failed lunch

I'm kinda in a hurry.

My friend Bob — my college love —calls. He lives in California, Napa Valley, in a beautiful house surrounded my majestic views and rattlesnakes here and there.

He has a plane and flies to Walmart to do his shopping. It's from there where he typically calls.

We frequently, and quickly, get into heated political conversations. He is more than competent (and well-equipped with facts) to challenge my views.

By the time I hang up, I realize I am running late. I still need to order in dinner (better now than later, when the delivery wait time will be a few hours), make lunch, and "get ready" for my zoom call later.

I decide to make over-easy eggs with a multi-grain (much prefer the unhealthy sourdough alternative) English muffin. The eggs are cooked perfectly. I always overcook them but today, they are gorgeous.

I plate them. Begin to butter my English muffin. And then this happens.

So instead I clean my kitchen floor (it needed it).

Throw out my cracked and broken dinner plate.

Then grab some fruit and a 100-calorie bag of Skinny Pop for a quick, but unsatisfying, alternative.

like winning the lottery

Today is my 11th day inside. I am getting restless. But as long as I'm healthy, I have no complaints.

Yesterday, I received the following from my local pharmacy and a generous benefactor. I feel very lucky.

Everyday we learn more. And everyday we see more dire forecasts and numbers. I'll skip those, and just report on a few, very small, non-vital observations:

• People are doing all sorts of things they've never done before.  One of my tech-averse friends just got a Kindle. Maybe cable or wi-fi will be next.

• Birthday celebrations are now done via zoom. Jill and I will be celebrating our mutual and much-loved friend Susan at 5:30 today.

• Now that closets are clean, people are moving on to drawers. My mom told me she is cleaning one of her drawers where everything from makeup to uncapped pens are housed. Or, as she calls it, her crap-ay-vous drawer.

• It's sometimes difficult to keep track of all the different text threads going. My friend Ellen showed me how to "name" text threads — so exciting.

• My son is calling me more.

• It's nice to like your home.

so busy on day #9 of quarantine

8:45am
Get out of bed. I'm getting up later these days. My body must know it'll be another day of doing nothing.

Make some drip coffee. I don't use Keurig anymore.

10-12pm
Watch the TODAY show (I record it every day so I can watch it when I get up... whenever that is). The news is mostly bad. Go on my computer. Write some emails. Answer some emails. Make some calls. Get some calls. Write some texts. Get some texts. Nothing much new anywhere. 

Try every few minutes to see if a slot has opened on Fresh Direct. Third day trying and still no luck. This activity continues throughout the day.

I did have an appointment with DMV for my new real license at 10am today. My list for what I'm going to do after this is all over continues to grow.

12-1pm
Shower. Wash my hair, and let it dry.

Use a ceramic hair straightening brush called Dafni that I've had in its box, unopened, for about 3 years. Decide to finally try it. Reminds me of ironing my hair in high school. Conclusion: Easy to use. Results as promised. Stick-straight hair looks awful on me.

Clean my toilet bowl with my favorite, recently-discovered household product. Clorox Toilet Wand with disposal head, though it's probably not good for the environment. 

1-2pm
Put on a small amount of makeup, but still more than I have in the past 9 days. Need to look ok for a ZOOM meeting later today. These are two of my favorite non-makeups: un-cover up by RMS and ColorScience Brightening Primer.

Speak to my friend Don S. who lives in Arizona; the last time we spoke was over a year ago. We lived together after college. We were once madly in love, the way 20-somethings can be. It was a volatile, passionate and exciting relationship. We both laughed and fought a lot. He even bought me a dog; we named her Jessie. She was sweet but stupid and I didn't train her well (the source of many fights).

2pm- 2:30pm
Make lunch. It's a more sophisticated production than usual: multi-grain English Muffin, small heirloom tomatoes, and manchego cheese. So good. But I burn my left index finger removing my sandwich from the toaster oven. Nothing serious, just a bit painful.

Read more of my book, Saint X; am 57% done and not sure yet how I'd rate it. it's exceptionally well-written, but it's one of those books where you have to get to the end to know if you really liked it.

2:30- 3:15pm
Play a few games on Sporcle.com (love this site).

Play some WWF.

Add to my Fresh Direct order. Some things have fallen off (since I started  this order on Monday). Still trying unsuccessfully to get a free slot for delivery.


3:15 to 4:45pm
Play Virtual Canasta Game with friends Ellen, Shari T and Shari A. Many laughs and a major loss.

.

5pm-6:5pm
Attend a 9-person cocktail party with BAFTA friends. Despite the rule of not discussing "The Thing," as Lisa noted in the invitation, we can't totally ignore it. But most of the talk is positive, and it 's really great "seeing" everyone.

6:30pm
Catch up on the day's distressing news with Lester Holt.



7pm
Join other New Yorkers from all over the city who, at 7pm, open their windows and shout, bang, and clap. It's a small way of saying thank you to all those people who are putting themselves at risk so that we can remain safe. it also reminds us that we are not alone. 


7:30-8pm
Eat dinner... half of the amazing chicken pot pie I bought last week (and then froze) from Butterfields. 

More reading.


8pm- 
Write this blog post.

9pm-  
Check Fresh Direct for for an open delivery slot. Still none.

Watch mindless TV. 


So much to do.  Even while sheltered in place.

today

I haven't left my apartment since last Monday, except to pick up mail and throw away garbage. Yet despite my physical isolation I really haven't felt lonely. 

I speak to friends much more often than I ever did.

One friend, who has never been a phone-talker, insists on FaceTime (which I hate).

I now speak to my mom several times a day; she's doing great — even without the PT person coming.

I receive more genuinely funny videos and informative articles than I ever have before. — anything to make one smile or dispel myths is always welcome.

Life continues as near normal as one can make it. 

And despite now having many more phone conversations, there has been a definite shift in the kinds of questions people ask.

Here are just a few.

No longer asked:

• What are you doing today/tonight?

• What did you do this weekend?

• What will you do tomorrow?

• Did you know that Bergdorf's (Saks, Bloomingdales ...) is having a huge sale?

• Did you get tickets for (pick any play, concert, event, sports game ...)?

• Let's set a time to get together. What does your schedule look like? (And how ironic that so many of us are now always free).

• How's your job search going? (I left Saks in November, long story for another time).

Consistently asked:

• What are you cooking for dinner?

• Have you read anything really good lately? (The Tenant, and now Saint X).

• Are you having a problem getting a slot from Fresh Direct? (the next 7 days are totally booked).

• Is there anything you've seen on Netflix that you've loved?

• Did you watch Cuomo today? 

• And related: Can you let me know when Cuomo is on today?

• I have a sore throat (headache, stomach ache ... ); do you think that means anything?

• What day is it (as if the answer matters)?

• How many days have you self-quarantined? (I'm on day 7).

And then there are the things I'm so grateful for. Again, here are just a few.

• Healthcare workers and first responders
• Doorman and building support
• Delivery people
• Food stores and pharmacies
• Creative people who make those hilarious videos
• Dr. Fauci
• Governor Cuomo
• The internet
• Kindle
• My TV and all its content
• Zoom
• My incredible friends
• Family
• Being part of NYC, even now.

the art of grocery shopping

I am trying to stay out of grocery stores as much as possible.

Monday I was in Butterfields, and have been home, inside, since. But I need to replenish.

My first stop is Fresh Direct. Everyone used to be able to get one-day delivery. Now one is lucky to find an open delivery slot within a week. But that's okay, I am grateful we still have so many delivery options here. My order, placed on Tuesday, will arrive Sunday. In the meantime, I keep adding to it.

Today I order — for the first time —  from Butterfields. When my bags arrive, I leave them outside my door and unpack from there.

I'm now good for three more days.

The last time I did anything even remotely social was on March 11. I attended a BAFTA Board Meeting. On that day, there were 53 positive cases of Covid-19 reported in NYC. As of today, there are 23,112, and 365 deaths. To put this in perspective, in 2019, there were 315 homicides in NYC.

Everything I've heard says that  staying in is the safest place to be. 

I haven't left my house since Monday. Some people I know who have, remove their clothes as soon as they return home, throw them in the washer, and take a shower.  If I had a dog (and/or a washer and dryer), I'd be doing that too. 

It all still feels so unbelievable. Literally.

I find myself on the phone more.  And though everyone is tired of talking about anything related to the coronavirus, the conversation inevitably circles back to it. There's really little else to talk about these days. 

the upside of shelter in place

I have a friend who always says, "To be happy, I think you need something to look forward to." 

I agree. 

So I'm looking forward to time passing. I am hopeful that in four weeks, give or take, the worst of this pandemic will be over.

Going out is risky, and too much trouble. I saw this recently and it really made me laugh.

So for now, I am pretty much staying inside. And there are some benefits.

• I spend no time getting ready, since I am wearing zero makeup and yesterday's clothes.

• Whomever I call is always home. But now there is no good excuse for wanting to hang up.  It used to be that you could say things like, "Well, I better get going." But now if you say that someone can legitimately ask, "Why? Where are you going?" And then what do you say? Lame excuses like, I was just about to shower when you called? Or, Cuomo is on TV and I want to watch him? 

• I am saving $44/month since I canceled the NY Times today, as my building  no longer allows deliveries to apartment doors.

• Anything I have in the freezer (I typically don't keep much) will likely be eaten. Prior to now, I'd freeze something and then 8 months later toss it.

• I can now see if I'll have that gorgeous white-grey hair that some older woman have, or will I instead have the wiry, ugly kind that looks dreadful (it's looking like the latter).

• I am only spending money on food and the occasional medical/cleaning/household supply.  The other day I buy a thermometer as the one I purchased when Alexander was born no longer works. That was 27 years ago. 

• I finally get around to organizing, and sending out to print, my 2019 photo book, which took 3 full days to complete; it's a laborious process if you use Mimeo (via Apple) and don't autofill.

• But my 2019 Blog Book takes less than 30-minutes to complete. It's now out to be printed.

Today I  blow dry my hair even though I'm staying in and seeing no one.  
I'm just sick of looking at myself looking so bad. 
I even put on some lipstick, but no other 
makeup. That'd be going too far.

. 

selling on Craig's list in the age of covid-19

Almost two years ago I bought a new sofa. 

And for that same amount of time, I've been living with a coffee table I no longer like; it's too big for the sofa, and doesn't work aesthetically. 

But it's a piece of furniture that I once loved. I bought it at Bloomingdales. It was not inexpensive. And it still looks great. Just not in front of my sofa.

So a few weeks ago I decide to sell my coffee table on Craig's List. At first, I get the usual respondents: people who have a long, involved story about how they are willing to pay more but can't come in person but will send me a check. These people I ignore. But last night I get a simple email:

Hi is your coffee table on Craigslist still available for purchase?

Thanks,

Daniel

I answer yes. Daniel offers to buy it for less than I'm asking. I counteroffer. He accepts. Done. 

But the skeptic in me wonders if this is a legit offer. I ask Daniel if I can call him and he says yes.

I take that as a good sign.

We speak and he sounds totally normal and nice. He suggests coming over today. Before saying yes I ask a stupid question. "You're not sick are you?" 

Daniel and a friend stop by this afternoon. We don't shake hands. He both removes his shoes and keeps a safe distance from me — neither of which I request. This alone is reason to trust him.

He looks at the table. Likes it. Then takes out his phone and Venmos me the $365 we've agreed on.  

I ask him what kind of work he does. If my son were reading this blog (which he never does) he'd be rolling his eyes at my superfluous question.  Daniel smiles and looks almost embarrassed. "We're residents in anesthesiology." OMG, they're both doctors.

Before I say anything, Daniel adds, "But we haven't been around any coronavirus cases."

Daniel asks if I have a Clorox Wipe, which of course I do — like everyone else these days. 

He wipes down his new coffee table, says good-bye, and leaves. 

Seller and buyer are both happy.