Day 10: Acceptance

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

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

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

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?!

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

Eight weeks? EIGHT?! No work, no income, no security for two whole months. That is asking a lot. Guess who that directly affects. Every single person I live with. Almost every single person I know. A million questions start racing through our minds. How will we pay bills and rent - obviously. Will we be able to find new jobs with everything that is going on? Will we qualify for unemployment? Will the unemployment office’s website even be up and running? What do we do with ourselves? How many games of Monopoly can four people play? Will we all be able to stand each other at the end of this eight week span of NO WORK? God, I hope so.

So day one. Beyond no longer having jobs, a lot of information is coming our way. Schools are closing. Gyms, bars, and movie theaters have been ordered to close down for eight weeks. Conventions, concerts, and festivals are being cancelled. Multiple cities in the U.S. have been placed under mandatory quarantine. There is, of course, talk of issuing a quarantine in Denver. So we do what everyone else is doing.

“The world is screeching to a halt. ”
— Mali Gutierrez

We stock up. We hit the classic Safeway grocery store and the infamous Argonaut liquor store. We come home with what looks like way too much food, and way too little toilet paper. But it’s sinking in. This could be real. We could really be trapped here. At least I get to hear the most comforting words from my amazing room mates, “There’s no one I’d rather be locked up with than you guys!” And it sparks some positivity among us. We start thinking of all the things we can work on and accomplish, we set goals, we get excited! Life without work! It could actually be pretty great. Hell, how can I complain about a little extra time to work on my dreams and cuddle my dog? So we prepare a feast for Kings, and we start our first round of Game of Thrones Monopoly. Adam loses first. I hope he can stay strong. I hope we all can…