Corona Part 2

Still on lockdown here. Or quarantine or "shelter in place"... whatever you want to call it.

This all started for me on March 16th. It's now May 18th. No one thought this would last as long as it has, but here we are... 2 full months later.

At work they are working on a "back to the office" plan... first phase will be the people who will willingly return to the office. I raised my hand for that phase. Even if I won't be able to see many people at work it will still feel good to be in a building with people rather than being home alone everyday.

There will be precautions in place and rules to follow, but the plan is still being created. It's not expected for us to return to the office until maybe end of June or even July.

It's hard to imagine... being at home everyday for 2 months and then being home for 1-2 months more. Some people are loving it. Actually, most people are loving it. Most people don't struggle with mental illness though, so they can survive being alone. Being alone has taken a huge toll on me. I've noticed it's getting worse and not getting better. I used to go on walks everyday and now I'm not even doing that. I just don't have the motivation to. I also work from my bed. That's not good.

Anyways, I found flour at the grocery store the other day. I have been looking for flour for 2 months, literally. I have been baking  a storm and only had 3 cups of flour left so I needed more. I have 3 types of cookies frozen for when we return to the office and I can bring people treats. I'm not sure if we will be allowed to do that due to the virus, but I will try. It's something that gets me out of bed.

We grocery shop with masks on. I took a picture in the store the other day to save for the future when this is all over.

I also have a trip planned in the beginning of July. I can't decide if I should cancel it or not. It's for my nieces 1st birthday. I know my sister will be so upset if I don't go. I'm thinking that in mid June I will decide what to do. If we are back to the offices and California has opened up a little more then I will probably go. If we are still working from home and there is still a "stay at home" order, then I don't think I will go. It's a hard decision to make. I was talking to a coworker about it today and she said that if I go I will probably have to "self-quarantine" when I get back, which means I'll have to work from home for 2 weeks following the trip. That would be fine I guess. At least 2 weeks is a time frame instead of working from home forever with no end in sight.

I may sound like I'm being a bit melodramatic, but this is how I feel. I am having a down day. Not much sunshine in this post.

Interviews for the position I applied for still haven't happened. They aren't going to hold interviews until we return to the office. A lot of decisions about my future are riding on that interview. I'm not putting all my eggs in one basket. I have several baskets and I just need to know if I am going to hop into that one or move on to the next. Waiting for things really takes a toll on me. I am just eager to move forward. My next basket would be to move in a year. So, I need to know about the interview results before I can decide on that. I would love to stay in CA and move on up in the company, so I am hopeful that I can hop into that first basket and be happy. Who knows what my life will look like in 6 months. I anticipated March being a big month for me, but it ended up being a "big month" for the wrong reasons, since that is when all of this started.

Beaches and parks are open, but only for people to walk in. You can't have a picnic at the park or set up a spot on the beach for the day. It's been nice to get out to a park or the beach at least once every other week. You also still have to social distance (6 ft apart) in both places. Some people wear masks, but it's not required. I don't wear masks to either place because I like to smell the fresh air. I just don't get very close to people. The park I go to is a lake and there aren't as many people as you'd expect, so it's very easy to social distance and also very relaxing.

I also have gone to grocery stores this and last week where before I was just ordering through Instacart. I got tired of paying all the fees for having my groceries delivered. I have found that the lines to get into stores aren't as bad as I imagined. They move pretty quickly. The stores have lines so they can control how many people are inside as to avoid "gatherings." Also in the stores there are arrows on the ground that tell you which way you can go up and down the aisles. If you go the wrong way don't worry, someone will tell you. Also there are markers on the floor 6 ft apart to stand in line at the checkout. It's pretty nice that these markers are there because it gives you peace of mind that you are standing far enough apart. Also you can't take your reusable bags into stores right now. It's kind of ironic... as a state we banned single use bags in stores last year, so we have been using reusable bags since then and now at the checkout we have no bags at all. It's no big deal to me because I keep my trunk loaded with bags so I just fill my bags when I get to my car. Some people have taken all their reusable bags out of their cars... so those people have been mad about it.

Honestly, I just came on here to jot down a few thoughts about COVID-19. I didn't realize there was so much on my mind. Maybe I'll be able to sleep now.

Good night ~