Life and Blogging in the Time of Corona

This is the blog post that I had originally planned to post before I fractured my elbow. As you will read, it might even be responsible for it happening, in a tempting fate kind of way… Hhhmmmmm. Now that I think about it, publishing this post might be risky. If I suddenly break anything else we will know.

Anyway, everything I’ve written below is still true. I’ve only updated some little parts here and there that needed alteration. Here is ‘Life and Blogging in the Time of Corona’. 

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To say that life has gotten a little weird the last few months is putting it mildly. The impact of the corona virus has turned lots of people’s lives upside down. Even as the restrictions are slowly lifted here in the Netherlands there are people who are rightly worried about their health, their jobs and their loved ones. Some might have already lost one or more of those things.

I am one of the lucky ones. Of course the outbreak has had an effect on my daily life but luckily not in a way that I can call negative (not in the true sense of the word). That is why I say, for me, life has gotten a little weird (and I’m very grateful and lucky that that is the highest level it has reached so far).

However, since things are a bit weird at the moment I thought I’d share with you how everything is going in my life and with this blog. Think of this as a personal update post that just happens to be being written during the biggest global event that most of us have ever experienced.

Home and Work Life

The biggest change for me personally (like many people) is that I am now working from home. I have been since the end of March. I’m quite used to it now and it’s been quite a positive experience so far (even though the reason for its necessity is not so positive).

When I’m not blogging I make computer games for a living. Luckily that is a job I can do with a fair amount of ease from home. Before the outbreak I had a very long commute from Friesland to Amsterdam (four days a week). Now I work in our attic/spare room/laundry room and the commute is considerably shorter. This has been great because it means I get to spend a lot more time with my family. Before things changed I was always home very late. Now, I’m already home for dinner and when our kids go to bed. I’ve been reading a lot more bedtime stories lately.

A Time for Blogging

On the flip side, I have a lot less time for blogging. I used to write the majority of my blog posts during those long cross-province train journeys that I just mentioned. I don’t have that dedicated writing time set aside anymore.

“But Stuart,” I hear you cry from a responsible safe 1.5 meter distance, “You have more free time at home. Surely you have even more time to write.”

In theory that is true. In practise I have kids. Free time disappears pretty quickly when you are at home with children (even though I am loving having more time with them).

Spending all of my time at home has also limited the amount of interesting stories I have to share. That is unless you want to hear the thrilling story about tidying up the kitchen or almost completing our second puzzle during lockdown only to discover there was a piece missing (okay, I did share that one on twitter).

On a side note, in the first draft of this post I included a line about how the lack of outside activities had reduced my accident-proneness and thus the stories I could share on that subject. This largely remains true but a while after writing that original line I sprained my elbow. I fell over my son’s bike while teaching him to cycle. He was fine but I’m now writing the rest of this post left handed with my other arm in a sling.

Extra side note, the above paragraph was written during the second draft, when I thought I’d merely sprained my elbow. I didn’t know that I had in fact fractured it at that point. I found that out a week later.

Since the new stories I can share are limited (or just not interesting), I’ve started reflecting on the past for some of my more recent blog posts (going as far back as my arrival in the country). 

All of this is a way of saying that I’m not giving up on this blog but don’t be surprised if the activity on it seems random or happens in bursts. My focus and time are being spent elsewhere at the moment out of necessity.

Experiences of Self Quarantine

In general our self quarantining has been going well. My wife and I take turns going to the supermarket when we need to. The kids and I have been taking on a lot more lego based projects. Most of all we are lucky because we have each other to keep ourselves company.

I don’t know exactly when I will return to working in an office but I know it won’t be for some time yet. I still plan to take some time off during the summer (which also means I’ll be taking my short annual summer blogging break).

For now we’ll be continuing to be careful (even as restrictions are lifted here in the Netherlands). We’re not worried about catching the virus ourselves. We’re all healthy. However, we have loved ones, family and friends, who are at risk so we are staying at home as much as possible to safeguard them and others like them.

I hope you are all doing well too. Stay safe.