Thankfully, I get to work from home. I’ve been doing “web work for some publicist friends” since 2013, but in 2018 I made it official; called it Close Mondays, set up a website, and thankfully still in biz considering the circumstances going on right now in the world.
WORK
That said, my work isn’t essential or life saving, but it’s work that still needs to be done. Art and music are as vital as ever, so records need to be sold and shipped, and people are looking to be entertained, so thankfully I work with some good folks, and we’re getting that done.
I have moments, though, where some of the work seems trivial. I mean, how can it not, when 500+ people have died in my state? Guitar play through videos clash with people losing their businesses because of a state ordered shut down.
So I do my best to keep those moments as moments, and not let them derail my day. Usually I’ll just make some more coffee, or go for a walk. When I come back I do my best to get back into the flow of work.
Three big things that have helped me during this time, equipment-wise: a standing desk, a 27″ 4K monitor, and a for-real computer chair.
If you work in front of a computer for any length of time, I recommend all three things. You can even hack together a standing desk (that’s what I did for a long time). Get a bigger monitor, or at least prop up your lap top so you’re not staring down at and straining your neck, and then get a full size keyboard and mouse. Trust me – your entire body will thank you a decade from now.
Even with all those comforts, I’m not nearly as focused as I once was. There’s a global pandemic swirling around out there. There are mass graves in New York City, bodies are left in the street in Guayaquil.
These are not ordinary times, so I’m not my ordinary self. Neither are a lot of people.
HEALTH
A few weeks ago I joined with friends (virtually of course, through Instagram), and did a #fiveby5K challenge. That got me out the door everyday to run a distance of 5K, 3.1 miles.
The next week came around, and on April 1st I ran four miles. So then I ran another four miles on the 2nd. Today is the 13th, and so far I’ve kept my streak going, having run 52 miles so far this month.
With running, it’s not just the 40ish minutes of that four mile run. There’s the timing of your food intake a few hours before, there’s the 10 minutes of stretching, there’s the post-run routine of updating Strava and maybe making an Instagram post. The cool down, the shower… so that 44 minute run was really on my mind for a few hours during my day, which I think is a healthy distraction from everything going on.
In the midst of all this I somehow had a yearly check up with my doctor. Everything is fine, except my blood pressure could stand to see a drop, and the doctor said the best way to do that is lose about five pounds.
All that running is one thing, but he said I need to do more cross training. So I’ve been using the Nike Training App (which has a free premium offer going), for some good upper body work outs, and the Streaks Workout app to get me moving a little bit more throughout the day. The six minute work-out is great before my morning smoothie or a second cup of coffee, and the 12 minute workout is a lot of fun after a run.
For news, I subscribed to one of my local papers, The Morning Call. Keeping up with the world and national news is absolutely draining, so I wanted to keep it local, since this is where I live, and where I can help, both in volunteer / donation areas, but also what places are still open, and maybe who needs some support financially. This is all good for being a part of something, rather than consuming the firehose of doom and despair that’s happening all over the world right now.
FOOD
Oh, how I would love to stock up on cookies and chips, but I can not have any snacks in the house because I will devour them in 48 hours. Literally.
I’ve basically had a smoothie for breakfast everyday for years now, but I’m trying my best to switch up my recipes. My tried and true smoothie calls for one banana, but I’ve been to grocery stores lately and they’ve been out! I found this sweet potato smoothie recipe and absolutely love it, and it lessens my need for a full banana every day (okay, half a banana).
Salads. With lots of stuff. This is new for me, and I don’t know how well it’s going to hold up with going to the grocery store every 7+ days, but I know more veggies are important, so we’ll see how this works.
Dinner wise is usually burritos with lots of veggies, lettuce, and salsa. Homemade pizza. Pasta with crumbled up veggie chorizo. Once every two weeks now has been take out.
I haven’t had a drink really since the Super Bowl, back in February. All our liquor stores are closed right now, and eh, I’m trying to lose some weight, so going without beer for now is fine with me. Maybe I’ll have a celebratory beer after the first race once everything gets back to normal.