It’s funny how quickly habits can change in a society that seems dogged about its civil liberties and rights. Once upon a time, Americans made fun of Asians both in Asia and in the U.S. who would go outside wearing masks. They said they looked stupid, that they didn’t actually help with the spread and transmission of colds, flus, viruses. When the concept of wearing a mask seemed to finally be pushed by our flawed CDC, a number of machine-gun-bearing, pro-American freaks across the nation stormed around their state’s capitol buildings, holding signs and yelling that being forced to wear a mask when leaving their homes stripped them of their American freedoms, that wearing a mask was akin to being forced into slavery.

Do these people even know what slavery actually encompassed — across the world and in the very country that they call home? Because if they actually had any understanding of this in the slightest, they’d realize that being asked to wear a mask — to protect themselves, is not even remotely in the same realm as slavery.

Then throughout the month of April, the number of Americans wearing masks outside their homes grew and grew. During the first week of April, the number was around 30-40 percent depending on the area of the country. Then, now that we are in May, the data is showing that over 80 percent of the country is wearing masks when leaving their homes. And it’s even become a fashion statement: Nancy Pelosi seems to be color-coordinating all her masks with her outfits when in public and doing her usual House Speaker duties. There are new thinner, summer-ready masks that are being marketed and sold for park/beach wear. Social media influencers are modeling their different styles of masks on Instagram and TikTok.

So I thought to myself, if mask-wearing is part of our new normal, maybe I should start investing in color and pattern coordination, too, since why not? We have no idea how long this will last, and if it’s for the next year, a $10/mask investment really isn’t that much… especially considering that all the things we normally spend money on, such as eating out, socializing, travel, theater, are nonexistent for the near future. I went on Etsy and was overwhelmed with all the options: pattern or no pattern? Pockets? Adjustable straps? What size will fit my face vs. Chris’s? Filters or no filters? Extra room for the nose to allow for better breathing? Hmmmm.

Then, I checked the mail this week, and it just so happened that a colleague who I’ve been collaborating on a project with sent me a custom-made mask with my last name on it as a gift for our work together.

I guess this is the beginning of my mask collection? A year ago, I never would have thought I’d even own one mask. Now, I’ve got two along with all the airplane eye masks we’ve been using as make-shift masks.

Since 2013, I started a conscious goal to read at least 12 books per year. I read a good amount of news, breaking and long form, and I listen to a lot of podcasts, but I wanted to commit myself to reading actual books, especially since I’d learned that as adulthood responsibilities really kick in, people tend to de-prioritize books… as depressing as that sounds. I’ve kept a running list of books read each year, and between 2013 and this year, I’ve met my goal all except two years. Last year, I read 18 books, which was my highest year since I started tracking, and this year, although we are not even through May yet, I’ve already read 11. Shelter in place, with no social life and no travel, has certainly enabled me to read more. I read across pretty much every medium: physical books, Kindle, and audio. I don’t necessarily read “current” books, but I read books that have been on a long “to-read” list, and then occasionally reprioritize books based on availability via NYPL/Libby, or what I just feel in the mood for.

I told my colleague yesterday that I’d read 11 books already, and she couldn’t believe how productive I’d been since quarantine began and commented on how much of a sloth she was next to me. She said she really only reads books during her vacations, which she takes maybe two per year. That made me wonder what the average number of books Americans read per year was. The last time I could find data on this from 2011, it looks like the average number of books read by Americans was about 12 per year. That sounds high, but that’s because averages cannot necessarily be trusted, as these are skewed by crazy outliers, like those who are retired and read 80 books a year, or overachievers like Bill Gates, who reads at least 50 books per year. So a better number to choose is the median number, which is actually four books read per year by the average American. That actually sounded higher than I thought, as I thought it would be around 2.

So I suppose my goal is “average,” but my actuals are far above the median. But then the next question is: how do we define “book,” and just because you listened to an audio book does not necessarily mean that you took anything away from it? I try not to continue reading any book beyond the 100-page point if I do not find it interesting since I think that at that point, if you haven’t gotten my attention, you are actually taking away my attention from other books that are likely better and better to me.

Books are a good escape. They’re a way to learn about topics and people and places that you don’t always get exposed to. I guess it’s no wonder I am reading so much more now than pre-quarantine since I cannot go anywhere and explore physically. The exploration now needs to be done virtually and via books.

I’ve now finished editing and uploading 40 videos to Yvonne meets Food. It’s taken quite a lot of time, energy, and wrist/finger strength, but it’s been gratifying to see the work getting done and see my subscriber count slowly inch up. I’m officially at 151 subscribers now, which is not necessarily a huge thing to celebrate just yet, but it’s still a long way from when I was just hovering around 40-50 when I began this journey. I just finished editing my first of two Bali videos, and in the first video, I get to try Babi guling, or Balinese roasted suckling pig, for the very first time.

Last night, I dreamt I was back in Ubud eating Babi guling again, and I was filming a video where I was eating it and describing the tastes and textures to the camera man (who was not Chris). Was this actually something I was doing for real work? It’s unclear in the dream. Maybe one day it will become a reality, but in the meantime, I just need to keep chugging along and get these videos out.

Chris’s dad’s birthday is today. For as long as Chris and I have been together, Chris’s parents have almost always been traveling, usually in North America, during the time of his dad’s birthday every May, with a couple exceptions. They usually choose to travel at this time because his dad, who is self-employed, has a slower work period at this time. It’s also because the weather tends to warm up as spring approaches in the northern hemisphere, and they prefer the milder temperatures. While he certainly had a different kind of birthday this year with COVID-19, Chris’s mom prepared a nice meal of Sri Lankan style hoppers with eggs in them alongside a curry. No travel, but at least Sri Lankan food can come to him.

Chris’s dad’s favorite topic is always about travel: airports, airport lounges, different airlines, airline and hotel status, hotels and their amenities, different cultures and what makes them interesting across the world when they do their big round-the-world trips each year. So the worldwide pandemic has obviously halted a lot of his plans and what he’s looked forward to during the year. Because of this, he has less to talk and email us all about. In fact, these are the last two email subjects of emails he has sent the family: “Airbus A380” and “Jazzed Up Amenity Kits.” What will we do if we cannot travel for longer than just a few months, if it goes beyond a year? What will his emails and discussions be about then?

The current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic is pretty bleak. Our country is full of incompetent politicians and people, eager to believe conspiracy theories and to compare the COVID-19 deaths to the deaths of people who suffer heart disease or strokes. They do not realize that lives actually matter, and that to compare saving lives with saving the economy is a false equivalency. And I realize that while I hate the current administration and all the enablers that allow President Dipshit’s lies and moronic ways to continue, the pandemic has actually restricted my day to day life, preventing me from doing the big and little things I love: going to the gym, grabbing coffee with a colleague, meeting a friend for dinner at a restaurant, traveling, whether for work or pleasure, exploring new cultures. We can’t even hug people anymore. It’s all on pause for who knows how long, and we have this orange incompetent loser to thank for all this. And for the foreseeable future, no one will want dirty Americans entering their countries for fear that we are carrying the virus and will infect their people. And why should they want us given the terrible way we’ve responded as a nation and how selfish and short-sighted we have been? Trump got the wall he wanted between the U.S. and Mexico, though it’s an invisible wall where actually, Mexico would want to enforce it because they don’t want us coming over and infecting their people. Anyone who could possibly support this administration in the current situation is completely dead to me.