Week 9: Books!

The address to the nation that the Prime Minister provided us with was a sham. A vague notion of staying alert like you could spot a microscopic virus creeping up on you in a dark alley if you could only keep your wits sharp was presented as the next stage of facing the current crisis. The government's message was so confusing that throughout the week, they kept changing the meaning of what has been said. It's a mess... the result of which is that people are now acting as if the lockdown is over. It's fairly likely that the way this is being handled will cause another rise in deaths which is already highest in Europe. As bad as it was, it now feels a lot worse.

BOOKS!

However, there were some good news this week. I have received Jobseeker Allowance which should help me manage my financial situation slightly better and I have received a gift in the post. My good friend Matias got me two books as a gift to get through these harsh times. I haven't opened either up yet because I was going re-reading the newly released Sentinel Comics RPG in pdf. I say re-read but that's not entirely true. Some of the chapters have been released to Kickstarter backers previously, which I have gone through, but that was a pre-production copy so now I'm reading the actual game even if the material in some places is unchaged.

I must admit, I have read very little this year. My reading habits are normally very sporadic but I still manage to go through a decent number of books. This year, however, I only finished one book. It's been hard sitting down to do anything recently and when I had the energy, I tried to channel it into housework and looking for employment. Which did not stop me from picking up the Hunger Games trilogy off the street on my weekly walk to the store.

Week 8: Queue

There's very little to be said about this week.
It's another one of those where I'm simply waiting for things.

I've spoken with my landlady and she has reduced my rent for this month so I won't have to worry about running out of money. I'll have to repay her the difference when I'm provided with financial support through Universal Credit though.

A Kickstarter I backed a few years ago has announced that they will be releasing a pdf for their roleplaying game by the end of this week or start of the next one. Clearly, at this point it'll be at the start of next week. There's something good to look forward to, at least.

We're also waiting for the Prime Minister to address the nation at the end of this week. Word is that the lockdown restrictions are to be relaxed which, of course, means people are already ignoring it more than they should. What the address will actually say is still anyone's guess but knowing this government I highly doubt it'll be any good.

Week 7: Disappointment

I wasn't expecting to be receiving much in terms of financial support from the government through Universal Credit but I was still shocked to learn that I will be getting nothing at all. Apparently, every pound I've earned with my last paycheck has reduced my claim for this month by 63p which, in total, reduced it to a zero.

I've still got enough to see me through this month and I hope I'll be receiving some financial support in the following month because with the lockdown going strong, it's unlikely I'll find employment until it's lifted.

I've been really hitting the films this week. Nearly every evening I spent watching a film of some sort. I haven't done this in ages. Usually I just sit down to watch an episode of a TV show because it's a smaller time commitment than a film but now we're all finding ourselves with more time to spare on our hands. I really should do something more productive with my time.

I had a horrible headache over the weekend so to keep myself occupied, I made a Steam Workshop Item for Tabletop Simulator. Green Ronin released a Print to Play version of their upcoming Sentinels of Earth Prime card game so I took the files and converted them to import into Tabletop Simulator. I'm looking forward to testing the game out with my RP mates tomorrow.

I'm trying not to have naps in the late afternoon as they mess up my sleep schedule too much.

Week 6: The Waiting Game

and so does time pass

There's very little I can say regarding this week. I'm not even sure what I was doing most of the time. Nothing special, that's for certain. I'm losing track of what I'm doing lately...

This week feels like it's all been about waiting. I'm to find out what my Universal Credit payment will be for next month so I can plan out my finances next week. While I suspect it won't be much, I hope it'll still help me plow through these strange times we find ourselves in.

My RP session this week was supposed to be the last one but it got extended into another week. That one will be the last, after which I won't be running games for the duration of the lockdown. Although I enjoyed it and am looking forward to using Tabletop Simulator in boardgaming further with my friends, I can't get myself to run a game without a set schedule. Not knowing when this lockdown will end gets to me too much.

I've still got a stuffy, and sometimes runny, nose. I had to resort to using a nasal spray to clear it up enough so I could sleep at night.

Week 5: Just a Note

not going anywhere

This week started off well enough as I've received a call from the Job Centre informing me that my Universal Credit has been sorted so I'll be getting some modest income next month. That should help me last a little bit longer. I'm still holding onto hope that I'll be able to return to work after all this is over, which brings me to the next bit of news.

The lockdown has been extended by a further three weeks. While I continue applying for jobs, finding one is becoming increasingly difficult. I think the uncertainty of the situation is starting to get to me. This is not helped by the usual effects of reduced activity on my system. Without regular exercise, I'm finding it harder to sleep and eat. My focus is also slipping and I'm becoming more lethargic.

After talking with some RPG comunity members, I've found out that my internet connection is not up to the standards I thought it was so I had to call my provider. They were willing to upgrade it free of charge but due to the crisis, are unable to get an engineer out until June. I may have to deal with my low connection until then. It's annoying as it's inhibiting my ability to play games with my friends lately.

My nose has been blocked for two weeks now. I had to start using a nasal spray so I could breathe while falling asleep. I'm just glad my sneeze and cough combination has subsided to manageable levels. Maybe in a week I'll be rid of it and I'll be able to breathe without needing additional assistance.

Week 4: Apathy

The modern Void

This was supposed to be a week for me to sort things out. Suffice to say, it didn't go as planned. I think the reality of the situation has finally dawned upon me and I'm struggling to keep myself upright against the weight of it all.

Since my phone calls for Universal Credit were unsuccessful, I hoped looking for a job would help me gain some income while the lockdown is still in place. I could hardly find anything to apply for. Even the few positions I had applied for wouldn't earn me enough income to actually get by. I tried to get my mind off that worry by cleaning and organising my living space. I then realised too late I ran out of kitchen towels. I thought I had one more spare but no. After suddenly being unable to continue with my plans, I ended up wasting time on YouTube and uploading card scans to Tabletop Simulator so I could waste even more time on playing some game.

Even the game I started to run this week had issues. I was now plagued with internet connectivity issues despited having "super fast broadband". I managed to save it by streaming my screen instead of having people join the table online but I was still upset at another plan of mine not working despite preparations. I am the sort of person who prepares for difficulties and I tested earlier if my connection could handle people in game. I had no problems until now, somehow.

With my mood plummeting, I had no energy left to attend to neither my violin nor my painting desk. Both of which keep gathering dust...

Week 3: The Great Outdoors

I went to the store this week prepared for the worst. I took a book with me to have something to read as I stood in the queue to enter the shop. Somehow, the queue moved rapidly and I hardly noticed being in it. The store staff worked well on moving people along and letting people in as soon as others left the store. I wish shoppers would organise as well!

You could tell things were different. The floor was made into zones with a clever use of duck tape and each had an arrow pointing out the direction shoppers should go. This was to implement social distancing and to keep people 2 meters away from each other. However, the theme of this week has been ignorance.

I tried to keep to the designated space I was in, waiting for people in front of me to move along but after several other shoppers going past myself, reaching shelves over my cart and going the opposite way, I too gave up on social distancing. I didn't want to spend an additional hour, trying to follow the rules which others made it difficult to try. Imagine waiting for the person in front of you to pick something off the shelf and move further along, only for that lady to move into your space and browse the shelves. I could either ignore her or move back. All in all, at one point it felt I was the only one doing my part.

Sadly, even when going to and from the shop, you could see people blatantly ignoring the lockdown. During this period you're not supposed to venture outside unless necessary. I can understand seeing a person with a backpack on a bike, clearly going to the shop, but instead I saw a family of four going for a bike ride around town. I walked past some teens filming their parkour session on some steps. There were elderly people casually sitting on public benches having a smoke or beverage from a paper cup.

We're supposed to limit the spread of this virus by staying at home and practicing social distancing but instead we've got groups of people who think it's best to go to the beach or park because the weather is nicer outside. If only this virus could have been more considerate and strike in winter when everyone was indoors to begin with.

In other news, I'm feeling loads better and am in the process of putting life back together. I have finally disassembled my desktop and cleaned all the fans of dust. I had to go to the garden to do it and took Artemis with me. She was a bit overwhelmed and I had to tie her up to a tree as she was not fond of the sound the can with compressed air was making.

The idea for next week is to continue with sorting myself and the flat out.