32477: Zoom Day
A typical day I wake up at 7 as my curtains are so thin the room is so bright at this time. I have time in the morning now to make porridge as I only have to reach my desk instead of the classroom which means motivation to get out of my pyjamas or joggers is lacking. I try and read the relevant pdfs before class though I miss the physical books that could be accessed more easily before covid. Being able to keep my brain on the lecture and the discussion when there are multiple hours in a row running over and erasing our breaks is difficult. My mind wanders to what is going on out of the window, reading my emails, thinking about Christmas presents. I get annoyed at myself for not staying focused but nothing seems relevant and my brain runs out of steam so quickly online. Though trying to squeeze lunch into the day is a challenge with the lack of breaks I do enjoy getting to cook dinner every night, instead of having to take leftovers onto campus or grabbing a snack when I'm out to come home and try and cook as quickly as possible before I go to bed. Before the lockdown I would be able to get out and go to frisbee training, or meet in a 6 at the pub but it's stressful trying to ensure distancing in the pub and frisbee we were in a more safe form of training which makes me feel better covid-wise but does not make me feel fulfilled and happy as we are not actually playing the sport. When it's a sunny day like today I think about going outside all day - thank god my window can see the sky now after moving house as the brick wall it faced before did not bring me joy. I get out for a run, do quite well and feel infinitely better from going. The sunshine and moving my body feels so good. Though even with the run I am only at 8,000 steps for the day. A zoom social is an awkward encounter though I enjoy the reimbursement provided to let me buy vegan cheese. Who should be doing the talking and when should there be space for others? You can't read the people so everyone becomes quite disconnected from the conversation as we go around the 'circle' stating our course and where we are from. My headache gets continually worse during the day, I doubt the increased screen time helps and it becomes so painful as to make reading, participating or even maintaining a good mood a challenge. But I have pdfs to read and an assignment to type for tomorrow. I watch lectures in bed as that is when my headache is the worst and reading becomes impossible. I miss listening to music whilst commuting or getting to walk places. I miss getting dressed for a reason.