Adaptation to COVID world

Boris doing better.

Thank God.

The poster boy for don’t fuck with this had been found.

 

I thought it best not to get too clinical.

 

The first day working from home, I actually put on a tie, mostly because I thought some people might find it funny. That whole week, I wore pants and a button down as I was working. Now I've got a decent shirt on, but I'm wearing shorts. Aside from a trip to the grocery store Saturday, I haven't even worn pants in about two weeks.

 

Yeah, I mean, I'm not wearing my pajamas or anything while working. But I'm generally dressing the way I would dress on the weekends, jeans or shorts and a t-shirt, maybe a hoodie if it's chilly. I haven't worn a button down or anything with a collar in weeks.

 

Completed that for ya.

 

This whole thing has certainly cut down on ironing.
We did a faculty meeting the first week. Everyone was commenting how how folks were dressed.
I said, "I think it's funny y'all assume I'm wearing pants."

 

About a month ago, I was looking at getting some new khakis, because my current ones are getting a bit threadbare. Yesterday, I ordered a couple more pairs of soccer shorts to wear around the house (and below Zoom camera angle).

 

You may wish to tweak your backgrounds as well.

Caribbean Zoom Virtual Backgrounds Make Boring Meetings Better

 

Yesterday, a friend emailed asking if I was going to get outside, take the dog to the park across the street. I answered that I wasn't sure, it was raining off and on. If I go, I would have to put on shoes and find a jacket.

Today, I am feeling excited because I will get out of the house. I have a doctor appointment (orthopedic, not internal). I called to see if they were seeing patients. They said if I have no virus symptoms and I haven't been the China in the past week, I could come in. Happy about that, but the last time I drove anywhere was last week and I felt weird being in the car wearing gloves and a mask.

 

The autographed Jimmy Buffett poster over my shoulder isn't enough!?!

 

I think everyone is compartmentalizing this stuff to some extent. You almost have to, or else you really will become overwhelmed, or lose all perspective.

There's no doubt this has been a stressor for people, and everyone, by now, is getting at least a little tired of it, even if they have, probably secretly, welcomed being off work, or doing less work, or getting away from people, etc. for at least a little while. People can't live with constant, real stress (not the kind of that is manufactured or imagined), all the time, and one response is to compartmentalize it.

I know I've taken the tack of, to be honest, intentionally ignoring some of it. Not to the point of acting dangerously -- I'm trying to do my part by wearing a mask and gloves at work, and trying to keep my distance from people (haven't properly greeted even family members in over a month), etc. But I also just don't listen to TV reports on it all day; I don't talk about it all day, etc. In other words, I'm doing my best not to zoom in on it too much, or worry about every door I touch, or every time I don't have a Lysol wipe in my hand, or every breath I take, or whether I'm going to be the one responsible for infecting my 88-year-old mom who has COPD and heart issues.

If I didn't try to do all this this some extent, I really would go crazy with paranoia, or become overwhelmed/emotional to the point of breakdown.