Chop wood, carry water

Well, the kickoff to the jackpot is probably an odd time to send out another newsletter, and yet here we are.

I don’t know. I felt like writing.

Here are some things I'm using for distraction right now:

• Noble Blood: A podcast in which Dana Schwartz tells short stories about various interesting royals in European history. New to me, it’s been around since last year, and I’m looking forward to working my way through all the episodes.

• Agency by William Gibson: I am reading this very slowly, on my phone, and enjoying it. It’s the sequel to The Peripheral, one of my favorite books of all time. So far, so good; though I have to admit I have little patience for reading right now (too antsy). I’m having more luck with audio books (while knitting!), but I can’t recommend the one I started last week, so while I search out a new one (send me your recs!), I’ll have to stick to reading with my eyeballs.

• Castlevania: The third season of this lusciously animated show about vampires and vampire-hunters just came out on Netflix. I had ignored the previous seasons—why would I watch a cartoon about an ancient video game I never played?—but started this one on a whim, and now I’m a fan.

• Terrace House: Too much happening in real life? Watch the reality show where nothing happens! Everyone is relentlessly polite, and the only conflicts are around whether a roommate is pursuing their dreams ambitiously enough. Soothing as heck.

• Tetris Effect: I’ve always loved Tetris, but this latest iteration is fantastically glammed up. Each level is gorgeous, both visually (with magnificently evocative textures, from fire to gemstones to machine gears) and acoustically (electric, ethereal music that changes with speed and block movements).

• Pokémon Go: I have no history of even the mildest interest in this franchise—I know nothing about pokémon—so it’s quite odd (to me, at least) that I picked this up this week. But listen: if someone had told me that it was just an endless pet-naming opportunity, I would have joined years ago. So far, I’ve caught Maraschino, Casperpants, Gregor, Platyparm, Bolean Buddy, and Sheila.

Many folks are now working from home, and new to it. I’ve been WFH since 2014, but it’s hard for me to offer tips, because I’ve always adored it; it seems to me that the people asking for advice are not of the same mindset! But here are my best suggestions (not that anyone asked):

• Take breaks: I mean both physical (get up from your chair, walk around the house, walk around the block, do some stretches) and mental (without the typical distractions of an office, it can be easy to just keep working—if you’re not doing a task that requires hours of uninterrupted focus, make sure to stop every once in a while and change gears!).

• Chill beats: Of course, if your home life is more distracting than your office, that’s a different problem. For those moments I recommend a closed door (if possible), headphones, and any of the many lofi/chill beats playlists available on both YouTube and Spotify. If you don’t like music, try white noise.

• Comfortable clothes (real shoes): This is purely personal preference, and so polarizing! Some people feel strongly about wearing “work clothes” when WFH; I never have, and after six years, my athleisure wardrobe is robust. But I do find it hard to work in slippers; for some reason, shoes with real soles put me in a more capable head space.

• Do laundry: I don't know, this might just be me. I’ve always gotten a weird pleasure out of throwing in a load of laundry (or whatever mundane household chore I can fit in) during the work day. Makes me feel more productive, like I’m fully taking advantage of my space.

I don’t want to lecture anyone about how to behave right now, because there are as many different responses to this crisis as there are people. But I can share with you what I’ve been doing:

• If you are in a position to stay home—and of course, not all of us are—please do so. I’ve been self-quarantining since last weekend, because I’m astoundingly lucky. I’m not afraid of getting sick (though I will, we all will, eventually), but staying home reduces the risk of becoming an asymptomatic carrier and spreading the virus in public spaces.

• Shop digitally at local businesses you would otherwise be visiting; small businesses are being hit hard by the lack of traffic. Re-up your local gym membership. Get gift cards to your local knitting store. If you’re comfortable getting dinner delivered, order from your local Chinese chefs, whose businesses are being unfairly impacted by xenophobia.

• Donate money to local food banks, shelters, and other nonprofits that serve underprivileged folks, who are suffering most of all during this crisis.

• Write your representatives and sign petitions. Keep encouraging elected officials to take action. Look for your local version of this petition to pause evictions during the pandemic.

• Minimize news exposure. Immersing yourself in panic tweets hasn’t helped anyone yet. Nor does extensive, sustained worrying and stress (ask me how many migraines I’ve had this week). Let’s try to stay informed, but don’t stress-scroll Twitter; you’ll be stronger, healthier, and more able to help if you don’t grind yourself down to a fine, jittery powder.

Good luck out/in there, loves.