Starting month 8

I kind of stopped counting the weeks. When we got to be 6 month mark I thought to myself at a shake off this counting it's not gonna do you much good.

 So now we are in birthday month. That is a little bit of fun to track.  What are we doing to celebrate a little each week.. each day.  That has been a nice change of focus.

 We have done a nice walk in the park. We donated blood OK well I donated blood. Had a nice long lunch with a friend... Outside of course.  Had a fun outing to a vineyard with friends..again outside. It rained that day. Tthat was fun and eventful. A good memory maker. Sat outside at the local tap house and had a spiked Apple cider slushy. That was fun.

Prime rib dinner with my mom. Actually saw some other friends at the restaurant so that was nice for all of us. And we never would have thought to go out on a random Wednesday to a local restaurant to sit outside and eat prime rib.  But we did and it was so nice.  We may just do it again.

And some other plans for this weekend..  and then we go back to stricter isolation in prep for an upcoming vacation.

second 6 months

Not sure why I made the demarcation to the second 6 months.  I guess because I was so shocked to feel like.. oh here we are 6 months in.  I tell myself for my sanity maybe I should stop keeping track.  Maybe that will help with the routine.

Who knows.

I do know at the end of the second 6 months I have exciting plans so...  

August went by in a blur

Saw an old friend I hadnt seen in years.  That was a wonderful surprise.  We met for a walk. It turned into a really long walk with coffee and goos conversation. 

I had a freckle removed from my leg. Still working on that not scarring too much.  

I went to HHI for a quick quiet get away.  Walks to the beach. Minimal shopping. A few meals with seafood.

I swam in the Lake from my friends dock a few times.  I really wish I had made that a weekly routine.  Swimming and seeing them was nice.

There was some running and some walking...  70 miles.

And I made it a point to meet up with friends.

All and all a nice way to spend some time.

September is almost to a close as well.

There was a long weekend in there.  A girls weekend in there. 

Got back out on the road on my bike for about 70 miles so far.  Maybe I can squeeze in some more this weekend.

I have been trying to walk 300,000 steps but falling short if that.

I saw an old friend from high school.  It was nice. It was awkward. What do you talk about to cover 30 years of time? How do transition from fun high school kids to serious middle aged people with personal trainers and thrown out backs and jobs to do and homes to maintain?

I tried my hand at disc golf.  I suck. But goodness was the awkwardness of it not one of the best things for me.  Putting myself outside that comfort zone. I dont know the last time I threw a frisbee. Memories of the back yard and my dad. Knowing people were watching my awkwardness.  The pure random laughter of it. Fred! The last time I think I threw a frisbee was with Fred.  And that would have been 1998.  Gosh that was a fun day.  Prospect meeting gone poorly so we changed and went to the park.. attempted frisbee.. and then we went to a driving range.  A nice carefree moment way back then.  So I digress. 

Back to the disc golf.  It was good.  And then we just walked around the park.  Took the time to watch the people.  And sat down to watch a soccer game.  Obviously not as much urgency to fill 30 years of time with that relationship. 

There have been multiple hurricanes.  Paulette and Teddy went to Bermuda.  Today Beta is here.  I forget the name of the last one that blew through.   I am currently laying in bed.. windows open.. and the rain sounds amazing out there.  Need to go find my wellies and take the dog for a walk.  Make it fun!

All my Disney races have been canceled.  The trips are still on the books. I suspect the 2nd trip may for cancelled until the races are rescheduled. That's just a gutt feeling.  That is not my call to make.  I have a pass.  I am good. 

And some of my logistics for April are all set.  Now to get on the rest of them

week 23

Just amazing that we are still in this state.  I knew it wouldnt be 2 weeks.  

So I am resolving to stop counting at 26 weeks and just keep moving forward.

You know how when you count down to a vacation... or count back to a vacation..  You can only do that for so long.  Then you move forward to the next thing.

It is time to move forward to the next thing.  Make plans for what we know.  Make plans with what we have.  Life always throws curveballs.  This one is just always on the news and impacting everyone.   But while we have been focusing on the global pandemic I am sure there there others that have had less publicized road blocks thrown in their path... along with COVID.

So today..  start where you stand.  Think fondly of where you stood 12 months ago.  But start today where you are.

what day is this?

I believe this is the start if week 21.. so day 141 or so..

Wow

I knew that we all wouldnt quarantine for 2 weeks and the disease would go away.

Maybe if we all stayed away from everyone for 4 weeks..?

I had thought we would all have to stay in.. like not leaving the house for anything..

But who can really do that?  Surely not everyone.   So here we are week 21 and not an end in sight.

But so much has been learned in this time.  Well for me at least.  

I have remembered my love of cooking.  New things. Old things. Recipes. Off the cuff.  Good food.  Curry..  chicken.. sauce.. baking... "grey stuff".

I have enjoyed all the time with Conrad.  He really is quite the sidekick.  Well except when I want to sit outside with a glass of wine.  Then he comes inside... not really an outdoor dog.

I sit in the dining room.  Sometimes to make dinner feel posh.  Sometimes to make sure I am not eating breakfast or lunch at the desk.  And at the moment.. there is clutter but sitting here anyways.  Love the Waterford in the center.  The Island Shop placemats and bright flowers. The art I FINALLY HUNG on the wall.

We play musical chairs in the living room.. right end of the sofa, left end of the sofa, club chair (as my mom would call it).  Back room.. leather love seat.. swanky Pottery Barn chair.  Change the seat.  Change your perspective.

Have read a few books. Have ordered a few more.  Oops ordered a cookbook on Kindle..  have an intense swim workout book arriving next week.

Rode my bike.. on the trainer.

Ran.. ran faster than I have in a while.

Walked...Conrad like that.  At least for shorter distances.

And have swam a wee wee bit.

Listened to music.  Go to music I always listen to.  New music.  Right now Bon Iver is singing with Taylor Swift... lovely.  Danced around the house to the new Jessie Ware album.  Remembered why I enjoy Ben Howard and Mumford and Sons so much.  Have missed concerts.

Installed a white board.

Bought a pair of Aftershokz.

Found some new coffee.

Looking at face masks.

Resigned a board position I held.

Signed up for a mediation course.. gonna learn about chakras.. following it up with a transitional life coach.  See what that does.

Researched other places to live... UK, Ireland, Iceland, Bermuda, SC coast...

So as much as we say we have been kn quarantine, lock down, social isolation..

LIFE has still gone on. GROWTH has still gone on.

And it has been wonderful in it's new perspective of COVID.

So let's see what week 21 brings.

wake up

One of the things I have enjoyed about all of this quarantine stuff is the peaceful morning wake up.

The alarm isnt going off at 4 something in the morning anymore so I can walk the dog, suck down some coffee and then go to the gym.

Yes it does go off a little before 6am... but for the most part I am waking up by then a little bit.

And I dont feel the urge to have to rush around.  Today will be a walk with the dog followed by some stretching and coffee.

From there a quick change for work and the really short commute to the home office.  Today there is lots to get done at the home office.

cleaning

Why in the world would I talk about cleaning... Because a cop haunts me being here at the house all the time

A number of years ago I came to the realization with being on the road all the time and the commute and outside activities I would have someone help clean my house. It has been a very nice perk. But having someone clean wire in the house sheep having someone else come in my house is it really on my list these days.

So the dog and I try to come up with a routine. This is back M laundry bathrooms clean the floor. The retain could possibly be more routine. And mostly it's just all those darn dishes where did they come from. I feel so accomplished everything's in the dishwasher and the next  Thing you know the sync is teaming again with dishes. Must being direct correlation with that previous post.

The vacuuming has reminded me how much dog hairs shed on a regular basis.

covid diet

So when we 1st all ran out to the grocery store thinking we be quarantine for a bit I think a lot of people use the approach of a snow day a storm day

Let's by all the snacks let's play all the junk food

That quickly faded for me. I went through my jar of peanut butter it was very tasting. I had a couple of boxes and bags of cheez its. That was a nice change. I dabbled with some ice cream. But perhaps the novelty is worn off.

Unlike others I feel my scale and I are on good terms. I was 1.2 pounds away from my goal weight about 2 weeks ago. Haven't hit the go away yet. We can call it a little bit of dehydration on that scale day. But I'm still holding my own.

The hardest part is buying fresh fruit and vegetables and then it goes badd because you're running in bulk.

Twice now I've had really badd pineapple. The 1st one made me kind of sick. The 2nd one didn't stick around the house that long.

 I have made a variety of fun things. Variations of curry. Meat loaf. Shrimp scampi. I have clam sauce that I need to make with and greening that will happen sometimes sooner than later. I bought polenta the other day with the idea of making it with peppers and onions and mushrooms I guess I need to make that  Sooner than later as well.

I have baked  Things. I think I started with a chocolate cake. Moved on to mixed Berry scones. 2 attempts at bread but the  Kind without yeast. Coffee cake. That made a whole lot of coffee cake.  Rum cake that went over really well. Ginger snaps that were wonderfully snappy. And lastly an old school banana carrot loaf with raisins and nuts and chocolate.

Next up I may try that bread with yeast or go back to the mixed Berry scones.

day 100 or so

So I had started with the concept that I would make a post every day on a track being isolated

Then I somewhat found that being isolated really didn't warrant Tracking every day it was a fairly consistent routine

I will admit there have been some up days and some down days Some ambitious daysAnd some don't really feel like getting out of bed days

I feel like I've noticed the most conflict when trying to move forward as usual but you know in your back of your mind it's not as usual

Training for race. Planning a client meeting. Looking at the calender 6  Months out. Trying to inspire people to volunteer for 2021.

We are going through the motionsBut it's not quite realistic.

But we need to continue to move forward

day 68

Not much to say today.

Laying in bed.  Listening to the birds outside.  Can hear a few cars in the distance. It is early still but light out already this time of year.  It has me thinking I should jump on the bike and ride around the big block just to get some fresh air.

This week has been another dud of a week when it comes to work outs.  My stomach was a mess earlier in the week.  Blaming that on some random foods.  And then I havent motivated from there.

Last night I worked until about 8pm.  That is a problem with the office being just down the hall.  You start a project and it just gets away from you... and you don't have to worry about the drive.. you have fed the dog.. and you just work on.  Glad I did.  Got a spreadsheet done that needed attention and can send some emails today to get some insight on what I did.

I ended up cooking late.  Homemade scampi.. work in progress for sure.

and then just stayed up too late.  That typically goes hand in hand with the work thing.

Today I have meetings in the AM.  Then need to run some leftovers to my mom.  And the afternoon will be more meeting scheduling and spreadsheet filling.

Tomorrow is a short day and the start of a long weekend.  Not sure what that will look like.  Some bike rides maybe.  So long walks or runs.  More cooking.  And laundry. 

Mentally it has been a good week.  Trying to not listen to too much drama.  It is out there in full force. Trying to stay off social media more than I used to.  And trying not to engage in undermining conversations. 

Meditation helps.  Breathing exercises help.  I am glad there are a good number of those at my finger tips.

ironman

Not the movie, the race. I was needing some motivation.

I was doing OK with some running in April.  But as the days turned to weeks and the weeks turned to months.. the short term memory had me working out a whole lot more than the reality.

So 3 weeks ago I decided I would give myself 2 weeks to complete Ironman distances in the bike and the run.  2 mile run every day.  10 miles on the trainer.

It started out strong.  And as usual it faltered.  But last weekend I pulled out the stops to hit the goals.  It made for a lot of walking and a lot of time in the saddle.  But got it done.

Of course I ended up doing absolutely NOTHING this past week but am OK for it.

My tummy has been out of sorts for the past 36 hours.. maybe even a little longer.  Taco Tuesday gave me heartburn of sorts and then some over ripe pineapple added to the sour tummy.  Today there is tea and some pre and pro biotics.  We will see how that goes.

Some fermented food in the future as well.  Get that back on track.

Get back to feeling OK for some exercise.

I wanted to do a baseline 6.2 mile run walk today.  🙄🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️🤢🤮

projects

A lot of people are dabbling with home projects.  The first weekend I remember bounding out of bed.. I was going to prep my patio for warmer weather.  Washed off all the winter debris.  And pulled some weeds.  We do sit out on the patio a couple of times a week.  More often than not we end up doing exactly what we are doing now..  sitting inside with the door open and looking out at the patio.  It is cooler for the dog.  Appears comfier for #ThisIsConrad as well.

Today we are headed to a friends to grab some remnant rocks they bought for a yard project. I am going to redo the side of the patio that is just miserably overgrown and nasty.  Put rocks back in there as I had started years ago.  

There is some neighbor yard creep going on there as well.

And then there are the light blocking curtains in the home office.  They arrived on Monday.  The box says should take 2 hours to install.  So I thought I could throw those babies up one morning before work.  Let's rework that reasoning...  2 hours per panel..  there are 3 panels.  So that's what I am doing this AM after my tea and this little bit of blogging. 

And the other steady project is keeping the house in order.  Dishes out of the sink.  Laundry out of the hallway.  Dust off the tables and shelves.  I have actually been enjoying the down time, the home time, the puttering about and maintaining my space.  It has been good for me.

day 63

I so liked the idea 63 days ago to write things in the blog daily to stay on top of things.  Obviously that hasnt really panned out.

On Favebook i have been posting the week in pictures.  Some of the novelty of that has worn off as well.

I still make sure I wear a dress at least one work day each week.  And I typically will wear a nice blouse pant ensemble (that sounds so old) one day as well.

This week I did wear leggings a bit more than preferred.  It is comfy but also way to lax and sloppy at times for me to really prefer.

I have been trying to be creative with my cooking as well.   Baked a good number of things.  Tried my hand at curry a few times.  Did the cliche taco tuesday.. dont need to do that any time again soon. And there is a baked ziti in my future. 

I have also dabbled with cocktails.  Some nice variety.  Some not so nice combinations.

And still we stay at home.

Day 50

I don't know what I thought when i packed up my desk 7 weeks ago to work from home for a bit. I didn't think the 2 weeks would be sufficient.  But I didnt think about what would be. And I wouldn't let myself think about it either.

So tomorrow starts week 8 of work from home. I am thankful that I know the day will be busy.  I will be thankful that there is work to be done.

Today I ventured out on my bike on the road for the first time in the 7 weeks.  I went around the block... it was an easy jaunt and a well worth jaunt.  I need to do it again.  Maybe tomorrow. Not completely sure.  It has gotten back to depending on how I sleep.

I also did some hill drills and a little more of a run.  It felt good. It felt miserable.  I am pretty sure i am still dehydrated from it all.

And I made what I thought would be a curry chicken and it turned out to be more of a soup. I won't complain.  It is rather tasty. It will be dinner for a good portion of this week. Maybe some lunch as well.


Perhaps I have fallen into a routine.  Perhaps I have fallen into a pattern. Perhaps I have gotten some good vitamin D and endorphins running through my system.  I just feel really good in my own little space.  And want to keep it that way.

day 49

I just noticed i hadnt been counting the days.  I knew this was the start of week 8..  but I didnt do the math...  7x7 well that's 49 and yep we are at day 49...

I dont know.. I feel oddly OK with it.  I am starting to push people away so I know that's not good.  But I am rather content in the house with the dog, cooking, baking, exercising, working and going through movies and books.

I enjoyed work this week.

I enjoyed the new things I did.  

I enjoyed the routine things I did.

It was nice to chat with folks.

run to the store

One of the biggest stressors is limiting running to the store.

This week I didnt do too well.

Sunday, I got a sub to go.  They were doing a fund raiser.  I did the whole works sub, chips, soda.

Monday, I went to a Grand opening of a local fast food restaurant.  They closed one location and opened another.  Felt like I needed to be supportive.  Fried chicken, cole slaw, mac n cheese, sweet tea.

Thursday, I went to Target.  Toilet paper run and a few other items.

And this morning I went to the grocery store. My mom needed wine and popcorn.  That was the hardest run to make.  It seemed silly.  It seemed excessive.  It seemed enabling.

And with that I am going to do my darnedest to stay in again for a while.  I will need groceries in a week or so but the Instageam delivery works OK.  I did get some extra frozen chicken today so that will help get me through the fresh and frozen vegetables.

My mom wants to go out and get some meals to go.  I kind of hope she chooses not to follow through with that. I hate that she isnt interacting socially with people.  I know that has to make an impact on her health... but so does the live interaction. 

I was to go out to see friends today.  I opted to stay in.  No big deal.  I am sure they had a good time.   I didnt need to get to go nachos and measure out 6 feet and wear a mask and all that.

Instead we listened to Howard Donald do a little DJ set.. sat on the patio.. fixed one of my planters.. watched an odd movie..had some frozen pizza.. watched The Wedding Date.. ran and rode my bike.

A good day.

Tomorrow I need to clean the house.

so many things

The intent was to document a little each day of this time in quarantine self isolation shelter in place.

Funny how just as with the outside life.. time slips away and you dont stay on top of things like you thought you would.

It has been a rollercoaster of a few weeks.

Navigating around a power outage.

Trying to learn as much as possible about the CARES Act.

Trying to get everyone to embrace virtual meetings.

Documenting efforts. 

Documenting results. 

Learning new software.

Figuring out the best ways to get groceries. 

Finding one off products like toilet paper and disinfecting wipes.

Eating right

Sleeping right

Not drinking too much wine because everyone wants to do a virtual happy hour

Getting exercise while avoiding the neighbors. 

Fearful of when we would have to venture out again. 

So many questions.

So many ups and downs.

 

And at the end of the day I havent wanted to consistently keep track of it all.

food storage

When the power first went out my first reacton wasnt OH THE FOOD!
i truly was thinking about the power sources to my electronics and how to work
but once that was addressed and i was plugging along with my day with everything charging i started to think about the food
and there was no real indication as to when the power would come back on

and then we figured out where the damage was... tall old tress had come down in the older part of town and a neighbor posted at 6pm that night that the power company had finally arrived to inspect the damage

thats when i started googling - how long does food last in the freezer...  it said 24 hours and if full closer to 48...  well for once in my life i had a freezer that was full but not sure it was 48 hours full
i could hope - surely the power would be back on in 48 hours

NOPE as I went to bed on Monday the ETA for power was midnight on Wednesday
well one of the nice things about the triathlon community - people offer assistance all the time
and by the time i woke up on Tuesday I had multiple offers for freezer space...  and off i went at 730AM with 2 coolers of food (they were smaller coolers) to a friend's house... she lived realtively closer than some of the others and her freezer was outside in a detached garage...  she cleared a shelf for me and wiped the freezer down before i got there...  good stuff!

and thankfully the power was back on by that night and i was able to retrieve the food on Wednesday
everything survived

it made for an interesting week 5

Power outage

it seems that even in quarantine my consistency with blogging is about as it was when i was getting out of the house.  by the end of the work day i am at a loss for words.. and with the short commute downstairs i really don't have an opportunity to decompress much from the work day

every week there has been something a little different..
week 1 was all fresh and new - remember i had put together a daily game plan for myself to make sure i got up from my desk and was active
it is a great idea but the pollen got to be a bit much and then the people started always being outside..  it is hard to feel comfortable social distancing when people come out in groups of 5 to walk etc...  and those that think it is time to hang out and have drinks with friends..
week 2 there was a little stress breakdown in the middle of the week - couldnt tell you what at this point i just remember getting off a call and going for a long walk to clear my head
week 3 seemed to go a little better - i found myself some yoga routines and meditations an the bike and i got reacquainted
week 4 we had a short week with a holiday on Friday
i spent the holiday talking to a long time friend for over 2 hours - thank goodness for video chatting over the internet or that would be a silly expensive calle
and week 5...  seemed like a pinnacle week.. we have crossed over into longer than a month

i woke up with lots of ideas on my mind
and BOOM yes BOOM a thunderstorm blew through... thought there were some tornadoes in the mix as well - maybe they were straight line winds but whatever they were - they took out a few trees in the cute little downtown area with the old victorian homes, tall trees and above ground power lines... the trees came down, the lines came down, the power came down.  I was out of power for 36+ hours... **sigh**

what to do, what to do...
at first i worked from home.  i had enough charge in my phone to get a mifi signal and enough charge in my surface to do some work
BUT I WANTED COFFEE

i considered going out to get coffee... i am a little unnerved by going out to get food.  i know other areas do not have businesses open for take away food but we do here... so i could go to Starbucks, I could get a coffee...  but do I really want to?

instead i went to my mom's
i have been avoiding going in to her house because who knows what we are both exposed to
it just wouldnt be fair... i am the one running to the store and picking p the groceries and such
so she made me a cup of coffee and brought it to me on her patio
that's when i had the resourceful idea - bring an extension cord and all my stuff and work from her patio - it worked like a charm!  the phone was plugged in, the laptop plugged in, the tablet was plugged in... and off i went

now running some reports from the patio did not really pan out but i was able to follow up on a wealth of emails i was looking to send
and so went my Monday and Tuesday

Day 25

How are you doing?
Yesterday and this morning I reached out to individuals that I havent heard from in a while just to touch base and see how they were doing.
It was nice to hear back from those that responded. A little heart breaking to not hear back from others.

My introvert ways know that if I don't do that occasional reach out I will eventually pull into myself all together.  There is a little voice that says - just don't reach out - let's see how long it takes THEM to think of you... It is a miserable little head game.. probably taught to me at a young age.

Everyone that has replied seems to be OK.  Some stories of how their communities are social distancing.  Some stories of sorrow where friends and family members have succumb to the virus.  Two have been sick but on the mend.  Most are still working.

It is an interesting observation.. people are falling into their new normal. Being home with their children and their families.  Working remotely and interacting with fellow employees where necessary.  The circle of friends and acquaintances is getting smaller.  There are no longer casual interactions with individuals in hallways, greenways or at the gym.  People are only interacting with the people they have to interact with.  There is no need to do anything beyond that.  There is no opportunity to do much else.

So I reach out to others because I can.  I reach out to others before I start to convince myself it is pointless.

Day 24

today's work from home day includes talking to others that are working from home
a year ago today i was running a half marathon through the parks in disney
i think by this time we were done with that insanity and sitting on the ground in the parking lot and regrouping with friends
what a difference a year makes

the world seemed at my feet last year at this time
i had so many fun things on the horizon
and you know i did all those fun things - ran the run, rode the rides, at the food, drank the dole whips with rum, took all the silly pictures, wore the sundress, laughed, smiled at the sun, felt the wind in my hair... 

I won't say it was a happier time. I am still feeling pretty happy.  It is just different. 
The things we do to keep ourselves, to keep ourselves distracted, that make us feel important.  A lot of that is happening right now.  The things that ARE actually important are what are happening right now.  Reminded daily of the roof over our head.  Planning meals and that food on the table has become the long forgotten highlight of the day.  Getting outside for just a little bit.  And a prayer or two.  All of that we have been reminded is important. 
So a week in Disney is fun.  Amazing fun.  But we can find good in this as well.  Maybe not to the extreme of an amusement park.  But this will give us pause to appreciate it that much more when we can.

Day 21

This writing every day objective is hard when you are actually very busy in the work from home mode.  The CARES Act was approved on the 27th and this week has been spent figuring out what is in the Act, how to interpret it and how to implement it.  I have enjoyed the challenge.  I am a little nervous about everyone's rush to get the provisions out there.  I hope the general public don't make poor short term decisions... which they probably will.

I continue to be amazed at how many people are out and about.  Really just out there doing all sorts of things.  Now I understand there is a message to get outside.  To get fresh air.  Do not spend all the time inside.  Get some sunlight.  Get some vitamin D.  BUT I don't think that equates to getting in your car and driving all over the place.

Now, I havent been far.  I went for a 2 mile run on Monday and Wednesday.  I was thinking it would be a quiet run from my neighborhood.  Just long enough to get away from my desk and clear my head.  But wow... so many cars out and about.  I don't know what they are doing.  Where are they going.  And social media seems to support it as well.

And there continue to be people out around the neighborhood.  I have some new empathy for those folks.  I like in a 2 bedroom 2 1/2 bath townhouse by myself with my small dog.  We have enough space.  As long as he is right next to me he feels there is plenty of space.  And he understands a good part of the work day means he sleeps in his bed.  So I started thinking about the people all around the neighborhood.  There are some small single family homes in the neighborhood.  Not all of them have ample yards.  And there are people with children in the townhomes.  So, yes, as much as I cannot handle the playing outside because I fear they aren't social distancing.. I understand that they all need to run.  I am trying to stick to the quieter hours outside.

And the pollen is still hell.  And I keep putting myself out in it.  Both days I went running I feared for about 24 hours as I coughed and throat tickled.  The goop in my eyes pretty much confirmed how much pollen you take in when you are out there.

Today I pruned the oleander.  It did really well last year.  And then the lawn people just came through and hacked it back.  So I let it die over the winter as it typically does.  Today I pruned it back further to where you could see new growth.  I am excited to see how it does this year.  I have had the oleander since 1996 or '97.  I moved with me when I moved in 1998 so maybe it was just '97.  It lived in a pot and then a larger part when I lived in the various apartments.  I would bring it in each winter and then lug it out on the porch in the spring.  It went through a couple of pots and eventually I didnt have it in me to replant all the time.  Luckily by then I was living in the townhouse.  I eventually decided well it has been with me all these years... I will just put it in the ground and see what we get.  Yes, it dies back every year.  BUT it comes back every year as well.  I suspect it has a strong root system at this time.  The biggest thing is when it will flower.  Some winters are long and hard and it doesn't have much time to bloom. Other years it is wonderful.  Beautiful pink flowers with the faint sweet scent.  So I took care of that today.

I rode my bike on the trainer.  Did a Zwift ride through Central Park.  Not as motivating as one would like.  But I did it all the same and will do it again.  I should probably do that right now but let me brain dump some more.

I have successfully eaten through all the fresh food in my house aside from 1 head of cauliflower.  I did a grocery pick up for my mom yesterday.  Not sure she is really liking the idea.  I will need to touch base with her again on it.  See what she needs for the next go around.  I get a large load of groceries for myself tomorrow.  Mostly fresh fruit and vegetables.  We shall see how it goes.  At this point I have a good amount of frozen meat in the freezer.  That is what i will work to eat this week.  I will make another shop ahead list tomorrow as well with the hopes of grabbing the following Monday.  I think that will be the routine.. at least for me.

I did a wine pick up as well.  It is a local store doing curbside delivery.  I figured that would be a good way to support some local business. Others are doing curbside prepared meals.  Not sure how I feel about that at the moment.

Mentally I feel OK.  Been getting enough sleep.  getting enough hydration.  exercise. some social interaction.

have heard some sad stories.  trying not to obsess on them.
have tried to do my part.
taking it one day at a time

day 16

i say i am going to write a blog... what was that two weeks ago
well technically come back to the blog i started years ago and start adding to it
it seemed like a good way to get things out on paper so to speak as we go through this time

today i just wanted to write on actual paper
and then remembered well this is out here... and when you take the time to type, it is marginally as rewarding

so today...  it was a work day - well duh, it is monday after all
i had client calls in the AM... i was expecting to have client calls for 2 days but it turns out that people are more concerned about the immediate future than their not so immediate future called retirement.  i spoke to 4 people about their accounts.  for the client that was on the schedule this may not be all that far off from the norm.. and since we have all been working from home there wasn't anyone on location to rally folks to schedule times to meet

from there was a bunch of emails on how the CARES Act will work between our varying providers
and tomorrow the calls about the CARES Act begin
I am not one to pretend to interpret laws.. so i will sit on the phone and listen to the steps that people will have to take and that will be that

the other random take away from my day - my desk chair - i think it would more likely be called a task chair based on it's size... and what i have noticed starting my third week of sitting in said chair day after day... it is NOT comfortable.. there is something in the way it sits that throws my hips off
and then well i am sitting in the chair for extended periods of time...  i don't have a printer to go to... i don't have any co workers to go chat with... and the next thing i know there is  dull pain in my hips...  i have raised the chair.... i have lowered the chair.... i have rolled a blanket to create a bolster to move legs and hips differently... i have moved a box under my feet...
going forward i think i need to make more of an effort to get away from the chair for a time to not get so stiff
tomorrow i will work on that better

today i also went for a run - that is the main reason why i really want to write with pen and paper - write down some run notes - i probably will do that as it is easier to go back to review
it feels odd getting up in the middle of the work day to go for a run - but i am not stopping to get lunch anywhere etc so may as well take the 30 minutes and go for a run
i have to limit my outside time - the pollen is killing me - itches my eyes and my throat

and lastly i had the frozen pizza i bought days ago for dinner... an odd monday night treat
usually that is  thursday or friday night thing - but i thought it would be a good time to offset the other healthier eating (actually down a pound) that i have been doing.  it was tasty. not the best but tasty.

sorry just rambling on about a few more things

my co worker sent my an article about this college athlete that killed herself.. a rather sad article. she jumped out of a parking deck.  it came up as we were talking about the fake smiles of social media and the reality in peoples heads.. i would guess this time inside and in close quarters can get to people.. and then there are others out there posting away on social media like they are out there not social distancing. i can see where this may get to people.  it is a strange world we live in these days

i also read of 3 people i know having family members pass away.  that surely wasnt fun.  hopefully that won't become the norm.

we watched Frozen II

and texted with the woman that normally cleans my house and watches my dog - she is going stir crazy

Food

I started this post last week or so.  Having enough food and such.

I am not one to have lots of food.  I shop by a list.  I create a list by a menu.  And my menu usually only covers 4 days.

So on my way home from my work trip 2 weeks ago I knew I needed food.  I wasnt sure what I would find at the store.  I stopped halfway home in a small down and did a quick pickup of non perishables.  Soup, pasta, bread, peanut butter, crackers.  Nothing too healthy but basics if the stores near my home were bare.

When I got home I did another run.  I got a whole lot of stuff.  Fruit. Vegetables. Chicken. Salmon. Bone broth. Frozen vegetable. Frozen meals.

It felt good to have so much food in the house.

I felt like I quickly ran out.  Or maybe the news made me nervous I was going to run out.  So on Thursday of week 1 I went to the store first thing in the AM.  I was so happy to see all the fresh fruit and veg available.  I stocked up I was so excited.  Napa cabbage. Potatoes. Tomatoes. Zucchini. Mushrooms. Grapefruit. Green beans.  Peppers. Onion.  Good stuff.

The meat section wasnt so overflowing. I grabbed a corned beef (which prompted me to circle around and get a cabbage and more potatoes). Andouille sausage.  Frozen burgers.  

And then some silly non essential non perishables.. frozen pizza, ice cream, frozen meals, wine.

I am about 10 day out and still have a good amount of food.

Those cabbage type veg stay a good while.

day 14

yes, i guess that is correct
two weeks ago i did my last social activity
i met friends at the corporate park and we did a short bike ride
and since then i have stayed home
i was in until that Thursday when i did a grocery store run
i went out this Thursday just to turn the engine on the car - we took a ride around a bike route i occasionally ride
and today i called in a order for a half case of wine and picked that up
that has been the extent of me really putting myself out there

there have been the dog walks and occasional runs
but mostly just inside and close to home

tomorrow i plan to do a long run
it has been a while since i have done a long run and i think i can go down the street and out and about with little interaction with otthers

and then get ready for the work week

i have more to say but going to bed instead.

Caffeine

Today feels like a high caffeine day.  No, not that I need a lot of caffeine.  That is not in my nature.  I mean I have HAD TOO MUCH CAFFEINE!

I bought this coffee at the local bike shop back in February.  It is one of my fave treats.  I buy it around this time of year.  I used the ground coffee fairly quickly.  The next visit they only had K cups.
So I used the K cups on Monday and Tuesday but found I didnt like the taste as much as when I use my coffee maker.

This morning I disassembled 3 K cups to make a pot of coffee.  TWO K CUPS TOO MUCH of caffeinated coffee.  I am so feeling it right now.  Jumpy.  Jittery.  On edge.

So I  had some food - well a peanut butter sandwich - and that won't help.
And now sucking down some water.  And some vitamins.

note to self - at this time it may be in my best interest to stick to the decaf versions of coffee and tea in my kitchen.

Robbie Williams music on IG

this has been something i look forward to every day!
if you are not a robbie fan - get on the band wagon
it is so much fun every day

that's about all i need to say about this little snippet of stuff that has come out of this quarantine thing

Vaccum

well this post is going to take a pretentious slant.. i apologize ahead of time...

for quite some time now i have had a woman come in to clean my house.. she started way before 2008/2009.. i gave her a little time off  in 2009... 

it started as a just let's see what this is like
ultimately it became something that afforded me time to do some other things
and for my little house it isnt much of a draw on the budget

so this week i gave her a paid visit off so to speak... my employer is paying me to work from home, her job does not allow her that flexibility BUT the government has asked us to social distance... the easiest way for me to do that is to not have her or anyone for that matter come into my home

so this weekend i did a little vacuuming... plus my "coworker" decided he would mark some of the carpet in the home office and that needed to be attended to..

take aways - my carpet still has some nap to it.. yes, it is OLD.. yes, it is gapping and buckling up... but is still has some nap.  my vacuum is still kick @$$...  he whole HEPA filter animal stuff is probably a lie but but system itself still does a good job at cleaning...  going forward the designers shouldnt make clear parts - no need to see that dirt building up inside there

and most importantly in this world of oddities right now, the vacuuming was rather peaceful... a nice melodic movement and very loud white noise to drone out some of the outside world

and leave me with a sense of accomplishment.

day 9

There are spin offs on day 7 that i have to go back to.
And look at that i missed day 8 all together...
but that is OK

I have taken to "calling" my mom on video chat.  I didnt today as I was walking the dog.  I think she is starting to like the video chat.  It is nice to see her.  It does seem to add to the animation of talking to her.  And it does confirm she is more often only half paying attention and watching whatever is on the tv at the same time

Today is the start of work week 2!
The local schools (well state wide) will be closed until May 15th.  And the Olympics were postponed. 
I spent the better part of the day on calls... internal calls and client calls.  At first it was 9am.  Then 11:30. The 2:30. Then 4pm.  It was crazy how the day just sped by.

I remember last week I brought home things with the specific thought - OH, these will be good to address while I am at home.  I got a few of them done but they are surely not the things that are on the forefront of my day. 

It is keeping on top of legislative possibilities and market conditions that have me jumping.


It appears the neighbors still don't understand the self isolate thing.  Again today there was a play date on the street in front of me.  I don't know how many kids were out there... BUT a lot of them.  And man what a ruckus they were making.  I was hoping to get the dog out for a walk but didnt want to deal with the crowds.


As for meals... I enjoyed some lovely food today.
smoked mackeral in a mediterranean style seasoning over a salad. It was a whole lot of salad.
Roasted artichoke (not as good as the first time I made it - need some patience and needs to be cooked fresh)
Roasted asparagus - YUM!  always YUM!
And roasted NAPA cabbage for tomorrow.

Had some rice crackers that could have stayed on the shelf...  seem stale but I know that is how they are. 


AND NO EXERCISE!  But I did load Peloton to my FireStick.  ANd WhatsApp.

Day 7

The first Saturday of social distancing... or as I call it self ostracizing...
I am choosing to not go our in public and hang out with people at a 6foot distance.  No need to take that risk.  How do they know for sure if it is 6 feet.  What if it is really 8.  And what about when there is a breeze.  I could go on.. but the reality for me is... I don't have to go out so just stay put.

I got up.  MAde the bed. WHAT!!!??  I am not a maker of beds.  Never have been.  I love the idea of climbing back into bed the way it was when you left it that morning all cozy and snug.  But these days to create some semblence of order... I am trying to make my bed.

I then put on a tri suit.  Yep, just do it.  Put that on and make sure you use it during the day.  I threw on the heart rate montor as well just to be sure.

Loaded dishes.  Turned on the dishwasher.  Took the dog for a walk.  It was raining.

Brought the dog back in and went on a short run.  Hill drills!  Run one minute up hill.  Walk one minute down.  AGAIN.  Do this until reaching the top of the hill. About 4 times and .55 miles.  And then i tacked on some more running intervals jus to get to a mile.

Silly I should run longer but that is all I had in me.

Coffee followed by a Peloton ride, Peloton yoga, transition clinic zoom meeting and a hot bath.

Not too bad of a day

working out from home

I got up on Monday and made a schedule to try to stick to for the week.  When to stop and get water.  When to stop and walk the dog.  Lunch. etc...  It was a good plan.  I even had a run built into my day and a bike/trainer ride.

The week didn't turn out like anticipated.  There were calls after calls after calls.  And I found myself doing exactly what I expected... sitting at my desk for too long without moving.  Sitting there.. getting stiff... not moving enough.. not getting enough water.

Yesterday I thought WELL IT IS FRIDAY
and I would make the most of it.. I would get outside. I would do more!
Yep, took the dog for a walk.  The wind had kicked up.  It was warm.  And as we were out there we witnessed a gust of pollen right in our path.

And that was the end of that.  We pretty much walked home at that point.  And I gagged on the pollen for the remainder of the day.

Next week I work harder to get those workouts in.. it will help my sanity for sure.

social distancing

So we are to be keeping 6ft from one another.   I personally am social ostracizing and trying to not even let that math come into play.

But people are funny. 

Folks that normally work from home or dont normally leave the house seem to still be gathering

Some are excited to see me and approach to talk.. what? Stop.

Then there are the play dates around the 'hood.  Parents and kids running from a home, waving, thanking their hosts and jumping in their mini van.  Hello?

And then the people out there with their dogs not on a leash.  Sure, I do that at times.. but now is not the time.  If your dog approaches me then I have to get too close to you to give you your dog back.  Or worse yet both our dogs get tangled and we have to get really close to untangle them.

I am not sure that I get it.

Stay away

Stay home

Wash your hands

Day 6

A day late.. and technically day 2 v2

An interesting day.. 

I had one thing I wanted to do and then I was going on a run.  I got the one thing done and ended up on a dog walk instead.  Got caught in a cloud of pollen.  Not fun.

And so the rest of the afternoon I dealt with that.  Extra allergy medicine. More water.  Nasty pollen.

It was a hot day as well.  Forgot how warm that front room got when the sun was out.  Might need to order those light cancelling shades sooner than expected.

And I caught Marcus Mumfors doing a little IG chat.  He spoke to a few fans.  He sang a few songs.  He jumped on with some other musicians..  it was a nice distraction.

Rounded out the day with a virtual happy hour with some work colleagues. There were 5 of us on Zoom.  It was fun.  Odd at first.  But it was good to see peoples faces.  Chat with them.  And relax a little.

I followed that with a video chat with my good friend and her husband.  Not the same as being there but nice to see them all the same.

Sipped the last of my Dark N Stormy.  Watched the Baz Luhrman version of Great Gatsby. Went to bed.

I could chat some on my Great Gatsby observations...  maybe another post

day 5

Also known as Day 1 version 2

I say that because I interacted with live people today. 

I went out to get gas.  Not that it was needed.  And then went to the grocery store.  

I got it in my head that I wanted to restock my fresh fruit and veg before maybe that wasnt an option.  So I probably have another 14 days of stuff ahead of me.

I need to write all the food out and make a plan.

My plan for a routine during the work day is falling apart.   Not as many walks today.  No yoga. No run. 

I am not feeling blue.  Just a little.. ok novelty has worn off.  And maybe a little mentally tired. 

Saturday I am going to try to detach on social media to recharge.  We will see how that goes. 

morning routine

I will admit that the extra hours of sleep in the AM are nice.  I have set my bedside lamp to gradually turn on around 530am..  it is a nicer way to wake up.  Sure the music options on the phone arent bad but this is nicer.

Today I am slow to rise.  Woke up in the middle of the night with a bit of a flushing reaction to niacin.  I guess the slow release pill kicked into overdrive as a slept.  Now that was not a fun way to wake up.

Alrighty... long dog walk, coffee and some fee reconciliation for my AM.

Going to be warm this afternoon.. there needs to be some swear equity with my afternoon. 

day three

I forgot to write yesterday.   It has been a while since I have done this.  And yesterday was a whole new routine. 

I am making sure I do follow some routine.. up by 6... walk dog, shower, dress, coffee.. at desk by 8..

I have delayed workouts to during the day just to make sure I get away from the desk.

I have scheduled dog walks as well.. get some fresh air and all that.

The work load is normal.  Today included some calls I just didnt need but... they needed them so..

Tomorrow.. there will need to be a workout with a lot of sweat.  I need that. 

day one

The social experiment of self isolation.  Just jumping past social distancing since I can.

Today started similar to others.. well except in the past month I have been spending time at the YMCA for some swimming and afternoons on the bike.  So it really wasnt similar.

I made a large cup of coffee (think Yeti size) and headed into the office.  I have been in the road since Wednesday.   I decided it might be best to lay low for a bit.  I went to the office to get a bunch of files to keep myself busy in this realm of laying low.

I didn't realise that by the time I got home and settled the work from home option would be more mandatory than voluntary.   Glad to have gotten to my stuff ahead of the crowd.. that surely wouldnt have helped with the distancing and isolation. 

So with my day I did some dishes.. did some laundry... watched a rerun of a triathlon and took a nap.  I ate good food.  I ate bad for me food.  I complained about my allergies.  And watched Beecham House with some wine.

It reminded me of a typical Sunday from years ago.  I used to watch a lot of tv on Sundays.  Before the triathlon and running thing took precedence.

Now it's time to find my vitamins... suck down lots of water.. and head to bed.

Today was OK because well it was day one.