Pandemic Diary IX
I have gone almost a month without adding anything to my pandemic diary. I previously used the excuse that not much changes from day to day. But it turns out that's kind of a lie.
Being home alone is not awful, but it's not great. And some days are better than others. There are days when I am feeling okay. And there are days when I just want to weep, sleep, eat, and be a couch potato in front of the TV.
I miss my morning walks. I have found an app that guides me through a short exercise regimen each morning, but it's not the same. And I spend a few hours in the early part of each day on my mirador, enjoying fresh air, but I want to go outside.
I wouldn't say I'm suffering from depression, but there are definitely days when I feel depressed.
And I feel bad for feeling depressed, because compared to so many folks, I am so lucky. I am not in financial straits. I have food and shelter. I have virtual contact with many friends and family. I am feeling healthy, and I don't have any friends or family who have suffered personal loss due to this virus.
Of course, feeling bad for feeling depressed doesn't alleviate those feelings. It exacerbates them.
There's no need to worry about my well-being. As I said, I'm basically okay. But contact with friends and family is always welcome, so feel free to call, email, text, or videochat me any time. I'd love to engage in more Zoom group gatherings, so if there are any folks out there thinking of all their old colleagues, friends, classmates, or whatever, maybe we can set something up.
On good days, I get some productive things accomplished. I've got a lot on my plate as Club Manager for the Lake Chapala Duplicate Bridge Club, managing our virtual online games on BridgeBase and playing multiple times each week. I'm also playing in three online trivia competitions, two on Zoom and one via Learned League. I have actually written a new short story, my first in several years, and my writing group from Seattle has been meeting on Zoom; we'll be critiquing my new story this Saturday. I do my exercises (including running up and down the stairs in my house). I clean. (I'm actually lucky that my housekeeper lives right around the corner and is still coming to clean once a week. When she's here I lock myself in my bedroom, so I have to clean my bedroom and bathroom myself.) I washed my car the other day; it was so dusty just from sitting in the driveway. In spite of a few rainstorms last week, we are still in the dry season, and the dust accumulates quickly. I have to wipe down my kitchen counters every morning because the layer of dust that builds up so fast.
And I've given myself two haircuts, thanks to this purchase from Amazon Mexico:
I am following news a lot, but too much of it makes me sad. Not just because the situation is sad right now, but because there is so much politicization and so much idiocy. Plus too many of my friends and family seem willing to engage with people in debates and arguments that lead to nothing.
I'm still watching a lot of TV. Here are some additional shows I've binged since my last post:
By the way, did I mention my kitchen remodel was finally finished, and the furniture store delivered my new table and chairs?
Being home alone is not awful, but it's not great. And some days are better than others. There are days when I am feeling okay. And there are days when I just want to weep, sleep, eat, and be a couch potato in front of the TV.
I miss my morning walks. I have found an app that guides me through a short exercise regimen each morning, but it's not the same. And I spend a few hours in the early part of each day on my mirador, enjoying fresh air, but I want to go outside.
I wouldn't say I'm suffering from depression, but there are definitely days when I feel depressed.
And I feel bad for feeling depressed, because compared to so many folks, I am so lucky. I am not in financial straits. I have food and shelter. I have virtual contact with many friends and family. I am feeling healthy, and I don't have any friends or family who have suffered personal loss due to this virus.
Of course, feeling bad for feeling depressed doesn't alleviate those feelings. It exacerbates them.
There's no need to worry about my well-being. As I said, I'm basically okay. But contact with friends and family is always welcome, so feel free to call, email, text, or videochat me any time. I'd love to engage in more Zoom group gatherings, so if there are any folks out there thinking of all their old colleagues, friends, classmates, or whatever, maybe we can set something up.
On good days, I get some productive things accomplished. I've got a lot on my plate as Club Manager for the Lake Chapala Duplicate Bridge Club, managing our virtual online games on BridgeBase and playing multiple times each week. I'm also playing in three online trivia competitions, two on Zoom and one via Learned League. I have actually written a new short story, my first in several years, and my writing group from Seattle has been meeting on Zoom; we'll be critiquing my new story this Saturday. I do my exercises (including running up and down the stairs in my house). I clean. (I'm actually lucky that my housekeeper lives right around the corner and is still coming to clean once a week. When she's here I lock myself in my bedroom, so I have to clean my bedroom and bathroom myself.) I washed my car the other day; it was so dusty just from sitting in the driveway. In spite of a few rainstorms last week, we are still in the dry season, and the dust accumulates quickly. I have to wipe down my kitchen counters every morning because the layer of dust that builds up so fast.
And I've given myself two haircuts, thanks to this purchase from Amazon Mexico:
I am following news a lot, but too much of it makes me sad. Not just because the situation is sad right now, but because there is so much politicization and so much idiocy. Plus too many of my friends and family seem willing to engage with people in debates and arguments that lead to nothing.
I'm still watching a lot of TV. Here are some additional shows I've binged since my last post:
- The Rain (season 1, Netflix): A post-apocalyptic story about a virus! This one lives in the rain, and everyone who gets rained on dies within minutes. It takes place in Denmark and Sweden.
- Upload (season 1, Amazon Prime): In the future, people who are about to die can have their consciousness uploaded into a computer program that allows them to live indefinitely in a virtual world. Using VR technology, their still-living friends and family can even interact with them. The quality of the world they "live" in depends on the money they were able and willing to spend. There is a love story and a murder mystery all interwoven in this universe. I found it fascinating and captivating.
- Never Have I Ever (season 1, Netflix): There are a lot of coming-of-age programs on Netflix. This is one of the best I've watched. Developed by Mindy Kaling, the main character is an Indian-American girl who sets her sights high in the search for love. The story arc is surprising and moving.
- Hollywood (Netflix): Ryan Murphy's miniseries about the film industry in the years just after World War II juxtaposes real-life personalities (Rock Hudson, Anna May Wong, Hattie McDaniel, Vivian Leigh, Tallulah Bankhead, George Cukor, and more) with fictional characters. It's a wistful consideration of how Hollywood might have evolved differently if only a few brave people had taken a stand against the racism and homophobia that were rampant in that era.
- Into the Night (season 1, Netflix): A Belgian series about a group of passengers on an airliner heading west to escape the sun, which, due to some solar anomaly that is killing all living beings. It kept my interest, but I can't say it was really all that good.
- Sex Education (seasons 1-2, Netflix): Another coming-of-age story, this one set at a high school in England. The main character is the sixteen-year-old son of a sex therapist. This show embraces diversity with a lot of compassion. I really liked it.
By the way, did I mention my kitchen remodel was finally finished, and the furniture store delivered my new table and chairs?
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