It’s officially been 2 full weeks of working from home! So much has changed in such a short time. (However, even self-quarantine wasn’t enough to make me take down my Christmas tree. Alas.)

I went from waking up at 7:30 AM to rolling out of bed a few minutes before my first meeting. Having groceries delivered—which I’d only done once before—has become routine. Washing my hands is an hourly event. I stifle any coughs or sneezes if I’m in public.

Reading the news—more specifically, the government’s terrible response to this literal pandemic—is infuriating. My heart hurts for the people who are most at risk.

Social distancing with no roommates or close family/friends in the city seemed scary at first, but it’s actually been fine! I feel like it’s made me more intentional about reaching out. Two nights ago, for example, I had a FOUR-HOUR Facetime call with my college best friends, which was so fun—and I feel like all the craziness of today pushed us to make that happen.

In general I’m trying to use this time to be productive and do some self-development, but I also want to be kind to myself when life becomes…well…overwhelming.

I picked up some hobbies: embroidery and learning Italian on Duolingo (because why not!! My favorite word so far is zucchero, or “sugar”). I plan on doubling down on reading. I even enrolled in 2 free Coursera courses: one on machine learning for professional development 👩🏻‍💻, and one on web dev just for fun 😜. And at my sister’s suggestion, I started this blog up again (clearly)!

I’ve also done a TON of lounging. I watched Season 5 of Schitt’s Creek, discovered the Netflix docu-series 7 Days Out, got back into Chef’s Table, and caught up on Youtube videos.

Aaaand of course, I’ve given Coconut many many many squeezes. I’ve always been grateful for his companionship, but especially now he’s been a blessing. Our new thing is nightly brushing; boy LOVES it (I think it feels like a massage to him).

But yeah, that’s my current state of affairs! I hope everyone else is staying sane and safe. 🙏