Hey! Weekend blog post. Its Sunday, which – as you have probably guessed – means that I have no idea what topic I’m likely to tackle. That means a lot of me sitting here at the keyboard and thinking. That’s a dangerous thing. Not the keyboard thing…the thinking. Though the keyboard can be dangerous if used improperly. 🙂

Well, let’s try working with what to do during your Quarantine. Or actually, a little closer to how I manage to do what I do through an entire weekend. Maybe that can provide a little inspiration for you to do something with what you have. Now, don’t get me wrong. Not everyone will have the capability or desire to be all that productive during such anxiety-ridden times as those we inhabit now. That’s really all right. Everyone has a different reaction to what we are going through. No judging people for not being at your level. This post is just about what I am doing.

I like a little bit of structure to my days. Every day, I like to have something allocated towards being accomplished. I handle all of this through Google Calendars.

I move rather slowly through my Druidry studies. Sometimes I approach a single Gwers five or six times before moving on to the next one. In other instances, I’ll step back five or six Gwers lessons to go back over something that I needed clarification for. Now, some folks might think that this is a daily process for me. That I approach my lessons every day. That’s not true, and probably part of the reason I move so slowly through the lessons. Typically, I only set aside four hours each week for my Gwers studies – two hours for two days. Some folks would say that I am not being all that “serious” about my studies. My response…well I cuss enough on this blog. 🙂 Most of that two hour period is spent writing in my Ovate journal, and as I write by hand – that requires some effort.

At the moment, I am getting back into an exercise routine. The temporary nature of moving makes keeping such routines a very difficult aspect to handle. I have a Peloton bike, and I enjoy riding in the thirty minute Rock Rides. So, I keep a 30-minute period open for each day. Right now, getting back into that routine has proven to be a little bit of an issue. But I am confident that I can get back into the daily routine of pedaling each day. Eventually, I should be able to extend those ride times from thirty to forty-five minutes.

Adding to this routine, I have begun doing sit-ups and push-ups because my puny arms can use some muscle mass, and my ever widening stomach could use some slimming down. Add to that, I also try to get outside (gasp!) and walk around the block twice. Yes, folks, you can get outside during all of this. Just wear your mask and keep your six feet of distance from others. There’s plenty of outside to make that happen. Anyways, I get outside to get some air that is not recycled and conditioned by the house’s a/c system. Plus, its nice to feel the sun on my face from time to time – even if most of my face is covered by my hat and my mask.

Now, I am a bit ambitious in all of this quarantine stuff. I am working towards learning the Python programming language a bit better. Plus I spend a lot of time playing SQL code. Really have to keep those programming claws sharpened, you know? Plus, I still pull R out from time to time to keep what minor understanding I have of that language in the forefront of my head. Being remote in your work doesn’t mean you stop learning…

Lastly, at least for the calendar schedule, is reading. I try to allocate about an hour at the end of each day to read. A few times, I have fallen asleep while reading, which is ok. I just pick up where I left off. And I have plenty of things to read – History, Pagan Studies, Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy – all depending on my mood. But I am finding that a little down-time with a book has been a very calming aspect for me.

There is always music playing in all of this. Always. I have never used my Pandora Radio as much as I have been. Currently, as I am typing this, I am listening to “Highway Song” by Blackfoot. Plus, there’s always podcasts to grab and listen to.

So…my schedule isn’t very heavy. I have enough things planned to keep me busy through most of the day. And there’s enough down-time that I can catch cat-naps here and there whenever I need to. Again, all depending on my mood. I even have grocery runs scheduled, as I also plan out my meals. All of that might be a bit too structured for some folks, but I’ll let you in on a secret: its ok to not follow the stuff on the calendar from time to time. Be a freakin’ rebel, watch the entire Matrix trilogy over the course of the day and eat nothing that is on the schedule for food. You know what? No one is going to arrest you for not following the calendar. The world isn’t going to stop spinning on its axis, just because you didn’t. Yeah, you might feel guilty afterwards….but wasn’t it fun watching Neo and Morpheus duke it out in the holo program again? Come on! Stop trying to hit me and hit me!

–T /|\