I really tried to be productive today. In my heart, I want to get things done but it’s hard to focus. Today the USA voted to impeach Trump for the second time. I wasn’t feeling great when I woke up and started the day by sleeping in and working on the computer from my bed. I closed out the day with a chat on Clubhouse then a Twitter chat while watching Mrs. & Mrs. Smith on my iPad. It’s nice to talk with people and a good distraction from everything going on. If you’re on Clubhouse, add me ‘casiestewart’. Tomorrow the Stay Home Order is in effect and we are only to leave the house for exercise or essential items. You are not allowed to have anyone over to your house and if outside, you must wear a mask and can’t have more than 5 people together. It’s hard to believe this is real, I know I’ve said that before but every once in a while I get distracted and forget the pandemic, then I see the news or a notification and reality sits in. Please stay safe. Call your friends and family. We’ll get through this!

This year we have all spent more time on Zoom or Google Meet than ever. If you’re feeling Zoom-fatigue, you are not alone. It’s totally normal to feel exhausted right now, there are so many contributing factors work, health, covid, money, plus the holidays are just around the corner. I used to love getting groceries but I find it stressful now. The other day I download Snap Camera for Mac and it’s a great way to spice up your meetings. You can get festive for the holidays, add a filter for perfect skin, or use all kinds of camera effects. It’s kinda fun. I’ve been using a colour filter to change my lighting and make my skin look flawless. Check out this great video by my friend Amanda Cosco on how to easily add Snap Camera to your computer.

I wasn’t feeling great today. Kept waking up in the night thinking someone was walking through the cottage. Woke up with serious anxiety, went for a run, did a meditation, took a nap. Called mum when after my rest and talked it out. Had a cry, felt a bit better. Mum has a magical way of calming me down, looking at things rationally, and helping me see clearly. A nap always helps too, everything seems more intense when you’re tired. Today, Toronto announced new ‘red zone’ restrictions as cases keep rising in the GTA. Ontario is now seeing over 1,000 cases/day which is kinda scary. As of Saturday, restaurants can no longer have indoor dining, gyms can’t hold fitness classes, no indoor meeting spaces, and bars have 9pm last call. They’re also encouraged people not to hang out with anyone who doesn’t live in their household. It’s crazy we are living through this right now. Being at the cottage feels like we’re escaping and sometimes I start doing something where I forget what’s going on, then I remember. It’s normal to have anxiety, especially now, I’ve found that exercise and meditation have been really helpful. A couple of years ago I was gifted a membership to the Calm app and really got into guided meditation. I found that I really missed using the app and purchased a new membership in the summer. I love the sleep stories by Matthew McConaughey or Harry Stiles. I swear I’ve never heard the end of the story, I always fall asleep! Their website is offering a free week if you’d like to give it a try. If you’re feeling pandemic anxiety, it’s normal, take some deep breaths, go outside for as walk, call a friend, or do something that makes you feel happy. We’ll…

The sky is grey and it’s raining, again. We’ve hardly had any sun over the last week, today is a gloomy Monday in the woods. Friday was beautiful and over 20 degrees, but I was inside working the whole day. We had a really relaxing weekend, I swear I could have used another two days to charge my batteries. I did nothing but watch Netflix all day on Saturday and it was glorious. I’m on S3 of Gossip Girl now. Yesterday I did a bunch of food prep and then took I nap. Things are really exciting these days lol. Sunday afternoon, we met up with Emily’s mum in Gravenhurst to do the switchover. This morning, ‘Stage 2’ is trending on Twitter and Ontario is seeing the highest Corona cases since the start of the pandemic. Sean and I are thinking to stay up here in the woods for most of the week. The cottage isn’t fully winterized but I would be happy to stay up here as long as we can. Please stay safe and wear a mask. We’re all dreaming of the day this is over. I hope you have a great week.

This week has been really busy. Come Friday, I’ll be taking my business head off and retreating to the cottage from some much-needed creative time. I feel like each day lately has so many ups and downs from work, personal, and everything going on in the world around us. Trying to maintain an equilibrium can be a real challenge. I think we need to ride the rollercoaster and feel this wave out. Stay home, wear a mask. Take breaks. I’m so looking forward to being back in the woods tomorrow, sitting down with my sewing machine, and curling up beside the fire w/ Kindle.

Wow, 200 days, here we are. What a time to be alive. I met up with Blair for coffee and we both wore our jumpsuits from Zara Kids. We sat outside, distanced on Jimmy’s patio and it was cute to see how people smiled at our outfits. Gotta appreciate the small joys these days! I came back home after our date to make a 1pm meeting. I don’t know exactly if it was the news, the weather, or just life, but I felt totally tired in the afternoon. Sean and I finished Ratched on Netflix and then I remembered tomorrow is Halloween. I was ready for bed at 6pm, then had a burst of energy around 9pm when I put on some spooky tunes and danced around the kitchen. I’m excited about Halloween this year, I love dressing up. Halloween is a spirit, a feeling, and if you’ve got it, go ahead and let it out. I’ve been wearing ‘costumes‘ for the last few weeks and things are about to get a little more creative. I’m tempted to go out dressed as a witch for a bunch of days in October. Zombie? Why the hell not!?

Spent most of the day at my computer. It was really hot today. Whenever I opened the patio door, I was instantly hit with a wave of heat. I’m not ready for summer to be over. I love fall fashion but cooler temps gets my mind thinking about winter. It’s already such a hard time with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) that a pandemic sends my mind swirling with ways to try and cope. If a second wave comes, (and it looks like it might), should we go back to the cottage, or can I run away to Costa Rica? Hard to believe this is Day 170 of my daily pandemic blog diary, where did the time go? I’ve always loved September, the last decade has meant returning to events post-summer relaxation, TIFF, Fashion Week, seeing all my friends at once. I feel sad for the times we won’t have but grateful for the memories, all mostly documented here or on Instagram. I’ve got tickets to one TIFF screening so far and we’ll see how many more tickets I can snag for my at-home TIFF experience. Over the past month, I’ve been a bit slack with working out and keeping track of the days. This month I’m sticking to my goals. A fresh stary of sorts and there’s a full moon tonight. I didn’t run today but I did 100 situps and 10 pushups before bed. A small feat but one I’m trying to make a routine. I put some water and my crystals out last night, made 6 wishes at the moon and stared at it or a bit. Does the moon see me? I’ll do whatever I can do bring good vibes right now!