It’s harder to find meaningful things to post each day, when most days follow the same sequence (computer, TV, sleep). But maybe it’s even more essential to keep this up, to find those things that make one day different from the one before. I had that philosophy regarding the blog, once upon a time a long while ago… and perhaps it’s not being put more fully to the test.
I love how folks are finding ways to collaborate together, even though we’re all pretty far apart. Amidst all the dark news and numbers, it’s nice to have this sort of thing that reminds me of how great the Internet can be, sometimes.
Liz and I had a house day today. The weather was fantastic, and while Liz worked outside I was on the inside clearing up a lot of the front office.
After several days of heavy rain, we got an opportunity to hang out on the porch today after work. There were clouds and wind earlier in the day, but by mid-afternoon the skies cleared and the sun was out strong.
Liz has also had the same struggles, and I’m finding it hard to define (and adhere to) a clear start/stop to the day. The work is… always there, and it’s difficult sometimes to set it aside, and say to myself: “enough.”
The really great thing about Chicago: many services now offer curbside pickup. Binny’s has a thing where they’ll bring you alcohol out to your car (10aM – 12PM). Vanille offers curbside pickup, as do several higher end restaurants (all run through Tock).
During these moments, a University of Chicago bus usually goes by. And for the last few weeks, whenever I can peek into the bus itself… it seems like it’s totally empty.
A coworker mentioned that most people are finding themselve working an average of 2 more hours per day. Is this just a busy time all around? Are people getting more into the zone, and losing track of time? Are we all getting used to remote work?
Liz has had medication waiting for her at our local Walgreen’s. And knowing this was a need that would require us to leave the house… we decided to lump several other tasks on the same day. If we were going to be out and about, we may as well try to get all the things done.
We’re about five weeks into staying inside, due to the Coronavirus. So what if it’s snowing outside?
Really, what does it matter? What are days anymore? What is time?
“Olive: focused, relentless, tasting absolutely nothing…”
“Anticipatory grief is that feeling we get about what the future holds when we’re uncertain. Usually it centers on death. We feel it when someone gets a dire diagnosis or when we have the normal thought that we’ll lose a parent someday. Anticipatory grief is also more broadly imagined futures. There is a storm coming. There’s something bad out there.”
I think that for Liz, she needs to keep active and to do things. It helps her, to keep her mind focuse on other tasks. For me, diving into ordinary chores and tasks is incredibly difficult, due to the dissonance between the mundane thing I’m doing and the world outside my window.
While we were outside today, walking around after work in the yard… Liz and I were both surprised to see an airplane in the sky.
That feels weird to write.
Right now, it feels like we’ve gone through this very big wave. And I feel like I’m treading water in a quiet place, waiting for the next big wave to come. Based on the articles I’ve read and the predictions being made, the next two weeks feel like they will be a very dark time for the United States. The world as well, of course. But for the US in particular, I think we’re going to see some really bad days.