Just some bits and pieces about this week; no through line.  Today’s a diary.

It’s been back to work this week, planning for the Distance Learning that’s starting on Monday.  Other states have already said they won’t be returning in person this school year; Minnesota is doing remote learning during Shelter At Home (issued yesterday) through May 4.  Things may change by then, or maybe we’ll be doing remote even longer.  It’s kind of day by day.

We’re told the peak hasn’t been reached yet.  Cases are rising exponentially, as expected, but it’s still shocking to see the numbers.  The United States, today, won the Coronavirus Sweepstakes: we have more cases than anyone else, including China.  And going by a percentage, well, this is not good.

We’re all kind of holding our breaths. Bracing for the grief.

So being at work–even if it’s in my dining room–all week has been awesome.  Planning, trying new things, arranging and organizing, setting up Google Classroom, making new slideshows, creating new spreadsheets?  That’s Karla Nirvana, right there. I get involved in a project and I forget to do other things, or eat, or (as happened the other day), join a scheduled teachers’ Zoom meeting until a half-hour in because I got lost in my work.

I miss my standing desk–I have to figure out something here before my back hurts and my core strength disappears–and I miss the kids, but other than that, this working from home is AWESOME. Even if my coworkers sleep on the job (Clydie, I’m looking at you).

And yes, I’ve taken the advice of long-time workers-at-home, and I’m showering and dressing every morning.  Real clothes.  Jewelry, even. Just to set the tone of *work*, not, as the tip sheet said, something indistinguishable from clinical depression (something I totally grok).  I haven’t been wearing makeup, and perhaps I’m wearing yoga pants that I would never wear to work, but still.  Showering and dressing.

Haircuts are going to become a thing.  I desperately needed one before isolation.  All week on Zoom I’ve been seeing my stringy, uneven hair falling in my face and making me crazy, so today I grabbed a scissors and chopped off two inches on the sides. Della Mae, my cosmetologist mother-in-law  (who always does my hair) will have to fix it once we’re out of Shelter At Home.  For now, it looks awful but it feels great and isn’t falling in my face.  That’s the important thing.

We’re eating well.  Roasted a turkey yesterday, which we’ll eat from for at least two days plus Justin made stock to freeze from the bones. Right before this whole thing began, we started subscribing to Blue Apron, three meals a week, which we’ve been enjoying thoroughly.  Very tasty, great instructions. I don’t think we’ve ever gone two whole weeks without take-out or dining out.  It’s a nice thing.  It’s saving money, plus there’s a hominess about this.  And I’ve been keeping up with dishes, too, since I’m not exhausted every night.

It was nice out today, so Justin and I went for a walk down our usual route (one of two routes).  Spring is happening, and again, it seemed hopeful.  Passed some neighbors out walking and had a chat with an older gentleman on a four-wheeler (from six feet away!).

There is some normalcy.  Some of the old normalcy, along with making a new normal. At least for now. We’re finding the positives, and at least for me, an introvert who’s spent literally months and months recovering from surgeries over the last few years, this is just fine.  I’m shut in with my best friend and my cats, with food AND enough toilet paper (unlike most of the world, and no, I didn’t hoard–we had this before the pandmic). And a great job.

Right now, we’re okay.  And I’ll take that.