Thursday, May 28, 2020

A Week of Heaviness and Frustation

This week was kind of the equivalent of the book "Alexander's No Good Very Bad Day." I mean, there were some good things - gardening, tidying up the yard (I really enjoy seeing the fruits of my labor!), grilled meals, hugs from Paul, etc. But there was sort of a cloud of frustration/sadness that started on Tuesday. Here are some of things bringing us down this week.

- On Tuesday morning I got a text from a former coworker letting me know that a guy I used to work really closely with at a former job passed away suddenly over Memorial Day weekend. From what we know, it sounds like he was mowing his lawn and collapsed and died immediately - likely from a heart attack or aneurysm. He was one of the kindest people I ever worked with and is someone I would describe as a total teddy bear. I hadn't seen him in well over a year, but we were always planning to meet for lunch sometime. I think he was probably in his 50s and has a daughter who will be a senior this year. I'm just so sad for his family and wish I had a chance to see him one last time. He shares a birthday with our son Paul, so I will always think of him when we celebrate Paul's birthday on March 1st.

- Unless you are completely avoiding the news and social media, you have heard about the horrible excessive use of force which resulted in the death of yet another black man. It is very hard to watch that video and see how they treated him. There is no reason to kneel on someone's neck like that and to ignore his comments about his inability to breath. Police in other cities have spoken out and said that there is no reason to use excessive force like that and that it's not compliant with police training. When will things change? I'm so tired of seeing this news story over and over again. As a result of this death, there have been protests and there was looting and fires. I hate to see that kind of behavior because it doesn't really advance their cause and does more harm than good. Plus the area of the city where the fires/looting take place is an area with primarily immigrant- and minority-owned businesses. I just felt a huge sense heaviness and sadness as I watched the news coverage.

- We found out there were 2 cases of COVID among 2 teachers in another room at Paul's daycare. I hesitate to even share this for fear of comments someone might make about how they can't believe we are still sending Paul to daycare... But the fact of the matter is that it was always a matter of when daycare would have it's first case - not if (officials estimate that as many as 70% of us will get COVID eventually). I trust our daycare and feel they are making the right decisions. They are consulting with the Minnesota Department of Health and seeking their guidance on what steps to follow. We are continuing to send Paul to daycare because we honestly can not do our jobs with Paul at home. Our work is just too demanding and I need to be able to take conference calls throughout the day. I can't take calls with a 2yo by my side. And while our house is bigger, it is not set up for us to hire a nanny and have one or both of us work from home. There is not enough separation and Paul would insist on being by my side. So he will keep going to school and we will hope and pray that the cases do not spread among the kids.

- This last complaint is really petty, but our fridge/freezer has not been working properly for a good 2 months. We have been working with a service company and they sent technicians out 3 different times. The freezer would get super cold and then the fridge temp would rise. This past week has been the worst as our fridge temp has been around 50 most days, so we have to put all the perishable food in a cooler. We had spent $600 on repairs (the fridge is about 8 years old so should have more life in it) so it hasn't been a cheap endeavor. Phil had already had many calls with the company and when the technician was here on Wednesday, he said his manager said they had to wait to hear back from the manufacturer before they could discuss giving us a credit towards a new fridge. Phil demanded to talk to his supervisor (he was kind to the technician - we know he's just the messenger and has no authority) and luckily he got his manager to agree to give us $300 toward a new fridge. This has been going on for nearly 2 months now so I am so glad this fiasco is coming to an end. I really need a cold, reliable fridge/freezer. This whole fridge fiasco has not helped with Phil's frustration level with all the things that have gone wrong with our house since we closed last November... Good times. The new fridge comes tonight at 5:30. I. Can't. Wait.


So there you have it. It was not a great week. But one great things is that Paul's appetite/palette is gradually expanding! He's slowly eating more and more. This week, he discovered salsa! He's seen me eat it many times but this time, he decided to give it a try. He basically used the chip as a vessel for the salsa and licked it off. It was medium salsa so I am kind of impressed he liked it because it does a bit of a kick to it! BTW, that pile of boards in the background is the remnants of our deck. We (Phil and his cousin) are almost done taking the floor boards down and will start assembling the new deck in the new week or so. It's been a big project.


Tell me something happy or good that happened in your world this week! Or if you had a crappy week like me, you can vent!

11 comments:

  1. That's a really crappy week. I was thinking about you reading the news this morning. How terribly heartbreaking.
    I'm sorry to hear about the COVID cases at daycare, but...yeah, options are limited. We still plan to return to daycare if/when it ever opens (and honestly, do you know a nanny would be any better? They have associates, too, and they have to go to the grocery, etc. Anyone could catch it!). I hope they can contain, clean, and resume normalcy soon. Probably routine testing is our best bet as we wait for increased immunity plus a vaccine.
    Hoping things get better for you soon!

    ReplyDelete
  2. We had to replace our dishwasher while stuck at home. Crazy enough it’s the second dishwasher we’ve bought since buying this house almost 4 years ago.

    We still aren’t back at daycare, although not really by choice. They are talking about expanding again in July, so we’ll see what happens then...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bummers! But I’m happy you are getting a new fridge. What brand did you get? I am sure all will be well at daycare, and I’m sure Paul will stay healthy. Don’t feel guilty, and trust in your decisions!
    I wish that they would just arrest that policeman, as there is so much evidence that he killed him in plain view. That would hopefully stop the nut cases from looting and destroying property. It’s truly insane!
    Let’s hope next week is better!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh Lisa, I am so sorry about your friend. That's truly sad, especially with someone so young. I so feel for his daughter and family.

    I can see your stress with the day care but I'm sure you have thought of all possible options and I sure couldn't think of another. I know they are doing the best that they can.

    I've been thinking of you tonight as I've been watching covering of the riots -- some building -- a pawn shop,, I think --- is ablaze. It's horrible. I'm never big on riots but I have to say they have a valid point. With the video and all, how can there even be discussion on this?

    Good news on the fridge. It pays to keep at it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. That really does sound like a hard week... some personal frustrations and the news are not helping. The only way is through ,right? I do hope that there will be justice for George Floyd (and others) and that things will change, because it's just not right what's been happening. I also hope that the Covid-cases at Paul's daycare don't cause a ripple effect.
    What a strange time we're living through right now.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh i feel you on the heaviness of the week. My good thing is thursday after work I drove north, and worked from my parents home today (friday) i hadn't seen my mom or brother since february so it was nice to get to walk with them, and sit on the couch together. I don't blame you for sending paul to daycare. It makes sense to me. As things change you can always re-evaluate.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm so sorry about your friend! That is just terrible. As part of my job, I review the patient charts for people who have passed away and become organ donors, and it is quite astounding how often those sudden death cases like that occur. I feel like we just don't hear about it that much. It is so very sad. :(

    I'm also sorry that you had a rough week! Please don't feel guilty about sending Paul to daycare! You HAVE to do your job in order to provide for him, so don't feel badly about that!

    And atta boy, Paul! Glad to see him liking salsa!! I could live on the stuff!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh man, Lisa. What a hard, difficult week! This week was difficult enough, but add in the sudden death of a former coworker and COVID cases at Paul's daycare and I can see why you're feeling despondent. I really hope nobody gives you any grief about continuing to send Paul to daycare - working a job like you have with a two-year-old around is just NOT feasible. I will keep fingers and toes crossed this doesn't cause any sort of spread there.

    It's been a frustrating week for me, too! I wish there was something good I could share, but I've just been going THROUGH IT. I spilled soda on my laptop on Friday and now I need to replace the keyboard (which means I have to work using a tiny Chromebook until the replacement comes in, ugh) and I'm experiencing annoying GERD symptoms (probably due to stress, sigh). So. Not a great week for many of us. Hang in there!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've been thinking about you guys a lot with everything that is going on there. Absolutely heartbreaking. There was a BLM rally in Regina yesterday, but I was working, so I couldn't attend, but Christopher and I plan to go to another one that is taking place tomorrow at our legislative building.

    That is terrible that two of the teachers got COVID. Some schools went back in Canada already, and I guess nearly a whole classroom in Ontario got it! I am not sure what my job will look like in the fall ... still waiting to find out.

    The uncertainty of all of this is definitely hard. And looking at the state of the world lately, I've felt really disheartened and just plain sad lately. So much needs to be fixed, and so many people have hate inside them, and it's hard to know how to make it better.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh man I remember talking to you about most of the things that happened that you listed here but don't think I realized they all compounded on one week. Sometimes it feels like all the weeks kind of have blurred together since COVID started. That is a rough week!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Such a late comment - sorry - but I am so sorry to hear that you got hit with all of these things in one week. The George Floyd murder (I absolutely agree with you there) would have been enough, but add the personal grief, the challenges with day care (completely understand your decision) and the fridge / freezer issues (ARGH) and it's just ... exactly what you said. I imagine - I hope - you're doing a bit better now, but I just hate it when the Universe piles things on like this.

    ReplyDelete