So, how’s quarantine going for you? After two weeks, it looks like people fall into two groups: the ones who are getting used to it and think it’s “actually not so bad,” and the ones who are getting a sinking feeling that we may be stuck staying home until summer at this rate.
Either way, sharing our struggles keeps us from getting too lonely, whether our kids are driving us up the wall, we want to kill our neighbors, or we’re about to take revenge on our messy roommates by giving their stuff away to whoever’s walking by. Don’t despair! Come join us for our daily Back Market routine.
6:45 am: The alarm goes off
Okay, maybe not quite that early. I’m not that awesome. It’s true, my smartwatch vibrates at 6:45, but my eyes don’t actually open until 8. I know, I know, I’m supposed to be sticking to my regular routine, getting up and going to bed at the usual times. On the other hand (and this is one of the benefits of quarantine), squeezing in a few extra minutes of sleep can’t hurt, right?
8:30 am: A huge mug of coffee in nothing flat
Not being able to enjoy a nice breakfast out on Fridays anymore, not being able to walk to work with the traditional aroma of coffee and toast lingering in the air… We really miss these things. Luckily, I can say that my reconditioned home coffee maker is just as good as the espresso machine at my usual cafe.
9:00 am: Get to work
Working can be a challenge, but my roommates are finally getting the picture that my remote work corner is sacred right now. The secret to keeping them at a distance?It’s easy. I keep my desk super-organized, with my laptop, mouse, keyboard, and a screen that helps me concentrate and not see them, even when they’re walking around in the living room. Although I think what really worked was the do-not-disturb barrier I made with a roll of toilet paper.
12:30 pm: Check in with Grandma
Forget about hashtag #toiletpaper and those challenges popping up all over Instagram: my quarantine challenge has been teaching my grandmother to make video calls.Since she’s over 80 years old (don’t worry Grandma, you don’t look it, and I won’t give away your age), she has good reason to be proud of this feat. Basically, after an hour of instruction over the phone, she’d mastered it. Now we do a routine check in during my lunch break.This fearless woman even takes the time to do her makeup and hair before turning on her tablet, which she received just in time to keep from being completely isolated during shelter-at-home.
2:30 pm: MasterChef in da house
To tell you the truth, when my roommates asked me to pitch in for a Thermomix, I told them I still had years to go before retirement.I should have shut up and coughed up, given everything I’ve used it for since then: chocolate muffins, lasagna, Oreo milkshakes, red velvet cake… Luckily we only go to the grocery store every 10 days, or I’d explode by May.
6:30 pm: Work’s done, time to sweat!
One cannot live for teleworking alone.It’s important to have set work hours, and close up shop when it’s time. Otherwise, days go by and we never move our bodies or rest our brains, which is just as vital. Right now, at our place, we have two options: an intense workout with the Wii, to get our butts moving, or sweating it out in our apartment’s PS4 championship.
8:30 pm: Chocolate mousse on the balcony with friends
Sure, we complain sometimes. But can you imagine what this situation would have been like in the days before the Internet?We probably would have been more productive (one point in favor of the Pleistocene era). But we never could have planned all the after-work cocktails and get-togethers that are flourishing right now. To your iPhones!
10:30 pm: King of the castle
Someday we’ll be able to brag about how, during quarantine, we put together a real movie room in our apartment, complete with old-fashioned homemade popcorn popped in a pan (so far we’ve only burned it once) and our new king of the castle, or at least, our reconditioned king of the castle. I’m talking about the projector, which we’re using to watch classic movies and really dumb YouTube videos, all with 400:1 contrast ratio. Oh yeah. That’s all for now, the movie’s starting.
If you liked Back Market’s quarantine survival plan, check out our special quarantine mega-deals, with a wide range of reconditioned devices:
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