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.( Read more... )

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. ( Read more... )

* Stay healthy - this means exercising as much as I can and eating healthy foods as much as possible.( Read more... )

* Stay inside and away from other people -( Read more... )

* 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. ( Read more... )

I had access to the NYS Health Department Statistical Work Plan and...it scared me.
( Read more... )

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.

(no subject)

1. Inside the Life of John Prine - the Mark Twain of American Song Writing

( excerpt )

Everything is Cool by John Prine

In Spite of Ourselves - John Prine and Emmylou Harris

That's the Way the World Goes Round

Rest in peace, John Prine.

2. Why talking about our problems can help so much

I know it helps me. I'm a venter. I take after my mother in that way. My brother isn't - he considers it examining one's navel and doesn't like these kinds of conversations - and when things get uber emotional, he sidesteps into snark and teasing. My mother's older sister refused to talk about her problems, she'd shut down. And hated when my mother did.

I need to talk about them. More importantly, I need to write them out in print. See them flood across the page, and then send them out into the ether of the internet, anonymously under the protective guise of a pseudonyme.

It's why I keep writing about the corona virus. I need to chronicle it. If I can see it. I can have some semblance of control. If I see my anxiety on the page, it's less scary. And if I can share with others, a kind of hive mind, I can get past it.

I want the connection. Now if I could just stop compulsively checking the John Hopkins Site for the latest numbers. I do it with a morbid fascination, that makes no sense to even me. The numbers don't feel real somehow. There's no faces, no names, just numbers on a screen steadily rising like waves.

3. They say your supposed to keep your nails short in these times. I'm amused. My nails have never grown well. They tear off all the time and are often painfully down to quick. I don't bite them, they just tear off. Brittle with too much hand washing.
I washed my hands constantly prior to the virus outbreak. Now, I'm actually washing them less - because I'm in my apartment most of the time, by myself, and there's no one in here but me. Unless I can catch the virus from myself - I'm kind of safe.
When I go outside - I wash them about two or three times. I did spray with lysol once, and that was a bad idea. Kind of burned. Don't do that.

So ironically, my nails are actually kind of growing? Not by much. But they may be the healthiest I've seen. Also, I'm not coughing or sneezing as much and am less congested - which means I'm right I was allergic to my workplace.

Living alone is hard though. And outside of my mother - I don't really talk to anyone. Was getting a checkin from the church but that kind of stopped. My church is like that...it has these great plans, and whomp, they fall flat. I've gotten used to being disappointed.

I want good news. I'm not alone apparently... Some Good News with John Kraskinki. He's started his own youtube program from his home. It's quite sweet.