Covid In The House

Hello Family and Friends,

It has been a trying week, to be sure. We've been mostly stuck at home so there won't be as many neato pictures for you all to see. 

An Unwanted Surprise

On Monday of last week I was out doing my usual weekly yard work. I mowed, weeded, watered the plants, and even removed an old tree stump I have been tripping on a bunch. 

When I was done, I walked into the house and Amber turns to me and jokingly says, "The test was positive. We're having a baby. A Covid baby!" Well, she was basically saying she tested positive for covid, despite not having symptoms. Both of us are part of a program where we take a survey each week and if they think we should get a test, we go in for a test. That is how Amber found out. 

Well, I immediately got down to work cleaning the whole house with bleach. Amber went into the bedroom and set up her office in there instead. I got all the stuff I needed out of the closet and moved into my office for a while. Amber has the upstairs bathroom and I the basement one. 

We've been mostly separated ever since. I take care of all the cooking, cleaning, house work, feeding the cats, etc. Amber has mostly stayed quarantined in the bedroom. That has been the hardest for her. She feels useless, but that is just how it goes sometimes. It only seems odd because she feels fine. If she were sick and I were doing everything to take care of her, it would feel a little more normal. 

But I'm happier with her feeling okay and a little upset about being stuck in the bedroom with me taking care of her and getting her food and stuff than having her really ill. 

Sleeping Separate

So, right away I started sleeping in the office. I blew up the air mattress the first night and got it all set. Then the cats came in and the first thing I hear is a hissing noise of air escaping. I knew Lestat had poked it. Argh! So, out he went. I attempted to patch the hole with a bit of super glue and it seemed to work at first. However, when I woke up the next morning I was practically on the floor. 

So, I ordered some Duct Tape and it came the next day in the mail. I patched it up and it works fine. However, my back still hurts from sleeping on the stupid thing. 

The nights have been strange, being in separate rooms with the door closed so the cats can't get in. In some small way, it has been nice. It reminds me of how much I used to stay up late reading or writing when I was single. That had always been my time. Quiet, before bed, just doing my thing. 

I still prefer sleeping with Amber. 

Getting Tested

As a result of Amber's positive test, I had to go get tested as well. I went to the CVS drive thru and was really impressed with their testing process. You just drive up to the window and they take a picture of your insurance card. They give you directions on how to administer the test to yourself and then slid it through the drawer so there is no contact between the patient and test administrator. 

It was a swab in the nose that tickled but wasn't like the painful one like Amber's where they put it way up the nasal passage. 

After the test was done I dropped it in the Quest Diagnostics box outside and drove home. It was a much easier process than expected.

The only downside is a long wait for results. I still haven't heard back and it could still be a few days.

Finding the Normal

It has been a struggle to find some sense of normalcy in this week. Amber is really lonely being in that room alone.

I've tried to make her really nice meals whenever I can. Waffles or omelets for breakfast. Bean burgers and salads for dinners. Etc. That way she has at least something nice.

We've also tried to figure out ways to spend time together.

At first we tried a thing where we watched the same streaming movie at the same time. It was really difficult to get anything queued up. Amber found a website that lets you co-stream youtube. But that limited us to the small selection of free movies on their site. 

We watched the 90s version of Man in the Iron Mask with Leonard Decaprio. It was pretty melodramatic and embarrassing, but kind of fun anyway. 

We also tried playing an app game (Boggle) together over our phones, but we hated it. Every stupid app wants you to put in a bunch of info. No thanks.

I tried to think of any way we could possibly play cards or another game together but came up with no answers. 

I read her a book, but my voice gets tired after one chapter. 

After a few days, we decided it was okay for her to come out of the room to watch TV as long as she wore a mask and didn't touch any doorknobs or light switches or whatnot. 

Since then we've been doing a lot of binge-watching and catching up on shows. We finally finished The Witcher on Netflix which was excellent. We finished The Mandalorian on Disney+ which I really liked. I think I like it more than any of the Star Wars movies. I think that's because it is less about Jedi and more about the fringe underbelly of the galaxy. Finally, we've been watching Man in the High Castle on Prime. It is a show about what life would be like if we lost WWII. It's not as good as the other two shows we watched, but not bad so far. 

We also watched Frozen II which we hadn't seen yet and both enjoyed it. 

I've also decided to start rereading Harry Potter. It is a comforting and familiar story that takes me to another world and helps out during this time of being trapped inside the house. Taylor said he'd read it with me. I think he is already way past where I am in the book. (Harry only just got to Hogwarts).

Meeting Taylor

Taylor and I met to play Dungeons and Dragons again this week and it was even more meaningful for me to have time with someone to hang out since Amber and I are quarantined and not going anywhere. It always is something I look forward to, but it felt like a lifesaver to a drowning man this time. Lol. Thanks, Taylor. 

I've also tried to find other games we can possibly play over video, but I'm not sure it is going to happen. We discussed playing Munchkin (I got him Munchkin Harry Potter for his birthday) or Villainous over video. However, Taylor owns those games and I'd need my own copy to play, which I don't. Also, we're fine doing DnD for now, I think. 

Work

Work has become my fallback this week. I've basically worked nonstop because I don't know what else to do. Amber keeps telling me to take it easy and not overwork myself. 

I put out a new physical board game called Blood & Gold. I made the print and play version well over a year ago, but finally did a physical version which people seem to like. The prototype looks nice. I'm going to try and get my Sleepy Hollow board game I released last Halloween out in physical edition in time for Halloween this year.

Also, in being stuck at home, I realized how important virtual social interaction is. Especially from Taylor this week. 

The company that made Munchkin released official guidelines for playing their game over video chat which impressed me since I've not seen many game companies doing that. 

It made me want to make something similar. So, I wrote a whole supplemental rulebook for my roleplaying game with rules and tips for playing with friends, specifically over video chat. I just released it today and am giving it away for free since I want people to have access to it. I hope it helps people stuck at home like Amber and I. I know it would be especially meaningful for people who are separate in their own homes. 

Well, that is all for this week.

-Noah