MAY 12, 2020

Captain's Log. Star date No Bloody Idea. Week 9 of Working From Home.

Have by now finely tuned the how-late-can-I-stay-in-bed-and-still-start-work-at-8am routine, and it's pretty damn funny to watch colleagues greet each other their good mornings through Microsoft Teams, while I am still languishing horizontally in my PJ's. Its 7.58 am by the way.

Surprisingly, I am still applying mascara daily. Some habits will never change.

Heated dog-shaped slippers became a bit sick a few weeks ago, and developed a cough. I momentarily diagnosed the dog with Covid-19, before taking her to the vet. Blew about $1,000 to learn she is actually in heart failure so her days are truly numbered and she has not only become adoringly needy, we have acquiesced to every nudge for affection and may in fact smother her to death before heart failure has a chance to take her. It could be a damn shame that she may pass away sporting a mummy's home-made, scissor-inspired doggy haircut. She looks, er, tufty.

Am living in a construction zone. I have no functioning kitchen, no flooring, no oven, a one ring burner and a long walk to the fridge. This was our decision of course, awesome timing and it's a first world problem, but we really need IKEA to open (or even answer their phones) so we can order a countertop. The dust tastes amazing.

Diet has been great. I have lost 15lbs. And by that I mean I have lost and gained the same 5 pounds three times. I get cocky and chuffed with myself at the lower point, and celebrate with an extra Twix or three. Then it takes 2 weeks to lose the same 5 lbs once again. Something tells me I havent quite mastered this, but I live trying. It's a routine unchanged by recent virus-related restrictions and something I have been battling for close on 25 years. I now have an official name for this now though - I call it fattening the curve.

Feel less productive working from home in some ways, but am doing odd hours now, and I know I am achieving a lot - and being in HR in the weirdest of times, we have never been busier. But it's not all been fun stuff either. Have been taking an actual lunch break and have ploughed through 5 seasons of Grand Designs Australia, and while plotting a fantastically long retirement trip to all the states, I can also now add another language to my skillset. S'truth mate. Have also spent odd hours catching up with my manager during evenings cos she does great chunks of her work between 8pm and 10.30pm. So basically my work days are all over the place.

Saving lots on gas/petrol and parking. Have only filled car once, and because it's a hybrid, it should be good for another 6 weeks. And gas has never been cheaper, which is decidedly annoying as you can't really drive anywhere to take advantage of it.

Spent more on food with 3 people constantly at home, and Twix bills can get pricey. Gas and electricity have also been higher though, because April forgot it was April when it should have been acknowledging it's own proximity to the season called Spring, but it kept bloody snowing. Take-out food was virtually non existent for many weeks, but recent kitchen upheaval may cause profits of local A&W's to plateau. Meal donations gladly accepted.

Daughter bought me thoughtful gift for Mothers Day, a very fancy and expensive face moisturizer and some eye serum thingy (no, I have no idea either).

But its for anti-aging. Really! But it smells fabulous and I figure if I can pull off a winning combo of knocking off 5 years and 15lbs at the same time, it will all be worth not slapping her about the head with a wet fish for being so cheeky.

My back is in bits. The old dining room chair versus adaptable office chair and a sit-stand desk do not compare. And I miss my two screens. Resorted to buying a yoga mat to resume back-stretching exercises each night. Feel like a walrus rolling around floor trying to navigate positions into which my body fears to go.

In a couple of weeks I will commence enforced vacation days. We are being directed to use up our accrued leave banks. This will be great timing, for there are many walls to paint, tiles to choose and gardens to preen. I even planted carrot seeds last week, with a seeding time of approx 10-14 days to sprout. I see nothing yet, so they had better get a wriggle on.

Have taken to meeting friends in parking lots with camping chairs, and mastered joint video supper time shenanigans. I go to the grocery store once a week and don't like to brag but I bought 12 loo rolls the other day. Sweet.

Rumour has it we could be working from home for many more months, maybe even into January. Must get new chair. And a working kitchen.

No time to chat, off to work again. Love to all. X