Social Distancing Diaries: April 4

My birthday went well, all things considered. A lot of people took the time to send greetings over Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, I spoke with my family on the phone for a little bit, I ordered dinner in from Swiss Chalet, and had the cheesecake I bought on Wednesday.

I’m trying to tell myself I don’t need to get anything accomplished outside of work, and this time of slowdown is going to last a little while. I still feel a little guilty when I sleep a little longer than usual on the weekends or spend more time watching peoples’ Instagram stories than reading my unread books or watching my unwatched DVDs. I sometimes wonder if I should do a better job reaching out. I’m used to the hermit life; I don’t know whether this is a good or bad thing, though.

I’ve been logging into Facebook and Twitter periodically from my computer. It’s nice not to be overwhelmed with the news about the pandemic, but I do miss some of the easy access to conversation threads or seeing what other people are up to. Maybe eventually I’ll put one or both back on my phone. I’m trying to figure out what form my needs for connection take. There’s only so much I’m willing to share publicly.

In the meantime, I always appreciate e-mails, and if you want to just keep in contact without giving your e-mail address away, there’s always this form.