Corona Virus Refugee-Day One

randy | March 14, 2020, 4:55 p.m.

Friday, March 13th, 2020

Today is the first day of our “self-quarantine” or social distancing. It had really started earlier in the week but today we felt the real impact. How appropriate it is Friday, the 13th.

First, it was the email from the school stating if your child needed anything from their locker, they had until 11AM to come get it. Now, since this email came out at 9AM, I wasn’t ready. Of course, she said there was nothing there she needed. That made me wonder about what is really in the locker, but if she says she has everything to do digital-learning, I guess we will see.

Then it was the emergency meeting at the office. We were all called in so we could be told to stay at home. This will last at least 2 weeks and then be re-evaluated on a regular basis. I telecommute already most days and understand that doesn’t mean “vacation”. Telecommuting means answering every email, ping, text and call in a timely manner.

Since both kids will be home for at least 2 weeks, I took my younger child to the store to stock up. The first store was packed so I decided to go to the next one down the street. It was packed too. I started to think I’d better get in there or who knows when they would restock or how long the stores would stay open. The meats were picked over. The paper goods aisle was barren. The crowds reminded me of the day before Thanksgiving or the afternoon of a SuperBowl. Everyone knew what they wanted and they wanted lots of it.

We walked the aisles, trying to follow our Wunderlist checklist. Every once in a while, one of us would say “We should have some of ‘this’, shouldn’t we?” and that would end up in the cart. I hope we don’t end up throwing some of this out the next time we clean out cabinets or the fridge. The checkout lines were long and the cart were full. Our cashier at Kroger looked tired. I asked how long it had been busy like this and she said she had only been working for an hour and it hadn’t slowed down.

We came home, unloaded it all into the fridge, freezer and pantry. Upon further review, if the stores do close, I am not sure I made the best purchases.

Lastly, all the things I was planning on doing with my child today or this weekend have been canceled, one-by-one. Ga Aquarium-Closed. World of Coke-Closed. Hang with her friends-canceled.

So 8 hours into our quarantine and I am already stir-crazy. I watched the shows on the DVR I knew my wife didn’t want to watch. Now, there was only a couple of shows there, but check that off the list. I guess I will have to start doing some of those things I have been putting off, like cleaning off my desk and doing taxes.

My wife and oldest child have been on a week-long college tour up and down the eastern seaboard from Raleigh to Baltimore. A different hotel every night. Eating all meals out, some nice and some “fast”. They had plans to visit 8 schools in 5 days. The closings have, for the most part, been chasing them down the highway. Only one has canceled before they arrived but with one more to go, I think they are ready to come home to their own beds.

Well, I know I have a couple of chores to do before they get home if I know what is good for me. No one likes to come home to a pile of laundry or dirty dishes in the sink.