Of the moment // 3.27.20
I’m not sure how to start this other than: HOLY COW THE WORLD IS INSANE. It feels like we’re living at the beginning of a Margaret Atwood novel, and who the heck knows where this is going to go. I’m feeling very lucky to have my health, my job, my pug, my house, my family and friends: I know that I’m in a place of giant privilege right now, and certainly not taking it for granted.
I’m obviously a nut for routine (sleep! beauty! finances!), and I’ve found that it’s been really helpful to keep as much of my routine as possible. I’m also very careful about how much Covid19-related news I’m taking in, and making it a priority to meditate and get eight hours of sleep every night. And one of the best things that I’ve started doing: turning my phone off on Saturday night and not turning it back on until Monday morning. It’s obviously much easier to do without any social plans, but it’s certainly something I’m going to try and keep up for as long as possible.
Home
As someone who has been working from home for the past few years (my full work-from-home routine here!), I highly recommend figuring out a schedule that works for you. For me, that means a shower, meditation session, a walk around the block and coffee before I even open my email–as well as a noontime walk and a late afternoon walk. I also have my phone set-up to block me from all social media starting at 9:30pm and I keep my phone in our living room overnight.
Although I used to be a little more laid-back about my WFH fashion (aka sweats and a messy bun, even if I’d showered), this weird new world means A LOT more business calls…and I also don’t have three days a week where I’m getting fully done up and getting the confidence that goes with it. And thus! I’m trying to be better about blow-drying my hair, putting on (light) makeup, and wearing real clothes (even if it is just jeans and a sweater!). It really has made a big difference in my overall mood!
Also, if you’re new to working from home (and all of these video calls!), I can’t recommend a laptop camera cover enough: it’s super tiny and cheap, but basically, there’s an extra layer of security to know that your camera isn’t on when you’re not expecting it. And although it’s not related to work, if you don’t have a weighted blanket right now…I recommend one!
Eats
Although I’ve been spending a lot more time at home, we’re actually “eating out” more than usual: we’re committed to buying at least one meal from a local restaurant or cafe each day. The restaurant business is already so tough to succeed in, and I truly can’t imagine the impact this shutdown will have on service workers. We’ve also gotten creative for some fun little date nights under lockdown. One night, we picked up Crack Shack fried chicken sandwiches, drove down to the waterfront and ate them in the back of our car; another night, we got takeout from The Godfather, a nice Italian restaurant in our neighborhood we’ve been meaning to try, and I was delighted with the presentation that included fancy silver (plastic) cutlery wrapped in nice white napkins!
I’m also very happy that we have still kept up our subscription to Blue Apron: it is so nice to have three meals a week magically show up at our house! I’ve also gotten fully obsessed with the Alison Roman cookbooks Dining In and Nothing Fancy: huge fan of the Lemony Tumeric Tea Cake (for breakfast or dessert) and the Very Good Lasagna. And a controversial opinion: I made the internet-famous salted chocolate chunk shortbread cookies, and was not that impressed! A little too rich for my taste: I’ll stick to classic chocolate chippers! (Seriously, that is my baking project for the weekend.) And lastly, this one-bowl banana bread has been the easiest and most delicious way to start the morning with something warm.
Reads
To be honest, it has not been THAT hard for me to adjust to more evenings at home: more time to read! I’ve been keeping my Goodreads updated (and debating increasing my yearly goal?), but sharing a few recent favorites if you’re looking for a new weekend read. If you need something VERY eerie in this current climate, Severance is dystopian fiction…set in a world being decimated by a deadly fever that originated in China (I was kind of hoping for a happy ending as a bit of real-world optimism?). For page-turning and thought-provoking fiction, I couldn’t put down Such A Fun Age, Long Bright River and Olive Kitteridge. For a thriller, The Silent Patient kept me guessing until the very last page. And although they’re a little bit heavier, I highly recommend We Crossed A Bridge And It Trembled: Voices from Syria and The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down.
Activities
In addition to reading and catching up on shows (I’m 100% on the Tiger King, The Pharmacist and Cheer bandwagons, and I’m also rewatching The Good Wife), I’ve also been playing plenty of solo Bananagrams (forever sad that my husband does not love word games, but pleased that it’s possible to play by yourself) and trying my hand at Inner Piece Puzzles (they’re so beautiful and great to pop in and do a little bit at a time!).
Another task that I’m hoping to tackle this weekend: I have a few different boxes and envelopes of childhood photos, as well as photos from my mom and grandma’s childhood. It’s been on my to-do list for SO long to get them all organized into a hardcopy photo album, as well as potentially digitize some of them.
I’ve also been more grateful than ever for my Fitbit Versa! I’m still trying to hit 10K steps per day (morning, noon and night dog walks!), and I love that it alerts me if I haven’t walked at least 250 steps in an hour. It can get so easy to get stuck in front of a computer and meetings, and it reminds me to get up at least once an hour! After having the watch for more than a year, I also just started using the “Coach” feature this week: the 7-minute workout and 10-minute ab workout are both great! They’re super easy, quick and challenging: not quite as intense as my favorite Pilates Reformer and Megaformer workouts, but a good way to get in a little some activity at home.
Words
“Here’s to books, the cheapest vacation you can buy.” -Charlaine Harris
This weekend, I’m…staying home–ha! I have grand plans of spring cleaning, gardening and reading in the backyard in the sunshine.
