The long Stage 4.
03 September 2020
The weeks have merged into one another since May. We had three weeks which felt almost normal, with the gym open and our lives back in the old routine except for Jay working at home. Then the cases of COVID in Melbourne started to climb, slowly at first and then alarmingly quickly, and we were back under even tighter restrictions (Stage 4) which have stretched through most of the Winter.
I have struggled a lot emotionally this year. The isolation at home, frequent rostering to the COVID OR at the public hospital and then cases of COVID at the nursing home where my mother resides as well as restrictions on visits and private carers have made it hard to find relief. I know it has been difficult for everyone. Jay has been incredibly patient with me; I would have been completely lost without him.
The curfew and travel restrictions removed the one leisure activity we had enjoyed earlier in the pandemic: being able to drive to the beach for the weekend. We had two pleasant weekends at Sorrento with friends, first with James and Tats and then with another James, Michael and Shaun and their twins. We took the opportunity with each trip to make a few changes to make the place more comfortable, but that has been on hold for two months because of the travel restrictions. We are very much looking forward to being allowed to drive there again.
The squat rack we had ordered arrived just as the gym reopened and briefly seemed like a waste of money. Over the last two months it has been a godsend as we have been able to do some worthwhile workouts. We bought a few more pieces of equipment: an EZ bar and some adjustable dumbbells.
To make the workouts more interesting, we have been coordinating with Derek in LA to do them together over FaceTime. It’s a little more like going to the gym when there’s someone else to chat with between sets. I also rearranged the garage to make some more room.
We celebrated Jay's birthday in isolation, and since he also organised a replacement birthday dinner for me at home, we had two fairly fancy dinners at home, one with food ordered from Attica and the other from Meatsmith and Piccolina. We're getting a bit better at judging what food is going to travel well. As for going out for dinner, we have rescheduled a number of times as the prohibition on restaurant service was extended and now we don't have any specific dates in mind. That seems to be a theme for 2020.
The Victorian Pride Centre is a major hub for LGBTIQ+ activity which is nearing completion in St Kilda. We happened to meet Stuart, one of the board members, on our cruise in February and signed up as supporters at ChillOut in March. As the building nears completion, they have been fundraising for completing the fit-out and we were pleased to get involved.
With the curfew and travel restrictions, our walks together have had to take place within 5km of home and be complete before 8pm. To help keep up the variety, Jay has been tracking which streets we have walked and adding them to a map. We are hoping that the pandemic is controlled before we complete the entire map.
Jay’s work has continued uninterrupted. He thinks he is less productive without being in the same room as the rest of the team. To make some of the work easier, EA shipped a Mac Pro to our house, adding a fourth and fifth screen to his desk. The study also seems to stay warm during the day now. He was also hoping to upgrade our internet connection at home. We were able to double the speed of our existing connection and have been working through the long process of organising an FTTP (fibre) connection.
While we waited for NBN to quote on the fibre connection, the local council decided to replace the street surface and coincidentally smashed the conduit through which the fibre would need to travel. They apparently repaired it but we’re waiting anxiously to see if the new asphalt needs to be dug up again when the NBN finally get to us.
My work has been very variable, with some weeks very quiet and some more busy than under normal circumstances. The public hospital work remains busy but very heavily weighted to cases in full PPE.
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I have struggled a lot emotionally this year. The isolation at home, frequent rostering to the COVID OR at the public hospital and then cases of COVID at the nursing home where my mother resides as well as restrictions on visits and private carers have made it hard to find relief. I know it has been difficult for everyone. Jay has been incredibly patient with me; I would have been completely lost without him.
The curfew and travel restrictions removed the one leisure activity we had enjoyed earlier in the pandemic: being able to drive to the beach for the weekend. We had two pleasant weekends at Sorrento with friends, first with James and Tats and then with another James, Michael and Shaun and their twins. We took the opportunity with each trip to make a few changes to make the place more comfortable, but that has been on hold for two months because of the travel restrictions. We are very much looking forward to being allowed to drive there again.
The squat rack we had ordered arrived just as the gym reopened and briefly seemed like a waste of money. Over the last two months it has been a godsend as we have been able to do some worthwhile workouts. We bought a few more pieces of equipment: an EZ bar and some adjustable dumbbells.
To make the workouts more interesting, we have been coordinating with Derek in LA to do them together over FaceTime. It’s a little more like going to the gym when there’s someone else to chat with between sets. I also rearranged the garage to make some more room.
We celebrated Jay's birthday in isolation, and since he also organised a replacement birthday dinner for me at home, we had two fairly fancy dinners at home, one with food ordered from Attica and the other from Meatsmith and Piccolina. We're getting a bit better at judging what food is going to travel well. As for going out for dinner, we have rescheduled a number of times as the prohibition on restaurant service was extended and now we don't have any specific dates in mind. That seems to be a theme for 2020.
The Victorian Pride Centre is a major hub for LGBTIQ+ activity which is nearing completion in St Kilda. We happened to meet Stuart, one of the board members, on our cruise in February and signed up as supporters at ChillOut in March. As the building nears completion, they have been fundraising for completing the fit-out and we were pleased to get involved.
With the curfew and travel restrictions, our walks together have had to take place within 5km of home and be complete before 8pm. To help keep up the variety, Jay has been tracking which streets we have walked and adding them to a map. We are hoping that the pandemic is controlled before we complete the entire map.
Jay’s work has continued uninterrupted. He thinks he is less productive without being in the same room as the rest of the team. To make some of the work easier, EA shipped a Mac Pro to our house, adding a fourth and fifth screen to his desk. The study also seems to stay warm during the day now. He was also hoping to upgrade our internet connection at home. We were able to double the speed of our existing connection and have been working through the long process of organising an FTTP (fibre) connection.
While we waited for NBN to quote on the fibre connection, the local council decided to replace the street surface and coincidentally smashed the conduit through which the fibre would need to travel. They apparently repaired it but we’re waiting anxiously to see if the new asphalt needs to be dug up again when the NBN finally get to us.
My work has been very variable, with some weeks very quiet and some more busy than under normal circumstances. The public hospital work remains busy but very heavily weighted to cases in full PPE.
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