I'm wearing the spiderpus on my head today because even when you live alone you want to warn people who may interact with you that Today Is Not The Day!
I'd set my sights on 4/20 as a finish line moment for this Thing We're Doing. Back to at least a vestige of the old normal.
Now it look like May and maybe even in to July.
I know I can make it.
It's not like I'm being attacked by swarms of spiders or anything, but this is like finding out you didn't finish enough science credits and can't graduate on time.
I'm gonna need a new plan.
Are you revising your survival strategy for the next six weeks?
What's the new plan?
43 comments:
Yep. Working away from home is at least working. But three weeks of supplies are needed just in case a two week quarantine is required. Worst, if I go home for a weekend the client requires a two week quarantine without payment before returning to work. At least I'm working and paid.
Every time, I feel like we're about through, the target moves. So I will be needing to wear a spider on my head as well.
Yesterday was scary. I got super sick to my stomach Thursday night going into Friday and could barely move all day. Turns out I have developed an allergy to..... my allergy medicine. I'd rather be sneezing than what happened to me overnight. I thought I was going to die. Literally. And my vision was so blurred I could not find my phone to call for help.
But I am alive. I am better. And I am never taking my allergy medicine again. And am super suspicious of the replacement the web doc wants to replace it with. I will stay home and sneeze. Geez. I seem to be getting allergic to just everything. Last month it was cashews. How am I allergic to cashews? Why not peanuts like a normal person?
I watched Jesus Christ Superstar - the stadium recording from London yesterday in observance of Good Friday. It was awesome. I miss theater.
My church has gone virtual. I find I like this format so much. I am watching the services in the big, empty church regularly. I wish they had done this before the plague. I would go more often.
Stay well all. Endure.
I too need a spiderpus today. I am incredibly crabby. 70 and gorgeous on Wednesday, just to give me a taste of the sun outside then two days of snow and today, it's 25 out. I. Need. To. Work. Outside! And to top it off, Michigan was told yesterday that cutting your grass is verboten! Seriously?
*sigh*
Sorry. It could be so much worse. We're comfortable here, we have food, we're healthy other than those chronic issues we suffer from, we're on three acres so away from our neighbors and we're using Google Duo to connect with the kids and hub's 94 year old father who actually figured out how to use it! We've taken to watching church services online which works because I can mute the terrible, "modern" music until the message starts. So...we'll make it. We'll all make it.
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace" (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).
And this too, shall pass
I kinda figured it would get extended so went in prepared for 2-3 months. As long as it stops snowing sometime I'll survive. But I'll be soooooooooo happy when school starts up next fall.
I'm honestly not sure the economy can take being closed until July, or even June. I've been having stress dreams about being jobless again.
I'm perfectly fine as long as I don't look outside the bubble of my house, but my god, I am scared for our health workers, I miss my old life, and I am terrified to find out what kind of world we'll have left.
The new plan? Cancelling our wedding.
Not because either of us has says no. But because we were going somewhere which won't happen any more.
And now we have to 'fight' to get our money back.
Fiancé will stay Fiancé.
Yesterday I was able to work in the dirt around the A/C, removing old pavers and pulling weeds.
The local landscaping company, which I had contracted with last summer to fix my 4-inch thick sidewalk that now tilts toward my basement, called and they'll be out Monday, barring 3 inches of snow. MN is now allowing mom and pop seed/garden stores to open. As long as everyone maintains social distancing.
I had not realized how much I needed to dig in dirt. It was only 50F and we're promised snow tomorrow but yesterday and today, we're going to enjoy the dirt. I poked around in some of the leaves in my flower garden and we have crocuses and tulips and daffodils coming up.
It's a weird Holy Week. I finished worship bulletins early to get them mailed in time to non-digital people. I still go to the empty sanctuary to record. It's audio record right now. I did video record Maundy Thursday on my phone but uploading it to my computer and getting it into the office google Onedrive and then the office admin said it took her a long time to move it where she needed to link it to the website. Many of my area churches are streaming on facebook but it's rather nerve wracking to think about going live! I only restarted Maundy Thursday video about a gazillion times.
I'm thankful for family and friends and parishioners and neighbors all doing well. I wish we could visit Mom, but she lives an hour away. Can I go a whole afternoon, being outdoors, working alongside her with lawn work without needing a bathroom? And I feel aggravated by the clusters of people who have necessitated the need for closing the parks. And the thoughtless contractors and co-workers at the store my daughter works at who think this is "just" a flu.
But I am grateful for today, the shining sun, the anticipation of working in the dirt, and the ability to stay connected online! It's so good to come here in the mornings and see how everyone is doing. Thank you, Janet and Reiders.
I think us antipodean reef dwellers have some advantages in that things aren't too scary here (although we need to stay locked down to keep them that way), and our govt said any restrictions would be in place for at least 6 months back when they introduced them. I don't know whether they meant it - I'm still hoping they'll be able to start lifting things earlier - but they said it, so I've been planning on that timeframe from the get-go.
I'm not sure what 6 months is going to feel like mind you.
I'm just trying to stay calm while watching the UK infection and death rate climb. Knowing that if something happens to Mum I won't even be able to be in the country, let alone near her is a kind of background terror buried under my relatively easy day to day life.
She seems fine of course - currently spending hours attempting to eradicate an invasive form of wild garlic from her garden. I slightly zoned out of a conversation a couple of days ago, and then zoned back in really fast when she announced she had to go because she wanted to get started on a decapitation spree. Dead-heading before the seeds set, obviously.
New plan? You mean there was an old one.
My husband and I have been (together) in our "downsize" sort-of tiny house for weeks now. We are fine, have food, TP and we live in the woods (sort-of). We are safe.(True)
After forty years together our routines are pretty well engrained, which means, as long as we spend our days apart(working) we can stand each other for the rest of the time. (Funny not true)
Well no work and tolerating each other 24/7 has been interesting. He cooks I clean. I cook I clean.
(Funny not true)
The next six weeks? I've got this. I'm fine.
I'm actually enjoying allllll this time with the love of my life..
(Funny not true)
Ya think they'll find his body. (Funny)
I've got a QUESTION: Does anyone else here have a problem with reading books while you're in the midst of writing? I'm rewriting a story I've been working on for ages. It's coming along nicely, too. Thanks for asking. When I quit writing for the day, I'd really like to pick up a book, but I find it dilutes my writing-thinking. So, when I return to writing, my brain is jumbled with the book. It's like method acting -- the actor who lives his part while the movie is in production. He can't be both his real life self and his character at the same time.
Does anyone else have this problem, or is it just me?
E. M., I'm glad you're feeling better. Just curious -- is your allergy medicine oral or a nasal spray? I use the generic form of Flonase and it's a godsend for me.
EM - that's awful! I'm so glad you're feeling better. For the record, my allergies have been out of control before. Because it's an auto-immune response, the body can develop even more "sensitivities" that resemble an allergic reaction, especially if it's the middle of allergy season. I remember going into anaphylaxis for eating tomatoes and avocados - things I'm NOT allergic to. I qualified for immunotherapy (shots) and all my food sensitivities have disappeared. Perhaps that's the next step? It really has helped mine although this spring my seasonal allergies are particularly bad. Just went to the allergist Thurs and I'm on a whole new regime of antihistamines so now when I try to write, I fall asleep.
I personally could hunker in place all summer. It's my kids I'm sad for. They've weathered the storm so well so far and I wish I could tell them it would be over soon. Things are just now starting to spike in my city. I don't know when restrictions will lift here.
Happy Holy Week to all! We'll celebrate Resurrection Sunday as a family at home with the service on TV.
Kitty It was oral and I think the new is a nasal spray like Flonase. I haven't filled it yet - making a mask to venture out to pharmacy today. You can't buy masks for love or money.
And I do have a tough time reading while I am heavily writing. I usually will do a great deal of reading while letting whatever I am writing sit - so lots of reading between drafts. No reading during draft process.
At the moment, not able to concentrate well-enough to do much of anything. Working really hard to fix that.
A solid end date to this mess would help a lot. I know for sure we are locked down until at least May but July is looking likely. How will we endure the fall out - which is always the worst - I mean if there was a nuclear war - you want to go in the first blast in a painless blaze to the other side. Because the fall out is so nasty.
I dare hope it won't be that way - that because the whole world has suffered relatively equally - that all will be a wash and we will be able to come back without massive inflation, crippling taxes leading to long-term unemployment and starvation and all the other things we are inviting by these measures.
It is a thin wire to walk but we can come back if we are sensible, can somehow learn that blame is useless and instead act with a compassionate desire to find solutions to rebooting the world without worrying who or what gets credit.
If the world for once could put aside blame or credit, we can come out of this so much better than we were prior to March.
If....and only if...
Oh, Elise, that does sound scary. Glad you're feeling better.
I, too, have been enjoying getting my hands dirty in the garden. The plants inside under the grow light have to wait a bit longer before they can go play outside. Lesson learned: When it says start tomato seeds inside 6-8 weeks before the last expected frost date, don't start them a few weeks earlier than that, even if you're itching to start growing things. They're getting tangled up with each other. Simply unruly! Sending you all virtual borage leaves, like the actual ones on the table behind me. They're my little gift to you to brighten your day. If you can get past the furry texture, they have a wonderful cucumber-like flavor.
Stay safe, dear Reef Family.
Oh, dear. I'm "Unknown" again. That was me, your pal Amy Johnson.
Oh boy. I had not heard a July timeframe. We are officially shut down till May 4th. I, too, worry about pretty much everyone and everything else. We are fine. No, we are blessed.
Yet, I wake up every day with a sense of impending doom. It fades and surges at will. Not like the ocean waves which would be predictable and easier to deal with.
Do I have a strategy? Not even close. I am a pantser. I do life as it comes at me.
Two days ago, prior to my drinking a cup of coffee, my husband says, "I think we have baby birds in our dryer vent." I step into the laundry room and there is the sound of many chirps and coos. It sounds close. My logic brain is thinking (not well) that this cannot be. Our laundry room is an interior room, and the vent goes up high, across a garage and out the side of the house. But we knew that one of the little flaps had broken off within days of us moving in, and it was still on the list of things the "dang" builder just won't come out to fix (although promises ad nauseam). So, access was possible.
It didn't seem possible, though, for the little things to wander all the way across the garage and then tumble all the way down and still survive. But the noise was undeniable. Now, Janet, this was the time for strategy. We got a box. And gloves. And we wiggled the dryer out far enough for my husband to disconnect the tubing. Drum roll, please. NOTHING. Okay. That's good. Maybe the metal tubing just amplified their voices. They must still be by the opening. So let's have coffee.
But, alarmingly, the voices stop. It seems my husband ran the dryer for a little bit. I know, right? He killed them! Much fretting, hand wringing and accusations later, he ventured up the ladder for a look-see.
"There's nothing there, just a few sticks."
"Right. Because you killed them. And blew them out!"
"It was on delicate. And only for a little while. It must have been the parents."
"Huh." We retreated to our various corners to mull this situation. "Dang" builders.
Solution #1. Duct tape up some cardboard to keep parent birds out so we don't have baby birds for real.
Never count on solution #1. Next day the cardboard was on the ground and a full nest was in the vent.
"Dang" builder.
Solution #2. Husband ventured out to hardware store for replacement. 5 people let into store at a time and followed by an employee to make sure he didn't break six-foot distancing, he obtained the vent covering. I
Solution #2 worked, but it is white, the rest of the house is not. "Dang" builder.
And so I guess I learned my strategy for the next coming eon. Drag things out. Don't finish them too early. Blow a little problem up out of proportion and make it last. Dwell in the drama.
E.M., do you have a poison ivy allergy? Cashews are related or look similar to the body or something. They make my husband's hands swell up.
Katja, I'm sorry. I hope the new wedding will be all the more precious for being longed-for a little longer.
I asked a friend to mail us her produce stickers. The kids are getting bored of playing with the recycling.
2Ns, those last 2 missing words...I laughed really hard.
nightsmusic, Why? Why? - I was so intrigued by your Michigan Forbids Grass-Cutting thing that I just had to Google it. Turns out they haven't outlawed mowing your lawn, they've outlawed hiring somebody else to mow your lawn, because landscapers aren't essential services. That makes more sense, at least. And that is basically what I'm doing these days - investigating things on the internet, no matter how non-essential they are. Plus, I'm webmaster for a hobby club, and I've decided we all need more hobby input now that we can't have meetings any more, so I've started doing long bi-weekly postings with lots of hobby-related pictures. I wasn't asked to do this, but I don't think anyone minds. If they do, they haven't mentioned it. Oh, and I'm taking lots of free webinars. So, not writing but still glued to the computer.
Katja I am so sorry about the wedding. I hope that when it is rescheduled it will be all the more precious for having survived this awful time
Brigid I do tend to develop worse sensitivities when allergy season is at its height. Seems worse than ever this year though. I wonder if the stress of the times is making it worse?
All of you with young kids at home, I salute you. The school district I work fr will not return physically until next year so parents are shut in with kids until August. And until the end of this academic year, we are only doing content 4 days a week with Fridays being designated for students to catch up on assignments and study.
PS: Plan? We were supposed to have a plan?
May I shine a glimmer of light--at least to those of us in the US (though what works for us here may help the rest of the world)?
First, remember that Janet lives in NYC which is ground zero for this thing in the US. I don't. Here in Pitt County, NC, we've had 62 cases of this thing and one death out of 180,000 people. That's nowhere near the proportions of NYC.
If I understand the U.S. government and their experts correctly, the plan is to start opening the country back up in phases depending on a number of factors including severity of infection and healthcare capacity. In fact, the President has put together a "Counsel" made up of scientists, business leaders, and others to figure out the best way to do this.
Also, I read a report the other day about a clinic in Chicago that has been conducting antibody tests on people coming in, whether they show symptoms or not. Of the people they tested, 30-50% had antibodies for this thing. This suggests the bug has been around, infected a bunch more people than we thought, and the majority of them fought it off with nary a sniffle. The gvt intends to do this kind of testing on a wider scale over the next week or so, starting in those areas hardest hit. If most of us already have antibodies, then we already have an immunity (at least for a time--just like the flu), and can go back to work.
No-one wants this to last for months on end. No matter what you think of your government either nationally or locally, this is not good for anyone. I've seen numerous examples of the news media here engaging in fear-mongering, giving scary headlines that they essentially walk back further into the article. I don't understand why they do this. It's not helpful. Yes, we need to be concerned, and there are areas of the U.S. and the rest of the world that are suffering. I'm not minimizing that. But this is not forever. Even in NYC.
Adele, not quite true. People have already been turned in by their neighbors for mowing and have been fined. As of Thursday, no one is allowed to drive anywhere unless they are front line workers, essential workers, driving to care for a family member or shopping for essentials and that would be food. The reasoning is, one could get in an accident which would precipitate getting out of the car, or having to stop for gas (lawn mowing gas is non-essential and you have to touch the pump) or having to use a bathroom if it's a longer drive. We can't buy lawn and garden equipment at the stores. Large stores must also close areas of the store that are dedicated to carpeting, flooring, furniture, garden centers, plant nurseries or paint, the order says. All of the non-food, etc sections are roped off. Only four customers for Large stores per 1,000 square feet of floor space. Smaller stores are limited to 25% capacity including all employees.
Unfortunately, our state numbers are skewed thanks to a couple larger cities where no one was really paying attention to the original stay-at-home order, continuing with parties, gatherings and other non-essential get togethers. So now, we're all paying the price. Law enforcement departments have been inundated with complaints that people aren't adhering to the order which takes them away from things they need to take care of. If we get in the car to simply go for a ride, they can pull us over and we can be fined for going for a ride.
While I'm biting my tongue regarding any political commentary at the moment, this sweeping order has gone beyond the ridiculous. And beyond any common sense and while I understand common sense seems to be a luxury sometimes, this is nuts.
Oh I hope we get a mowing moratorium because guess what I don't want to have to worry about... (though also I think that lawns are a scam and I went to make my porch like, 2x as wide and then rewild what's left [my front yard is not particularly large, or level])
I'm doing pretty okay. I know there's talk that New York State is probably going to "Unpause" in slow stages (varying on where you are in the state, obviously), which probably means that eventually, I will be going back to work in the library, but without the library being open to the public. I can only assume that we would at that point follow through with a very staggered staff plan, with a limited amount of people in the building at any time, who have no contact. I do miss my coworkers; I'm connected with a lot of them on social media, but not all, and I don't think most of them are nearly as willing to embrace the couch life as I am.
In CA, for quite a few weeks now we've been conditioned to expect this lockdown to last at least thru May 31. Most of SoCal now has a “face masks in public” order that began last week.
Also last week, my office assisted in initiating one citizens' arrest and obtaining three restraining orders. Apparently, since they can't go anywhere right now, there are tenants who find it “fun” to pull all their interior doors off the hinges and throw them into the alley, and then yank out the wires in electrical breaker boxes and plunge entire apartment buildings into darkness. Nevermind the fire hazard. Then they go to the management office and threaten the employees with “further property destruction and personal physical harm” unless their rent is not just deferred, as required by state law, but entirely waived.
This coming week I'll be filing an emergency petition to have an eviction proceed, despite the current halt to evictions. The neighbors of the “yanking wires from electrical boxes” guy are concerned he'll start throwing firebombs thru their windows next. I don't wish this guy on another neighborhood, but he definitely needs to move away from this one NOW.
*THIS* is one of the reasons why my office is considered essential. There's crazy, and then there's insanity. I hope y'all have nicer neighbors.
We're doing more estate planning now. People are nervous about the future.
My family watched online Good Friday service yesterday evening and did communion in our living room. Not the same as at church but it was surprisingly nice.
Happy Easter!
Still baffled, but never mind. (I always used an electric mower; I've never been able to start one of those things that has a pull-cord.) The one thing I am glad, glad, glad about is the Internet. What would we all do if this were 1985? (Back to the Future is on and I'm indulging in nostalgia)
Oh, right ... we'd be writing.
I'm preparing for this to go on several more months, possibly until the end of the year or even longer. I think we're living in a changed world. The reports that "most of us have had it and therefore there's already herd immunity" seem to be wishful thinking and have no science to back them up. Places where it's "under control" are 3-4 weeks behind the current hotspots. NY was under control until it wasn't. Louisiana was under control until it wasn't. That's how exponential growth works (especially when combined with a long delay between infection and symptoms, and another long delay between symptoms and hospitalization). And once we return to business as usual, this will spread like wildfire again.
No one wants to stay in for a long time. The economy isn't built for it. People aren't built for it. But the economy also isn't built for the scale of losses we'll likely see if we go back to early. This is a true dilemma: there is no good choice here.
Sorry to be such a Debbie Downer... it's just that I'm seeing a lot of optimism lately that (to me) is not based on anything tangible, and hence is verging into dangerous. This is an ultramarathon, not a sprint, and we're just getting started.
(Obligatory: I am not a biologist/doctor/public health specialist, just a mathematician who assesses risk of low probability/high impact events for a living.)
CED: Interesting. I find quite the opposite: A lot of pessimism fueled by irresponsible media reporting. Which is why I try to go to sources for information. The measured, "surgical" approach to returning areas of the country to work appears to be supported by those who know the science and the risks.
Great comments, everyone.
Katja, I am sorry for your disappointment. That's hard.
E.M., I am sorry for your troubles too. My husband has been around the allergies/medicines/side effects merry-go-round a few times and it's not fun.
Although my story is not nearly as harrowing and full as Julie's from a few days ago, I can say that this pandemic and lockdown is by no means the worst family or economic crisis I've been through. Not too long ago, we had tumultuous job changes, years of un- and under-employment, various mental health issues and the attendant family stresses. Now, thankfully, my husband has a job that isn't affected, we already home school, and we are relatively stable. And I am thankful.
I do worry about what will happen if the country enters a new Great Depression, which is what would happen if draconian lockdown measures prevail until July. But with Colin, I don't think that's likely, because some of our leaders realize just how damaging that would be.
I also think that as things re-start, we will see many people changing careers, moving, starting new charities or new businesses. So that's my revised survival plan: try some new stuff. Goodbye, query trenches! You were more traumatic than being on lockdown!
Has anyone read The Mouse that Roared? There's a scene in it where the entire population of NYC is ordered to shelter in the subway tunnels during a nuclear bomb drill. After a few hours, they rebelliously start singing camp songs, and eventually they start to come out unauthorized. I've thought of that scene several times in the last few weeks. And I can recommend TMTR as an entertaining, satirical read.
The problem, as I see it, is the lack of knowledge. It is a novel virus and is not like anything yet encountered, every discovery is new and there is too much more to discover.
There will be some measure of the current situation until a vaccine is developed. Some other countries started looking for that back in January. The U.S. had been playing from behind since the virus was acknowledged as being a real thing.
I am just going to play it day by day because I can't make a guess at the future. The biggest question is how the economy will recover, if it does. The world will be a different place when next we go outside and greet friends in person.
The closest historical precedence is the 1918 flu. It came back three times, each time stronger, before herd immunity caused it to die out. That can not be allowed to happen again, though it looks like it might.
Oh, thanks for your nice comments, everyone. It's okay, I'm okay about it. I kind of don't feel anything about it.
Fiancé and I have been together for 10 years. We were going on a ship for this, with no wedding guests. Ships won't run like they used to for a while. My concern now is that we won't get the money back. That is the only thing I feel about. Not because I'm so materialistic but because our financial situation is terrible. Made worse by the pandemic. By next year we're going to be bankrupt if not a miracle happens.
I wonder if it's ever going to happen - that wedding. I'm tired of it now. Several years ago, I asked Fiancé (when he wasn't Fiancé yet) how he felt about marriage. I was shattered and crying on the floor when he came out with the truth: he couldn't commit because of my severe OCD.
It took me years to get over it. And actually understand HIS point of view! I tried hard, because I knew he had a right to feel he could maybe not take me and my OCD forever. He is only human.
When he came out with a ring and went on his knees in the bedroom of our apartment back in Calgary, I was over the moon. I knew what it meant. It was big big big.
Now the wedding won't happen. But I know Fiancé is still committed to me. That's what counts, right?
Speaking of OCD: Janet, have you showered yet?
There was a Twitter discussion the other day...
I didn't shower for a day. Then I did. But I debated with Fiancé about being lazy and not wash my hair. Again.
OCD told me I mustn't skip it again. Cause I'd go gaga and make mistakes.
Suddenly, Fiancé said: "Janet doesn't shower for a year and she's all right!"
Ahem... I had not told him this, Janet. But I stayed lazy, kicked my OCD in its butt, and only washed my hair today. I don't think I'm gaga now. Or have I made many mistakes in this comment?! ;)
Thanks, everyone. I'll let you know, one day, if I'm married. :)
As Aphra Pell said, in Oz we were told to be prepared for this for 6 months at least. We have a very different situation to the rest of the world - our numbers aren't huge, we've got the curve back down and they want to keep it that way.
We're coming into winter (34F / 1.5'C this morning) so in my opinion, being cosied up at home isn't a terrible thing. Of course, the house is looking a lot more ... lived in ... but as no-one can visit it doesn't matter ;) Also, loving being able to wear my comfy, warm tracky dacks every day.
We managed to get our hands on a computer monitor (with everyone working from home, office supplies went the way of toilet paper) so the tv which is currently used as a monitor can go back to being a tv. That will let us spread ourselves out a little more around the house. No bodies to bury yet - we'd like to keep it that way.
Jigsaw puzzles are getting done. Games are being played (board and device). Gardening is being planned for spring. Biggles the dog is getting plenty of love and walks. Loads of baking. Cupboards are getting sorted (which has the unfortunate flow on that we now have piles of bags and boxes in the hall to one day donate to charity). Skype et al are keeping us connected to family and friends.
To b ehonest, we have it pretty good.
My new plan is the old plan, since I strongly suspected from the start that this would last way longer than the end of April. But I have the advantage of an MD in the family and he has a ton of contacts all over the country in various medical specialties. Interesting, to say the least, to hear the views they express in private.
I think if anyone had told people in March that this would go on, in some version, for many many months, no one would have complied at all. Now that we know we CAN isolate, extending it isn't quite as daunting or traumatic. Psychologically, at least.
Economically is another matter, but it isn't going to help the economy to go back to work too soon and let a renewed viral spread generate the further loss of a hugely significant portion of our workforce. Be cautious when people cite "numbers," especially if they're using them to minimize the situation, and keep in mind that there is NO area of this country where we're even close to testing the percentage of people that would make those numbers accurate or reliable for predictions. Whether positive or negative.
As for me, I'm used to working remotely/online and am always stocked up for the various weather-related emergencies we have in NC. Hermit is my normal. My worries are not for myself, but for others. That includes so many of you here. Please take care of yourselves, physically and emotionally. As others have said, we will get through this. The vast majority of us, anyway.
Make a list if it helps you to focus. Do one thing, cross it off, and then do the next thing. I know it sounds ridiculous coming from me, The Champion Worrier, but worrying about something that hasn't happened and might never happen just drains your energy and dilutes whatever joy and peace might otherwise be found in your day, right this moment. I hope some of you are able to take that advice to heart. I'm trying.
My H.S. Senior son had a bit of a moment today when he realized school might not ever come back for him. We're north of NYC, and the mayor and governor are having it out right now about whether school will reopen or not. It's heartbreaking if I (or he) let it be so. He was loving his senior year and was excelling in all his classes. It's hard to think I probably won't see him graduate.
Tomorrow I have to start the process of cancelling our summer Eurotrip, which was going to be his graduation present. I'm hoping I'll get all our money back, but who knows. Between having my salary halved (and believe me, I'm grateful for that, terribly grateful I wasn't eliminated completely) and looking at our first college payment this summer, I would really like to get a refund on the trip.
Katja I'm sorry about your wedding. Hopefully when the world comes back, you can have a super huge blowout wedding. That's our plan--next summer, if we're all alive and well, our Eurotrip will be bigger and grander.
As for reading while writing, it usually benefits me. Reading something truly well written always inspires me to write better. Speaking of, what are you all reading right now that you like? I haven't been very impressed with my last two choices, though they had their moments. Could be where my head is though and less the quality of the writing.
Best to all
Katja, I'm so sorry. At least you're not an ocean apart at this time.
Emma, Michigan called off school a few weeks ago so our school district parents are hanging their seniors graduation gown, hat and tassel in their front door as well as any other senior decorations they deem joyful and are leaving them up until the 'official' end of school in May. It's not much, but it's something to consider.
On another note, I'm watching a LOT of TV and I'm watching a new program, Alaska Animal Rescue on NatGeo Wild. I just want to say, I need a baby musk ox. *cutenessoverload*
PS Yes, Kitty,, I do have that same problem sometimes. I tend to draft in bursts, with my subconscious working hard on the story in between. When I'm in a burst, I am bingeging on my own story and don't need, or want, to read anything else.
When in medium gear, usually reading other stuff isn't a problem but oddly, I tend to avoid other books written in my genre/setting during this time as I am worried about bleedover.
"It's not like I'm being attacked by swarms of spiders or anything, but this is like finding out you didn't finish enough science credits and can't graduate on time."
That actually happened to me.
I had transferred from Montana to North Dakota. Two weeks before graduation, they figured out I was going to be half a credit short. I had dropped a class because I thought I had three credits more than I needed. I was struggling since I was chief cook and bottle washer for three younger brothers and sisters. They decided they weren't going to recognize some of the Montana credits. They told me I could take a summer course or come back for half a year.
I said, "Nope. You've had two years to figure this out. I'm done. Not my fault." I took my GED.
Katja I'm very sorry.
Kitty
No about the reading while I'm writing. I just finished Reminisces of Stonewall Jackson. It was very good. Currently reading Who Goes There, The Story of a Civil War Spy. Pretty good so far. I'm also reading Confederate Heroines, it's good. The Spymaster's Lady by Jo Bourne. Very good, re-reading it.
I stabbed myself in the leg with a lone star. Will picked up some diapers to use for wound dressing as they work better than gauze pads. Last year it was an elk horn. So far it's not getting infected like it did last year, probably because I bled like a stuck hog.
My darling granddaughter made me a face mask with wild horses on it. It's on my twitter feed somewhere. @Julie_Weathers.
I'm still muddling through Save The Cat Writes a Novel.
Someone told me to listen to these Irish guys to see if my Irish accents were right in the book. I figured out f*** is pronounced fook. Not terribly helpful.
I'm listening to a lot of Irish music. It's done a few things. Kept my spirits up, given me a strange desire to drink...a lot and dance.
Keep the faith, this too shall pass.
Hang in there, Janet -- we need you!
Emma, it is so wrenching for the seniors. I feel especially bad for the college grads. My HS senior will at least be able to get together with his friends and teachers at some point in the future since we're all in the same city, but the college students who came from far and wide are unlikely to get any kind of closure with friends and faculty. My son has been out os school since March 9 because our district's teachers were on strike the week before the statewide closure was announced. I'm nursing a tiny shred of hope that our students might be able to return for the last week or two since our district doesn't get out until June 9. I appreciate that our governor is holding open the possibility. We need a ray of hope, even a dim one, and my son says all he needs is one day. If they can't do it safely, though, it's not worth risking a spike in cases. The teachers seem to be suffering more than the students, doing all the extra work of distance teaching and missing their relationships with students. My son emailed his orchestra teacher with a question this week and got a reply practically before he hit the send button.
Katja, I'm so sorry you have to postpone your wedding but glad your commitment is rock solid!
As for reading while writing, it's a mixed bag for me. Reading great writing motivates me, reminds me that the work is important, and helps keep my ear in tune. But when I'm procrastinating (which is all the time), it allows me to maintain the illusion that I've gotten something accomplished. Reading is a virtuous activity! So what if I didn't hit my word count -- I was reading!
Ah, forgot I changed twitter accounts. I'm @JulieMWeathers now.
Save the Cat just posted a Beat Sheet for 'More Cowbell,' and that may be all I need for the rest of my writing life.
dena pawling's story of people turning off the power gives me one more reason to be grateful for my lovely, if unknown, neighbors here (who don't seem to hoard, or have wild parties in the streets!)
Honestly if I lost power here cause some nitwit pulled the plug on purpose I'd probably lost my composure.
Of course, I'd turn myself in to the local police station, hauling his mutilated corpse in my wake, but I'm not sure NYPD would hold me for what would be justifiable homocide!
Also, Katja yes, I am freshly washed and ironed.
I dreamed I woke up, Hillary was President and this had just been a long nightmare.
Julie, I do hope you are writing your memoir.
We are in better shape than a lot of people since we've been sticking close to home for years with elder care responsibilities. I look at the stories from nursing homes and I'm so glad we decided to move the old folks here years ago. They were looking at an assisted living place that now has the virus. Yesterday I baked Swedish Easter treats for all. It's not always easy but I can feel like we are doing the right thing, they are safe and as content as possible.
I worry about my sister who is hunkered down in a place where summer home owners are flocking in. There is always an undercurrent of tension between the locals and the people for whom summer is a verb and it is far worse in this situation. The area has set up a large field hospital because of this. I find myself thinking that if fewer people had two houses maybe more people could have one. Sister has groceries and got up at 1am to book a delivery for two weeks on and she got the last slot. Her beloved craft gallery is closed for now and we hope it can manage. It was my mom's for over 25 years and I love to go there and feel her presence. Don't want to lose that.
We enjoyed helping Richelle figure out how to disable a small plane with a truck. Himself knows small planes since we had one.
Since I write novels, I continue to write. Except now it's about the pandemic, or at least peripherally. Have been posting these stories to a blog called pandemic-stories.com. Post one every day. Three stories posted and I have ten in the works. First is about how there is no plan, second correcting those sick corporate messages to all of us, third about a toilet paper hoarder.
Hope everyone is doing well. Happy writing.
AJ
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