Adaptation to COVID world

That poor baby. Kids get what's going on, but sometimes it doesn't make it any easier.

Childless but helped parent my now grown nephew, who had to weather everyone's world getting very small after my father's health declined. I remember his frustration at our not having as much freedom to wander Nashville and Kentucky. Instead, I was juggling clinical hours with ICU visiting times. He muddled along with us, knowing that we'd get back to visiting digs, festivals, and ethnic stores and restaurants in the future.

Adults can and should, at least to a greater extent, suck it up. We need to be strong for ourselves and for the people we are helping to survive this.

 

My daughter is 16, but she has had some rough moments. She's keeping it together for the most part, but she's stressed and upset. There is just so much that should be going on for her right now that isn't. She wants to be back in school. She feels like she has about the same work, but less support from the teachers. She had been training hard for a track season that will never happen. The state shut down all road tests the day before she was supposed to take hers and get her license. The SAT was cancelled for April, May and June, so she won't get her first crack at it until August at the earliest. She can't see her friends. This is supposed to be her second summer working at the camp she attended since she was six, but we both have doubts that will happen. She can't see her boyfriend. Sure, they are practically living on Facetime with one another, but I get what she means. She told me if they could just be together for five minutes she would just want to hug him the entire time.

We had a long talk about it all yesterday. It sucks that I have no real answers for her, but I'm not going to lie. I truly don't think schools will re-open this school year. I'm not even sure we will be back in the buildings in the fall. It is a fine line between being honest and preparing her for what is coming and not scaring or upsetting her too much. We have had two neighbors die from this thing now. I mentioned the first one previously, one she knew. The second one we didn't know, but it's still right here.

All of that had me identifying with Guzzo even though my family situation is easier than his. We only have one child and, for the most part, she is self-sufficient. The bit with his son asking him why he never cries got me. I'm not a crier like he is, but I do remember my daughter pointing out not so long ago that she had never seen me cry. She has seen it since, when we held a small ceremony at my mother's grave in the fall. Damn, that seems like a long time ago.

 

The California governor and the L.A. mayor both are giving daily updates/pep talks. On Wednesday, the mayor said it "might" be 2021 before group gatherings will be allowed to resume. My high school 50-year reunion is pending in the middle of September, along with a couple of associated events that same weekend.

That night, I talked with the guy hosting a pre-party, and the chairwoman of the official reunion. I am on her committee and she has been working on this for four years. The guy is a calm, level-headed, businessman who knows how to roll with the punches. The girl could be a mental mess if things don't go her way. Fortunately, both are calm in the face of the possibility (uh, probability) of postponements. Both acknowledged that we have to do whatever the governor and/or mayor say. We are regulated by them because we are using facilities that are regulated by them.

Technically, the mayor represents the city of L.A., not the county. But he seems to be taking charge of the entire county, and even surrounding counties. I'm glad he is. My school is in L.A. county, not L.A. City. But, undoubtedly, his decisions will affect us, too. I completely agree.

 

Got 24 veggie burgers in a food delivery today. No idea why I ordered them.

 

Haaaaa. Some of them can be pretty decent. If not... Well, just buy some good mustard, or, the condiment of your choice. You can also spice them up with cheese, or a mix of onion and jalapeno on the top. (Fiancee has been trying to eat less meat, so over the past year, we've tried our hand at "making" all sorts of black bean or chickpea burgers. Most aren't bad, and pretty much all of them rely on onion being mixed into the "meat.")

 

Helluva thread.

 

San Diego Comic Con has been cancelled.

 

I seriously hope this isn't the new normal:
I'm actually doing work anywhere from 6:30 a.m to 10 p.m. Days of the week don't matter. Monday and Tuesday are no different than Friday and Saturday.
The lack of structure might be the thing I can't handle most.

 

My sleep patterns are all over the place.
I mentioned in a different thread that when I go to sleep at my regular time and stretch my normal 7 hours to 8, that's awesome.
I have recently caught myself randomly going to bed hours early and waking up/starting my day in the middle of the night.

 

Can you set boundaries for yourself, for your co-workers? I'm not sure what industry you're in, but - For us, our boss has told us that we're to close our email at 5 p.m., or, whenever we clock out for the day. Yeah, it's probably only a tab on your computer, but it's still WORK, and even just having it there can be anxiety-producing.

 

I am a high school teacher. I have seniors.
It's strange. Can I set boundaries? Yes and no.
If I get an email or something from an adult after typical work hours, it can wait.
If I get something from one of my kids, because in many cases, I'm the best parent they have, no, I'm not going to let it wait.

 

I get that, but keeping a steady schedule is still important or you won't be able to help them as well as you should. I've worked from home before and the part I truly screwed up was allowing my sleep schedule to get screwed up. Get up at a set time and go to bed at a set time. If that means going to bed at 11 p.m. and getting up at 6 or 7 a.m., that's still plenty of sleep. Consistency is almost as important as how much sleep you get.

I certainly can't claim I've been perfect about this, but I'm trying and it is helping.