This weekend I’m still having to work because I’m still about two weeks behind on a ton of deadlines. But if we weren’t quarantined I’d have wanted to DO something, like go to the city or I dunno. Something to break things up. Weekends aren’t weekends when every day is like the one before. The past few weeks I’ve been too busy with getting everything changed over to online on top of all my service obligations to feel like I was missing anything but it’s been a long time and I see a future with these weekends that aren’t really weekends in front of me.
I’ve been reading novels (mostly rereading Jayne Ann Krentz… comfort stuff) and eating very well (DH is stress-baking). I’ve also been getting a little thrill from any online shopping that needs doing– I have a better understanding of why my grandma was on every mail order subscription service known to daytime television commercials. Problem is, after I’ve taken care of our food needs by ordering groceries, and bought some fun stuff from places like nuts.com or coffee for DH from southernseason.com and random things for other people (birthday presents and care packages)… there’s not really much else I want right now. What’s the point in buying clothes when I only wear pajamas and will likely be a completely different size at the end of this? (I also told DH to buy some hot sauce from heatonist.)
I can’t really go for walks in the neighborhood because with everyone home and everyone going on walks, it’s been impossible to do a 6 foot distance AND also people TALK to me even when I’m just trying to get the mail. Apparently I’m not starved for conversation yet (turns out a day of zoom meetings leaves me just as drained as a day of in person meetings!). I could go to a much richer neighborhood where there’s more space and fewer people but I’m afraid of getting shot for not belonging (unlikely since I’m a middle-aged white female, but what if I cough?). We’re also under a city-wide emergencies only rule and the uni sent an email saying that police were stopping people in cars (I wonder how social distancing works there…) and asking for proof that the person is essential personnel or going to get food or take-out. I can probably avoid that again by being a middle-aged female with a nice but not luxury car, but still… and I can’t really take the family either. I dunno.
DH is getting more socializing than usual. People from his former lives scattered across the country have been remembering that he does a lot of gaming so they’ve been contacting him for online table-top games and video games. So that’s pretty cool. He’s also used to working from home, though the children interrupt both of us. I’ve had a few texts from people checking in, but not really long conversations from people I don’t normally keep in contact with, probably because most people from my past are also dealing with online classes and children. I know folks who regularly do things like book clubs are doing them virtually instead of in person, which is cool. (I don’t want to do a bookclub, but I think it’s awesome that people who enjoy it are able to keep it up.)
So other than reading books and watching youtube videos, which I always do anyway, even on weeknights… I’m out of ideas for things to look forward to. How have you been handling the need for fun or breaking up the routine?
What have you been doing to break up the days? What do your weekends look like? What have your quarantine buddies been doing?