— चार हजार सात सौ चौंतीस —

Yesterday felt like it came and went unusually quickly, for really no reason other than I actually had a social activity in the late afternoon: Alexia, our direct condo neighbor to the east, was actually ready to go by 4:46, when she texted me; we were leaving at probably 4:50. And we were together(ish) for the next two hours, walking to my office and back.

I actually feel like I was more successful at keeping a minimum 6 feet of distance from her for more of it than the last time (which was also the first time) we did this walk, Tuesday the week before last. We might otherwise have walked again sooner, but that last walk was on April 21, and I had thought I would wait for my order of cloth masks from Amazon to arrive. That first order never came, and the replacement order still hasn't arrived; Amazon says it's arriving tomorrow, but we'll see. Whatever the case, I got the cloth masks Karen made for us on Tuesday this week, and did not need to go to the office again until yesterday. I did still have the flimsier mask from Shobhit's work that I used on our last walk, but I found it very frustrating in how it would shift around the more I talked; I did not have nearly as much of that kind of issue with the mask made by Karen. Also, I was too busy with Birth Week activities between Friday April 24 and this past Sunday (May 3) anyway.

So, this was just all around the best time for my next walk with Alexia. She had her own different mask on too, one with what looked like thinner fabric, green, and which also looked like it fit her more comfortably. The weather was so nice yesterday it was the first day all year I was outside and had no need for a jacket. Alexia did wear her jacket, saying she was "a wimp," but I couldn't imagine it; it remained in the sixties but it was still sunny, and I was slightly sweaty by the time we actually got back and had walked all the way up Capitol Hill again.

It takes nearly an hour to walk that distance one way, and I took ten or fifteen minutes inside the office itself—filing the paperwork in their store-specific folders, picking up the next stack, and as usual raiding the pantry for a sweet snack. I also grabbed another cup to put flavoring syrup in to make today's work tea a "London Fog" tea latte, and this time I actually had the presence of mind to put tape over the little hole in the cup lid for extra protection from spilling. I always had my bag hanging over my shoulder so this time there was no risk of it falling over, but still, if what happened on Tuesday taught me anything, it's that you can never be too careful.

Anyway. It was nice just to have someone to hang out with. God knows how many more weeks, maybe months, it will be before I can actually visit friends in person again. Right now, aside from Shobhit—and this morning we got into our first uber-stupid argument since the stay-home orders started two months ago—Alexia is really the only option I've got. Still, though, I cannot overstate the gratitude I have for video chat technology. Virtual Happy Hour with Laney this evening, yay!

— चार हजार सात सौ चौंतीस —

— चार हजार सात सौ चौंतीस —

I made myself a bagel sandwich for dinner, and did not make Shobhit dinner. I thought maybe he'd have leftover magi when he got home—we have so much of it—but, like me, he did not want that since it was what he'd had for lunch. Still, he would not have liked any sandwich I made for him as much as the one he just went ahead and made for himself, so it worked out. I did have chai just-finished when he got home, so I still did something for him!

We then proceeded to watch three episodes of the Netflix series Never Have I Ever. We didn't even bother with more episodes of the other two episodes we started the night before last; this one is just by far the best of the three. I'm guessing we'll return to the others, though.

— चार हजार सात सौ चौंतीस —

Weather is arguably even better today. Pushing 70° just as I write this, forecast high of 76°. That's got to be making it more of a challenge to maintain the stay-home orders through the end of May. We're not even halfway through the month yet. I did read, encouragingly, that with the state parks reopened this week, they were actually not too crowded as many feared. This state is not without its dipshits, but by and large—especially in Seattle—I feel like people in this part of the country are really taking these things seriously. Which is good.

— चार हजार सात सौ चौंतीस —

[posted 12:45 pm]