Staycation Vacation and Reading Challenge Update

 Since I work as a digital service librarian for a rural library system, I've been working  non-stop since the library's building closed in late March. In order to give myself I work reset, I decided to take a week-long vacation last week. Due to COVID-19, we decided to not travel too far and instead spent most of our time at home or taking short day trips.

On the first day of my staycation vacation, hubby and I dropped off our mail in absentee ballots to our nearby election ballot box. After, that, I went home and uploaded my race events to the new racemob running website. 

On the third day of my staycation, hubby and I took a day trip to Salinas to try the new plant-based unchicken sandwich which is being tested at select Jack in the Box restaurants. The sandwich comes in classic and spicy flavors and is topped with non vegan mayo, lettuce and tomato. I ordered the classic unchicken sandwich without the mayo while hubby ordered the spicy unchicken sandwich with mayo, lettuce and tomato.

Unchicken Sandwiches on Drive Thru Menu

Spicy Unchicken Sandwich

Classic Unchicken Sandwich

After leaving Jack in the Box, we decided to drive to Moss Landing State Wildlife Area where we enjoyed eating fried artichoke hearts from the Giant Artichoke Restaurant in Castroville.

Moss Landing State Wildlife Area

Moss Landing State Wildlife Area

Fried Artichoke Hearts from Castroville

Lastly, while enjoying a week vacation, I was able to finish three books for the two reading challenges that I'm currently doing which are the 2020 52 Books in 52 Weeks Reading Challenge (40/52) and the 2020 Popsugar Reading Challenge (39/50.) All in all, my weeklong staycation vacation was just what I needed to get a much needed professional reset before heading back to work as we begin our new contact-free library pickup services on Monday, October 26.

Book for 52 Books in 52 Week Reading Challenge

Book for Popsugar Reading Challenge

Book for 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge

The New Normal vs The New Reality

It's been a while since I written on the blog so figured now's as good a time as any to restart posting. I will first start with my latest pet peeve which is the phrase "the new normal." I really dislike the phrase "the new normal" because we are not living in normal times. Currently, most of the California is on fire or suffering with effects of fire while the rest of the country is dealing with it's own unpredictable weather. The country is also still dealing with the Corona virus killing hundreds of thousands not to mention racial unrest due to the constant killing of black people.Having said all this, I am referring to this current times as "the new reality" versus "the new normal."  

On the work front, I now start my work day by taking my temperature and then checking it off a list. If anyone's temperature is 100.4, then they have to go home. In addition to this, according to the Blueprint for a Safer Economy website, our county may be able to open at 25% maximum capacity. Although my library system is still closed to the public (and has been since the last week of March,)  I can tell that changes are on the horizon since my director introduced system-wide protocols for reopening book drops as well as a curbside/pick-up service.

Although my director hasn't given staff an official date for these new processes to begin, I think she's erring on the side of caution so we won't be surprised when the county tells us to resume library services. The biggest changes with reopening the book drops and pick up service is that staff will be wearing gloves and face shield and the length of quarantining returned library items. While we'll be happy to get our items back, I already know there will be a learning curve with sanitation process but this is something that is part of our new reality. 

On the personal front, I'm slowly finishing my two reading challenges and updating the books I've read on my two reading challenge posts as well as on Instagram and Facebook.

On the workout front, I'm keeping up with my fitness by exercising on a daily basis through doing a couple of this such as a twelve week resistance band workout program from Achv Peak as well as a 28 day body shaping program from Pahla B Fitness on YouTube. Lastly, I am doing virtual run through the Rock N Roll Virtual Run Club.  

Books Read COVID-19 During the Quarantine

     I had the recently epiphany that all of my blog posts as of late have been only about work. In order to create better work/life balance, this post will show books I've read since my job closed to the public on March 21st.

 If you want the full list of books I'm reading for my two 2020 reading challenges, check out my previous blog posts on the 2020 Popsugar Reading Challenge and the 2020 52 Books in 52 Weeks Reading challenge.

2020 Popsugar Reading Challegne

Each year, I take one reading challenges as a way to get outside of my reading comfort zone. For the past couple of years, I've been sticking with the Popsugar Reading Challenge which contains a total 50 books.

Below is a list of all the books I read for the 2020 Popsugar Reading Challenge along with their reading prompt. After I finish each reading prompt, I will update this list. If you want to see more of the books I've read this year, you can check out my Goodreads profile at: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/15431036.

Challenged completed 12/3/20!

2020 Popsugar Reading Challenge:

1. A book that's published in 2020: Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey 
2. A book by a trans or nonbinary author: Don't Call Us Dead by Danez Smith
3. A book with a great first line: If a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino
4. A book about a book club: The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
5. A book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics: The Awakening by Shakir Rashaan (Atlanta)
6. A bildungsroman: Space Invaders by Nona Fernandez
7. The first book you touch on a shelf with your eyes closed: How To Say No Without Feeling Guilty by Patti Breitman
8. A book with an upside-down image on the cover: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
9. A book with a map: The Walk by Richard Paul Evans
10. A book recommended by your favorite blog, vlog, podcast, or online book club: I Don't Want to Die Poor: Essays by Michael Arceneaux (recommended on Gettin' Grown podcast)
11. An anthology: Running, Eating, Thinking: A Vegan Anthology by Martin Rowe
12. A book that passes the Bechdel test: Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
13.  A book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it: Humans by Brandon Stanton
14. A book by an author with flora or fauna in their name: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
15. A book published the month of your birthday: Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead (April)
16. A book about or by a woman in STEM: Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole
17. A book that won an award in 2019: Bring Out the Dog by Will Mackin (winner of PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize) 
18. A book on a subject you know nothing about: Left Out in America: The State of Homelessness in the United States by Pat LaMarche
19. A book with only words on the cover, no images or graphics: The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace
20. A book with a pun in the title: Ruff Around the Edges by Roxanne St. Claire
21. A book featuring one of the seven deadly sins: The Wrath & The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
22. A book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character: Cog by Greg Van Eekhout
23. A book with a bird on the cover: Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
24. A fiction or nonfiction book about a world leader: A Full Life by Jimmy Carter
25. A book with "gold," "silver," or "bronze" in the title: Thousand Pieces of Gold by Ruthanne Lum McCunn
26. A book by a WOC (woman of color): Citizen by Claudia Rankine
27. A book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads: T is for Transformation by Shaun T
28. A book you meant to read in 2019: Ravenous by Helen Hardt
29. A book about or involving social media: Dot Complicated by Randi Zuckerberg
30. A book that has a book on the cover: Well-Read Black Girl by Glory Edim
31. A medical thriller: The Second Opinion by Michael Palmer
32. A book with a made-up language: The Grammarians by Cathleen Schine
33. A book set in a country beginning with "C": I've Been Meaning To Tell You by David Chariandy (set in Canada) 
34. A book you picked because the title caught your attention: When Food is Your Drug by Kristin Jones
35. A book with a three-word title: Desired or Dominated by Criss Carr
36. A book with a pink cover: Food Junkies by Vera Tarman
37. A western: Red Dirt Riders by Kristen Swann Porter
38. A book by or about a journalist: Never in my Wildest Dreams: A Black Woman's Life in Journalism by Belva Davis
39. Read a banned book during Banned Books Week: 
40. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge (2018- next book in a series you started:) The Road to Grace by Richard Paul Evans 
41. A book written by an author in their 20s: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
42. A book with "20" or "twenty" in the title: Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber
43. A book with a character with a vision impairment or enhancement (a nod to 20/20 vision): Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
44. A book set in Japan, host of the 2020 Olympics: American Fuji by Sara Backer
45. A book set in the 1920s: Black Orchid Blues by Persia Walker
46. A book by an author who has written more than 20 books: The Pearl by John Steinbeck
47. A book with more than 20 letters in its the title: By The River Piedra I Sat Down And Wept by Paulo Coelho
48. A book published in the 20th century: Tambourines to Glory by Langston Hughes (1958) 
49. A book from a series with more that 20 books: Flirt by Laurell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter)
50. A book with a main character in their 20s: The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver

Quarantine Life On Hold Heading Back to Work

    On Friday evening, my boss called me and asked my to meet with her and my colleagues on Saturday regarding reopening the library to staff. During the meeting with my boss, she said that the library shouldn't sit and so nothing during this crisis. To that end, she directed me and my colleagues to be back at work starting on Monday. Although we will still be closed tentatively until Monday, April 13, we will be open to staff starting Monday.After the meeting on Saturday, I had to call the two employees I supervise and inform them that they are expected to be at work Monday morning.

     At this point, according to our county health department website, there have been 88 samples collected, 77 negative tests received, 10 people are being monitored, and 2 confirmed cases.Since the reality of things is that I'm going back to work, I'm praying daily that no one at my job is sick and asymptomatic and that when I get COVID-19, it will be mild and I'll recover.

     On the exercise front, I'm been really enjoying virtual runs on YouTube. Since the half marathon I was planning to do today has been postponed, I decided to complete a virtual half marathon at home and below is a photo from the race route. Since there's not a large place for me to run, this is a nice alternative.

          In other news, I've been making some headway in reference to completing the two books challenges I'm doing for the year. This is the latest book that I've read for the 2020 Popsugar Reading Challenge which is a wonderful read since it focuses on black women, the importance of seeing yourself reflected in books and the desire to create your own story when you don't see it represented in literature. I enjoyed this book so much, I'm planning to buy my own personal copy and plan to use this to create my own reading challenge for next year. I plan to create two new blog pages with the two 2020 reading challenge I'm currently doing so this can help others discover new books to read.

       

      Lastly, I had a nice convo with my mom today and was happy to hear her voice on the phone. It's comforting to know that even though I'm living on the other side of the country, my mom still thinks about me and prays for me, hubby and his family. Our conversation was good and mom said that she's using this current time as an opportunity to strengthen her relationship with God. I couldn't agree with her more and am also using this time to look back at the past by reading my old journals as well as reorganize home and throw old junk away. During this crisis, it's important to focus on today and not try to look too far into the future since it's uncertain. Stay safe & well!