Making the Most of Self-Isolation

I am so thankful that during this time of self-isolation that I'm able to spend time with Brett doing the introverty things I love. I won't say I'm not anxious because I SO AM. I feel like I start off really strong in the mornings and then when lunch rolls around my mood and energy tend to shift, but I'm trying to make the most of this time by doing things that 1. are good for me (exercising somewhat regularly & trying to eat at least one green thing a day 🍃) and 2. are fun for me (reading, watching TikTok [maybe too much TikTok], trying out some of the various IPAs I can find at the store, etc.).

As of yesterday, our Governor has put in a couple more precautions including a stay-at-home advisory (it's still not a stay-at-home order which is interesting) and all non-essential businesses will be closed as of noon today. Things change so rapidly these days that I'm not sure what the next day will bring. As of right now, we're doing our best to stay in except to go out to the grocery store or exercise outside. It can be very hard to stay positive these days, but I'm trying my best to remain productive so my mental health doesn't get too far away from me.

On Saturday we had a Zoom/Nintendo Switch party with our favorites in Pittsburgh & California! We drank, played Mario Kart 8, and caught up on each other's lives. It was actually so much fun to just hang out with everyone in our respective homes and we want to continue to make this a regular thing post-Pandemic since we all live so far from one another!

Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I've been using this time at home as an opportunity to try out some of the beers that we have at our local grocery store. There's actually a pretty decent craft beer selection and I've been really digging White Lion. This weekend I picked up an IPA called Purrlicious and it purr-fectly (lol) matched my leggings I wore for our Zoom party! I've already picked up another White Lion IPA for later this week that I'm super excited to try. I'll report back soon!

There was a sneaky round of 24 in 48 this weekend! I really enjoy this readathon. There's something about reading for time that just makes me read SO MUCH MORE than reading for a page count. I haven't really been reading a ton over the last year and it's really hard for me to hunker down and focus on a book these days. However, participating in 24 in 48 allowed me to finish two books and absolutely devour half of a third! (Also, can we talk about just how good Daisy Jones & the Six is?! Can't wait to finish it.) I'm hoping that I can use this time as an opportunity to read more of my dozens of TBR books!

As you saw in my last blog post, it's back to marathon training for me this week. I got back into my running routine last week, though, and it has been such a great reprieve from all this anxiety and uncertainty that's been coursing through my body. I was able to go on three runs last week - Tuesday (3.5 miles), Friday (4 miles), and Sunday (7 miles) and it felt so good to get outdoors and run through the stress. I feel like if there's one thing I can take control of at the moment, it's running.

Sadly I found out today that the Providence Marathon and all attached races has officially been cancelled. The race organizers are looking into a postponement option and we will hopefully know if they are able to by early April. I'd also be happy with a virtual race option is postponing isn't possible. Either way, I am not surprised by this news and it is ultimately the right decision. I'm still hopeful that Rock n' Roll Seattle will be able to happen, but only time will tell.

One thing that I have been really loving participating in is the Pandemic Run Club on Instagram! They've been putting out some virtual running missions that are free to participate in and are actually a lot of fun! I've completed Mission #001 (go on 3 runs between 3/17 and 3/22) and Mission #002 (Recon: explore a new location that you haven't ran before) so far, and they just posted Mission #003 last night. Join in with me if you can! I'll be representing TEAM BLACK! 🖤 

"Mission 003 - complete before 3/30

Team Yellow - 19K total distance for the week
Team Red - 19 miles total distance for the week
Team Black - between 19km and 19 miles in one run!

19km ~ 11.78 miles
19 miles ~ 30.64 km

Which squadron are you linking up with? Time to get after it! We need all hands on deck!

#washyourhands
#runsolo
#knowyourcity
#pandemicrunclub"

Left: I spruced up my at-home work space to make it feel more office-y and less kitchen table-y

Right: Paying attention in all these Zoom meetings has been a struggle haha

I've been working remotely since last Monday afternoon and it has been an interesting transition. I'm having kind of a hard time figuring out my schedule. Like I was saying, I feel really good in the morning and then I start to feel not so good in the afternoon. Last night after taking a few hour break in the afternoon I felt good enough to keep working at like 7pm. Why? No idea. But maybe that will just be my workflow now haha. Either way, I've been loving all of the WFH memes that have been flying around the internet and I relate to ALL OF THEM.

I was wondering when the news about the Olympics would be coming out, and it looks like the IOC finally made a decision today to postpone the games to 2021. Another huge bummer because as many of you know, I'm a huge fan of the Olympics! But again, it's totally the right call. With athletes, coaches, families, and spectators coming from ALL OVER THE WORLD that closely after a pandemic (and who knows if it will even be over by the time the games would take place), it just does not make sense to have the Olympics go on right now.

This morning Brett and I went on a mission to find toilet paper. After getting to our 4th store of the morning, we finally found some! (I went to 5 stores yesterday and each store was completely out, so it felt AMAZING to be able to buy a few packs!) The limit was 2 per customer so we each grabbed two so we hopefully won't be needing to restock for a while. It's so wild to me that the shelves are still ALWAYS EMPTY? Maybe I don't know how supply chains work but you'd think they would have caught up to the new buying habits of consumers... but maybe not?

v. proud

Because non-essential businesses are closing in MA today, Brett and I have been ordering take out for the last few meals. This morning we stopped at my fave bagel shop in town one last time. Hopefully we'll be seeing them soon!

Overall this has just been a really, really weird and overwhelming time and I honestly don't know how to act, but I'm trying to make the most of it. I'm hopeful that this will be over in a few weeks and we can get back to reality, because what's the harm in staying hopeful? In the meantime, at least we can all laugh at coronavirus memes.

Remember: