Category Archives: Thoughts on the Pandemic

I have a lot of feelings while I’m sitting in my apartment alone.

I Missed the Movies

Posted in Movies, Pop Culture, Self Reflection, Thoughts on the Pandemic by

Going to the movies used to be my favorite activity. It is perfect for dates, friends hangs, alone. It’s always a good day for a cold dark room and an enormous screen.

Need something to do on a weekend? Movie.

Had a bad day at work? Movie.

Wanna enjoy snacks in a dark room? Movie.

Some of my fondest memories are going to see movies.

My first outing as a pre-teen was to the movies.

In college, I all went to marvel at the first Black Disney princes.

My step-dad took our whole family to see every MCU movie opening weekend.

I saw ATL in South Carolina with my aunt while I was visiting her during my spring break in high school. We are huge fans of T.I. and I wanted to be New New aka Erin (Lauren London) during that pool scene. That’s a different conversation for a different day.

One summer, I went to a matinee every Sunday. I saw Columbiana, Friends with Benefits (2xs), Horrible Bosses, Madagascar 3, and Crazy Stupid Love.

The movies was a near perfect temporary escape. Not as good as a book, mind you, but a great second because you can more easily share a movie experience with loved ones. Then The Thing happened and gathering in cold, dark, rooms with strangers become verboten. I so deeply missed the opportunity to submerge myself in a totally different world for two hours and to experience it with my humans.

A Black woman in a yellow dress and black cardigan stands in front of an advertisement for the film, "The Little Mermaid". It features Halle Bailey as the title character and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.
I enjoyed “The Little Mermaid”. I thought Halle Bailey was perfect. The new songs were fine.

I went to see The Little Mermaid with my Best Friend and her daughter. We enjoyed it and it reminded me how much I missed the splendor of the movies during the pandemic. It was so cool to go through the whole routine of popcorn, Icees, and previews. There were so many tiny humans dressed up like the characters from the movie. It reminded me of myself when the Harry Potter movies were coming out. We still kept our distance and the theatre was not crowded at all the way I remembered from the before times, but it was nice. I missed it a lot.

Thoughts on the Global Pandemic: Routines

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I have been working from home for eight months now. I’ve developed some routines to help me as I adjust to my new normal. Ugh, I can’t believe I just typed that phrase. Oh well, here we go:

LIGHT
My apartment is so dark! Since daylight savings time has ended and the sun goes down at 5:00 p.m. I have noticed that I need a lot more light in my office. I ordered some new lamps.

MOVEMENT
This is something I probably should have been doing anyway, but now I’m at home and have no reason to feel self-conscious. I try to take a stretch break every two hours. This is also a good time to take a bathroom break or refill my water bottle. Take a moment to check in with my body.

COFFEE
This may need to be its own post. Yes, it does. But for now, I will say that I consider making – not just drinking – coffee part of my self-care routine. Cameron’s Winter Blend is my current favorite. The only possible way to have a good day is to start with coffee.

COOKING
I have so much energy because I don’t spend almost three hours a day commuting. (See previous post.) I plan meals and I cook meals. I can experiment with recipes and flavors. My body loves the act. It helps me decompress and serves as a transition from work to not work. It’s like I get to make little gifts for myself.

Now, I have time to squeeze fresh grapefruit juice in the morning. #NoMoreCommutingEver


CHORES
I contemplated leaving this one out, but it’s my website. I am a cerebral person. Sometimes, I get lost in my head and hyper focus on work tasks. Taking a break from staring a two big screens and working to stare at a small screen and not work isn’t helpful to me. So, I pick a small chore each day and take a break to do it. Today, I cleaned the tub.

I expect to continue to learn more about myself and make more adjustments as time goes on because all signs point to an eminent second shelter in place order.

Yours in hope and solitude, D. A.

Thought on the Global Pandemic: Working from Home

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I was recently given permission to work from home permanently. SO HAPPY. SO GRATEFUL.

My commute was hellish. It was such a struggle just to get to work; once I arrived, I was already tired and grouchy. Now, I have a whole new morning routine formed by what makes me feel good and prepared. I’m going to do a later post about that. I thought I would love everything about working from home. To my own shock and surprise, there are a few things about working from the office that I miss.

  1. My work chair: I never thought once about how different my work chair is from any of the chairs in my home. It was designed specifically to help me sit in it and work all day. The first couple of months I was home I did not have one and my body noticed the difference. I took a trip to my favorite store, Office Depot, and bought a new. My lower back is grateful.
  2. My desk: I had so much space to stack things. My cubicle walls were made of something that allowed me to hang things. I had risers and several drawers. I miss them so.
  3. My work family: there were a couple people in my office that I enjoyed chatting with and although we still chat via Teams and phone calls, it’s not really the same as coffee in the break room. My introvert nature is so grateful for the silence, but I have made it a point to reach to my work friends. I miss them.
A collage of Facebook posts describing several terrible commuting experiences.
For your viewing pleasure, a collection of my Facebook posts bemoaning my hellish commute.

I am hyperaware that working from home is a privilege. It’s one I am grateful to have. I will continue to adjust and keep posting as I learn. Maybe one day, I’ll be back out in an office and back to complaining about the state of the office fridge.

Yours in hope and solitude, D. A. Aset.

Thoughts on the Global Pandemic: Election Day

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This election coverage is no good for my mental health. I voted weeks ago by mail as I always do. Since I will not spend the day voting (because it takes hours in some parts of the country); I am making a plan for how I will be spending my day.

It’s confirmed. My ballot was accepted and submitted. Civic duty done.

I’ve decided to stay off the internet. I have the privilege of taking the day off and not working, so I won’t be required to be a functional human being that day. My plan is to spend the day drinking mimosas and watching One on One on Netflix. It was my favorite show when it was airing. I’ve been saving re-watching it for this specific purpose. I’m hoping the nostalgia will be all-consuming enough that I don’t even notice the world outside my bubble.

I am making my favorite dish, lo mein, for myself and my mother.

I pray for all of our safety, no matter the election’s outcome.

Yours in hope and solitude.

Thoughts on the Global Pandemic: Comfort

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Six months under the ever-present gloom of a pandemic and I am finally learning some new ways to enjoy life safely. 

I am self-isolating alone. That’s not always ideal. Even I, a devoted introvert who committed to this at home lifestyle long before COVID-19, get lonely and miss other people. I made a list of all the things that bring me comfort and joy during these trying times. I wanted to use this moment to get creative with my work environment since it’s my home and I am in control. 

Wearing slippers not shoes: I despise shoes, but I also despise cold feet. I have an extensive selection of cute slippers and fuzzy socks that I get to wear and show off (on FaceTime and Zoom) all the time. No shoes ever anymore.

Warm beverages: *Sheldon Cooper voice* My Keurig is my favorite appliance hands down. I love using it to make coffee, lattes, apple cider, ginger tea, green tea, etc. I have ton of just add water mixes. I also make some from scratch. Now, the weather is cooling. It’s the best.

Mood music: I love to play music while I work. It has to be music without words. My go to options are smooth jazz and classical. I have Apple Music stations that ever just perfect ambient noise. Another option are the scores to my favorite movies. I am currently obsessed with the soundtrack of The Photograph. And I highly recommend the film, if you haven’t seen it. Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield are just *chef’s kiss*.

Writing: Doing this. I haven’t had the energy or mental bandwidth to write in years. The archives of this blog are a testament to that. But now that I don’t spend three hours each day lugging myself to and from my job, I have more time and energy. I get to spent it doing a thing a used to love.

Yours in hope and solitude*, D A Aset

*I got this phrase from The Island of Dr. Moreau. Fantastic Book. Highly recommend. Also, highly recommend Orphan Black (TV show). That’s where I got the idea to read The Island of Dr. Moreau.