Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Pandemic log: week one

On Saturday March 14th, we received word that we library employees were all going to be working from home for the next couple of weeks.  I feel very fortunate that I'm allowed to do this, as I know many people can't say the same right now.  This is my first time working from home (and my first pandemic), so I thought I would document some of my experiences for the WHSLA blog.  I know it's a serious situation, but I'm hoping to inject you with a little dose of humor.

Day 0: Sunday
  • Woke up early after having nightmares about patrons asking me questions I couldn't answer.
  • Decided to go into work to collect my laptop and whatnot rather than waiting til Monday when my nightmares were more likely to come true.
  • Moved our skeleton mascot into the librarian's locked office to ensure no one breaks/licks/steals or otherwise bothers him in the absence of library staff supervision.
  •  Get the side eye from a guy in the hallway who may have thought I was looting the place.  I had a name badge on....buuuuut I was also carrying a large box with a computer monitor in it, so I'll admit, I probably looked a little sketchy.  But there was no way I was getting anything done with just a tiny laptop screen.

Day 1: Monday
  • Excited not to have to wear shoes or commute.  Still got dressed to attempt some sort of normalcy.
  • First time figuring out how to connect to the VPN.  Had some issues, but got it working fairly quickly.  Connectivity is a bit sketchy, possibly due to the higher number of people working from home.
  • No longer limited to what I can fit in my travel mug, I consume almost an entire pot of coffee.  This is inadvisable.  
  • Stress seems to have caused a multitude of people to forget how email works. At least ten people "reply all" to an email that goes out to the entire facility to tell us all that they no longer work at our facility and wish to be removed from the mailing list.  Several other people "reply all" to tell people to stop hitting "reply all." 
  • Can't get second monitor to communicate with laptop. 
Day 2: Tuesday
  • Still can't get second monitor to work.  Texted friend from my tech school days since for help since our IT department is overwhelmed.  SUCCESS!!!  Life suddenly feels better, and this is the highlight of my week.
  • Contemplate the etymology of the word "pandemic" and how close it is to the word "panic."  Try not to do the latter.
  • Cat spends most of the afternoon sleeping in my lap, which adorable until I lose all feeling in my legs (but don't want to move her). 
  • Regret not bringing USB barcode scanner home with me.
Day 3 & 4: Wednesday and Thursday
  • Had previously requested off for spring break with every intention of getting ahead on schoolwork.  Realize the last thing I want to do is look at a computer.  Take naps instead to preserve sanity.
  • Took a break from reading the news to watch a video of cats watching dominoes. 
Day 5: Friday 
  • Work from home order has been extended.  Glad I am an introvert.
  • Things are sort of settling into a weird new normal.
  • Was hoping this post would be funnier than it was, but this week was rough.

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