So yesterday I kind of flippantly asked is this my journal of a plague year, not really thinking that the answer is yes, yes it is. Up until now I have felt okay about going out to buy groceries, even to buy books and the occasional coffee, although coffee has been mainly takeaway enjoyed in the park while exercising the irrepressible Ada. While I was conscious that covid 19 was going to have a huge impact I was enjoying the fact that it hadn’t fully hit just yet, I was following the instructions to regularly wash hands and regularly wipe down surfaces with disinfectant wipes, I was keeping my distance from people but I was not concerned. I think that has changed as of today. While I will still go to the shops to get groceries, every trip will now be very carefully considered. I had been planning on going camping over Easter but with the government urging people to stay home I can no longer in good conscience plan camping trips. That is hard, it is those trips that are my sanity saver but I get that staying home will slow the spread of the virus and that is crucial, if not for my own sake than certainly for society at large. So for the time being we are grounded.
Work is still continuing and I am hopeful that my work will continue. As of Monday the uni is moving to an entirely online enterprise, except for the library, we are keeping the physical space open for as long as possible, although with decreased seating and pcs in order to enforce social distancing. All lectures and tutorials are online as of Monday. If the library does close its doors we will still be delivering services over the phone and via our chat service, so I am hopeful that at least to a degree I will still have work to do, so in that I feel very lucky and privileged, but even that is not guaranteed.
It is funny how despite my common sense approach and my relatively positive outlook, I still feel a vague anxiety. I have been spending way too much time on the internet, reading news and generally focusing a bit too much on the current crisis. I have virtually stopped reading books in favour of mindlessly scrolling the internet, not a healthy sign. So this public confession is about documenting my anxiety and forcing myself back onto a more reasonable track. How is everyone else doing?
Do you have books to pass the time? Is this finally the time to tackle War and Peace? Got any good pandemic fiction to recommend?
Did you manage to re-stock your pantry in preparation for isolation? For weeks now I have been slowly adding an extra can or two but I am afraid I saw no urgency in purchasing toilet paper, so that might yet prove a slight problem, hopefully supermarkets will get on top of the supply issue soon.
Stay healthy everyone! Feel free to leave a comment and let me know how you are managing the covid 19 crisis.
Gum trees and Galaxies 
Hi Sharon, yes I can feel the anxiety starting to kick in now too. I think watching the disaster unfold in Italy and the ramping up of social distancing measures and closures of businesses and social places has suddenly made it all too real. So now Bec and I are studying from home totally online, and to make it even more challenging, Dan’s service provider has suspended their day program. So Dan is now home 24/7. So effectively we are now in social isolation. I am not concerned for myself, but Bec is a little more at risk. We can’t take any chances. My leisure reading has taken a bit of a hit too – too much reading history and endless covid 19 scrolling. Hopefully we’ll get into a routine and settle into our new normal. Take care.
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Hi Karen, I hope there is something to keep Dan busy, it must all be confusing and stressful for him especially with the change in routine. Hopefully, the online study works out, it is the hardest way to study, especially if you are used to having the contact, at least usq is well-positioned for online delivery. Hopefully when we get into the new routine things will settle down like you say. History is a good thing to have read, but it can be a huge reading load. Wishing you Bec and Dan all the best, good luck with the study.
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Thanks Sharon. I’ve done a lot of online study before through USQ so it’s a familiar thing for me – just doing it with Dan constantly around will be the challenge! Fortunately Dan can be kept pretty occupied. He loves word searches, lego and doing puzzles, as well as listening to music on his iPod. But we have to make sure we stay physically active too or we’ll all end up couch potatoes.
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