A dispatch from David Miranda Hardy.
MiniBury: Tell us who you are.
David: Husband, dad, educator, filmmaker
MiniBury: In one word, describe how you’re feeling today.
David: Adrift
MiniBury: When are you doing the bulk of your work?
David: 4 hours a day, alternating mornings and afternoons with my wife. Some nights, too.
MiniBury: What is your kids’ relationship with screens these days?
David: Intense, emotional, necessary and, now, pedagogically sanctioned. So… we are scre….ed (I mean “screened”, of course).
MiniBury: Tell us about a non-screen activity that your kids have enjoyed lately.
David: We are lucky to live on a very empty street where they can bike. And by that, I mean my older bikes, the middle one fights with the training wheels, and I push the youngest on her tricycle until my lumbar says no more.
MiniBury: Has your family celebrated a special occasion during isolation (a birthday, holiday, etc)? How did you make it special?
David: We are preparing for our middle one’s birthday tomorrow and we are planning an “intimate” party (surprise!) but will include some videocall with the family and — my favorite — an IRL card exchange with her best friend at an appropriate social distance. Yey.
MiniBury: What has been the hardest part of this new way of life?
David: We’ve been very lucky in terms of health and job continuity (for now), so the biggest challenge has been to provide education/structure all day long to three kids of different ages. But they are so awesome even that is pleasurable most of the time! Now… there is really something like “too much of a good thing”!
MiniBury: Any small victories lately?
David: I managed to use the toilet without interruptions. Twice. Take that.
MiniBury: What song do you have on repeat these days?
David: “Don’t stand so close to me” by The Police
MiniBury: What are you reading/watching?
David: I’m starting Murakami’s “South of the Border, West of the Sun”, and about to watch “Fauda” second season with my wife. Our oldest is finishing “When the Sea turns to Silver” and my other two are obsessively watching “Sophia the First” and all kinds of Youtube variations of “5 little monkeys.”
MiniBury: What’s your favorite thing you’ve cooked, eaten or imbibed in the last month?
David: We were gifted a tagine pot over a year ago, and now I was able to put it to use for the first time with a combination of vegetables, chorizo and cous cous.
MiniBury: How have you explained the current situation to your kids? Have you come across any great resources for talking to them about the pandemic? If so, share them here.
David: We’ve tried to be as honest as possible, de-emphasizing the most dire consequences of the virus. In the beginning of the crisis, my aunt sent us this video (in Spanish).
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