Some Quarantine Updates

Earlier last week, Sam and I left Princeton to head down to DC. We knew that there would be stringent measures in the Northeast, and we wanted to be in DC with Sam's family if there were going to be lockdowns (which there subsequently have been--both in New Jersey and in DC). It was good we left earlier rather than later, since starting yesterday, there has been a travel advisory for New York and New Jersey. So we're in DC for the time being (though I really hope I can get back up to Princeton by the end of April). We'll see, I guess. There's so much uncertainty, so it's hard to plan--research, travel, anything, really.

[beautiful princeton in the springtime.]

[i'm convinced that princeton is prettiest in pink.]

Before leaving Princeton, I stopped by the library to gather up any odds and ends in my carrel and to say goodbye (since I really don't know if I'll be coming back there). I was only given a 30 minute slot to get what I needed. Luckily, I didn't have to grab all of my books, some friends had been able to gather together my books five days before--I was out of town and there was an unexpected announcement that they were closing the library for a couple of days, and some friends (shout out to Miri, Bailey, and James) answered my panicked texts and went to go get my books out of my carrel for me. There ended up being about 3 boxes of books and 6-tote-bags of books. In other words, I would not have been able to get all of my books out in 30 minutes. So I am incredibly grateful to them for doing that. Instead, I was able to grab a couple of leftover things out of my carrel and just spend the time feeling melancholy and nostalgic instead of panicked.

[sign of the times]

[empty reading room. very abnormal.]

[everything is GONE. so, SO weird.]

[of course i had to document myself feeling sad. i mean, i guess i didn't have to. but i did.]

[documenting for posterity's sake. and my vanity's sake. but also, look how tired my eyes are. this has been A RIDE.] 

[the vastness of eternity.]

While in quarantine, I've been organizing my research files, writing, reading secondary sources, trying to learn more French, brushing up on my Russian, stress baking, and taking daily walks (although it's much more fun to call them "daily constitutionals"). Writing those things down make it sound like I'm being more productive than I really am. I promise you--I am not being as productive as I usually am. 

[more signs of the time from our passive-aggressive neighbors in princeton.]

[making pancakes.]

[now onto cookies.]

[walks around tacoma park.]

[beautiful cherry blossoms. not the ones around the tidal basin, because those are #offlimits, but these ones in a tacoma park neighborhood were beautiful, too.]

[a rare day when i actually get dressed AND do makeup.]

[maybe it's her, maybe it's quarantine. JK, this one is definitely a maybelline--or a maybelline-adjacent--look.]

Another thing I am doing while I listen to audiobooks is this dot puzzle. It's kind of hard to explain, but it's kind of like a color-by-number picture, but instead you stick on little dots with wax to create a picture: 

[you can't really see the picture, but it's to the right and it will be van gogh's "cafe at night" when we finish it.]

It's mindless, but it also is one of those things where I feel like I'm actually producing something tangible, so it helps me deal with stress. 

Hope you're all healthy, safe, and well during these "unprecedented times" (as every email from Princeton's administration likes to call them).