COVID-19
Wow, what a name. It is now synonymous with panic buying of toilet paper, Netflix binging “Tiger King,” the ten push up challenge going across the internet, social distancing, and watching the News for any breaking information.
For myself, as a fourth-year dental student, I have tried to keep my mind busy in other ways. The first thing I wanted to do was make sure I had toilet paper. As I am a male, I thought I would be using less toilet paper than my female counterparts, so I used the website: https://howmuchtoiletpaper.com to see just how much I will need. According to the website, I have enough toilet paper for 53 days. *Whew* It seems I dodged a bullet on that one.
My daily routine has changed a little, but for the most part, goes something like this:
7:30 – Alarm goes off, telling me to get up and get ready for the clinic. I immediately turn over and turn it off, knowing the clinic has been canceled. I look at my dog, sweet Lilly girl, who is still cuddled up in a blanket and ask her if she is ready to “Wake up and Seize the day.” She has told me 14/15 days no, so we continue our slumber.
9:00 – I wake up, shower, dress for success by putting my suit on, only to realize it is still self-quarantine time, take my pants off and watch out the window for 30 minutes to see if people are again playing in the closed park across the street. Per usual, someone always is.
9:30 – I go let Lilly out as she is now up and ready. I watch her go potty and snap a quick picture of her to send to my friends and family.
9:40 – I feed Lilly ¾ a cup of food and think about all the different food options for the day. (The bulk of my day usually consists of what concoction I will cook up with food still in the house, so I don’t have to go to the grocery store).
11:00 – Lilly and I usually build a new box fort/pillow fort/ table fort and have a meeting of the minds about how to deal with COVID-19. This meeting is typically brief, and the stuffed animals and jar of flower acting as stand-ins for government officials but they do not add much to the conversation.
11:45-12:00 – It is now lunchtime. I have been eating a lot of leftovers from dinner the night before. Most meals consist of a meat and three, which is more like a meat and one by lunch the next day.
12:45 – Now it's time for exercise. I have tried taking some online workout classes. Most have been exhausting, and others have been fun. The workout usually lasts a short duration. #BeWellASDA
12:48 – I give up and decide Lilly, and I can go for a walk. I put pants back on, grab my social distancing tools, and embark on a walk. My apparatus includes a broom that measures 4 ½ feet, but with my arm span, I am right around 6 feet.
1:50 – I get home to wash my hands off and turn on the T.V. and try to pick something new.
2:33 – By this point I have binged watched quite a bit of Netflix / Hulu and am forced to watch a comedy about a mad scientist who turns himself into a pickle.
4:00 - While watching T.V., I also try and clean a little. As the fourth years are all getting ready to move, packing up is always on my mind. I have attempted to pack my kitchen at least three separate times, but I usually get sidetracked and train for my ice cream eating competition.
5:15 – It’s time to call people via facetime and check-in. I usually begin by trying to call essential people; first, my grandmother, my sisters, the president, my mom and dad, the U.N. security council, but usually end up with five rejected phone calls. So, I then continue down the list to discuss conspiracy theories with other theorists. Of utmost importance is the Road to Roota theory. Please see the link attached: http://www.roadtoroota.com
6:00 – Lilly and I begin thinking of what we will be cooking for dinner. We realize that my girlfriend Ali has been home this entire day (as she cannot leave) and decide it’s a perfect time to go and discuss the simple concept that your nose runs and your feet smell!
8:00 – We finish our conversation about essential items and begin to cook dinner. Again, dinner usually consists of some chicken, which I forgot to thaw earlier, rice, and a veggie or two.
9:00 – It's finally closing time. I begin my routine for bedtime. Lilly picks out a show to watch (usually Planet Earth), and I hop in bed ready to hear Sir David Attenborough explain to me how vast and immense our planet truly is.
9:04 – I realize I forgot to go to the bathroom, I quickly hop out of bed, go potty, and then hurry back as not to let anything under my bed grab me.
9:15 – I realize I yet again have forgotten to lock the front door, and have to go downstairs to secure the house.
9:26 – It is finally time to see if the lizard will escape the snakes and make it to the rocks on the other side
9:45 – I begin to doze off only to think, “What if Carole Baskin really did murder her husband and put him beneath the septic tank?” Or even better, what if she fed him to the tigers?
11:56 – After diving deep into the rabbit hole, I conclude that she could have gotten away with it. I quickly write this down to make sure to discuss this at the next meeting of the minds and hear their thoughts on the matter.
11:57 – Bedtime for Bonzo
Sincerely,
Reb Boyd, D4
Class of 2020 Representative