{"id":906,"date":"2020-03-22T19:00:25","date_gmt":"2020-03-23T02:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/?p=906"},"modified":"2020-03-22T19:00:32","modified_gmt":"2020-03-23T02:00:32","slug":"isolation-week-1-toe-nails-tarot-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/isolation-week-1-toe-nails-tarot-cards\/","title":{"rendered":"Isolation Week 1 \u2013 Toe Nails & Tarot Cards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last week, the inevitable happened. The schools shut down, much of my city shut down, and my company issued a work-from-home mandate. I can\u2019t say I was surprised, however I took the news with mixed emotions. Sunday night, as we read email after email about closures, the whole pandemic hit home and live became surreal. But I went to bed that night thinking \u201cIt will be kinda nice to work from home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
At least my workspace is inspiring!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Monday came and went. Working from home was, in fact, \u2018kinda\nnice\u2019. I got through a fair amount of what I term \u201cbusy work\u201d . . . the little\nthings that need to get done, but other priorities tend to push to back burner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Why are you working and not petting me?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tuesday came and went. Not only was our puppers, Mochi, a bit confused as to why all of us were home, The Boo also gave me an odd look every time I went downstairs to make coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
I can’t decide if your presence is annoying or irritating.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Wednesday came . . . and the anxiety hit. The walls were closing in, I couldn\u2019t get comfortable, I couldn\u2019t relax. If I sat here for one more minute, I\u2019d go mad. So instead of Mochi begging me for walkies, I leashed her up and drug her out. She didn\u2019t mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
March comes in like a lion and out like a jerk.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Thursday came and went much better. No feelings of impending\ndoom, no walls closing in. Just the stink eye from The Boo. \u201cWhy are you here,\nand why aren\u2019t you giving me snacks?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Get back to work!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Friday. Yay Friday! At least, I think it was Friday. As I logged into work that morning, it occurred to me that every day had felt like a Saturday. Although I set my alarm to wake me at 7AM during the week, the routine wasn\u2019t there. Sure, I fed The Boo (lest she plot my demise later). Sure, I walked The Moche. But other than that, I didn\u2019t leave the house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Does this hat make me look fat? (or bald?)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I felt like I was reliving Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. The same thing, day in and day out. Although Mr. Nenshi hadn\u2019t ordered the city to stay indoors, it was strongly encouraged<\/em>. \u201cTreat everyone you meet as if they have COVID-19,\u201d the news tells us. Soon, the walks meant we crossed the street to avoid anyone and everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I felt so isolated. I felt so alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I need a hobby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My go-to has always been nail art. It\u2019s the one thing that\ngot me through my first diagnosis of Panic Disorder and Generalized Anxiety\nDisorder. But, let\u2019s face it, we only have so many fingers and toes. I painted\nthem all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
St. Patty’s Day – bars closed but nails sparkling.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I still need another hobby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bout of spring cleaning not too long ago turned up my old\nlock box. Inside it, my aged deck of the Russian Tarot of St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Such a beautiful deck.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I had read tarot over a decade ago and it took a few test\nspreads for it to start coming back to me. As the days wore on, I kept at my\ntarot cards until I became comfortable enough to read again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It used to freak me out when the Death card appeared in my\nreadings, but in general the card means transformation, and a time of change\nand new beginnings, but usually in an unexpected and shocking way. Yeah, no\nkidding. Thanks, COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Quite an accurate reading, especially The Emperor reversed. I know who you are! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So, with Week 1 down and a new hobby under my belt, I look forward to the challenges Week 2 will bring. This week we\u2019ve seen all socially active places shut down, a total stop to international travel, the border between us and our Yankee neighbours to the south closed, and an alarming shortage of toilet paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
No toilet paper, but there is a rawhide chew bone! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Things were getting sketchy at home in the T.P. department until a hot tip led us to one particular grocery store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
My preciousssssss<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For next week, I\u2019m wondering if the strongly encouraged<\/em> advice to stay indoors will switch to mandatory isolation. I\u2019m expecting this week to be the bare minimum of isolation time, since the virus takes 14 days to show its ugly face. In all honesty, I\u2019m still expecting at least two more additional weeks of isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
You said it!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The bright spot it that this week we\u2019ve learned the epicentre of the virus, Wuhan, is getting back on its feet and its industry slowly restarting. Makes me hopeful for us over here that June is our target date for surviving this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Soak up that vitamin D!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Who would have ever thought that a modern day plague could\nhit?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But hey, they say Shakespeare wrote King Lear while in isolation from the Black Plague. I\u2019m eyeing my fourth book with those very same aspirations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Until next week!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Rissa<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week, the inevitable happened. The schools shut down, much of my city shut down, and my company issued a work-from-home mandate. I can\u2019t say I was surprised, however I took the news with mixed emotions. Sunday night, as we read email after email about closures, the whole pandemic hit home and live became surreal. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[74,95,3],"tags":[96],"class_list":["post-906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anxiety","category-covid19","category-day-to-day","tag-covid19","post-preview"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6odz9-eC","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":925,"url":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/isolation-week-2-junk-journaling\/","url_meta":{"origin":906,"position":0},"title":"Isolation Week 2 – Junk Journaling","author":"Rissa Renae","date":"March 29, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The second week of COVID-19 isolation is done. I think. Why are you still here? Why is winter still here, too? I dunno. Round about Wednesday or so, I lost track of the days. Every day felt like a Thursday. So after the third Thursday in a row, I started\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "COVID19"","block_context":{"text":"COVID19","link":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/category\/covid19\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Junk Journaling","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BlogHead_JunkJournal.jpg?fit=800%2C799&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BlogHead_JunkJournal.jpg?fit=800%2C799&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BlogHead_JunkJournal.jpg?fit=800%2C799&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BlogHead_JunkJournal.jpg?fit=800%2C799&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":592,"url":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/i-tried-but-june-sucked\/","url_meta":{"origin":906,"position":1},"title":"I tried but June sucked","author":"Rissa Renae","date":"July 9, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Soooo . . . I had this great plan for June. I was going to write up a storm, I was going to post here, there, and everywhere. I was going to make blazing progress in all my WIP\u2019s. And then \u2018it\u2019 happened. Pneumonia. (It takes talent to contract pneumonia\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/CompanyWhileSick-300x257.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":985,"url":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/isolation-week-4-gone-to-the-birds\/","url_meta":{"origin":906,"position":2},"title":"Isolation – Week 4 – Gone to the Birds","author":"Rissa Renae","date":"April 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard the adage, April showers bring May flowers. This year, however, April has been snowy and bitterly cold. We should be seeing temps in the high single digits (that\u2019s high 40\u2019s for my fellow Americans), but we\u2019ve had temperatures fall as low as -14C (that\u2019s about 7\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "COVID19"","block_context":{"text":"COVID19","link":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/category\/covid19\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/2020_WinterPorch.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/2020_WinterPorch.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/2020_WinterPorch.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/2020_WinterPorch.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1225,"url":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/2022\/01\/covid-19-and-new-years-resolutions\/","url_meta":{"origin":906,"position":3},"title":"COVID-19 and New Year\u2019s Resolutions","author":"Rissa Renae","date":"January 16, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019m late to the game on the whole New Year\u2019s Resolutions thing, but I have a good excuse. With this most recent variant, the probability of catching the virus went up a substantial amount. Going by numbers in my city, it appears to be about a 20%-25% jump. 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Although I\u2019ve experienced nothing since, I still kept my appointment with my optometrist to make sure there\u2019s nothing wrong with my eyes. Dr. Google pointed me towards the direction of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mental Health"","block_context":{"text":"Mental Health","link":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/category\/mental-health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/BlizzardsMigraines.jpg?fit=500%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":945,"url":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/isolation-week3-even-my-house-hippo-wants-out\/","url_meta":{"origin":906,"position":5},"title":"Isolation Week3 \u2013 Even My House Hippo Wants Out!","author":"Rissa Renae","date":"April 6, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Well, March came in like a lion\u2026 but out like a jerk. Snow, frigid weather, nasty windchills. Like, what the heck Mother Nature? Yeah, we may be confined to the neighbourhood, but I still have to walk my dog! Instead of the hoodies and jeans I should be wearing, I\u2019m\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "COVID19"","block_context":{"text":"COVID19","link":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/category\/covid19\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/HouseHippo4.jpg?fit=356%2C356&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=906"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/906\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":924,"href":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/906\/revisions\/924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rissarenae.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}