I Run Like A Girl

5 things I miss

1. Kava Lounge. Oh how I miss the community and friends at my second home, and just having a chill, non-alcoholic place to kick back and relax 3-4 times of week. I’m praying Kava make it through this recession since I really can’t imagine my life in SF without it!

2. Traveling. Due to the pandemic, Joe and I have had to cancel several much anticipated trips this year…Grand Canyon, Indonesia, Patagonia, all put on hold. I also miss simply taking off spontaneously on weekends to different parts of California. This is the longest I’ve ever spent without leaving SF and I’m longing for the day I can be back in my element of exploring.

3. The anticipation of summer. I’m such a summer gal and always look forward to the sunny summer months each year: long evenings in the park, spontaneous weekend road trips, drinking at outdoor bars…it’ll be a big change this summer as (hopefully) businesses open up while everyone keeps to social distancing.

4. My friends. Nothing beats a good evening filled with girl talk and wine! I can’t wait for the days we can all hang out in person again.

5. Nightlife in SF. I never thought I’d miss packed bars and overpriced gin and tonics…but turns out this quarantine has made me miss bars/concerts/Burner events in SF! In the meantime, Joe and I occasionally have a few nights of “quarantine partying” which usually looks like chugging white claws and having a dance party in his living room.

4 things I DON’T miss

1. Commuting to the office. While working from home has its ups and downs, I definitely don’t miss is commuting to the office in crazy SF traffic! I’m also finding that being home is making me less stressed as I’m not surrounded by the fast-paced office environment. While work has been pretty crazy lately, I find I have more time to enjoy short walks and breaks in the sunshine to break up my day. Overall being home has been a huge blessing.

2. Putting on make up. I’m sure lots of women feel me on this one 😉

3. Not having Joe around. Joe and I have been spending more time together than ever, and it’s been a huge blessing. I love starting our mornings together with a cup of coffee in the backyard garden and always having someone to chat with. I’ll definitely miss having all this time with Joe when we have to go back to the office again.

4. Shopping in person. As someone who absolutely hates shopping of any kind, I actually love that I’m forced to buy everything online right now. We’re doing groceries through Instacart and I’m getting almost everything else off Amazon, and it’s been so convenient and low-stress.

3 shows I’m watching

1. 90 Day Fiancé. I’ve been shamefully hooked on TLC reality shows this entire quarantine, and 90 Day Fiancé has taken center-stage. The show is about couples (one American, one foreign), who have 90 days to get married under the K1 “fiancé” visa in the U.S. My favorite part of the show is that you see the cultures from around the world and how they clash with American culture. There are 5-6 different spin offs as well (e.g. “where are they now?”) and I’ve gone through them all!

2. Late Night TV (on Youtube). I’m a frequent watcher late night shows, and the at-home “quarantine editions” of these favorites are so endearing and hilarious! I love the creative skits filmed in people’s own apartments and homes which makes them feel so relatable. My favorites have been Conan, Jimmy Fallon, and Saturday Night Live.

3. America in Color. Joe introduced to me a historical documentary series that takes old black and white footage from the 1900s and colorizes it. Seeing the footage in color really makes these world events come to life and seem more “real” from what we read in the textbooks. They lump the episodes by decades, and my favorites have been the 20s and 60s.

2 things keeping me sane right now

Our gardening project. Recently, Joe and I took it upon ourselves to spruce up his backyard that is shared by his apartment. The backyard hadn’t been tamed in years, and so we’ve been spending our days weeding, growing a flower garden, as well as a creating community herb garden. I will dedicate a separate post on this project, but so far we are SO happy with how it’s turning out. Moreover, we both love working with our hands so this couldn’t be a better project to keep us busy. Every day we go outside and spend time in the garden, and it’s been really therapeutic and rewarding.

My new morning routine. Lately, I had several weeks of feeling lethargic, addicted to caffeine, not running as much, and generally not feeling myself. During pre-covid days, my mornings usually consisted of running before work. So last week, I tried to get back into that routine: I woke up at 7am, ran or did yoga, and then eased into the day with coffee and breakfast, all before signing on at 9am. It was tough the first day or two, but then it quickly transformed and I’ve been feeling more energetic and “myself.” I definitely want to stick with this routine to avoid going back to that “funk”, as I believe mornings set the tone for the rest of the day.

1st thing I’m going to do when things go back to “normal”

SURF! I tell Joe almost every other day how much I miss surfing. I can’t wait for surf shops and California beaches to open again so we can hit the waves. 🙂