Day 15

Day 14

Indoor Cat: Day 13

Indoor Cat: Day Twelve

Indoor Cat: Day Eleven

 I was originally going to take today off for Relay for Life at SUNY Potsdam.  However, since the event was cancelled due to COVID-19 issues, I took today off for my mental health. 

For exercise and as an excuse to be outside while still socially distanced from others, I cleaned our back deck (it had a 6" layer of wet leaves over the entire span).  I also did what we call "stick duty" - I gathered sticks and branches from our backyard and piled them (alongside the wet leaves) in the front yard close to the curb for pickup.

I've been baking and cleaning a bit indoors, but it was super nice to be out in the sun for a while.  I've been off of email and the phone today...and that's been amazing.

Tomorrow, we'll reach out to more family and friends and check in to make sure that all is relatively well.

Be well, fellow Introverts...stay safe.

Indoor Cat: Day Ten

Pumpkin

Trouble

 I did my walk again today.  The cats lobbied for camera time as is evidenced by their portraits to either side ("Stop working and pet me, darn it!").

The Lonely Toilet Garden photo below is posted for my friend Sara Glafcke.  I know how much she enjoyed taking photos of this very strange assortment of "art" installations when she visited.

A few businesses have  to actively lobby to make sure we know that they are open for (delivery and take out) business.  See the Pizza Hut photo below, with the fun "Old School" felt letter sign.

I am feeling more or less centered today...the walk helped.  It is a slightly amusing notion that we see people out in the street and immediately cross to the other side of the road, or wander into someone's yard so that the minimum six-feet of separation can be observed. 

Getting Old School

Be well, fellow Introverts...

The Lonely Toilet Garden

Indoor Cat: Day Nine

The major project I've spent most of my days on in the past week is coasting towards completion.  I shook things up yesterday afternoon and this afternoon by doing donor research (something that I love doing, but don't always get the opportunity to do).

The cats are finally chilling out--they seem to accept me working in the front room as a given.  One or both of them join me in designated napping spots--out of reach of my workspace, but close enough to insist on cuddles midway through the day.

I napped during lunch today--and lordy did I need it. After settling in to a comfortable napping stance, it seemed like only a few minutes passed prior to my alarm going off.

Work was insanely productive.  I still miss my work people.  I'm an Introvert--but I'm not a complete hermit.  I miss my friend people and my family people and...just...people.

Consider donating to PACES employees.  I'm very very serious.  I donated a bit myself.  Here's the PayPal pool link if you want to donate.  One problem with all online coursework is that the need for catering/dining staff has been cut down by around 80-90% for the semester.  This is a huge issue for people who are dedicated to cooking/baking and vending some of the best food in the SUNY system.

Giving Link: 
https://paypal.me/pools/c/8ny3zN5s13

Indoor Cat: Day Eight

Day eight is the day when I decided to go for an extended walk during lunch.  I had just had it with being indoors.  I took a stroll down Leroy Street to Elm Street, right onto Market/56, right onto May, and then right back to Leroy for the rest of the walk home.  The walk was 2.86 miles total--not my longest walk by any means, but still lengthy given the current circumstances.

I saw a few signs on my walk that I decided to share here.

It is very thoughtful of the folks who made these signs and posted them on Leroy near Canton-Potsdam Hospital.  I whole-heartedly agree--many thanks to our healthcare workers!

Every little thing is getting under my skin right now, which is why I took the walk.  A little perspective helped me take a deep breath (at least six feet away from other people) and pause.

Be well, fellow Introverts.

Indoor Cat: Day Seven

Kyle decided not to use the office setup in the front room of the house, so I've moved my work stuff there. There is no heating in the dining room, a fact which left me very very cold today!  But now it's all better.

Front Room Goodness

The change of scenery is helping my poor cabin-fevered brain.  I still miss my work-peeps, even though we've been group-emailing about home work setups (which has been fairly entertaining).

The photos of work-at-home setups are (by necessity) photo-bombed by family pets and infants.  I love seeing this, as it humanizes our situation just a bit more.

Be well, fellow Introverts...

Indoor Cat: Day Six

The cats woke me early, then allowed me to go back to sleep after feeding them.  Have you ever had a hair-headache?  It's nowhere near as heinous as a migraine, but it is directly under the scalp and behind the sinuses.  I've been battling one of those for a while today. 

I have started a scrapbook project, which I worked on late yesterday evening.  I also baked a sweet/rich chocolate cake and a loaf of bread this afternoon.  I still have two books in the Koji Suzuki "Ring" series to finish, and I have a Delores Redondo book waiting in the wings.  I also set up a retro-gaming station in the dining room, which I took advantage of this evening.

We're in the midst of dinner and Star Trek (an episode of DS9, then an episode of VOY).  I wish that I enjoyed cooking (and eating) just a little bit less than I do.

That's all for now.  I'll post again tomorrow.

Be well, fellow Introverts.

Indoor Cat: Day Five

It was easy to chalk today up to moving and moving activities.  I relocated my craft area from our front/laundry room to the master bedroom.  I have a large blue desk that Romeyn gave to me years ago.  It readily accommodated my main crafting materials, while two separate storage furnishings added the rest of the space that I needed.

The front/laundry room will now be a work area ready for use by my younger stepson.  He has been shifted to 100% online learning for the remainder of his senior year (Spring 2020 semester).  We were going to start planning his graduation party, but with the current concerns about the pandemic, I can't in good faith plan any such gathering (at least, not yet).

In the course of my cleaning/moving activities, I unearthed a huge amount of yarn that I haven't used, much less planned to use anytime soon.  The timing just hasn't been right.  I have what is known as "Wear and Tear" Arthritis (bilateral hands).  I've been encouraged to limit the use of my hands in such detailed/repetitive motions outside of my regular work.

I did wind up driving Romeyn to Tire & Auto today, to pick up our second car.  I haven't enjoyed driving that much in almost fifteen years.  I learned how to drive when I was around 26-27 years old.  Remember that first drive by yourself?  Regardless of any other considerations in your life, the first solo drive is the most liberating drive.

Other than this brief foray into society (and yes, the attitude of the traffic in town was "GET OUT OF MY WAY I AM GOING HOME"), I have still played the role of Indoor Cat in our household.

Be well, fellow Introverts.

Indoor Cat: Day Four

Ahhh!  Middle Aged Lady Dancing!!!

You haven't truly had an Indoor Cat experience until you've scared the pantaloons off of the neighborhood squirrels.

I suppose that the sight of a middle-aged lady bouncing around to Zumba DVDs is somewhat frightening, especially to a little rodent attempting to forage on the back deck (with a clear view of the Zumba through the sliding door into the dining room).

I have to say, however, that it provides me with great entertainment when I accidentally surprise a squirrel.  Their reactions are soooo funny and cute.  The reactions I love go like this:  "*Surprise* !!!!  *JAZZ PAWS!!!*  *SCATTER, SQUIRRELS, SCATTER!*"

This series of reactions brings to mind the Noh-reminiscent acting of my cats when a vacuum cleaner is in the vicinity.  They run right up to it, then get super scared (think E. Munch, or Macaulay Caulkin's emotive expressions), then run away as quickly as they can.

I am still greatly reassured by the presence of my younger stepson.  Given my druthers, I'd also have Brady here with us, but he left the nest quite a while ago.  Romeyn is quite braver than I am...he's been the designated Traveler for a few days (stores, meetings on site, etc.).  I'm having to content myself with indoor activities, including the sipping of fine tea.

Be well, fellow Introverts...

Indoor Cat: Day 3

The cats are supremely unhappy that I am home but mostly unavailable for cat-cuddling during the day.  Luckily, I've taken the afternoon off today.  I did quite a lot in the morning hours, and I felt it was time to rest a bit.

My in laws called to make sure we're doing okay here.  I explained that we are fine, but I'm certain that my younger stepson is disappointed that he had to move home to complete the semester online.  Personally, I am very glad for the company.  Who knew that I would miss the in-person interactions of work so acutely?  Certainly not me.  I also shared with them my personal philosophy re: worrying about a situation--most of the time, if Romeyn is not worried, I feel safe relaxing my guard.  Not to say that we're not worried about the pandemic (everyone is worried about the pandemic), but I'm not letting it dominate my thoughts 24/7.

I ran the breadmaker this morning, and the resulting loaf is somewhat dense, yet very tasty.  I sliced the bread and bagged it for use this week (or for freezing - and using another time).  I may run the machine again tomorrow.  Running it twice in one day seems excessive.

Although I do plan to work out at some point today, relaxation seems advisable at the moment.

Be well, fellow Introverts...

Indoor Cat: 2nd Full Day

Um, Excuse Me...

This is the second full day I've spent as an "Indoor Cat." I napped during lunch, which sufficiently confused my cats (see the picture above) when I had to get back up and go back to work in my little station in the dining room.

I made a lot of progress on a long-term project today.  I also have drafts of several reports/lists that are in review for final submission.  I do believe that I am more productive at home than I am able to be when I'm in my office on Campus.

I'm a little stir-crazy now, at the end of the day.  This is clearly due to skipping lunchtime Zumba.  I will work out later today.

Be well, fellow Introverts...

Day 1.25 of Being an "Indoor Cat"

Governor Cuomo ordered those in State service who can work at home to work at home starting today.  I actually received medical release to work from home at 2PM on Monday.

My goal (as difficult as it will be) is to stay completely indoors as much as possible during this time.  That means no visiting stores, no picking up food, no outdoor time of any kind.

I'm finding it challenging to work ten feet away from my kitchen.  I have been known to stress-eat, and it's taking a lot of willpower to avoid eating All The Things.

Work itself is relatively unchanged from when I was in the office in person.  I do a lot with data comparisons and reporting--most if not all of this is available online (some things I have to Virtual Private Network in to get access to, but otherwise...no change).

I have started to do Zumba during lunch.  I still have a bunch of Zumba DVDs from my brief stint as an instructor a few years ago.

It is excellent to be Type-A in this situation.  My reliance on routines has kept me a bit saner with all of the strangeness and unpredictability of the current situation.

Be well, fellow Introverts.

Vira, Viruses, or Viri?

I've been negatively affected by the hype surrounding the very real issues of the COVID-19 pandemic.  This is to say that I fully realize that me freaking out is not a big problem in the grand scheme of things.  I am relatively healthy (damn these colds, but otherwise I'm good), my family members are (by and large) in safe-ish places, and we were able to find a nice bit of antibacterial soap over the last few days.  As long as I wash hands and follow general hygiene guidelines, I should be okay.

The issue here (for me, anyway...) is that I have been OCD for a long long long time.  So...my hands are chapped/bleeding from all the hand washing, and I haven't had hands this chapped since I was nine years old (the vintage of my OCD diagnosis).  This bothers me for a number of reasons.  It's uncomfortable, I'm going through a ton of band-aids and moisturizers, and the compulsive hand-washing behavior dredges up some of the less-than-savory parts of my mental health history.

I'm freaked out, but if a little trip down bad-memory lane is the worst thing I endure as a part of this pandemic, I should count my blessings.  So many people can say that they had interesting issues as children.  It is not the end of the world for me to feel awkward.

Perspective, perspective, perspective...

Be well, fellow Introverts.