theinbetweenismine

just a girl living the expat life

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Archives for March 2020

Blogging through the COVID-19 crisis: Update 1

March 20, 2020 filed under: Corona Life, real life


Excuse the absence, friends. It’s been a hot minute few days. A lot can change in a week. The Coronavirus just shut down the world. Last week, when things still felt relatively normal, feels like a lifetime ago.

I often do a lot of my blog writing on the weekend, but to be honest, the words didn’t come last weekend. I’ve been struggling with the idea of blogging as usual. I’d really love to pretend that life is normal right now, but by all accounts, it isn’t. This COVID-19 situation is serious and things have escalated over the last few days, and so have my feelings around it.

As of last night, the state of California is under a mandatory stay at home order. We are still allowed to go to the grocery store, the pharmacy, and get out for a run/walk (which is saving my sanity), but that’s pretty much it. 

Does anyone else feel like Mother Nature is forcing a hard reboot on us right now? That she’s trying to tell us something? Like, putting all the bullies in timeout and forcing us all to sit down on our asses and think about our behavior. 

But wait, let’s back up. Can I first ask you: how are you doing? How have you experienced the last few day?

We’re okay, considering the circumstances. These last couple of days were a little rough emotionally, but really, we’re fine, nobody’s sick (if you disregard the occasional phantom cough, of course, that sends you spiraling down the rabbit hole. Not trying to be dramatic or anything.) and the biggest change I am adjusting to right now is working from home. 

Mostly, I’ve just had this feeling in the pit of my stomach all week and I couldn’t put my finger on it until I figured it out: the feeling is ‘uncertainty’. What is happening right now is unprecedented and the not-knowing and mixed messages from (some of) our world leaders are infuriating. I am usually a half-glass-full kinda person and I am always looking at the bright side of things, but we have entered such unchartered territories here, and this, of course, feels scary.

So, if you are feeling just a bit anxious right now, let me assure you, you are not alone. The situation we’re all collectively in is a lot to process.

As mentioned, on Tuesday, we were all asked to work from home. While I have occasionally taken my laptop home to finish a project, working from home is not something that I do regularly. And yet, it feels like the right thing to do given the situation. I am glad that my work allows for it, that my current project work is doable from home. Others are not so lucky. These are scary times for many of us, not just because we’re threatened by a disease, but also by existential worries. Businesses are closed (some indefinitely), people are – as a result – laid off amidst this crisis.

Jon, who deals with anxiety, has been surprisingly calm. His anxiety has not latched on to it (yet), and I really hope it won’t. He’s been very rational about it all and it helps me a bit, because I feel that it’s been affecting me more right now. I am not usually an anxious person, but the other day, after a 10-hour work day, I fell asleep on the couch right after dinner. I just felt drained.

There is an onslaught of information – some more helpful and concise than other – and it’s really hard to parse and dissect it all. 

But in this time of uncertainty, I feel like there is one thing we can all do that feels logical right now: stay home. If you don’t go out (much, except for necessary things), there is less of a chance to come in contact with the virus, and thus getting it and/or spreading it to others. Plain and simple.

Washing your hands, not touching surfaces in public, keeping a distance from people, not touching your face, and staying at home as much as possible are the most effective ways to slow the spread of COVID-19. 

I often lament the fact that friends and family are far away, but in this situation it’s oddly comforting to not have to worry about being a possible point of transmission. Jon and I don’t interact with huge crowds of people on any regular day, so “social distancing ourselves” doesn’t feel like such a huge burden for us and I am happy to do it. We’re lucky that we don’t have to deal with wrangling/homeschooling any kids right now, that I can work from home and won’t lose my income. 

But of course, I still worry. I worry about my family and friends (so very far away), about elderly people, about people in high risk groups. 

If you can stay home, do it. If you can keep yourself away from other people, do it. Do your part to stop spreading the virus, which will help preserve precious medical resources and keep us all safer. And above all, be kind to each other. We’re all going through a lot right now.  

Forgive my rambling. This is just a stream of consciousness post after not being able to get anything on digital paper for the last week. Seeing others write down their thoughts and feelings of coping with our new reality has encouraged me to do the same. I assume blogging will look a little different for all of us going forward, but I encourage you to stay connected, and please know that I am happy to read about everything that is going on in your part of this – right now justifiably crazy – world.

It all feels a bit like the Twilight Zone, doesn’t it?

Maybe, when this is all over (and I hope it will be over and without too many personal hardships), we’ll all laugh about how silly we were to forget the things that really matter in life.

Let’s keep positive, friends. We can do hard things.

9

Five Things Friday Vol.9

March 13, 2020 filed under: Friday Five

Five Things Friday: just five things I’m thinking about or things that made my week, or things that I otherwise feel like sharing.

Is everybody freaking out about the Corona Virus yet? I must admit, I am getting a little anxious and I am usually not the anxious kind. While I am not immediately concerned for my health, I do feel though that some drastic measures are in order to #flattenthecurve and make sure that our healthcare system can handle what’s coming, and I am glad to see that a lot of organisations are already taking things seriously (while the administration is still fumbling its way through this pandemic. No words!). NBA season canceled, MLB spring training/season postponed, Pearl Jam concert in April postponed. The campus (where our office is) is still open, but is transitioning its courses online. We haven’t been officially sent home to telework yet, but we’re preparing for it and lots of people are already teleworking. I just heard from my sister that schools in my home state (NRW) and elsewhere in Germany will be closed until Easter.
How are things where you are? Are you concerned? Stockpiling toiletpaper (?) and water? I have to say a lot more about the topic, but maybe in a separate post.

*  *  *

The presidential primary coverage has almost faded into the background with all the Corona Virus news lately. It’s kind of amazing to see how the news cycle shifts in light of more pressing issues, but it’s all the more imperative for people to see how Trump handles this national crisis with regard to the upcoming election. Don’t you wish right about now that somebody else was in charge? Someone who isn’t so self-absorbed that even a pandemic doesn’t trump his ego? 

*  *  *

On a more positive note, I currently live for each and every act of calm, consideration, and  kindness, like this one shared on Twitter.

 *  *  * 

We already got our tax return this week. That was fast, but I guess the sooner you file, the sooner you get your return. I am not mad about it. Since our tax situation is fairly simple, there was no reason to wait. 

*  *  *

Last but not least, thanks for all the birthday wishes earlier this week. I haven’t gotten around to responding to everyone directly, but I wanted to let you know that I appreciated every single message. I took the day off from work (because spending the day with Jon seemed like a better idea than being in the office for 10+ hours) and I had a fun day, but that means that I am working today (on my regular day off) and I am only one of a handful of people at the office.

 

TGIF!

6

43 favorite moments

March 11, 2020 filed under: birthday, good things, my so-called life

Yesterday was my birthday. Another year around the sun. If you’ve been around this corner of the Internet for a while, you know I am all about celebrating birthdays and being thankful for all the wonderful moments that each year has to offer. Is it always perfect? No. But I choose to focus on the good things. Always.

So, I decided to use the same format as last year to look back and share my favorite – big and small – moments with you, in no particular order. 

(as always) moments spend with this guy


cycling class on Tuesday mornings

a slice of fresh European bread (ftw!)


cycling with Tanja


a hot cup of tea

the big smile after a successful run

being back home for one of my best friend’s wedding


reuniting with our dear family friend Ingrid


phone dates with my family

finishing a project task at work

lazy mornings in our backyard


seeing my gym buddies every week

eating fresh, hot crêpes


putting on a new pair of running tights

going to NKOTB’s Mix Tape Tour


getting pork fried rice takeout

meeting another URL friend IRL

finishing the Davis Moo-nlight 5k Run with Jon 


being home for Tom’s first communion


finding a card from a friend in the mailbox

having a break-through moment

surprising my parents for their birthdays


Ventura Beach sunsets


getting comments from sweet friends here on my blog

German potato pancakes (made by Mama)


closing out the month in YNAB

finishing another knitting project


sunrises on J Street

meeting up with East Coast friends in Napa


girl time with Susi

reading in bed


BBQ in our back yard

running the SF half marathon again


finding time to do something creative

dinner with friends

a slice of homemade apple cake


grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s

coffee from a new mug


long runs along the river

skiing at Tahoe


walks to the park with Jon


writing in my planner

hugging a friend that I haven’t seen in a long time

21

What I read in February

March 6, 2020 filed under: books

My reading last month was all over the place. First, I had to finish a book that I had started in January, but where my library loan had expired before I finished it and I had to wait to re-borrow it. Then, the same thing happened with another book that I started in February and I am currently waiting to re-borrow. This also made me realize; I don’t like to stop reading a book, pick up another and then having to go back to the previous one. I know some people read multiple books simultaneously, but I am not one of those people.

All this to say, I did finish two books in February and here are my reviews:

ROAR: How to Match Your Food and Fitness to Your Unique Female Physiology for Optimum Performance, Great Health, and a Strong, Lean Body for Life by Stacy Sims (★★★★☆)

This is one of the books I picked up at an actual bookstore in January and I really enjoyed it. When I heard about it, I wanted a hard copy of it because I could see myself highlighting lots of paragraphs (and I did!). This is obviously a fitness/health book and not for everyone, but if you’re looking to find more information on how your female physiology is different from men’s, how your hormonal cycle can influence your training, and what you can do to mitigate this through the right nutrition and training, this is a great resource (that I’ll see myself referring back to!). 

Word of caution though: This book is not a gospel and people have claimed that there are some recommendations that should be taken with a grain of salt.
As always, every body is unique and 1 + 1 doesn’t always equal 2. But, overall, I found this book really helpful and informative and it explains really well how – as an athlete and otherwise! – you have to fuel your body efficiently. Highly recommend.

Best quote of the book: “Women are not small men. Stop eating and training like one”.  

Normal People by Sally Rooney (★★★☆☆)

Some people said that this was a page-turner, but it wasn’t for me at all. I had to keep pushing to pick it up (hence the expiration of the library loan in between), because I was just not invested in the characters. Marianne and Connell meet in high school and couldn’t be more different. Connell is poor, but well-liked around his peers, Marianne comes from a well-off (but fucked up, might I add) family and is seen as an outsider. But yet, somehow they feel a pull toward each other. So far, so good. On any normal day, this is good story material.

Then they go off to college, their roles switch and Marianne feels more comfortable and Connell feels out of place. Still an okay storyline. Throughout this whole time, they keep circling each other, come together and then keep pushing each other away, and this goes on for what feels like forever chapter after chapter. The saddest assessment at the end of the book for me was: I felt that the characters hadn’t evolved. I don’t quite know how many years the story spans, but it’s multiple years (from high school through college), but I feel like Marianne and Connell technically ended up right back in the same spot where they started. 

What did you read in February? Anything you’d like to recommend? Leave a comment, and then add me on Goodreads to keep in touch.

10

Be a voter.

March 3, 2020 filed under: politics, real life

Today is Super Tuesday. A lot of states vote in the presidential primaries today, including California.I am so glad they moved our primary voting day from June to March. I always thought it was kind of unfair for a large state like California to not have more weight in the primary process. After all, people are already making predictions and decisions after Iowa (which is a Caucus state, for Peet’s sake) and a couple of other primaries. To me, this means nothing. The rest of the country hasn’t had a chance to weigh in yet. 

I personally think, the whole primary voting is bananas. Heck, let’s make that the whole voting system (but this is a topic for another day). But seriously, why don’t all states hold the primary on the same day? I know, this is a large country, candidates have to have time to hold ralleys and visit all the places. This takes time, and efforts have to be carefully weighed and considered, but at the same time, it’s so not fair that the states that end up voting towards the end of the primary season are basically left with only the candidates that haven’t dropped out yet. I understand there needs to be a ‘weeding’ process, but when voting starts, everybody in every state should have the same choices (even better would be a ranked voting system, where you can pick a second backup candidate). How is this otherwise a fair election process?

And with all the early voting going on (which I welcome, just to be clear!), I’d be kinda pissed if I had already voted for Amy Klobuchar or Pete Buttigieg (who have dropped out by now) and my vote would have been ‘wasted’. Well, it is what it is (for now) and luckily, they weren’t my choice. 

I think from the last couple of posts, you might have figured out that I support Elizabeth Warren. Honestly, I don’t understand why she hasn’t gotten more traction. I don’t understand how she’s only come in 3rd or 4th or 5th, especially after she ripped Bloomberg apart in one of the last debates and is basically responsible for Chris Matthew’s resignation from MSNBC. She can do the same with Trump. She received huge fundraising support after the last few debates, she held an incredible Town Hall the other week, and I have seen huge support for her on my social media (mainly Twitter) and I refuse to believe that this is a coincidence. I think she has more supporters than the media wants you to believe. 

I haven’t counted her out yet and neither should you. I hope she’ll have a huge day today. I honestly think, she’d make a terrific president. She smart, she knows her stuff, she doesn’t back down, she doesn’t blink.  

Don’t get me wrong, I want everything that Bernie Sanders stands for. I grew up in a social democracy and I assure you, the benefits outweigh any preconceived notions you might have about Bernie’s self-proclaimed label of being a democratic socialist. It’s nothing to be scared of. Many Bernie supporters understand that and granted, he’s built a huge following especially amoung young people (which is delightful to witness ), but he’s also alienated a lot of voters. And do we really have to end up with a choice between “two old white guys” again? Come on, America. It’s time for a woman president. 

I want to point out though that I voted for Elizabeth Warren not because she’s a woman or to f*ck over anyone else, but because I truly believe she’s the best candidate, the most likely to get things done, and because I think she can unite the democratic party. I refuse to give up on her because the media is too quick to reduce this race to Biden and Sanders.

A vote for Warren in the primaries is a vote for Warren. That’s it. 

And with that, I get off my soap box and let you do your civic duty. In the end, I don’t care who you vote for (well, maybe a little), but that you get informed and get out and make your voice heard. 

4

Hi, I am San – German native, dual-citizen living in beautiful Northern California. Runner. Knitter. Crafter. Reader. Writer. Proud aunt, sister, and friend.

I’ve been blogging since 2004 and don’t intend to stop any time soon. If you are looking for personal content and making a  genuine connection, you’ve come to the right place.

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