How are you doing? No, really, I mean it. How are you? Very well, I hope, in spite of the world going crazy these days. I want you to be ok.
So, what have you been doing while stuck at home?
That's assuming you don't live in the south, because I don't think anyone feels like they need to be stuck at home down here. They have literally had to post police cars at the entrances to two of the parks near the church. Of course, one of those parks is where drug dealers hang out and the other is where closeted gay men go to hook up out in nature, but along with them, the people who have kids that aren't in school right now who feel the need to still let them congregate in large groups (all while using the same dirty playground equipment) made the police a necessity.
I don't want to be too judgy, though, because I imagine people are going kind of stir crazy. You wouldn't think so, what with phones and tablets and backyards and all of that, but I think the idea that we shouldn't go out is worse than actually not going out, so people are being defiant. That won't be so great if they catch COVID-19, but hindsight will be our luxury by then.
I feel sorry for Steve, because he never stays home this much. Ever. When he is home, he's usually settled in, doing his thing, but during a normal week, he's either at work, or at band practice, or at some cyber security professional organization board meeting (he's on several boards) or traveling on business. It didn't occur to me how much he wasn't home until he was!
As for myself, I'm ok. I usually have quite a bit of time to myself, so it's been an adjustment! I have gone outside more in the past couple of weeks during the spring than I have in years. No idea why, except that I am appreciating the nice weather more than I ever have. Usually I have to avoid the spring because of my terrible allergies, but maybe I'm feeling the pressure of being cooped up as well. If I want to be inside, that's were I'll be. Now that I SHOULD be inside, well, I'm being a brat about it, allergies be damned! Hehe. I got two hammocks for my birthday that finally arrived a few days ago, and we have been laying out in them (weather permitting) as much as we can.
We've also done some trail walking, but I haven't decided if we're being stupid by doing that or not. We aren't hanging out with other people and we are distancing ourselves as much as possible, but it's impossible to avoid people all of the time. It's even worse if we tried to walk in our neighborhood, because the sidewalks are kind of crowded.
One of the things that sucks about all of this is having to plan the Just-In-Cases. Say, if I get this stuff, not much will change if I shuffle off the mortal coil, except that the next lady in line for my job (she's literally next in line, already decided on) will step in. Someone else will need to post funny memes on Facebook, and Steve and my mom will probably be sad. I did tell him to wait until I was completely gone before he found another wife or girlfriend, and she is, in no uncertain terms, not allowed to live in my house. If Steve gets it and goes, I'll have to sell the house and cars and get access to accounts and figure out insurance and figure out where to live and all kinds of fun things. This is the unfunny side of being a kept woman, I guess, but there we go. Now, if I could just get him to write stuff down so I'd know what to do...
As for other, less morbid, things, I am trying to learn about watercolor painting, which is a skill I'd like to have. I didn't study painting in college, although I wish I had, so I'm having to piece together information I've found online. I'm also borderline cheating, because I found sheets of watercolor paper with designs already applied in wax, so it's more like a coloring book than actually painting, but I think it will at least allow me to learn some techniques without being a huge waste of supplies in the end. After that, who knows? Maybe I'll be able to paint an actual picture of my own one day! I've also ordered a massive paint-by-numbers kit because I liked the image. I feel my art degree cringing at these elementary attempts at creating, but unless someone wants to hire me for a massive graphic design job, or buy me print shop equipment, I'll do what I can. I still have my beads and yarn as well, but I'm trying to learn some new stuff while I have the time. And I have the time right now, friends.
Speaking of friends, I've been trying to keep in contact with people as much as possible, but it isn't easy. I have weird anxiety about bothering people. I don't know why. So me reaching out to anyone without prompting takes a superhuman amount of effort. Some of the messages get answered, but some messages I send feel more like I'm putting them in bottles and throwing them in the ocean rather than typing a DM, but I completely understand that everyone has things going on right now and they are trying to figure out how to deal with work and life in captivity, but I have faith that one day I'll get replies. Haha!
I had to go to the grocery store a couple of days ago and it was just too damn weird. I stopped at Target after work (with my own baggy of Clorox wipes to clean the buggy myself, thank you) and it was like a scene out of some kind of post apocalyptic movie. There were people there, although we all gave each other wide berths when we walked by each other, and one was wearing a quite frightening black mask over most of her face. Others just looked kind of shell shocked. There were so many empty shelves, and I can't decide if people are still panic buying things, or if the supply chain still hasn't caught up. There didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason for the things that were missing, but maybe I just don't understand the diets of people stuck at home. I mean, the ice cream was untouched, but the flour was almost completely gone. Weirdness. I'm so glad that we are still getting our meal subscription boxes once a week because it brings us fresh stuff, but I'm wondering if we shouldn't donate some of that to other people. We're more fortunate than others and it feels selfish to keep it all for us.
Apparently I am an essential worker at church. I am solely responsible for making sure that the church services keep on getting out to our members and it is a tiny bit stressful. It's probably shouldn't be, but people who aren't really involved in how we do things get ideas. We all know how welcome ideas can be when the people with the ideas don't know what they're talking about, but hey, we are trying to keep people happy, right? It's funny that my iPhone has become an ad hoc studio. We record the sermons, the music, and I edit most of it directly on the phone. The only thing I can't do is add the opening graphics and things on it, so I have to bring it home and use my editing software to do that, then I have to move it to a thumb drive and take it back to church so we can made DVDs for our older members who don't use the internet. I accidentally lost one of the videos I had uploaded last week, which sent me into a weeping, panicked spiral of trying to figure out what to do, until I remembered I'd saved a copy somewhere else. I don't think I'm cut out for this kind of responsibility! But I'm getting it done, which is the important thing, and I think it will be a good bridge to build until our members are able to come back! Want to know something hilarious? More people watch the videos than ever show up for church. Hehe! Maybe he'll want us to go full digital after this!
I'm trying not to let being essential go to my head, you know. ;) I don't think I've ever been essential before in my life! Most of the time, I feel I'm like one of those NPC in games that just walk around in the background filling in space until someone talks to them. Then they come to life and do stuff! How will I ever go back to being non-essential? It will be a challenge.
So that's me for now. I hope you stay sane and happy, whoever you are.
*rolls this up, stuffs it in a bottle, and throws it into the ocean* BLOOP!
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