Anti-Virus, Week 2

By Brian • 30 March 2020

Well, I guess I’ve adapted to this way of life…as much as one might be able. While COVID-19 is never fully out of my mind, I must admit that there have been a few times over the past week where I kind of forgot about it. Not in the sense that I don’t care, that it’s not concerning or scary or otherwise cumbersome to the psyche. I take in one news dump a day from the outside world, but besides that, I have been keeping busy and focusing positive energy on a variety of outlets. Oh, and housework because, I mean, if I’m gonna spend 23 and a half hours a day here, I don’t want it to be a dump.

Amanda and our youngin’ are out of town temporarily. (No worries—I wouldn’t consider it discretionary travel. They’re out on family business.) As such, I’ve been using my time wisely to get some work done (both for my day job and otherwise), reestablish good habits, and take the opportunity to relax, believe it or not!

I’ve picked up exercise again, something I haven’t done consistently since September of last year. I have a simple system of simple workouts established, and our basement has a fairly clear perimeter, which is good for walking or jogging laps. Not ideal, but it’s working as a fine temporary substitute for walking to and/or from work and my daily walks while at the office.

Also back on the docket: writing and drawing! Nothing serious, just small sketches of spaceships, a bit of comic-writing, and these blogs, apparently? I don’t want to overcommit to anything; again, trying to reestablish good habits, making sure to focus on work I actually enjoy. Starting small, probably working small for a while. I like to rush into things. But, it’s bad. It immediately establishes a precedent for working beyond capacity and sets me up for quick disappointment. Don’t do that, Brian! Don’t do that, anyone else who might be reading this!

My entertainment intake is understandably up, as well. I’m reading old X-Men comics I have never read before via the Marvel Unlimited app, finished a PC game called Chasm yesterday that will inevitably end up on my Top 10 Games of “2020” list down the road (how’s that for playing the long game?!), and I’m revisiting Cowboy Bebop for the first time in many years. Netflix, Twitch, and YouTube content sneak their way in, as well, usually as background noise while I’m working on something else. This includes revisiting old baseball games on MLB’s YouTube channel, which, if you’ve been wondering, Game 6 of the 2011 World Series is just as mentally and emotionally exhausting as it was nine years ago, despite knowing how the game ends.

I also mowed the lawn for the first time this year. The first mowing session of the year is always one of the most interesting because of the trash oddities that turn up in the yard after a few months of diminished attention. Over the years, these have included a bar of soap, a brick, a hubcap, various shoes, wire hangers (of both clothing and flower pot varieties), a folding chair, and more. (I obviously didn’t allow those bigger items to linger for very long.) It’s a wonder what turns up when you live at a busy intersection and down the street from three different convenience stores. Have I mentioned the cigarillo wrappers? What’s a cigarillo, you ask? Well, it’s not quite a cigarette, not quite a cigar, but man…based on the number of wrappers in my yard, you’d think the entire populace smokes them.

All of that being said, I’m conscious of the fact that when Amanda and the little one return, I probably won’t have the capacity to do all of this on a regular basis (or at least not as much). It will be important at that juncture to narrow my focus to the things that are really important to me. But, while I have the time, I’m using it.

So, listen. I know it’s easy for me to say it, because I don’t have to go out and I’m not at tremendous risk and I don’t live in a place that has a lot of coronavirus cases. Not everybody has that luxury or whatever you wish to call it. But, since I do, I’m trying to be responsible and do what the bigwigs tell me. I’m simply staying away for now, and trying to prevent this thing from growing or getting me down. Don’t let it get you down, either. We have each other (at a 6-foot distance, mind you), and we have our gifts and outlets that we can use to keep ourselves and our friends and family positive and healthy (physically healthy if you’re in an essential field, mentally healthy, if not). Use your gifts and compassion. We will get through it.

Thanks for reading! Hang in there, be safe, wash your hands, take care of each other, and stay positive!