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Pandemic Diary, Day 31
Today marks the end of the first month of the pandemic. My little world remains pretty stable. Within my wider circle of acquaintances, a few people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, but everyone seems to have somewhat mild symptoms and is recovering. This is good, and I hope it stays this way. I have been trying to write something here all day. I want to document this. I think that matters. But I also do not know what to say. So much of my life feels “normal”. I am working from home, but I am still working. Some of the issues I am dealing with are different, but not really. …
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Gratitude Journal 2020 #8
I feel a bit like I am inside a Monty Python sketch. Except instead of the Spanish Inquisition, no one expected a pandemic. I mean, honestly, Pandemic is a board game I play with friends. It is not supposed to be our everyday life. And yet, here we are. I started this journal with the goal of remembering to be grateful for the little things, not realizing that only a year later, those little things would be very big things after all. Gratitude Item #25 – Grocery storesEven 1 month ago, this would have seemed like such a little thing. But now? Now, I think all of us who have…
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Pandemic Diary, Day 26
5:40a – C “Are you actually sleeping?” Me “No, what do you need me to do for you?” C “I need to send an email to work to tell them I’m not coming in for 2 weeks.”And thus began my morning. C most likely does not have the virus. He is a smoker, who has been smoking more due to stress, and he is prone to sinus infections. But a cough woke him up in the middle of the night, and so, we are going with an abundance of caution. (Please note that up until a week ago, I got up at 5:30a every morning, so this was not all…
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Pandemic Diary, Day 25
Yesterday, I managed 4 walks. But I got the number of steps I wanted for the day in the end, so we are calling that a win. This morning, I did not get up in time to do the 6:40a walk before starting work. 7:45a – I may need to order a new keyboard. This one seems to upset Larry. He’s sleeping happily until I start typing a lot. And then he feels the need to be in my lap. I wonder if it sounds like a really bad storm to him? Next time I’m on Amazon, I may need to look for a quieter keyboard. (Or perhaps I should…
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Pandemic Diary, Day 24
This is the first entry in this series. February 29, 2020, the day Washington’s Governor Inslee declared a state of emergency, is Day 0, and all entries are dated from that point. I started working from home as my “new normal” on day 18. I expect to be working from home for roughly 3 months. In less than 48 hours, Washington will be under a “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order, which should have us all mostly sitting around our houses for at least two weeks. I am lucky in that my job can be done from home, and while my employer, the University of Washington, may be closing down physical…
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Gratitude Journal 2020 #7
Three weeks ago, when I last posted a gratitude journal, Washington state had just declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19. That has been the start of some crazy weeks in my world, and I have not taken the time to sit down and post here. But the truth is, I think it is even more important in the midst of all of this to be grateful. I will also admit that a lot of what I am grateful for right now is in the way my employer and I am able to respond to the issue. More than anything I am grateful for the (as of right now)…
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Gratitude Journal 2020 #6
I have gone three weeks without posting, but not three weeks without being grateful. Sometimes, no matter my intentions, I just do not make it over to the computer with the energy to post. I do apologize for that. But, I am here now, with three weeks worth of gratitude Gratitude Item #13 – SavingsThe last few weeks we have been hit with some unexpected expenses. The car needed $3600 worth of work (and might have to go back in for more). The dogs’ dental visit cost $1200, and C’s cousin needs some financial help, so we have sent money to her (and will likely send more). None of this…
