TLDR: We're fine. I thought about how to start the post, but that's perhaps the best summary. All things considered, and given the struggles and pain and loss that others are going through, we're fine.
Real Life:
I'd been watching the global situation evolve since before the holidays. I am not a first responder, but to coin a phrase, I'm sort of a secondary responder. In our office, there are a handful of processes that I'm responsible for that must continue as unhampered as possible.
Back in January, "This sounds bad," were words I'd shared with family. I'm not a doomsdayer or a pessimist, and (at least I think) err on the side of practicality. In late February, we went to the store and stocked up. No, we weren't part of the TP brigade, but we did fill the pantry with staples. If things got REALLY bad, we'd not starve.
We were supposed to be on a cruise ship back in Mid March. Worked kicked into overdrive in the weeks before (unrelated to the pandemic) - I was asked to assist with a high visibility special project consulting for another area. Sitting here typing about it in May, it feels very far away - like it happened to someone else - but those first two weeks of March were some of the busiest and stressful that I'd had in a long while.
We waived off the cruise just days before the major lines announced that they'd pause operations. Instead, we made some quick reservations and drove to a quiet beach in North Carolina. No airports, no crowds, and very much their off season. Just large expanses of empty beach, and some fresh seafood.
It was the break we needed, but while there "shit got real" as they say. During the drive out that things started getting surreal with friends posting on FB that the store shelves were empty back home while news headlines started looking bleak. While there, the shutdown started. I felt like I had to keep 1 foot grounded in reality and keep a bag packed in case interstate travel started being curtailed. It was a fog that loomed over the entire trip.
The week passed and we drove home. The interstates weren't entirely empty, but we drove past town after town with malls shut down, hotels empty, and restaurants closed. Areas that I expected to be congested with traffic simply weren't. It wasn't a full-stop, but the volume knob had been turned from 11 down to about a 3 1/2. Just friggin' weird.
Home Life:
Getting home and checking in with work, we started our remote telework routine and have been working from home since. The last day I was physically in the office was March 12th, over 2 months ago, the day before we left for NC.
If nothing else, this experience has made me appreciate the 10 acres that we own. The past few years, I've resented (strong word, I'll use it) the time investment that this property requires. The chores are nonstop, and to be honest -- over the past few years I've only tread water. But without the commute, and a burning need to get out of the house, we've had freedom and open spaces that many others don't.
One of the first surprise projects was that we cut a trail through the 3 acres behind the house. This has given us someplace to walk at lunch. While not "state park" level of manicure, it's shaping up nicely. Later, we reopened another trail in the front 7 acres, giving us a 1/2 mile loop to walk.
The Hobby:
My desire to 'hobby' has just died. Totally. I normally do a lot of my hobby time after we get home but before dinner, and with working from home that's exactly the window in which I MUST MUST MUST GET OUTSIDE.
While work has been better lately, the stress of the crazy situation has led me to hide in WoW Classic after dinner instead of attempting to paint.
I'm still doing monthly lessons with Aaron Lovejoy at Miniature Monthly. Each month I've scrambled to paint SOMETHING to go over with him. Oddly, I've gotten more out of our lessons lately, even though I'm not applying the knowledge via bench time. Something 'clicked' in how he's teaching and how I'm receiving. Pretty cool.
We miss our "convention friends." Over the past couple of years, we've met some fun people in the gaming/painting world that we see several times a year through the convention circuit. Adepticon, Gencon, and Reapercon are all canceled. We'll keep up to date via Discord as best we can, but in person shenanigans are better.
I'm not complaining. I think it was the right choice for the conventions to chill out for a bit. But it does change the landscape of our year quite a bit.
