In the Time of The Coronapocalypse
Life in the time of the worldwide COVID-19 Pandemic, also known as the Coronapocalypse.
(I made up the word “Coronapocalypse” because it is a fitting description of the situation. Feel free to use it.)
At the time of this writing, I have been sheltering in place for over six weeks. I am a bit of a germaphobe so I started March 1, a couple weeks before the state shut down. I’m only a so-so prepper, so I got a mask and as much food and water as I could store in my small space, which isn’t much. I had the gloves (an RV tank necessity). I did not horde TP, cleaning products and hand-sanitizer. I already had plenty of cleaning supplies, not that you’d know by looking at my place.
I enjoyed the first three weeks of utter solitude, peace and quite. The world is blissfully still. Traffic went from insanely full of Spring Breakers and people who were now “working from home” but vacationing here, to virtually no traffic at all. I did not miss people – at first.
I, as I’m sure many of you, have always fantasized about what I’d do with my day when given the financial freedom and copious amounts of free time to do whatever I wanted. I dreamed I would exercise myself into supermodel fitness, meditate myself into a monk-like state, create tons of beautiful art, travel the world, read great books (or at least finish the ones I’ve started), study online courses, etc., etc.
While I have not experienced the financial freedom I so envisioned, I am experiencing the extra free time due to loss of a client. To be truthful, I have done a bit of the exercise, created a very little bit of art, finished a cheesy adventure/romance novel, studied a very little, and eaten a whole lot of food.
Side note on that last part: The “19” in COVID-19 stands for the number of pounds we’re each expected to gain during our shelter-in-place orders. Fortunately, I already had a head start. (Please don’t write to me about what the “19” actually means. I know it’s supposed to be the year the virus was discovered. Whatever.)
So, what have I accomplished? I have gained weight and finished Netflix. (Seriously, I finished Netflix. There is nothing else I want to watch on Netflix; I’m just waiting for a dozen series to add new seasons.) Eating fills the boredom. Now that I have finished Netflix, I expect the eating will increase.
Oddities during the Time of The Coronapocalypse.
I learned I love stillness in the world.
I learned I have grandiose dreams (yeah, I know that shouldn’t come as such a surprise to me) that I will not fulfill when given half the chance. (<— THAT came as the real surprise.)
I attended a virtual memorial for a friend. There were over 150 people on the Zoom call honoring JG’s memory. He was a good man who touched many lives and helped countless people. I aspire to do half as well as JG.
I have attended far more virtual sober meetings than I attended in-person meetings all last year. I prefer the online version – no BS, no men hitting on you without knowing squat about you (if you are new here, the long blond hair is my man-attracting superpower and my Kryptonite), and no off-topic sharing!
I had a birthday anniversary of my 29th birthday during the Coronapocalypse and no one came. (Ok, ok, no one could come, but that’s not the point.) I had cake for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and exercised for dinner.
It was the same day as the memorial service.
I watched operas on The Met website, the Aurora Borealis live-stream, and live animal streams on various websites that have always been available but I didn’t know until now.
I learned you could finish Netflix. Disney+, sure. But Netflix? Never saw that coming.
I have wondered to myself what it would be like, if it would be better or worse, to be sheltering in place for all of this time with another person. My answer to myself depends on the person I’d be sheltering with. I have known a few that I expect I would’ve enjoyed the sheltering much, much more by being cooped up with them, experiencing this with them. And some with whom that constant one-on-one time would’ve ended the relationship after a few weeks. In some cases, it was the same person.
And most surprising to me, I miss the energy of people. After the first three weeks sheltering in place and staying away from people, I learned something I never expected, something I had taken for granted: the energy of people.
Do you know that feeling you get in large crowds, or at a mall? Or around certain people? It’s hard to describe, but it’s like a strong, buzzing static energy that washes over you, and starts to get “under your skin”, so to speak. I can’t handle it for long, three hours is my maximum. It’s gentler in smaller, calmer venues, like restaurants, movie theaters, etc. And it’s a wonderful, blissful, radiating energy when it’s just you and that special someone. (I love the feeling of that energy, it’s what makes the world full, radiant.) But I never thought I’d miss the energy of crowds, the buzzing static of people – until it was gone.
To all of you sheltering in place wherever you are, loving it, hating it, perhaps a bit of both, I miss you. I miss your energy, be it soft and gentle, or buzzing static. I hope you are healthy and safe. I send you much love and peace.
BONUS: For those of you who have read this far and not yet accomplished The Finishing of The Netflix, I will post a list of my Netflix recommendations below.
- Derry Girls (hilarious!)
- Daybreak (hilarious, with zombies)
- Ozark (dark, entertaining, great acting)
- The OA (slow start but hang in there, mind-bending)
- Lost in Space (the new series – it is not at all like the original, which I also love)
- Shitt’s Creek (funny)
- Breaking Bad (no words can describe the awesomeness)
- Better Call Saul (prequel to Breaking Bad)
- Orange is the New Black (different, enjoyed the first few seasons the most)
- Altered Carbon (I watched the first season, and it was ok. When the second season started with another switch, which I won’t mention for those who want to watch it, I got bored and moved on.)
- The 100 (I watched many of the shows, may have watched all, but don’t remember)
- The Expanse
Shows recommended by friends, a few I haven’t checked out or the descriptions didn’t interested me or I started to watch and didn’t like:
- Interstellar
- Santa Clarita Diet
- Atypical
- The Ranch
- Offspring
- Elder Millenial
- Vampire Diaries
- Dead to Me
- Russian Doll
- Stranger Things
- Peaky Blinders
- Blood Father
- Longmier
- Heartland
- Narcos
- Locke and key
- The Haunting of Hill House
- Black Mirror
- Tiger King (I will NOT watch Tiger King.)