4:00AM Is the New Witching Hour

So, it's been 15 days of quarantining (according to my daily instagram videos, at least), and it's becoming a trend that I wake up between 2:30 and 4:30am.

What is this nonsense??

I want to blame my cat for making noise, but the past few times it hasn't even been her fault. And even if she is running around because she slept all day and has pent up energy... I wear earplugs! I can't hear anything she might be doing.

The truth is, it's my darn brain.

Or, it must be. I deleted the news app on my phone a few days ago so I've been worrying less and only cry once (okay maybe twice) a day now which is huge progress.

But I mean, I'm not an idiot. Just because I don't read the news doesn't mean I assume everything is fine now. In fact, maybe not reading the news is worse. It's like a bathroom scale. Weighing yourself everyday is too much, but if I don't weigh myself for a long time, I start worrying that I've gained five pounds and continue to worry until I stress-eat enough to actually gain five pounds. (Maybe you don't relate to this. If you do, I probably know who you are and I hope you're proud of me that I came up with this amazing analogy).

I guess there's a happy medium to the reading the news (but it's never really happy, is it?).

But meanwhile here I am at 4am.

Oh wait, now it's 6am.

See, that's the good thing. Waking up at 4am can be a good thing because I'm up! Everywhere is closed. The only option I have is to get things done! Apply for that job online. Finish making that pair of earrings. Email that friend back. Finish creating that flyer. Write that blog post! When else will you have time anyway?

Oh wait, RIGHT, I totally forgot, it's the Twilight Zone and everything is closed all the time and most of us are out of a job and we have all the time in the world.

Just. Kidding.

So now it's 6am and I have the rest of the day to "get things done" AKA evaluate my life choices and... oh right.. I guess I should probably read the news.

...I'm going back to bed instead.

Goodnight and see you next week!

Quarantine "How-To"

Nine days ago I decided to resume my daily videos. This was something I started a few years ago after consulting a director I looked up to, Jon Schnepp. He was speaking at a panel for the Burbank Comedy Festival and I asked him for suggestions on promoting my web series Loch Ness and he said what I should do in fact, was to just start making my own videos, every day. I never thought it would last, but it did. For about a year and a half! Making those videos helped me stay accountable during some hard times, and gave me a reason to look and at least try to act okay and kept me connected with people when I wanted to isolate. Jon has since passed away and I didn't know him well but he was very kind to me and that suggestion helped me a lot.

Over time, though, I started to get a little too obsessed with the videos so I took a break from them and decided to resume when I felt like there was a reason to.... which is... now.

9 days later though, I am going stir crazy and the videos aren't enough. For the past few days I've been quarantined between my house and my boyfriend's house, and the occasional trip to the store. Which, I'm admitting, is getting scarier with every trip. I got gas a few days ago and I don't want to touch the gas pumps. When I went to the store last, I looked for gloves, but they were out. I have a friend dropping some off for me which I'm super grateful for.

Anyway, here I am today at my boyfriend's spending way more time together than normal. In some weird way though, it's starting to feel normal in the most abnormal way possible. An hour ago, while he played Fornite in the same room as I organized a Zoom open mic on my computer, he asked "Do you mind that I'm just playing Fortnite?" and I was like "Do you mind that I'm just hanging out at your house?"

"I mean, I feel like it's probably good that we're not constantly together... when we're together... during a pandemic. I mean. I don't know, I've never been quarantined before. Have you?", I said.

The thing is, normally with relationships, with boyfriend, friend, parent, co-worker... any kind of relationship, or any new situation, I consult someone who has been through a similar thing. Or if else someone needs advice on something and they ask me for help, and I don't have the experience, I will direct them to someone who does.

"Oh, actually I've never argued with my mom before but why don't I give you Jennifer's number, she and her mom used to fight all the time! I'm sure she can help!" (Just kidding, I've argued with my mom a lot. Sorry mom! But this shouldn't come as a surprise to you. Lol).

But that still serves as an example, right?

In this situation though, WHO HAS BEEN THROUGH THE CORONAVIRUS?

Who has been told that they have to stay in their homes for an undetermined amount of time with no contact with anyone other than basically the people they live with and well... I don't want to list the other weird things we are going through right now but basically.... Jennifer doesn't know either.

So guys, we're making this shit up as we go along. Any tips and tricks on what's working for you is helpful. I think I'm gonna do this blog once a week. Maybe more often if I get bored. Who the heck knows.

Over and out.