Living in the time of pandemic: COVID-19 (297)
February 9, 2026
Year 4 of COVID in the Bay Area
Year 6, Day 287: We let JB have a friend over for the weekend AND we did fun stuff with the kids on both days, so now I’m paying the piper. Again. Well, I suppose it’s not “again” if it never stopped. Worst game my body plays – is it virus or is it CFS?: slight congestion, brain fog, fatigue, body aches, massively sore throat. Since I still can’t take off work, I still cherry pick only the most critical work and the rest just has to wait.
I’m relieved to see that, for today/now, Haitian TPS status is preserved.
I have had Rizzoli & Isles on for background these past two weeks and was really sad when they cut out one of the main characters at the start of Season 5. Looking him up, the waterworks turned on – the actor had died by suicide over a decade ago and they had to write him out of the show. I’d excuse myself saying that being bedridden for weeks has me maudlin, and maybe it has, but I’m pretty sure motherhood broke my thick armadillo shell of stoicism. I cry over the most random things.
Year 6, Day 288: Accounting fun bits: I’m changing our annual tracking sheet variables. I used to define Fixed and Variable spending as separate categories. The idea was that we had more control over Variable and could cut back on that type of spending in a pinch so it’s good to have that spending pre-identified. Several years later, it’s never been useful information so it’s all just Spending. The side income category isn’t useful anymore so now I track Reimbursements – I’d like to know what income is actually repayment from friends or entities (FSA, Delta Dental, etc).
Looking ahead to 2027 when both kids will be in public school, there will be a massive savings on the daycare line item. In its place, I need to project the cost for summer camp for both kids since the dependent care FSA is up to $7500 – can we use that full amount. A shame that couldn’t have been increased years ago when we could make full use of it. But two kids, summer camps seem to run $500-800 a week (on the higher end for some of the specialty education options like science stuff). PiC found an art camp year but $1000 a week was far too rich for our blood. Let’s say they’re in 8 weeks of camps x 2 kids x average $600 a week: holy smokes, that’s $9600 for part of the summer. There we go, we could easily use up the $7500 FSA for 2027. Phew. That’s one question answered.
Year 6, Day 289: JB’s dental woes continue apace. More of their adult teeth are coming in crooked. They haven’t come through yet but we’re definitely going to need braces again when they do.
SmolAc’s latest dental X-rays confirmed they will need braces eventually, too. Drat. I knew it was a strong likelihood but hoped. *Mentally allocate $6000-7000* Unfortunately our dentist no longer refers to the one we are currently using for JB because they don’t like the quality of their work. JB’s halfway through their treatment, so we have to stick with them until we know what we need to do for Phase 2. I bet we are only paid up through the start of Phase 2 but best to review the paperwork and be sure. Meanwhile I’ll need to do a bit of research on the recommended local orthodontists. This change in quality is a damn shame, their office is so convenient for us.
Year 6, Day 290: I’m on a fairly annoying weekslong quest to improve my working from bed conditions. I’ve got a lapdesk that tilts. It’s been fine for 1-3 days working from bed but that’s half of what I need when I have to work for weeks in bed. I really need a lapdesk that tilts and is mounted on a swingarm so that I can move it away from my position on the bed rather than struggling like an upside down turtle when I need to get out. I’ve searched all over and there are dozens of options, none of which fit the bill. Accidentally ordered one in a fit of optimism only to realize the measurements were all wrong, so that’s going to back. I spent a day trying out different set ups with the stuff that I already have on hand, that didn’t help, it just set off a cascade of pain. Whoops.
Related: I tend to save the Ilona Andrews blog to read in big bunches, especially to stave off depression after long bouts of fibro or CFS flares, and so I’m only just now reading the Christmas Eve post. Innkeeper Innkeeper we might get our next Innkeeper this year!!! (Also those straw mushrooms are the correct mushrooms to use in tom yum soup but our Thai restaurants started using sliced white mushrooms instead. Yuck. So I feel Ilona’s pain.)
That news really hit the spot.
Today was the first day there were signs of the CFS receding even the littlest bit after several weeks of dying slowly inside from fatigue. Hilariously, the heartburn and fibro pain immediately flared up in its place.
Year 6, Day 291: I’m up to feeling about 15% human today! That’s well up from the 0-3% I’ve been feeling for about 3 weeks. I’ve been in the sub 20% range for 7 weeks. This is the danger zone. This is where I feel juuuuust human enough that I will force myself to do “little” things I need or want to do, repeatedly, because I haven’t sunk under the pressure YET and willpower through until collapse. If I do that when I’m nearer my baseline of 65%, I can recover in a day or three. At 15%, it’ll be weeks of recovery. This round I’m working on being extra mindful of this tendency and communicating better with PiC. More honestly, more transparently. I’ve always been one to hide my weakness but it’s too dire to hide now. It’s been hard crawling out of this hole I/we dug for myself.
In exercising, this impulse is precisely what gets me in trouble – this hurts but I can grit it out! Then I am laid up for 3 weeks. Thank goodness for my trainer keeping me on very calibrated workouts.
We’re meant to see our friends this weekend and I want to! But hello, self, all the weekend socializing that we’ve done through January is exactly what took me down to 0-3%. So. Right. Being self aware that 15% is good but not GOOD. I need to refill this tank a great deal more because I have to solo parent one month from now and we cannot risk my being a sludgepile when it’s just me and the kids.
Please enjoy some self-awareness and a walrus vocalizing with me.