The humble brag... that's what I'd call my last post. I must do less of that. 

The days of sheltering in place are passing buy. We are having a few home arguments, but nothing unexpected. We've had to adjust the Wi-Fi to accommodate the extra streaming and video calls that are being made.

How first world is that-- we are in the middle of a pandemic and the top problem on my list is that the house has enough Wi-Fi to let two people talk on video, and the other two watch Netflix, each far enough away from the other that we can't hear each other in the background.

We have made lists of people we want to keep in touch with and are calling them. I like this. Usually my work life and my few free social hours narrow down the people I talk to. Shelter-in-place lets me be more intentional. I will talk to those whom life would ordinarily keep distant from me. 

How on earth did I end up in a quarantine, with a great job that lets me work remote, and roommates who are a chef and a yoga instructor?

It's a quiet day today.  I had a full day working from home, as did the husband. The brother in law is home early from work as there is less for him to do at work. He works in the kitchen at a retirement home. The residents are in lock down. Meals are being delivered to them. 

I don't talk much about our other roomy-- H. We have a mother-in-law apartment that we rent to her. She is a good room mate. She walks the dog when we are not around. She is clean. Trust worthy. A good person. She is also out of work. The studios where she worked have closed due to the Coronavirus. She is keeping busy. She and the brother-in-law love to watch horror movies together. We have told her not to worry. These are unusual times and we aren't going to kick her out because she can't pay rent.

Its a lovely say here in Seattle. A little cool for spring. That hasn't stopped the daffodils from blooming.

The brother in law reports that at his work, a resident has tested positive for Coronavirus. The whole retirement community is in lockdown.

The husband and I are good. Our big challenge will be to keep focused and not to psych ourselves out. This is not a good time for empaths or those who like to engage and solve problems.

We have ordered a couple big jigsaw puzzles.

C2 was quickly in and out of town for the weekend to visit his family. While he was here, he got notice that he too will work from home.

It's official. All schools are closed for the next six weeks. Coworkers are scrambling to figure out what to do with their kids. My coworkers are fortunate-- they can work form home. I pray for those who can't work from home and now have to figure out what to do with their children.

A acquaintance has been quarantined. She is healthy, but is a real estate agent who was exposed to someone who has tested positive for Coronavirus.

The big thing for us is to keep our cool and keep focused on our work and our day. The husband and I listen to meditations before we sleep. This husband is big hearted and empathic. This situation really bugs him.

I have been working from home for a week now. Coronavirus continues to grow around us. Social distancing is now in vogue. I went to the dentist today. Ordinarily, when signing for the bill, I would just take the pen from the receptionist and sign. Today she put the pen down, stepped back. I took the pen, signed and then used hand sanitizer. She wiped the pen with a cloth. We looked at each other and laughed. What's next? Throwing the bill from across the room? 

The numbers don't look good. As statisticians sometimes say when doing analysis... the first derivative of the growth curve does not look good. The problem is growing faster than it's being solved. 

The state has banned events of more than 250 people. Seattle schools are closed. Suburban schools are not, though there are calls for that. The grocery stores are all open. Costco was out of beans and rice. The guy there said they get a new pallet every day, but it sells out quickly. 

We have a few emergency supplies on hand. Maybe one week of food. Lots of soap and cleaning supplies. Mostly I'm presuming that the system— groceries (especially grocery delivery), internet, power, gas— will continue to work if things start to go very bad. Amazon delivery can't help but benefit from this.  

The husband and I are in a demographic that recovers from Covid-19. I'm a little worried about the brother-in-law. He works at an old-folks home. He is over 60. He smokes. I pray for him.

So, what should one do in the middle of a coronavirus crisis? Head to the mountains of course!

For some time, an old college buddy of the husband planned to be in Seattle for the week. We had previously schedule a weekend with him at a local ski hill. While, they are closing down large gatherings around Seattle. Restrictions have not yet hit the rest of the state.

The trip was lovely.

Companies that can are asking their employees to work from home till the end of the month. To the best of my knowledge, no one where I work has been hit with the virus.

and then I see this...

Covid-19 update...

At work, they have put hand sanitizer dispensers up next to the main doors. It's kind of like a cruise ship. I sanitize every time I walk in or out of our space.

I am washing my hands more often. I'll do that when I arrive at work. Wash away the commute germs. My fingers are drying out, so I've got bottle of nice lotion on my desk.

Yes. I'm still going to work. The people who have been dying have been very young, had underlying health problems or were older than 70. I don't associate with those demographics, so if I get it, the damage will be contained.

More about work. The commute is nice. The traffic is good. There are less people on the bus. The office is quiet. If it weren't for the virus, this would be pleasant.

I have several friends in the travel industry. They are having a bad time.

My husband, who visits many medical offices for work, has been asked to stay away. The offices are closed to non-essential visitors.

What's bad about Covid-19 is that it's so diffuse and unpredictable. Our mind wants us to think that pandemics play out like the zombie apocalypse. Or a biologic attack where everyone dies. The reality is that most of us will be unaffected. Some of us will have a bad flu. We may not even know that the flu was the Coronavirus. It was a bad flu year even before Covid-19. And... of course... some of us will die.

Covid-19 is hitting Seattle a big way. 6 people have died in the past 48 hours. 5 of the six were older than 70. The remaining one was 50 and with an underlying health condition.

Work has canceled nonessential travel. Lunch is no longer buffet style. We have switched to box lunch. We are encouraging people to work from home. 

The brother-in-law works at an old age home. They are in lock down there. Servers are wearing masks. 

At my new job, I learnt that engineers need Senior VP approval to work evenings and weekends. Managers must roll model good behavior to support that.

I almost cried.

It makes the days really intense. Everyone works hard. There is little gossip or goofing off. I almost feel bad interrupting someone to ask a question. I really do my homework before I do so. I have to do a lot more planning to make all that happen.

I love it.

The past few days have been packed. So many trainings, so much information. 

I like the team. I like my boss. Off to a good start.

The new job is already ramping up. I fly to San Francisco for a few days next week for introductions and training, so I've had to book travel.

The husband has a flu and has been in bed for the past two days. My housemates and I have been having discussions about flues and vaccines. One of my roommates says the only time she ever got the flu is when she had the vaccine, so she has sworn them off.

I have the opposite opinion. I am vaccinated for the flu early every year. I used to get a big flat-on-my-ass-for-days flu once a year. The vaccine has eliminated that. Right now, I am also taking Tamaflu. When the husband came down with the flu, I thought he was vaccinated. and so I immediately got a prescription. I cannot afford to get sick right now with the new job starting next week.

Turns out the husband was not vaccinated.

I'm taking the Tamaflu anyways.

The doctor and pharmacist recommended that we wear face masks around anyone sick with the flu. Of course, there is a shortage of face masks right now. With the Corona virus scare, and with a heaver than average flu season, everyone seems to be sold out of face masks. Even Amazon says delivery for face masks will take one to three weeks.

I've been caring for the husband as much as I can. No biggie though. I check that he has water to drink, and that he eats a little every now and then.

Get vaccinated. They work and they are safe.

We spent a few days in Sacramento visiting the inlaws.

What do I want to say about that? Maybe-- "Empathy is a second to second, minute by minute service that we owe to everyone" -- Simone Sinek

My mother in law and my husband have a challenging relationship. Honestly, many people probably have a challenging relationship with the mother-in-law.

Unfortunately, there is a whole lot of not-listening going on. By everyone. It's easy to listen when you like those you are talking to. Empathy is only work, only deep, when you are talking to those you don't get along with.

She let's her dogs pee and poo indoors. She says they are too old to go outside regularly. The smell is terrible. Fortunately, she keeps the spare bedroom door closed at all times, so we could get away from it.

We cleaned the house up. Walked the dogs when we could.

The next time we visit Sacramento, we will stay in a hotel.

Even though I have accepted a job offer, I continue to talk to companies and go through interviews. Until I pass the background screen, and have a badge to enter the building, I will keep a few irons in the fire. 

Seattle has had lots of rain lately. Most days it's all day. We stay inside, watch movies, do what exercise we can. 

On Saturday, during a break in the rain, Clem and I went for a hike on the mountain. It's always good to spend some time with him. 

I've verbally accepted the job from the small local company. I'm continuing to meet with other companies until I physically sign, and I start work.

The fridge...

A few months ago we bought a new fridge. A nice, stainless steel, expensive new fridge. The husband loves the fridge.

It's already acquired a few dings. The microwave, and the oven are next to the fridge, and unless you close those doors, the fridge door will bump into the other door. The husband is frustrated every time he sees a new ding. With each new ding the husband talks to the perpetrator (me, the the brother-in-law, or the roommate) on the importance of checking the microwave and oven doors before opening the fridge door.

For the past few days, the husband has been traveling for work Yesterday, I thought I'd wash the fridge with a sponge The sponge has rough plastic on one side of it.

Now the fridge is covered with light scratches. Not deep scratches. But, the stainless steel reflects unevenly. It's not perfect like it was.

The brother-in-law, the roommate and I spent much time trying to figure out how to remove the scratches, brainstorming, googling, watching YouTube videos. We've tried several different products, but no luck Our last hope is a  professional scratch removal kit that is on the way from Amazon.

Then, this afternoon, before the husband boards the jet back to Seattle, I'm going to call him up and tell him tell him the news about the fridge.

I have a good job offer from the smaller local  company. This is a huge relief. 

The job hunt is intense. I'm having two or three calls a day with various recruiters, former coworkers, screeners or hiring managers. Going forward, I will have one or two onsite interviews a week for the next few weeks.

The interview process for all these companies is very extended. Each involves multiple calls from screeners and recruiters, and then and multiple onsite interviews.

The second onsite for the smaller local company went well. I should hear about next steps from them on Monday.

The recruiter from the big social network company said they will have a decision by the 17th.

Am back in Seattle. We were on a western Caribbean cruise with old friends of the husband. It was great to spend time with them. They are nice people. 

So far so good on job hunt. I've had a series of great initial interviews/conversations with a few companies. This Friday I will have a second set of onsite interviews with the interesting smaller company. Next week I have an onsite interview with the job-search company. Soon after that I will have an onsite interview with the search company.