Zooming with Friends: Hannah McDonald

Welcome to the new feature “Zooming with Friends,” where I have a fun photoshoot via Zoom with my friends, and they answer some questions on how they're holding up and give us some suggestions on what to eat, drink and watch.

Name: Hannah McDonald

Location: Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Do you live alone/who do you live with?

I live alone in a 1 bedroom railroad apartment

Are you working?

Yes, I’m working from home and work as a Head Designer at a lingerie/sleepwear licensing company. I feel lucky that I’m still able to work but it's definitely been an adjustment learning to keep my own schedule and stay motivated working from home!

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What show has been giving you life during quarantine?

BRAVO- I’ve been binging both Real Housewives of Beverly Hills & Real Housewives of NY from season 1 which is a great trashy distraction. Drag Race current season is my new “Friday Night” activity which gives me something to look forward too.

Song everyone should listen to?

“Lonely Weekend” by Kacey Musgraves; I sing the line, “I’m hanging by myself but I don’t mind”... as a kind of a mantra to myself

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What’s the outfit you cannot wait to wear when the shelter-in-place is over?

Basically, anything that’s not leggings & a sweatshirt…. Looking forward to really dressing up; high heels, full makeup & hair, tight & binding clothes- ready for comfy loungewear to come to an end!

What was the best cocktail you made?

A classic margarita; I love drinking them when I’m out and I’ve never actually made one from scratch before! All that juicing of the limes makes me feel like I’ve really worked for it

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What's been the lowest point for you during the shelter-in-place?

I think about 2-3 weeks in when the initial novelty of “WFH” had worn off & things were looking really dire in terms of work and NYC in general. I was trying to figure out if I’d have to move back to Australia or what it would look like if I lost my job & work visa.

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First restaurant you are going to when it’s open?

Bernies in Greenpoint - Me and two friends have a standing monthly Friday night dinner there, and I just want to drink wine, eat mozzarella sticks, vinegar chicken, and gossip with my friends for hours on end.

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Any happy surprises about your current situation?

I thought the loneliness would be really hard on me; but I’ve really enjoyed just being by myself and being really comfortable with my own company. Taking time to just be slow; take a long walk outside, spend a few hours reading a book, do a 10 step skincare routine, hot roll my hair, (& yes watch 8 hours a day of tv). Also it has been a good time to just reflect in general on my life, what I’m grateful for, what I’m looking for in terms of career aspirations and relationships, and thinking about what’s next for me.

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What is your favorite way to keep in touch with people right now?

Lots of FaceTime calls with my family and friends back in Australia; which is usually hard because of the time difference, but since I’m at home every night it’s been very easy! After some trial and error our friend group has been using Zoom as our main communicating platform for happy hours/trivia….. Plus a never-ending stream of post sharing on Instagram

What is the best recipe you have made?

I made a pan of brownies and then ate them all in about 2 days; so I decided I shouldn't “bake” anymore. But definitely have been cooking a lot more than usual & slowly getting through my stockpile of Trader Joes cauliflower gnocchi

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What habits are you forming now that you will bring into the future?

I think overall it's making time for things I always think I’m “too busy” for; I’ve been working out more consistently and doing a lot more variety which has been good- I love how many zoom and instagram live workouts there are available. I’ve also been communicating a lot more with family in Australia which has been really great for my mental health & happiness.