Living in the time of pandemic: COVID-19 (212)
June 24, 2024
Year 4 of COVID in the Bay Area.
Year 5, Day 82: Turns out the local blackbirds like goldfish crackers and dog treats, but they do not like cinnamon cookies.
For six days we’ve been experimenting with Smol Acrobat’s sleep arrangements. They wake up yelling no no no! in fear and terror almost every night so PiC started staying with them overnight months ago. It hasn’t stopped. This isn’t night terrors, though, they’re responsive to us. Angry but responsive. When they’re sleeping with both of us: still hollering in terror. When they’re sleeping with just me: minor disturbances, or sleeps quietly. What is this about and also this is not great for me! They like to sleep on my ribs and dig their toes into my ribs now and again. Reminiscent of pregnancy but now with child on the outside! It’s a bit less disruptive than the waking up screaming, but not much since I can never really get to REM sleep with a squirming critter at my side, so… sigh.
It’s been a hectic several days trying to get back on our feet and I have to: schedule our signing with the notary, shop for kid birthday gifts, pay bills, deal with three times more work nonsense than usual, deal with a flood of community donations I wasn’t expecting.
Year 5, Day 83: We’re not experiencing the same heat that the East Coast and Midwest are, but it’s hot enough that my fingers are swelling up like sausage while I’m working. It used to happen a lot more often, not really a FOND memory I have.
This, plus a big changeover in our software at work, means I’m working at about 50% efficiency and I hate this so much. I FEEL slow.
I was so proud of myself for going out for a long brisk walk today, my first since Sera died, until I stopped. Then, OMG, the heat set in. I forgot how much harder it is to cool down after getting my heart rate up when it’s warmer than “nice” outside.
Year 5, Day 84: I’ve been watching a baby hummingbird perch atop its nest and it is like one of those living statues you see in the cities. It finds a position and just stays there. No changes, even with a stiff wind blowing, not even pointing its tiny little beak in a different direction or anything. It’s weird and fascinating.
Water definitely has a taste, but I didn’t realize how picky I’d become. Visiting family, I tried to force myself to drink their filtered water but it was just so disgusting I started avoiding drinking water entirely. This makes me feel like such a brat.
Body acne in your 40s is such crap! Also ingrown hairs is crap at any age. Mostly I don’t seem to grow much leg hair anymore but every so often a large swatch of my legs itch unbearably and after I scratch it a little, large bumps rise up and sting like the dickens. Looks like ingrown hairs trying to get out but why randomly and all at once? Anyway, I declare this nonsense.
Year 5, Day 85: I think about the heart of this line from Madam Secretary every time I think about the Republicans and their agendas to strip rights from everyone right, left, and center. I don’t understand why much of the Democratic party is so ready to concede defeat at the first sign of resistance, and why they give up concessions so fast. They need a spine, it’s so frustrating: “If you want to do good, you’ve got to be prepared to do bad. Okay? To be canny and watchful and mean, so when the bad guys come, you know just where to stick the knife. ’cause it is a fight to the death and that is the only language they understand.”
Like this thing with the Ten Commandments in school in Louisiana – they know it’s unconstitutional and that we’re going to have to fight them in court. I think that’s the point. They win either way. If we don’t waste that money fighting it, they’re going to run roughshod all over us. If we do spend the money fighting it, that’s money we can’t spend elsewhere on needs, and they can bleed us dry. It’s so frustrating.
Year 5, Day 86: Smol Acrobat has been yelling I NEED A SNACK a lot lately, even shortly after a meal and I finally figured it out today. “Are you asking for a snack because you feel sad?”
Yes.
“Oh! Well when we’re feeling sad, we don’t have to eat a snack, we could hug or cuddle a soft friend. How about that?”
Thankfully they were amenable to the redirects. It’s been a rough few weeks with their tantrums, lots of screaming “I need a hug” followed immediately by “do not wook at me! I don’t NEED you!” lasting 15-30 minutes at a time. I don’t know if it’s just a phase or if we’re doing something particularly wrong, often it feels like the steam must have been accumulating unbeknown to us and then the avalanche is set off by some minor disappointment.
I don’t know if you have a brick and mortar bank or credit union, but if you do, they often have walk-in notary services for members.
nicoleandmaggie recently posted…Limiting Safari on my Iphone during work hours
I was going to take it to our bank but it turns out the lawyer has a service to come to us, yay!
Hetch Hetchy was is SOOOO GOOOD. I too am a water snob because of how long I’ve lived here. In other places (especially St. Louis and LA) I have to put so much ice in my water to drink it. I just need to “colc” the taste out of it, because I can’t bring myself to buy water. So I guess I’m not as bad as I could be. 🤣
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You know what, I never thought about the source of the water 🤦🏻♀️ 😂
I was trying to suck it up but OMGosh the water was so gross 🤢 I think their filter has to have something to do with it too?? Surely it must?
I think Portland water is particularly yummy. Last time I saw my niblings I still had some in the water bottle that I filled at the airport, so I made a production of giving it to them in fancy glasses, haha.
I’m curious if you’ve tried other sleep factors for Smol – my sister used to wake up screaming if she got overheated, so I’m thinking maybe Smol needs to be warmer, or cooler, or under a weighted blanket (I can’t remember what age blankets are allowed). Or some other mysterious fix .. anyway – so much sympathy!!!
Hah! I didn’t know that about Portland water, the last time I was there, I clearly didn’t pay much attention to it. OR I wasn’t this spoiled yet 😉
I’ve gone through a few factors/variables and still can’t quite pinpoint it. I know they run warmer than I thought, so that’s one adjustment. Blankets are allowed but they have this dog-like reflex of pushing off any blankets they’re under within an hour of sleep. It’s weird!