Stephany Writes

Categories: Life

My Favorite Podcasts (Round 7)

Every year, I like to do a round-up of my favorite podcasts at the moment. This is the SEVENTH year I’ve done this, which is crazy to me! Have I really been listening to podcasts for that long? Apparently so! It’s fun to see what podcasts have been on this list every year (looking at you, Stuff You Should Know) and what long-time favorites fell off my list.

This year, I selected 15 podcasts from the 36 that I regularly listen to. Hopefully, you can find something new to listen to from this list!

1) The Baby-Sitters Club Club – As much as I adore this podcast, it’s rather hard for me to recommend it to new listeners because, honestly, you have to start at the beginning to understand all of the inside jokes and segments. And since Jack and Tanner, the hosts, have been podcasting weekly since early 2016, that’s a lot of episodes to listen to. The premise of this podcast is that two men in their thirties read and discuss all of the books in the canon of The Baby-Sitters Club. I grew up on the BSC and have loved reminiscing about my childhood faves as I listen to each episode. I’ll admit that their humor is not for everyone, but it works for me and I’m always excited to listen to an episode.

2) Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend – How many “celebrities interviewing celebrities” podcasts does the world need? I’m not sure, but I do enjoy Conan O’Brien’s more than the others. Most especially because of his two “assistants,” Sona and Matt, and the rapport between the three of them. (Each episode starts and ends with a segment involving the three of them, and sometimes, if the celebrity being interviewed isn’t someone I’m interested in, I’ll just listen to those segments because they are just that good!) I love Conan’s interview style, though, and his sarcasm is right up my alley.

3) Code Switch – Do yourself a favor and download this podcast. It’s truly fantastic, looking at culture through the lens of race. I’m still working my way through their back catalog (which is EXTENSIVE, but so worth listening to), but I have found myself challenged, educated, and dismayed by their episodes. The episodes are short—typically less than 30 minutes—but they pack so much education and story into each episode.

4) Criminal – Criminal is a true crime podcast, yes, but it goes beyond typical true crime. It’s not just about unsolved murders and missing person cases. It’s about all the different ways crime interacts with our everyday lives, from the mundane to the peculiar. Some recent episodes focused on an enslaved man who found a way to free himself from slavery, an elusive bank robber, forgiveness in the legal system, and a crazy cremation scam that a funeral home was running.

5) Currently Reading – This is, by far, my favorite book podcast. I love that the hosts are always brutally honest about their true feelings about all things bookish. They have Strong Opinions about books, and I love hearing them (even when I don’t totally agree). This podcast has a very easy format where the hosts discuss their bookish moment of the week, talk about three books they’ve read recently, and then dive into a bookish topic. I always enjoy listening to their thoughts!

6) The Girl Next Door Podcast – By all accounts, this shouldn’t be one of my favorite podcasts since many of the episodes centers on motherhood. Thankfully, Kelsey and Erica maintain a great mix of topics so it’s a podcast that even this single, childless woman can enjoy! Each week, the ladies do a deep dive on a particular topic and many of their topics have sparked blog posts of my own. Some recent topics: household division of labor, things they are minor experts in, having hard conversations with kids, and keeping a kitchen (delving into their favorite kitchen tools, how to keep a kitchen clean and organized, etc).

7) Good Christian Fun – Good Christian Fun is about Christian pop culture, but more than that, it’s about faith and what it means to be a Christian today. It’s a podcast that has helped me come to terms with my own faith journey and recognize all the ways the church marginalizes women, people of color, and the LGBT+ community. Every episode includes a guest who spends the first half of the episode discussing their faith journey, which is often emotional because the church has caused so much pain to so many people. The second half of the episode, though, is much more lighthearted as they dive into their pop culture topic of the week. I want to be clear: This is a comedy podcast and it’s definitely filled with humor and happiness and hope. It makes me laugh and feel good and feel less alone in my faith struggles, and I love it for that.

8) Hall of Shame – Hall of Shame is the kind of podcast I have been waiting for. Each week, Rachel and Rachna take listeners on a journey through a crazy sports story. Some you may know about, like the Ryan Lochte robbery scandal from the 2016 Olympics, and some you most likely don’t, like the insane 2010 Auburn tree poisoning scandal. Give it a listen and recognize a) how crazy athletes are and b) how even crazier sports fans are.

9) In the Dark – This investigative journalism podcast is the best there is, and Madeleine Baran deserves all of the awards. There are currently two seasons of the show: The first season discusses the kidnapping and murder of 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling and all the ways the police bungled that investigation. The second season is about Curtis Flowers, a man who was tried and convicted six times by the same prosecutor (and eventually his last conviction was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court based on evidence uncovered by the In the Dark team). This podcast is so goddamn good, and Baran and her team are so incredibly tenacious when it comes to finding out the truth.

10) Lovett or Leave It – One of my favorite political podcasts, Lovett or Leave It discusses the week’s news in a fun, lighthearted manner (without diminishing the seriousness of the news). While I think the podcast was much better when it was a live event (usually recorded at a comedy club), the at-home episodes have been great, especially the segments of comedians reacting to Lovett’s beginning monologue. If you want to keep up with the news of the week without falling into despair, Lovett or Leave It is a great option!

11) Office Ladies – This podcast is hosted by two former actresses on The Office, Jenna Fischer (who played Pam) and Angela Kinsey (who played Angela). Each week, the ladies break down an episode of The Office, offering behind-the-scenes insights and production tidbits. While I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the podcast (I find Jenna and Angela’s dynamic to be a bit… much… and the “frenemy” vibe they have isn’t my favorite), learning how each episode was created is fascinating enough on its own that I put up with Jenna and Angela’s weird vibe. 🙂

12) Pod Save America – My beloved. I would not have been able to survive these past three years without my twice-weekly Pod Save America episodes. Hosted by former Obama staffers, this podcast delves into the news of the week in an easy-to-understand format. (Truly, the Stephany of five years ago would have never imagined she’d look forward to listening to hour-long episodes about politics twice a week, yet here I am.) It’s a very left-leaning podcast so I feel at home listening to these men discuss politics and lament about Trump’s latest antics.

13) Stuff You Should Know – I’ve been listening to Stuff You Should Know since 2013! That’s seven years of learning about stuff. It remains one of my favorite podcasts because I’ve learned so much about so many topics! Also, I just adore Josh and Chuck’s dynamic, even if Chuck can be a bit grumpy at times. The podcast is simple: Josh and Chuck will spend 45 minutes to an hour telling you all the ins and outs of a specific topic, from hurricanes and miniature golf to the Black Panther Party and the KGB.

14) Throughline – Throughline is such an interesting, thought-provoking podcast and it’s rare that I don’t come away from an episode without learning a great deal of new information. This podcast takes on today’s current events and views them through the lens of the past. It’s truly amazing to see how many things have changed and have stayed the same when looking back on our history this way.

15) What a Day – What a Day is a daily news podcast and I love getting a quick look at the top headlines from Akirah and Gideon. They keep things light and funny when possible, which is much needed in our current political climate.

Do you listen to podcasts? What are some of your favorites?

Categories: Life

July Recap

Time feels a bit meaningless during these days of a pandemic that feels never-ending. July flew by and I can’t believe there’s still no end in sight to this weird, new way of life. It’s all starting to feel normal, you know? I saw someone inside Publix without a mask on and he looked so… weird. (Also, wear your damn mask, sir!) August will be an interesting month with many school districts back in session. Who knows what will happen once teachers and administrators and students have to report back to school? I’m nervous about it and my heart aches for the teachers and parents who are worried and anxious and stressed. Oof.

Before I get too melancholy, let’s switch gears and look back to July. It was a good month for me, I have to say. Pandemic fatigue was at an all-time low and for that, I am oh-so-grateful.

READING

I read 14 books in July, bringing my total to 92 books read so far in 2020. Woop! This is going to be one massive reading year for me. That’s pandemic life for ya! My top three books were:

WATCHING

  • The Baby-Sitter’s Club (Netflix) – I’ll admit: I didn’t get super excited when I heard Netflix would be releasing a new and improved version of The Baby-Sitter’s Club. There’s no way it could live up to my beloved novels! But, you guys, IT IS SO GOOD. All of the actresses are ridiculously adorable and I have such fondness for them. The storylines are great, and I especially love how diverse and inclusive it is. I’m watching it on a week-by-week basis to keep up with my beloved BSC podcast (The Baby-Sitter’s Club Club) and I love being able to savor the season this way.
  • Golden Girls, season 3 (Hulu) – I’m still trucking along with the Golden Girls! I’ll admit that some of the humor feels so tasteless now in 2020 (so much fatphobia!) and the acting isn’t always great, but it’s fun and silly and just what I need most days.
  • The West Wing, season 1 (Netflix) – I started watching The West Wing! I’ve never seen it! I’m about six episodes in and I love it. All of the actors are excellent and all of their walk-and-talks are truly epic.

LISTENING TO

  • That’s the Ticket by Pod Save America – I loved this miniseries by the Crooked Media team, diving into the vice president selection process. It’s only three episodes long, hosted by two of my faves, Dan Pfeiffer and Alyssa Mastromonaco, and Alyssa actually has firsthand experience with this selection process so it was really interesting to hear her views.
  • The West Wing Weekly – As soon as I finish an episode of The West Wing, I download the accompanying episode recap and it’s been such a good companion to the show.
  • Dr. Fauci on America Dissected – The man of the hour came onto America Dissected to discuss COVID-19. While the discussion was more about the public health side of things and how to communicate complex scientific facts to regular people, I still really enjoyed this discussion.

BUYING

  • Acrylic necklace keeper ($22) – I was ecstatic to find this necklace stand during one of my trips to The Container Store in July. I wanted a way to display my necklaces but keep them out of the girls’ reach (imagine how much fun they’d have batting my necklaces into a twisted mess!). This necklace keeper has an acrylic case that goes right over the stand. Perfect!
  • Face masks x 4 ($30ish) – I bought a lot of cloth face masks this month to build up my collection. I have seven now, four I bought off Etsy, and three I bought from my friend who is making masks. (Her masks are, by far, my favorite. They cling perfectly to my face and stay put easily.)
  • Key holder with organizer ($30) – I wanted a new key holder for my new apartment, one that I could also use for organizing mail and other odds and ends that I like to keep by the front door. This one seems perfect and I can’t wait to put it up in my new place!

MOMENTS

> It was so lovely to see my Georgia family early in July. I got to meet the newest member of our clan, my cousin’s baby who was born in April. He was adorable, although he slept through the entirety of dinner!

> I had a bit of FOMO missing out on my family’s Fourth of July party, but I made the tough decision to sit this one out because of COVID-19. We had a huge group this year and I just didn’t feel comfortable about going.

> I took a day off work to celebrate my mom’s birthday and it was such a lovely day! We got pedicures, went to a restaurant on the water for lunch, and did a little bit of furniture shopping. Then, my brother and nephews came over for dinner!

> I signed a lease on a new apartment! I am so excited about my move next month. The new apartment will add 200 more square feet of space and have an updated kitchen and bathroom and oooh, I am so ready for it!

> I started an Instagram for my cats because that’s the kind of person I am, haha. But I just have soooo many pictures of them and wanted a place where I could put up a picture a day without feeling like I was overwhelming my personal feed. It’s been fun so far! (It may be giving Ellie a big head, though, as all she ever talks about now are Instagram stats and becoming a “catfluencer”!)

> I went back to the office last month, just to pick up some of my personal belongings I had left back in mid-March when I expected quarantine to only last a few weeks. (HAHAHAHAHA. Oh, sweetie.) Everything about being back in the office felt so strange and surreal, a stark reminder of how much life has changed in these past few months. (I finally got to bring home my cat calendar, too, which is why it’s showing March 13th—that was my last day in the office!)

> I had to do a little repair to my bookshelf last week when I realized half the shelves weren’t sitting flat on the hardware anymore. I’m not sure if I was putting too many books on one shelf or if the way I had previously shoved books onto the shelf caused the backing to become misaligned, but I had to take all my books off their shelves, take off the shelves themselves, and then lower the bookshelf to the floor to realign the backing. Oof. It was quite the process but I got it fixed and now the shelves are sitting perfectly! I’m trying to be more careful with how I shelve my books and not stuff each shelf too full.

> Throughout the bookshelf fiasco, I was able to pare down my book collection a bit! I wouldn’t say I’m a book hoarder (I only started collecting books in the past few years, actually!) but I do have enough books to nearly fill up a five-shelf bookcase. So while taking books off my shelf, I decided to set aside any books I’d like to donate. I ended up with 50 books to donate, whew! I was able to sell 26 of those to a local used bookstore and stuffed 4 more into a Little Free Library, so now I need to decide what to do about the other 20 books. Hmm.

> I got to visit with my book club friends this month when we surprised one of our ladies for her birthday. It had been almost two months since I had last seen them and it was so nice to catch up with everyone. We haven’t been having regular book club meetings since finding books to read is a lot more difficult these days, considering most of us are library users and/or don’t read e-books. Hopefully, we can bring back (socially distanced) book club meetings soon, now that the library is back up and running (albeit at a limited capacity).

> Pool days at my mom’s new place became a standard weekend activity for me. Sometimes alone, sometimes with my mom. It’s the only way to enjoy being outside these days! I’m so glad to have my mom’s pool to enjoy, especially this summer with COVID-19 and not feeling comfortable being at my apartment’s pool. It’s quiet and peaceful and refreshing. Ahh!

Tell me about your July! What was the best book you read and your top highlight of the month?

Categories: Life

The Coronavirus Diaries | Update #11

I remember when I started writing this series. I thought to myself, is it even worth writing about? This is all going to go away within a few weeks, right? 

Oh, sweetie.

It’s now been four months since my last day in the office. Four months since I sat at lunch with friends and heard one of them say, “Oh, shit, COVID-19 is now a global pandemic.” Four months of social distancing and wearing face masks everywhere I go and worrying when normal life will resume.

Health experts have been eyeing Florida as the next potential epicenter for the last few weeks, and it appears we are here. We are constantly creating new statistics, like having the most cases in one day (15,300), and our governor is not doing a damn thing about it. COVID-19 shouldn’t be a partisan issue. I shouldn’t have to feel like all of this lack of action is due to having a Republican governor. And yet, the Republican party has made it a partisan issue. Our president refuses to wear a mask (except for one time and no, he does not get credit for that) and deal with the issue at hand. Instead, he’d rather talk about cancel culture and tearing down confederate statues than the fact that 138,000+ people have died from COVID-19.

Sometimes, I imagine how an actual empathetic and reasonable president would have handled this pandemic. I’m not even talking about a Democratic president! Just someone who would actually be saddened by so many deaths and want to help families who have lost loved ones.

I know I use a lot of these COVID-19 updates to discuss politics, which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s hard to separate politics from the virus. They’re inextricably linked. If we had a competent administration, one that values science and facts (…and one that didn’t disband the pandemic response team), we could have controlled this virus early on. Trump knew what was coming, and he refused to do anything about it. That’s on him. That’s on Republicans.

It feels weird to be the state that’s in the news. Every breaking news alert about Florida makes my heart drop. It’s hard to believe where we are today versus where we were in early May. That’s when we started reopening, and we didn’t do it slowly. Nope – we opened restaurants, bars, bowling alleys, gyms, and movie theaters. It was full speed ahead. Sure, we had a “phased” reopening plan, but things in our first and second phases were way down in other state’s final phases.

Here’s what the past few weeks have looked like in my world:

WORK

  • I continue to work from home and there’s currently no plan to bring employees back into the office. Originally, my company was going to open the office twice a week for up to 25 employees to come in and work (with all common areas shut down, including our break room). They are putting that plan on hold for now with the rise in cases. Apparently, about 40% of businesses in our office building are back in the office (which is staggering to me!), so I’m very glad that my company isn’t requiring that for us.
  • Investing in a second screen has been LIFE-CHANGING for my work-from-home life. I can’t believe I spent three full months working remotely with just my laptop screen!

FRIENDS/FAMILY

  • My family did a big get-together for the Fourth of July that I opted out of. I had a lot of FOMO about not being there, but I know I made the right choice. We had a big group this year (16 people, I think?) and I just had a strong feeling that social-distancing guidelines would be hard to follow. My Fourth of July was spent at home, keeping watch over the cats who were a bit bothered by all the fireworks.
  • I haven’t seen any friends in months, except for a quick visit to one of my nearest and dearest to pick up some masks. She’s been sewing face masks for coworkers and friends, and I requested two—one for me and one for my mom. I loved the mask she made for me and I promptly asked for more. <3
  • Family from Georgia came into town for the holiday and while I didn’t attend the big Fourth of July get-together, my mom, stepdad, and I went out to dinner with them while they were here. My plan was to wear my mask the whole time and not hug them buuuut that swiftly went out the window when I saw them and I had to give my beloved family a hug! Balancing risk vs reward can be tricky, but I do not regret seeing them.

PUBLIC OUTINGS

  • I went to a restaurant for the first time in early July. And then promptly visited restaurants three more times. I really thought I would stay away from restaurants for a good long while, but there was a Friday night when I was helping my mom out by picking up my stepdad from his truck stop and he wanted to go out for dinner. So I acquiesced. And then there was dinner when my family was in town. And then visiting two restaurants during my mom’s birthday week. It’s not something I want to make a regular occurrence, but it happened and I feel fine about it. (And maaaaan, was it nice to have fresh bread delivered right to the table! Takeout bread is just not the same.)
  • I had my first pedicure since February. My mom has been wanting one, and I decided her birthday was the perfect time to do it. I felt very safe at the nail salon I visited. A friend had gone there and reported back that she felt really safe while there (she’s being even more cautious than I am, so I felt really good about it). lt was super nice to have all the dead skin on my feet sloughed off, haha, and my toenails painted. The salon was huge and everyone was spaced out. We were seated at two chairs in the corner with three chairs between us and a set of friends. I was really happy with my experience!
  • I’ve started visiting more retail stores—visits to Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond. I foresee more shopping dates like this over the next month or two as I prepare for my move. It is what it is. I always wear my mask and try not to touch too many surfaces.

MENTAL HEALTH

  • My anxiety has felt fairly manageable over the past few weeks, and I am so very thankful for that. I have been feeling little moments of despair here and there, which is natural. Everything feels very out of control right now and it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen next. (Well, other than cases exploding even more if we don’t start to shut things down.)
  • My sleep has been all sorts of jacked up ever since I started staying at home. It’s a combination of too much caffeine and not enough Vitamin D, I think. I’m not moving around as much or getting outside in the sunshine as much as I used to. I’ve implemented a system of cutting off caffeine by 3pm every day and spending at least 10 minutes outside in the middle of the day. It’s helping! My sleep has definitely improved, especially with the caffeine goal. I always forget how much it affects me until I begin to limit it.

MISC

  • I am really glad I don’t have to worry about the upcoming school year. I see teachers and parents on my social media timelines fretting about what to do, and I really feel for them. Parents in my school district can choose to send their children to school or do digital learning, but what a hard choice to make. My brother and his wife have made the decision to keep my nephews home for this school year, which means my sister-in-law will undertake the arduous task of working from home while making sure a five- and 11-year-old do their schoolwork. Oy vey. I also highly sympathize with teachers who are worrying about the upcoming school year and what it will look like for them. Teaching during a pandemic is not something anyone is prepared for!
  • My library books are still in transit. I don’t think I’m ever going to get them, ha. It’s been six weeks since I requested them and I guess they will forever be in transit. Is it because I have a $1 fine??? 😉 Oh, well. I’ve got plenty of other reads to keep me busy for the time being.

How are you holding up? What’s it like where you are?

Categories: Life

Monthly Recap | June 2020

Hi, friends! I’ve got a special Thursday post coming your way today. 🙂 After a few months of experimenting with a new way of recapping my month, I’m coming back to the old style I used throughout 2019. It’s just a really fun way to look back on the month and I missed talking about what I’ve been watching and listening to. So, without further ado, let’s dive in:

READING

I read 15 books in June, so I am way ahead of my Goodreads goal by 11 (!) books. My top three this month were:

WATCHING

  • Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu) – I finally finished this miniseries! I really liked it, but it was never a show I felt like I *had* to watch. The casting was great, though, and I especially loved the actress who played Izzy. She was so adorable and perfect for the role! I recommend the show, especially with all its great 90s touches.
  • Golden Girls, season 2 (Hulu) – I’ve only watched episodes of Golden Girls here and there, but have never seen the whole series, so this is my go-to when I need something light and fun.

Side note: I was so bummed to find out that Mad Men isn’t on Netflix anymore! This will teach me not to take years and years and years to watch a series. I’ve been slowwwwly watching the series (like, snail’s pace. I think I watch one season a year, lol) And when I tried to find it on Netflix last weekend, I discovered it was taken down. Wahhhh. The exact same thing happened to me with Friday Night Lights (although I think that’s on Hulu now!) so I really need to get my act together with watching series TV. Oops.

LISTENING TO

  • Slow Burn, season 4 – This season, they’re exploring David Duke and his rise to political power. It’s all frightening similar to Trump.
  • The Teacher’s Pet – I’m about halfway through this true crime podcast series, following the disappearance of a young mother in Australia. Her husband didn’t report her missing for six weeks and moved his teenage lover into their home just days after she disappeared. It’s WILD!
  • Friends Forever on Hall of Shame – I can’t remember if I talked about this podcast before, but it’s all about the crazy stories in sports and it’s excellent. (And hosted by two ladies who know their shit when it comes to sports.) Anyway, this episode in particular is great, as it’s about the strange friendship between Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong-Un.

BUYING

  • A computer monitor ($100) – I am so happy I made this purchase. (I used the money I had saved in my “no spend fund” to get it!) I really need two screens when working and now that I know I’ll be working from home for a really long time, I finally bought another monitor. I’m only three days into my two-screen life and it has drastically improved my work life. Woop!
  • Eloise & Lila’s first Chatbook ($18) – I finally started a regular Chatbook subscription for the girls! I love the Chatbooks I have of Dutch and I knew I wanted to do the same thing with my kitties. Flipping through the photos when the book arrived was such a joy!
  • A mouse pad ($7) – One of those simple but necessary pleasures. My old mouse pad was just one of those lame ones that come in the package when you buy a wireless mouse and had gotten very dirty over the years. It was time for an upgrade. Yay for simple delights!

THE HIGHS

  • My mom’s new house – My mom and stepdad closed on their new house this month, and it’s been fun to watch them morph into homeowners! They’re spending the next month-ish doing some minor work (painting and laying down tile) and will officially move in sometime in late July or early August. I’ve already enjoyed the pool once and can’t wait to spend many more weekends there!
  • A new washer/dryer – I finally got my washer fixed! Apparently, the issue was extensive and necessitated an entirely new washer/dryer. My new one is so fancy, which is fun, but mostly, I’m just happy to have a working washer/dryer again!
  • Extra mom time – My mom’s car was in the shop for about a week in June and that meant I got to play chauffeur for her, taking her to work, dropping her off for a hair appointment, and even doing the 30-minute drive to pick up my stepdad from his truck stop. I didn’t mind—it meant more time with my mom, and that is always a good thing for me!
  • New glasses! – I finally ordered my glasses from Warby Parker. I was worried about needing them adjusted and not knowing where to go for that when Florida was under a shelter-in-place order, which is why I waited until the end of May to order them. I ordered two pairs and it’s fun to switch them out whenever I’m feeling the need for a change. (And woooooow, has my vision changed since the last time I got glasses. Everything feels like it’s in HD now!)
  • New bar stools – The bar stools I ordered in May arrived this month and I was very grateful for my stepdad coming over to help me to put them together when I was having trouble with one of them. The girls have been loving them (one of them believes it’s a great scratching post, sigh) and I just like having a much more comfortable place to sit when I’m eating!

THE LOWS

  • Rising case numbers of COVID-19 in Florida – It was not a good month for COVID-19 in Floria, where case numbers reached 9,000+ two days in a row at the end of the month. I’m sticking to my decision to only see my mom, my stepdad, my brother, and my nephews and I always wear a mask when in public.
  • A bout with vertigo – At the end of the month, I experienced a horrific case of vertigo and I’m still feeling the effects of it today (even though it’s not anywhere near as bad as Saturday, where even sitting up would cause the room to spin and make me nauseated). I have a (virtual) doctor’s appointment scheduled for Monday (the soonest appointment I could get, due to the holiday) so I hope she can help me!
  • Increased anxiety – My anxiety felt unmanageable at times in June. I think I started feeling overwhelmed by news, between COVID-19 and the racial justice movement. I started getting stomachaches and had trouble sleeping and couldn’t seem to turn off my brain. It wasn’t the best month for my mental health.

What was a highlight of June for you? What was the best book you read last month?

Categories: Life

The Coronavirus Diaries | Week 15

So here we are. Florida is one of the states seeing significant increases in COVID-19 cases and looks to be the next epicenter. We hit a record-high of 5,000+ cases two days in a row (Wednesday and Thursday), which is astonishing. What’s even more astonishing is that our governor is still not willing to do anything about this. He continues to insist it’s due to increased testing, which is just not factual at all. I try to check this database at least once a day to see how things are going in my county and what the ICU bed availability looks like. (28, as of Thursday night.)

Thankfully, the county I live in now has a mandatory mask ordinance in place. I’m glad we have sensible officials in our local government! All of Florida should be under this ordinance since wearing masks is the best way to prevent community spread, but alas. At least I can feel good knowing that whenever I go to the grocery store, everyone else will be wearing masks. (And I really feel for the workers who have to enforce this rule with shoppers. I know there are plenty of people who won’t like the rule, sigh.)

My family is planning this big Fourth of July party, as some family members will be in town and everyone wants to get together. At first, we were thinking about doing it at a park but now we’re planning to have it at a condo on the beach. There will be a lot of us (around 20 people, maybe?!) and I think I’m going to have to be the party pooper who doesn’t attend. I just don’t feel comfortable about it, and I hope my family understands, but even if they don’t, that’s okay. I have to do what feels right for me.

I’ve had a lot of anxiety lately, much more than normal. I’ve been in a really good place with my mental health for about the past year, so it always feels defeating when my anxiety rises to unmanageable levels. I think it all stems from the trajectory this pandemic has taken for my state. Not only are our case numbers rising, but the median age of a coronavirus patient is dramatically lower—37 years old. Normal life seems like a state of mind. Was there really a time when I could walk into a packed spin class and not blink an eye at being seated less than a foot away from people?

I think I’m also feeling rather sad about having nothing to look forward to. There are no vacations on the horizon or fun plans to anticipate. I’m trying to save my vacation days to take a good chunk of time off around my move. Even though the move won’t be too crazy since I’m moving within my complex, it will still be nice to have a lot of time to pack and unpack and get the girls used to the new setting. I’m trying to take off one day per month, too, as a mental health day. That helps! I took a Wednesday off in June and basically did nothing but read and sleep, and it was divine. I planned to go to the pool, but it rained all afternoon. I’m taking off a day next month to celebrate my mom’s birthday with her, so that will be nice. 🙂

And, hopefully, I can plan a getaway in the fall. Something within driving distance, of course. Maybe it’s time to visit Savannah again? I love that city so much, goodness.

As I mentioned last week, my company announced plans for reopening the office. They’re doing it in phases and this first phase is completely voluntary. The office will only be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, only 25 employees can be in the office at one time, and the office will be thoroughly sanitized before and after each workday. While I don’t have any plans to go into the office to work, I am hoping to schedule a time to pick up some of the stuff from my desk. Like my wireless computer mouse and my cat calendar and my big Tervis water cup. When I left in mid-March, I had no idea I wouldn’t be back for such a long time! It’s crazy when I think about it. There were also some discussions about continuing a mostly remote work-from-home program once things return to “normal.” I would be required to come into the office once or twice a month for team meetings and such, and that sounds great to me.

In other good news, I finally got my washer fixed! I felt comfortable enough having the maintenance man come in and look at it (he wore a mask), and turns out, I needed an entirely new washer/dryer! My new one is super fancy with a touch screen and lots of bells and whistles, and it makes me less anxious to move out of this apartment, haha. It’s so exciting!

I’m still keeping pretty isolated in my day-to-day life. I did go to TJ Maxx once and Target twice, but that’s about it. I’m still not going to the gym or restaurants, and still not seeing friends. My circle remains my mom, stepdad, brother, and older nephew. I haven’t seen my girlfriends since we did a socially distanced book club meeting at the end of May, and it makes my heart ache. I miss them so much! But it’s also hard to know what sorts of activities would be ok to do, you know? And being outside isn’t all that pleasant right now in Florida between the intense heat and mosquitoes. Ugh.

In other news, I’m still waiting on the books I requested from the library. Four of the books I requested have been “in transit” for more than two weeks now. Whew. To be clear, this isn’t a complaint and I know my library system is doing its best right now. Just an observation. I know they’re dealing with a backlog and I’m assuming they’re quarantining any materials they get in for 14 days, so perhaps my time is coming soon. I’ll be patient! I’ve got enough reading material to keep me busy anyway, between my own bookshelves (both print and Kindle!) and Libby. I’ll be fiiiiine. 🙂

So that’s where I’m at right now. There’s a lot happening, and it all feels very scary and overwhelming at times. But I have to remember to stay present and not worry about what could happen in the future. Yes, Florida is most likely COVID-19’s next epicenter, but all that means for me is spending more time at home with my kitties. And is that really such a bad thing?