captain's log: COVID quarantine 2021.

 James, Phineas, and I all tested positive for COVID-19 in August 2021. James and I are fully vaccinated, so what we had was considered a breakthrough case of the Delta variant. Phineas, being under 2, is too young for the vaccine. I had no symptoms, but the two of them were full of snot and other gross stuff.

It quickly became evident the only way to retain some semblance of sanity through a ten-day quarantine with a toddler and a disgustingly optimistic band director was to try and hang onto my sense of humor. 

So I present a Captain's Log of our time in quarantine.

Sunday, August 8

quarantine day -3

James and Phineas begin exhibiting cold symptoms. I 

Monday, August 9

quarantine day -2

James receives word some band students have tested positive for COVID. Frantic phone calls and cursing ensue. Phineas and James are miserable.

Tuesday, August 10

quarantine day -1

James and Phineas both get positive COVID results. James calls me at work to tell me - forgetting where I am, I have a few four-letter words in response. We divide the house (ala a custody agreement) so I can avoid those two and not get COVID myself. Phineas is already bouncing back while James remains miserable. My test is scheduled for the following morning. Amazing friends already start dropping supplies on our porch. 

Wednesday, August 11

quarantine day 1

Stomach in knots at work waiting for the result. When the test comes back positive, I pack up a bunch of work and sadly go home. Many phone calls and texts ensue - in which I feel compelled to remind anyone and everyone that James and I have been vaccinated. I call my boss (who could not have been any kinder), my parents (to tell them we cannot come to my grandmother's 90th birthday party on Sunday), my cousins (as we had a reunion planned for the following week), my friend Bob (who is having a big anniversary party on Saturday), and more. There are tears. James sets up a home office for me and I get to work after I pull myself together. When my workday is done, I manage to sort through seven boxes of boys' clothing - a project I've been meaning to get to for months. There's the silver lining.

Thursday, August 12

quarantine day 2

Realized I only have to look professional from the chest up, so gleefully put on jeans for my workday. Must remind myself even though I'm at home, I'm still working and can't start drinking until after 6pm. Morale is low.

Friday, August 13

quarantine day 3

Symptoms finally hit me - migraine, sore throat, congestion, fever. If I feel this bad with the vaccine, I can't imagine what it's like without the vaccine. One of my favourite cousins flies in from Virginia for the party and stops by with my uncle to say a socially distanced and masked outdoor hello. Their visit is heartening, but reminds me what I’m missing. Morale is low.

Saturday, August 14

quarantine day 4

We have this little robot vacuum that doesn’t work worth a damn and just gets stuck everywhere, but it’s essentially Phineas’s best friend. It makes this beeping sound when it gets stuck and another beeping noise when Phineas pushes its buttons, and the noise is threatening what little sanity I have left. I am THIS CLOSE to going Office Space on that vacuum. Morale is low.

Sunday, August 15

quarantine day 5

It is crystal clear humans are not meant to isolate like this. Even James is threatening to go Jack Torrance on us - it’s a good thing for everyone we don’t have an axe. 

We Facetime into Grandma Sheila's party for a bit, and it seems as though they are somehow carrying on without us.

Monday, August 16

quarantine day 6

Finished The Handmaid's Tale miniseries today. The last several episodes were exceptionally dark, which matched my overall mood. Feeling lost without a series to have on while I attempt to be productive. Video called my parents today, and Phineas snuggled the phone. My ice cold heart melted.

Tuesday, August 17

quarantine day 7

Today is James and Phineas's last day of quarantine. I love them, obviously, but I am greatly looking forward to having the house to myself. It may shock you to find out working is incredibly difficult with a rambunctious toddler and a chattery husband around all the time. My Virginian family stops by for a socially distances backyard hangout in which we have a  pitcher of Aperol Spritzes. I finally feel alive again.

Wednesday, August 18

quarantine day 8

James and Phineas are officially out of quarantine as of today. I am happy for them - but happier for me that I’ll have the house to myself for a few hours when they go to Brookings.

Thursday, August 19

quarantine day 9

I have just lost my sense of taste. Why, COVID, why?? As you can imagine, this makes eating much less pleasurable. As a person who lives to eat (versus eats to live), this is a huge bummer. Phineas went back to daycare today and LOVED it. James is greatly enjoying his newfound freedom, having gone to Ellsworth, Pipestone, and Sioux Falls today.

Friday, August 20

quarantine day 10

Now my sense of smell is gone. Why wait until the last day of quarantine? But - it's finally here. The LAST day of quarantine. Do I even know how to exist in the real world any more? After doing some research (not the "research" that the anti-vaxxers claim to do, but research on the CDC page), my amazing Luverne friends found evidence that vaccinated people who get the Delta variant are infectious for less time. Neat, huh?

 Saturday, August 21

quarantine day I AM FINALLY FREE

 I celebrate by... going to work.

Someday I will see the surface of my desk again. It's good to be home.

QUARANTINE BY THE NUMBERS

cocktails consumed: no comment

shots of espresso consumed: see above

naps taken: at least one for every day of quarantine 

pieces of furniture purchased from quarantine depression: 1

number of times I forgot to take my morning medication because my routine was off: 4? 5?

books read: 3

movies watched: 2

documentaries watched: 2

series completed: 2

pieces of jewelry made: 17

clothing items listed on Poshmark: 8

boxes of kids’ clothes sorted: 11

garbage bags of kids’ clothes sorted: 4

house projects I’ve been putting off for ages I finally got done: 4

loads of laundry done: no one can count that high

curse words spoken: see above

THE QUARANTINE TAKEAWAY

Overall, we don't have that much to complain about. No one had severe symptoms. We all could function. (I have had a headache for the entire duration of quarantine, but that could have been because I never remembered to take my medication regularly. I am also exhausted down to my bones, but that could just be parenthood.) I put this squarely on the vaccine. Without the vaccine, we could be in the hospital on ventilators. At the end of the day, we just lost ten days in the outside world. I'm coming out of this feeling good that we did the right thing - but feeling frustrated there are many people out there who haven't. So please - get the vaccine. If you feel sick, get tested. Do it for the Phineases of the world who are too little to get the vaccine themselves.

ESU commencement speech 2021.

Yesterday, I had the honor of speaking to the Emporia State University (my MLS alma mater) Masters of Library Science 2021 graduating class. I can talk about librarianship all day every day, but when I was asked to say “a few words,” I tried to reign myself in. Here are my few words.

——-

Have you ever heard the phrase “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life”?

My fellow librarians, prepare to never work a day in your life.

Librarianship is a many-splendored thing. As a librarian, you will serve as a storyteller. You will be a resource; an encyclopedia; an atlas. You will be the finder of books. Often times, your role will bleed beyond what was once traditional librarianship. You will be a shoulder to cry on. You will be the answer to the school’s scavenger hunt. You will be the champion of the newest broadband project. Most importantly, you will be a friend. You will be the person a 9-year-old runs to and tells about the book they just finished. You will know the names of pets and grandbabies. You will celebrate the good news and mourn the bad. You will be there through it all, and your community will know they can count on you.

To the friends and family of librarians: first, may I say: do you have any idea how lucky you are to have a librarian in your life? We can do ANYTHING. You had better hope we librarians never decide to use our powers for evil; the world would be doomed. As I’m sure you already know, librarians are some of the most determined people you will ever meet. The phrase “I don’t know” will only enter our language when immediately followed with “but let me find out.”

Anyone who claims that libraries are on the way out has clearly not stepped into a library lately. Libraries are more alive than they have ever been, with programs and events for all ages and interests. We make slime, we play trivia in bars, we preserve history… all in the name of lifelong learning, and in the name of the library as a place for YOU. Gone are the days of being shushed in the library. Libraries are places for education in all forms, be it through dancing classes or archival research. The library is the place for the simplest question – how do you make a copy, or what are Target’s hours, to the most complex. The library is a place to BE – no matter your age, your income, your background – come to the library and be you. There’s something for YOU, and we’re here to help you find it. Oh, and pro tip: if you think your question is too silly or weird to ask, it isn’t. I can guarantee we’ve heard something much stranger.

We librarians are here today because we have a passion. I know everyone says that their life’s goal is to make the world a better place. Here’s the thing: librarians WILL make the world a better place with every single interaction we have. We will fight for your right to read whatever you want. We spend our days thinking about how to make our communities better – how to do our very best for the people we serve. We work long hours and pull together programs out of thin air. We emerged from a global pandemic with more resources and adaptability than ever before. We care deeply for our profession and our patrons – more deeply than I can say.

Librarians come from different backgrounds and will have vastly different experiences within the career. Some of us will helm the reference desks at large public libraries, and some of us will work behind the scenes cataloging materials. Some of us will work with kids on school libraries. Still more of us will work in universities, in archives, in museums. Wherever our librarianship path takes us, at our very core, we have the most important things in common. We are feisty, we are passionate, and we do NOT give up. You are going out to change the world, and not a single thing is going to stop you. 

tent camping v. car camping: an experiment.

James and I have been sworn campers for about six years now. We love to take big multi-state road trips every summer (we’re up to 18 states visited together), and we save money by camping. 

Until spring 2021, we had exclusively tent-camped (with the occasional camper cabin if we’re feeling fancy – though we would love a little teardrop or pop-up someday, but I digress). When we went to Colorado in April of this year, James bought a Subaru-exclusive car air mattress so we could sleep in the car if it got too cold at night. We ended up not minding car camping at all!

James and I car-camped for the entirety of our summer 2021 road trip, which took us through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and back in five days. We took along our trusty tent just in case, and there were several nights I was tempted to haul it out and sleep there by myself for a little breathing room.

When it comes down to it, I still can’t decide which option is better.

CAR CAMPING PROS:

• The only setup takes place before you leave: then you’re set for the rest of the trip.

• If there is any kind of adverse weather, you are well protected.

CAR CAMPING CONS:

• You must have some type of rooftop carrier for this to work, as your sleeping materials will take up all of your storage space.

• It is SO HOT IN THERE. You can’t really open the windows lest you want to get eaten alive by regional insects.

• You’re going to be in tight quarters with your fellow car camper, and it really can only be done with two adults max and possibly one small child.

• If your air mattress gets a hole, you’re shit out of luck.

TENT CAMPING PROS:

• You have room to spread out.

• You can smush as many people as you feel like in there.

• It’s much easier to stay cool since you have vents with mosquito netting and a little dome where you can hang your camping fan.

TENT CAMPING CONS:

• Pitching a tent isn’t that bad, but it’s a real bummer when you get to your campsite late.

• Taking your tent down IS a real bummer, as is cleaning it when you get home.  

 

So it seems to be a draw. We'd better take more vacations... you know, for research.