Be My Eyes

The other day I had my first ever experience picking up a call on Be My Eyes!

Be My Eyes is an app that “connects blind and low-vision individuals with sighted volunteers and companies from all over the world through a live video call.”

I signed up late in September last year, and am aware that I have missed one call (ie another volunteer picked up before me). Otherwise, since I don’t look at my phone between 08:30-15:30, who knows.

In any case, this weekend I got to help a nice man distinguish between some bottles and packs of spices ahead of him cooking a lamb dish.

In the background as he rummaged, I could hear what potentially was a reading pen or similar device running.

One thing I learned is to always make clear what you need the person to move/turn/turn over. I made a (perhaps rookie) mistake in first just asking him to “please move ‘it’ a little to the right”, meaning the bottle, and he moved his phone. Once we’d established this system, it went smoothly.

Well, until he asked me whether I thought mixed spices would go with lamb, and I was stumped by the question due to not seeing it coming!

Anyhow, I hope that this man and his household had a lovely dinner.

More about be my eyes here https://www.bemyeyes.com/about.

A year of working from home

Compared to my various circles of friends and family, I was one of the last the be sent home to work (among those of us who are able to work from home), and I have just topped off a year of working from home.

I have previously worked from home, and for an even longer period of time, but of course the pandemic provides a different perspective. Before, one time I decided that I needed a change of scenery, and took my work with me to Jersey for a few days. Due to delays, I even managed to finish a good portion of the work waiting on the plane, and freeing up more time on the ground. None of that this time around.

What have we learned? Aside from that not seeing your coworkers, and even management, in person makes it difficult to hold discussions? That there is at least one PC that is faulty at all times? That there are more people than I expected who live within hearing distance of lawn mowers of my house, and that this is more distracting than expected?

I am endlessly grateful not to have the commute (one hour each way) sandwiching my working day, but I have come to realise that I prefer working at my place of work. At least a part of the time. I look forward to the day when it is safe for people to return to more in-person professional and social habits.

And I desperately need a haircut.

Stay safe!

This month we have revisited this old enemy.

Rounding out February

Looking forward to the day that the tea barn properly reopens (and you can sit in it with nice people).

Does it feel like the shortest month of the year was shorter than usual this year? Perhaps, but not without reason, I feel.

It started with getting the heating going again, followed by some intense weeks figuring out how to clean soot. (The house is otherwise a constant background project.)

Followed by Lunar New Year, including finally being organised enough as a family to video-chat our new year’s greetings across the time zones.

Followed by renewed determination to organise distanced social events for all the circles in which I am part of, such as games nights. This has included picking inclusive games for all players in a particular group, and testing formats for minimum fuss and maximum playability. Current obsession: https://fishbowl-game.com/

Followed by taking part in a “race to Germany” at work, where two teams race to walk enough steps to make it to a destination (from the NE to Germany…whodathunk). But a totally recommended way to get out walking more often again, for those of use who have been slowed down by winter.

Followed by reshuffling at work, and continued applications.

Followed by even more determination make sure I send people birthday gifts (within my means), and supporting small businesses at the same time. Current obsession: bird and blend tea.

Followed by batch-baking breakfasts in addition to batch-cooking lunches.

Followed by audio books and radio plays! The 2017 BBC Radio dramatisation of Anansi Boys is great, for those who enjoy the genre.

So in other words, life goes on. I try to make mine better a step at a time, and I hope you are able to do so too.

Slow Living November

I have taken my first sizeable holiday of the year. And by that I mean longer than one week. Normally I go to visit family, which I of course have not done this year, due to the lockdown.

When I visit family, 1.5-2 weeks feels like no time at all because it’s often a packed schedule. This time around, I was at home, alternately trying to beat down on my life-admin to-do list, and doing purely hedonistic resting.

Observations:

1. It occurred to me that even in mentally referring to the rest part as “hedonistic”, I’ve defined my relationship to productivity as… perhaps too into using it to define my goodness as a person. There is nothing wrong with rest, or needing rest.

2. Resting felt guilty. Probably as a result of 1. That said, it also feels good, and was very welcome.

3. Being at home does mean more of the life-admin got done.

4. And more films got watched! (I watched Birds of Prey and Parasite in their entirety, and undoubtedly also watched a few more here and there on telly.)

5. Once I’d gotten over the worst guilt of resting, I decided that both dealing with my obligations, and actively doing things I enjoyed counted as productive. This was helpful and probably contributed to my enjoyment of the time off.

6. And since going back to work is a must, returning to a part-week feels positively luxurious. So all of my future holidays will be midweek-midweek where possible.

The question remains: will I get to see my family this year? In any case, happy belated first advent to you all! As always, take care in the cold and the pandemic. Anna and Jez will be back soon.

January is Good and Cold

The days are getting brighter. It does not get dark until around 1700 hours.

It is also very cold outside these days. Compared to a few of the previous years, however, this means that I am outside for sufficient amounts of time regularly to register both the cold, and that it becomes warmer to go indoors.

The cold has also given me reason to explore and (re)discover skincare items that help me not feel unpleasantly dry. Happily, they work against both the cold outdoors and the heating indoors.

I have not escaped the morning-tiredness that people seem to get extra doses of at this time of year. But this does mean that I get a bonus raise of heart rate on weekdays because I have to run all the way to the bus stop…

These reflections come courtesy of the comeback of my inner reckless optimist. And I am wholeheartedly happy to see her.