Hello! What a crazy few months this has been--I can't believe it's already August. It's really been a bit of a roller coaster and I think I've settled into somewhat of a routine...kind of? I had been hunkered down in my place in Portland since March, but I spent the last two and a half weeks at my parents' place in Massachusetts. My sister came up for a visit from Pittsburgh, and it was a nice little vacation for these strange times. We played ping pong, had a couple of get togethers with my brother, had a socially distanced visit with my grandmother, played golf, and just hung out which was really, really needed--and, since we had all been quarantining at our respective places I felt okay expanding to this little familial pod. We have tentative plans for an outdoor Thanksgiving this year (with heaters) and I'm really hoping it all works out.
As great as the past couple of weeks have been, May and June were tough. My maternal grandfather passed away from Covid-19 in May--he had been in assisted living and was in his 90s, but it happened really quickly and it was pretty shitty to have to mourn solo. We did have a Zoom memorial that ended up being wonderful, but it wasn't the same.
Olive had some stomach issues, and after multiple trips to the emergency vet and a ton of stress she was diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. I changed her food and she's now getting a small dose of steroids but she seems to be on the mend. She turned nine at the end of July, and I want to have many more years with my tiny little friend.
I've also been dealing with condo issues--the joys of home ownership coupled with dealing with an association has been a giant headache (and I recognize in the grand scheme of things, totally not that big of a deal). I think that there's a path forward but it's been one more "thing" to worry about.
Work, on the other hand, has been great--I've continued to stay busy and the transition to working from home has been pretty seamless. I did decide to invest in a
new office chair, and while I kind of want to puke with how much I'm spending on it I know it's a good investment. I'm going to be working from home until at least January 2021, and who knows if I'll even be back full time. My buns and my back will thank me.
And in other investments, I bought a Peloton. Again, big money, but when I think about what I was spending for a Pure Barre membership that wasn't being totally utilized, this made more sense. It doesn't arrive until September but I'm pumped.
And that's pretty much all that's been going on in my world over the past few months. I hope you're staying safe and healthy and having the best summer you possibly can.
