Day 26: What are we going to do today, Brain? The same thing we do every day, Pinkie.

April 10, 2020 Heather Jacobs

It’s April 10th, and if things had gone according to plan, the stay-at-home order would be ending tomorrow, but it isn’t. It has been extended through April 30th now. The curve is flattening, so that’s good, but I guess it’s not quite flat enough. It seems like people are being a little safer to say the least! I see people in face masks and gloves everywhere now. Even when I’m at the park on runs, people are walking/running on opposite sides of the trails as to keep a safe six foot distance. It also seems like people are being a lot more patient and polite and the grocery store! Lots and lots of “excuse me’s” and “I’m sorry’s”!

As usual, we are keepin’ it pretty chill around here. We had a Meyer’s breakfast (if you don’t know you don’t know), played beer pong, started watching the Marvel movies in chronological order, I took the lead in House Game Wins with a total of six wins, thanks to an epic game of Settlers of Catan. We’ve updated the basement to be a zen meditation and work out room. I improved my mile time by 10 seconds. We all took a two day cleanse. I’ve been doing a great job of taking photos of the small big moments. Streamed an online music festival. Adam got hooked on White Claw… You know, keepin’ it chill.

I hope everyone is staying positive out there! Times are tough! Things are uncertain and scary, the future may seem bleak, and spirits may get low. Especially if you are living alone or in an unhealthy living arrangement. Please know that if you are reading this, and you are struggling that you can talk to me. My dream in life is that everyone be happy and healthy. If you don’t feel safe, or if you feel you need professional help you can call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) to reach the SAMHSA National Hotline. Please know that there are resources out there, and that someone cares! You are loved, you are valuable, you are beautiful! Stay strong. I believe in you!

Day 19: Go Outside and Howl at 8PM

April 3, 2020 Heather Jacobs

If you are actually following this blog, then you know that I haven’t written in seven days. How could I have possibly been so busy?? Well, I have and I haven’t been. I’m just free. If I want to write, great! If I don’t want to write, no big deal. Plus, if I kept this up each night Day 15, for example, would have reported 5 straight hours of Seinfeld followed by 5 straight hours of It’s Always Sunny… No one needs that.

Except we did, after the fun-filled, loosey-goosey, wet n’ wild, Dirty Thirty Extravaganza Weekend that we had. Adam, unfortunately, had to celebrate his 30th birthday under quarantine, but we didn’t let that hold us back from showing him a good time! He taught us how to play Settlers of Catan, I sent him on a scavenger hunt looking for hand-made coupons, we danced, we sang, we laughed- A LOT. We drank, we ate, we did a painting together. It was fun! We just focused on the positives, and enjoyed each other’s company.

A lot of people are giving up a lot more right now. A lot of people are in much less comfortable positions than we are right now. In the grand scheme of things we really have nothing to complain about. At this point, the most devastating thing that’s happened to anyone in this house is that they’ve gotten last place in Monopoly… twice. Meanwhile, people all over the world are getting sick and dying. According to geneng.com, even though scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have made a breakthrough in developing a vaccine for COVID-19 today, it could still take a year and “probably longer” to complete testing processes in humans. So, that’s scary.

I’ve been feeling a little helpless through all of this. I mean what can I do? In most cases like this, when I care about a cause I am able to donate money or volunteer. Sadly, I am unemployed, haven’t gotten my PIN from the Unemployment Office yet, and have not received the supposed $1,200 relief package the U.S. government says should be arriving within about two weeks… We’ll see. On top of that I am being ordered by the government to stay inside my home except for essential needs. So what can I do? According to the CDC the top 6 things we can be doing are as follows:

Stay home
Wash your hands often
Avoid Close contact with others (aprox. 6 feet)
Clean and disinfect frequently touched services.
Avoid all non-essential air and cruise travel
Call your healthcare professional if you have concerns about COVID-19 and your underlying condition or if you are sick.

Not so hard. The main take away I’d like to have here is that staying home and being healthy is the BEST thing we can all be doing right now. I know it’s hard, especially if you live alone, but you’re not alone. We’re all in this together. And you can comment on this blog, send me a text, call me, or we can Facetime! Me and Gypsy can be pretty entertaining believe it or not. How about this? Tomorrow night at say, oh, 8PM We all go outside and Howl at the moon like wolves! Sounds good? Great, send me a video!

In the meantime, save your monies! Do these free, fun, stupid activities with me! According to an article on npr.com titled “Show Me the Relief Money - No Promises on When Coronavirus Checks Are Coming”:

“A senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center, suspects the IRS’s infrastructure, or lack thereof, will create even more delays for desperate people.
In the past it has taken several months for the government to develop, test and install the kind of software necessary to launch a rebate program. But it is unclear, what if anything, the administration has done behind the scenes so far.”

— Vanessa Romo, npr.com

That being said, just be cautious. I had to stop myself from buying shoes that were discounted 75% off yesterday, because who can resist temptation like that?! But, I did it. It’s pretty crazy how I am getting texts and e-mails left and right from retailers with discount codes and whatnot. Save the money you do have, if you are in the same position as me, nothing is certain right now. This shut down could last even longer than we think. Let’s do our best to try and prevent that, but at the same time be mindful of our actions in the event that it gets extended.

Day 10: Acceptance

March 27, 2020 Heather Jacobs

Today we finished prepping the garden as a little family! The four of us took on different tasks from hoeing up weeds, to cutting White Claw cans in half for future potting purposes. There are four flower beds in our shared backyard that look like they haven’t been taken the best care of, so it’s a good thing we moved in! Gardening is one of the things we are most excited about (now that all of our big travel plans are on hold) this year!

It’s such a beautiful day out that we have to let the pets come play outside, even the cats! Tiger, Mali’s baby boy, generally roams the second level of our casa, while Gaia runs the first floor. Luckily we have a balcony upstairs that Tiger can lounge on, even though he quickly figured out that he can scurry across the roof and get on the neighbor’s balconies as well. So we lost him for the first time today. He actually went inside one of our neighbor’s houses. Oops! At least he’s cute?

Gaia, on the other hand, just straight up rolled in dirt all day. So I went from having a glowing, white princess cat to having a splotchy, brown alley cat in an afternoon. I guess it was worth it. This is the first time I’ve been able to let my cat play outside, which I think is really important!

In larger news, The Governor set a mandatory stay at home order for the entire state of Colorado today. So, in my best Kip Dynamite voice, “I guess you could say things are getting pretty serious”. Sadly, according to CNN we went from a total of 326 deaths in America on March 22nd, to a total of 928 today, March 25th due to COVID-19. The spread of the virus has gotten so serious in the U.S. that leaders have made exceptions to normal medical practices and rules so that the people in need can get the medical attention they truly need.

“In Texas, for instance, the state will allow medical facilities that are awaiting their licenses or those that have closed in the past 36 months to come online.
”By waiving these rules, we can quickly bring many of these facilities online to help Texas communities maximize their hospital capacity and provide care to Texans in need,” Gov. Greg Abbott said.”

— Eliott C. McLaughlin, Christina Maxouris and Steve Almasy, CNN

There is still hope. We can still pull in the reigns on this thing. Experts in the U.S. still believe that we can get ahead of the spread of the virus. WHO’s Margaret Harris claims that we have the “best public heath brains in the world” working on this issue. We need people to get tested. We need to identify who has come in contact with those infected. We need to get people treated! Lastly, we need to STFH!! Do the right thing, people. Let’s overcome this! We can’t stay at home forever.

Day 7: Puppies & Mountains

March 24, 2020 Heather Jacobs

The one week marker has arrived. One week no jobs. Not just me and my room mates either, a lot of people in other professions and states have been out of work for a week or so by now. It is still a very weird feeling. I have been working since I was sixteen! I also never thought that the restaurant industry would be a shaky one. As long as I’ve been working in restaurants it has been a very reliable source of income, very flexible, and successful. I was able to move across the country on a whim, practically, knowing I would find a job as a bartender or server at the least. And now here I am. Here we all are.

Believe me, I am not complaining about the extra time to spend with my pets and my boyfriend. There’s almost nothing I love more than being at home with them. It’s just the uncertainty of the situation that is unsettling. How do you prepare and plan for your future when the world is on pause? You don’t. You enjoy the now. And you know what today has to offer?

Puppies. That’s what! One of my best friends is a Speech Therapist, and works in the school system, so she is mostly out of work right now as well. She decided this would be the perfect time to adopt a new puppy! This has actually been one super positive outcome of the self-quarantining/lay-offs, a lot of people have decided to adopt pets, and some shelters are almost empty! As the good friend that I am, I fully supported this decision and rode out past Colorado Springs with her to check out the potential cuddle buddies. Golden freakin Doodles. Fourteen freakin weeks old! Kill me now!! They were so fluffy. So cute. So sweet. I wanted to bring one home myself, but alas, found myself lacking an extra thousand dollars… Tough times.

After making a special connection with a little guy named Hobbs, we drove another twenty minutes South to Red Rock Canyon Open Space for a little hike. With a little extra spark than before, knowing that Miss Blyss would have a new little family member in a week’s time, we skipped up the red rocks of Colorado’s country side. This is why I love it here so much! It’s the middle of March, and it’s still in the 50s at 6,400 feet of elevation. I’ve always loved nature and being outdoors, so it is such a blessing to have views like this in what is practically my backyard. I can go to bed with a smile on my face tonight. Things are going to be okay.

Day 4: Quarantine & Chill

March 20, 2020 Heather Jacobs

Oh, how you gotta love Denver! I’m wearing a tank top in the park one day, and wearing a hoodie under a blanket the next. Bring on the snow! It really happens that fast. From a high of 65 degrees and sunny on Wednesday to 30 and snowy on Thursday. Glad we soaked it up while we could! But we continue to live in the moment and take the day for what it is! A snow day. We got nowhere to be, nothing to do, and Disney+ on hand, so LFG.

I’m really happy to wake up and have some alone time to do yoga in the living room today. I keep the curtains wide open and watch the snow gently fall to the ground. They are the big bouncy kind of snowflakes that you just know are going to stick. It’s honestly very soothing. It slows me down. I take my deep breaths in and know that this is a time to heal. It’s a time to take life in moment by moment. Not all moments are perfect. Not all moments are pretty. But they are mine to make. And I want to make them as uplifting as possible for me and my room mates today. I am really lucky to be where I am in the world right now- with people and animals that I love dearly.

“You. Are. Blank. ”

— Adam Clute- In a game of Balderdash

My suggestion for today is that we make like the weather and keep it chill. We pour tequila over ice and do the first really cliche quarantine thing that I’ve done so far: watch “The Gang Gets Quarantined”. A must-see episode, in my personal opinion. All the while I have a soft, fluffy, white, purring cat on my belly. I love being at home. I then take some time to work on my blog while Ryan teaches Mali how to play chess, and Adam catches up with his friends back in Indiana via SMITE on Xbox Live. We then take it to the next level of Chill and watch Frozen II, which really should have won an Oscar, but no one asked my opinion. Not to discredit Toy Story 4, which was absolutely heart wrenching, but, well, just watch the movie and decide for yourself! I could start a separate blog for my opinions on animated films… Maybe another day.

“What Now?”

— Mali Gutierrez - In general

There are some other positive things I’m learning about today as well. One being that the United States Bartender’s Guild has an Emergency Assistance Program to which Jameson has donated $500,000. I applied for that, of course, thousands if not millions of others have done the same, so what really is $500,000? Guess I’ll find out in a couple of weeks. Another nice thing that the U.S.B.G is doing is called Colorado Family Meal, which is a free meal plan to Service Industry Employees. It includes two deliveries per week at curb side with minimal interaction. I also found out today that my student loans are being placed on a 3 month Disaster Forbearance program. Whew! That helps! It’s nice to know that people care, and are coming together to make a difference. This is such a wild time to be alive. Thank God for the internet.

Day 2: Here Comes the Sun

March 19, 2020 Heather Jacobs

Aaahh… What a beautiful day to wake up on and not have to go to work! The sun is shining, it feels like springtime outside, and none of my friends have jobs. What do you say we head to the park?! Fortunately for us, we can walk there in about 5 minutes. So we pack up some snacks and white claws, the football, and a bluetooth speaker. Gypsy couldn’t be happier. “All four of my parents are taking me on an adventure!” she thinks to herself; tail wagging furiously. The cats, on the other hand, enjoy some much needed alone time…

We are all feeling very alive and free today. We have a little extra fire in our bellies, and find ourselves playing and exercising muscles that haven’t been worked in a while. Well, except for Adam, he exercises every muscle in his body on a daily basis. So I imagine him thinking to himself, “This is child’s play!” as he swings upside down from his aerial straps he’s rigged up from a tree. Meanwhile, my lungs are on fire from that one lap I did around the park with Gypsy- who would have loved to go a lot faster. I guess I’ll make running and exercising a much bigger priority for myself during this time.

When the clouds start rolling in with a chilly breeze we decide to head home. We all shower because even being in the park is scary now. We are doing our best to keep all of the bad germs out! And we settle back into our heated game of GOT Monopoly. I may be a rookie, Ryan may be a hustler, and Mali may be a cheater, but we manage not to kill each other- this time. We play until our fingers bleed! Or more realistically until our stomachs start growling, and we break for dinner.

“Valar Morghulis. Valar Dohaeris.”

— Game of Thrones

The boys made breakfast, so Mali and I take the lead on dinner. I know it’s only been three meals in a row at this point, but I am already starting to feel like I am living on a commune. Which isn’t a bad thing. We all came together, pooled our resources, and have been doing equal parts of cooking and cleaning. It’s actually pretty fun! Why can’t life always be this simple? We dance, we sing, we drink, we eat! It’s only day 2. There’s no reason to be worried about our stock running short just yet! Right? So we cap off the night with some Espolon and Jameson accompanied by a game of Taboo that test our relationships more than the fact that we are rationing toilet paper squares.

Day 1: The Mayor said WHAT?!

March 18, 2020 Heather Jacobs

I woke up knowing that things were changing, and not for the better. I knew that people were dying all around the world, and that there was currently no known cure. I knew that in other parts of the world people were being quarantined to their homes to help prevent the spread of the virus, or “flatten the curve”. I knew that business was not as usual. In fact it was pretty damn slow, and quite honestly, a little scary. We were washing our hands so much that our skin was breaking out and cracking. We were trying to stay positive and do all the right things, but in the back of our heads, we were paranoid. Do you know how many people us Service Industry folks come into contact with on a daily basis? And I mean literal contact. We touch their plates, cups, silverware, and napkins that they’ve wiped their faces all over. We clean the public restrooms that 100s of people have used each night. We touch credit cards, cash, shake hands, and even hug sometimes. The list could go on… So seeing the following announcement from the Mayor wasn’t necessarily a shock, but it did hit home pretty hard.

“Denver Mayor Michael Hancock ordered the closure of all restaurants and bars except for delivery and carryout service Monday in an attempt to curtail the spread of the new coronavirus, which is surging throughout the world.
The rule will take effect at 8 a.m. Tuesday and remain in place for eight weeks.”

— Conrad Swanson, DenverPost.com