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Day #22 of Self-Isolation in Epidemic Central
1. ME vs. The Corona Virus
I'm tired. I feel like I'm running a marathon. The view outside my living room/study/dining room window is lovely though. I see sky, roof tops, and trees. I'm very appreciative of it. And honestly, it's prettier than the view on the busy street outside anyhow. No cars in sight, nor people either, although I did see a woman go into her backyard this afternoon, then disappear inside again. Also watched a cat for a bit, and a squirrel and a couple of birds. The windows aren't that well insulated so I could smell sunshine through them and feel a touch of breeze. It's a lovely day today, in the sixties, with blue sky and floating clouds after a touch of morning rain. Hard to tell that there is a pandemic raging in the streets beyond my windows.
I'm fine for the most part. Outside of allergies, I appear to be healthy. It is hard not to turn into a hypochondriac. I was discussing that with my mother, who'd had a similar discussion with my brother. I'm also on a diet - kind of enforced by the quarantine. Off carbs pretty much completely, potato chips, sugars, with the exception of some chocolate which I keep running out of. Eating lot of salads, vegetables, greens, fish, meat, poultry. And in smaller quantities. Also lots of fruit. I may lose weight. And my blood sugar level may dive down a bit. My blood pressure is good. These are good things - since due to my job, I got access to the NYS Health Department's stats. Apparently anyone who has hypertension or diabetes is in a high risk area. Also from the age of 50-90. The folks under 50 and over 90, less so for some reason or other. That stats are weird.
Braved the basement again - to deliver the last of the recyclables. It was easier today than yesterday. No one was down there - except for one lone woman doing a load of wash, and two elevator guys working in the elevator - I didn't see them at any rate, but I heard them. The elevator itself has been wrapped in plastic - the handles to open it are wrapped in plastic, the buttons are covered with plastic. I'm guessing the plastic is easier to clean.
I may get up the nerve to do laundry at some point. Former, Jr. Minister who I'm friends with on FB - posted a lovely post about how hard this thing is on the neuro-sensitive and to be kind to ourselves. He has a touch of OCD that came out because of this - he has an anxiety attack leading up and including every time he leaves his apartment, ends up washing his hands three times, and has to decompress for twenty minutes. Reading that made me feel better - because I go through the same thing. I've been using the Headspace App to cope - which is now free for New Yorkers to try. I had to work myself up to take the recyclables to the basement today. I wore the headscarf and a bandana tied over it - mainly because the DIY mask with rubber bands kept falling apart on me. I suck at those things.
Various people are sending me face masks, including Amazon, but the mail is understandably slow at the moment, and not necessarily reliable. My face masks are scheduled to arrive next Tuesday from Amazon.
Also keep buying stuff from Amazon. It's not panic buying - it's compulsive comfort buying. To date? I've bought Ritter Sport Chocolate, Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips, Face Masks, Kombucha (no sugar version), Kombucha (sugar version), and Dawn Dish-washing liquid. Most of it has come on schedule. Regular food I get from Imperfect Foods (still - there doesn't appear to be better options at the moment or more reliable) and Grocery Stores. Getting Deliveries is getting harder and harder. Restaurants do it, but I'm not sure how it works.
I'm learning to eat and do things more frugally. Also realizing how spoiled I've been. Making meals last longer - splitting them between lunch and dinner (although I did that previously.) Avoiding food waste as much as possible. And conserving toilet paper. Although I think I'm okay on paper goods for the time being.
2. I figure since I can't really do that much to help - I'm going to do this:
* Do my job remotely from home as professionally as possible. Crazy company and boss have actually been rather good, better than expected, in that they have various things in place to keep tabs on us. I have to clock in and out each day, and have a midafternoon update - which allows my boss to ensure his people are still alive. Also we have staff meetings via conference call twice weekly. And my boss sends us information regarding what's going on with the virus at the upper levels of management, in other words the Safety Chief's briefing from the NYS Health Dept, Governor and others. And, we get lots of hotline numbers and resources. They are doing their best to keep their people safe.
* Stay healthy - this means exercising as much as I can and eating healthy foods as much as possible. (It helps that I can't get access to the comfort foods/non-healthy options. I can't get alcohol to save my life - no one is delivering it any longer. I'd need a car to go pick it up. Also being gluten-intolerant, I don't bake or eat bread - I really can't do most grains. The only one I eat right now is oatmeal, and I may use almond or coconut flour for pancakes.)
For exercise? I dance around my apartment two-three times a day to music. I don't really break a sweat, but it does get my heart rate up and get me moving. I also do yoga and stretching exercises, along with wall squats, wall pushups, planks, and balance. Occasionally, I attempt a walk. I may try one again this weekend.
* Stay inside and away from other people - Best way to stay away from people is to stay indoors. I don't have any friends or family anywhere near me, so the people I see are strangers. All the friends I had in this area have moved elsewhere. I only leave to get mail, take recyclables downstairs, get groceries, or take a brief walk. Since I get anxious every time I do it - because I'm terrified I'll screw up at some point, I don't do it often and procrastinate. Also I'm afraid I might be a carrier and could hurt someone else (I doubt it, but who knows really?). I may make a grocery run on Friday, which we get off, but not sure yet. Also debating trying the laundry thing tomorrow night, although I can get away with putting it off for another two weeks, if need be.
* Stay informed. And Stay connected as much as possible.
* Keep sane - which means keeping to a routine, and meditating daily. Also not focusing too much on what is happening outside my window and outside of my control.
2. Democrats vs. the Corona Virus and The Republicans (I'm considering nicknaming this virus the Republican Flu.)
Some good news, well depending on your point of view, Bernie Sanders officially dropped out of the Presidential Race - he did it after the Supreme Court forced Wisconsin to go ahead with their primary, and the horrifying tales of frightened people standing in long lines just to vote. What the GOP chose to do there is going to haunt them. They are not coming out well at all right now. So Sanders, who was lagging far behind anyhow, did the right thing, and backed out of the race.
I liked what our Governor (aka Cuomo, Gov of NY) said today - which was that what happened in Wisconsin was sickening and ridiculous and unnecessary. He was passing an executive order today that people could vote by absentee ballot by mail no matter what their status currently was. When asked about how that was going to work - his aides stated that it was a work in progress. Right now, you could only do it if you were sick or had a reason, but they were in the process of changing that. And it was too soon right now anyhow, and they'd revisit it in June. Cuomo stated that if they had to - they'd just postpone it again.
3. NY vs. the Corona Virus
Well, we're kind of struggling here. Although people are trying to help. Apparently JetBlue flew a bunch of medical supplies up from Florida. How Commercial Airlines Are Assisting in the Effort Against the Corona Virus.
There is no one flying right now - unless they have no other choice. (They need to get home and were stuck elsewhere, say in college dorms or on vacation. Or they are flying in to help - as health care providers.) The airlines are providing free transport for the health care providers. Jetblue has an 80% reduction in flights and is consolidating efforts among various airports.
NY State broke another record. Our death toll keeps climbing. But we are bending the curve a little in the tally of new cases. Also the Cathedrale of St. John Divine has opened up another group of hospital tents on its grounds, and has opened up its Cathedrale to help with the effort. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is now a Field Hospital.
Our lockdown has been extended to April 29. They aren't speculating right now beyond that date. But the Governor is wary of opening anything up again, since the lock down is working. He's also put a task force together to figure out why the virus has attacked African-American/Blacks and Hispanics the most, and how to resolve this.
He feels it's due to income levels, and inequalities in health care and housing, which need to be addressed now.
I had access to the NYS Health Department Statistical Work Plan and...it scared me.
My county, Kings, has the most cases tested, and the most positive cases, and the most deaths of the NY counties at the moment. Queens is next. Then Manhattan. Then Nassau. Then Suffolk, with the others not far behind. The Governor however stated that he knows the others will rise fast and follow suite. They are apparently transporting people from hospital to hospital. Also the MTA has been hit hard by it.
The trains have reduced service in part due to not having the crews - it's like the mail, it's slow too, because the people delivering it are getting sick.
NY's goal is to flatten the curve before it's healthcare system implodes under the weight of it. That's what happened to Italy. South Korea and China managed to avoid this by locking down tight. Italy waited too long. As did Spain.
NY has kept the parks open, but they've closed the playgrounds (they didn't want to, they had no choice) and the dog parks/dog runs (again no choice). The parks are big enough that we should be able to spread out a bit? I'm thinking of going either early in the morning or in the evening. Not at the height of the day. Sometimes I really wish I had a bike. Although that would provide it's own anxieties and difficulties in a city this size.
4. I have this overwhelming desire to create a Go-Fund-Me site to purchase noise cancelling earphones for all the people who can't get a break from the constant sirens. It won't work of course. One of my co-workers hears the sirens 24/7, she's within walking distance to Elmhurst hospital. Anyone who is near a hospital will hear them daily. And she has noise cancelling earphones.
One of the women on FB stated the sirens were driving her insane - she's in Windsor Terrace near NY Methodist. And the folks in my neighborhood who live closer to Maimoids - hear them 24/7, and the ones whose apartments face the major streets do as well. I just heard it briefly this morning. But my heart breaks for those who can't get any peace. My co-worker said it felt like she was living in a war zone.
5. The differing experiences of everyone that I've read on social media is fascinating. It's hard not to envy the people with backyards, rolling country side, houses, washers/dryers, cars, and gardens. But I also know why I chose not to have those things, and let's face it I can't grow plants. I have a brown thumb not a green thumb. I kill them. If I could grow them I would. The green thumb in my family leapt over me and landed on my brother - who can grow anything. He's planting persimmon trees at the moment. When this is over, I may take vacation time to visit him again - it's a train ride away, which is kind of doable. I've already advised him that I'm evacuating to him - if I have to. Of course that requires me figuring out how to get there - he's about three and a half hours away by car. I suppose I could steal a Citibike? Or convince my cousin in Bay Ridge to take me. My brother's response? Give him a head's up first, since he has the perimeter of his property booby-trapped.
I'm lucky. I have a quiet, somewhat safe apartment, that is rent stabilized, in a quiet neighborhood, within walking distance to a major park, (two if you count Greenwood Cemetary - which is a place that has lots of social distancing potential, it's the walk to Greenwood Cemetary that is problematic), grocery stores, and pharmacies. It's more residential than city. And I can look out my window and see sky, trees, occasional animals, and rooftops. Also, it's not hard to get mail. There is a laundry room - that is rather pleasant in the basement, and the Super is very attentive and does a good job of maintaining the place.
I've lived in far worse in this crazy ass city that I've come to love. It hurts. I hurt for it. But it is a very resilient city - which is one of the reasons I love it so much. And a caring one. So many New Yorkers are banding together to help each other. We aren't buying guns (not that we can, since the Governor closed the gun shops). Over 1000 volunteers banded together to get food to the immune and elderly.
Strangers will help you here. People are generally speaking kind and tolerant of each other.
I look around the globe. One friend is a nurse in Vancouver. My Aunt M is busy making as many face masks as she can to send to nurses and health care workers and friends. (She's not sending me one - since I'm already getting one from my Uncle and a few people on DW, assuming they ever come - along with Amazon.) Lots of people seem to have gardens, and live in rural areas or suburbs. Everyone has different situations, some far better than mine, some similar, some...far worse.
The journalist in me, the observer, the writer - can't help but want to look at them all.
I'm tired. I feel like I'm running a marathon. The view outside my living room/study/dining room window is lovely though. I see sky, roof tops, and trees. I'm very appreciative of it. And honestly, it's prettier than the view on the busy street outside anyhow. No cars in sight, nor people either, although I did see a woman go into her backyard this afternoon, then disappear inside again. Also watched a cat for a bit, and a squirrel and a couple of birds. The windows aren't that well insulated so I could smell sunshine through them and feel a touch of breeze. It's a lovely day today, in the sixties, with blue sky and floating clouds after a touch of morning rain. Hard to tell that there is a pandemic raging in the streets beyond my windows.
I'm fine for the most part. Outside of allergies, I appear to be healthy. It is hard not to turn into a hypochondriac. I was discussing that with my mother, who'd had a similar discussion with my brother. I'm also on a diet - kind of enforced by the quarantine. Off carbs pretty much completely, potato chips, sugars, with the exception of some chocolate which I keep running out of. Eating lot of salads, vegetables, greens, fish, meat, poultry. And in smaller quantities. Also lots of fruit. I may lose weight. And my blood sugar level may dive down a bit. My blood pressure is good. These are good things - since due to my job, I got access to the NYS Health Department's stats. Apparently anyone who has hypertension or diabetes is in a high risk area. Also from the age of 50-90. The folks under 50 and over 90, less so for some reason or other. That stats are weird.
Braved the basement again - to deliver the last of the recyclables. It was easier today than yesterday. No one was down there - except for one lone woman doing a load of wash, and two elevator guys working in the elevator - I didn't see them at any rate, but I heard them. The elevator itself has been wrapped in plastic - the handles to open it are wrapped in plastic, the buttons are covered with plastic. I'm guessing the plastic is easier to clean.
I may get up the nerve to do laundry at some point. Former, Jr. Minister who I'm friends with on FB - posted a lovely post about how hard this thing is on the neuro-sensitive and to be kind to ourselves. He has a touch of OCD that came out because of this - he has an anxiety attack leading up and including every time he leaves his apartment, ends up washing his hands three times, and has to decompress for twenty minutes. Reading that made me feel better - because I go through the same thing. I've been using the Headspace App to cope - which is now free for New Yorkers to try. I had to work myself up to take the recyclables to the basement today. I wore the headscarf and a bandana tied over it - mainly because the DIY mask with rubber bands kept falling apart on me. I suck at those things.
Various people are sending me face masks, including Amazon, but the mail is understandably slow at the moment, and not necessarily reliable. My face masks are scheduled to arrive next Tuesday from Amazon.
Also keep buying stuff from Amazon. It's not panic buying - it's compulsive comfort buying. To date? I've bought Ritter Sport Chocolate, Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips, Face Masks, Kombucha (no sugar version), Kombucha (sugar version), and Dawn Dish-washing liquid. Most of it has come on schedule. Regular food I get from Imperfect Foods (still - there doesn't appear to be better options at the moment or more reliable) and Grocery Stores. Getting Deliveries is getting harder and harder. Restaurants do it, but I'm not sure how it works.
I'm learning to eat and do things more frugally. Also realizing how spoiled I've been. Making meals last longer - splitting them between lunch and dinner (although I did that previously.) Avoiding food waste as much as possible. And conserving toilet paper. Although I think I'm okay on paper goods for the time being.
2. I figure since I can't really do that much to help - I'm going to do this:
* Do my job remotely from home as professionally as possible. Crazy company and boss have actually been rather good, better than expected, in that they have various things in place to keep tabs on us. I have to clock in and out each day, and have a midafternoon update - which allows my boss to ensure his people are still alive. Also we have staff meetings via conference call twice weekly. And my boss sends us information regarding what's going on with the virus at the upper levels of management, in other words the Safety Chief's briefing from the NYS Health Dept, Governor and others. And, we get lots of hotline numbers and resources. They are doing their best to keep their people safe.
* Stay healthy - this means exercising as much as I can and eating healthy foods as much as possible. (It helps that I can't get access to the comfort foods/non-healthy options. I can't get alcohol to save my life - no one is delivering it any longer. I'd need a car to go pick it up. Also being gluten-intolerant, I don't bake or eat bread - I really can't do most grains. The only one I eat right now is oatmeal, and I may use almond or coconut flour for pancakes.)
For exercise? I dance around my apartment two-three times a day to music. I don't really break a sweat, but it does get my heart rate up and get me moving. I also do yoga and stretching exercises, along with wall squats, wall pushups, planks, and balance. Occasionally, I attempt a walk. I may try one again this weekend.
* Stay inside and away from other people - Best way to stay away from people is to stay indoors. I don't have any friends or family anywhere near me, so the people I see are strangers. All the friends I had in this area have moved elsewhere. I only leave to get mail, take recyclables downstairs, get groceries, or take a brief walk. Since I get anxious every time I do it - because I'm terrified I'll screw up at some point, I don't do it often and procrastinate. Also I'm afraid I might be a carrier and could hurt someone else (I doubt it, but who knows really?). I may make a grocery run on Friday, which we get off, but not sure yet. Also debating trying the laundry thing tomorrow night, although I can get away with putting it off for another two weeks, if need be.
* Stay informed. And Stay connected as much as possible.
* Keep sane - which means keeping to a routine, and meditating daily. Also not focusing too much on what is happening outside my window and outside of my control.
2. Democrats vs. the Corona Virus and The Republicans (I'm considering nicknaming this virus the Republican Flu.)
Some good news, well depending on your point of view, Bernie Sanders officially dropped out of the Presidential Race - he did it after the Supreme Court forced Wisconsin to go ahead with their primary, and the horrifying tales of frightened people standing in long lines just to vote. What the GOP chose to do there is going to haunt them. They are not coming out well at all right now. So Sanders, who was lagging far behind anyhow, did the right thing, and backed out of the race.
I liked what our Governor (aka Cuomo, Gov of NY) said today - which was that what happened in Wisconsin was sickening and ridiculous and unnecessary. He was passing an executive order today that people could vote by absentee ballot by mail no matter what their status currently was. When asked about how that was going to work - his aides stated that it was a work in progress. Right now, you could only do it if you were sick or had a reason, but they were in the process of changing that. And it was too soon right now anyhow, and they'd revisit it in June. Cuomo stated that if they had to - they'd just postpone it again.
3. NY vs. the Corona Virus
Well, we're kind of struggling here. Although people are trying to help. Apparently JetBlue flew a bunch of medical supplies up from Florida. How Commercial Airlines Are Assisting in the Effort Against the Corona Virus.
There is no one flying right now - unless they have no other choice. (They need to get home and were stuck elsewhere, say in college dorms or on vacation. Or they are flying in to help - as health care providers.) The airlines are providing free transport for the health care providers. Jetblue has an 80% reduction in flights and is consolidating efforts among various airports.
NY State broke another record. Our death toll keeps climbing. But we are bending the curve a little in the tally of new cases. Also the Cathedrale of St. John Divine has opened up another group of hospital tents on its grounds, and has opened up its Cathedrale to help with the effort. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is now a Field Hospital.
Our lockdown has been extended to April 29. They aren't speculating right now beyond that date. But the Governor is wary of opening anything up again, since the lock down is working. He's also put a task force together to figure out why the virus has attacked African-American/Blacks and Hispanics the most, and how to resolve this.
He feels it's due to income levels, and inequalities in health care and housing, which need to be addressed now.
I had access to the NYS Health Department Statistical Work Plan and...it scared me.
My county, Kings, has the most cases tested, and the most positive cases, and the most deaths of the NY counties at the moment. Queens is next. Then Manhattan. Then Nassau. Then Suffolk, with the others not far behind. The Governor however stated that he knows the others will rise fast and follow suite. They are apparently transporting people from hospital to hospital. Also the MTA has been hit hard by it.
The trains have reduced service in part due to not having the crews - it's like the mail, it's slow too, because the people delivering it are getting sick.
NY's goal is to flatten the curve before it's healthcare system implodes under the weight of it. That's what happened to Italy. South Korea and China managed to avoid this by locking down tight. Italy waited too long. As did Spain.
NY has kept the parks open, but they've closed the playgrounds (they didn't want to, they had no choice) and the dog parks/dog runs (again no choice). The parks are big enough that we should be able to spread out a bit? I'm thinking of going either early in the morning or in the evening. Not at the height of the day. Sometimes I really wish I had a bike. Although that would provide it's own anxieties and difficulties in a city this size.
4. I have this overwhelming desire to create a Go-Fund-Me site to purchase noise cancelling earphones for all the people who can't get a break from the constant sirens. It won't work of course. One of my co-workers hears the sirens 24/7, she's within walking distance to Elmhurst hospital. Anyone who is near a hospital will hear them daily. And she has noise cancelling earphones.
One of the women on FB stated the sirens were driving her insane - she's in Windsor Terrace near NY Methodist. And the folks in my neighborhood who live closer to Maimoids - hear them 24/7, and the ones whose apartments face the major streets do as well. I just heard it briefly this morning. But my heart breaks for those who can't get any peace. My co-worker said it felt like she was living in a war zone.
5. The differing experiences of everyone that I've read on social media is fascinating. It's hard not to envy the people with backyards, rolling country side, houses, washers/dryers, cars, and gardens. But I also know why I chose not to have those things, and let's face it I can't grow plants. I have a brown thumb not a green thumb. I kill them. If I could grow them I would. The green thumb in my family leapt over me and landed on my brother - who can grow anything. He's planting persimmon trees at the moment. When this is over, I may take vacation time to visit him again - it's a train ride away, which is kind of doable. I've already advised him that I'm evacuating to him - if I have to. Of course that requires me figuring out how to get there - he's about three and a half hours away by car. I suppose I could steal a Citibike? Or convince my cousin in Bay Ridge to take me. My brother's response? Give him a head's up first, since he has the perimeter of his property booby-trapped.
I'm lucky. I have a quiet, somewhat safe apartment, that is rent stabilized, in a quiet neighborhood, within walking distance to a major park, (two if you count Greenwood Cemetary - which is a place that has lots of social distancing potential, it's the walk to Greenwood Cemetary that is problematic), grocery stores, and pharmacies. It's more residential than city. And I can look out my window and see sky, trees, occasional animals, and rooftops. Also, it's not hard to get mail. There is a laundry room - that is rather pleasant in the basement, and the Super is very attentive and does a good job of maintaining the place.
I've lived in far worse in this crazy ass city that I've come to love. It hurts. I hurt for it. But it is a very resilient city - which is one of the reasons I love it so much. And a caring one. So many New Yorkers are banding together to help each other. We aren't buying guns (not that we can, since the Governor closed the gun shops). Over 1000 volunteers banded together to get food to the immune and elderly.
Strangers will help you here. People are generally speaking kind and tolerant of each other.
I look around the globe. One friend is a nurse in Vancouver. My Aunt M is busy making as many face masks as she can to send to nurses and health care workers and friends. (She's not sending me one - since I'm already getting one from my Uncle and a few people on DW, assuming they ever come - along with Amazon.) Lots of people seem to have gardens, and live in rural areas or suburbs. Everyone has different situations, some far better than mine, some similar, some...far worse.
The journalist in me, the observer, the writer - can't help but want to look at them all.
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I am still going to work because it's an essential business (blood bank), but we're practicing social distancing and everyone has access to hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes.
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