Like being dead, only with homework

This week marked one month since we said goodbye to Jimmy and then brought Reggie home. One of the things I have missed about Jimmy is when he would climb on us to purr and knead. Well, this week, I went into the room where Reggie has been hanging out, and he came and sat on me to purr and knead! It was so nice to have that experience again. But his fur is longer and finer than Jimmy's, so it tickles my face more (and I don't have a beard, so I feel it more). And it's not quite like Jimmy, because Jimmy would come to us, whereas we have to go to Reggie.

I adore this picture I took of Reggie. I made it my phone's wallpaper, and I stared at it during virtual sacrament meeting while the speaker was merely reading "inspirational" stories that have been circulating on the internet for twenty years.

Those eyes! That mane! That pink nose! 😻

The week started fairly typical, just going to work during the day, then coming home to work on my portfolio. 

On Thursday, I felt unusually groggy, even though I had slept well. In the afternoon at work, I was so tired that I knew it was more than just being groggy. So I left work early and isolated in my room.

On Friday, I worked from home for about four and a half hours, and I took an afternoon nap, because I was still unusually tired. But that was my only symptom. If it were a different time, I wouldn't have thought much of it. But, you know, when a deadly pandemic is raging out there, I can't be too careful. 

Saturday was another boring isolation day, but I did feel less tired. Our neighbor stopped by, and she gave us a COVID test. And mine came out negative. My mom went out and bought more tests, so I will take another test this evening to make sure it wasn't a false negative. If I am still negative, I will be glad to resume a normal(ish) life, but I will feel like I wasted the last few days. Oh well, I guess that just means I had an extra few days staying away from the omicron surge, hopefully letting it slow down just a little bit.

Also, I am of the personality where I like to be in the background and not cause problems. But I feel bad that I am sick, because it has prevented my parents from going places they would have otherwise. And I feel like I did something wrong by getting sick, even though logically I know that's not true, especially since I'm probably more careful than the average person.

While I have been isolating, I caught an old episode of Arthur from my childhood called "The Long, Dull Winter." This is an episode that is memorable and relatable at this time of year, because the kids feel like time is moving super slow because there are no holidays, it's cold, and it's dark. Buster quips, "It's like being dead, only with homework!" I had to laugh at how apt that description is for me right now, as I'm finishing up my portfolio, but especially with my isolation.