[Attempt to] WFH Day 40

Day 28 Tuesday, April 14th

Dom and I went for a grocery store run. We initially tried going to BJ's (like a Costco or Sam's Club) but the line to get in wrapped around the building so we just went to the normal grocery store. It wasn't bad at all. A lot more stuff in stock (i.e. meat) than the last time we went about 3 weeks ago. Almost everyone had masks on. People were friendly while still maintaining distance. When we got home I still sanitized everything, while likely not necessary I felt it was easiest to be safe than sorry. I feel like this will be the new normal for awhile.

Day 29 Wednesday, April 15th
Attended my 10th #COVIDCafe. They really have been nice. If you're interested sign up here to get updates: tinyurl.com/covidcafe-mail

Day 30 Thursday, April 16th

GWiSE Zoom Coffee Hour 11am-12pm but then I stayed on Zoom another two hours with two of my close friends, G and N who I'd normally see and chat with frequently during "normal" times. It was really nice.

Day 31 Friday, April 17th

Hosted a Zoom Pomodoro Writing Group open to my department. Although group is a stretch as it was just me and G but it helped me make progress. For those who don't know what Pomodoro is, it's just a timer strategy so we spent 25 minutes writing and then a 5 minute break, repeat 4 times.

Later that night I joined G again and some other friends for a Zoom game night. We used Skribbl.io and then a friend shared her screen so we could play Jackbox games. It was a lot of fun.

Day 32 Saturday, April 18th

I did laundry at the laundromat downstairs. Three loads and as much as I want to claim I've been putting laundry off because of the pandemic, that's just my normal strategy. I was a little anxious how this would go down but I was the only one there beside the lady who works there so it was fine. I just made sure to do my folding upstairs on my bed instead of down there on the folding counter.

Another Zoom/Jackbox game night not as fun because there were only 4 of us but Dom joined which was nice. 

Day 33 Sunday, April 19th

M and I went for a nice hike again. We initially canceled the one last weekend because we were concerned about respecting the call for proper social distancing and the fines. But we ultimately decided the risk was low but the need for our mental health was high so that we should do it. 

I picked up Chinese take out on my way home because my favorite place Best Kitchen in West Islip was reopened. And crab rangoon is my comfort food. It was delicious and we ate the leftovers for days.

Crab rangoon is trending because it's the comfort food of my generation & what time more than now do we need comfort food. Unfortunately, my fave spot is closed (kudos to them). So when y'all ask what's the first thing you gonna do after this? STUFF MY FACE WITH CRAB RANGOON pic.twitter.com/xkpkau1DmT

— Caitlyn Cardetti (@CaitlynCardetti) April 7, 2020

Day 34 Monday, April 20th

I submitted a draft for my final project for my one course.
I went to join #COVIDCafe but backed out because I was just feeling really overwhelmed and not mentally up for it.

Day 35 Tuesday, April 21st

Ran for the first time since this all started. A very (very!) slow 5k through the neighborhoods. The weather was perfect so I shouldn't complain, brisk 50s with a light breeze.

I then attended the New York Academy of Sciences Mitochondria in Complex Diseases Symposium. I will be honest, I was underwhelmed. A lot of presenters didn't show new data which is the best part about conferences/symposiums - if I want to learn about your published work I will just read the publication. I could not make it through all of them. Zoom burnout is real. 

Day 37 Thursday, April 23rd

I attended a talk by Dan Tyrell on the role of mitochondria in vascular (and cerebrovascular) aging and disease. It was brief but really interesting. The Lamming Lab is putting on a series of aging talks and I definitely plan to attend more. Check out the schedule here: http://www.lamminglab.org/agingscitalks.html I also really like their format with asking questions on Slack.

I also virtually attended IDPSIG which was also very enjoyable.

Excited for Thursday!🥳Final schedule below⬇️Come join us and our speakers for an update on the latest science in the protein disorder and phase separation fields. #IDPSIG20 @YSPTSPS @megcoh_bio @WeiruiMa @EmSontagMU @ChanYulYoo1 @seresanu pic.twitter.com/LfMXrefm3L

— IDPSIG (@idpsig) April 21, 2020

I am glad I really enjoyed these virtual talks/symposiums because Tuesday really let me disappointed. Also in between I went out for a 2nd 5k. I really hope I keep up this momentum next week.

Day 38  Friday, April 24th
Hosted another Zoom Pomodoro Writing Group - only N attended this time but whatever. My priority with this session is not to worry about attendance but about getting some of my writing done.

Attended my 11th #COVIDCafe and accidentally missed the Aging Talk I wanted to see but don't worry I watched the talk later because they recorded it (they are available for 48 hours after the talk).

For some reason, I was up until 3:30am doing work on my computer. Hey if the inspiration strikes you go with it. I also wrote my professor a cheesy email thanking him for how the class he waived the prereqs for has been really helping me through this time - but don't worry I waited until I proofread it in daylight hours before sending off. But seriously, the regularity of this class gives me some sense of a schedule and the work and learning gives me purpose.

Day 39 Saturday, April 25th
Woke up way too early for such a late bed time.

Met up with M again for a nice long hike - definitely needed.
And when I got home  I took a really nice nap with the sun shining in on me while in bed - those naps are the best.

Tried to Zoom chat with my family but no one really had much to say. My sister moved home with all her pets - she just graduated vet school and will live at home until she starts work and maybe a bit after that to have a few paychecks to put a down payment on a house (who is she?!) My parents are going to a housewarming BBQ with friends today - not thrilled by that but I know there is nothing I can stay that will stop them and I didn't feel like getting my mother started.

Today
I slept in. Like way, way in until 1pm. Which is crazy seeing as I went to bed at like midnight and took a nap yesterday. But I am all for listening to what my body needed and when  I woke up at 9ish and a little bit here and there it told me to stay in my warm bed.

Also today's update is thanks once again to attending my old NYC writing group.

As previously, my recaps aren't all encompassing, just the "big" things that have been going on. 

What have you been doing? How are you holding up?

Check me out on PhDTalk!

Check me out on PhDTalk by Eva Lantsoght where I was a part of her How I Work Series. I did this interview back in December so a few things have temporarily changed (i.e. working in lab) but other than that I hope you enjoy it.

Here is the link!

[Attempt to] WFH Day 27

Day 27 Monday, April 13th

I don't even think I fell asleep until 4AM, this is why I don't take naps, and I slept in until noon. So much for being productive today. Usually Mondays are a good day for me, a fresh start to get back on track. Not feeling it today. But that is okay I guess.

I was up until 3AM hoping that one of these times refreshing my InstaCart would give me a delivery time. It did not. I guess I will have to brave going to the store in person tomorrow. As much as I want to get out of the house, I'm not looking forward to it. Not so much because I'm scared but because I find the whole process so physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting. It will be the only thing scheduled for Tuesday.

I found out a friend's dad is intubated and in critical care for COViD-19. I'm worried for her. She can't see him. She doesn't even get regular updates. She lost her mom already a few years ago due to cancer. If you can spare her a thought or prayer or whatever your forte is please do so.

I checked in with a bunch of people I probably should have checked in with sooner.

I attended another COVIDCafe today. Smallest turnout I've seen yet but the company was good.

I had my class which I'm now behind in but today is not the day I'll be catching up. But everyone in class seemed different, tired maybe? Lots of silence. Not comforting. And not distracting (which I guess is usually the comforting part).

I did not workout.

I did not go outside - it was rainy.

I journaled. I read. I played Animal Crossing. But I felt there has been a cloud over me all day. Here is to hoping tomorrow is sunny.

I feel I should say something positive. My friends had their baby yesterday. She's healthy, they are all healthy. Dad was able to be there. And for that I am very happy. 

[Attempt to] WFH Day 26

March 17th was my last day in lab before social distancing which means I have been social distancing and working from home (WFH) now for 26 days. Why it's taken me this long to really write a blog post, who knows...

Actually I do know and I started a draft of this blog post on March 18th. I've been sitting on it for 25 days just adding notes here and there. Not knowing what to say or how to say it. I was worried about being judged for what I have and have not been doing during this time.

The week of March 16th was rough because neither my university nor my department had made any official statements about what to do or to expect. This lack of communication was very frustrating. It was pretty obvious we were going to shut down, everyone around us (i.e. Yale, Columbia, Memorial Sloan Kettering) were shutting down labs. But when it came to us, radio silence. This gave me a lot of anxiety. Should I be starting my planned experiments only for them to be interrupted and essentially trashed? I was in the middle of optimizing a protein purification protocol and a round of CRISPR/Cas9 knock-in transfections which would take a few weeks for and clonal expansion. So I took it into my own hands and decided to wrap up before getting official word on what to do. This helped immensely with my anxiety because I was no longer in the limbo of whether to start or not start my experiments. I got my experiments to nice and tidy stopping points on Tuesday, March 17th and then transitioned to working from home (WFH).

I am and have been officially working from home (WFH) for an undetermined period of time.

While it feels weird it feels good to know what I'm doing even if it's not exactly what I want. I want to be in lab. But it did not feel good to be in lab unsure what to start vs wait on in the case the lab may just be closed tomorrow. So I made the decision myself.

— Caitlyn Cardetti (@CaitlynCardetti) March 18, 2020

Day 2 Thursday, March 13th 
I received official word I could WFH.

Day 3 Friday, March 20th
I attended my first COVIDCafe which has been a saving grace. I've attended 6 so far. I wasn't able to go to any of them one week early on and I definitely missed it.

Yet AGAIN @GC4AMH is hosting not one, not two, but THREE #COVIDCafe events this week! Connect with academics all over the world and discuss the trials and tribulations of #QuarentineLife ranging from the serious to the frivolous. We creating a safe space to discuss #Mentalhealth pic.twitter.com/F5TiPJ1zjL

— Wendy Marie Ingram (@pyromanticism) April 11, 2020

I also think this was the day Dom bought me Animal Crossing as a belated birthday present. It has been great! Easy to lose oneself and spend hours not feeling for the times where that is exactly what you need.

Dom was bummed because this was supposed to be a weekend in Montreal for his brother's bachelor party.

Day 5 Saturday, March 22nd 
We went to the super market. It was an exhausting ordeal. They were limiting people in the store (which I complete support and respect) so we had to wait outside a bit. Inside it had a weird vibe since it was so few people and you weren't sure how much you should stay away from others. Should you get fresh produce? We decided we could risk it. There was barely any meat available. Dairy and eggs had buy 2 limits. The checkout lines had marked spacers to keep us 6 feet apart but it was so empty it was hardly needed. It was exhausting. And when we got home we washed and sanitized everything. We also washed ourselves. We haven't been back since but we're probably going to have to soon.

Day 6 Sunday, March 23rd
My workshop/committee update which was scheduled for today was canceled - I'm actually okay with this, well kind of. I needed more time because I was hoping to have the aforementioned protein purification protocol optimized for this update but I needed that time to be collecting data which I'm obviously not.

March 8 Tuesday, March 25th
Found out my labmate likely has COViD-19. He's okay now but his family also got sick, they are also okay now. But it gave me a lot of anxiety because I interact with him a lot. Did I have it? Was I just asymptomatic while it was incubating?

Day 11 Friday, March 27th
My little mini vacation I planned for the weekend to go to Maine to visit my friend Trina and go hiking in Acadia was supposed to be this weekend.

Day 12 Saturday, March 28th
It was a rainy day. I was feeling bummed so I went to Starbucks drive-thru for a mocha and to the beach. It was rainy and I only saw one other person who was over a mile away. Sinking my toes into the wet sand and letting the still too cold ocean water ice my feet was exactly what I needed.

Day 13 Monday, March 30th 
The extended spring break was finally over and my class resumed via Zoom. I am so, so thankful I decided to take this course. I was initially unsure because it's an extra elective and should I really be taking time from my research like that but now it is another one of saving graces. It is really the only thing keeping me accountable time-wise - Mondays and Wednesdays I zoom into class 2:30pm-4pm. This course also involved a project using DOCK and AMBER which keeps me busy outside those hours and doing something I enjoy the most, learning.

Day 14 Tuesday, March 31st
Had our first Graduate Women in Science and Engineering (GWiSE) Coffee Chat. I was inspired by COVIDCafe so I thought I should bring it local to GWiSE. So far we've had two of them which has been nice to see familiar faces with a third scheduled for this week Thursday.
Also felt a lot of relief because it has been 14 days and I felt fine. Huge relief actually. So huge I cannot adequately word it. Don't get me wrong, I know the risk is still real but I am very cautious now which I obviously wasn't as much 14 days ago.

Day 16 Thursday, April 2nd 
I went on a very long walk as my partner, whom I live with, had been in a bad mood for quite a few days and I needed to get away (he seems to be doing a lot better now (he discovered Zoom with friends) but it was a rough week). Unfortunately, I didn't wear the best shoes and I activated some tendonitis in my foot/ankle from an old running injury.

Day 18 Saturday, April 4th 
I went for a nice 3 hour hike with my friend, M. We'd both been social distancing so we felt it was safe enough for us to meet up for a hike. We were planning on having this be a recurring Saturday activity to help keep track of the days but it turns out this is the only one as there are now fines for people who don't live in the same household being together. While I understand this new rule I don't like it. I get it's easiest for it to be black and white but I think it will take a huge toll on people's mental health. I think people should be able to interact if they are both safely social distancing outside of this.

Day 21 Tuesday, April 7th
I found out they closed my nearby park which was pretty devastating as I was going there daily for walks. Dom and I ran into our neighbors and we all went for a walk to the docks.

Well the one thing that was keeping me sane is now closed... #phdpandemic pic.twitter.com/sJogml2jmw

— Caitlyn Cardetti (@CaitlynCardetti) April 7, 2020

Day 22 Wednesday, April 8th
Tried walking through the neighborhoods but it just isn't the same. I have 0 motivation to take long walks on the sidewalks around my apartment and a 30 minute walk just doesn't have the same effect as a long trail walk. Also people stare at you like you're breaking the law which makes me feel uneasy.
Late that night, like real late so probably really day 23, I decided to start the Coursera offering "The Science of Well-Being" I think I did this because I knew the lost walks would have a negative outcome and this was also the week my partner was pretty cranky which had its toll on me as well.

Day 23 Thursday, April 9th 
My sister's 27th birthday. No different for me since I live far and wouldn't celebrate in person with her either way but I'm sure still a bummer for her.

Day 25 Saturday, April 11th 
Attended Dom's brother's wedding via Facebook Live. They will have a more "normal" ceremony July 5th. Glad they found a way to keep their day.

Day 26 Today 
I slept a crazy amount today and then still took a nap. I think this was my first nap during this social distancing. Not a big napping person. I attended my writing group via Zoom (something I haven't been to regularly in years, since I left NYC) which was nice and 100% the reason this post finally was written.

My recaps aren't all encompassing, just the "big" things that have been going on. I've been doing some writing for work here and there - although it seems more in bursts than regularly scheduled -checking emails, reading journal articles, attending a Zoom seminar/thesis defense here and there. On the personal side, I've been journaling more, reading a real live physical book, still listening to audiobooks too although less now that I haven't been walking as much, a handful of Nike Training Club app workouts throughout the week - although not the last few days which I should get on top of. Oh, and I of course, watched Tiger King.

What have you been doing? How are you holding up?

What I Read in March

A lot happened this past month as everyone in the entire world knows (i.e. COVID19 pandemic) so reading wasn't the highest priority and I'm sure my lack of commuting/hours at the gym also really reduced my reading hours. Anyway, here are the four books I read or rather listened to via Libby in March (no, I'm not affiliated to Libby which is free anyway). 

My rating system:
5 - Loved it and recommend it!
4 - Liked it and recommend it!
3 - It's not my cup of tea but that's not saying I didn't not enjoy it or not to read it.
2 - Pass!
1 - I'm surprised I didn't put the book down. Actually I probably would put the book down so you probably won't see this rating on my blog.

The 4s or rather the 4 (singular)
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
Honestly,  probably more of a 3.5 but bottom line is I liked it! I wouldn't say it's anything special but it was a nice thriller set in a smart house which is interesting since that's what so many people in society are moving to. It's a bit slow at times but there are twists that just aren't predictable which is nice - really what more can you ask for in a thriller. 

The 3's
Fast Girl by Suzy Favor Hamilton
I thought I'd like this book more - about a former runner (I run) and her struggle with mental illness but it fell short. I really appreciated her openness but it mostly just felt like she was listing bad choices she made and not really digging in deep. I feel like it could have been so much more. I debated between a 2 and 3 but ultimately am leaving it as a 3 because it was interesting.

The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
I kept seeing this book everywhere so I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon but honestly, I thought it was a bit overrated. It's written about all over the blogosphere and honestly I don't really have anything to say about it so I'm not going to. 

The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter
Also a bit of a let down, heard a lot of great things about this author and probably will still check out her earlier work but didn't love this book. The premise was interesting, the story arc was interesting, the characters were alright, the medical/biology stuff is where I felt it was lacking. I try not to give spoilers so I won't say more but if you do read this don't take all the medical/science as completely accurate.

Have you read any of these books? What were your thoughts? Do you have any book recommendations for me? Comment below.

ICYMI: What I Read in February