Hello Friends,
Fate has finally deemed it our turn. Most of the household tested positive for Covid-19 last week. As this letter goes to print, Yuling and Amelia have been spared (which is quite remarkable given they must be swimming in a sea of it), but it remains to be seen whether they’ll continue to hold it off.
Our symptoms (Yuling’s parents and myself) have been relatively mild. Like a bad cold: aches and mild fever. I’m told by some that there is a heat wave, but I’ve been spending 80 degree nights shivering under a down blanket. The only bit a little out of the ordinary though is a sharp stabbing in the throat that seems to be most pronounced at night.
On the positive side, it was reassuring to see all the Covid tests which we had been using suddenly showing actual, unambiguous positives. I had been worried these things didn’t really work.
I’ve been using some of the downtime to catch up on reading. I finally cracked open my copy of the Bhagavad Gita (given to me by a group of Hare Krishnas in college) and found it much more approachable than I would have expected given outward appearances.
Speaking of reading, I also embarked on a small project to collect a list of all the books I have read in one place: https://www.aleksrudzitis.com/bookshelf.html. This took a few weekends of looking at my physical bookshelf, Kndle, and Amazon order history but I think I got it to the point where it reflects at least most of my adult reading history.[0] I hope you’ll take a look and strike up a conversation about anything that looks interesting.
Amelia is doing well. She has a lot to say and it often comes out with a slight British accent due to all the Peppa Pig we let her watch.
She is still attending half day daycare, where she is now into her second year. Her teachers tell us she enjoys leading, keeping others informed of the rules, and showing younger kids what to do. She also talks to anybody and everybody.
When we take walks, she says hi to everyone she sees and tells them what her plans are.
Outside of school she likes painting, Lego, and her Brio trains. She also loves to help in the garden, especially when it involves digging in dirt.
We have also started her in swimming lessons. She has only had 3 lessons but enjoyed the experience immensely. She often wears her swim goggles at home, just in case the time comes for a swim lesson.
Today is supposed to mark the end of the heatwave in Seattle. I’m hoping it is also the day Covid-19 decides to pack up and move out.
The brain fog is real.
Until next time, stay safe.
[0] This project was inspired by the list Stripe’s CEO, Patrick Collison keeps on his site.