FROM: STELLA

TO: LAURA

1. This was my first week back at work from maternity leave. What a weird week to come back! I am also about to hit 7 years of working at UCLA this month.
2. With all of the craziness going on at the moment with COVID-19, I’ve been a bit more “glued to the news” than usual. I really enjoy getting theSkimm newsletter each morning and listening to NPR’s Up First podcast each day. Both platforms do an excellent job of giving a quick rundown of what’s going on in the world. I also like CNN’s live feed of updates if I want a more steady stream of what’s going on.
3. My husband and I have been diving into our board game collection to stay entertained this week without too much screen time. We loved playing my hometown’s version of Monopoly, Rumikube (my favorite) and Bananagrams (his favorite).
4. It’s been a rainy week here in Los Angeles, which makes staying at home way easier. I’ve been making lots of rainy day recipes including hot soups and flaky biscuits.
5. With all the extra time at home, it makes me feel more like a human each day to be sure to get in a workout. Very grateful that Corepower Yoga has opened up their on-demand video platform with free classes for the next two weeks! We’ve got some tips on livening up your at-home yoga practice if anyone is looking to start now.

FROM: LAURA

TO: STELLA

1. So it’s been a weird week. I think I felt most seen upon reading a tweet saying, “This is the worst episode of Black Mirror ever.” Thinking hard and sending all of my positive vibes to friends and family that work in the service and customer-facing industries.
2. Very much appreciated all the tips in this thread (not just for academics) about how to organize your life/day/emotions right now. Semi-related: my mother started a global weekly online meditation this past fall (great timing!) — it’s every Thursday at noon if anyone’s interested in joining in!

   

3. Trying to focus on all the silver linings I can find like the penguins exploring Shedd Aquarium, all of these virtual museum tours that exist, these zoo livestreams, this list of things to do for kids out of school, and being able to watch Broadway shows from the couch! Also the Taylor Swift songs bracket — I’ve been training for more than a decade for this!
4. We’ve joined the many families that are trying to balance working from home with taking care of kids. These books entertain our 10-month-old for long enough chunks that I can actually get some work done! We’ve also transitioned into “rotating” toys so that things feel new and exciting to him… it only takes a day or two of not seeing and playing with something for him to be ecstatic at its newness.
5. We’re all probably looking for more at-home things to do to occupy some newly found time. I like self-assembly.org, and they recently published seven different DIY chair assemblies.