Day #72 of Self-Isolation in Epidemic Central

Sometimes a photo says more than words, you know?

After a difficult day, I took another long meditative walk through Greenwood Cemetery, and an Angel spoke to me. (Don't worry I didn't "Blink", although sorely tempted, because then I could be taken out of this timeline. Maybe I will blink next time, repeatedly.)




The Cemetery feels tranquil in a way, and comforting. I see people here and there, but not that many. Some with masks, some without. Some social distancing, some not - although the ones who aren't - are obviously living together. In a way I envy their companionship. Almost resent it. I was in a foul mood to begin with...but it doesn't take long for the atmosphere to melt the mood away and leave me feeling oddly at peace. Calm. Tranguil. Like a cool pond, with barely a ripple across its surface.

My moods swing. Up and down and back around again. As turbulent as the weather or the sky or the ocean. And most of the time...I just try to focus on now, what is in front of me, keeping both tomorrow and yesterday at bay.

Keeping the bad days at bay ...

While reading an interview with the editor of the X-men comics, the editor stated that he had been listening to all of R.E.M. And this song stuck at for him...a song he'd heard before, but never quite listened to.

It's Been a Bad Day by REM

New York vs. the Corona Virus (and the Federal Government and the idiots who don't want to wear masks)

I got to give New York credit - it's a tough little state. And of the states in which I've lived, it's the only one that feels like home. I understand its no-nonsense, in your face, tell you like it is, aggressive attitude, while at the same time avoiding conflict at all costs and being insanely kind to strangers. It's a state filled with a diverse group of people who all chose to find a way to live harmoniously, for the most part, together. I have a love/hate relationship with it - but this crisis has, if anything, renewed my love for the state. It is my state. I chose to live here. I moved here on my own. No one moved me here. The only other state I chose to live in may have been Colorado - and I loved that one too, just not quite as much as New York. I Heart New York. My tough little state. It's been bloodied and bruised but it keeps getting up and fighting.

In an effort to convince people to wear masks, Governor Cuomo has now enlisted the services of Chris Rock and Rosie Perez - to speak to the Brooklyn Community. Rock was quite informative - stating that about 40% of the people wore the masks in these communities and it was mostly the kids (meaning the millenials and twenty-somethings, on down, that didn't because they didn't think it was cool). This in part, Cuomo admitted, was the fault of misinformation coming down from the CDC and WHO, who had initially thought the virus didn't really affect the young. This is completely wrong, or we've discovered. The reason it didn't affect or kill as many people under the age of 50 in China is because most of the Chinese population is OVER fifty. These little details kind of matter in regards to statistical analysis. Numbers may not lie but they can be misinterpreted.

Rock also praised Cuomo - basically stating what I've been stating - the man is keeping me calm. Everyone else scares the hell out of me, but not Cuomo.

Rock also stated something worth repeating - and that is very important - "I thought I was living in the United States of America - that this was my country. I didn't realize that I was in living in one country within fifty different countries, all doing their own thing. And I just happen to be living in the country of New York at the moment." That's important. That's what we've seen. That's what has been shown to the world. There is NO United States of America - that doesn't exist. What we have is fifty nation states all fending on their own, all fighting each other for supplies. And governors trying to build coalitions to reopen and protect their citizens.
No federal government support at all.

And what's really aggravating, is people don't appear to understand basic economics. ( Rant )

Eh. Back to Masks.

The Governor also, in an act of desperation, has... signed an Executive Order that permits store owners to deny entry to people who refuse to wear masks. Many stores have already implemented policies to this effect, and this order clarifies that they are within their rights to do so. People may choose to put themselves at risk but they don't have the right to jeopardize the health of others. And business owners need the authority to protect themselves and their customers. Widespread mask-wearing is an effective tool against Coronavirus, and I continue to remind all New Yorkers that the law requires each of us to wear a mask in public. New York is one family, and we all have to look out for each other.

Go New York. I'm betting if a store owner refused to service people who did wear masks, the Governor and Mayor would have him arrested and his store closed. The Governor keeps stating that we do not have the right to put each other at risk.

Oh he's not done..

New York State will distribute 1 million masks to NYC's hardest-hit neighborhoods today. The state has already distributed more than 8 million masks across New York City, including NYCHA developments, food banks, churches and homeless shelters. - See what I mean about the NY Governor pulling out all the stops on the mask thing? The idiot bar owner in Texas who said he wouldn't let people wearing a mask into his bar - would NOT get away with that in New York State. I'm not sure he'd be arrested, but he would be tarred and feathered verbally on television.

He's also still "test happy" - which is frigging confusing.
( Read more... )

Over the next few weeks, the Department of Environmental Conservation is hosting a virtual series called Adventure at Home, designed to help New Yorkers find ways to take advantage of outdoor recreational activities in their own communities. This week, Fish NY staff offered tips and tricks on how to get started fishing from anywhere in the state. State parks, trails and beaches remain open for safe and socially distanced walking, hiking, biking and more.

I've been using Greenwood Cemetery. I may try Prospect Park and just go further up. I can't travel anywhere further than that. If I can get a hold of a bike - I will. But it's not possible at the moment.

To spread the joy of art to children in shelters and foster care, Chelsea Phaire, a 10 year-old in Connecticut, has given away 1,500 art kits during the pandemic. Chelsea's philanthropy began last summer, when she asked her guests to bring art supplies instead of gifts to her birthday. She evenly distributed the crayons, markers, paper and colored pencils into 40 kits, which she hand-delivered to a NY homeless shelter. The kits have been sent to children in 12 states so far.

New York is giving me hope. I'm worried about my parents in South Carolina. They are venturing out for Doctors appointments and the bank. With their buffer masks. I'm concerned.

If anything happens to them - I'm blaming the idiotic family members who can sew and forgot to send them masks.