As the coronavirus scenario continues to unfold with updated
information every day (much of it terrifying and panic-inducing), Team
WestEnders had been striving to establish and maintain a healthy routine,
whilst simultaneously doing our best to comply with the ever-expanding
stay-at-home decrees.
For Husband...well, nothing much has changed, frankly.
Each morning he still logs into his company computer, conducts meetings with
his distantly-located colleagues, and appears to be engaging in business
as usual amidst the global chaos. The only thing that really differs
from his typical work-from-home experience is that whenever he steps away from
his desk...there are people around him to commune with...sort
of like his own personal catch-up-at-the-water cooler situation,
which he hasn't had since we moved to NC and he stopped driving to an office 5
days a week.
Then there's Derek, for whom this was the first week of the new "online learning" model he's going to be using for the remainder of the semester. Although details were sketchy at first, it turns out that this will involve a variety of different techniques, depending on the class. For example, he'll complete modules for Stats and Speech, at his own pace and on his own time, as long as he makes sure to submit the assignments by the deadlines the professors set. In contrast, his Chem and History instructors are incorporating an interactive component, for which he'll have to actually join a discussion or lecture at an appointed time, and participate like he would if he were on campus. Not surprisingly, given his personality, he seems to be just...rolling with it. Of course, a plethora of questions still remain, such as how they're going to handle grading...finals...advising and registering for next year's courses...completion of his last Capstone Scholarship requirements...but presumably these wrinkles will be ironed out in the weeks to come...fingers crossed...
Meanwhile Riley's STILL on his Bonus
Spring Break and won't officially have to get back into the swing of
things...such as it is...until next Monday. As he understands it, at that point
he'll have a similar setup to his brother's, with tasks he'll have to access
through the school system's portal, tackle whenever he wants, and "turn in"
for his teachers to evaluate. Oh, and before this is even off the ground, the
governor weighed in this week and informed us that he's taking the initiative
to keep K-12 schools shut down until at least May 15th. So let's
hope this whole "virtual education whosawhatchit runs smoothly,
yeah. Ay yi yi...Speaking of executive decisions and whatnot, Orange county (where we live) just today followed others in our area (Wake, Durham, etc.) and issued a Stay at Home order. Honestly, though, the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro--as well as local entities acting on their own-- had already taken measures to limit in-person shopping and congregating. Many "non-essential" establishments had gone ahead and voluntarily closed, while stores that were able had moved to a curbside pickup arrangement, and restaurants had begun offering only takeout and delivery options. So I don't think this will affect much that hasn't previously been put in place to try to keep people safe. (Except of course that no one's getting a haircut anytime soon--yikes!)
Finally, yours truly spent my job-hours at in the house this week
for the first time as well, which was...kind of weird. I did have a
couple of video chats with coworkers, to touch base on how
everyone was faring, what needed to get done...and creative ideas for
maintaining this scenario for the foreseeable future. It was in my leisure
time, however, that I began to feel a rising sense of...restlessness...and
the desire to, I don't know...DO something tangible to prevent myself from
wasting too much time, maybe? So I brainstormed...with myself...to figure
out just one thing--even the smallest accomplishment--every
day that I could document, as kind of a pandemic diary, or whatever. --So, first, I dug out a coloring book given to me by a former work buddy. And you know what? It was super-soothing to consider and select hues, and to fill in the lines. When I'd finished, I was startled by how long it had actually taken...but during that time, I felt both serene and entertained, so I'd call it a success.
--Next I realized there was a serious danger that I might miss out
on my favorite flower this year: tulips. You see, I never miss the
chance to make a pilgrimage to Duke Gardens and get my fill, but of course it's
closed for who knows how long. So in an extremely uncharacteristic move, I went
to a nearby nursery and purchased bulbs to plant in front of the house. Now
we'll have to see whether they can overcome both my notoriously black
thumb (I mean, I have literally NO IDEA if I even stuck
them in the ground correctly, people) and the voracious packs of deer to
bloom for me. Let's face it, the odds are definitely NOT "ever in my
favor" for this, but we'll try to stay positive for the wee buds, 'kay?
--Then it was time for a puzzle, because...hey, why
not? We have a couple lying around, so I picked one of the smaller ones as a
warmup, and got into it. After several hours of alternating euphoric trash-talking ("Aha!
I found you! I win, you stupid piece!) and whining despair ("Whhhhhy
do all the $#@%& lion parts look exactly the same?
Aaarrrghhh!") I remembered that....I'm not actually as skilled at
assembling puzzles as I always somehow think I should be. Huh...valuable lesson
(again). And yet, my innate, irrepressible stubbornness refuses
to allow me to rage-quit, so I did persevere and finish the dang thing...which
yeah, turned out to be rewarding, so there's that. Might not do
another one for a while, though...--Last but not least, since Spring has deigned to grace us with her presence, if all else fails I try to escape the house and get into nature for some much needed fresh air, movement, and appreciation of the Great Outdoors. Staying 6-feet away from all the humans, obviously...but not the trees! The warmer weather and burgeoning greenery absolutely help with my mood, and allow me to return home and treat my fellow self-isolating family members with renewed patience and good humor (Eh, mostly. This IS me we're talking about...let's just agree that we're all doing our best...)
And there you have it: the weekly report from our little corner
of Quarantine Land. I'll sign off by sending umbrella wishes out
into the universe, for everyone to stay safe and well, so we can get through
this and come out the other side. For now, peace out, peeps!
No comments:
Post a Comment