It’s such a surreal, unexpected, and bewildering time to be alive. I’m not even really sure how to go about writing a recap for the month of April because although I lived it, I remember it all, it feels like a blur only a few days after its gone. But I’ll do my best to recap our first full month in full shelter in place in New York City.

RECAP OF THE MONTH

One of the things I long for most right now is perspective. Most days in April I run through every emotion. From being grateful for my health to being devastated by the amount of loss the world is seeing. I wake up every morning grateful and go to bed sad that the life we had only months ago feels like a distant memory. Jenn and I have so much to be thankful for; whether it’s our health, our jobs, each other, or Frasier but that doesn’t mean that every day there isn’t a part of us that longs for the life we had only 2-3 months ago. And then I feel guilty for complaining because I know how much more devastating this pandemic has been for so many others. And then the cycle repeats.

Unlike March where Jenn and I had to find a rhythm for this new normal, April we’ve just continued to refine and get used to it. As I write this there are no plans for either of us to be working in an office at any point in the near future or really at all in 2020. We’ve also gotten used to having to take Frasier outside to go to the restroom rather than using the indoor dog run in our apartment building that we absolutely took for granted. Frasier has become much better at this new normal although it’s still not easy on rainy days which we had a lot of in April.

There really isn’t much else to say about April. Our workdays start with Jenn taking Frasier out to go potty and us enjoying a coffee and hot chocolate. I start working a little after 7 AM and Jenn usually hops on her work at 8 AM. We work until we both have a break for lunch anywhere between 11 AM - 1 PM and then we usually wrap up work by 5:30-6 PM. Depending on our schedules for the day we switch off from the dining room table to the bedroom depending on who has a video call at what times. We try to take Frasier for at least 1 walk during the day and then a long one at nights (weather permitting). Five or six days a week we cook at home for lunch and dinner something we’ve never done in our lives but sadly most of our favorite places to eat have been closed since mid-March so it’s almost a necessity. On weekends we take Frasier for longer walks, spend a lot of time cleaning the apartment and Facetiming family. And that honestly sums up most of April. One of my favorite memories of the month was on Easter when we made a breakfast bake with a bottle of sparkling Rose and watched Mariners online. It was one of the most normal moments of the month.

TV WE WATCHED

Of the TV that we watched in April the most talked about was Tiger King but it really should have been Cheer one of the most interesting, engaging, and enjoyable documentaries in a long time. Of course, we enjoyed the third season of Ozark which continues to get darker, more depressing, and even more unbelievable. And then there’s Westworld which was one of the most disappointing seasons of TV we’ve watched in a while.

BOOKS I READ (OR LISTENED TO)

It’s been almost a decade since I last read The Name of the Wind one of my favorite books of all time. This month for my podcast GamersRead we all decided given the pandemic to dig into a longer book. Although my two podcast friends didn’t enjoy it, I still adore it. The feeling of sitting down to read this book again was one of the real joys/highlights of my month.

MOVIES WE WATCHED

Along with watching The Rock for a very odd and fun episode of GamersRead (listen for why), Jenn and I watched Love Wedding Repeat on Netflix a very run of the mill comedy but a perfect movie for everything happening right now. And lastly as part of one of many COVID relief funds Phoebe Waller-Bridge put up her one-woman show that was recorded in London in 2019. It was a beautiful show to watch.

THEATER WE SAW

It’s going to be a long time until we get to write about live performances but I cannot wait for that day, I miss the theater so much.

GAMES I'VE BEEN PLAYING

You would think being on lockdown that I would be playing more video games not less but like TV and Movies I just was never in much of a headspace to sit down and play a game. When I did it was always for a brief twenty minute game and then back to work or cooking lunch/dinner.