This History Today series aims to document what life is like in this period of history. I update whenever I feel like it.

Aspects of daily life:

• COVID-19, the global pandemic that started in a wet market in December 2019, has taken over our lives. I only leave the house for groceries. I’m luckier than a lot of people, I was already working from home, and my hours have only been cut a little.
• I’m not suffering from depression even during this quarantine. I have a cocktail of meds that seem to be working. Maybe that’s why I often don’t write anymore, maybe writing was a way to get away from the pain.
• President Trump didn’t seem to take COVID-19 seriously at first, but I believe he has now. I’ve heard that some social isolation restrictions are being loosened as of this week. I’m not sure of what they are. I am still staying home until I hear more.
• Someone I know is getting cloth masks made. I ordered one. It’s mostly so I have something softer and reusable. The masks that my dad sent me at the start of this have not run out (it was a box of thirty). He was one of the people that started panic-buying supplies. But he’s also the reason why I’ve had masks at all. Also, even though the cloth mask is for safety, there is an element of fashion to it for me. I want to belong to the “cool” group who wear reusable masks.
• California was one of the first places to shut down. I don’t know anyone who is not taking it seriously.
• Former Vice President Joe Biden is likely the nominee for the Democratic presidential ticket to run against President Trump in the 2020 presidential election. I don’t think he has chosen a VP to run alongside him, but he promised in one of his last debates that I saw that it would be a woman. I hope he keeps that promise. I’m excited to see who it could be. I have opinions about Biden, but I am more resolute in my political leanings than ever and am likely to vote for him. He’s been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 1993, which he denies. I’m curious about whether it’s true or not, because I would feel emotionally conflicted about voting for him if he did that. Trump has had a plethora of similar accusations lobbed at him, which he also denies. I don’t know if they were proved true, but his reputation has certainly soured my opinion of him. I should probably research further. Truth is important to me. I don’t know who I would vote for if I decided I couldn’t vote for Biden.
• I think I spend too much time mindlessly consuming social media feeds. I’m in school now for a master’s degree and a postbacc (because I’m a bit aggressive with my goals), and I want to research more about the topics that interest me, instead of looking at pretty pictures on Instagram. I want to produce content more than I want to consume it. And when I consume it, I want it either to have a great story, lesson, or knowledge. Why do I consume such low quality content? I don’t know. So I’ve decided to sign out of accounts where I mostly consume and don’t post. I will still be on YouTube a lot, consuming, and entertainment subscriptions (like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu), but I will try to be more mindful about what I choose to watch. Watching videos is much more active for me than scrolling my feeds.
• I’ve been thinking a lot more about personal improvement lately. I’m guessing because I have so much time at home now.
• No one I know personally has gotten sick from COVID-19. I do know people who are at increased risk, but they are being careful.
• I got into TikTok this past year, and I have had to stop opening the app, because it is too addicting to me.