I'm not sure if this initiative is still going on, but I know the virus is and I'm struggling to come up with anything to talk about tonight so I figured now is as good a time as any to talk about how the "Beer Virus" is affecting my life.
<h1> Thankful and Lucky </h1>
I have to say I'm really thankful for how my life has been relatively unaffected by the virus so far. I'm still working at the job I started around 6 months ago and plugging away at learning what my roles and responsibilities are. The only thing that has changed is that I now get to work at home with my family as a Mechanical Engineer ranking bolted flange criticality to help prevent any leaks before they happen.
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Financially, I still have a job, and now my wife and I are going to the movies less and eating out less, so about the only money we're spending right now is some items for the new home and on groceries every week or so. I haven't checked my 401k as I know it's wrecked, but hoping I'm getting some "cheap" stocks that will be at a much higher price in the 20 - 30 years when I want to retire, so not to worried about that.
Besides having to go out once a month for my daughter's blood testing for her "thyroid levels" I don't think I've been to the doctor or dentist. Besides not being able to see my parents or grandma as they're socially distancing where they live 2 hours away, or my brother who is an hour away, not much has changed. I'll have to admit that I'm feeling a little stressed in general, but overall, as I've stated already, very lucky and happy to be alive and with my family at home and not sick.
<h1> Family and Loved Ones </h1>
I don't know any directly that's sick, but my old boss's wife is sick and he's at home self quarantining, which I found out through an old coworker. I also saw on the news that a band director at a neighboring high school where I grew up died as well, though I never knew the guy, some teachers that taught me in high school knew him.
From everything I've read online from others, the more you're affected by the disease the more you take it seriously, so my wife and I are trying to take it as seriously as you're supposed to while still living our lives.
I love being able to walk outside of my "office" and give the kids a kiss on the head or a hug. To talk to them throughout the day when I need a break or just play a quick game with them or put them down for a nap. Paul, my son, is 4 and Olivia, my girl, will be 2 on the 13th. Luckily, she's still too small to really notice the effects and to her, her birthday will just be another day with cake, so she won't be disappointed as she's not expecting anything.
<h1> Spending My Time </h1>
The wife and I aren't noticing much of a change yet. We just moved into our new home so we're still unpacking and trying to take everything we had living in a 3000 sp ft house on a half-acre into a 2000 sq ft house with almost no yard. This is kind of perfect for us as we're able to use the time stuck inside to continue to unpack, organize, and purge the contents of our new home.
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I'm actually using the time to work from home to make a lot of progress at work. It's nice not having constant interruptions from people walking in to talk, calling pointless meetings, and just all the distractions at work and I'm at least 2 - 3x more productive at home than I am from work, which is nice because I'm trying to learn a lot while still getting something done every day.
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Unpacking and My Current Work Office </center>
I'm hoping this time I'm able to spend with my kids while working will be memorable for them and as we get the house unpacked and organized hoping to spend some time reading, posting more consistently to become a better writer, and continue to build a better bond with my wife and kids. While my kids do drive me crazy at times, it makes me a little sad seeing some of these parents not knowing what to do with their kids while they're at home.
<h1> Practicing Social Distancing </h1>
We've explained to my 4-year-old that he can't play with any of the neighborhood kids right now and while it is difficult since we seem to be one of the few who are practicing social distancing where we live, my kids have been taking it very well. My wife went out grocery shopping with Lysol spray, Clorox wipes, gloves, and a mask.
As I said earlier my daughter was born with a Thyroid that doesn't work, so not sure if she's more apt to get the disease or not, so we're trying not to take any chances. Plus, with so much misinformation going around we'd rather be safe than sorry.
We did go on a "bear hunt" last weekend where a lot of the houses in the neighborhood stuck bears in their windows and doing a "easter egg hunt" tomorrow where people decorated easter "eggs" and hanging them in the windows. One person is even offering a $5 fast-food gift card for who she feels has the most creative egg/eggs. This has definitely been an awesome experience for my son whose face would light up as we drove around and saw the bears, so I can't wait to take him out tomorrow.
Overall, my immediate and extended family have been very lucky and everyone, as far as I know, is still employed and healthy. I would just like to thank @theycallmedan for hosting this [initiative](https://peakd.com/quarantinelife/@theycallmedan/quarantinelife-initiative) and giving me something to talk about to take my mind off of everything else going on in crypto and the world.