Isolation

“Are you talking to the robot?”

“Yes.”

Of course it was the robot I was speaking to. Blue, the cat, was outside romping around so it couldn’t be her, and besides me, Mary Anne was the only person in theĀ  house.

By the way, the cat is terrified of the robot vacuum so I’m not allowed to run it when the cat is in the house. I’ve tried.

“Why are you being so mean to the cat?”

I wasn’t being mean. My sister has a robot vacuum and she told me her cats got used to it and “don’t worry, your cat will still love you.”

I’m not mean to cats. I don’t like people who are mean to cats. So there!

It’s been 10 days I’ve been in self-isolation. Maybe I’ve started going bonkers.

I miss people.

At least Mary Anne lives here.

My sister-in-law, a nurse practitioner, insisted I should stay home. She lives in New York and is still seeing patients. For me, it’s no going to the office, no riding public transit, no dining in restaurants, and no shopping at the store.

Technically, or factually, I’m high risk because of my age, and since my spleen was removed over 30 years ago, that means my immune system is suppressed. I didn’t think much about it before. I’m not sure if I’m high risk to get it or high risk to have complications if I come down with it. Maybe both.

I was sort of depressed for a few days. If I am still depressed, I’m less depressed.Strangely, I am not anxious. I try not to watch too much news.

Maybe I should reread The Diary of a Young Girl to remind myself how lucky I have it compared to Anne Frank. At least it’s a virus that’s life threatening, not people of a certain mindset.

I work most of the day at the computer as I have remote access to the technology resources at the office. As of yesterday, all of my department colleagues from the University of California and Lawrence Berkeley Lab are teleworking – for at least a month. Psychologically, I feel more like I’m part of a group today.

Before dinner, I go out for a walk. It’s beautiful here on San Francisco bay, even when it rains, like today. Californians give thanks for the rain. The sight and scent of the spring blooms is overwhelming. Lifts my spirits.

 

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