Self Isolation

No serials for a while.  Today, though, I want to get a few things off my mind about the self-isolation, physical distancing we need to do to slow the pandemic.

I am naturally an introvert.  Thanks to an incompetent government, I have had extended unemployment where I couldn't afford to go anywhere.  Being alone was something I thought I could do.

Except...

Except that I had a social life of sorts, with gaming with friends.  I got out to the library, getting some fresh air and spending time job hunting.  I got out for groceries.

Now?  I'm discovering that I can't completely shut myself in.  I found a good contract, one where the position is considered essential, so I am managing to work.  I was also one of the first to try working from home, and considering that I'm in a call centre of sorts, it's working out better than expected.  The gaming groups are finding a workaround with Tabletop Simulator.  I can order DVDs, books, games, and cushions and have them delivered to me.

I don't have to leave the apartment to work.  I don't have to leave the apartment to game.  I don't have to leave the apartment to shop.

Problem is, I do have to get out to get groceries and do laundry.  I live alone, and if something needs to be done, I have to do it.  And some of my shopping is through just browsing.  I seldom go to a store for DVDs or books or games with a specific title in mind.  I search the racks, looking for something interesting or something I can use for Lost in Translation.  Most of the exercise I get is from walking - to the bus, from the bus, through the building at work during breaks, In the time I've been working from home, the weather has gotten warmer and the ice has melted off the sidewalk.  Walking would've gotten easier.  Instead, I'm cooped up in my apartment.

I need to get out.  Not just for groceries but for exercise.  To be able to keep walkign despite ailments taking advantage of the downtime.  I prefer having a place to go to, but that's not possible now.  Right now, thanks to an old back injury and arthritis, walking around the block leaves me in pain.  That's not good.  But there's no other way to get out.

Time will tell if we ever get back to working in buildings together.  I'm hoping for not too much time.  Turns out, I need some human contact, even if I'm on the periphery of it.

Today, over at Psycho Drive-In, Self-Isolation and Creativity
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Surprise!  It's an Adaptation!