MAY

I go to the hills when my heart is lonely
I know I will hear what I've heard before
My heart will be blessed with the sound of music
And I'll sing once more

MAY 1 (& THE WEEK OF APRIL 27)

Happy 1st of May! Although I can’t believe we’re approaching week 8 of the quarantine (which will make it two months since we’ve been in lockdown), I’m hoping that this month brings us some much-needed sunshine, spring flowers, and if we’re lucky perhaps a bit of normality back into our lives?

To be honest, I’m relieved that it’s Friday, and this week is almost over. It’s been a long one, with its dreary rainy weather, and a flow of bad news at work. We had our weekly “town hall” meeting today. Leadership insists that work from home will not be permitted longer than it has to, though it has proven to be a success. As a writer that doesn’t have to be present at the office every day, this doesn’t make much sense to me and I fear will only put my colleagues and me at risk. Our CEO also announced that summer Fridays (when we get off at 2 PM every Friday between Memorial Day and Labor Day) will most likely be taken away this year. Not cool. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I am. But I also see employee morale digging itself in a grave. I mean, who doesn’t love summer Fridays?

I’ve felt stuck this entire week. Stuck at work, at home, and in NYC. I’ve started debating whether we can get out of town for Memorial Day weekend, as well as July 4. It feels weird planning any trips right now, but I’m trying to be optimistic (maybe stupidly so). I booked plane tickets for Labor Day weekend, with the hope that by then we’ll be able to leave the state. On a daily basis though, things aren’t too bad. We’ve gotten into a nice little routine with our two workspaces at our apartment, but there are definitely those days when I desperately wish I could go SOMEWHERE. ANYWHERE. The whole year is a big question mark.

In terms of cooking, we embarked on a few culinary journeys. The first was flammekueche, essentially a flatbread made with creme fraiche, onions, and bacon. In college, I studied abroad in Strasburg, Alsace (France) and this was one of the region’s specialties. It’s delicious, and our version was as well.

We also made gnocchi, which was more time-consuming than expected. Who knew rolling up potatoes isn’t that simple? Once fried though, they were amazing, and even better the next day.

That’s that for week 7. Let the weekend begin!

WEEKEND OF MAY 1 & WEEK OF MAY 4

The weekend of May 1 was absolutely lovely, and the spring weather was life-changing. On Friday night we picked up beers at our local brewery and went on a fairly long run. The weather was so nice that I felt like I could run for hours (and I’m not a big fan of running). On Saturday Jean and I kept up the outdoor activities and went on a 14km hike. We were far enough from NYC to spot a pretty decently sized snake along the trail at one point, which luckily neither of us accidentally stepped on. The last thing anyone needs right now is a snake bite.

Sunday was summer. We debated driving to the beach but instead spent the entire day outside on our terrace tanning and soaking in the sun. I forget sometimes just how much I need Vitamin D and nothing but a swimsuit. That evening we celebrated the changing season and ate homemade pizzas outside.

Speaking of pizza, we’re getting a little bit better at making dough but we’re still not there. We used a recipe from BBC this time, and although the dough turned out delicate and soft like it was supposed to it was nearly impossible to spread onto the boiling hot cast iron we purchased for pizza-making purposes. I also realized that the flour we’ve been using (00) doesn’t have enough protein in it so that could be part of it. And the fact that we didn’t have brewer’s yeast. But still, how hard can making dough really be? (Answer: Hard. Much harder than making bread).

As for the week, it flew by for the most part. We went on runs twice, but other than that stayed home. Staying in like this all the time makes me feel like I’m losing my mind sometimes. I truly hate being confined, but I know we’re all going through the same thing. Some days are better than others.

Work-wise things were busy, especially with the CMS training that I’ve been doing. Better be busy than bored! Tuesday was Cinco de Mayo, so Jean made us margaritas and we had quesadillas. We also danced around to a random Latin DJ on YouTube, which was pretty fun. The weather overall was decent, but it cooled down by the end of the week so Friday was spent indoors (obviously) watching Dirty Dancing while it poured.

And that was week 8. Does that mean we’ve officially been on lockdown for two months, and haven’t seen anyone? It’s hard to believe.

MAY 11

It’s week 9. Germany and France have opened up partially, and I’m curious to see what will happen next. Will cases spike back up? Will things be normal like they once were? I tuned into Governor Cuomo’s press conference today to hear what he had to say about New York reopening. Apparently, some upstate regions will reopen partially on May 15, but the approach will be phased. Once a region has met all of seven necessary requirements to reopen, phase one will reopen construction and manufacturing, with some retail (curbside pick up). After two weeks of positive progress, the region will enter phase two and reopen professional services, additional retailers, real estate firms, etc. Phase three will reopen hotels, bars, and restaurants, and the final phase four will reopen education and entertainment (cinema, sports, concerts, movies, Broadway, etc).

The seven requirements that must be met in order to reopen. According to the New York Times, NYC has only met four out of seven. — The seven requirements that must be met in order to reopen. According to the *New York Times*, NYC has only met four out of seven.

It’s odd. Part of me cannot wait until we reopen and life goes back to normal, but another part of me is nervous and almost scared. The idea of opening is surfacing a lot of questions that, until now, I’ve pushed to the back of my mind. For instance, the one that keeps coming up over and over: will we be able to continue working from home now that we know it’s extremely feasible? I know the answer is no, but a part of me is hoping that by some miracle this will change. It makes me anxious to think about going back to the office to be around people, and worse: my commute. Getting back on the subway absolutely terrifies me, and I really haven’t missed it. It’s such a process whenever I step outside of my apartment or even go downstairs for a few minutes - wash hands multiple times, Lysol any knobs I’ve touched, change my clothing, etc. I don’t know how I will deal with this at an actual office and the thought of wearing a mask for 8 hours when I could just stay home and be safe strikes me as insanely stupid. I wish that I could talk to someone about it but it feels out of my control.

Reopening also brings up other questions. Will my bachelorette happen? Probably not, but still. Will my wedding happen? Hopefully, but I’m still waiting to see if there will be a second wave. Will I be able to visit my parents in Florida anytime soon? Probably not before the end of summer. The uncertainty is difficult to deal with, but I need to be confident that everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.

Other things on my mind this Monday morning? I’ve been having nightmares nearly every night since the start of the quarantine. Nightmares or extremely vivid/mostly anxiety-provoking dreams. I don’t know why this is happening, but I hope it stops soon. Other than that, the weekend itself was great. On Saturday we hung out around the apartment and eventually went out for a walk because I needed to get fresh air. It was weird walking around in a mask for a long time, but we did it and it felt nice to do something that feels semi-normal.

Oh, and did I mention that it snowed? Not just a quick flurry, but genuine SNOW. In May. The world must be ending.

On Sunday the weather was back to normal, pretty warm, and a great day for the outdoors. Jean and I went on a nearly 15km hike. We barely saw anyone on the trail, and everything was green and blooming. It was a weekend well spent.

MAY 14

I’ve always thought that, like a lot of people, I might slightly suffer from seasonal affective disorder. I usually don’t really notice it though, until the weather starts changing and the sun starts shining. It’s like a weight is being lifted off my shoulders.

Today is finally a beautiful sunny day, and I’m working outside. I didn’t realize working outside was possible (it’s a bit hard to see your screen with the sun glaring down at you) but I have now realized that all you need is a pair of sunglasses and a good hat. I’ve actually moved my entire work from home set up onto the little table we have on our outdoor space, and it’s simply glorious. I’m so relieved that I’ve even gone ahead and ordered sushi. Why cook when I can be outdoors?

So although the quarantine sucks a little, I’m SO excited for summer weather. I’ve been reminded that my mood really does sometimes correlate with the sky.

Other updates: this week thus far has been smooth sailing for the most part. I’ve taken dance classes twice, and went on a run yesterday, which I think helps me stay balanced. On Monday night Jean and I went crazy and had lobster tail and sea bass for dinner. It was delicious, and a nice treat for what is usually the worst night of the week. We pan-fried the sea bass in olive oil and butter and it came out perfect. On Tuesday for lunch, we had bratwurst, which was something I’ve been craving so that was fun.

More updates to come. For now, I’m just ready for the weekend ahead and some more warm weather heading our way :)

THE REST OF MAY

What have I been up to these past two weeks? I don’t really know, to be honest. Time continues to fly during the quarantine. The strangest part of it is that none of us really know when it will end. It’s been weird seeing countries like France open up… from Instagram you would think none of this ever happened. The stories I see are groups of 10 or more people in parks together, enjoying the spring sunshine and drinking wine. Jean will sometimes get off a call with his cousin who was just at a dinner party with 20 or so people. It feels as though they’re moving forward, and we’re still stuck in some sort of limbo. I’m not really upset about it; it’s just odd, for lack of a better word.

For the most part, things have been much of the same old. I’m still trying to make a great pizza, and I’m still failing. We’ve been ordering a bit more as local restaurants open up for take-out. We got a burger from next door (it was DIVINE), and Indian this past week. We even ran to a local bakery in Long Island City over the weekend to pick up some baguettes and croissants. Other interesting things I’ve been eating? We’ve explored seafood a bit more recently. I mean, if you can’t go to the beach, bring the beach to you! We made lobster tail, sea bass (TWICE!), cajun shrimp, and scallop pasta. The scallop pasta was probably one of the best meals we’ve made during the lockdown. I’m still thinking about it. This is the recipe we mostly followed, with some adaptations.

As for exercise, I’ve continued dancing, which is the only workout I ever seem to look forward to. We’ve also kicked up our running game now that the weather is becoming nicer! Although I’m not sure when my next vacation will be, it would be nice to get a bit more in shape (or at least not put on all the weight that I’m eating in carbs).

We spoke to our wedding planner last week as well, which we’ve been meaning to do for a while now. It was nice to catch up with her, and she reassured us that we won’t be penalized if we do decide to move our wedding to the following year. We don’t want to, but all this uncertainty kills me sometimes. We’re waiting a few more weeks to see how things evolve as counties open up. Hungary may be super safe as of now, but it’s getting there that’s the problem. So on that note, planning remains on pause. I actually got a cancellation “invite” for my friend’s wedding recently, which was to be held on the same date as mine. It made me sad, to say the least. This whole year makes me a bit sad.

We really tried organizing a weekend away for Memorial Day with another couple, and also failed miserably at that. We looked at Airbnbs sometime mid-week, and by the time we actually found places we could agree on they were all booked up. We also got rejected from several because we would be coming from New York, and I guess we’re blacklisted because of the virus. Lesson learned: when planning a group getaway, just book the place and don’t wait for everyone to “agree.” So instead of getting away this past weekend, this same couple came over for a bbq yesterday. Seeing friends for the first time in more than two months was definitely strange. Even stranger was not giving them a kiss or a hug. We had a really nice time though, and grilled bratwurst sausages, veggies, and ended the night with some fondue I bought off Amazon. Ooooops!

Speaking of Amazon, I finally succeeded at ordering myself some dumbbells. I’ve been trying for two months now, and it seems they were sold out nationwide (or being sold at $150 for a set). Woo woo!! I can’t wait to try them out.

What else can I share? Jean and I have been hiking a few times since I last updated, which is always great. There’s really nothing better than getting outdoors during all of this. Last weekend we also went to Fire Island for a day. I’ve been wanting to go there for quite some time now, and we finally did! We brought our bikes since it’s a no-driving allowed sort of island, and it was truly amazing. Fire Island feels like another world…. I can’t describe it. You’ll be biking on these cute little paths passing all of these unique homes, and then you’ll run into deer! That didn’t just happen once, but multiple times throughout the day. It’s the coolest place. We also spent some time on the beach laying out, which wasn’t too crowded and a completely different scene from our usual go-to (Rockaway). We even ended our day watching the sunset on the sand with a lobster roll and sushi. Our little adventure to Fire Island made everything feel normal again. It was almost healing, even if I couldn’t step into the frigid water.

Another thing we did this past weekend was binge an Amazon show called Upload. It’s a bit dorky but really was quite enjoyable. I’ve also almost finished Outer Banks, which may be somewhat of a teen show, but reminds me of some Carolina summers I spent in the Outer Banks. It’s really making me want to go back. Jean and I have also continued watching Killing Eve. The third season, thus far, isn’t nearly as good as the first two. And did I mention that I FINALLY watched a Star Wars movie? Well, I did.

And then there’s work. Work has been the same. I was pretty shocked that my company took away Summer Fridays (when we’re off at 2 pm in the summer, on Fridays), without even officially announcing it to anyone. No email, nothing. They just casually told us during a voluntary meeting that “it most likely won’t happen this year.” I spoke with my friend yesterday, who told me how her company gave them ADDITIONAL Summer Fridays this year, in light of salary cuts. They also told employees that salaries would be restored by the end of October and that they’re in the process of designing a new office floor plan to accommodate for social distancing.

Anyways, it is what it is. Happy Monday… just kidding, it’s Tuesday :)

ACTUALLY THE REST OF MAY

Well, this week has pretty much flown by so that’s been a relief. Apparently, things are getting better over in France, which is reassuring, though I’m still on edge until NYC opens up. We’re “on track” to reopen the week of June 8, which is fast approaching. We had our company-wide town hall today, and we still don’t seem to have a plan to reopen and keep everyone safe (aside from company-branded hand sanitizer, of course), so we will see what happens there.

We did get news that we have to take 40% of our PTO before the end of August. I get the impression that a LOT of people aren’t happy about this. We were also told that if our company doesn’t swing back fully in 2021, we can expect further salary cuts.

On a positive note… I spoke too soon about my pizza dough-making attempts. I woke up one morning this week and saw a photo of a lovely pizza on Instagram, tracked down the recipe, and made it. Guess what? It was the FIRST soft, chewy, delicious pizza I’ve made. You can’t imagine how happy I was…

I still can’t believe I made that.

Anyways, I’ll leave it there. It’s Friday, and it’s almost 5 o’clock somewhere :)

LAST WEEKEND OF MAY

The last weekend of May was lovely. On Friday night Jean and I made burgers and fries, which turned out insanely good.

I pretended I was at a Johnny Rockets as I ate this, music and everything.

On Saturday we spent the day at the beach. It was super crowded, as I feared, but we were able to walk about 15 minutes away from the main entrance to get away from other beach-goers. We later went to Home Depot to pick up some things we needed (mosquito repellent, a plant, that sort of stuff). It felt strange to be inside a store again, with so many people and a restricting mask, but I’m glad we did it. That evening we picked up lobster rolls from next door and enjoyed the evening at home.

On Sunday we went on a hike, which was wonderful as always. We’ve really started enjoying the time we spend outdoors during the quarantine, and just walking miles surrounded by nature. If we didn’t have a car I truly think I may have lost my mind during all of this.

That evening we picked up ramen on the way home from a delicious little spot in Long Island City. I always considered LIC lame, but there are some pretty decent restaurants over there that are worth trying out.

With that being said, hello June :) We’re ready for ya.

Quarantine Chronicles: May

MAY