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Time is racing.
It’s so strange, how fast it’s flying by, even though we’re really not doing much of anything. We were planning ahead on meals so we can do another grocery order on Tuesday, and seeing everything we’ve been eating on a calendar of the last two months really hammered home the speed at which time is moving. Yes - I keep track of what we eat for dinner, and have done off and on for years. It helps me come up with ideas to be able to see what we’ve already eaten. Here’s the very messy quarantine meal calendar. I also keep track more neatly in my daily calendar book, but I like to visualize it this way too.
How did we get to the end of April already? Has it really been 44 days since we’ve left the house to do our own grocery shopping? Seven weeks since we ate out at a restaurant?
We were sitting so CLOSE to strangers!
We eat well, and have good variety in our food. The “pork and bok choi” meal that made use of the extra bok choi that was delivered was very tasty, similar to the Szechuan pork & green beans that we ate back on March 17th…
The racing time is one of the weirdest aspects of quarantining. You would think the days would drag, but they really don’t. I’m busy working every day, attending Zoom meetings and answering emails. So. Many. Emails. On Wednesday I thought it was Tuesday. Somebody else I was in a meeting with on Friday said he had thought it was Saturday.
Time is weird, but I’m getting used to it.
I had really hoped to write about something different today, and I promise I will get on to your topic suggestions soon! Keep sending them.
However, I’m afraid that people are slacking off on this whole quarantine thing. So many people have been doing a great job, and it has helped keep the number of cases down here in Washington state. This is not a fun way to live though, and with all the grumbling and protesting and loud-mouthing lately, I think people aren’t trying as hard anymore.
I couldn’t help but notice that the neighbors were out for several hours yesterday afternoon. AGAIN. After being out for a while in the morning. Along with all of the other neighbors. Where did EVERYBODY go? I suppose some might be working at an essential job, and others have gone shopping. This would not be so disturbing if it wasn’t the scene we see several times a week.
I ran outside to take a photos of what it looks like when everybody is home.
On a clear day you can see Mount Rainier down there. It’s very nice.
There were two other noticeably troublesome things yesterday. On the morning walk, we came to a house where in the past I’ve seen lots of people hanging out for a BBQ. Fun! Yesterday, there were three guys standing on the sidewalk, and I noticed a higher than usual number of cars parked there. The sidewalk guys moved into the garage and out of sight (feeling guilty?) and I could see one guy in the house. Hmm… very dodgy.
The afternoon walk started out pretty good, but as we walked from the end of the street, a group of people came from the side street and started moving up the sidewalk ahead of us.
Ew! Strollers, small children, adults…
One, two three four, five(!) adults and three small children!
Perhaps I should give them the benefit of the doubt, and assume that they’re one big polyamorous family living in a commune together.
Sure. That’s it.
Or maybe they’re entitled jackasses.
Do people just not care? Are they completely oblivious to the severity of this virus? Michael says it’s too bad it doesn’t cause people to bleed out from their orifices, since that seems to be what is needed to get their attention.
I get that people are tired of this, and want to see their friends and family. Don’t we all? But this cavalier behavior is really bringing me down.
There is so much to learn yet about the virus. It has only been four months since we began hearing about the outbreak in China. It is not going to magically disappear on June 1st, or on any other human timeline. Humans can have an effect on the timeline, by behaving in a manner that minimizes the spread of the disease.
WHO COVID-19 Dashboard
Pretty colors! Representing the horrible reality - we have a very long way to go.
There was a meme going around recently that made a good point:
We are all Schrodinger's virus now. As we cannot get tested, we don't know if we have the virus or not. We have to act as if we have the virus so we don't spread it to others. We have to act as if we've never had the virus, because if we haven't had it, we're not immune. Therefore, we both have and don't have the virus. Thus, Schrodinger's virus.
I’m pretty certain that after 44 days of staying home other than dog walks, I don’t have it. Did I have a mild case early on? I don’t know. My throat felt funny but it could have been psychosomatic. I also view the neighbors that leave their homes nearly every day as a threat, because I certainly don’t want to catch it from them. I have no idea what they are doing, who they come in contact with, and how good their hygiene habits are. I have to assume the worst.
I don’t like living like this, and I know you don’t either. I know that I’m preaching to the choir here, so thank you for letting me gripe again. It seems if you even pay slight attention it should be clear that this will go on for a long while, and that life as we knew it just a couple of months ago may never return. I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want to do is race out and start doing things that put me in close proximity to other humans - as is discussed in this article:
We Cannot “Reopen” America
No matter when government stay-at-home orders are revoked, the American economy will not reopen. Because the source of the economic shock is not government orders. It's the pandemic.
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Anyhow.
Several hours have gone by since I wrote my rant this morning. I am tired of being angry at the people who aren’t taking this seriously, or who are trying for force “reopening” of businesses too soon because they are bored or inconvenienced. I’ll continue to be angry because I care.
I would like nothing more than to see my family and friends. Living like this sucks.
I don’t want people to die because others haven’t been careful, but I’m afraid many will. I’m afraid it will be a friend or family member, the longer this goes on.
And I don’t want that.
In the meantime, I’ll find laughs where I can.
I’m going to quit now - go walk the dog and come back and make some art.
No griping next week, I swear!
Take good care, my friends.
Tidbits
Everything you ever wanted to know about American Robin Eggs
Tired of surfing the same old websites? Try out Surfcity for a change of scenery - 20 channels of distraction for every mood. Channel 18 is pretty cool.
Fixed: the weather station seems to be back up and running! I ran it through another reset cycle, and that seems to have done the trick.
Accomplished: we filled out the papers for Michael’s green card renewal, to be sent off in the mail tomorrow.
Making: I was feeling artsy and like sending mail out, so I spent some time working on making everything look nice with my stamps. Still working on the gift! I also got my May Sketchbox, and some new carving tools so there will be a lot of interesting things coming soon.
Recently eaten: last week we got 2 pounds of portabella mushrooms instead of two of them! Michael made a scrumptious lunch with a fried egg, cheese, and the mushrooms on toast.
Reading: Finally I’ve felt like reading a bit more. Not a lot, but a bit. I finished Riot Baby (after setting it down for, what - a month?). Last night I started the latest Murderbot - Network Effect. A full novel! Huzzah.
Videos of the Week
A late entry from last week…
I'm sure everyone has seen this but let us revisit the primal screams of this majestic animal
And something that will mesmerize you…
Question of the Week
If you feel like answering the question, hit reply to this email. Answers will be shared in next week’s newsletter - anonymously. Don’t be shy! General public commenting is available too at the end of this post.
If you could live in the setting of any book or movie, without necessarily being involved in the story, which would you choose?
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Last week I asked you about your quarantine-specific cravings for comfort food.
We had grilled cheese sandwiches and Campbell’s tomato soup for dinner this week and it was nostalgic heaven.
To answer your question of the week, me eat food, bulk up.
I would love high end sushi. Thai family style dinners. Mexican food truck foods. A nice Peri Peri chicken with a foot locker of grilled brussel sprouts. Anything fried. Sorry. Everything fried. Cuban pastries and Cuban coffee. Conch Chowder and Conch Fritters. BBQ Pulled pork off a two day ground roasted suckling. My Moms Grits casserole and Pumpkin Pie. French Fries aka Freedom Fries aka Chips.
Pho, pizza, and pear martinis.
Current Temperature: 62.1 F (16.7 C)
Current Humidity: 49%
Wind (max gust): 6.9 mph
Precipitation: 0.00 in