From my bunker to yours
Hi again!
Lol what if I sent last week's intended newsletter about the Pussycat Dolls and didn't even acknowledge how completely fucked things are right now? No, sadly my ode to Nicole Scherzinger didn't feel appropriate to send as the country began to shut down - maybe next week. Ummmm what the fuuuuuuuck. What a scary bad sad time for the world!!
A Brief Briefing On My Personal Woes
Today marks one full week of coronavirus isolation for me. Lots of Bad Things happened in my life in the past week, and for now I actually don't feel like extensively unpacking them! Maybe later. I do feel like acknowledging them, so here's a quick rundown. Last weekend I was supposed to fly to Seattle with my boyfriend for his friend's wedding. Unsurprisingly, that did not happen. We cancelled the trip the same day my job shut down; I'm unemployed for at least a month, although I feel like it will end up being longer. Tuesday I woke up to the news that a friend had died, and five minutes later I found out someone had crashed into my parked car during the night. Deeply shitty stuff.
With the exception of Tuesday's events, I've felt grateful for my circumstances within the global chaos. I'm not living paycheck-to-paycheck, so I should be okay financially for the time being. I love my apartment and my roommates, who have been great fun to be sequestered with. I'm not missing out on any major milestones like I would've almost any previous year. As far as I'm aware, my friends and family are all still healthy and safe. It's not lost on me how many people are genuinely suffering already while I dust my bookshelf and watch She's the Man. I sincerely hope you're in a similar-ish boat, and if not then I hope things improve soon and you get to cut to the front of the line for whose life gets to improve first.
Things keeping me sane: my friend Alec's daily cartoon Mr. Boop. Sharing meals with my roommates. Painting my nails. Ignoring my phone for hours. Ramping up production on the knitting project I've been working on for two years. A 500 piece puzzle of a tree throughout the four seasons. Reminding myself every day that COVID-19 is not the disease from I Am Legend. Taking things one day at a time!!!!!
Things bumming me out: many, many, many things, but I don't want to bum you out further so I'll just say one: the Navarro College cheerleaders' Instagram posts the day Daytona was cancelled.
Things I panic-bought at Ralphs last week: a four pound container of crunchy peanut butter, pork, and a bouquet of sunflowers.
Randomest businesses to email me about their updated COVID-19 policies: White Heat Yoga (I took maybe five classes in January 2019 during a two week trial) and Bowtie Cinemas of South Orange, New Jersey.
Conspiracy theories I might try to spread if I get really bored and mean: Katy Perry created coronavirus so she never has to sing "Never Really Over" on tour (it's too hard). RuPaul created coronavirus so I would be home at 8 PM on Fridays to watch Drag Race. Someone else at my office took those three rolls of toilet paper, random packets of oatmeal, and box of Cliff bars, def not me.
I might send newsletters out more frequently in the coming weeks; I'm hopeful I'll use this vast amount of free time to write more instead of just watching Burlesque every day. But hey, I'm unemployed - I can probably squeeze in both!
How are you doing? What can I do to bolster your spirit? Here's a list of 25 things I am enthusiastically willing do for you. Pick one, reply to this with the number, and I promise to get right on it!
Send you a postcard or letter
Schedule a time to chit chat on the phone
Recommend a book, a movie, and a TV show
Spell out your name with the food I have stockpiled
Weigh in on anything you're considering buying online
Watch a movie you know deep down you'll never get around to watching and send you a video of me summarizing it
Make you a playlist
Make you a collage
Guess your middle name
Workshop/edit something you've written
Take your side in an argument you're having
Tell you a secret
Keep a secret
Draw an image of your choosing
Pull an Angel Card for you
Send you a poem I wrote
Send you a poem someone else wrote
Curate a YouTube playlist for you
Email you a pic of a random page from my journal
Spend an hour cleaning my apartment and think about you the whole time
Poke you on Facebook
Work with you on a difficult crossword puzzle
Stream your band's music on Spotify while I sleep
Venmo you a dollar
Tell you honestly if I think you'd look good with bangs
Stay safe out there! Stay inside if you can!! I'll email you about the Pussycat Dolls soon!!!
[Originally published on TinyLetter]