Monday, April 20, 2020

4/5 through 4/19 From the bunker...

4/19, Day 37 of my unfortunate incarceration. Got up early. After playing on the computer, I attended Mass virtually with a lot of my family. Then I drove to pick up Gus from Jan and Tim’s house. It was glorious driving in the country. What a lovely, lovely day. I sat in my car and they were a safe distance away and we got to talk awhile as I petted my sweet boy.

It was such a gorgeous day. And from 1-3 I played online Werewolf with my friends. There were seven of us today, and it was a laugh fest from start to finish. Age 12-72, so quite a range. But everyone plays the game really well and so strategically. We ended up playing until 3:10.

My daughter Jill called me, but it was when I was going to pick up Gus, so we didn’t get to FaceTime, but hearing her sweet voice was good enough.

I walked a half block two different times with Gus. That wasn’t easy, but glad I did it. The other times, he just had to potty in front of the house. But he didn’t complain. :) It felt so good to have my little buddy here. 

4/18, Day 36 from my dark office. Started with Retro Trivia at 7. It actually started at 6, but…

 Read a lot. Walked about half a block. 

Four years ago today my brother-in-law Pete died suddenly so my sisters and I always plan to do something memorable. Today we just had a Zoom chat with extended family. Nice to see their faces. Tomorrow I’ll get Gus home for a while. I miss his sweet face. 

4/17, Day 35 from the bunker. Started with coffee with Gretchen and Dana. As always, that started my day in the best possible way. Spent a good part of the morning reading my book club book. In the afternoon I only had one counseling session, so no work stress. Really took it easy today. Watched a lot of TV. Missed my dog. Gus is coming home this weekend sometime. I didn’t hear from the back brace people as I was told, so that’s a disappointment. Oh well, I’ll keep on keepin’ on.

4/16, Day 34, and it’s snowing. Coffee—that’s what I want. Spent a good part of the day reading my book club book. So delightful to read it without guilt. My sister came over, wearing her surgical mask, to change some light bulbs for me. Talked to the neurosurgeon and I’m going to get a brace to wear until they he can do the surgery. They’re thinking non-emergency surgeries may be able to happen beginning in early May but it’s subject to change. Of course. In early evening I gave another presentation. Third in three days. Went well. Now it’s time to rest. 

4/15, Day 33 of my solitary confinement. Started with coffee and Facebook. Exciting, huh? Then I met with my boss, via phone, to prepare for tonight’s presentation to a lot of Au Pairs. The APs are concerned because they are worried about their families back in countries they currently can’t return to. When I feel bad about having to stay inside by myself, I think about them, and how scary it must be. I worked hard on the presentation and it paid off because there were around 100 Au Pairs. They were great. 

4/14, Day 32 of my solitude. Why do I keep writing this stuff? Every day is more boring than the day before. However, it’s helping me track a lot of stuff, including my feelings. Most of the time, I don’t feel depressed normally, but every now and then I do. It’s quite normal for any of us to feel depressed or anxious, especially those of us who live alone. Had coffee with Gretchen and Dana, which always starts off my day perfectly. I gave a presentation at 11 AM (CT), and I think it went well. I was told it did. Did some counseling. Worked on my puzzle, and it’s gone absolutely nowhere. It’s too dark in my office, even though I have one light shining right on the puzzle table. Oh well, it gives me something to do. Then I cut masks as well. It gives me a feeling of giving back.

4/13, Day 31, Report from the condo. Woke up at 7, and enjoyed my coffee. Then I talked to my sweet and thoughtful friend, Nancie, for nearly an hour. I love starting my day with friends. Then I worked for several hours on the three presentations I have to give this week. One is tomorrow morning, so I really needed to get busy. Took a nap in the afternoon before I did some counseling. Messaged with my sister Jan. Stayed awake too late as usual, but I still get up at 7 almost every day.

4/12, Day 30, Bunker Report: Happy Easter! Woke up at 7 as usual. Groceries delivered at 9. Went to Mass online at 9:30. Then in the afternoon I played an online game with my Doctor Who/games friends, using Zoom and the game software. It worked perfectly. I really needed the relaxation and laughter. Didn’t talk to anyone in my family, which made things surreal on this holiday.

4/11 Day 29. Dreamed of Ru Paul 2 nights in a row. Don’t know what it means. Maybe I want to be a drag queen subconsciously. Today we had book club discussion, and it was delightful and informative. Tomorrow we’ll be playing Werewolf through Zoom with my usual game friends. Did a therapy session, then watched Jesus Christ Superstar on YouTube. Had a watch party with friends. It’s a London stage production and the best I’ve seen. Andrew Lloyd Weber is offering free viewing Friday through Sunday. One per week. See this one on YouTube before it goes away. Amazing. Tried to clean the bathroom and almost was able to do it. Damn back of mine! I’ll finish it today. Then only 5 more rooms and a hallway to go. One room a day. I got this!

4/10 Day 28. Yeah, I skipped from Day 23 to Day 25. Just noticed and guess what, it doesn’t matter. It’s been 4 weeks give or take a day. That’s a long time. Talked to Dana and Gretchen via FB Messenger. It really helped me. Today my sister picked up Gus for several days to give my back a break. I only had him for one day and night, and miss him already. I did some counseling but that’s about it. This too shall pass. 

4/9 Day 27 of dancing with myself. Gus came home today. Emotionally it is perfect to have him where he belongs, but physically it hurts. Can’t wait to get the spinal fusion done so I can start feeling better. Went to online Mass through St. Francis, and it was beautiful with a fantastic sermon. My friend Donna and her husband Bill, dropped off a bench that Bill made. Omigosh, it so beautiful. It’s an early birthday present and my heart is happy. Donna also dropped off a lot of fabric for masks. They are such wonderful people and cherished friends.

I did so much counseling and keep getting lots of referrals. Felt a little stress. Will spend the weekend developing the three presentations for next week. Sleep eludes me tonight. But I’m happy and lucky.

4/8 Day 26 of whatever this is. Slept til 7:30. Felt decadent. Talked to my boss and I’ll be giving three presentations next week via Zoom. That’s in addition to the counseling I do.  This will definitely keep me busy. Read the book club book over lunchtime. We’ll have the discussion on the 11th. Talked to my sisters on FB Messenger. My daughter Jill and I video chatted. And tomorrow Gus comes home for a day or two. Yay.

4/7 Day 25 of yada yada yada. Coffee with Gretchen and Dana. Such a wonderful way to connect with friends. Heard from a friend whose wife has died. So sad. Then I talked with my boss about developing two more presentations for staff. Worked on the jigsaw, had groceries delivered, and worked on cutting masks. Went to bed early to watch TV. 

4/6 Day 23 of blah blah blah. Coffee by myself this time. My friend Mike picked up Gus, so Gus could play with his dogs for a few days and get some exercise. Got my jigsaw puzzle out of the box and started working on it. Did a little counseling. Ate food from Little Greek which was perfect. Cut masks for about an hour. Finally took a nap. After that, It was hard to have energy for anything else.

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