I had to cancel a trip home for my mother’s 70th birthday and missed my sister announcing that she’s having another baby, so that was tough too. I also worry a lot about our coworkers and students. I feel like we’ll all be OK eventually, but I hope for the best for them in the meantime. I just do my best to stay positive and informed and keep in touch with everyone as much as I could.
How to keep children entertained:
I don’t have children, but I am hearing nightmare stories from my brother. I saw photos of his six-year-old daughter giving him a haircut. Whatever it takes to keep them safe and occupied!
How I am staying connected with friends and family that live far away:
I talk to my friends and family all day from the time I wake up until the time the last one goes to sleep on the East Coast. It’s good to keep tabs on each other through text, phone calls, social media and video calls.
What I miss most about what life was like before:
I am missing seeing our Vaquero athletes in action! So many of our teams were in the middle of great seasons and I was really into their success. That’s what I enjoy the most about my job and it was tough to see that taken away so quickly. I am also missing concerts and professional sporting events.
A positive aspect about all this that I've discovered:
I have seen many instances of people helping each other and being nice to each other in person and online. There’s a lot to get upset over, but I really do see a lot of people doing things small and large to help people through this and that's encouraging. There are a lot of people who genuinely care about each other and want to help each other through this. Personally, I have been able to do a lot of writing on the book I'm working on and now am confident I’m going to make my deadline!
Favorite comfort food:
I have eaten more Mini Oreos the past few weeks than I ever should have.
