Powerless: a diary of the blackout in Oregon

Friday

The freezing rain started thursday night and continued into friday evening

I took some macro pictures and scraped the layer of ice off of my car so I could make a quick run to the pharmacy

We lost power at 530pm on Friday night, just as dinner was being prepared

We ate cold left overs instead

The power company fixed some of the power and said our apartment would be fixed the next day

We read books and tried to play guitar by candlelight 

Saturday

A heavy ice storm hit saturday morning damaging many trees, power lines, buildings, cars, and more

The world looked like an ice sculpture

I resisted the urge to take photos and helped to clear branches and a tree from the road instead

Glad we always have at least one hand saw around

We collected ice that fell from the trees and bagged it to keep the fridge and freezer cold

We also drove a short loop to see damage and charge phones

Dinner was cold leftovers again

Vegetarian sloppy joes are pretty good cold

We read books and I played solitaire by candlelight and flashlight

Outside the air was thick with haze and smoke as people with woodstoves burned wet wood

Sunday

The next day tens of thousands of people lost power, even more than saturday, as the ice melted and more trees fell

We heard transformers blow like several gunshots

It was valentine's day

We got snacks at the store, and a bottle of champagne 

On the drive we saw the power company making their way down the neighborhood, block by block

Much progress was made, several street lights came online, less four way stops to worry about

We went on a walk to stay warm

The apartment temp was as cold as outside by now and we were wearing several layers of clothing

A family member with power ordered us pizza and we were extremely grateful for the hot food and good pizza

If they need help with damage repairs I hope they know we are there for them

We listened to music and drank champagne while playing rummikub

Monday

Monday morning got warmer, which was good for morale and health but bad for our food

The food started to go bad in the fridge, the freezer still had some good items and we started to eat them

My parents very kindly let us take showers at their place and lent us a cook stove

We were so grateful, hopfully we can help them with their roof damage if they need it 

We shopped for a lantern or some sort of light, more food and searched for wifi, then grabbed burgers as it was getting dark

We heard power might be out for the whole week

I am grateful for water and candles as well as gas in the car and family

I hope my sister is doing okay as I just heard she lost power and water a couple days after we did

Maybe the power will be on tomorrow

Tuesday

The day was a blur

We hoped for power, but after we heard that our powerline was restored the power company marked our complex as having power

It did not have power and so a neighbor called management who thought it was only our building and we called the power company who said it was the entire complex

This prompted my parents to call the power company and they found that they were marked as having power restored when in fact the whole street was without power

We read books most of the day

Then we cooked chili by camp stove on the balcony

The temperature got colder again tonight, I could feel it

I fell asleep reading my book by lantern light

Wednesday

This morning I woke a few times to trucks and chainsaws

The tree service and landscapers came back to do more work

Brian thought he heard someone talking about power outside, asking when it will be on and they said they can't really say but could get to it today after fixing a downed powerline nearby

We went for another walk

I noticed that one of the apartments has a daily letter board with short odd messages throughout the blackout, I don't always understand them but they amuse me

I found out my sister had her power turned on earlier today and my parents power came on tonight

We went to my parents house to get warm, heat up food, go online and watch movies

Their cable is spotty but the internet works so I caught up on the week's news and emails and the warmth felt good

Hopefully the power will be on tomorrow, and hopefully management can help

We called them to tell them about the loud crack we heard when the power went out which might have been one of the power boxes on property and how long the outage has been

The street sweepers were sweeping up the road gravel at 10pm, a clean road is one step closer to normal I suppose

Thursday

And Ode To The Trees After A Storm

Stumpy winter tree , grown straight and tall as an overgrown coat hanger

Windswept trees reaching for the eastern sky catching precarious branches within their grasp

Trees laying down where once they stood

Fragile trees blown apart under duress

Cut up circles of trees 

Sawn off branches in neat piles

Tall proud mountain trees unafraid of the weather

Come spring buds will blossom, leaves will grow, but the memory of ice will remain

Cold today again and rainy, snow-like rain that hits the car windshield like a melted flake, but no snow thank goodness 

Called the management for an update, nothing new

Went for a charging drive and got warm too

Called power company to see if they had all the info about what happened just in case later on and they said nothing much new, just that we were in a hard hit area and there had been 400 calls from our complex, which makes sense

We are still the only large place without power in our immediate area as far as we can tell, with the exception of a house here and there

Got more chili and snacks at the store

We read, ate dinner, and waited for a package that never came

I was chilled during the night, probably need to move around more

Friday

Slept late, still no package which is our weekly food delivery

The bread, peanut butter, dried fruit and seeds are great to have for breakfast, sometimes I have avocado instead, but I'm out of them now

I stretched really good and got the blood flowing again, no more chill

I wonder how people stretch on a snowy mountain climb if they get chilled, in all that gear and in tiny tents? 

I'm really starting to feel it today on day 7

I miss warmth and hot water

Glad I live in a temperate climate though

I think the temperature has stayed between 34 and 50, mostly in the low 40s.

We hiked the croisan scenic trail as far as we could and there were less downed trees than I imagined, except a patch of beautiful old maples or oaks which are now gone

We passed a two person crew who cleared much of the fallen limbs

Found a nearby neighborhood with no electricity, so we aren't the only ones without power back in this area

It is a neighborhood known for its tall trees and many of the oaks came down or lost limbs

Came home and read

Went to parents again to heat up soup, take showers, and do a little laundry

We got to watch some tv, which was nice

Apartment parkinglot was half empty last, so people are finding other places to sleep

Saturday

Another day

Temperature rose to about 48

Was able to get public wifi on a street corner nearby

Got our food delivery, which included as much nonpareshables as they had available

Read most of the day until there was a flash of light from the light bulbs for a second in the bedroom where we were reading by windowlight

It was 5pm, hopefully this is a good sign

For dinner we got fancy and combined chili and italian soup

As dinner was cooking outside, the electricity came back on for good

I was way too excited, but it had been 8 days with no electricity or heat, except for the car and the couple visits to family

I feel for others who are in a poorer situation, I am very aware this could have been much much worse

As of this post, there are still ~27,500 homes without power in Oregon

New Times, New Habits

It's been 147 days since Covid-19 lockdown began for me; 2 more months and that's half a year. I started thinking about how my life has changed and what new habits I started because of the new normal. Not all of my new habits are a direct result of the pandemic, but I made changes for better or worse to adapt to a new way of life. Most of us have a few new habits that are obvious. We wash our hands when we come home, after unpacking groceries, and after touching any new or foriegn surface. We wear masks like we wear pants; they are necessary for decency and hygeine. These odd or tactful habits are fitting to new situations. 

I formed new habits without the consultation of the WHO or CDC, and sometimes I wonder what led me to that particular habit. For instance, I use paper towels now. I dislike paper towels for various environmental reasons, but now I am an avid user of the product. One reason is that I do not have a clothes washer or drier, I have access to a comunal laundromat. So, this disposable product found its way back into my life. The other reason for the paper towels leads me to another new habit: I clean with bleach now. I have not used straight bleach to clean since college. I recently used a combination of vinegar, lysol and clorox wipes. The latter of those products are like diamonds, very rare and expensive. (And, yes Clorox wipes are disposable, but less waste than buying multiple products.)

Other habits that intrigue me are my new clothing habits. Aside from mask wearing, I now wear more head coverings when I go outside. I used to wear baseball caps, but now I wear them more often. I also wear bandanas on my head. I tuck my shirts in too. I used to hate tucking in my shirt, having grown up in the pop-punk era of skate boards and surf wear. But, now I feel all clean and put together when I tuck my shirt in, don a cap, and mask.

I love my hobbies more. I have always had numerous hobbies since I first banged away on my parents piano, picked up my pink 110 camera, drew rainbows and sunsets in watercolor, and rode my bike around the neighborhood. But recently, hobbies seem like important sanity savers. The world is burning and corporations and tyrants are playing chess with our lives; we deserve a little sanity to get us through. And so, I make an effort to draw, write, photograph, and garden every week.

Speaking of sanity, my most helpful new habit is listening to calming music. It helps me think, breathe easier, and be calmer. These times make me want to be an angry punk. Relaxtion is necessary so I can get angry when I want, and not stay angry. 

Last of all, I get grocery deliveries. I never thought I would do a food delivery service, but here we are. I kind of love it. I get fresh veggies, some new foods to try, and I feel healthier. I hate shopping, so this was a great change.

Change can be good, if we are able to adapt with ease and flexibility.

Day 109, June 29, 2020

Day 109

I sit here listening to the large construction project next door. The earth movers are back. I think the siding is up on most of the buildings. Maybe this is a sign that they are getting close to the end.

The covid numbers keep going up in my state and all over the country. There is a solution, but a large group of people are ignorantly fighting the solution. 

"I'm being anti-racist." "I want to apologize for my past." "They should be fired." "It is a diversion!" The BLM movement online is filled with arguements and statements that many cannot agree on. I think it is a process. A messy process, because it is an explosive movement, just like me too/time's up. 

Anyway, wasn't it Black voices we white people should be lifting up? And here we are fighting amongst ourselves.

I am deciding to be less vocal. I try to speak what I believe is reasonable and I usually am ignored and at worst called names. Not to say there is not some support and agreement, however... It is better to speak with actions and, to listen.

So, I am taking a twitter break. More time for processing news, listening, reading, exercise, volunteering and other things.

Getting through

Personally, I was pretty prepared, on many levels for life during a pandemic. Of course there were a few adjustments such as cleaning, pandemic hygiene, and being creative with food. But, I know a few things that have helped greatly such as how to stay fit, how to stay mentally occupied, how to destress, any a few other things that have help.

For excersise, I found that squats and calf raises (near) daily are extremely important when stuck inside. They engage your feet, legs, buttocks and core if I do them correctly. They are excellent exercises to do even in a top floor apartment. I feel much better when I do them regularly.

Also, stretch! I keep thinking back to all the stretches I learned in elementary school. I mean yoga is great and all. But, those generic stretches work wonders from sitting all day.

I also walk, but not as often as I would like. Neighborhood walks are good for mental and physical health. I walk when I feel stressed or tense and it helps me feel better.

For activities, I want to play video games or watch tv when I am bored. They are easy and don't cause me pain to do. But, I feel better if I make a to-do list of things I need to do and projects I want to do eventually. That way I can slowly work through the list inbetween mindless activities.

Also, reading and writing. These activities do not hurt, unless one has a migraine. Reading and writing engage the brain and make me feel productive. As do other hobbies like photography, drawing, painting, building mechanical objects or repairing old items. Accomplishing something makes me feel like I did something productive and so even working on a project feels good.

Stress is still an issue. I mean, have y'all seen the news lately? I have listened to so much calming music lately. Instrumental music that is usually in a major key and as slow as 70 bmp is perfect. If you do not like the calming music on youtube, try Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, or Handel.

Lastly, get outside or look outside everyday. This is important. There are birds and trees and flowers. The seasons are slowly changing. Nature is beautiful. And, I need my vitamin D. Eating healthy and getting the right vitamins are helpful for a good immune system.

Expertise

I often feel like I should be doing more with my life. I want to do more. Depression sets in if I overthink needing to do more activities or being more involved in life.

I started feeling unwell when I was in college. It may have even been before that, but I really noticed it at that time. I was getting headaches and stomach aches. I was not sleeping well. Anxiety, a doctor said. Sure, fine... They put me on a happy pill which helped the symptoms a little, but not really. I tried everything, from books to yoga to deep breathing to meditation. I believed the doctors. I also knew that I was stressed from a bad relationship and being away from home.

Eventually I got away from the bad relationship. I did not feel as anxious. And, because of the relationship I did not get my teaching degree, only a BA. I gained experience in retail and data entry and eventually IT and databases.

As time wore on my other symtoms grew worse. I still had trouble sleeping and eating. I had headaches. I was told it was still anxiety or grief. This was starting to not sit well with me, but doctors were not listening. They would try an allergy med for my sinuses and that was it.

Evetually, after about 6 or 7 doctors, I started not trusting them. They were not listening and I was getting more relief doing exercises I found online. Chiropracty was helping at least. It was taking me years to diagnose myself, but I was learning that it was not just anxiety... It was TMJ and migraines and bruxism (yay for the dentist). But, I could not afford a specialist...

Now, 15 years later, I have all of this knowledge about my health but not much work expertise, no family of my own. And most of all, no formal diagnosis, except the dentist, because I am broke. I had to quit my job in the middle of all of that because my health had gotten to a point where I could not eat very well, had jaw pain and had a hard time concentrating. I used my savings on those 6 or 7 doctors and my move back to my home state.

Now, I want to be able and be involved in life. I wish I could have a family. I wish I could have a job again. But, l make due. I do my best. That is my expertise: doing my best. I would rather something in science or history... But such is life. 

I have learned many technical things on the job before, held several jobs in fact, for a while. I even managed an IT department. Not to mention my volunteer work, writing, and photography. I shouldn't sell myself short. But, as of now I feel helpless because of my body.

I will keep trying to take care of myself and be a good person. I hope I can be more than that, eventually. I miss my life.

Daily Log: An Update

Here we are, day 52. I honestly can't believe I have kept this log going for this long. I did this as an experiment to see how society, and I, changed over time during this pandemic.

 I am currently taking a break from posting, however I am still writing my log. I find it interesting. I am curious to see the difference between me posting and not posting what I have written. I will keep going with this experiment, either online or offline. I will know soon.

I hope everyone is safe and healthy.

Edit: I have decided to quit the online daily log for now. I am going to pick a day and do weekly reports instead, in a more formatted way. Less of a daily log and more like an essay on life. I will be removing some of my less interesting daily logs, in favor of a "best of" list.

Thank you for reading along as we all figure this global pandemic out together.

Day 46: April 27th, 2020

Day 46

Today is a rest day. I still have a bad migraine. I am listening to music and resting most of the day. The things I need to do are nagging at me, but I know I will get them done. I should not stress over them.

I stretched quite a bit today. It feels good to get a good stretch. I made sure to stretch my arms and shoulders against a wall because I have not been moving them as much as normal.

I feel like the rest and attention to what I needed such as the stretching, really helped me today. 

Day 44: April 25th, 2020

Day 44

Tense this morning and so I listened to calming music.

I am kind of excited to work on my project and it almost over shadows my fears this morning, though I am back to being scared of getting sick. I watched videos last night of people with a rare disease where they rapidly age. It gave me some perspective. I am alive and I need to be thankful for that.

I worked on my rain mobile most of today, after doing chores. I have it hanging outside on the balcony. I like how it turned out, very rainy.

When I took the trash out, the bag broke and I had to go back up to my apartment to get a second bag. I cleaned up what spilled and doubled bagged it. Then I washed up, because... Yeah.

I watched some tv the rest of the night. I watched After Life. I won't get into details but it was not great yet I still watched most of it because some of the actors were funny.

I think both my boyfriend and I have stress hangovers. We both feel exhausted today. I have a headache. 

Listened to calming music again to get to sleep.

Day 43: April 24th, 2020

Day 43

Woke stressed about the car. I do not think I have had to file a claim before. I've been lucky and I didn't need to drive much for a few years.

It is weird filing a claim right now. My insurance had no one manning the phones. The website was not as helpful as I had hoped, but I was able to figure out what to do with  help. 

I will take my car in at some point, I guess. This is just another thing to add to my growing list. 

I still have a migraine today. I feel like crying, but I won't. 

Challenged my boyfriend to make something out of an item out of the recycle bin. He is making a chandelier out of beer bottles and I am making a rain mobile from a plastic jug. We are using the craft supplies that we already have.

I feel a bit better after painting. Today was not a great day mentally, for reasons won't get into the details of. But, I had a ptsd episode.

The rest of the night was spent crafting or watching youtube silliness.

I definitely needed calming music tonight.

Day 41: April 22, 2020

Day 41

I woke late and feel a bit droswy. I still have a headache but at least I feel less anxious. I think yesterday helped.

It is raining today. My balcony plants are loving the weather.

My boyfriend took some time to go to the store. We ran out of some of the staples. We signed up to try a veggie delivery service, but it won't start until May. I wish we could join a CSA, but our local one is full.

He found every thing we needed at the store except soy milk and hemp milk and cleaning products. I understand the cleaning products as the stores have been out for 40 days, but I do not understand the soy milk or other nondairy milks being gone. How many vegetarians are there in my area? Will have to go to the other store again for milk on another day.

Oh, the cleansing ritual... First he carries the groceries into the kitchen. Then, I put on a long sleeved shirt for protection. We carefully put the groceries away. I wipe down everything we or the groceries touched and a couple things that get left out like a chip bag or cat litter containers. We put all the bags in recycling. Then we wash our hands and his mask and I remove my protective clothing. He takes a shower. Every household seems to have their own routine based on house size and amount of cleaning products.

Doing a little sluething. I saw a big structure in the parking lot next door and wondered what it was. I looked up the writing on the side and it is a portable or rather, a modular office / storage building. Curious what it is for but it seems odd to yell across the fence.

Watched Tangled. The music was pretty good. Some of it sounded like Aladdin, but there were parts of the orchestral score I really loved. The animation was odd, but still cute.

Also watched Some More News and The Daily Show.

I find it ironic that I watched The Death Of Stalin yesterday and now it turns out that Kim Jung Un is very ill. Weird how things line up sometimes.

I got some elastic bands and want to sew masks again. I also forgot that I have t-shirt yarn I could use for ties.

Egg noodle lentil bolognese was very good for dinner. I remembered that we still had last year's garden tomatoes frozen and needed to use them up.

I listened to relaxing music at night.

Day 39: April 20, 2020

Day 39

Woke up and went back to researching mattresses.

I keep noticing that they have sales often and so the prices jump around. Though I am getting better at determining the quality of foam mattresses by eye, I do not know how to be fully sure of what I am getting. May look into videos later.

Noticed a mattress company or two are making cloth masks for the public. One was selling them at cost.

Whelp, we did it folks. Oil is worthless. It tanked down to .10 a barrel and then into the negatives.

Looked at the projects I want to do because I started to get overwhelmed. I need to research mattresses, I want to sew some handkerchiefs and cleaning cloths, and I want to plan and plant the garden soon. 

Swept my building's stairs because no one is coming around to do it. I honestly do not mind doing it because sometimes the building uses a leaf blower which does not work well.

I did some cleaning and chores.

Watched a movie, The Death Of Stalin. It was pretty good. It had Michael Palin and Steve Buscemi in it.

I was feeling relaxed enough to read the news tonight. Then I read that we are running out of C02 for processing a number of food and beverages and possibly water. I really hope they figure it out soon. Sounds like our VP was warned April 7th. Normally, I would not be worried, but I feel like this administration cannot take care of important necsesities.

Day 38: April 19th, 2020

Day 38

Lazy Sunday.

Stretched quite a bit this morning. My back feels like it might go out each morning because of the mattress lately. This has been going on for a while, but has recently gotten unbearable. Glad to have the new couch. The floor is starting to look good too.

I have been able to eat a little more the past few days and today is the first morning I did not lose weight. I was starting to wonder what was going on because I was losing weight quickly. I think it is a combination of higher stress and being more active.

The cat was very cuddley today. She kept wanting to be brushed and picked up. Now I remember that she jumped on the bed this morning and sat with me. She has not done that in a long time.

Cleaned at little, and then played some No Man's Sky.

Ate tikka masala for dinner. 

I researched and made a spreadsheet of possible mattresses we could buy. There are many possibilities. I want to be sure because we cannot try it first.

I stayed up a bit and watched some youtubube. Jonh Krazinsky's Some Good News was adorable.

Day 36: April 17th, 2020

Day 36

Woke early. Listened to calming music and got some much needed advice on the gov site I was having trouble with.

Listened to some new music from Fionna Apple that she put out just for the quarantine. She has not released new music in 10 years. Greenday released some punk covers of '80s songs because their tour was cancelled. I also listened to another Colin Meloy live stream. I've listened to many of his, Ben Gibbard's, and Ben Folds' live streams lately.

Waited for my boyfriend to get off work early and then we went on a walk at a wildlife refuge nearby. On the way there I noticed the small stretch of highway we take was littered with trash. If only we had the right tools to pick up trash. That would be good exercise!

The trail had only one car parked, so we did not need to avoid other walkers like we do on neighborhood walks. I got to take a few photos, use my camera.

On the drive back I noticed several people riding bikes today. 

Processed photos for most of the night and then watched Unorthodox.

Day 34: April 15th, 2020

Day 34

Listened to calming music again. This really helps when I wake up anxious. Also watched some youtube videos. 

After a few sunny days we are back to cloudy. I hope it rains.

I stretched on the balcony.

Bought some stamps, because they looked cool and the postal service needs the money.

I read the news because there were some things I felt I needed to pay attention to. Seems like mask wearing out in public will be the new normal for a couple years, possibly. 

The news, it stressed me out. People are protesting staying inside in some states but they protest in their cars. The president only cares about money, and only money. Average people pick up the pieces and try their best. Some companies are helping to provide PPE.

I watched a movie about Agatha Christie. Agatha Christie, golf course designer. 🙂

Cleaned the kitchen counters, did dishes...emptied and filled dish washer.

Walked outside to retrieve something that fell off my balcony. Picked it up with a baggy on my hand, just in case. I'm becoming germaphobe.

My boyfriend called his sister and talked to her for a while.

Some person is blasting the Star Spangled Banner from the grocery parking lot near my apartment. It was on loop for about 10 minutes. It gets loud, then quiet. I think they are driving. It changed to Proud To Be An American for a finale.

Chili for dinner again. Yum!

Played games on the computer. My boyfriend realized you can walk around a generated populated "world" in GTA 5. And, you can take photos and wander around to the ocean and places similar to the Santa Monica Pier.

I watched youtube and ate a snack that I invented. It was an apple dip? I made it using ground flax, peanut butter, molasses, cinnamon, raisins and a little salt. I mixed it up and dipped apples in it. Yum!

It's the joy in the little things that will get us through this pandemic.

Day 31: April 12th, 2020

Day 31

I need to find a way to calm down. I woke up very anxious today. I felt sick from anxiety.

My boyfriend went to the store this morning. There were a few things still that we needed, so I went to another store. I waited in line to get in, shopped masked as per the new normal, and got my three items. I kept dropping stuff on the floor. I hate anxiety.

I did the ritual cleaning when I got home. Since I was having a difficult time today, I decided to go on a walk around the neighborhood.

I took photos of some of the flowers at businesses and a yard. There were chalk Easter bunnies and Easter eggs drawn on several blocks. It was pretty adorable. The other walkers were much easier to walk around today. I think we are all getting a bit more aware of our situation. 

Did see a man in a worn plaid dress shirt and khakis digging through a dumpster behind the frozen yogurt place by my apartment. Never have seen that happen before.

I listened to some music and watched sketch comedy. I feel a bit better now.

Made some chocolate mug cakes. They were cute, but I'm not sure they settled well. Do not recommend.

Had a lot of fun laughing about random things tonight. Needed that.

Day 27: April 8th, 2020

Day 27

Woke up, took recycling out to the dumpster with my handkerchief on my face. Then I walked around the parking lot in the sunshine. Still amazed at the lack of masks and face coverings on other people. Saw some people doing laundry.

I took photos of my trees growing on my balcony because I realized I nearly have a forest going out there. Birds drop seeds in my planters and I let the trees grow. 

Looking at the news today. Bernie suspended his campaign. Probably for the best. I just hope that Biden can try to learn from the Bernie and Warren supporters about what we want to help turn this country around. Most important, still, is just supporting the democratic candidate so we can have a chance. I want a president that supports and protects, or at least tries to support and protect, the whole country not just private interests.

One thing I noticed yesterday, but forgot to write, was that I forget more often to do my daily stretches. Even while my boyfriend works from home, each day feels odd. Not quite a weekend but not a normal weekday either. I have tmj stretches on my to-do list, and even still, I wonder why I hurt if I have not done a stretch in a couple of days. Ugh.

Trying to sew again today and having another fight with my machine. Is it me? Is it my lack of machine oil. I think it is mostly the lack of oil, but it is also a little bit me. I do not sew very often. I just wish I had someway to help other than sitting on my ass.

I want to help, but I feel helpless. I am frustrated.

Worked on trying to get my old laptop up and running. It won't connect to the internet. I finally got it to work. Who knew that following instructions could be helpful. Huh. A newer operating system would be nice. I think I have the Mac equivalance of Windows 7 or possibly Vista.

Ate tofu and bean tacos for dinner while watching youtube latenight and BA videos.

Day 25: April 6th, 2020

Day 25

I woke very early this morning and did not feel so great. I played games on my phone until I fell back asleep.

Finally, I woke up later and did chores and such. I checked social media.

Learned that Oregon is a big donator of ventilators to New York. ❤️

After finding my binoculars in my gardening bin, I started doing nature observations for a volunteer program. This is something I wanted to do, but things were always getting in the way.

I played some videos games for an hour or so, this time I played Monster High. 

Next, I started working on more cloth masks. I am trying a new pattern, one I can donate if there is still a need.

I was fighting with the sewing machine most of the night. I got one mask finished and another cut out. The new masks are thinner, but they fit better.

I watched the rest of Kim's Convenience and Man Like Mobeen along with latenight shows.

Day 23: April 4th, 2020

Day 23

Talked to my Mom this morning. Everything is going well.

I did chores and ate.

Played Terraria for a while. Games are a good distraction when I am feeling less stressed. 

I washed some material for sewing more masks.

I ate what we are calling spaghetti lasagna. It probably has a real name, but it is a delicious pile of baked spaghetti with (a so-called Mexican blend of) cheese on top because there was no veg. parmesan at the store. It was delicious!

I've been reading a lot about mask construction and mask safety pertaining to cloth masks. It is pretty interesting. I guess materials are important, but equally as important is proper mask use. Good materials to use are thick tightly woven cotton materials. Three layers of quilting fabric or thick t-shirt material is good, or double layered cotton upholstery material is great too. Then, not touching the front of the mask, where air is sucked through is the main point of proper usage. This area is where most droplets would be. Taking the mask off, and putting it on via straps is the best hygienic practice.

I am glad that I have not had to wear my mask anywhere except on a neighborhood walk. I did wear my bandana inside of a store, but I was careful not to touch the front of the bandana after I wore it. I only recently read / watched about how to wear a mask.

So, tonight I tried installing a game that was on sale, but it was installing slowly. My computer needed some tlc. It took all night to clean things up. Working on my computer or coding something always turns into a time sink. A good quarantine activity, I suppose.

I was being extra nerdy tonight and looked at Magic cards during my install waiting time.

Day 22: April 3rd, 2020

Day 22

Woke up with no cat bothering me. I brushed her for a half hour last night. That seemed to help her feel better. She had a knot in her tail that needed brushed out.

Went for a neighborhood walk. I tried out my mask. I wish more people were wearing masks. I have only seen one person at my complex wearing one. A dust mask is better than no mask.

Saw multiple people at the bus stop. I wonder if they know there is no bus or if it was for a special transport.

I wish people would be more careful when driving. Pedestrians are needing to be extra cautious and go out of their way to avoid each other. It would be nice if cars would not try to run us over while doing so. 

My mask worked well. The tissue under the nose trick only worked ok.

Very happy to go for a walk. I have been very tense and it has been hard to eat and sleep as a result. I never realized how often I do go on hikes and walks until I was forced to adapt to pandemic life.

Sewed another mask tonight. 

I trimmed my hair. I usually cut my own hair, so this is no different from usual. 

Afterwards, I played Terraria.

We ate veggie burgers for dinner, with whole wheat buns this time! 

I played games on my phone until I slept.

Day 21: April 2nd, 2020

Day 21

Cat woke me up. This has been her go to move the last few weeks. She doesn't do this when my boyfriend physically goes to work, just when he has been working from home.

My boyfriend took half of the day off to go shopping. He found most everything at Roth's. Had to go to Lifesource and Walgreens too. We were limited to 4 rolls of toilet paper per family. Thankful for my parents giving us a few rolls too, yesterday.

I was able to buy 4 rolls of tp for a friend who is in need because the store forgot to put up signage. That was very nice of the workers and I thank the store very much. My friend has a sick husband and needs a bit of aid.

I only physically went into one store, but I had my bandana on like a cowboy.

Got home, showered, washed my hands probably twenty times already today.

More packages arrived. Today's package was deoderant. Fun.

My cat is pretty ill today. Very barfy. We are not exactly sure what the culprit is this time, but it could be many things. I had to go and make the cat's day worse by using the sewing machine to try to make a mask.

The mask looks and works well. It is a three-layer  "fu mask".  I used scraps and decided to try three layers because I did not like the quality of my fabric. I used cotton for one layer and cotton fleece for the other two layers. 

Watched tv the rest of the night. Lots of latenight to catch up on.