So today was my birthday
It was kind of a lame birthday, on account of the pandemic, which pretty much ruins everything, but really not much can be done about that for now. Cases are going back up and I'm concerned this will affect my ability to continue training - not to mention make things riskier for my family and our work and school situations. About a third of the country seems to think the whole thing is blown out of proportion - my parents included - and we didn't see them this weekend because they attended a maskless political event last week and didn't seem to understand why this was a poor idea or why we need to wait and be sure they are safe before we come over for a meal. And we wonder why the pandemic is still out of control, especially in our country.
I'll be glad when this election, and the 4-year nightmare that preceded it - is over.
In the meantime, I'm still training 5 days / week with my Quarantine Buddy, still working at my office, but with cases starting to go up and expected to be worse once the weather changes, I'm appreciating these things while I have them. We may be facing another shutdown this winter. I've grown accustomed to the social isolation - most days, it's just me and Savageman and the Youngest and maybe one of his pals at our house. Time with friends outside our bubble is rare, although last weekend I met up outdoors for a few hours with my Girl Pal, and the Guru visited again a few weeks ago. Ironically, I've spent more time with him than with any of my other friends, and he lives in the next state. He introduced me to Statistical Mechanics this visit, and I got a book on the topic. but I'm too distracted with the election to focus on it yet. If things close up again, it will give me a challenging distraction, if nothing else.
Savageman and I have been taking the dog for a 2 mile walk every day when he gets home from work, but I'm not sure how long that will last once the weather gets colder and the clocks get turned back. The dog seems to prefer the cold, but not the dark, as he is still skittish when another dog approaches, and this seems worse when visibility is low. The walk is a good routine, though, and a nice opportunity for us to chat about work, speculate about the election, and vent about our frustrations without the distractions of the TV or internet.
The boys are all still doing the same stuff they were doing and my parents - hopefully - are still okay.
Not the most spectacular birthday, but I was glad to have one. Over 225,000 people in our country and almost 9,000 people in our state aren't going to have another because of this pandemic so far and the abysmal way it's been handled. Trying to stay focused on gratitude, even amid the growing frustrations and uncertainty.
