Lockdown. March 2020. Leaving U.K. for 14 Days Self-Isolation in California (from the journals)
March 2020. Upon my unexpected lockdown return from Scotland, when the world shut down, I isolated for the required 14 days in a Bed & Breakfast by myself in downtown Santa Barbara (as during the divorce proceedings, Ex was hunkered down in the family home). I called it Quarantine Cottage, and wrote a journal called Quarantine Chronicles. It really captures the surreal times. Posted in 9 installments. Welcome to Part 1.
Goodbyes
March 20, 2020 Resigned. Life as we know it is over. I hiked to Arthur’s Peak. Goodbye Edinburgh? Will I ever return? Will I not see family for months, years? What about my son in Ireland? Who knew goodbyes were for so long. Mom and Dad – I’m so worried. Flat here in Edinburgh closing. I can’t stay. U.S. ready for nationwide lockdown. What to do? Leaning towards accepting my fate and going back “home”.
March 24, 2020 And here I am. In the air – United last flight out of Dublin. Goodbye my son still in Ireland, for who knows how long. In air last night from Edin and UK went on severe lockdown. So dramatic.
Ultimately I’m alone. Will quarantine for 14 days. Self reflect. Finish this divorce. Try to continue film projects. Will they be relevant? 2020 started so well. Optioned/sold two screenplays. World travel. Spent time with the Scottish Rogue. (Said goodbye, left him with COVID in Edinburgh.) My two kids’ graduations coming up. Graduation trips planned. A trip with my brother and family. They were going to visit Ireland and Scotland. Poof. All gone.The world has changed as we know it. Will we travel and fly again? So depressing….
March 26, 2020 Day 2 Quarantine
Love my cottage. Getting a routine. Only person I’ve seen is Ex ironically. Lots of Facetiming with the Rogue. Who knows when I’ll see him again. Borders closed. No flights. Sigh.So much lost. When will I see my son left in Ireland? When will I get divorced?
Days 3-9 Self Isolation
March 27, Day 3 Sunny. Bikini on back deck. Alone. Solitary confinement. Scary world. What would’ve happened if I’d stayed in Scotland?
March 29, Morning Day 5 Yesterday online global workout helpful. Need divorce done. Just be done.
March 30, 2020 Day 6 Rough night. Panic. Lockdown til April 30. No touch, no contact, no fun. Miss my kids, mom and dad. Endless. Anxiety. Uncertainty.
Day 7. I’ve never been an early morning workout person, but here’s a change in isolation! Besides my own personal workouts, I discovered BondFitnessS.B. on Instagram (a local fitness club) doing live workouts every morning at 8:00 am: “No equipment, no excuses. Change. Challenge. Breathe in the positive, breathe out the negative. Movement makes for a different mindset.” (Some of the nuggets I heard while I was sweating away).
Day 8, April 2, 2020 Trying to get in routine. Workout, do some work, lay in sun, walk, make meals, talk on phone. Chat with my Manchester-L.A. friend Loretta for hours. Now I need to create and get my mind right. Get divorced. Be free. Move on.
Day 9, April 3, 2020 Saw Mom and Dad from a distance – what a joy!
InstaCart Man
Day 11. Waiting for InstaCart man. Sitting by the phone, watching through the window. Took you five days to come, but that’s alright. Watching the little green tab go from shopping “In Progress” to “Shopping Complete” to Stop-My-Beating-Heart “In transit”!! Oh, you masked, gloved, goggled man. Even added extra items to get to my parents. Oh, and you want to see my I.D. for alcohol purchase? Bless your soul.Putting the Tito’s and Casamigos right there on the top shelf (with my museum piece Michael Kors shoes – will I ever wear them again?).Saturday Splendor.
Finishing Self Isolation
Day 12, April 5 Rogue’s birthday. Days blur. Nice long walk to ocean yesterday. Melancholy today. I have no direction. Trapped. Major funk. Film projects paused. Everything on hold. Global disaster.
Day 14, April 7, 2020 Finally coming out of total self-isolation. It has been tough with depression and hopelessness, especially long term. If I had some hope, something to look forward to, it would help so much. At least Loretta is coming. Trying to move on divorce.
Long talks with Rogue. Spoke of him coming to LA.
Day 15 – Big Day Out This was very exciting. Everything I’ve been training for. Donned the high fashion bandana I found oddly in my car (possibly a remnant from Roxy the Labradoodle’s RIP grooming days) and ran the gauntlet of a Zombie Apocalypse State Street. In route, I found a (gasp!) fabric store whereby I picked out stylish fabrics to fashion more homemade bandanas/masks. At an undisclosed location I found toilet paper AND paper towels! Risked life and limb trudging back up State Street, risking a mugging with my coveted loot. Also bought supplies for a home pedi. Art supplies to work on my Post Lockdown “Never Will I Ever”/“Maybe”/“Most Definitely” charts to add to my overly optimistic positivity vision board (actually a table). What a day!
Day 16 – Journey To and From L.A.
Surreal journey from Santa Barbara to L.A. and back. Heavy April showers all day. Took Daughter back to her USC house which she had vacated hastily upon her unexpected appendectomy a month ago, never dreaming that her senior year would be upended. She was able to get some belongings and her car to bring back. L.A. is an absolute ghost town. Seeing USC closed up was sobering. A stark reality that there will be no culminating activities i.e. graduation, etc.
On the way back I picked up my Lockdown Roomie Loretta after our mutual quarantines to hunker down for a bit. We were giddily chatting in the car when we both looked up at the same time and saw that we were on the 5 bound for Sacramento and had somehow diverted from the 101. Much needed laughter ensued and quite a lengthy detour in what looked like the rainy Wild West. Culminated with Curbside Cosmos, steak & chicken from Holdren’s, catch up chatter with candles in the cozy cottage, and church bells ringing in the distance.
One note of hope on the drive was passing the former Thomas Fire burn area where just over two years ago the gorgeous palm trees (along with over 270,000 acres) were burned beyond recognition. It felt like nothing would be normal again. Now the palms have grown back, and the charred land is green. Let’s hope for normalcy again.
Fun Pants Friday workout with BondFitnessSB.
Surprised by an amazing Bridlewood winery members’ delivery (haven’t picked up in a year); a quarantine dream. Shockingly a couple of work/film emails. Little rays of hope.
Lockdown Loretta and Quarantine Kim
Lockdown Loretta and Quarantine Kim are happily sequestered in the cottage. Took the daily walk down an absolutely desolate State Street. The physical beauty masks the depressing emptiness of shuttered stores and restaurants, with only the homeless populating the sidewalks. A few restaurants are trying to continue to-go service or curbside. Please try to support these establishments as we want them to survive through the crisis. Rocked our bandanna masks (though mine gave me a tickle in the throat which produced a cough which was a horror in the middle of CVS). Got some food supplies at Cantwells market around the corner. “No mask, no talking.” Miss the daily routine of mindless chatter in public spaces, instead the look of dread and the physical recoil as other humans pass by.
Dropped some Easter goodies off to my parents. So grateful they’re safely staying inside, and I at least can see them from a safe distance outside.
Once again, happy to be back in the safe oasis of the cottage with food, music, and conversation.
Just as I’m writing this, my beloved UPS man stood outside my window holding a package. Loretta shrieked, “Please be for us, please be for us!” And it was!! From my wonderful parents.
Happy Good Friday to one and to all. Stay safe, and find the small pleasures where you can.
https://secondchapternomad.blog/2024/03/05/life-in-storage-packing-up-london-bound/ (2024 updates of Life in Storage)
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