I’ll be honest, when this whole COVID-19 thing was first becoming an issue, I wasn’t that concerned. I knew it was spreading fast but the effects didn’t seem all that severe for the majority of cases. No worse than a bad cold, it seemed to me. I knew there was reason for caution and concerned, but I figured as long as people used some common sense, it would be fine.

Now that we’re several weeks into the spread and it is officially a pandemic, it looks far more serious. The numbers coming out of places like Italy and France are, frankly, horrifying. And the U.S. as a whole is not dealing with the issue very well at all, even if some individual cities are trying their best. It is pretty shocking to watch all these huge events and things being canceled: sports events, conventions, etc.

I was really surprised when the Houston Rodeo was canceled! (I live in Houston fyi). The rodeo is THE biggest event in the city every year, and one of the biggest events in the state, right behind SXSW in Austin. The financial cost of such a cancelation has to be ENORMOUS. A lot of comic/pop-culture conventions are being canceled around the country too. And of course, all sports events have been suspended. I don’t watch a lot of sports, but I am a tennis addict so I’m REALLY feeling that loss (especially since Indian Wells, one of the bigger tournaments of the year, was supposed to start last week…).

Now that the situation has proven itself more serious that I initially thought it would be, we are all being asked to practice “social distancing.” My mother’s employer has shut down all their offices and her entire company is now working from home (she’s currently holed up in her room with 3 computer monitors, doing conference calls remotely). I work for a small online retail business and asked my employer (who is also a friend) if I could take the week off from shipping items in order to help support the whole “social distancing” thing. So I’ll be home all week too.

I’m not hugely concerned about my own health. I get sick a little easily but I’m pretty sure IF I got COVID-19 I’d probably get through it ok like I would the flu. But mother is definitely in the high-risk/immunocompromised category (with diabetes, asthma, a history of getting pneumonia at the drop of a pin, and several other co-morbid issues), so I am trying to be extra-careful not to bring anything home to her.

So we haven’t much left the house since Friday. We did do some grocery shopping yesterday – we are trying not to panic-buy and hoard but we definitely needed SOME things. And I did – in a kind of show of solidarity with the Asian community who has been so hit by racism in the midst of this – go to Chinatown for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants on Friday. My mother and I were the only people in the restaurant. It was sad. I know as more and more people self-isolate that ALL restaurants and retail stores are going to be taking a financial hit, but Asian communities are definitely getting the worst of it right now.

What have been I doing with isolation, then? I read a whole novel and a graphic novel so far. I’ve watched quite a few episodes of Fairy Tail (an anime, for the uninitiated). I did a bunch of laundry and dishes. I cleaned every flat surface, door handle, light switch, and remote in the house. Several times. I played Clue with my mother, my brother, and my brother’s fiancé (I’m not a big fan of board games overall but my mother and brother love them and they begged, so…. *shrug*).

This week I have plans to read a bunch more. Write some blog posts. Watch some movies. Maybe work on a puzzle I started months ago but never got far on. I do have some work-related things to do from home – logging receipts and basic bookkeeping things mostly. But I am hoping to take advantage of my time off to do some ME-things. *fingers crossed*

So how about you folks? How are you all managing the situation? Are you able to work from home, or are you in the unfortunate category of people who have no choice but to go in to work? If you’re self-isolating, what are you doing to pass the time?

Flatten the curve, my friends! Flatten the curve!