I agree with this.  It's getting tiring.  I love remote working personally, but really sometimes prefer to be in the office depending on what I'm dong/meeting needs - it's just fast to do some things in person. But we're shut out of going into the workplace until at least 12/14 - IF the C19 is under control. Just sat through another C19 institutional update meeting and it was DEPRESSING. Not enough people are following the restrictions and it's going to blow up even more.

This INCLUDES YSD and BM's family. Who are coming from 3 different places and meeting at another location - but YSD says, "only outside." YEAH RIGHT. In the middle of November, in a rainy, windy horrilble weather area you're all only going to meet OUTSIDE? Even for the MEAL? I was PO'd and let DH know it. YSD tried arguing but I shut it down by saying, "DH, read the State restrictions to her, I'm not going to debate this."

I'm tired. I am taking next week off totally. Haven't vacation timed since January. Tomorrow I take the car to the dealer for a necessary fix - and will be happy to do so (out of house, in a safe area, I can work in their customer work area) and get freaking sushi for takeout.

Next week is cooking and baking.  I'm taking a break from house projects until after the holidays as I've done enough for now.

Keep busy - get outside (a huge thing for me is getting out sometime in the morning).

I hope you are keeping that dark depression at bay, Aniki.  Your kind, funny, insightful presence is so precious to many.

Well, as my world has continued to shrink, my netflix repertoir has expanded. Our pattern, DH and I, weve gotten into a total rut. We dont really cook anymore, its either a a pan fried steak, broiled ribs, or baked chicken, with steamed veggies. He occasionally visits a brother who is isolated. He occasionally goes fishing if its nice. We are getting along well.

Ive just been working every day at the office that is sectioned off into rooms, with 2 other folks who dont go anywhere and who dont do anything and who are being very cautious.

So some Welllness things that I am working on changing:

1. I got a mountain bike a few weeks ago. DH revealed that he has a bike rack to use to haul 2 bikes, which is a good start.

2. I am reading that the "numbers" in my zip code are what is cause the closure of the entire county. For example my zip code is over 200 new cases this past week, and the rest of te 32 zip codes are barely above 20...which is a great encouragement to work on herbs and foods that boost immunity. To lead to #3...

3. Im gearing up to cook a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for myself, Munchkin and DH. Small turkey, homemade gravy and mashed potatoes, with candied yams and traditional stuffing. Super basic. Its my FIRST time doing this!

4. So, because we are in purge mode, DH took this past Monday off, and tossed a small leather couch (dog pee) and a cat tree, as well as an old dryer on the side of the house. Freeing up some space in the living room #2, for us to move things around and get rid of more...leading to...

5. The Great Kitchen Purge. Ive discovered Im a fod hoarder. In preparation for cooking a Thanksgiving meal, I am going to kitchen purge and reorganize and clean. 

6. Ive been hiking 2 saturdays in a row. Getting more and more challenging each time. Awesome views, mountains, moss and nature, ocean.

So - thats where I am this Wednesday!

I'm sorry to hear this Aniki, this year has been an a$$hole for everybody! Take some time for selfcare, we forget ourselves when we are working so hard to keep everybody else together.

I work fulltime at work all day and come home to a kid who had been homeschooling since March and is dying to talk to humans and get out of the house. So when I get home I spend a lot of time talking, cuddling, and making sure her needs are met.

We haven't been outside of our tiny sh*thole town since December of last year...okay I haven't. DH is able to telework and has gone on travel several times. He was also able to go see his grandmother before she died, but I could not attend as I would have to use my own leave to quarantine should I leave this sh*thole town.

I'm one of those people living a relatively "normal" life. I go into the office five days a week. We all have private offices. But I miss the hallway conversations and I miss the folks working from home. I gave staff the option of being in or staying home. Productivity has not suffered, so I don't care about location. I just miss the PEOPLE that I care so much about.

I wasn't that social prior to COVID. I have lots of friends, just not many where I live now. But I miss live music and getting together with the few friends I do have here.

DH and I are getting along beautifully. He's missing social action more than I am, but then he's home all day alone. We're cooking a lot -- lots of fresh fruits and veggies. I also bake a lot (my therapy), so weight gain. I need to get out and walk more.

All the political drama heaped on top of the pandemic drama has really amped up my anxiety levels. My doc even added a medication, but I couldn't tolerate it. WIll wait a bit and try a smaller dose. 

I'm tired. But I'm not worried about paying my bills and keeping food on the table, so I consider myself so, so fortunate. I do try to focus on at least one beautiful thing and one thing I'm grateful for every day, and that truly does help.

I am very lucky in some ways, being an introvert and working from home before the Covid hit. The hardest I see hit, in my area, are the kids. YGS17 is having a really hard time not having his usual routine of school, not visiting friends. He had a really bad week, a couple of weeks ago, when one of his friends committed suicided. No one knows if it was due to all the restrictions and distancing or a combination of other issues. A lot of parents have been chatting on Fakebook about their concerns of the kids mental state with all the restrictions. 

Our county has gone backwards with the COVID since Halloween, the numbers are climbing with new cases, but our county website is also showing the numbers of people that have recovered.

• County population 100,000
• Number of tested     25,766
• Total cases                    929
• Active cases                  201
• Recovered                     719
• Active in hospital               4
• Deaths                               9

All the bars and restaurant were opening back up and no one was following the rules, now we are paying for it again. I absolutely hate wearing a mask, the only time I leave my property is for grocery shopping once a month. I see in my YGS17 the depression setting in and try everything possible to help him. He has Zoom meetings with a counselor to help him, even my DS43's doctor visits are on Zoom, I am not sure how well that works out, but his doctor does not want him anywhere near a person that could possibly have Covid.

Hang in there, Anki, we will all get through this with each others support.

I feel ya, sista! I'm in a slump too. I have not accomplished anything and am working too hard and taking on too much work stress, bringing it home with me. My nights include getting up three or four times and smoking a cigarette and stressing about everything in my micro-world and my macro-world. I took a mental health day on Monday, didn't even tell SO, just so I could be alone and simmer down. I needed it. Didn't care about anything. Also booked 10 days off at Christmas because I'm desperate for a chunk of time off as I haven't had anything longer than a long weekend since March. 

Take a few days off, you definitely deserve it. 

I Can. Not. Wait. For all of this to be done. The summer wasn't too bad. We were bike riding, hiking a lot, going to the beach so staying active. Now the cold weather is here and it seems like it is going to be a longgg winter. 
 

I haven't had the house to myself (even for a few hours) since March! I use to enjoy my few hours on my late night at work where the skids were at school and SO at work. With schedules it hasn't happened. Skids are back to remote with no end in sight. 

Work is exhausting every damn day. I am a manager for a grocery chain and it has not been easy. BUT, thank god I have my job which clearly wasn't effecting by covid. I am not a "work from home type" I would have lost my mind if I had too. I praise everyone doing it. 
 

2021 better bring positive vibes. 

I am so sorry you're struggling, Aniki.  Here in the UK we've had national lockdown for 2 weeks which is going on until 2nd December - ie no non-essential shops are open etc.  We are not allowed to see anyone who doesn't live with us - divorced families excepted.  You're right - it's incredibly depressing.  I've been watching the USA's covid figures since March and for the last few weeks the daily new cases have been well above 100k every day.  I have occupied myself on dry days by digging a new rose bed in the garden, where to bury my doggy's ashes, come Spring.  It's tough, and winter has barely started. Sigh.  

OMG Aniki.  I hate the black dog depression.  I feel for you.  It hasn't hit me and fingers crossed it doesn't.  Keep pushing through it.

My life has been work/sleep 24/7 since 18 March with three exceptions - outdoor anniversary lunch for me and DH, outdoor birthday lunch with DH for his birthday and socially distanced lunch with DH, OSS and MSS + GF.  Slight exageration as I do cook every night but that's 30 minutes a day max.

Christmas may be cancelled but I've still booked 2 weeks off.  I need it.

DH had symptoms last week and tested ... positive. So I bundled my daughters into the car and we went and got tested too. Here's the fun part:

• me - positive
• DD1 - negative
• DD2 - inconclusive (she just can't do things like everyone else, that one).

The doctor told us that DD2's results were inconclusive because she was either very early in an infection or at the tail end of on (apparently asymptomatic).My money's on the latter. Sooooo, we all get to wear masks at home too! Yippee!