My friends, the great experiment.

No, I don’t mean the Excelsior-class starship. (For non-nerds reading this and wondering what the hell I’m talking about, here’s a link to the relevant “Star Trek” scene.)

Telecommuting had been a growing trend before the coronavirus crisis, but it’s now the default (at least for those with the right sort of office-style work) as the coronavirus shutters offices and scatters their occupants in a historic home-working migration.

I’m going on nearly a month of near-continuous telecommuting (the looming pandemic had sent me scurrying to my home office long before others at the Pioneer Press), and now the bulk of my colleagues are performing their jobs exclusively from their residences.

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The COVID-19 outbreak might be the story of the century, and there’s no shortage of news about it.

For you, that can be a good or bad thing. If the never-ending torrent of info about the coronavirus is bumming you out, this post isn’t for you. Power down the computer or smartphone, cut off the virus-news firehose, and go do something that relaxes you.

But if your appetite for COVID-19 news is insatiable, you’ve come to the right place.

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As I write this, the highly infectious and often-deadly COVID-19 virus is beginning its rampage across the country. And, like other Americans, I am figuring out how to cope.

I’m a nerd who likes putting a geeky spin on any problem, and this medical emergency is no exception.

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The COVID-19 crisis has made me paranoid about once-ordinary routines.

I’ve stopped going to my public library because I’m leery of much-handled books. I’m no longer visiting my gym and its oft-touched equipment. Heck, I’m no longer going to my office — I have been 100-percent telecommuting for more than a week, with my employer’s OK, and anticipate doing so for the foreseeable future.

These are drastic lifestyle changes, and I’ve had to figure out how I’ll cope.

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As a Puerto Rican in Minnesota, I have complicated feelings about winter.

I hate the never-ending cold, but I gamely do battle with King Boreas every day, and have moments of exhilaration — like when I am attacking snowdrifts with an electric snowblower.

In recent weeks, I have written a couple of times in the Pioneer Press about my trials with winter.

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Last year, I bicycled like never before. I embarked on the greatest cycling adventures of my life, and went farther than I ever thought possible.

I pedaled 2,535.6 miles, compared to 2,287.8 miles in 2018, and 1,448.9 miles in 2019.

I had aspired to hit 3,000 miles, but my cycling season was cut short in September when I found myself fighting for my life.

Here are the year’s high points — and a low point that very nearly put me in my grave.

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My deepest thanks to my artistic pal Steve Borsch for yet again unleashing his digital skillz to insert me into a geeky scenario — the hit Disney+ series “The Mandalorian,” in this case — as the best kind of birthday gift.

This means a lot, my friend. I appreciate it.