{"id":14068,"date":"2020-05-02T19:20:15","date_gmt":"2020-05-02T23:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kimberlypearl.co\/blog\/?p=14068"},"modified":"2021-07-16T19:33:25","modified_gmt":"2021-07-17T02:33:25","slug":"distancing-diaries-a-day-in-the-quarantine-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kimberlypearl.co\/blog\/distancing-diaries-a-day-in-the-quarantine-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Distancing Diaries: A Day in the (Quarantine) Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Saturday chez moi, because 75% of the workday is spent in front of a computer\u2014and that’s no fun. And because we’re still on lockdown, in quarantine.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"quarantine<\/p>\n

8:00AM<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I’m up, but still in bed, luxuriating under a cocoon of comforter and weighted blankets. It’s easy waking up sans<\/em> alarm when there’s sun. For half the year, I feel productive, alive,\u00a0excited<\/em>. SAD is a real; thank goodness it’s spring.<\/p>\n

8:15AM<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I’ll laze around in the mornings (weekend or not), but once I’m awake, I feel an urgent need to scrape my tongue<\/a> immediately. I’m lethargic, gross, and inhuman otherwise; I\u00a0highly<\/em> recommend incorporating this Ayurvedic practice into your daily routine. (I’m so passionate about it that for Christmas one year, I gifted everyone I love a surgical steel-grade tongue<\/a> scraper. Well, except my boyfriend, who insists that running your teeth across your tongue does the same thing. It doesn’t.<\/em>)<\/p>\n

8:45AM<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Kettle is boiling. Hot green tea is my religion, but today, I’m feeling indulgent. I make a matcha latte<\/a> instead. One-part hot water, one part warmed oat milk. Mixed with a fork, because I’m not indulgent enough to bring out the whisk. (It requires more work to clean than a quick, one-two rinse of a steel utensil). I’m striving for consciousness as quickly as possible, which requires immediate intake of caffeine.<\/p>\n

\"quarantine<\/p>\n

8:50AM<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I feel human. (I rinse my mug\u2014a Venice art-fair find that matches my friend Miriam’s.)<\/p>\n

9:10AM<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I’m on Instagram.<\/p>\n

9:12AM<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I exit the app as soon as I hear the kettle on the brink of whistling. It’s relatively early, and I do my best to be a mindful neighbor\u2014so the gas is turned off before the steam turns shrill. I fill my giant Hydroflask<\/a> three-quarters of the way, then pop in a tea bag. (Green tea, of course.) I’m back in bed with my book of the day<\/a>.<\/p>\n

9:30AM<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Must stretch my legs. I get up, touch my toes\u2014this was much easier a few years ago\u2014clasp my arms behind my back to open up my chest, ahhh<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Back to this book.<\/p>\n

\"quarantine<\/p>\n

11:00AM<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Getting antsy. Should I learn a TikTok dance (for my own entertainment, not for public consumption), a new salsa combo, or work on freelance projects? I choose the the responsible thing because I’m an adult and self-professed workaholic.<\/p>\n

I station myself at the kitchen counter where I get the best light. Refill the Hydroflask. Prep with eyedrops, which are a necessity before dedicated screentime, and select my light-blocking glasses du jour<\/em>. (My favorite pair is by Tom Ford<\/a>\u2014a gift to myself after Lasik\u2014but The Book Club eyewear<\/a> pieces are a close second. Not only do I own three pairs from TBC, but I’ve also single-handedly influenced a quarter of the office invest in a few pairs, too. #IRLinfluencer)<\/p>\n

12:00PM<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Lunch is calling. I was naughty last night and gave in to a midnight snack, or else I would’ve been ravenous first thing in the mornng. I’m eager to get back to work, and because cookery is not my cup of tea, I keep it simple: slice up a banana, sprinkle a generous helping of cinnamon on top, and add a spoonful of Kirkland’s mixed nut butter on the side. I wolf this down in two minutes, wash my plate, and get back to work.<\/p>\n

\"quarantine<\/p>\n

1:45PM<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I’m restless again, so I shut my laptop and migrate to the living room and pull up YouTube. I’ve reached an age where I can’t get away with eating everything and doing nothing without feeling the consequences\u2014and on top of that, a very<\/em> tiny, very<\/em> sparkly, custom salsa costume awaits my body post-quarantine\u2014so I’m resigned to pursue activity<\/em> for the sake of health, wellness, vanity. (I won’t lie to myself.) During my college years, I was a Tracy Anderson devotee and still prefer her workouts over all else. They’re not easy, but they’re simple and require minimal sweating.<\/p>\n

Ten minutes of standing arm exercises, another ten of a standing abs sequence.<\/p>\n

2:30PM<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Feeling accomplished and positively starved. (Workouts are taxing for the sedentary!) I want food that’s easy, reparative, and fuel-efficient, so I opt to make my usual breakfast for lunch today: baked overnight oats. My recipe simple; everything is eyeballed using the following ingredients, all plant-based of course:<\/p>\n