Well, well, guess who decided to post?  I have not written a blog post since February.  I was super busy with other stuff before the pandemic.  Once this craziness started happening, I became further distracted.  Living in the new normal isn’t as foreign now, so it’s back to the regularly scheduled program where possible.

We had major plans to visit Thailand in April, plotting out our stops and inviting friends to join us.  When stuff starting happening, we switched to Bali, trying to avoid layovers through China.  Then as time went on, that was out too.  Those places will always be there, so no need to fret over it, but we were definitely bummed about it.  Oh well, life goes on.  

Since the pandemic started picking up, I have been working from home.  I’ve always wanted to work 100% remotely (I was previously 2 days a week), but definitely not under these circumstances.  I do have to write a daily task list, because sometimes I don’t feel like doing anything outside of work.  Some tasks remains for days, but it eventually gets done.

So what have I been doing in these weeks of quarantine, outside of work?  First, my workouts are regular again.  I had fallen off in February, so glad that’s back, considering there is a lot of quarantine snacking going on. I’m regularly working out at 7 a.m. (hate it) with a YouTube channel or joggin/running/lunging outdoors during my lunch hour.  Next, is obsessively watching YouTube videos.  Obviously, YouTube would have you believing you can build a house with your bare hands, in 2 days.

So far, I have made a juju hat (that I’ll frame) from a tutorial, which was a success.  A failure was box braids, using the rubber band method.  Can you say #epicfail?  My patience was thin with that one, but I will revisit in another 2 weeks or so.  I’ve figured out an additional step to help me start the braid.

After that failure and motivation from a cousin (heeey Christina), I tried another tutorial, crochet faux locs.  It took a little over 4 hours, actually turning out cute.  However, I certainly am not in a rush to do it again.  My hands cramped pretty bad from holding them the same way for hours.

As for new recipes, I went to Chef Ramsey’s channel to see how to get salmon crispy on the stove.  Another win!

DIY Juju Hat

DIY Crochet Faux Locs

 

As for traveling and thrifting, I frequently look back through my pictures to remember the good ol’ days.  I also drink tea in coffee mugs that I’ve acquired during my travels.  Maybe next I’ll buy or try to recreate some of my favorite meals and sweet treats from past vacations.  I’m sure I can find recipes on Google and YouTube.

So how have you been living in the new normal?

Thrifting Atlanta Event

Lamb and Onion Tagine from Cairo, Egypt