Well, needless to say, a lot has happened since I’ve been gone. I’m so grateful that you are still here! I took a longer than expected hiatus from posting. But not to worry guys, I’m safe and doing well, physically and emotionally. But the world, particularly this country, has sort of turned upside down hasn’t it? I don’t need to spell it out though. You already know. Sometimes it doesn’t even feel real.

Like so many others, I’ve tried to be a good citizen. I focused my energy into my work, shared ideas with my colleagues on how to help others, protested, wrote to my elected officials, and donated to more charities and political campaigns than ever before. I’m registered to vote by mail and triple checked that I’m properly registered. My siblings and I make sure that our entire family is registered. We help our non-English speaking parents to vote as well. Expecting delays with the U.S. post office, I plan to cast my vote on the same day that I receive my ballot, which, in California, should be 29 days prior to election day, November 3rd.

Another way I’m trying to be a good citizen leads me back to the topic of this blog, and that is what I’m wearing on the daily: a face mask. I’ve tried many kinds of face masks, and most recently settled on these 3-dimensional masks from South Korea from the brand, Ilwoul. They strike the right balance of protection vs. comfort for routine trips to the grocery store and walking the dog. I like the clean silhouette, close fit on the skin, and how the 3-D design prevents the fabric from getting sucked in toward the nostrils when inhaling, which can feel mildly suffocating.

I’m conserving them by having 5 masks on rotation, changing into a new one each day and allowing each one to “sun dry” while taped to my window for 4 days in between uses (the coronavirus can only survive for a few days on porous surfaces, and for less time when exposed to sunlight). I’m reusing each mask for a maximum of 5 times before disposing. This was a technique we used in the hospital with N95’s when there was a shortage. At this rate, I should be able to make my stash of #30 masks last for about 4-6 months, and possibly longer if I rotate in my less protective cloth masks for days when I’m only taking low risk trips to the apartment complex mail box and garbage cans.

To make wearing masks more tolerable, I’ve been smudging a tiny bit of White Flower essential oil blend on the tip of my chin or wearing Dr. Bronner’s peppermint lip balm prior to donning. This creates a nice cooling effect and provides some stress relief via aromatherapy.

What is your favorite mask?

I’m looking forward to the arrival of my Baggu face masks, which a friend had recommended. They are essentially colorful cotton versions of the masks from Ilwoul. Aren’t they so cute? I love the color combinations.

In other news, there’s been a ton of changes in my life lately that I could go on and on about, but I’ll keep it short. For starters, I left my old job, moved out of my apartment on the westside and into a new apartment back in my old beloved neighborhood of Echo Park. I’m happily working from home permanently, which portends a major wardrobe overhaul to come. It’s gonna be a positive change I think. There’s so much more that I want to share with you guys. So stay tuned.

I’ll end with saying I missed hearing from you all, including reading posts on blogs that I subscribe to. People are posting less frequently or have stopped blogging altogether. It’s understandable given all that’s going on, but I hope that those who can, do get back to posting more regularly. There’s a real lack of authentic, non-spon-con personal blogging in the life/style department these days. I want more. Come back you guys!