Quarantine Journal: Week 8
I'm keeping a daily journal while we're stuck in quarantine. To check out previous entries, click below!
Week 1: March 18th-24th
Week 2: March 25th-31st
Week 3: April 1st-7th
Week 4: April 8th-14th
Week 5: April 15th-21st
Week 6: April 22nd-28th
Week 7: April 29th-May 5th
Did not expect to have eight weeks' worth of quarantine, but here we are. Still no word on when we're going back to the office, so let's just keep this train going.
This whole recap-a-day thing has been great for my new year's resolution to write more, but it has led to massive day confusion. I write each day's recap the next day (or at least, that's the goal), and I always write it as if it is currently that day, so then I spend the rest of the day confused about what day it is.
DAY. DAY. DAY. DAY. DAY.
That's probably the word I've written most through this all: Day.
Let's move this along before I really seem like I've lost it, shall we?
Day 50: Wednesday, May 6th
I'm going to start at the end because I like Tarantino movies so that the pic of the day makes sense.
We ended our day with a little impromptu declutter of the living room. We moved the couches, coffee table, and rug out, and swept and scrubbed the floor. (There were a lot of random stains under the couches, which was...odd? But they're gone now!) Then we did our best to remove The Perimeter. I'm capitalizing that because it had become so out of control that it deserves to be a proper noun.
As you can see, there's still quite a bit of clutter, but the living room feels a little less boxed in, which makes me happy. Once we get the extra wine fridge and two dog crates outta here, we'll be living large. (Literally. The room will feel much larger.)
We also wiped down the couches since Carly and Alli don't follow the Dog Couch/People Couch boundaries. (They get the big one! I don't understand why they're so fascinated with ours.)
Anyway, rewinding back to the morning...
The little girls who live across from us (the same ones who always ask to pet Carly and have learned Alli is shy and doesn't want to be pet by strangers) posted up at the end of the street with a lemonade stand. It was so cute how excited they got every time someone drove by, so I went and got some cash so I could buy something.
10/10 would recommend. They had an extensive menu (written on a piece of cardboard), including granola bars, root beer, lemonade (three flavors) and tea. Their prices were very reasonable, and they had a Yorkie you could pet while you waited for them to make your drink. I also really appreciated their honesty. I originally ordered the root beer, and one of the girls said, "Eww, no. You don't want that. It's super gross and expired." So I had an order of the house lemonade instead. (Didn't drink it. Never planned to.)
Later this evening when we took the dogs for a walk, that chihuahua that's always harassing our chickens and wearing tutus came after Carly and Alli. So cute how he's never inside or, you know, on a leash! Right as it was about to turn into a blood bath, the owner came out and took the chihuahua inside. Thank. Goodness.
We ended the night with a game of ping pong (I'm getting better! 21-10.) and a golf cart ride complete with smoothies. It was a good day!
Day 51: Thursday, May 7th
So, the aforementioned lemonade stand was cute until the girls decided to do it ALL DAY EVERY DAY. I feel like I live on a toll road. We can't leave or come back without paying the lemonade toll, which is an issue, because we come and go a lot between our bike and golf cart rides.
BUT today is a good day becauuuuuuse my balance transfer posted! And it's payday!
Some other big news: I tried grilled cheese with mayo instead of butter for the first time today, and I have to say...it tasted the same to me. It did lead to a perfect level of toastiness on the bread, though, which I appreciated.
I had a conference call I was dreading this afternoon. It was supposed to be a roundtable discussion with a bunch of other social media managers, but no one else showed up, so I got to be Hero Who Actually Did Show Up and Had Her Time Wasted while everyone else was Loser Who Can't Keep Track of a Calendar. The leader of the call was so apologetic, and I got to be like, "It's ok. You know, I was looking forward to this, but I understand that some people have a harder time prioritizing this sort of thing."
Sean and I played some ping pong, and I used a rubber paddle instead of the sandpaper - HUGE difference. I still only scored 11 points, but it was a moral victory.
Then we got takeout from one of my favorite restaurants, and those little turds forgot to give me a side of salad dressing. We aren't a creamy salad dressing family, so I couldn't even compensate with something we had lying around the house. Such a letdown.
After the takeout from hell, we went on the walk from hell. I swear, every single person who owns a dog was out walking today (except for us because we do not even own these dogs). Between the neighbors whose dog is always on the loose, the lemonade stand girls, the neighbor across the street who insisted on talking while our dogs tried to fight his dog, and the kid who always walks his two big dogs by himself but can't control them, it was not a fun walk. But we survived (and so did the dogs) and treated ourselves to vodka-sodas when we got home.
And then I played my best game of ping pong yet (I think): 21-15. Still lost. But lost in a flashier manner than I usually do.
Day 52: Friday, May 8th
Today, Ahmaud Arbery would have turned 26. He was murdered on 2/23, and to honor him on his birthday, people everywhere ran for 2.23 miles. It took 73 days for the murderers to be arrested, and that likely wouldn't have happened if not for the footage being leaked. (Yes, leaked. The mere existence of the footage wasn't enough apparently.)
I've mostly stayed out of this conversation because I don't know how to participate without sounding completely out of touch. I've never once feared for my life while running or biking or driving or, you know, just...existing. Because I'm white.
I don't understand how something like this happens and when footage of it happening comes out, the first question is, "How was this leaked?"
How about, "What the hell?" Or, "Why did these two pieces of shit feel entitled to grab weapons and hunt down a 25-year-old who was out for a jog?" Another acceptable question: "What the fuck is wrong with our country?"
I went on a bike ride today because I wasn't feeling the workout our gym posted. I wish Ahmaud could have gone for his daily jog today too. And while it helps knowing the McMichaels did not get to go outside and enjoy this beautiful day, it doesn't fix anything.
Sterling Brown did a far better job articulating his feelings on all of this, which you can watch here.
Here's a picture of a bird I saw at Emerson Point today patiently waiting to catch some lunch. I didn't want to get too close and scare off the fish, but I enjoyed watching his process from afar.
Sometimes I wish I could be part of the animal kingdom instead of the human kingdom. Animals just don't treat each other the way humans do.
Day 53: Saturday, May 9th
One of my best friends got married today! I hung with her (from a distance) in the bride's room while she got ready, and Sean and I watched (also from a distance) as she and her new husband said their vows. We left immediately after the ceremony because we're still in quarantine mode, but it was so wonderful that we got to be there and celebrate with them (from a distance). Looking forward to the day that we can all hug and properly celebrate!
We also delivered Mother's Day gifts to my mom and Sean's mom today since we won't be able to gather like we usually do.
We finished the evening with a game of two-player Catan, and I whooped. Sean's. ass. Definitely my new favorite game.
Day 54: Sunday, May 10th
Happy Mother's Day!
We made an epic brunch. I don't really know what to call it, but it was a breakfast hash with vegan gravy kind of vibe. We enjoyed it with some screwdrivers (Sean) and Prosecco (me) over a Zoom call with my side of the fam and then a FaceTime call with Sean's parents. Such a fun morning!
Sean's dad found a bat that he is very proud of:
Then we played some ping pong, and I let my inner 3 show when I threatened to crush all the ping pong balls if Sean didn't play down to my level. It was ugly, but I've gotten a lot better since Sean stopped trying!
I finished Dead to Me season 2, and then we ended the evening with a golf cart ride to Villa Italia to pick up some pizza for dinner.
Day 55: Monday, May 11th
Today we made Instant Pot mushroom risotto for lunch. It. Was. Delicious. Here's a link if you're interested. While gathering the ingredients, I noticed some ice in the bagged spinach, and I thought, What an odd, isolated, inconsequential event that in no way signifies a larger issue. Narrator: It did, indeed, signify a larger issue.
But more on that later.
As soon as five o'clock hit, Sean and I booked it to the backyard for a poolside reading sesh. I just started reading Little Fires Everywhere (thanks, Janet!) because I loved the series. I'm looking forward to seeing how it compares. (So far, it looks like the series stayed pretty true to the book.)
Later, I opened the fridge and noticed all of our eggs had cracked open...but there was no mess. It was almost like they were frozen. Sean pulled out the almond milk to make a smoothie, and it was - drumroll, please - frozen also. That's when we realized something was wrong with our fridge.
So instead of dealing with it like adults, we played Catan (I won!) and Blokus (I lost.).
Day 56: Tuesday, May 12th
We are getting really good at cooking tofu. Today we made sheet pan crispy teriyaki tofu and broccoli. YUM! Super easy and super delicious. No leftovers in sight.
Our quarterly pest control spray sesh was today, which we're not usually home for. As such, we had never actually met Frank. Turns out, he's a talker. Wouldn't have been a problem if Sean wasn't in the middle of a really important work call, but what can ya do?
We had the added layer of Frank trying to befriend Alli, the Guard Dog, which was...fun. Alli is - how do I put this? - enthusiastic (and a little murdery) when strangers come into the house. I'm just thankful I saw his truck before he rang the doorbell so I could get her outside before we ended up with an Alli-shaped hole in our front door.
I also realized today that...IT'S MAY! Which means it's kind of summer! Which means...
WATERMELON BUBLY IS BACK! I've never found this glorious flavor at Publix, but Winn-Dixie always seems to have it, so I went and stocked up.
Oh, Watermelon Bubly, I've missed you so.