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It is Friday, the weekend has finally begun. The weather has cleared up. We have sunny days ahead here in the land of windmills and wooden shoes.

A few hours ago we had another press conference from the demissionary cabinet. They have announced that in two weeks from now, things are slowly going “back to normal”. After an “intelligent lockdown” with several restrictions that lasted more than a year, the demissionary Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his buddies think we can finally be able to roam more “freely”. Restaurants have opened. Bars have opened. Movie theater and museums will be open for the public again. Gatherings of bigger groups of people is allowed again. Not as if people weren’t gathering in large groups already.

To keep it all corona safe, there will still be a few restrictions. Before people consider making a reservation for a movie or a dinner at a restaurant, they are supposed be able to provide proof that they’ve been vaccinated or that they’ve recently had a negative covid test result. But how strict will that actually be in the end? Will there be police checking the restaurant guests or cinema guests if they really are corona safe? If yes, then wtf man… And if no, still wtf man…

If this is going to be the “back to normal” plan then I’m a bit confused. These supposed “back to normal” ideas are not really making me much excited at all.

As a hermit, I really don’t mind being locked away from society for a long period of time. No seriously, I think it’s great. What excuse will I have then to be able to stay home and away from people, when things are going “back to normal”? Raising the “cautious because of corona” flag won’t work anymore. What can I say? I love being alone.

Earlier this year my boss asked me if I would consider working at the office again. Back then my response was “Are you certain it’s corona safe at the office? If not, then I prefer to work from home.” Literally two weeks after that, there was a corona outbreak at the office. Some of the co-workers who were infected with the virus then are still sick, now several months later.

And then today there was yet another suggestion to have a “work trip” sometime in October with all the people from the office, because it’s been so long since we’ve actually seen one another face to face. What? No way! I am so not looking forward to that! That means they will try to convince us to come work at the office sometime too.

Hell no am I going back to the office. Working from home works just fine for me! And hell no am I going to attend the next supposedly fun “work trip” either. What does it matter anyway?

Why are people so hung up in wanting to see their co-workers? I don’t get it. But maybe that’s because I’m that one co-worker who will try their best to remain as invisible as possible. They literally call me the “mute” when introducing me to new co-workers. I can literally sit next to you at the office and not exchange a single word with you.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my work and I don’t hate my co-workers. I love being able to help people from a distance. But I don’t miss the office nor the office sounds; it’s like being stuck in a nest of mosquitoes or something. The noises, the buzzing sounds of people chitter-chattering and all that chaos is just not for me… I don’t miss having to sit next to a co-worker who will pour their word vomit on me.

Oh, what peace and joy working from home is to me. I really don’t want it to stop. I really really don’t want it to stop.

A lot of people have been vaccinated. Both my parents have been vaccinated, my aunts and uncles and our neighbors too. My brother and his friends have all been vaccinated. Because so many have been vaccinated, it gives people this feeling of “oh finally, things will get better”. But I haven’t received my official “invite for vaccination” yet and I think it’ll take a while. And I really don’t mind waiting longer for it, being able to say “I haven’t been vaccinated yet and so I cannot come to the meeting physically”. Ah yes. This hermit likes that, very much.

Back to normal. What is back to normal, anyway? What is normal?

Anyways.

It’s the weekends. Maybe it’s time to focus on something fun. Maybe another Doom Eternal test run? Yes. Yes, I’ll do that now. Thanks for lurking.