Whew. Quarantine, y’all. There’s a lot to cover:

First: Shoutout to my friend, Claudia for fixing my blog today. It’s been messed up after a hosting change and she hooked me up with some much-needed site maintenance today. THANK YOU, GIRL.

Second: So pandemics are the worst. Along with all the death, devastation, and economic loss, it’s hard just feeling like you can’t help if you’re not an essential worker. We’re all coping in different ways.

The first month for me was full of cocktails, baking, movies, shock on a daily basis at the news, and pivoting my entire business to run workouts online (and figuring out all the tech that type of move requires).

The second month (now) is me feeling like I can get back to some semblance of a routine, which feels better. I’ve cut back on the drinking (so my pants stay fitting), I’m getting better sleep, I’m spending as much time as possible outside – way far from other people – and I’m back to making to-do lists and crushing them… including getting back to this little blog.

I don’t feel like I have to write here. I feel like I want to. Blogs have been rendered almost obsolete thanks to Instagram and youtube, but I still like this space and sometimes prefer writing more than just a short caption on a photo. Anyway…

Without further ado, here are the

Things That Are My Jam Right Now: Quarantine Edition

• Netflix (obviously). I binged The Haunting of Hill House, and loved Contagion, the Pandemic series, and am making my way through Ken Burns’ Vietnam documentary.
• Movie rentals. Thank goodness for iTunes. I watched a bunch of things I’d never seen before: Mean Girls, Steel Magnolias, Ferris Beuller’s Day Off, Onward. Good times.
• Frederick Joseph raising money and giving it away in $200 to anybody that needs money for rent/food/bills. They’ve given away over $80k so far. Check it out on twitter.
• Warm weather. I for one am grateful that all this shit is happening during the spring months. At least I can sit outside in the sun if I have to dodge contagion from the public.
• A healthy foot. My foot feels better after the last 10 months of pain. I’ve started running again this week (just a mile and some change to start out with).
• Earth Day. Shoutout to this gorgeous place we call home. At least Mother Nature is getting a little TLC right now with all of us staying in place. Trying to do my best not to create more waste though.
• Zoom. As much as I’m hating doing all these video calls, this app has allowed me to stay in business, stay connected with friends, and keep teaching TRX courses to hundreds of out-of-work trainers and instructors all over the world. It’s not much, but it feels like I’m at least able to offer some workouts and continuing education during all this. It’s not saving lives or developing a vaccine, but maybe it makes some days better for others here and there?

I’ve been able to read a bunch of great articles lately too! I can finally get through a bunch of the newsletters I usually just skim and then delete. Here are the ones that have stuck out the most lately.

Links That Are My Jam

“Guide to Raised Garden Beds: Plans, Timing, Tending.” Gardener’s Supply

“She got married. I’ve never seen her writing again.” Longreads

“Women Turning their 40th Birthdays into Wedding-Level Extravaganzas.” Glamour

“How Your Personality Changes as You Age.” BBC

“America’s Richest Mountain Town (Jackson Hole) Is Its Most Unequal.” Outside Magazine

“Virtual Tours of the U.S. National Parks.” Google

“Love & Lhotse – Drive by loss, 2 of the world’s best ski mountaineers set out to make history – and find answers – on Mount Everest.” Sports Illustrated

“They Ignored the Warning Signs – An Interview with a NYC E.R. Doctor.” Vogue

“First 45 U.S. Volunteers Get Experimental COVID-19 Vaccine.” Entreprenuer

How are you guys hanging in there? Laying low? Being “productive?” Staying distracted? I’m here for all of it. Tell me things that I might like.

I hope you’re all safe and healthy. Miss you.