Unlike my time in quarantine, this week away from the office I was able to get out and
about. In fact, today my girlfriend and I went out together to Ocean City, Maryland and Assateague Island. A day trip we’ve been hoping to do for a while now, we shopped at a small antique shop, explored Assateague Island’s sand dunes, and even saw a few of the island’s wild horses! It was a much needed getaway considering the past month. Just getting back from the Eastern Shore, I think my favorite parts of the trip came from the beach. It was a cool day, lightly cloudy with some slight winds, the smallest of whitecaps on the waves of the Atlantic. Walking in the surf, I thought of my dad, and his love for the water. How, whenever we’re together near the ocean in the Lower 48, he typically takes his socks off and stuffs them in his Sambas, holding them and wading into the water. The last couple of times we’ve been together and done that – last fall when we drove to Kitty Hawk together and another time at Huntington Beach in California – it’s just been him and me. I can’t go to a beach and not wade in now when we’re apart, thinking of him. Walking along the dunes with my girlfriend, I also loved the sunset. The sky turned from a hazy mix of clouds and grey sky into this wonderful kaleidoscope of blues, purples, pinks, oranges, and reds, broken only by the contrails of airplanes thousands of feet up. As the sunset to the West, the moon rose in the East over the sea, casting a bright pure white sheen over the darkening sea. And in the middle of it all, at least from my perspective, was my girlfriend. The way the wind played through her hair. The way her eyes looked reflecting the light. Her smile and laugh. She was angelic. I’m very grateful I could spend that time with her. As we drove back, listening to NPR and enjoying one another’s company, I couldn’t help but to think of all of the things I’m thankful for in this world – my family, my girlfriend, my friends, my health, my financial security… I could go on and on. I am incredibly fortunate to have all that I have and I thank God, my parents, and my family for everything I am and everything I have. Writing now, I’m so very grateful for my life and everything I have, from the ability to go on day trips like the one my girlfriend and I went on today to my life itself. I look forward to more opportunities to get out and see the world. And hope that I keep a sense of humility as I do so. This world is the host of so much beauty and wonder, I can’t wait to see more of it. With my dad, with my girlfriend, with my family and friends. I hope post-pandemic, we can all go out again with greater regularity. But for now, I’ll enjoy the opportunities of the moment, and the memories of yesteryear.
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I’m into the second week of quarantine, and I have never needed a haircut more badly. I
feel scruffy and scraggly with it all grown out. I’m beginning to get restless and impatient at being restricted to the 900 or so square feet of the apartment, and look forward to going on a walk as soon as I possibly can. My girlfriend and I both received our first negative tests last week, and are waiting to hear back on our second tests now. It’s been amazing to spend so much time with her. As much as I feel frustrated now at needing a haircut and being restricted to living in a small apartment, I wouldn’t rather quarantine with anybody else. She’s the only person I think I could spend so much time in such a confined space with without becoming ornery and disheartened. That being said, I really hope we’re able to get our second negative tests back soon so I can head back to work. I never thought I’d miss the commute so badly, not to mention my coworkers and the work itself. For all the glamor of working from home, getting out and changing environments has a lot going for it. I miss working in a suit or khakis in an office. Working from home and only from home is not the most productive thing for me. I’m itching to leave the apartment and get out into the real world again. Staying cooped up is not for me. Back to Work! It happened! My girlfriend and I received our second negative tests and are out of quarantine! Today, I was able to come back to the office for the first time in farrrrrrrrr too long, and boy have I missed it. Coming back to my desk earlier was like returning to my room in my parents’ house. Catching up with everyone was amazing for my mental health, and for the first time in a while I felt like I was getting back on track. I think it’s the only time I wished the work week was longer, especially since we were told we’d have all of next week off to celebrate Thanksgiving. I couldn’t get enough of dressing up for work. Putting back on my favorite khakis and sweater, I felt like I was coming into the office for the first time. Though I’m usually excited to head in to work, today was a new high. I can’t wait for the week after Thanksgiving. It’s been too long. This week has been full of good news and bad news. The good news came Saturday, when it
was announced that former Vice President Joe Biden will be the next President of the United States. I breathed a sigh of relief at the news, knowing that the election is finally over. D.C. breathed with me, as the entire city erupted in cheers. From the Mall to Maryland, cars were honking their horns, people were yelling and waving American flags. Exhilaration and exuberance abounded. Driving through the city, it was as if the United States had just won some great war against tyranny. The streets were flooded by people in cars, honking and blasting music. It was the greatest singular celebration I have ever seen. The next day brought bad news for me. Two of my close friends reported positive coronavirus cases, and were in quarantine together with high fevers and bad coughs. Having celebrated together on election night, I immediately began to quarantine as well. I texted my supervisor with the bad news, and per CDC guidelines am intent on waiting things out as I hope for two negative tests over the course of two weeks. I feel fine now, and hope that doesn’t change, but we’ll see. In the past I’ve always gotten really sick at least once in the fall semester. Freshman year I caught the flu and had the worst fever and chills I’ve ever had in my life. I don’t even fully remember the week I was sick, only that I got up one day and felt like I had been hit with a stack of bricks. Everything is sort of hazy from there on through. Now, in quarantine with my girlfriend, I’m trying to look at the bright side. I’m not able to work on anything for the office, but I’ve been able to spend some time going over work for school that I haven’t had the time to work on. The opportunity has also allowed me to put in some more work towards extracurricular organizations I’m involved in. And, admittedly, it has been nice to just take some time and relax. As I mentioned last week, I don’t think I’ve been able to truly relax for some time, with the anxiety and stress wrought by the pandemic and the election. Taking some time to play a computer game or watch a tv show and decompress may just be a blessing in disguise. In any case, I’m sad I’m missing out on work. I had hoped to be there after the election results were revealed, and I’m disappointed I wasn’t able to see my coworkers’ reactions to Senator Sullivan’s reelection victory. I’m disappointed I won’t be able to have lunch with my fellow interns, or help a coworker move. But, working off of what I can control, I am dedicated to keeping others safe, even if it means I have to quarantine for a while. So for this week and next, I’ll be working in an apartment, not the Hart building. I’ve kept the television on all-day, though I don’t dare look at it. I feel like a sports fan, not
wanting to jinx results I have no control over but immense interest in. I’ve kept to busy work today, working in the office. It’s so weird to think that by tomorrow morning, this place could look entirely different. Working at the center of American governance on the day of the election, it feels like going back to school the day before graduation. Everything feels decided already, but the nervousness is still there. It’s a weird limbo. I’m looking forward to going back to my apartment later tonight and spending some time with my friends reviewing the results together. Today doesn’t feel like a good time to wear a suit or khakis, but to be with friends and family. The Days After: It’s still too close to call. I don’t think North Carolina is going for Biden, but it seems like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia just might by the slimmest of margins. Having things this close… it feels almost like sleep paralysis. Cognition of reality is there, but action over it is impossible for some reason. Throughout D.C., places are still boarded up. People exchange worried, tentative glances in grocery stores and on buses. It’s like everyone’s waiting for something to give. The tension has eased a bit, but nobody has been able to decompress. Every time I check NPR, or get a buzz on my phone from Twitter, I keep hoping to see some clarity in the election results, but states are taking their time. Nevada in particular is really dragging its feet. Alaska too is taking a while. With so many mail in ballots to count, results are farrrr behind showing clear winners anywhere, but I think certain races are able to be called now. If the early returns indicate anything, it seems that I was right earlier. I think the Senator is coming back to D.C. I can’t wait to be in the office when those results are announced. In the meantime, I’ll go back through the readings I mentioned a few weeks ago. I’ve got them all in a couple of binders now, and am trying to read as much as I can when work is low like it is now. Hopefully it’ll be a good distraction from the static results we’ve got. |
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Photo used under Creative Commons from Mike Juvrud