of two per customer, but I didn't need that much -- and with only 10 more packages on the shelf, I figured others would be more in need than I was.

Risking TMI here, I don't use an extraordinary amount of TP. I figure my current supply will take me into August under normal circumstances, so I am officially out of the toilet paper market for a while.

Still not finding hand sanitizer anywhere, but I still have a fairly good supply here at home. I will probably wait a little longer before I start to worry.

** One other thing I'm finding really hard to find is one of my favorite soft drinks. The Diet Dr Pepper supply seems to have been replenished, but it's really tough to find Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Cherry. Love that stuff.

** I have to admit, I'm actually looking forward to watching the TV coverage of the NFL draft because, given how difficult it has been for a lot of the networks to hook up successfully to individuals either reporting or being interviewed at home, the hookup to 32 coaches/general managers in their homes could be one giant clusterf*ck.

Indeed, in the trial run earlier in the week, the Cincinnati Bengals' hookup froze on the computer screens on the very first pick.

The rumor earlier in the week had Bill Belichick making his pick from Nantucket. He may want to find a willing seagull ready to relay the pick to Roger Goodell with it taped to one leg.

And from what I also heard earlier in the week, new Giants' coach Joe Judge might be making his pick from his home in North Attleboro. Apparently he hasn't moved to the Garden State as yet.

** I'm a big fan of the folks working at the convenience stores and fast food restaurants during this crisis, but it's still no time for them to be sleeping on the job. I stopped at a drive-thru today (won't say where so I can protect the establishment from embarrassment), and my order came to $9.26. So I drove to the first window and handed the kid 10 $1 bills -- and waited … and waited … and waited … until I finally spoke up and asked him for my change.

He reacted somewhat slowly and then gave me 26 cents in change (which was still 48 cents short of what I was supposed to get). As I was holding up the line, I just drove up to the next window and asked the young lady handing me my food to wake up the chap at the first window and remind him not to shortchange the customers. "I don't care about the change," I said as nicely as possible, "but you folks really should wake up that kid."

Now, some folks will think that makes me a bad guy. Think what you want. I just want the person taking my money to be responsible enough to be paying attention, coronavirus crisis or not.

** Enjoy the draft. I'll be back with updates when the Patriots do something.