Like a (non-functional) bridge over...

 ... troubled waters.

Two years ago: In case a two week statewide lockdown wasn't enough ("two weeks? how're we going to survive? how can they do this to us?? how...?), the city shut down the high level West Seattle Bridge on this day, 2020. It actually looked like good timing at that point. I mean, who was going anywhere anyway?!? And "months" maybe meant by the end of the year it would reopen?

Two years later, we realize that two week lockdown was nothing compared to what was coming, and we've weathered regime change in Seattle and DC, gotten vaccinated and boosted if we have any sense, and have learned to keep surgical masks in our cars at all times, slipping them on before heading into the store, or to chat with neighbors. And the freakin' bridge is still shut.

On the plus side, I'm still working from home, more than two years after that started, so I rarely have to deal with the clusterf that is West Marginal Way during commuting (last week it took M and K two and a half hours to go from our house to Capitol Hill). 

It was two years ago today...

 Two years ago today (3/17/20), my company closed their offices and required us all to shift to working from home. 

This wasn't actually a surprise, as we'd gotten our first "we're watching this and will keep you updated" message on 1/30/20. In that one we were told that we could consider a "flexible work arrangement" if we were directly impacted. The next message, on 2/15/20, was an update about the situation and the restricted travel of anyone coming to the U.S. from China, as well as some restrictions related to work-related travel. On 2/27/20 those restrictions on travel were tightened, and on 3/1/20 there was no cross-border travel allowed. Wow did we not have a clue. No one did. Or maybe a few people. 

It's actually impressive that the company was communicating with us so early, and so globally, but then they have employees all over the world. Still, they impressed me then and still do now. The 3/1/20 message said "don't travel at all if you don't have to." On 3/3/20 they told us that the offices were being cleaned every night, and that if we didn't feel comfortable coming in, or if we needed to stay home due to school closures, we could work with our manager to coordinate working from home. On 3/4/20 the official recommendation was to work from home: "Please work from home" and while not a requirement, it was a "strong recommendation."  On 3/12/20 we were told to "Please work from home effective immediately." I had already begun doing so around 3/6. And then on 3/17, the offices were closed, a "hard close" which meant even those who preferred to go into work could not do so. This was the beginning of the last two years. The expectation, at that point, was that working from home would extend "through at least April 15." Ha!

Meanwhile, on 3/13 and 3/14, K and I went to a horse show where she did quite well. Few people were wearing masks, but there was a lot of air circulation, and to be fair, at that point it was hard to get masks. We also knew almost nothing about what we were facing. Handwashing and sanitizer were the key tools we had. We were hesitant, but she really wanted to go, so we did, wondering if maybe we were doing something completely foolish. 

There were also the first runs on supplies in the stores. Toilet paper!! Rice!!! Oh my!

Waiting to get into Trader Joe's, 3/13

No Quinoa!! Aaack!

How were we going to last until April 15th?!?

It's been a long, long, long time...

 Like 9 6 years? Yikes! 

To be honest, some of the post reduction has been intentional. As the girls got older, I began to feel less comfortable sharing details of our lives, their lives, without their expressed willingness to have those details be shared. But I had intended at least an occasional post about what was happening in my life, like the two years we went to Kona so that I could paddle in the Queen Liliu'okalani canoe races over Labor Day weekend. This was in 2013 and 2014, and the first year our team came in 3rd in our division (not too shabby, given the size of the race and how many different teams from all over participate), and then also placed 1st in our double-hull division. The second year we came in 1st in our division (even less shabby if you ask me) and then again 1st in the double-hull the following day. 

2014 award ceremony

But I never got around to it. To be honest, a new job (in 2014), and growing girls, meant less and less time for any sort of extra curricular writing. I honestly don't know how single parents manage. I'm not particularly suited to multitasking when it comes to family/house matters. I stress while cooking, don't do well hosting gatherings, and in general need M to cover my back more often than she needs me to do so for her. In any case, I recently shared some of my old posts with the girls and we all enjoyed them, laughing out loud at times, and I got what felt like the world's best comment from K: "You know Dad, these are actually good, they're pretty funny." I'll take that!

But it got me thinking about possibly doing more writing, and one way to ramp up on that would be to begin posting here again, on occasion. The risk is low, given my audience is minuscule to begin with, and likely has dropped by 50% (so roughly 3 readers remaining?). And it seemed fortuitous that we just reached the 2nd anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic, in that this gives me a convenient focus for at least a couple tries at new posts: "Two years ago...."

So, I'm going to kick it off with a try and see if it's any fun any longer.