Friday 5: Pandemic Daze

1. Where do you get most of your pandemic-related news? On a national level and relating to vaccines, NPR. Locally, as in case numbers, the death toll, and potential restrictions, my local paper. Also gonna use this moment to urge you all to subscribe to your local papers! They probably need you!
2. How do you feel about your local government’s leadership during this pandemic? My local rep is a godawful, conspiracy-promoting Trump ass kisser who’s been accused by other constituents of only being interested in getting Trump’s attention and advancing his career and not doing anything for the area. I do know that there have been attempts by other politicians to get more financial aid to people and one of our county commissioners is a volunteer in one of the vaccine trials, so that’s cool and I have to give him credit for stepping up to do that. On the state level, I think we started strong with fair, science-based restrictions, but as cases have gone up, there’s been no reaction beyond strongly urging people to stay home and issuing cellphone alerts that I think annoy everyone, even those of us following the guidelines. I think this area in particular is poorly educated with certain political leanings, and I think the governor is afraid of pissing people off with any additional restrictions, so while I personally firmly believe that indoor dining and retail should be closed, it’s not and I don’t see that changing.
3. What does your favorite mask look like, and about how many masks have you accumulated? I only have two. Since I was pregnant at the start of COVID, we’ve been pretty serious about not making non-essential trips–admittedly, there have been some exceptions–but with going out so infrequently, I don’t feel the need to have a lot. The best one is a heavier grey one designed to filter the air, and the other one I have is a pink Harry Potter one that was a gift from my best friend.
4. Where have you most often had takeout during this pandemic? We’ve done drive-through more than anything. When I was pregnant, I wanted lots of ice cream and slushie-type drinks, so there was a lot of Dairy Queen, Rita’s frozen custard, and then later, Burger King. Taco Bell is a constant fast-food staple in this house, though. As for proper take-out, we haven’t favored one place over another, really. We kind of just get stuff here and there depending on what we’re in the mood for.
5. What new interests, skills, or hobbies have you picked up since mid-March? Parenting! And I’ve been cooking more. But honestly, having a baby sucks up any time I may have devoted to either doing something new or brushing up on existing skills.

From Friday 5.