And it looks like we are slowly being let loose again. Have you been braving the open air? Getting take-out? What have you been up to in your new stay-at-home hiatus? Or has life even changed for you much?
For this month's IWSG, I'm sharing my experience during these weird times.
Here are a few things I'm enjoying about staying home:
- Having my college boy home, even though he spent most of him time in the basement with his games and devices... but we've been
- Playing games, for a while... even invented a new card game!
- Leisure-wear, and minimal make-up (I still have to work, teaching my classes online...)
- Casual drinking to relax from the stress of online teaching and technology overload!
- No dealing with traffic
- Sleeping in
- Spring Break - got lots of words written!
- All the negative results from this stupid pandemic - I feel very bad for anyone who lost someone to it--that's number one. But also having the entire world stand still and cancel everything has been unbelievable - just astounding
- Sitting at my computer for WAY TOO LONG! I had to switch and use my mouse with my left hand, my right shoulder is kaput, and my vision is going blurry! I'm too old for this! (LOL)
- Stressed Out! Mostly from all the technical difficulties, self-teaching myself new methods to online educate and pull it off like it's easy (making videos, conducting live zoom classes, and finding creative ways to discourage cheating... not to mention nagging the kids who decided school was over when we left)
And lastly, I want to show off one of my long-time writer friend's latest:
THE DRAGON'S HEART
by David Powers King
MG/YA Fantasy
Terrible things happen whenever Princess Celesia falls in love—she blacks out and attacks her suitors, which makes an alliance with a more powerful nation impossible. Believing that she’s cursed, Celesia is given two choices: marry without love, or be responsible for her kingdom’s demise. Instead, she sneaks off in search of a remedy.
She doesn’t make it far when she encounters a dragon who bears a curse of his own—he is a prince, desperate to reclaim his humanity before the dragon takes over. He's heard of a stone that can lift both of their curses, but neither of them can find it alone, and they’re not the only ones after it. An evil alchemist is intent on using it to steal the land’s magic and dominate the realm. Only together, with the help of an even greater magic, can Celesia and the dragon stop this evil, or be bound forever by their curses.
Sounds like a tasty fantasy/fairy tale to curl up with!
So how have you been spending your lock-down time?
Do you have a mask? (I'm using a scarf)
And what are you reading/writing?
14 comments:
I can't imagine what teachers are doing to keep up with it, especially when many have their own kids at home.
I'm still going to work and traffic has been a lot lighter. Although in the past two weeks it's started to creep back up to normal again. Looking forward to beginning our opening this weekend.
I love the cover of David's new book. It's so, so pretty!
Things are opening up in my state, but my other half & I are staying right where we are. Feels way too soon to us. We have masks to wear if/when we do absolutely have to leave the house. I was using a bandana and felt like I was on my way to rob a stagecoach in the Old West, but now we have proper masks.
All you amazing teachers out there deserve all the raises for everything you're doing during this time. You're rock stars!
Life hasn't really changed all that much for me (besides changes at work--I get a new mask every day). We never stopped getting take out, lol.
The entire world standing still gets to me.
I work from home, so not much different, but I still feel it. The fear and the suppression.
It's gotten to the point where I can't even remember what day of the week it is anymore. All the days are just blurring together. At least I have more time to write.
I like your pros about staying home. I'm not shaving as often as I should be, but at least my wife isn't complaining about it.
I think way too much has been asked of teachers, parents, and students in this pandemic. A friend of mine was expected to continue her son's education in Mandarin, although she had no exposure to, much less competence, in the language. Perhaps some basic focus on reading, writing, and arithmetic would be sufficient for the current crisis. Or just being together as a family, perhaps for the first time. This seems to be a time to learn some things not taught at school, such as making sure the elderly in the neighborhood are taken care of and our friends and neighbors have everything they need.
Our likes and dislikes are pretty similar. Although I'm not a teacher, so I'm not having to deal with all the new technology online. I do have a lot of teacher friends, who've found the online techno curve horrendous. They were so overloaded at first. I felt so bad for them. Because of the online classroom meetings I do as an author with students, I helped a few with figuring out Google Hangouts and Skype. But that was all I had to offer.
*Glad I made some of the chat last night! 7:30 always creeps up on me and races by.
Being locked up so long has done a number on my normally super-high daily wordcounts, since I no longer have much of any privacy to write in peace. I can't understand the people cheering on the idea of a full year of this, and ranting against anyone who dares want to open up already. They're like people who support 12-year-olds in booster seats. Use some common sense!
I like your pros and cons of shelter-in-place. I really admire teachers (daughter included) who continue to teach from home while teaching their own children and/or supervising their learning. Other than not visiting our grandchildren in person (we use FaceTime), things are pretty much the same. I'm the stay-at-home hermit while Hubs needs to get out and can't. Hang in there.
Oh yes, sitting at the work 'puter too long--so easy to do as you get lost in tech. I've started setting timers to remember to take a break.
Congrats to David. Nice cover.
Hi Tara,
Glad to see you are surviving online teaching and this pandemic. Yes, there are some pros, but the cons SUCK....
Congrats to David! The cover is wonderful, and I am sure the story is as well.
Hi Tara - yes life is different ... I'm hunkering down happily doing a lot of things I can take slowly but are necessary to do - so am counting my blessings I'm busy. I've avoided all extra technical things ... just so I don't stress about it and I can carry on in my usual way.
Good luck to David - I do love the cover ... while you and your family stay safe - all the best Hilary
Yes to not dealing with traffic (and to less air pollution).
I'm working on on both a science fiction novel set in the future and a fantasy novel set in the Victorian Era. They've both gone out to beta readers. It so happens that both are in tune with current trends, so I'll have to send them out to agents as soon as I think they're ready.
Weird times indeed. Classified by the government as being one of society's most vulnerable and therefore 'shielding' I've yet to venture out but when I do a mask will certainly be the order of the day ... I've found a couple featuring hedgehogs so that's to the good.
Thank you for featuring David's book. It sounds like a great read to curl up with whilst confined to the house.
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