I update this collection of diary entries all the time, so bookmark the link and keep checking back. If this is your first visit, start at the bottom, and scroll back up in chronological order. Some of these, like text messages, were added after the fact, while other entries appear here for the first time. I'm aware of some proofreading needed, and formatting issues besides.
Friday, September 18th
Today is a BIG day for at least four--count them four--interconnected reasons:
1) Today is 6 months since I went into hiding, er, quarantine. Six months ago today, I was in the office all by myself, only to learn we were now all in a work from home model "for the next two weeks". The email had been sent the night before, but this guy didn't find out until he had gotten up, washed, dressed, and drove to work.
2) Because of this milestone and because this single blog entry is so extremely long, I've decided to start a new blog entry for the next six months--or for however long this shitshow clusterfuck thing lasts. hence as of a few minutes ago, I have renamed the blog entry with a "Part 1" at the end of it.
3) I've decided at last to purchase a paid (probably annual) Zoom subscription. Even if we stop using it weekly sometime next year, I think the annual is my best bet money wise. I don't like that my friends and I get cut off so abruptly after 40 minutes, and as some friends are only able to join the conversation late, I want to be able to offer them use of the hangout space with less restrictiveness.
4) When this whole shitshow clusterfuck thing started, I put my other big blog on the back burner. Monastic Laundry was getting a lot of attention and kind feedback from friends and strangers alike, so today I'll be announcing its imminent return for the month of October.
Twenty-fifth
weekly Zoom chat with friends. Participants this week included Tall
Michael, Heath, Lloyd, Hoff, Andy, and me.I finally bit the bullet and paid for an annual subscription to Zoom, so we were able to have an hour and a half chat this time without getting bumped.
Monday, September 14th
There's only one other guy here in my home office location these past six months (I forget his name), and he generally keeps to him himself in his own private office anyway, so I sometimes forget he's even in there, but this past weekend, he received a new computer setup from his employer, and where did he choose to set it up? You guessed it: right across from me at the dining room table. I mean, don't get me wrong, he's sweet and all, and really cute too, but now there's twice as many keys tapping, mouses clicking, and throats clearing. I may move back to my home PC on the second floor, but I don't want to offend the guy if I do.
Just remembered. Andy. His name is Andy.
Just remembered. Andy. His name is Andy.
Friday, September 11th
Another crazy week of work, but hopefully--I think--in theory--PLEASE GOD--next week will be better, as my colleague and co-proofreader Robin finally comes off furlough as of Monday. I'm sure I'll still be busy, but it's gotta be noticeably easier to manage, I would think. We shall see!
I ordered a pair of sneakers on Amazon this week and they came yesterday. Only problem is, they were women's sneakers and don't fit. Ugh. I searched for men's sneakers (a brand and style I already have so I was optimistic they'd fit), found the design I wanted, and then chose the size, only to learn they didn't have my size. Great, I thought, but somewhere in those clicks, they must have started showing me the women's designs too, and that is how this happened. Why the men's and women's sneakers would be lumped together is beyond stupid, but c'est la vie. I have to return this pair now and will probably just go to Dick's for a new pair this weekend or next week.
I ordered a pair of sneakers on Amazon this week and they came yesterday. Only problem is, they were women's sneakers and don't fit. Ugh. I searched for men's sneakers (a brand and style I already have so I was optimistic they'd fit), found the design I wanted, and then chose the size, only to learn they didn't have my size. Great, I thought, but somewhere in those clicks, they must have started showing me the women's designs too, and that is how this happened. Why the men's and women's sneakers would be lumped together is beyond stupid, but c'est la vie. I have to return this pair now and will probably just go to Dick's for a new pair this weekend or next week.
On June 18th, I told you Andy and I were nearing the end of Season 1 of The West Wing, and I'm happy to report that last night we watched the first episode of Season 4, so we're moving along well.
Twenty-fourth weekly Zoom chat with friends. Huge crowd this week as compared to other recent Zoom sessions! Participants this week included Tall Michael, Rick, John, Hoff, Lloyd, Luxor Michael, Heath, Andy, and me.
Monday, September 7th
See? I told you I'd come back, even if it is almost a week later. So yeah, home now from Vermont, so let me start by back-adding Friday's Zoom info...annnnd done.
Since my last update about Vermont, I also saw a peregrine falcon and a blue heron, and then a probably dead porcupine on the way home, followed soon afterward by a definitely dead skunk. No bears or moose again this trip, but as both are in the area and both are considered extremely dangerous to be around, this is probably for the best.
Since my last update about Vermont, I also saw a peregrine falcon and a blue heron, and then a probably dead porcupine on the way home, followed soon afterward by a definitely dead skunk. No bears or moose again this trip, but as both are in the area and both are considered extremely dangerous to be around, this is probably for the best.
On Thursday, Billy drove me into town and I bought a really great tire inflator device that plugs right into my cigarette lighter (are they still called that?) for only $25 and change after tax. The guys at the hardware store all had masks on, thankfully, but the one guy who rang me up (do they still call it that?) had his dropped down almost completely. He was behind the plexiglass barrier though, so I didn't care.
I filled up my tire and then called the Chevy dealership, who I hoped would tell me something along the lines of, "Sure, we have exactly the tire you need. Bring your car over right now and in fifteen minutes, we'll have the new one on for a very small price." Instead, I got, "No, we don't keep any tires in stock. We'd have to look at it and order you a new one, which could take a couple days." As I was planning on leaving on Sunday morning, this was decidedly bad news.
I filled up my tire and then called the Chevy dealership, who I hoped would tell me something along the lines of, "Sure, we have exactly the tire you need. Bring your car over right now and in fifteen minutes, we'll have the new one on for a very small price." Instead, I got, "No, we don't keep any tires in stock. We'd have to look at it and order you a new one, which could take a couple days." As I was planning on leaving on Sunday morning, this was decidedly bad news.
When I arrived, none of the Chevy dealership/repair guys were wearing masks, and as I was up there for a week and in a few different places, I can tell you with certainty that they were the only ones I ever saw in any business not following the masks rule. The guy who helped me out was very nice, but I kept my distance just the same. He said they'd have to order the tire, and warned me it wouldn't come until late on Friday at the earliest, and Saturday was already scheduled to be a very busy day for them. "Well are you open Sunday?" I asked, and he just shook his head no. "And Monday is Labor Day," I said, as if he'd somehow forgotten.
I drove home feeling quite sure I might be staying in Vermont until Tuesday, which would mean calling my manager with bad news about her need to cover my work one day more (ha! [sorry, I share a Les Mis meme with that phrase every year before I head to Vermont, so it's ironic that I would have--never mind]). Thankfully, the guy called me later that morning and told me the tire would be coming late Friday afternoon and if I brought the car in for 8 AM Saturday, they'd replace it for me no problem. Thank the maker! Long story short--too late (do people still say that?)--I got back to the house around 9 AM that morning with a new tire and a large nail the mechanic found inside my old tire.
I didn't catch any fish this trip, which I assure you is very rare for me. I walked around the back of the lake on Wednesday, doing over 11,000 steps that day, or about 5 and a quarter miles. I may have, like, well, slightly missed Red Bridge Road on the way back, something I might have possibly done once before too, leaving me walking in unknown territory along East Lake Road behind Lake Rescue then too until I realized my error. Good exercise though! When I walked back inside the first floor sliding door and kicked off my sneakers, I heard my sister-in-law Tricia call, "Sean Patrick! You have a lot of explaining to do!" Apparently they went out looking for me, driving all around the lake, and since I had gone a bit too far down that one road, they totally started freaking out. Bear and moose attacks are rare and usually leave, you know, a corpse and some blood and such, but a guy can more easily misstep on this particular hike and find himself in a deep ditch, so they were all a little worried.
While up there, I watched Ted (predictably offensive, though I laughed at some parts) and Meet The Millers (very funny and mostly unoffensive), but otherwise no TV up there, which is how I like it. I finished reading, Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston--great freaking book, and one I'd like to reread now that I know how it ends--and started Between Heaven and Mirth by Fr. James Martin. I also did some writing and editing work on the sequel to Tree House Down. Speaking of which, I delivered two signed and inscribed copies of it to Scott at The Book Nook, and signed the other four copies he had in stock while I was there. We chatted for a little while, and as I was leaving, he asked me to stand in front of the books on the shelf so he could take my picture, which he later posted on the bookstore's Facebook account. I shared a screenshot of it on my Instagram today, and will share it on Facebook tomorrow morning as well.
On my way back to Long Island, I stopped in at MGM Springfield for what I thought would be just 20 minutes or so of slot machine play, but because the social distancing was done so incredibly well there, and hand sanitizer was plentiful, I ended up staying there for about two hours. I planned to lose as much as X dollars (we're playing a little geometry game here, thank you very much), was down X+60 and ready to make a swift exit when I suddenly bounced back with my backup spin (thank you, Brian Christopher). Ended up leaving down only X-100, so I was delighted by that. Two hours of fun slot machine play for only Z? Y not?!
Friday, September 4th
Twenty-third weekly Zoom chat with friends. Participants this week included Andy, Tall Michael, Heath, Hoff, and me. Andy hosted the meeting from Malverne, I joined him live from Vermont, and then the others popped in eventually too. I ducked out halfway in once Marilyn and Tricia got back from DJ's with dinner. It was fun showing everyone the lake (I sat at one end of the table with the lake behind me, and equally fun leaving the Zoom early (my FOMO was thankfully not in play).
Tuesday, September 1st
Welcome to Level 7 of Jumanji, aka month 7, at least if we're counting Covid-active calendar months. I should be writing my book while I'm up here, so I have every right to neglect the blog for a few days now, but before I disappear again, let me update you on a few highlights and lowlights of the trip so far.
It took me 4 hours and 18 minutes to get up here, but I stopped at McDonald's to use the bathroom and buy a breakfast meal, which I promptly shoved down my throat in the car, keeping that to a 12-minute break total (and hence only a 4 hour, 6 minute drive). On the way up, I saw one hedgehog (or one of its similar looking cousins) and 7 deer (3 in one place, 2 more a quarter mile up, and 2 more a half mile up). Since I've been here, I've heard mice or chipmunks on the roof, saw a cormorant and ducks, plus a hummingbird and other birds and squirrels.
I fished today but didn't catch anything. Billy and Marilyn have fished since getting here, and each only caught smaller fish until a few minutes ago when Marilyn reeled in a 14-inch rainbow trout.
Oh yes, and a lowlight: my tire has gone flat. It's a known issue, and though Andy and I filled it up before my drive up here, it seems to have not appreciated the colder weather up here. Billy drove me to the hardware store in town, where for only $23.99 plus tax, I was able to buy a pretty nice tire inflator device that plugged into my cigarette lighter and let me fill up my tire right here by the house. I may still get it patched and/or replaced while I'm up here, but I feel more confident just knowing I can use that device now anytime I need it.
There are literally a hundred other mostly good things I could tell you now, but I really should try to work on my book. I'll get back to you again in a few days, I prom--I'll do my best.
Monday, August 31st
I could lie and tell you I simply forgot, but the truth is, I knew I was neglecting you. I knew you were here, patiently waiting for my return, but I honestly just couldn't make the time for it. What have you missed? Well, I was ridiculously busy at work, Andy and I walked together to Westwood Station and back, I walked other times too, Andy ran other times too, we did our weekly Zoom chat on Friday night, which I'll back-add here in a few minutes, and we grabbed Taco Bell Friday night as well. On Saturday, we did our tri-weekly visit to Costco, accidentally buying toilet paper (instead of paper towels) for the first time since well before Covid. I'll probably update you again when we finish our pre-Covid supply. On Saturday evening, we then hung out in the backyard with Tall Michael. Pizza and drinks, just the three of us at first, but our friend Charlie surprised us then as well for a little while. I didn't sleep well that night and then at 6 AM, I was up bright and early for my drive up to Vermont, where I am right now as I type this, on my laptop on the deck overlooking Lake Pauline.
Here. I'll show you where we are right now the best way I can. Just snapped this and loaded it here for your enjoyment:
That took me 10 minutes to attach. I wish I could do these things quicker. Oh, one more piece of good news to share with you: my coworker Robin is coming back to work (off furlough) as of 9/14, so I'll finally be getting less work each week, which will be a huge relief.
Anyway, given this view, I'll get back to it now. But will update you more soon, I promise.
Friday, August 28th
Twenty-second weekly Zoom chat with friends (which lasted more than twenty seconds). Participants this week included Hoff, Tall Michael, Lloyd, Andy, and me.
Sunday, August 23rd
So I need to tell you about Vermont. I've been going up there since I was a little kid, maybe as young as 10 years old or so. Though we've also stayed in places in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and another house on the same lake at times too, we mostly stay on this one beautiful piece of property on Lake Pauline in Ludlow, Vermont. It's owned by close friends of my aunt and uncle, who bring their families up there each summer too, so when we see the couple, now in their 70s and 80s, it's a happy little reunion each and every time.
My earliest memories of the place involve me swimming in the lake far more than I do now (next to never), fishing with a junior-size rod, and of course many, many shared meals and laughs with various family members, including my grandmother, Aunt Jane, and my mother. I don't think my father ever came up with us, but my mother's side of the family and him were always separate units unto themselves anyway, so I understand.
For as long back as I can recall now, my brother Billy and his wife Tricia have rented the house the week before labor Day, usually for the full 10 nights leading up to the Tuesday after Labor Day, and I generally join them for 8 of those nights the past few years. For a while it was our Aunt Jane, my sister Marilyn and Marilyn's partner Annie joining us too, and lately it's just Marilyn and me.
Sad to say, Vermont is also a place we all can't help but think of in terms of bad things happening in the same week or so as well. I missed a trip in 1999 because my father died on August 26th of that year. My sister-in-law's parents each had emergencies prior to their deaths that week too, and we were up there with my mother for Columbus Day weekend in 2004.
On that trip, I vividly remember standing by the lake before we left for the drive back home and watching leaves fall from the tree into the water, some quickly sinking to the bottom of the lake. It was a powerful spiritual moment for me as I meditated on the circle of life. We got in the car and I quickly forgot about it, but the very next night, my mother had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. She died less than two days later.
In 2011, Billy, Tricia, our Aunt Jane, and I were trapped in the house we rent as Hurricane Irene hit Vermont head on, washing out roads and bridges in the area and claiming the lives of several Vermonters, one just a five-minute walk away from us, a cancer patient who was trying to secure his boat when the river-like flood waters swept him away. Lake Pauline rose a staggering 6.5 feet in depth that day and threatened to start pouring into the first floor of our house as mudslides of rushing water rose just inches from coming in through the second floor. I genuinely thought we were going to have to evacuate our then late-70s aunt onto a rowboat if it kept up much more.
Despite all of the above drama and a host of other funny incidents and mishaps and daddy long legs along the way, that week away in the mountains truly moves my spirit in ways I cannot find down here on Long Island. It's no wonder it's appeared in three of my books now, most notably in my recent Ludlow-based murder mystery, Tree House Down. The place is simply magical, and one of the first things I do when I park my car there each August is to just stare out at the lake for a while in awe.
Because of Covid, I wasn't sure I'd make it up at all this year. Way back on March 14th in this blog, I told you I wasn't thinking I'd go, and that sentiment stayed with me until at least late July sometime, when I started musing on maybe just doing a one- or two-night stay at a nearby motel. I figured if I did that the same week as Billy, Tricia, and Marilyn were up, I could just hang out with them lakeside from a distance a few times. The more I thought about it, however, and the more I chatted with Marilyn and Tricia, the more I realized how much I really do trust the three of them enough to share the house rental this year. Though some in my family and some of my friends seem to think I'm paranoid, I respectfully believe far too many people I know and love dearly are taking unnecessary risks far too often. I'm also blood type A+, which means I'm 33% more likely to contract the virus if I come in contact with it.
Okay, okay: enough with the negative! I'm driving up a week from today, the day after Billy, Tricia, and Marilyn arrive, and then leaving again Sunday, September 6th. We'll hang out lakeside at and inside the house most of the time this year, with some drives here and there too. I'll take my car by myself if so. It's going to be wonderful, and as I've already told coworkers, friends, and family, my brain, my body, and my soul all need this escape very, very much this year!
My earliest memories of the place involve me swimming in the lake far more than I do now (next to never), fishing with a junior-size rod, and of course many, many shared meals and laughs with various family members, including my grandmother, Aunt Jane, and my mother. I don't think my father ever came up with us, but my mother's side of the family and him were always separate units unto themselves anyway, so I understand.
For as long back as I can recall now, my brother Billy and his wife Tricia have rented the house the week before labor Day, usually for the full 10 nights leading up to the Tuesday after Labor Day, and I generally join them for 8 of those nights the past few years. For a while it was our Aunt Jane, my sister Marilyn and Marilyn's partner Annie joining us too, and lately it's just Marilyn and me.
Sad to say, Vermont is also a place we all can't help but think of in terms of bad things happening in the same week or so as well. I missed a trip in 1999 because my father died on August 26th of that year. My sister-in-law's parents each had emergencies prior to their deaths that week too, and we were up there with my mother for Columbus Day weekend in 2004.
On that trip, I vividly remember standing by the lake before we left for the drive back home and watching leaves fall from the tree into the water, some quickly sinking to the bottom of the lake. It was a powerful spiritual moment for me as I meditated on the circle of life. We got in the car and I quickly forgot about it, but the very next night, my mother had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. She died less than two days later.
In 2011, Billy, Tricia, our Aunt Jane, and I were trapped in the house we rent as Hurricane Irene hit Vermont head on, washing out roads and bridges in the area and claiming the lives of several Vermonters, one just a five-minute walk away from us, a cancer patient who was trying to secure his boat when the river-like flood waters swept him away. Lake Pauline rose a staggering 6.5 feet in depth that day and threatened to start pouring into the first floor of our house as mudslides of rushing water rose just inches from coming in through the second floor. I genuinely thought we were going to have to evacuate our then late-70s aunt onto a rowboat if it kept up much more.
Despite all of the above drama and a host of other funny incidents and mishaps and daddy long legs along the way, that week away in the mountains truly moves my spirit in ways I cannot find down here on Long Island. It's no wonder it's appeared in three of my books now, most notably in my recent Ludlow-based murder mystery, Tree House Down. The place is simply magical, and one of the first things I do when I park my car there each August is to just stare out at the lake for a while in awe.
Because of Covid, I wasn't sure I'd make it up at all this year. Way back on March 14th in this blog, I told you I wasn't thinking I'd go, and that sentiment stayed with me until at least late July sometime, when I started musing on maybe just doing a one- or two-night stay at a nearby motel. I figured if I did that the same week as Billy, Tricia, and Marilyn were up, I could just hang out with them lakeside from a distance a few times. The more I thought about it, however, and the more I chatted with Marilyn and Tricia, the more I realized how much I really do trust the three of them enough to share the house rental this year. Though some in my family and some of my friends seem to think I'm paranoid, I respectfully believe far too many people I know and love dearly are taking unnecessary risks far too often. I'm also blood type A+, which means I'm 33% more likely to contract the virus if I come in contact with it.
Okay, okay: enough with the negative! I'm driving up a week from today, the day after Billy, Tricia, and Marilyn arrive, and then leaving again Sunday, September 6th. We'll hang out lakeside at and inside the house most of the time this year, with some drives here and there too. I'll take my car by myself if so. It's going to be wonderful, and as I've already told coworkers, friends, and family, my brain, my body, and my soul all need this escape very, very much this year!
Friday, August 21st
Twenty-first weekly Zoom chat with friends. Participants this week included John, Luxor, Hoff, Tall Michael, Andy, and me. It's taken me till now to realize the 40-minute limit doesn't actually begin until the third separate Zoom login joins, so I may start the meeting earlier in the future, just because I'll never have more than one other person join earlier than 6 PM anyway. We asked Hoff how his Poconos trip went, John was on Zoom from his hotel room in Philadelphia for work. Luxor told us his uncle died down in Puerto Rico this week. He was in his 80s, and because of Covid, the family won't be able to travel down there right now. Mike Hoff's friend's mom died this week too. She was only 67. John used a phrase I hadn't heard before, or at least registered until he said it: Covid Times. I keep a running list of terms I've heard the past five or more months, which I'll go more into in a future blog entry.
Thursday, August 20th
Last night I began reading Red, White, and Navy Blue. It seems a bit too predictable at the outset, and I can't stand the present tense writing like the author is narrating what he's seeing rather than the usual style, but it comes highly recommended from my friend Rick, so I'm giving it a whirl.
On a work call this morning, it was made fairly clear we're probably going to be working from home until there's a vaccine available. Fine with me. I want normalcy, but until we have it back again, I'm grateful for the ability to do my job from the comfort of my own shorts...and home.
I've probably shared some version of this before, but it bears repeating, especially now as we look forward to the autumn months, and more specifically the holiday season...
This pandemic came at us all, most of us anyway, very much by surprise. Despite the warnings of some, most of us here in New York at least didn't start growing concerned until the first week of March. We were still maskless (Sean pauses to add that word to the dictionary) around each other through at least March 17th. I used a wool scarf around my head for our Costco trip on April 4th, and we didn't get real masks to use until April 21st.
We kept thinking we'd return to the office in 2 weeks, or 4, or 6, or by July 1st, or August 3rd, but the more this stretched on, the more we all told ourselves this new normal is here to stay, for at least a while longer. Best guesses at the moment are late winter or early spring, but even those time frames are based on hopes more than data. Different companies are hard at work developing a vaccine, but even once one is available, it needs to be tested. Many educated Americans are already signed up to be volunteer test subjects, including some educated people I know, while many other Americans are adamant that they will never get vaccinated even once it's tested and available.
I've probably shared some version of this before, but it bears repeating, especially now as we look forward to the autumn months, and more specifically the holiday season...
This pandemic came at us all, most of us anyway, very much by surprise. Despite the warnings of some, most of us here in New York at least didn't start growing concerned until the first week of March. We were still maskless (Sean pauses to add that word to the dictionary) around each other through at least March 17th. I used a wool scarf around my head for our Costco trip on April 4th, and we didn't get real masks to use until April 21st.
We kept thinking we'd return to the office in 2 weeks, or 4, or 6, or by July 1st, or August 3rd, but the more this stretched on, the more we all told ourselves this new normal is here to stay, for at least a while longer. Best guesses at the moment are late winter or early spring, but even those time frames are based on hopes more than data. Different companies are hard at work developing a vaccine, but even once one is available, it needs to be tested. Many educated Americans are already signed up to be volunteer test subjects, including some educated people I know, while many other Americans are adamant that they will never get vaccinated even once it's tested and available.
So that brings us to where we are today: the 20th of August in 2020 with only 11 days left in the month. On Facebook, some have already made it clear they will not be handing out Halloween candy this year, while others like me have made it clear we won't be hosting or attending any Halloween, Christmas, or New Year's parties. I haven't ruled out 2021 events just yet, but once you come to terms with the fact you'll be experiencing a radically scaled down Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's celebration, well, something just turns off in your brain.
Something happens to you in a year such as this. You don't give up, per se, but you do give in. We've already lost parades, parties, awards shows, TV shows, movies, businesses, restaurants, school normalcy, and so much more, so the 2020 holiday season is just the next thing on the list due for rethinking. At the same time though, you remind yourself that these holidays are about interpersonal love, shared joy, and supreme gratitude for life and all its many blessings, and the absence of in-person parties does not make any of the above any less true this year.
It is, after all, what it is.
Something happens to you in a year such as this. You don't give up, per se, but you do give in. We've already lost parades, parties, awards shows, TV shows, movies, businesses, restaurants, school normalcy, and so much more, so the 2020 holiday season is just the next thing on the list due for rethinking. At the same time though, you remind yourself that these holidays are about interpersonal love, shared joy, and supreme gratitude for life and all its many blessings, and the absence of in-person parties does not make any of the above any less true this year.
It is, after all, what it is.
Wednesday, August 19th
Happy Birthday in Heaven to my Aunt Jane. Happy to celebrate the gift of your life and work here on the anniversary of the day you came into the world!
Last night I finished my 10th book in quarantine, a smaller book called Becoming Who You Are by Father James Martin.
Last night I finished my 10th book in quarantine, a smaller book called Becoming Who You Are by Father James Martin.
Tuesday, August 18th
Well, would you look at the time. It's been five months already. Since this won't last forever, the god and the bad, here are just a few of the many, many thoughts racing through my head at the moment.
Getting out of bed at the same time as I usually leave the house? Yeah, not a bad thing.
While I cherish so much more time with my partner Andy, my thoughts sometimes turn to people who are now spending much more time with someone they do not love, and in some of those cases, there are abuses happening which we do not know about.
We've done Chipotle 7 times, McDonald's 1 time, Taco Bell 1 time, and La Regina Pizzeria 3 times. Outside of those, all our meals these past five months have been at home.
2020 is reminding us who our real best friends are, who our real close friends are, and who our dearest family members are too. None of this means things can't or won't change, but by and large, I've noticed a vast shrinkage in my circles. No love lost for me, at least, but many of us are gravitating toward (online as well as offline) those we feel closest to this year.
2020 is reminding us who our real best friends are, who our real close friends are, and who our dearest family members are too. None of this means things can't or won't change, but by and large, I've noticed a vast shrinkage in my circles. No love lost for me, at least, but many of us are gravitating toward (online as well as offline) those we feel closest to this year.
I've been without another proofreader at my job since April 3rd, so this is my 20th week doing all the proofreading in the department by myself. In that time, and actually in 26 weeks total, or half a year, I have only taken two workdays off. Beyond those two days off and one in February, I haven't had more than one day off since my trip to Las Vegas in mid-October (10 months ago). All of this is by way of saying my Vermont vacation cannot come soon enough. At the moment though, still with no word on when Robin will be back, my week away will no doubt also be filled with some stress too, knowing I may very well have a lot of work to come back to.
Sunday, August 16th
Last night was really nice. Tall Michael, Danny, and Heath came by, so I positioned chairs in the backyard apart as I have the past few times. We had a few drinks, talked about all sorts of things, and ordered some pizza too. This time, Andy and I decided to get one cheese pie and one Grandma's style, and oh my gosh that Grandma's pizza was soooooo frickin' delicious. Andy and I both agreed we need to order one for ourselves again soon.
We slept in a bit this morning and have mostly enjoyed a very quiet, relaxing day at home. I need it today too, as I have some freelance work to do later this week on top of my already heavy workload.
The good news waiting on the horizon for me now is I've decided to do at least most of my usual Vermont vacation with family. I'd been hemming and hawing about it, as staying in the house we rent up there pretty much means I'll be in close proximity with three people all week, but I've realized that these three people are all just as concerned as I am about the virus, so the four of us are really perfect people to "break quarantine" to shack up together. Okay, poor phrase, but you know what I mean.
I "took the temperature" of my sister and sister-in-law respectively earlier this afternoon, and was so happy to learn they foresee doing the Vermont vacation much the same I do: mostly at the house/lake this year, with less trips hither and yon than we normally do. At the moment, I'm thinking I'll do Sunday to Sunday the 30th of August through the 6th of September.
I'm also aching for a cheeky casino trip to the MGM in Springfield, Massachusetts, but out of respect for my family members, I won't do that until the drive back home to Long Island.
The day ended with a happy 1-mile walk for me. I have hope yet for a thinner body.
Saturday, August 15th
Today marks 12 years since we lost our friend Sal. The sting of the news itself, and the immense reality that surrounded us for so long afterward has thankfully dissipated over time, but the residual sadness at his life cut short will never go away. In the past year, Sal has made himself known to me in my shamanic journey circle, and seems to be a healing spirit for me in terms of my bodily health. I need his help for sure, so I'm happy to have him with me, then and always.
This evening, we're expecting a few friends over for another backyard soiree. It's been great seeing people here and there for social distanced get-togethers of this kind, and as I've mentioned on our Zoom chats recently, we really need to take advantage of the nice weather as long as we have it. Squeezing in as many as five of us into the backyard as we plan to today is totally manageable and really fun.
Friday, August 14th
Twentieth weekly Zoom chat with friends. Participants this week included Heath, Hoff, Danny, Andy, me, and two very special gusts making their first appearance together on a live video chat anywhere in the world: my niece Shannon and my great nephew Timothée...oh sorry, I mean Timothy. Not sure why I always think to spell it that way. Hmm.
Anyway, Shannon has not been on the Zoom since June 12th, which in itself is just CRAZY. How have two months passed already since her last appearance?! She gave birth to Timothy on June 22nd, so he's still only 7.5 weeks old, but already looks like such an adorable little baby boy! You know how some babies just look like babies for a long while? Timmy does too, of course, but he also has this gorgeous fully realized face already, and I love it! Though he's been on a live video call, Shannon told me this was the first time he's been on one with her too, so I'm honored they were able to stop in.
Anyway, Shannon has not been on the Zoom since June 12th, which in itself is just CRAZY. How have two months passed already since her last appearance?! She gave birth to Timothy on June 22nd, so he's still only 7.5 weeks old, but already looks like such an adorable little baby boy! You know how some babies just look like babies for a long while? Timmy does too, of course, but he also has this gorgeous fully realized face already, and I love it! Though he's been on a live video call, Shannon told me this was the first time he's been on one with her too, so I'm honored they were able to stop in.
As a group, we were all pretty un-talkative for the most part. I started it off by explaining my woes with the political drama going on right now. Note to future self: the ability so many have to suddenly grow a soul when it comes time to bash liberals while remaining soullessly silent when Trump and his cronies release despicable word and deed after despicable word and deed over and over again is simply astounding. I 100% understand political bias and judgment is par for the course for all human beings, myself included, but it's become abundantly clear to me that many people have no morals whatsoever; they only have politics, and that is just plain sad.
Once I had a little wine and relaxed a bit, politics were happily off the table. Danny told us of his dentist woes, Heath told us about an anti-masker who confronted him in the deli earlier in the day, Hoff shared the happy news that he has a vacation this coming week with his sister and her family, and we all took some time to just ooh, aw, and wave at little Timothy.
After the Zoom, Andy and I had a bite to eat and relaxed a bit, and then decided to take a walk together. This time, we went up Lakeview Avenue to Cross Island Fruits, then up Hempstead Avenue to my Chase bank, where I deposited my most recent check from The Book Nook in Ludlow, Vermont. Then we walked home from there.
Thursday, August 13th
I didn't do any walks Friday through Tuesday, sad to say, but yesterday and today, I did a walk around the block once midday and then a mile after work as well. I need to do much more than this, of course, but squeezing in small walks, even those just around the block, will help me boost my metabolism a bit.
Sunday, August 9th
Costco went really well yesterday. We have got it all down to a science now, with so much less stress than before. Heath and Danny came by after 7 last night then too, and Danny fixed our bedroom ceiling fan before joining us in the backyard for pizza and beer (and water). It was really nice to just hang out and talk face to face from a safe distance. As I told friends on the Zoom Friday, we really ought to take advantage of the nice weather while we have it, as by October it'll start getting harder to do.
On April 25th, I bought a case of wine--12 bottles--and tonight I finished it. So 15 weeks for 12 bottles. Not bad!
This morning I started reading my 10th book in quarantine, a 100-page reflection by Father James Martin, SJ called Becoming Who You Are.
Saturday, August 8th
Last night, Andy and I started and finished the Zoom a little early because we had plans at my cousin's house in Long Beach. My cousin Judy and I, not related by blood, are closer than I am to most of my blood cousins, at least based on our interactions online and off over the past few years. She's a wonderful woman and her husband Vincent is a wonderful man, so the conversations we enjoy together are always thick with meaning. We got there 10 minutes late, at 7:10 PM, and because of the impending weather, enjoyed our time together in her lower patio beneath her house.
After Hurricane Sandy caused catastrophic damage to Long Beach, Judy and Vincent had to have their house raised up off the ground. The resulting redesign allowed them to create a beautiful patio area with a table and chairs underneath their home's main floor, and that is where we spent the evening last night. I estimated to Andy that we'd be back home again by 10 PM, but we didn't leave until close to 1 AM! It was just that kind of a feel-good evening spent with great people, great food and drink, including some homemade snacks and desserts, and great conversation.
This morning, I finished reading Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Supremely important story with a truly fantastic story arch you'll just be floored by. Really, really cool read!
It's been three weeks, so you know what that means: today is Costco day! Our plan is to leave by or at 2 PM, as we've recently learned the crowd levels are much lower around 2 than they are around 3.
It's been three weeks, so you know what that means: today is Costco day! Our plan is to leave by or at 2 PM, as we've recently learned the crowd levels are much lower around 2 than they are around 3.
Friday, August 7th
Sunday: walked 1 mile; Monday: walked 1 mile; Tuesday: 0 miles; Wednesday: walked 2 miles; Thursday: walked 1 mile. Friday? Eh, I have plans after work today, rare as that is, so I doubt I'll sneak anything in, but who knows. Almost done with Life in a Jar. Such a great book!
Nineteenth weekly Zoom chat with friends. Participants this week included Danny, Hoff, Rich, Heath, Lloyd, Andy, and me.
Thursday, August 6th
I'm pleased to report that around 7:30 last night, I went out for another walk, and owing to the fact I missed Tuesday's 1-mile walk, I did a 2-mile walk instead. So yes, still small beans, but as I had no beans for the longest time, anything is progress.
I've also made progress on two other fronts recently. I have less than a hundred pages of editing left in my friend's book. Been working on it since last year sometime, so it's taken me quite a while, but I can finally at least see the finish line now. I also dove back into my own writing recently, adding new material to the beginning of Moments to Spare, my sequel to Tree House Down. To return to my first draft, I first have to start at the very beginning all over again, and read through the 150 or so pages I have, making edits all along the way. It's just how I need to work, not simply to remind myself of the plot, but also so the reader cannot spot the seams.
Wednesday, August 5th
Yesterday, Tropical Storm Isaias hit us here in New York, after hitting every other state in one way or another up and down the east coast. Our property saw only some leaves down off the trees, along with our garbage pail and patio chairs felled by the wind as well. All across Malverne and Long Island, however, trees came down and brought down wires along with them. Power is still out to hundreds of thousands of people across the island, so Andy and I are feeling very lucky today.
Didn't do my walk last night, but just as determined as I was Monday to keep this train rolling.
Didn't do my walk last night, but just as determined as I was Monday to keep this train rolling.
Monday, August 3rd
I must have needed it. That's my excuse, anyway. This past weekend was my second three-day weekend in a row, having requested the past two Fridays off from work. These were my first two vacation days since February 26th, which means I worked 104 days in a row (not including weekends) without a day off just for me. In other words, I deserved it! But that isn't even what I referred to in my first sentence here. The need I referenced was actually the huge amount of rest and relaxation time I gave myself this past weekend. The week before? When I took off on Friday? I used those three days to get a ton of stuff done here around my house. This weekend though? Pfft. Hardly anything! And it felt grrreat!
Last night around 8 PM, I took a one-mile walk for the first time in, well, in far too long. I need to lose weight, but I think I've been tricking myself into believing that every outing to exercise must be filled with miles' worth of steps and lots and lots of sweat. While those components are absolutely needed as well, I need to start by getting my ass off the couch and just doing something every day. A walk around the block is so simple, it's laughable, so my walk yesterday to Cross Island Fruits and back is honestly the very least I can do.
Update: did the 1-mile walk again, and though yes, it's not much, I am starting to feel just a tad more optimistic about getting back into shape.
Update: did the 1-mile walk again, and though yes, it's not much, I am starting to feel just a tad more optimistic about getting back into shape.
Saturday, August 1st
We've officially entered the 6th calendar month of the global health pandemic of 2020, which may very well be eventually renamed the global health pandemic of 2020-2021. Of course, I judge this period of time based on when it all really hit us all in mid-March, which sets the 6-month mark only in mid-September, so by that more exact measure, we're still weeks away from even hitting the five-month mark. As if on cue at the start of August, however, I have once again fallen behind in updates here. As I sometimes do, yesterday's entry was only just written, well--just now, only after I began this sentence.
Last night after the Zoom, Andy and I went to King Kullen in Rockville Centre for some bread, cilantro, vegan cheese, salad greens, and balsamic vinaigrette. From there, we drove over to Taco Bell, for our first taste of that chain's food since at least February for me, and possibly last fall for Andy. Walking in past chairs and tables tied together with yellow tape so no one can sit inside is still quite the surreal experience. I looked at it all and repeated out loud to Andy a phrase I've used a lot lately: what a world.
I'm starting to think I should just stay away from Facebook altogether, as with each new visit, I find more and more to be annoyed by, be it outright racism (thankfully rare), subversive racism (disturbingly common), or even just utterly stupid memes and status updates of all kinds shared with alarming ignorance to just how devoid of fact and reason they really are. It all leads me to wonder: how are this many human beings this unwilling to learn right from wrong and fact from fiction? Willful ignorance is another kind of virus still spreading throughout this country, but this time, masks alone will have no hope of stopping its spread among the populace.
Friday, July 31st
Eighteenth weekly Zoom chat with friends. Participants this week included Danny, Mike Hoff, Tall Michael, Heath, Andy, and me. Topics ranged from politics to masks/back-to-school concerns to personal. We offered our condolences to Heath, whose last living grandparent, his grandmother Betty, passed away this week at the age of 91.
Tuesday, July 28th
I gotta say, I'm on a great run with my reading adventures lately. The book I'm currently reading, Life in a Jar, is really well written, and as I hadn't read a Holocaust-related book in years, it's proven a very welcome reminder of how awful things can get. Certainly puts things in perspective, in good ways and bad, as regards the turmoils my country faces right now. Because I'm hopeful more people will give it a read, please don't be dissuaded by the dark subject matter. It's filled with so many beautiful examples of humans at their best, despite all the awful reality surrounding them, and that, I see, is the main message.
And here below, for reference, are the books I've already finished reading in quarantine, along with the dates I finished each one.
Sunday, July 26th
Yesterday, Andy and I tried our first ever Beyond Burgers, which we'd bought last weekend at Costco. I was very pleasantly surprised! In fact, I had two more today, each dressed with vegan cheese I picked up at the supermarket recently. Really good stuff! There are so many things about meat I'd miss, honestly, but I'm going to give this a try going forward. Going meat free may prove too difficult, but I'll never know unless I give it my best. Most importantly, I'm in no rush. Little moves always work better for me than going cold tofu turkey anyway. ;)
My big file cleanup project hit a fantastic milestone today. I moved all my personal files off of my work computer and onto my home PC, deleting lots of unnecessary screenshots and duplicate copies along the way. While moving the files is easy enough, it took me so long because I'm still in the midst of some major file organization, and didn't want to just copy things over to my home PC without sorting them into appropriate folders. Not everything has a folder, but most do.
At Costco last weekend, I bought a large external hard drive, my second one, but bigger than the one I already had. My plan is to back up everything important onto the external hard drives, and keep as little as possible on the main C Drive, mostly so my computer can function at its best, but also so I won't have any need to freak out if the PC dies on me.
My big file cleanup project hit a fantastic milestone today. I moved all my personal files off of my work computer and onto my home PC, deleting lots of unnecessary screenshots and duplicate copies along the way. While moving the files is easy enough, it took me so long because I'm still in the midst of some major file organization, and didn't want to just copy things over to my home PC without sorting them into appropriate folders. Not everything has a folder, but most do.
At Costco last weekend, I bought a large external hard drive, my second one, but bigger than the one I already had. My plan is to back up everything important onto the external hard drives, and keep as little as possible on the main C Drive, mostly so my computer can function at its best, but also so I won't have any need to freak out if the PC dies on me.
Friday, July 24th
Seventeenth weekly Zoom chat with friends. This week's
participants included Mike Hoff, Tall Michael, Danny, Andy, and
me. Small group, but great conversation. A large part of our time was spent discussing vegetarianism and veganism, as I have been very slowly trying to move away from meat.
We also couldn't help but discuss mask-wearing and politics too, and Tall Michael offered this phrase I just had to save and share here: "There used to be shame in ignorance."
Isn't that just delicious? Yes, there will always be some people too ignorant to realize how ignorant they are, but there's also something called "willful ignorance", a way of moving through life practiced by those who can still hear the warning signs of their conscience blaring in their ear even as they speak and share messages of hatred and discrimination. Willful ignorance is the term, and those who practice it, I suppose, are willful ignorami. Anyway, I loved Michael's quote, and wanted to share it with you!
We also couldn't help but discuss mask-wearing and politics too, and Tall Michael offered this phrase I just had to save and share here: "There used to be shame in ignorance."
Isn't that just delicious? Yes, there will always be some people too ignorant to realize how ignorant they are, but there's also something called "willful ignorance", a way of moving through life practiced by those who can still hear the warning signs of their conscience blaring in their ear even as they speak and share messages of hatred and discrimination. Willful ignorance is the term, and those who practice it, I suppose, are willful ignorami. Anyway, I loved Michael's quote, and wanted to share it with you!
Wednesday, July 22nd
It's been really hot here this week. Temps around 90 with real-feels around 100 at times, and as always for New York, it's not the heat itself that does us in, but the humidity. Even so, this is normal, of course, so in a year filled with abnormalities of all kinds, you gotta be happy with at least some of the normal.
Last night I did a Zoom call with my friend Keaton in North Carolina. We'd chatted several times over messenger in the past few months, but this was the first time face to face, so to speak, in quite a while. Really miss him. He's one of my best friends, truth be told, even though I see him so rarely overall.
Last night I did a Zoom call with my friend Keaton in North Carolina. We'd chatted several times over messenger in the past few months, but this was the first time face to face, so to speak, in quite a while. Really miss him. He's one of my best friends, truth be told, even though I see him so rarely overall.
Work has been slower lately, thank God. I'm the only proofreader, as my colleague who does the same job is on furlough at the moment. I'm finally, for the first time since February, taking a couple of days off. Watching other people plan random days or weeks off at a time has been difficult. I can't lie, I've grumbled something along the lines of "must be nice" every time I see someone planning time off. They all have backups, you see, but I don't. Not that really smart people can't back me up, but proofreading is its own art form, and I can't help but worry that things will end up going out with errors or issues.
So this Friday the 24th and next Friday the 31st, I'll take off. I'll do my best not to look at work email, and try to get a bunch of other things done here at my house.
So this Friday the 24th and next Friday the 31st, I'll take off. I'll do my best not to look at work email, and try to get a bunch of other things done here at my house.
Monday, July 20th
Yesterday I finished reading The Clues to Kusachuma. Really good book, and thoroughly enjoyable. I highly recommend it! Because this was the last of my pile of 8 books to read in quarantine, it's time for a new pile. At the moment, only three books are on that pile, but the bottom two may have to wait a bit, because several more are awaiting my less than triumphant return. First up though is one recommended to me by my friend Santa (no, not that Santa). It's called Life in a Jar, and so far (I started it last night), I'm really enjoying it!
Saturday, July 18th
Today is my four-month quaranniversary, so it's only fitting we took a trip out to Costco and the supermarket this afternoon. We got to Costco about an hour early, and were able to walk right in, which was very cool, as in the past we've always had to wait on a long, socially distanced line around the corner, along the side of the building. This time we took two carts in so we could get some extra water, beer, paper towels, tissues, and more. Interesting to note, we still haven't needed toilet paper since Andy last bought some, which was probably in January or February, well before this shit show started. No pun intended.
I also picked up another case of wine. Not yet finished with the last case, and I'll be sure to update you when I am, but because it's getting close to the end of that supply, I knew I had to stock up.
I also picked up another case of wine. Not yet finished with the last case, and I'll be sure to update you when I am, but because it's getting close to the end of that supply, I knew I had to stock up.
Friday, July 17th
Sixteenth weekly Zoom chat with some of our friends. This week's participants included Mike Hoff, Tall Michael, John, Lloyd, Andy, and me.
Thursday, July 16th
Two more blog-worthy occurrences from yesterday I want to tell you about:
First, The Book Nook up in Ludlow has once again sold out of my recent book, Tree House Down, and they've reordered copies, marking their fifth shipment requested in the past 12 months. Needless to say, despite Stephen King's many admonitions about adverbs, I'm feeling extremely grateful and immensely proud today. Scott, the owner of the bookstore, even added that somebody asked about book #2. Alas, a sequel is only half-written so far, and I hope to return to it soon. In the mean time, yay for Tree House Down's success!
Second, I shaved yesterday! I'd only grown a very small beard/goatee, nothing too impressive, but as I never do this, it was impressive enough for Andy and me to want to document it, just as we had his beard at its height--er, thickest. Click through the thumbnails below to see my face in a thoroughly hairy state for the last time...for now:
First, The Book Nook up in Ludlow has once again sold out of my recent book, Tree House Down, and they've reordered copies, marking their fifth shipment requested in the past 12 months. Needless to say, despite Stephen King's many admonitions about adverbs, I'm feeling extremely grateful and immensely proud today. Scott, the owner of the bookstore, even added that somebody asked about book #2. Alas, a sequel is only half-written so far, and I hope to return to it soon. In the mean time, yay for Tree House Down's success!
Second, I shaved yesterday! I'd only grown a very small beard/goatee, nothing too impressive, but as I never do this, it was impressive enough for Andy and me to want to document it, just as we had his beard at its height--er, thickest. Click through the thumbnails below to see my face in a thoroughly hairy state for the last time...for now:
Wednesday, July 15th
BEFORE:
After 17 weeks and just about 4 full months, today I will make my triumphant return to the office--for all of 15 minutes total. I'm heading in soon to pick up my work computer and a few other little things from my desk so I'll have them to use from home going forward. Will be very weird going in there, I'm sure, so I'll type out the word "AFTER:" right now, and then update you once I'm back home again. This'll be the first time I've gone out all by myself other than walks around the neighborhood, so on my way out, I stopped to tell Andy. "You know, you and I have been going everywhere together lately, so I want you to know I'm really going to miss not having you with me."
AFTER:
AFTER:
Whew. Okay, so that was thoroughly weird, though also considerably easier than I imagined it would be. I entered through maintenance as I knew I needed to, and once I confirmed I'd already filled out the requisite HR forms in advance, was able to proceed without any fuss. Two coworkers were there by the entrance, Marcus from building maintenance and Phil from IT. I barely spoke with them in the energy of the moment, so I'll send them each an email this afternoon to follow up and ask how they're doing.
The worst part about the whole experience was something I hadn't even considered. Walking up the stairs to the fourth floor with my mask on left me fairly winded, and while on a normal day I'd catch my breath right away, today was all about going in, unplugging my iMac, keyboard, and mouse, and collecting some personal and work items from around my desk as quickly as I could. It's a work day, after all, and I was there at 11 AM, smack in the middle of my morning shift, so I knew I had to get back home to my work.
All in all, it was much the same as I thought it would be, though maybe a little quieter than I guessed. No one was around up on the 4th floor, at least in my part of the building, a couple of other people had taken their computers home already too, and except for some St. Patrick's Day decorations, things mostly looked the same as it did the last time I was there.
If you told me back in February that one day I'd be rushing up the stairs with a mask over my face and whisking my computer out of the building without anyone seeing me, I'd have just scoffed at your imagination, but that's exactly how it went today. Weird! Weird, weird, weird world. Happy to have my work computer at my house now, as I can access some personal and work files I hadn't had these past few months until now.
The worst part about the whole experience was something I hadn't even considered. Walking up the stairs to the fourth floor with my mask on left me fairly winded, and while on a normal day I'd catch my breath right away, today was all about going in, unplugging my iMac, keyboard, and mouse, and collecting some personal and work items from around my desk as quickly as I could. It's a work day, after all, and I was there at 11 AM, smack in the middle of my morning shift, so I knew I had to get back home to my work.
All in all, it was much the same as I thought it would be, though maybe a little quieter than I guessed. No one was around up on the 4th floor, at least in my part of the building, a couple of other people had taken their computers home already too, and except for some St. Patrick's Day decorations, things mostly looked the same as it did the last time I was there.
If you told me back in February that one day I'd be rushing up the stairs with a mask over my face and whisking my computer out of the building without anyone seeing me, I'd have just scoffed at your imagination, but that's exactly how it went today. Weird! Weird, weird, weird world. Happy to have my work computer at my house now, as I can access some personal and work files I hadn't had these past few months until now.
Monday, July 13th
Happy 46th wedding anniversary in Heaven to my mom and dad. I love you both and missing you always until we meet again!
Two more firsts for Andy and me yesterday: we visited my niece Shannon and her husband Frank, meeting my great nephew Timothy for the first time (he's three weeks old today), and we got McDonald's for the first time since February or earlier.
Seeing Shannon, Frank, and Timmy in their backyard with a nice socially distanced visit in the late-day shade was really, really nice. We got to catch up with them a bit and just enjoy the company of someone other than each other for a while. On our way home, we stopped at our local McDonald's in Lynbrook. Our plan was for me to go inside to order, but they close the public space at 8 PM now and it was around 8:30, so we just did the drive-in. We both put our masks on once it was time to pull up to the window, and other than some less-than-stellar fries, the food was good.
Two great things I found on Amazon this weekend arrived this morning: a pack of three clothes storage bags so I can better keep my clothes organized in my closet, and a new universal remote control for our TV. Our old remote hasn't been able to do several things for months now, so of course we waited all that time to order a $13.99 piece of plastic guaranteed to make our lives much easier, because that's just how we roll.
Two great things I found on Amazon this weekend arrived this morning: a pack of three clothes storage bags so I can better keep my clothes organized in my closet, and a new universal remote control for our TV. Our old remote hasn't been able to do several things for months now, so of course we waited all that time to order a $13.99 piece of plastic guaranteed to make our lives much easier, because that's just how we roll.
Friday, July 10th
On April 4th, I bought an eight-can pack of Spam. Today, I finished the last of it. So 14 weeks for 8 cans. Sounds about right.
Fifteenth (but for the first time non-subsequent) weekly happy hour Zoom chat with some of our friends. Participants included: Mike Hoff, Danny, Heath, Andy, Mike Hoff, and me. Yes, I repeated Hoff there on purpose, only because at one point as he switched from his phone to his computer (or vice versa), there were two of him!
Thursday, July 9th
Three things of note occurred today, which I'll mention in the order in which they happened. First, a tree-trimming crew came to clear out some bushes and weeds on the front, side, and back of our sprawling 20-acre property. (Okay, so it's not even a tenth of an acre, but with all those shrubs gone, trust me: it looks substantially more sprawling than before.) Second, as I was crossing the street outside my house to head to my car, ready to return it to the driveway after the tree guys were gone, an SUV came swerving right at me. No, not some random ALL CAPS hater from the internet who finally tracked me down, thank God. Just my brother Bill and his wife Tricia who happened to be driving by at the exact moment I walked outside, saw me, and turned down my street. Synchronicity is real, folks! And third, my friend Danny came by to fix a small piece of trim that detached a bit from my next-door neighbor's garage when the tree people were here.
I didn't think I'd see Billy, Tricia, or Danny today, but here they all were. Nice surprises for my day! Oh and one minor bonus surprise too: I won a pair of slot machine gloves from Aristocrat which will be shipped to me shortly. Yay!
Wednesday, July 8th
I went for a long walk yesterday, this time taking the back roads from my house to the Malverne train station and back. It felt good to get out again, and I hope to do this route more often going forward.
Monday, July 6th
Nine days have passed since I last posted, and with several good reasons why. First of all, we've now entered month five of this social isolation period of human and Sean Patrick Brennan history. That's calendar months, not actual months, but next week is the four-month mark for me since I've been working from home.
I'm tired, but more than that, I'm tired of seeing so many disgusting words and actions online, and deeply dismayed by the fog of silence from far too many people. As Elie Wiesel said, "I swore never to be silent whenever wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." There's so much silence, and so many people refusing to speak up for those who need their support and their love.
I hit a wall the week of June 21st through 27th in which I knew I needed to change my approach going forward. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I don't like getting this angry this frequently. I believe I need to keep speaking up, but neither can I help change minds and soften hearts by screaming and yelling. I have no answers yet, only a new question, and that question is the most important work of my mind and soul right now.
On Sunday, June 28th, I finished reading Happiness by Thich Nhat Hanh and began reading The Clues to Kusachuma.
On Monday, June 29th, news broke that all Broadway shows would remain closed until at least the third of January in 2021. Facebook post: "Though I'm not at all surprised to hear this due to the virus, it's still terribly sad. Not because I'm missing shows, which matters not one iota, but because THOUSANDS of people are out of work because of this. Please donate to Broadway causes whenever you can this year!"
On Tuesday, June 30th, I took a walk around Lynbrook and Malverne, opting to journey along some other streets than I usually do. I hadn't gone out for a walk in over three weeks, so I was proud of myself for doing so. Unfortunately, I couldn't complete my walk because I was so exhausted from the heat and humidity, and had to call Andy to pick me up. Fitbit assures me I got three miles in that day anyway, but I was bummed I couldn't make it home on my own. I hadn't eaten much prior, and didn't have any water with me, but still. Frustrating!
The rest of the work week was smooth sailing, not very busy at all, probably as we were scheduled off Friday July 3rd (due to the 4th of July falling on Saturday). Almost predictably though, on Thursday the 2nd, a 3 PM close-of-business day, I was absolutely swamped with work.
I slept in a bit on Friday the 3rd, and relaxed most of the day. My friend Sônia contacted me via Facebook messenger for a video call from Switzerland, so that was a fun way to spend a half hour for sure. Some negative things to discuss about a peripheral situation to us both, but mostly we caught up and chatted for the first time in months, so it was really nice. Any day you get a video call from Switzerland is a good day!
We also asked our friend Danny to come over that day to help us pick up 10 bags of soil and 2 bags of peat moss for the front yard. He has an SUV, so we were able to load it into his car and then just drove separately to and from Lowe's in my car. Great to see Danny in person for the first time since early March, and with some social distancing, we were able to spend about 15 minutes chatting with him in front of our house before he left.
We also asked our friend Danny to come over that day to help us pick up 10 bags of soil and 2 bags of peat moss for the front yard. He has an SUV, so we were able to load it into his car and then just drove separately to and from Lowe's in my car. Great to see Danny in person for the first time since early March, and with some social distancing, we were able to spend about 15 minutes chatting with him in front of our house before he left.
At 4:06 PM, just before Danny was due to arrive, I got a text from my friend John letting me know he and his partner couldn't make the weekly Zoom call. My response? "I actually forgot about it lol. Might try tomorrow or Sunday." John laughed and said it was bound to happen sooner or later, and sure enough, I never did reschedule it.
On Saturday, Andy put down all of the dirt and peat moss on the two halves of our front yard while I continued a cleanup project inside the house. As I first mentioned on June 22nd, I have a lot of clothes I needed to go through and separate out for trash or donation. Happy to report that I have two huge bags filled now, one which I'll put out tonight for trash pickup tomorrow, and one ready for washing, drying, and folding before I drop it off to a donation bin nearby. I literally emptied out my entire downstairs closet filled with clothes and all of my dresser drawers too. I still have a large pile of clothes on my second floor too, but 95% of them will probably get thrown out at this point. The day ended with fireworks, on the TV and surrounding us from all sides, though barely visible.
Then yesterday, Sunday July 5th, we had a fun evening planned. For the past week, we'd been watching our fur-niece Ruby, a beautiful cat who lives with our friends Heath and Arturo. They were ready to pick Ruby up again yesterday, which coincided with our friend Tall Michael's drive down from Binghamton to stay for a few days with his mother out east. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for a socially distant yet socially fun get-together in our backyard. We allowed the three of them to make their drinks in the kitchen and use the bathroom, but otherwise we hung out in the backyard. Thankfully, we had a yard full of shade by the time they all arrived, and we passed the time with cocktails and conversation, happy to catch up with one another in person. I wasn't planning on doing food, but Heath suggested pizza, so after a quick phone call, he was back in the yard 20 minutes later with pizza for everyone. It was the first pizza I've had since at least February. Really great time spent with really great friends!
Sadly, the fun day was destined to come to a sad close. A few minutes after 9 PM, just as I'd relaxed with a cold bottle of water on the couch in front of the TV, I opened up my social media and saw the heartbreaking news that Broadway star Nick Cordero had died. If you've read any of my previous entries here, you'll not be surprised to learn I've mentioned Nick here in the blog eight times before. I followed his story and his wife's Instagram feed very closely these past few months, hoping and praying he'd make a recovery. It stings even more knowing that coronavirus took him down months ago and put him in the ICU to begin with.
This morning, thinking once more about Nick as I made a pot of coffee, a phrase came to me, one I quickly dismissed. The phrase was "We are living in a post-Nick Cordero world." No, I realized, we're not. We're simply living in a post-Nick Cordero's death world. All he was and gave this world is still here, and always will be.
At my desk a few minutes later while waiting for my computer to start up, I heard cicadas rattling out in the trees for the first time this summer, the first time since they disappeared back in September of last year. It was a simple, helpful reminder for me that the circle of life continues.
This morning, thinking once more about Nick as I made a pot of coffee, a phrase came to me, one I quickly dismissed. The phrase was "We are living in a post-Nick Cordero world." No, I realized, we're not. We're simply living in a post-Nick Cordero's death world. All he was and gave this world is still here, and always will be.
At my desk a few minutes later while waiting for my computer to start up, I heard cicadas rattling out in the trees for the first time this summer, the first time since they disappeared back in September of last year. It was a simple, helpful reminder for me that the circle of life continues.
Saturday, June 27th
It's been three weeks since our last Costco trip, so you know what that means: today was Costco day! For the first time since this global health pandemic hit, I actually felt 100% comfortable going to Costco with Andy. This was a first in four other ways too: the first time I didn't wear gloves, the first time Andy and I both grabbed things for the cart instead of just me (at least since April), and the first time we didn't wipe things down after bringing them into the house. While we did still make sure not to touch our face, and we washed our hands a couple times after putting things away in the refrigerator, I didn't strip down, shower and change after the trip either. Andy and I are still being extremely cautious and smart about everything, but we decided ahead of the trip that because New York State's numbers are so good, we can relax our otherwise stringent methods a bit.
One huge thing I didn't mention here previously that I want to celebrate now, and will do so in conjunction with two other pieces of wonderful news: on Monday, June 22nd, my niece Shannon (my sister Laura's oldest) gave birth to her baby boy Timothy. She kept the news off her Instagram until Thursday, and her husband Frank still hasn't shared it on his Facebook, so I couldn't talk about it till now (only just added the posts from Thursday and Friday before starting this one).
In 2009 when Andy and I bought and moved into our first house, two other big moments arrived for my family as well: my niece Ellen (my sister Laura's youngest) gave birth to her first child and my sister Marilyn moved back to New York from several years away in Michigan. I'll never forget how all three happened around the same exact time, and now my family has three new reasons to celebrate. In addition to Shannon giving birth, my nephew Brendan (my sister Laura's second oldest) bought his first house with his wife Kaylan and their 20-month-old son Harrison, and my niece Erin just announced yesterday that she's engaged to be married! I'm so happy for all of them, and in a year filled with so much pain, sadness, and anxiety, it's wonderful to share so much good news all at once! Congratulations to all of them, and may they know much happiness always!
Friday, June 26th
Fourteenth weekly happy hour Zoom chat with some of our friends. Participants included: Tall
Michael, Danny, John, Lloyd, Mike H., Andy, and me. A first for this series: John came to us live from the wedding chapel at Caesars palace in Las Vegas! No, no secret marriages (that we know of) for John. He was there for work the past two weeks, and the open wedding chapel was just a safe place for him to duck into and pull his mask down to chat with us for a while.
After the Zoom chat, Andy and I went onto the Chipotle app to order some food for pickup, but were shocked to learn our favorite location is now temporarily closed on Fridays! What?!?! How can they do that to us?!?! Friday is our regular Chipotle night, and we were JUST preparing to get back into a more regular Friday-night routine.
After we got over the news and moved on with our lives, we ordered from the location at Green Acres Mall (not inside the mall, which of course is closed). It seems so weird to walk in and just grab your pre-purchased, bagged items off a shelf without interacting with anyone, but two locations we've been to now both seem to be using this honor method, and it works for us!
After we got over the news and moved on with our lives, we ordered from the location at Green Acres Mall (not inside the mall, which of course is closed). It seems so weird to walk in and just grab your pre-purchased, bagged items off a shelf without interacting with anyone, but two locations we've been to now both seem to be using this honor method, and it works for us!
Thursday, June 25th
Facebook post: Noticed ladybugs out tonight: first time I've seen them yet this year,
but I'm not out much these days. They weren't out yet last Thursday
evening when I put out recyclables, so they must have hatched or crawled
out or whatever sometime in the past week.
Wednesday, June 24th
Twice in the past two weeks, I've heard cars honking and people screaming out "Happy Birthday" to someone nearby. Filed under fun sounds I hear while working from home during quarantine.
Monday, June 22nd
My goals for this weekend were twofold: clean down the kitchen counters thoroughly, removing all items and washing liquor bottles before placing them back on scrubbed-down countertops, and put the air conditioner in the downstairs bedroom window. I'm happy to say I accomplished both tasks on Saturday, in addition to running and later emptying the dishwasher and beginning a project to go through old clothes. My plan is to throw out a lot of old clothes but donate a bunch too.
Great news on the Nick Cordero front this past week: his wife Amanda can now visit him in the ICU and she's reported that he can answer yes and no questions with his eyes. So he's there and aware, albeit still weak and in need of a lot more intensive care.
Golf has been back on the past two weeks, which brings me great joy and needed relaxation time, but one player, Nick Watney, has sadly tested positive for the virus now, so I'm thinking of him.
Haven't gone out for any walks this past week, and possibly not for the past two weeks based on my notes here in the blog, and I'm sad to add that my belly is proof of this. Desperately need to get back out there ASAP!
##
It's 9:41AM as I add this part. I've been up since around 7:30. Made coffee and began work for the day at 8:38. I've already gone down to fill my cup a second time too, but Andy was out watering the lawn. His computer's on too, so I know he started work earlier. Simply mentioning all this within the context of our shared work-from-home schedule because I've yet to see him (awake) since I got up over two hours ago. He's doing his thing and I'm doing mine, and well, that's just lovely and fine. Update at 10:18 AM: Andy and I finally saw each other and I kissed him good morning.
It's 9:41AM as I add this part. I've been up since around 7:30. Made coffee and began work for the day at 8:38. I've already gone down to fill my cup a second time too, but Andy was out watering the lawn. His computer's on too, so I know he started work earlier. Simply mentioning all this within the context of our shared work-from-home schedule because I've yet to see him (awake) since I got up over two hours ago. He's doing his thing and I'm doing mine, and well, that's just lovely and fine. Update at 10:18 AM: Andy and I finally saw each other and I kissed him good morning.
Friday, June 19th
Thirteenth weekly happy hour Zoom chat with some of our friends. Participants included: Tall
Michael, Heath,
Charlie, Danny, Rich, Lloyd, Andy, and me.
Thursday, June 18th
And just like that, I've been in "quarantine" for three months. March 18th was Day 1 for me, as far as I'm concerned anyway, and today is the 18th of June. We were still in winter when this began, looking ahead to spring in a few days, and now it's the very end of spring and we're looking ahead to summer beginning this weekend. I was still wearing my winter coat in March when I grabbed a bunch of my belongings and looked at my desk in the office for the last time, and now this Saturday, I'll be putting in the air conditioner. I mention all this simply to define what three months of any year entails, and what we've gone from to where we are now: Saint Patrick's Day to the first day of summer, just like that.
I still follow both John Patrick Shanley on Twitter and Leslie Jordan on Instagram each and every day. I keep up with news on Nick Cordero every week too, even though I haven't mentioned him here lately (mostly because he's still not awake, it seems, and still stuck in some kind of frozen long-term healing).
But what have I accomplished in my quarantine? Well, quite a lot, actually. I told myself very early on, and you dear reader as well, that I'd be thoroughly annoyed at myself when this was all over if I didn't have something to show for it. Despite the many frustrations we face in social isolation from one another, working from home is a great gift I do not take lightly, and one which I have mostly cherished and appreciated every step of the way. So here's a short list of my quarantine accomplishments:
- I cleaned up my physical desk's top and my computer desktop here at home as well.
- I went through several old boxes of mementos I've kept over the years, and sorted out various items into separate piles (some old Playbills, for instance, made their way in here, as did letters and mementos pertaining to my Monastic laundry series).
- I cleaned up an area on my second-floor landing that had grown beyond cluttered.
- I cleaned out an entire closet full of clutter at the top of my stairs as well.
- I collected all empty shoe boxes and other small storage-worthy containers that I had in any number of places around my second floor, and piled them neatly into the now cleaned-out second-floor storage closet for easy access.
- I sorted through all my printed pictures, placing many of them into albums and more safely storing the remainder of them in smaller boxes.
- I cleaned up a table filled with items on my second floor, clearing a huge space.
- I cleaned up a bunch of old boxes, separating items into topic-appropriate piles.
- I cleaned up a ton of files on my computer, and am now in the process of sorting files into categories so I can find them much easier going forward. I have an external hard drive already, but my plan is to back up everything again onto the one I have, as well as onto a larger one I plan to purchase in the near future. I'm also finding tons of duplicate files through this sorting process, so I'll happily delete those soon as well.
- I've finished reading six books, and am now on a seventh.
- I finally--and this cannot be stressed enough--got Andy to start watching The West Wing with me. I've seen every episode of all seven seasons over and over again several times, but Andy never took the time to sit down and watch them all with me. He'd only seen a few episodes or parts of episodes in the past. I'm very happy to report we're almost done with Season 1, and he seems to be really enjoying it!
- I started and consistently maintained this blog, a collection of writing I will forever be grateful I decided to put together, both for myself and for posterity.
Next up, because I always have a "What's next?" on my to-do list, is to take out the air conditioner from my first-floor bedroom closet and put it in for the summer on Saturday. Once I do that, I'll have better access to way too many old clothes I've kept stored in that same closet. My goal, one for which I have every intention of success, is to throw out or donate 90% of my old clothing items. I am doing neither the world nor myself any favors by keeping so many old clothes for so long. A dresser in that bedroom on the first floor and a large pile of clothes on my second floor laughs at me daily as well. It's a silent laugh, but I hear it. Oh, I hear it alright.
So yeah, I could mention a thousand other issues, concerns, and stress points, not least of which is my growing body weight, but this is what I chose to share for today, three months into "quarantine".
Monday, June 15th
Last weekend, on Sunday the 7th, I finished reading The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland (the Come From Away story). I then began Kingdom Keepers, which I promptly finished yesterday, a week later. It's a kids' book, so I'm not surprised. Upon finishing that one, I began reading Happiness by Thich Nhat Hanh. So I'm on a good run now of book reading. In this picture, which I shared previously, I've read the first six books of my planned pile, and am now on the 7th. Soon I'll be planning out a new pile!
Last weekend, on Sunday the 7th, I finished reading The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland (the Come From Away story). I then began Kingdom Keepers, which I promptly finished yesterday, a week later. It's a kids' book, so I'm not surprised. Upon finishing that one, I began reading Happiness by Thich Nhat Hanh. So I'm on a good run now of book reading. In this picture, which I shared previously, I've read the first six books of my planned pile, and am now on the 7th. Soon I'll be planning out a new pile!
Friday, June 12th
Twelfth weekly happy hour Zoom chat with some of our friends (and family). Participants included: Tall Michael (struggled to get his video to work again), Heath, Shannon, Rick, Mike Hoff, Lloyd, Andy, and me. In related news, twelfth is such an odd word.
Twelfth weekly happy hour Zoom chat with some of our friends (and family). Participants included: Tall Michael (struggled to get his video to work again), Heath, Shannon, Rick, Mike Hoff, Lloyd, Andy, and me. In related news, twelfth is such an odd word.
Wednesday, June 10th
I've been absent here on the blog, but finally ready to put a few words down again, which I hope explain why I took a few days off. For the first time since this all started, I've recently begun to feel more cooped up than before. While I certainly wouldn't define myself as going stir crazy, except maybe in jest, I have begun to feel a little more confined and constricted than I'd earlier experienced. My future self will probably need this reminder, so here it is: Week 12 was when I began to get tired of all this.
I've been absent here on the blog, but finally ready to put a few words down again, which I hope explain why I took a few days off. For the first time since this all started, I've recently begun to feel more cooped up than before. While I certainly wouldn't define myself as going stir crazy, except maybe in jest, I have begun to feel a little more confined and constricted than I'd earlier experienced. My future self will probably need this reminder, so here it is: Week 12 was when I began to get tired of all this.
Now I have to add right away that "all this" no longer merely includes the lockdown itself, but all of the many other issues facing my country, my friends, and my household. There's a long list of peripheral issues here that I could list, but as most are private concerns of one or more of my friends, one or more of my family members, or concerns Andy and I face personally, it wouldn't be appropriate to delve into them all here. I simply add this paragraph to document the peripheral stress of the period.
We are 12 weeks into social isolation caused by a global health pandemic, and while that sounds awfully short to me now, it's still been a hugely significant block of time for my household and for most everyone I know. We began all this, at least the social-distancing, people-fearing stage, around Saint Patrick's Day, which was, I remind us all now, still in the winter. Spring came, followed soon afterward by Easter on April 12th. My birthday came on May 1st, Mother's Day was May 10th, Andy's birthday was May 22nd, and a ton of other people celebrated their birthdays during this time too. As it's now June 10th, we're heading into what would be graduation weekend for high school students, and the weekend after that is Father's Day and the start of summer. Oh, and the 4th of July is just over three weeks away now too.
I share all this because the enormity of this time period is finally starting to hit me square in the face. The peripheral stress of others, along with my own personal stress, is seeping in more and more lately too. So when big, important moments in our country's history show up, like the many Black Lives Matter protests happening each day in memory of and seeking justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others, the cumulative stress of the past 12 weeks and beyond can be all too much for some people to bear. I'm doing okay overall, but as a guy who usually deals pretty well with stress, the fact that I'm feeling it so much more lately sets off an alarm in my brain.
It reminds me to take it easy, and not be too hard on myself, which is an important part of self-love, but it also reminds me to be extra sympathetic to the visible and invisible stress of others in my life. If I as a person who generally handles stress okay is starting to feel the weight of a thousand different variables all at once, many more will be suffering far worse. The pain of so many is so much more visible lately, while others still are hiding their pain behind anger and humor to varying degrees. Tread gently, friends, I beg you. Tread gently, Sean, I remind myself.
Saturday, June 6th
Today is our once-every-three-weeks trip to Costco, and we've chatted this week about relaxing this particular component of our quirky quarantine quagmire to a bi-weekly schedule, which will still allow for less stress about going out while also ensuring we have enough food and drink in the house at any given time. It turns out, three cases of bottled water do not last us a full three weeks, for instance. The goal, we're thinking, will be to run errands like this once every two weeks now, and that will also help us bridge the distance a bit better between social isolation and the social reunions* to come.
Today is our once-every-three-weeks trip to Costco, and we've chatted this week about relaxing this particular component of our quirky quarantine quagmire to a bi-weekly schedule, which will still allow for less stress about going out while also ensuring we have enough food and drink in the house at any given time. It turns out, three cases of bottled water do not last us a full three weeks, for instance. The goal, we're thinking, will be to run errands like this once every two weeks now, and that will also help us bridge the distance a bit better between social isolation and the social reunions* to come.
*Preceded by months of awkward, socially distant social reunions with friends, family, and colleagues.
Friday, June 5th
Andy and I went for our two-mile walk yesterday. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but it's incredibly dismaying and frustrating to see people refusing to wear masks while they're out and about. Note, I'm not referring to someone on their own property who's watering their lawn or people in cars driving by us, but walkers and joggers coming right toward Andy and me on the sidewalk (both of us in our masks) who are neither wearing masks or even carrying them. Not only do they not have them, but they don't look even .00001% apologetic or concerned. One woman jogging past us yesterday appeared to roll her eyes at me too. I think people like them should be ticketed, and scolded besides.
Andy and I went for our two-mile walk yesterday. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but it's incredibly dismaying and frustrating to see people refusing to wear masks while they're out and about. Note, I'm not referring to someone on their own property who's watering their lawn or people in cars driving by us, but walkers and joggers coming right toward Andy and me on the sidewalk (both of us in our masks) who are neither wearing masks or even carrying them. Not only do they not have them, but they don't look even .00001% apologetic or concerned. One woman jogging past us yesterday appeared to roll her eyes at me too. I think people like them should be ticketed, and scolded besides.
Eleventh
weekly happy hour Zoom chat with some of our friends (and family). Participants included: Tall
Michael (struggled to get his video to work, but was there briefly), John & Michael, Charlie, Heath,
Shannon, Lloyd, Andy, and me.
Wednesday, June 3rd
I went for a two-mile walk through Malverne yesterday after work, while Andy trimmed the hedges outside our house. Felt good to get out for a while after my depression of the two days prior, and I know it's good for my body too. Andy got me a Fitbit for Christmas this past year, and I finally set it up this past week. I'd had one before that our friend Mike H. gave me, but it was a free model he got through work, and it stopped working on me at some point last year, I believe.
I went for a two-mile walk through Malverne yesterday after work, while Andy trimmed the hedges outside our house. Felt good to get out for a while after my depression of the two days prior, and I know it's good for my body too. Andy got me a Fitbit for Christmas this past year, and I finally set it up this past week. I'd had one before that our friend Mike H. gave me, but it was a free model he got through work, and it stopped working on me at some point last year, I believe.
Anyway, last Wednesday the 27th was the first full day I wore this new one, and it says my step count was 2,312, which is I'm guessing the average number of steps I've had lately while working from home. Not that I haven't had a bunch of great walks lately too, but the 2,300 range is about right for the days I do no walking. In contrast, a day I do my two-mile walk, like yesterday, gets me to around 7800 steps total (my Fitbit says 7,681 steps for yesterday, but I had it off while heading back and forth down the stairs here several times yesterday afternoon). And on Saturday this past week when Andy and I walked Hempstead Lake State park with our friend Heath, I registered 12,462 steps (5.71 miles). I can't do that kind of walk on a weeknight, but I'm hoping to at least add more like that on the weekends.
While changing the bandage on my thumb yesterday, I realized for the first time since slicing it open that I actually had a corner cut in total, either resulting from my body retracting quickly in pain before I stopped slicing or because the knife was already on a curved cut for the pepper. Makes sense now why there was so much blood...and pain.
Tuesday, June 2nd
Yesterday was a bad day. The racism in this country is horrible, and it's only gotten worse since Donald Trump came into power. He has encouraged these sick people, made them feel welcome, made them feel safe to be the hate-filled people they are. Made them feel proud to be the hate-filled people they are. Taught them that being hateful and being American are one in the same, and told them that they aren't hateful at all anyway; they're just better than some other people.
Yesterday was a bad day. The racism in this country is horrible, and it's only gotten worse since Donald Trump came into power. He has encouraged these sick people, made them feel welcome, made them feel safe to be the hate-filled people they are. Made them feel proud to be the hate-filled people they are. Taught them that being hateful and being American are one in the same, and told them that they aren't hateful at all anyway; they're just better than some other people.
As the protests grew, I retracted. Not from fear or disagreement in any way, but simply out of a terrible sadness that overtook me. It took me down for a while. I was immobile, could barely speak, actually, and I was just so fucking sad. I'm better at the moment, but not at all okay.
I grew up in a family in which the word "nigger" was thrown about casually, even if just whispered quietly more often than not, and always, always, always followed by a loud laugh. Some of my older siblings taught me this word, and in so doing, they also taught me as a young person that it was fun to say. I don't remember disagreeing with them when I was younger, but I do remember being silently judgmental of the many black people in my neighborhood.
I grew up in the southwest part of Rockville Centre just a few blocks from the projects north of Sunrise Highway. We saw black people all the time, of course, especially around the A&P where I later worked during high school. But those were the people who lived on the other side of the supermarket we all shopped at, or they were the people who lived in nearby Hempstead or Freeport. You know, in other towns. I literally thought for a while there that the only places black people lived were in pockets of communities, every single black person together in the same neighborhoods of only "their kind".
This sick notion that people of color were either dangerous or scary or both permeated my upbringing, even if this racism was never explicitly taught to me in a serious, conscious, sit-down-and-learn way. My parents, my siblings, and other relatives, however, knew they were subtly teaching a child and later a teenager how to view non-white people. They knew they were passing on their racism (of different degrees) to another generation, even if they didn't see any of it as racism. And I must add right away that I effectively became racist myself. I own this and I offer this sad truth to show that their sickness infected me, and made me say that dreaded word too, by the way, especially with friends. In so doing, I was unwittingly infecting still others with the virus, or at least quietly stoking the fires of hatred their own family members had already built up within them in their own homes.
And then, one day, somewhere in my teens I guess, something started happening to me. I was changing. I was growing up. We all have a conscience, as far as I can tell, but some people, I've slowly realized over time, have purposely reprogrammed their conscience to conform to their personal prejudices. It's as if they've taken the batteries out of the kitchen smoke detector in their brain. They turned that part of themselves off, because they didn't want to be annoyed by that damn thing all the time.
One of the insults I've received over and over again in my life is when people tell me I'm "holier than thou", and while I absolutely own I have a sad instinct toward judgmentalism, I also have a really good grasp of what is right and what is wrong. I know my faults quite well too, and if I cared to (I don't), I could list them off here for you. So what irks me most when I hear this particular holier-than-thou insult thrown my way is that it's always thrown by someone who doesn't even try to be holy and spiritual. It's much the same story with JERKS who dare mock me and others for being overly sensitive. They are wearing a badge of insensitivity on their smug faces and sad souls as if that's something to be proud of.
I say all this to simply drive home one extremely crucial message right now: racism was taught to me, but my conscience taught me better. My conscience continues to teach me better, in fact, as do the voices of better people who I've allowed more stature in my life. I've surrounded myself with people who are living passionate lives of meaning, substance, spirituality, and a unanimous concern for social justice and equality, and I've consciously avoided people and conversations that are drenched with despicable hatred.
Being non-racist is the very least any of us can be. Being anti-racist, however, is our true calling, and it's been calling out to us our entire lives. Some of us have taken the batteries out of our racism detector, some of us have realized it's time to replace the old batteries with new, better ones, and some of us are out there right now marching in the streets with the hopes of waking this country up to the fires of racism burning right now inside their own homes and businesses.
This is June 2020, and this is who we are as Americans right now. The new fires cannot hope to match the hateful fires that have burned on this land for centuries, but maybe, just maybe, more racist people out there will finally be more attentive going forward to the fires of hatred they have allowed to burn within their own homes. Maybe they will finally stand up to the racist words that have previously gone unchecked in their households, backyards, and family functions.
Maybe change is still possible. Maybe peace is still possible. If so, it will require more people who stand up to racism than have ever done so before. We need more courageous voices. Brother standing up to brother. Wife standing up to husband. Child standing up to parents. Parents, in some cases, standing up to children. Parishioner standing up to priest. Senator standing up to President. Without all these voices and many more, the fires of all kinds will burn us all before we know it.
I believe in a much better America than I see before me right now. More importantly though, I believe in much better versions of my fellow Americans than I see before me right now. Some are beyond fixing, it's true. The virus of racism runs through their veins so sweetly, they enjoy it. But many, many more out there need to learn to speak up more than they ever have before. Voices silent for far too long are desperately needed right now, and we will appreciate every single one of them.
Monday, June 1st
Although this debacle, at least within its current mutation, is only about 11 weeks old, we are now in month four of the lockdown. June is Pride Month, but with the deep sadness going on in my country right now--I speak not of the existing coronavirus sadness but of the new protests going on--I'm not exactly feeling energized enough to wish anyone a happy pride month at the moment. I'm also dealing with another sucky fact now too: I sliced my thumb open while cutting peppers yesterday.
Although this debacle, at least within its current mutation, is only about 11 weeks old, we are now in month four of the lockdown. June is Pride Month, but with the deep sadness going on in my country right now--I speak not of the existing coronavirus sadness but of the new protests going on--I'm not exactly feeling energized enough to wish anyone a happy pride month at the moment. I'm also dealing with another sucky fact now too: I sliced my thumb open while cutting peppers yesterday.
I'd already finished cutting up half a bag of potatoes for roasting at that point, but it was the long slices one makes on bell peppers that ultimately did me in. I won't give you all the gory details (you're welcome), but it was both painful and scary, and Andy was sure we needed to go to urgent care. We thankfully didn't, and it's already begun healing, but it still hurts when I even gently bump it into anything. (I'm being careful, but you know how things are.) Sucks. The world outside my door is in much greater pain than I am though, so I'll happily shut up now.
Saturday, May 30th
As I referenced on Thursday of this week, Andy and I decided it was time to take a brave step forward in our quarantine isolation plans. Though it's only been two weeks since our last jaunt to Costco and Chipotle, we did a Chipotle run last night. I once again ordered three bowls total for the week, and Andy ordered two, but we realized afterward that we should probably just go back to one bowl each total and go every Friday.
As I referenced on Thursday of this week, Andy and I decided it was time to take a brave step forward in our quarantine isolation plans. Though it's only been two weeks since our last jaunt to Costco and Chipotle, we did a Chipotle run last night. I once again ordered three bowls total for the week, and Andy ordered two, but we realized afterward that we should probably just go back to one bowl each total and go every Friday.
And then today, our friend Heath came over and we did a 5 to 6-mile hike through Hempstead Lake State Park together. We maintained our social distance respectively and respectfully, and then celebrated the finish line with a beer for heath and a rum and Coke Zero for me in our backyard.
Friday, May 29th
I changed the name of this series of blog entries today. It had been titled "Quarantaining Sanity", the first word a combination of Quarantine and Maintaining, but I always knew it was wrong. In those early days, it certainly fit though. There was a lot of fear and concern, not to mention all the genuine trepidation we had that we were going to get sick from this. And of course there still is fear to some degree, and great concern too, as well as concern for our loved ones and neighbors whom this virus has affected most of all, but something bigger has revealed itself.
I changed the name of this series of blog entries today. It had been titled "Quarantaining Sanity", the first word a combination of Quarantine and Maintaining, but I always knew it was wrong. In those early days, it certainly fit though. There was a lot of fear and concern, not to mention all the genuine trepidation we had that we were going to get sick from this. And of course there still is fear to some degree, and great concern too, as well as concern for our loved ones and neighbors whom this virus has affected most of all, but something bigger has revealed itself.
This time we're in is a very sacred place of contemplation and assessment. We are, all of us, looking out our windows in more ways than one, and at the same time, we are looking within, in more ways than one. So the new title, "Homework 2020", is my way of acknowledging all this. It seems to capture so much about this time too: the housework, the school homework, the working from home, the year, and of course all the spiritual power of this moment in time too.
Yesterday on social media, I shared pictures of the books I've read, am reading, and will soon read while in quarantine. Attaching those photos here now too as a collage. The first four I've finished reading, the fifth book, The Day the World Came to Town, I'm reading now, and the last three books are patiently waiting in the on-deck circle.
Tenth
weekly happy hour Zoom chat with friends. Participants included: Tall
Michael, John & Michael, Heath,
Danny, Shannon, Frank (I count brief appearances on screen), Andy, and me.
Thursday, May 28th
Today is Thursday, which already sets my weekend brain into motion. I got some laundry done during the workday, so I won't have to worry about that over the weekend, and I have already started to plan my Friday night.
Today is Thursday, which already sets my weekend brain into motion. I got some laundry done during the workday, so I won't have to worry about that over the weekend, and I have already started to plan my Friday night.
So here's the deal with my weekly Zoom meetup with friends: it's getting boring. We always have something to talk about, but there's no fun in it, or at least not as much as I think there could be. So we're probably due for a shakeup there, if I had to guess. Maybe that means switching to Saturday nights, or some of us hanging out in person (socially distanced) with others on the Zoom, or perhaps just moving my Zoom location to another spot in my house. We'll figure it out.
A friend of ours was hoping to come by last Friday evening and do Chipotle with us (the plan was in our backyard), but rain came in and nixed that idea. We're going to try again tomorrow, and Andy suggested we just invite him INSIDE the house, with him in the living room and us in the dining room. It's not that I'm living my life in fear, but I can't help but think of the ramifications. Anything he touches, including the bathroom door knob, faucet, and flusher, have to be disinfected, not because he's dirty or diseased, but simply because we have to play it safe. After all, we haven't had anyone in our house in [Sean does the math] THREE MONTHS. Our house is our safe zone, the place we full relax in once we come back from wherever we were out in the world, and when we enter, we immediately wash our hands/disinfect/et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
Anyway, we'll probably invite him in. I'll get over it. Life has to start changing, after all, and there are some smart, easy decisions we can all make to lighten the load, so to speak, to make life a little nicer again. Gatherings of up to 10 people are now allowed, according to the governor, so as long as we maintain a safe distance and are smart about it, it'll be fine.
Perhaps just as shocking, Andy and I discussed the very real possibility of resuming our weekly Chipotle visits, which means after 10 weeks of our self-quarantine, once-every-three-weeks Costco trips, we may finally be ready to do a once-a-week outing again. It honestly feels silly to see that written out, but these 10 weeks have felt more like 10 months than I think even my future self will be able to remember.
Tonight, Andy and I did another 2-mile walk together. It was great to get out for a while, and thankfully, the misty weather kept most people at home.
Tuesday, May 26th
Yesterday I finished reading We Don't Die about psychic medium George Anderson, so that's four books I've finished now since quarantine began. Not many compared to some people I know, but I'm happy to be going through my pile at a decent speed just the same. I'm now reading the book that the musical Come From Away is based on, titled, The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, by Jim DeFede.
Yesterday I finished reading We Don't Die about psychic medium George Anderson, so that's four books I've finished now since quarantine began. Not many compared to some people I know, but I'm happy to be going through my pile at a decent speed just the same. I'm now reading the book that the musical Come From Away is based on, titled, The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, by Jim DeFede.
I got the upstairs closet cleaned out yesterday, which--you'll have to trust me--was a huge accomplishment. That place was a God awful mess, but now, with just some creative re-stacking and liberal disposing, is suddenly 75% empty again, and ready for some of the clutter of my second floor to be deposited in an organized manner going forward. Yay!
Andy and I took a 2-mile walk through town.
Monday, May 25th
Well, I didn't complete the photography project yet, but yesterday, I did manage to fill up most of a photo album, as well as the latter part of an existing one, so at least the photos that are still outside of albums are far fewer and much better organized than before. They certainly take up far less real estate on the dining room table now too.
Well, I didn't complete the photography project yet, but yesterday, I did manage to fill up most of a photo album, as well as the latter part of an existing one, so at least the photos that are still outside of albums are far fewer and much better organized than before. They certainly take up far less real estate on the dining room table now too.
Today, I took some time to reply to the newest email from my cousin Gerry from Ireland, now living in Portugal. I'm not sure I mentioned Gerry here before, but we've been emailing back and forth the past few weeks, and I have to believe the current "situation" in the world is a good reason why. To that point, here are some eloquent words shared with me last night from a dear friend of mine:
"One of the hallmarks of this great pause we're in is a review of the lives we lived till now. It's been weird hosting ghosts I thought were gone for good." -Grey Revell
Today, I'm cleaning out one of my second-floor storage closets. Many ghosts of the past in there too, I've found, although these ones are covered in a thin layer of dust. Achoo!
Saturday, May 23rd
Three goals for this weekend. The first is to finish my photo-organizing project and replace the stacks of photos on my dining room table with another jigsaw puzzle. The second is to clean out the cluttered, empty-box filled closet at the top of the second-floor landing, making room for much better storage going forward. And the third is to relax as much as possible, read, and just enjoy life at home.
Three goals for this weekend. The first is to finish my photo-organizing project and replace the stacks of photos on my dining room table with another jigsaw puzzle. The second is to clean out the cluttered, empty-box filled closet at the top of the second-floor landing, making room for much better storage going forward. And the third is to relax as much as possible, read, and just enjoy life at home.
At 2:40 PM, we left home and joined a lineup of cars preparing to drive to my sister's house to wish her granddaughter, my great niece Emma, a happy 11th birthday. Easily around 30 cars in length, our happy birthday parade was quite the sight--and sound! Lots of honking and well wishes/yell kisses from the cars as we drove past.
Side note: this was the first time since March 18th (66 days) that I have driven anywhere other than from my driveway to the street. Felt so weird to be driving again!
This afternoon and evening, we watched the rest of The Mandalorian. Cool show, will be interesting to see what happens next!
First heard the phrase "The New Abnormal". Though not original to this pandemic, or even to The Strokes, who released a new album with this title in April, I believe, it was the first time I heard it, and it's sticking with me a bit.
Friday, May 22nd
Start of the 3-day weekend, and I am supremely grateful for this longer break too. "Got out" (ha!) at 3 PM today, and around 4 PM, Andy and I went for our 2-mile walk together. Very humid out, so the mask was hard to deal with at times, but due to so many people out and about at that hour, we decided it was best to keep the mask on the whole time, minus three or four 15-second breaks for me when I pulled it down in quiet areas just to catch a bit more fresh air.
Start of the 3-day weekend, and I am supremely grateful for this longer break too. "Got out" (ha!) at 3 PM today, and around 4 PM, Andy and I went for our 2-mile walk together. Very humid out, so the mask was hard to deal with at times, but due to so many people out and about at that hour, we decided it was best to keep the mask on the whole time, minus three or four 15-second breaks for me when I pulled it down in quiet areas just to catch a bit more fresh air.
Slippers arrived--I know, you care--and though they are 100% more comfortable to walk around than my previous pair, they're also hugging my feet too tightly and too warmly. Hoping to break them in more over time though.
Ninth weekly happy hour Zoom chat with friends. Participants included: Tall Michael, "Luxor" Michael, Michael Hoff, Rich, Lloyd, Heath & Arturo, Shannon, Andy, and me.
This was Andy's birthday, and the word I heard him use several times was one I had thought of on my own birthday three weeks earlier as well. In many ways, it summed up not just the experience of celebrating our birthdays this year, but so much of what has transpired these past two months: weird.
After the Zoom chat, Andy and I ate dinner and finally watched the first two episodes of The Mandalorian (in case you were wondering how slow we are to catch up on some things).
Thursday, May 21st
Perhaps one of the most powerful statements I can make about this whole situation is this very simple one: I had to order new slippers this week, because mine are now completely worn out. I feel the ground beneath me much more than usual, and all because these have been on my feet every day for over two months now. Of course, that thought leads me to worry about my computer, which I previously only used on the weekends mostly. I think buying another (larger) external hard drive is in my near future. It'd certainly make me feel more comfortable. As would those slippers, which finally arrive this weekend.
Perhaps one of the most powerful statements I can make about this whole situation is this very simple one: I had to order new slippers this week, because mine are now completely worn out. I feel the ground beneath me much more than usual, and all because these have been on my feet every day for over two months now. Of course, that thought leads me to worry about my computer, which I previously only used on the weekends mostly. I think buying another (larger) external hard drive is in my near future. It'd certainly make me feel more comfortable. As would those slippers, which finally arrive this weekend.
In Nick Cordero news, his wife posted yesterday that he's not doing well again. Such a sad story, but I continue to think of him. For anyone out there following along, please take 10 seconds right now to close your eyes and pray and/or wish good things for Nick Cordero. Thank you.
Wednesday, May 20th
It's been a high-stress week. In addition to the loads of work I've had at my day job, my freelance job needs me this week too, so last night around 5:00, I clocked out of ADP and started my other job. Put in a total of 3.5 hours on that freelance project now so far this week, and need to have it all finished by Friday. That said, I am extremely grateful their timing worked out that I have this project now instead of this coming weekend. I'd much rather have an extra-full work week followed by a relaxing three-day weekend, rather than work on the weekend too.
Andy's used this time to grow a big ol' beard. (I hate it, to be clear.) It is fun to see him look that way though, and he promises he'll shave it off soon. In fact, he has a video conference scheduled tonight with some of his firm's clients from Asia, so he's concerned they will not approve of his facial hair (it's actually a thing). Ahead of this, I took a bunch of photos of him with his beard last night for posterity, and today, he'll be shaving at least some of it off and trimming the rest. Thank the maker!
It's been a high-stress week. In addition to the loads of work I've had at my day job, my freelance job needs me this week too, so last night around 5:00, I clocked out of ADP and started my other job. Put in a total of 3.5 hours on that freelance project now so far this week, and need to have it all finished by Friday. That said, I am extremely grateful their timing worked out that I have this project now instead of this coming weekend. I'd much rather have an extra-full work week followed by a relaxing three-day weekend, rather than work on the weekend too.
Andy's used this time to grow a big ol' beard. (I hate it, to be clear.) It is fun to see him look that way though, and he promises he'll shave it off soon. In fact, he has a video conference scheduled tonight with some of his firm's clients from Asia, so he's concerned they will not approve of his facial hair (it's actually a thing). Ahead of this, I took a bunch of photos of him with his beard last night for posterity, and today, he'll be shaving at least some of it off and trimming the rest. Thank the maker!
Here's the full beard in all its glory:
Monday, May 18th
TWO MONTHS LATER: On Wednesday, March 18th, I went into work briefly, only to look at my phone and learn too late that we were officially on lockdown for the "next two weeks".
Sunday, May 17th
One of my goals this entire pandemic has been to get my house organized and cleaned up. I told myself right from the start that I needed to take advantage of all the extra time at home, because I knew I'd be pissed at myself for letting this opportunity pass me by. One of my current projects has been the reorganization of all my printed photos. I literally had a large box filled with photos facing every which way, though most, thankfully, not bent or damaged over time. Today, I completed part one of this picture reorganization process when I finished separating pictures by event or category, depending on the pile. In part 2 of this process, which will go much quicker, I'll put some of the photos in one of two albums I have waiting, and then put the rest into more organized boxes for safer storage going forward.
One of my goals this entire pandemic has been to get my house organized and cleaned up. I told myself right from the start that I needed to take advantage of all the extra time at home, because I knew I'd be pissed at myself for letting this opportunity pass me by. One of my current projects has been the reorganization of all my printed photos. I literally had a large box filled with photos facing every which way, though most, thankfully, not bent or damaged over time. Today, I completed part one of this picture reorganization process when I finished separating pictures by event or category, depending on the pile. In part 2 of this process, which will go much quicker, I'll put some of the photos in one of two albums I have waiting, and then put the rest into more organized boxes for safer storage going forward.
After dinner tonight, Andy and I took a slightly longer walk through Malverne from our house on the south side to the other side of the village proper in the north end, and then back again. Felt good!
Saturday, May 16th
Today we made our once-every-three-weeks trip to Costco. For the record, this is our third trip out for food and supplies since April 4th, which as you can imagine is quite the happy feat. We both agreed we should limit our exposure as much as possible, and so by doing this today, we have the next two weekends free at home. We once again left the house around 3 and got home around 5. Gas, for the record, was $1.75 per gallon.
Today we made our once-every-three-weeks trip to Costco. For the record, this is our third trip out for food and supplies since April 4th, which as you can imagine is quite the happy feat. We both agreed we should limit our exposure as much as possible, and so by doing this today, we have the next two weekends free at home. We once again left the house around 3 and got home around 5. Gas, for the record, was $1.75 per gallon.
When we got home, I cleaned off the items we'd need to put in the refrigerator and freezer today, or otherwise use this weekend, and then I changed out of my clothes and showered.
After a short rest, we ventured out for a walk together in Malverne. My knee was bothering me and Andy's concerned he has shin splints from running, so we shortened our two-mile walk to something closer to a mile and a half.
Friday, May 15th
Eighth weekly happy hour Zoom chat with friends. Smaller group this week: John & Michael, Lloyd, Charlie, Mike Hoff, Andy, and me.
Eighth weekly happy hour Zoom chat with friends. Smaller group this week: John & Michael, Lloyd, Charlie, Mike Hoff, Andy, and me.
After it ended, I ordered Chipotle on the app, and for the first time since March 13th, Andy and I visited our usual Uniondale location and picked up our food. Unlike the multiple disasters associated with this process last time through DoorDash and the Oceanside location, all went perfectly this time! In and out in less than 30 seconds total.
At home, we watched "Yesterday" and both loved it. I'd say it's a B+ movie quality wise, but I'd personally grade it a solid A because of the successful emotional impact it delivers on many levels.
Wednesday, May 13th
This will go down in history as the week I first heard the word "quaranteam". I have just one other member on my quaranteam, but he's a keeper for sure.
This will go down in history as the week I first heard the word "quaranteam". I have just one other member on my quaranteam, but he's a keeper for sure.
First World Problem for Andy and me this week: as of sometime yesterday evening, we ran out of bottled water. Bought two cases last time we went to Costco, but didn't make it the full three weeks (due for a trip again this Saturday) without running out.
Great news received this morning: Nick Cordero has woken up!
Monday, May 11th
Relative silence again as far as sirens go the past 11 days, but yesterday and today, we've heard them more often again, as well as seen ambulances driving past with their sirens blaring on nearby Lakeview Avenue.
Relative silence again as far as sirens go the past 11 days, but yesterday and today, we've heard them more often again, as well as seen ambulances driving past with their sirens blaring on nearby Lakeview Avenue.
Sunday, May 10th
Today I walked two miles by myself, which sounds thoroughly unimpressive except for the fact I hadn't done any kind of walk or exercise without Andy previously during quarantine. I look at my body these days and think, he must be so disappointed in me. I've let him go, for sure. It's not even that I've been eating a wealth of bad foods lately either, but more that I haven't been exercising nearly enough, and that is what this body of mine seems to need most to keep in shape.
Today I walked two miles by myself, which sounds thoroughly unimpressive except for the fact I hadn't done any kind of walk or exercise without Andy previously during quarantine. I look at my body these days and think, he must be so disappointed in me. I've let him go, for sure. It's not even that I've been eating a wealth of bad foods lately either, but more that I haven't been exercising nearly enough, and that is what this body of mine seems to need most to keep in shape.
Started reading a book called, "We Don't Die" about psychic medium George Anderson.
Saturday, May 9th
Today, Google sent me an update on where I've been lately based on phone pings. Needless to say, I was not surprised to see how little activity registered overall. Below represents March 1, 2020 through May 9th, 2020. (The darker blue March 18th mark on the photo represents the last day I traveled to work, which ended up being a fake-out anyway, as I just missed a text from my manager that morning telling me to stay home and start working from home.)
Today, Governor Cuomo extended the NY-on-Pause, stay-at-home order from May 15th until at least June 6th.
Also (because what else is new in this crazy world), it snowed a little today.
Finished reading the biography of Fr. James Martin by Jon M. Sweeney. Great book. This marks my third book finished in quarantine.
Friday, May 8th
Seventh weekly happy hour Zoom chat with friends (and family). Participants
this week
included John & Michael, Tall Michael, Lloyd, Rich, Charlie, Mike
Hoff, Heath & Arturo, Shannon & Frank,
Andy, and me.
Thursday, May 7th
I've been ridiculously busy with work lately, more so than ever before in some cases. Working from home is a definite plus, but it'd be a hell of a lot easier if I didn't have so much work to do. That said, I remind myself constantly of all those who have it infinitely worse: those who have died, those who have been hospitalized in critical condition, those who have lost their jobs or been put on furlough, and all the first responders who care for the many sick and dying souls out there, not to mention all the families who have lost a precious loved one to this virus as well. Considering all of this and more, I can wallow if I need to, but must focus my energy on maintaining a profound appreciation for my health and well-being for as long as I have them.Speaking of people with bigger issues: Broadway star Nick Cordero is finally starting to wake up from the coma he's been in. Playbill shared this today:
Update May 7, 2020:
According to [Nick's wife Amanda] Kloots, doctors at Cedars-Sinai reported that Cordero has shown the earliest signs of waking up: tracking. Previously, Cordero had opened his eyes, but was unresponsive to visual stimuli. As of May 6, his eyes showed tracking movement of visual stimuli. Cordero is off of the ventilator and breathing with the help of a trach. He is receiving nutrients via feeding tube.
The thought has occurred to me many times over the past three weeks: this guy, no matter how positive and optimistic he is, and happy to be alive, is going to wake up in bed without his wife or family around to embrace him, and he's going to realize (or be told) that he has had a leg amputated. Can't even imagine. So very heartbreaking.
Tuesday, May 5th
I thought to myself just now, 8:41 AM, that one good thing about this social isolation period is that no one has to serve jury duty. A moment later though, I remembered that this may mean delaying freedom and justice to those who are incarcerated. While I'm sure many situations do not require an in-person jury, there must be tons of situations right now where people's lives are on hold until things return to normal. Not just those in jail either, but divorce proceedings and more. Yes, the courts have surely introduced more video conferencing technologies lately, but I imagine many, many people are stuck with awful delays these days.3:30 PM realization: it's gonna be so absurdly odd returning to our various workplaces and offices surrounded by Happy St. Patrick's Day decorations.
Monday, May 4th
Andy and I took another long walk yesterday, our third together in the past week since Costco. Getting out of the house and walking around, mask on or in my hand when no one was around, helped me feel a little more normal about everything, and certainly less scared of my fellow human beings too. It's beginning to feel like a world in which we wear masks around each other in public--hopefully from a distance still for a while longer--is a new normal within the new normal.Sunday, May 3rd
This morning after making coffee, I grabbed a bunch of our local Herald newspapers from the past few weeks, and began looking through them in order. My plan was to just skim through for anything interesting, and then get them ready for recycling, but I very quickly changed course. As I read through the oldest edition from the pile, I was amazed to realize there was nothing in there about the coronavirus. And that was the birth of this breakdown for my/our records:Malverne/West Hempstead Herald
February 27 - March 4, 2020
No mentions at all about the coronavirus
March 5 - 11, 2020
One article appears, written by Mike Smollins about a poll conducted by Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital. It started with the line, "Amid more than 100 Nassau County residents being put in voluntary isolation to be monitored for exposure to the coronavirus and one case being confirmed in Manhattan, Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside released its latest "Truth In Medicine" poll, which focused on the virus." According to the referenced poll, 55% of the 600 area people asked said they would get a vaccine for the virus if one was discovered. The article goes on to state that the flu remains "a much more significant risk to public health", which, to be fair, at that time was true. The article concludes, "Overall, women were more likely than men to get a coronavirus vaccine if one were to become available. Younger respondents were also more likely to seek it than older respondents, and those who answered from New York City were more likely [to] receive it than Long Island residents."
March 12 - 18, 2020
A small story teaser titled "Safety vehicles for coronavirus" is promoted on the front page after two other story teasers for "Your Health: Nutrition and Heart Health" and "A tasty St. Patrick's Day".
20% of page 5 is a small story titled "Hofstra cancels classes amid coronavirus outbreak". It references a quote saying classes were canceled "out of an abundance of caution" for one week. The source is quoted again here: "We want to emphasize that this action is a precaution taken to provide peace of mind to students, faculty, staff and families. There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 associated with the university."
The page 14 story teased on the front of this week's Herald was mostly about preparedness, and seemed to be geared much like the Hofstra actions were, to put the community at peace, saying [not a quote], "We'll be okay. We have a lot of equipment and highly trained people."
This week's edition also included a short "Letter to the Editor" from Governor Cuomo, referencing his declaration of a state of emergency and reiterating some of the basics of what was known in that period in early March.
On the last page of the newspaper, the Opinion section, former Senator Alfonse D'Amato weighed in with this stark prediction: "Over the next few months, and possibly beyond, the No. 1 priority of government at all levels must be to battle and defeat this public health enemy." A little later he reminds us of the 1918 epidemic, and offers this beautiful sentence: "A disease that recognizes no borders and respects no politics or armies may be the one foe that succeeds in bringing us together."
March 19 - 25, 2020
The bottom third of the front page is a story titled, "One confirmed coronavirus case in West Hempstead".
On page 4, half the page is a story titled, "Nassau County schools closed amid coronavirus", and the first sentence reads, "All Nassau County schools will be closed for two weeks as of Monday, by order of Nassau County Executive Laura Curran."
On page 8, 65% of the page is a story titled, "Gatherings of 50 or more banned across state", a story echoing Governor Cuomo's order going into effect as of 8 PM Monday night (March 18th). The article says that "venues such as Broadway Tavern in Malverne moved events up before closing time on Monday for 'one last hurrah'." The article below this one says that Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital has implemented a new visitor policy, allowing only 2 visitors per patient.
March 26 - April 1, 2020
Other than a story about a local judge retiring and a half-page of blurbs about recent school activities, the entirety of this week's newspaper and all of its front page stories are about the coronavirus.
April 2 - 8, 2020
With very minimal exceptions, this week's paper was once again filled with stories related to the coronavirus. Postponements announced, projects delayed, and other news related to the pandemic filled the entirety of the paper. A story ran this week about a parade of cars that drove by the home of 10-year-old twins on their birthday. Parades like this one caught on very quickly all over the state.
Most remarkably, this week's edition of the Herald featured several business advertisements switching gears to pandemic-related advertising, a trend that has filled at least 75% of all TV ads now too as of this writing.
Saturday, May 2nd
Andy and I each got a lot of housework done, which felt good. I've had a bunch of ongoing projects here the past few weeks, and one major area in need of cleanup took a huge leap forward when I finished cleaning off a fold-out table on my second floor. The last mountain of randomness on this particular table was my collection of loose photos. I brought everything downstairs to my previously cleared off dining room table, and will now slowly go through the photos, put some in albums, and better organize the rest.At night, Andy and I watched Spotlight, which, believe it or not, we had never seen.
Friday, May 1st
What is this madness? Have we really entered into a third month now, at least at the top of our calendar pages, since the quarantine began? Wowzer! Closer to home, today is a little bit of a weird one, because it's my birthday. Early on, May 1st was seen as a hopeful it's-all-over day, when Glinda would appear outside our homes and sing, "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" to all of us in hiding. Alas and Alec Baldwin, twas not to be, but that's okay. I prepared myself for this day mentally and spiritually, and I'm just happy to be alive! 45 years old now. Halfway to 90!At 1:59 PM as I working at my desk upstairs, I got a phone call from my brother Rob. He and my sister-in-law Patricia were out riding their bikes, taking advantage of the beautiful weather, and decided to stop by and wish me well for my birthday. Very sweet surprise! Sucks not being able to hug or shake hands, but seeing them from a short distance in person was still great!
Sixth weekly happy hour Zoom chat with friends (and family). Participants this week included John & Michael, Tall Michael, Lloyd, Charlie, Rick, Mike Hoff, Heath & Arturo, Shannon, Abby, Ian, Andy, and me. It wasn't quite a birthday celebration, but was nice to have some sweet happy birthday wishes offered in real time over a video call just the same.
After the call, Andy and I watched The Life of Brian, which, believe it or not, we had never seen.
Thursday, April 30th
Yesterday evening at 5:45 PM, Andy and I ventured out of the house again, but in the car this time. We made a quick stop at Mavis to fill up my tire, and then drove to Glen Head for a quick but fun "drive by" birthday hello for our friend Keira. Mike H., Rick, Heath, and some of Keira's other friends led the way, with Andy and me in the last car as we stopped out front of her house to surprise her and wish her happy birthday from a safe distance. Some of her neighbors came out to clap, wave, and call across their happy birthday wishes too once they saw what was happening. It looked like Keira really liked it all, which made us very happy.Broadway actor Nick Cordero, still in a coma, went into septic shock this week due to a lung infection. He's lost a leg already, unbeknownst to him, so even when he wakes up, his recovery from this entire ordeal will be far, far from over. I gather his wife isn't able to see him in person at this point either, so when he does wake up, and learns about his leg, she'll only be on a video call at best. As we go through another day of "quarantine", may we remember some have it far worse.
The Numbers:
Nassau County 4/13: 846 dead (24,358 cases total)
Nassau County 4/29: 1,647 dead (35,085 cases total)
Number of dead up in the last 16 days: 801 (nearly double)
132 cases in Malverne as of 4/25
141 cases in Malverne as of 4/29
For weeks at the worst of this thing, I heard ambulances very often (we're located between two hospitals, each about 2 to 2.5 miles away). Then for the past two weeks, there was relative silence. It made me relax a little too. But then, just in the past 24 hours, I've heard the ambulances whirring past again on the main roads nearby. Not consistently, but more frequently than they had been. My mother taught me to say a little prayer whenever we heard sirens go past that all involved--those in need and those coming to help them--stayed safe and well. I do that still to this day.
Wednesday, April 29th
Yesterday after work, my friend Mike H. and I met for a half-hour Webex meeting on the platform he uses for work. The hope was that we could switch our Friday night online hangout to this site instead, eliminating the bump-off after 40 minutes, but at least for now, we're going to stick with Zoom.From 9-11 PM, Andy and I watched a new documentary on PBS called Inside The Vatican. Really good program overall with an inside look at many people, parts, and workings of the property I'd never seen before, or displayed so beautifully on film. One facet of TV and film watching I find fascinating these days is how quick I am to forget that these shows and movies were all filmed before the coronavirus hit the Earth. I'm sure this will read as an amusing anecdote years from now, but right now? We sometimes cringe when we see people shake hands or embrace. Sad, really!
Tuesday, April 28th
The Vice President toured the Mayo Clinic without a mask on. Doctors, nurses, patients--everyone else wore a mask but him.Each day during quarantine, I rely on two celebrities on two different social media platforms to keep me entertained and thinking. Playwright John Patrick Shanley on Twitter has been doing a good morning and good night video each day, and very often they are an instant wake-up call to the kind of deep appreciation for life I needed to hear that day. And over on Instagram, actor Leslie Jordan has been posting some truly hysterical little vlogs to his account, most of which neatly fit within his one-minute time limit.
Monday, April 27th
Last night, I gave Andy a haircut. I'd cut his hair once before, maybe a little less than two months ago, but this was the first time since the situation began. It looks good too, if I do say so myself.Incidentally, situation seems to be one of those easy go-to words I've used most often when describing this whole thing. It isn't meant to, dare I say, sanitize the situation, but rather simply to identify it without getting into any scary or otherwise uncomfortable territories. "It is what it is" was another phrase that appeared in my life more and more over the last year, enough so that I remarked about its existence in my vocabulary and the vocabulary of others on multiple occasions this year. Right now though, "it is what it is" could not be any more appropriate. We have a situation, we're dealing with it as best we can, and we're trusting we'll be back on the other side of it as soon as possible. Until then, well, it is what it is.
This evening after work, Andy and I took another short two-mile walk together through Malverne. We put our masks on whenever we saw people up ahead, and crossed the street whenever necessary too. Felt good to get out.
Sunday, April 26th
I decided on a whim just now as part of this update to count the days it's been since I've been "in quarantine" (we're not sick, but "locked up" doesn't feel quite right either), and also decided to count Day 1 as the first day I was told to stay home completely, even though I was in the office for about 15 minutes that morning. I was surprised, but also not surprised in the least, to realize today is Day 40. As a former monk and occasional theologian (ha!), I can't help but be struck by the correlation. Forty days and forty nights total will have passed by tomorrow's dawn, and where are we now?The mail stacked by my door in different piles is carefully put aside for at least two days in case the post office or mail carrier unwittingly delivered germs along with our bills. A bottle of hand sanitizer sits on the coffee table for convenience after taking in the mail or handling the recycle bin, which we store indoors during the week. On the TV stand, a small collection of face masks are spread out. Nearby, a large container of Lysol wipes, already quite depleted, awaits its next required participation in the process (I imagine we'll simply wash packages with water once we run out). In a plastic bag I'd brought with us to Costco to carry disinfectant and wipes for the car, a small container of plastic gloves sits on its side, beside two old bottles of water I'd forgotten in the car from three weeks earlier.
Throughout the living room and dining room, jars and packages of non-refrigerated foods sit off to the sides, items we need not worry about wiping down because we don't need to touch them for at least two days. A second jigsaw puzzle I hoped to start weeks ago still awaits my attention on the dining room table. On the other end of the table is my laptop, which only gets used for Zoom meetings on Friday nights. There are two coasters I leave next to the laptop lately for convenience, and sometimes just seeing them there makes me smile during the week.
Another bottle of hand sanitizer greets me in our first-floor bathroom and one on my desk upstairs as well, and in our bedroom, a laundry basket full of clothes needs attending to by Tuesday. On top of the pile are the clothes worn to Costco, clothes I don't want to even touch now, just in case this coronavirus bastard is on them somewhere. It all sounds alarmist, perhaps, but we're living in a county and a state overwhelmed by people getting sick and dying.
There are 132 confirmed cases in Malverne alone now, according to the map last updated yesterday, and 284 more in Lynbrook, which borders us just one block away. To date, 1,558 people in Nassau County alone have died from this virus. 910 were dead as of April 14th, so that means another 648 people in my county alone (an average of 54 people a day) have died from this thing in just the last 12 days. So yeah, I'm being overly cautious in some ways, but neither do I regret it.
Saturday, April 25th
Andy and I have to go to Costco again today. Three weeks since the last time we went out anywhere at all, except for a quick trip he made with my car last weekend to put some air in one tire. I'm leaving this little note here to chronicle the stress levels that are once again building within us at the thought of interacting with the general public. We argued a couple times this morning over silly things, and I just want to crawl back into my bed rather than even think of this. We do need food, however, and Costco has the bulk food items we can buy to last us another three weeks or more. We have better masks now too--last Costco trip, all I had was a thick scarf wrapped all around my head and neck that made it hard to breathe. So there's that, plus the small bit of comfort I feel in knowing less infected people are out there in the world now. That doesn't stop us from being as safe as possible, but does make us feel a little bit safer than before. We've also done all this once before--the Costco trip three weeks earlier with the face coverings and long line to get in--so there's a gift in having had a successful trip once already in our recent memories.
The Costco trip went well. We left the house around 3 PM and were home around 5 PM, which I consider a great success. I'm personally proud of myself that this time around, I specifically left red meat and bread off the list, aiming to get in better health and with a fitter body going forward. (I did buy a frozen meat lasagna and a single loaf of bread, also for the freezer, only to be sure I wasn't miserable if our food supplies began to dwindle.) I'd been going to the gym after work each day before this all started, but I've had literally zero exercise in over a month now.
While Andy paid for the food inside (thank you, Andy), I went "next door" to Costco's little built-in liquor store, where for the first time in my life, I bought an entire case of red wine. I'm not a snob, but do lean toward Merlot that's easy in the mouth, and my friend Heath got me into a cheap brand they sell there called Apothic (somehow appropriately named, don't you agree?). One case of it, 12 bottles, only cost me around $110 after tax. I've only been really drinking on Friday nights during our weekly Zoom hangout with friends, but do occasionally treat myself to a cocktail other days too, so the case of wine will keep me from rum and sugary drink mixers, which is good.
After Costco, and the subsequent wipe-downs, showers, and change of clothes necessary after that, Andy and I had a quick bite to eat, and then took a 2-mile walk together here in Malverne, the first exercise of any kind I'd taken. Felt great! We took along with us one mask each from a supply Andy bought online which were delivered while we were at Costco. Nowhere near as comfortable to wear as the two we got from Mike H., but good to have nonetheless.
After dinner, I poured myself a glass of red wine and we watched the 2019 movie Judy together. Really well done, and expertly acted by Renée Zellweger as Judy Garland. I'm not a big fan of Renée, but she really did an incredible job, and truly deserved her Oscar this past year. Big props to the actress who played young Judy as well: Darci Shaw.
Friday, April 24th
7:28 AM. The day got away from me really quickly yesterday, so I woke up early today to get ahead of as much as I could before my workday begins. I already put out the trash and recyclables for pickup, and will clean up the dishes soon too. One overriding reason for yesterday's mental derail was that a slot machine app I enjoy had a contest to win an iPad Mini. If you completed a few seemingly simple tasks, you'd be entered to win. I was working and at times plenty stressed with work situations too, so I certainly couldn't deal with the slots app at the same time. Even so, those things are designed to let you auto spin, so that's what I did. I let it go and just kept an eye and ear on it (lowest volume possible) throughout the afternoon. Well, suffice it to say, that strategy was just plain dumb. The thing was on my mind far too much, and by day's end, I couldn't even fulfill the "simple" requirements of the contest. Blah. Today will be better. It's just gotta be.Fifth weekly happy hour zoom chat with friends (and family). Participants this week included John & Michael, Tall Michael, Lloyd, Danny, Rick, Mike Hoff, Rich, Heath & Arturo, Shannon, Andy, and me. This was the first time that Zoom kicked us off after 40 minutes, hoping I'd buy a premium package. We had to restart the meeting again (same link worked, I believe, because the Zoom ID and password hadn't changed).
Wednesday, April 22nd
I wrote a short story last night, only around 3,800 words. It felt good to start and end it all in one sitting, but it also meant I ended the night overall much later than usual. I've fallen into a good rhythm sleep wise, though, so I'll just make sure to get to bed earlier tonight.Tuesday, April 21st
One of the most unexpected parts of this whole situation is the increased amount of work I've had. Right from the beginning, it's been extremely busy, and I thought at first it was just because people were trying to prove something in their daily work-from-home routine, but it still hasn't let up. As I'm the only proofreader now too, I've had to handle that much more in addition to what I already had. None of this is a complaint, as it's still manageable and does, I admit, make the days go by quicker, but having just a little more free time each day wouldn't suck either.New thought just came to me, though not at all original, I'm sure: the longer this goes on, the weirder normalcy will feel.
Facebook status message: And in the End Days, as the plague squeezes the planet whole like an over-ripe plum, great rocks will shower down across the people in their homes from a loud, angry sky. (We got a quick but intense hailstorm here just now.)
Mike Hoff came by tonight with two face masks for Andy and me. We'd networked with him two weeks prior about getting two through his cousin, so he said he could drop them off for us. It was great to get them, and just as wonderful to see Mike, albeit from a distance.
Sunday, April 19th
After spending the last few days compiling the info you see in all previous entries here, I was finally caught up, and ready to start updating it regularly with new information.Andy gave me a haircut (#coronacut), and he did a really great job too!
I finished reading a second book since the quarantine began. The first one, which I'd been reading since before this started, was A Very Stable Genius. This second, much lighter one, was Beautiful on the Outside, by Olympic medal winning figure skater Adam Rippon. On Monday, I'll begin a biography of Father James Martin.
Saturday April 18th
One of the tires on my car has a slow leak, so once every week or two, it needs some air. Andy went out to put some in for me, making sure to be careful touching the air pump outside our nearby Mavis Discount Tires. He also started both cars, making sure they were okay.Because this was now two weeks of quarantine without us interacting with anyone (two weeks since our Costco trip), we kissed for the first time in a month. I realize how silly some may think I am for worrying, but I just didn't want the smallest thing to hurt us unnecessarily.
Late that night, I read the news that Broadway star Nick Cordero, still fighting for his life, would need to have his right leg amputated.
Friday, April 17th
Thousands of protestors took to the streets on Thursday to challenge the extended stay-at-home orders put forth by various governors, and on Friday morning, the president took to Twitter to support them. These were people marching in the streets, shoulder to shoulder, many with no masks on, despite everything the experts were saying on TV. Everything they did was a ridiculously stupid risk not only to their own safety, but to their innocent family members back in their houses, and the President of the United States of America? He cheered them on via Twitter. Horrible.Fourth weekly happy hour zoom chat with friends (and family). Participants this week included John & Michael, Tall Michael, Heath & Arturo, Shannon & Frank, Andy, and me.
Two tragedies of different kinds rocked my friends' circle this week. On Thursday, my friend Charlie, who just lost his 97-year-old aunt six days earlier, lost his nephew, though not, it seemed, due to the virus this time. His nephew was only 28 years old. And then just 15 minutes after our Zoom call ended, we got word that two of our friends, neither on the Zoom call, broke up. I leave these notes here as a reminder that truly terrible things are always happening in life, but when truly terrible things happen in a truly terrible time in our lives, they feel even more terrible.
Thursday, April 16th
Facebook status message: Good morning, world. Today, my thoughts go to the phrase "new normal". Adapting to so many changes so quickly is not a choice, and so we've done what we need to on the fly, but as many of us have reached or already passed the one-month mark, with no clear end in sight, we need a new approach going forward. We need to re-focus ourselves on this new world-at-home around us. Many of our "new normal" tasks, activities, and entertainment options need not change, but some tweaks may be helpful for us to find just a tad more comfort. Perhaps that means smarter grocery buying decisions, better time management planning, or even something as dreaded but simple as adding more exercise to our day. I confess I don't have any game-changing ideas for you here, but I wanted to at least start by acknowledging this turning point as its own pivotal moment in time. As long as we're all in this for the long haul, how can we make the most of this time? Just as importantly, how can we get to the other side of it without any serious regrets? Happy Thursday.
Just over a week after talking with my neighbor Teresa about Sandy, our mutual neighbor's death, she texts me to check in and see how we're doing.
SEAN (cell):
We're okay too, ty. Keep meaning to mention it's been very nice watching your white flowered backyard tree bloom [these past few weeks].
TERESA (cell):
Looking out your kitchen window? LOL not mine, Sandy's, on border so branches come over fence. It is a cherry tree, birds get most of them though! Stay well and safe!
SEAN (cell):
Aww, I feel more connected to Sandy then, knowing that tree and I have connected so many times the past few weeks.
TERESA (cell):
I was just sitting outside and the birds are landing really close, think they are not used to humans outside! Dove and robin.
SEAN (cell):
Aww, yeah, been watching the birds a lot lately...I'm sure they know something is up
Monday, April 13th
On March 10th, it was reported that there were "20 confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Long Island, with 19 of them in Nassau County." On this day, April 13th, the numbers were much more grave. 24,358 total positive cases in Nassau County alone, with 846 people dead from the virus already, and the number of dead rose by another 64 people less than 24 hours later.Giving us some small glimmer of hopefulness on an otherwise grim day was a large rainbow that briefly appeared in the sky. We barely caught a photo before it completely disappeared:
Sunday, April 12th (Easter)
We have a super strange but admittedly fun tradition in my family the past few years where on holidays and special occasions, a few of us meet underneath the dining room table and take a selfie together. Because we're all under quarantine, my sister Marilyn took a selfie looking sad by herself under her own dining room table. She sent it as a text to a few of us who normally participate, and each one of us in turn did the same at our own houses. Here's a pic Andy took of me...
Saturday, April 11th
Finished the 500-piece jigsaw puzzle that morning. That afternoon, the Easter Bunny and Chamber Champ, the Malverne Chamber of Commerce mascot, rode down every street in Malverne, waving to kids and playing Easter music loudly through speakers.
I hear the news that Broadway star Nick Cordero, who I saw in A Bronx Tale, is in critical condition fighting for his life because of the coronavirus.
Friday, April 10th
Early that afternoon, it snowed briefly for the first time in months. What the fuck already?Checked in with friends of ours we hadn't spoken to recently, one of whom is a 911 operator. He said it's really bad out there, and the casualties keep going up every day.
Another friend said his brother had the virus but is recuperating already in self-isolation.
Third weekly happy hour Zoom chat with friends. Participants this week included John & Michael, Tall Michael, Heath, Lloyd, Charlie, Danny, Drew, Andy, and me.
Just before the chat started, I got a text from Charlie that his 97-year-old Aunt Jo, who we'd just met six weeks earlier and knew to be in great health, caught the coronavirus in the rehab she was temporarily living in, and died. Charlie joined us in the chat, and we raised a glass to Aunt Jo and helped him through his shock as best any of us could.
Wednesday, April 8th
My next-door neighbor texted me some terrible news.TERESA (cell):
Hey how are u guys? Wanted to let u know my neighbor on other side, Sandy, died from the C19 virus. I had not been in close contact with him so not so worried, more sad. My elderly neighbor from hometown also a victim. But we are all ok here.
Sandy's house borders our backyard, as Teresa is on the corner. He's come around the block to use his snowblower on our sidewalks several times in the past, and his grandson did once too. Very nice man, so this is very sad news to hear.
In happier news, Andy and I recorded a quick skit and Happy Birthday song on video for our niece Lorelei up in Massachusetts. She unfortunately had a much smaller than normal 10th birthday this year, so it was nice to send a special video her way. We also called her up that night.
Tuesday, April 7th
Facebook status update: I'm not sure if it's because I've been doing this three weeks now or what, but today is just filled with a super weird energy for me. Anyone else? Or if you're not feeling it any differently today, are you at least, like me, a bit blown away by how weird and surreal this whole experience is?At 7 PM, all the sirens of all the nearby fire houses sounded at once in support of the healthcare workers and first responders. It was so beautiful. I filmed it briefly too.
A "Super Pink" full moon rose at night.
Sunday, April 5th
With live theatre missing from the world all of a sudden, various folks in the entertainment industry have taken to social media for live concerts from their homes, broadcasts of musical productions, and more. Andrew Barth Feldman (Dear Evan Hansen) began something called Broadway Jackbox (#BwayJackbox) to bring together Broadway stars, play some silly games for an online audience, and raise some money for the Broadway community besides. Others have offered their artistic talents live as well, people like Melissa Etheridge, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Paul Simon, and Yo-Yo Ma, just to name a few. Tonight, while working on the jigsaw puzzle, I watched a Facebook Live at-home concert by an incredible singer from North Carolina named Laurelyn Dossett. She sang and played to benefit Triad Stage, and the video of the show I watched can be found here.
Saturday, April 4th
Found out a third family member had the virus, once again from a completely different household. I was already stalking the social media feeds of Family Member 1 and Family Member 2, but now had a third to keep up with as well. Family Member 3 was already on the mend by the time I heard of their news though. I also learned that a friend's (MK from PCH) mom tested positive and is in the ICU with pneumonia. They've discussed the possibility of putting her on a ventilator.It was clear at this point we needed some major food shopping done for the house, and Andy didn't want to have to go out alone. We decided we'd go to Costco, as we heard they were doing a really great job keeping people safe and away from each other. Andy had a mask and I had a scarf around my head. He pushed the cart, the handles of which a Costco employee sanitized for us before we entered, and he was also holding the list of what we needed. My job was to grab things with the disposable gloves I wore and put them into the cart, as well as unload them onto the conveyor belt once we reached the register.
On line before we went in, we were kept apart from other shoppers by strips of tape out on the sidewalk, which did a great job of reminding us to stay back. Except for one guy in shorts and a t-shirt, every one of us was wearing some kind of mask or facial covering. I wouldn't say he sneered at us, but he looked like he'd just gotten in from a private island in the Caribbean and thought the rest of us were all nuts to be so worried. The line to get in wrapped around the side of the building, and the atrium was filled with shopping carts, forcing us to wait in line around them in an orderly fashion.
Their plan was 1 person in, 1 person out, so once two customers left, Andy and I were able to enter. The store was relatively empty, and all went exactly to plan. I think the whole trip took us less than 3 hours door to door, which as far as I was concerned was a huge success. Lots of packaging wipe-downs when we came back, plus clothes came off for laundering, showers and scrubbing too.
That evening, we found out a bald eagle was spotted just four blocks from our house. I knew there were eagles spotted occasionally at nearby Hempstead Lake State Park, but with so much less vehicular traffic, noise, and pollution, we think the bird took a rare flight north to see what was up.
That night, I started a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle.
Friday, April 3rd
30% of my company was put on furlough. I was not affected, but five members of our group were, including the other proofreader, which means all work has to go through me now.Second weekly happy hour Zoom chat with friends, once again at 6 PM and with the same participants as the week before (John & Michael, Tall Michael, Andy, and me).
Thursday, April 2nd
Facebook status update: Update from the House of SEANDY. We set the alarm for 8 AM each day, as we're both working from home. I start at 8:45 and Andy at 9, but I'm usually up well before 8 anyway. I get up and turn on the heat, then make us an 8-cup pot of coffee. I turn my computer on early too, just to torture myself, I suppose, with work worries before I'm paid to worry about them. One great joy about this working from home experience is the bird watching. I love pausing at the top of my second-floor stairs, for instance, and watching the cardinals in the trees. Our house is very quiet most of the day, as we've both been very busy, but we see each other for a minute or two at a time throughout the morning and afternoon on the way to the bathroom or to fetch more coffee. I take my lunch from 12:45 to 1:30, and Andy starting around 1:00, so we usually see each other then too. Around 2 PM, I make a second smaller pot of coffee. Besides that, it's honestly very quiet here 95% of the time during the workday. I try to do at least one small cleanup or organization type thing around my house every day too, even if just for 5 minutes total. Those little bits have really added up to make a noticeable impact, believe it or not. I read every night as well. Finished one book and am on another already. Anyway, that's life by us in a nutshell. I hope things are healthy and sane by you too. If not, please reach out to me anytime.NYC starts urging people to wear masks when in public, whether they're sick or not.
One friend tells me by text that he's scared to call some people, afraid of what bad news they'll tell him. I let him in on my texting and social media stalking techniques, which he seemed to appreciate.
That evening, I read a news article referencing furloughs at my company, and sent the link to my manager via text message. She confirms she found out that day, and promises more information the following morning.
Wednesday, April 1st
Text message to my manager, half venting and half joking:SEAN (cell):
I do a lot more cursing out loud these days
Tuesday, March 31st
I took a few days to put together some thoughts I hoped would resonate with people about this whole scary situation. On Tuesday afternoon the 31st, I finally shared it here.Monday, March 30th
We get news that our family friend Jane has lost her dad to the coronavirus. The realization hits us all at once how awful it is that people will be dying now without proper public wakes and other services.Saturday, March 28th
Text exchange with my aunt for her birthday:SEAN (cell):
Happy Birthday, Aunt Donna!!! 81 already? Surely things got mixed up and you're still 18?!?! :) I hope today has been special, even if just through texts and phone conversations until better days in the next month or two. Much love today and always! <3
AUNT DONNA (cell):
Thanks Sean! I'd be satisfied with 70 right now. It's all relative. Stay well till this nightmare is over. Much love to you and Andy.
Friday, March 27th
First happy hour video chat with a few friends while under quarantine. Started at 6 PM. Just testing the waters, as none of us knew how to do it. We started on Facebook Messenger, but quickly moved to Zoom. Participants included John & Michael, Tall Michael, Andy, and me.At some point this week, I heard that another family member was getting tested for the virus (separate household from the first family member). So the first who tested positive, I'll call Family Member 1 and this person now is Family Member 2.
Facebook status update: Andy and I are going to try delivery for the first time tomorrow. Just dinner. I don't think I need to tell you where we're going to order from. We'll order in groceries by the end of next week too. Anyone do this yet for either a meal or groceries? Thinking we'll put tip in mailbox and ask them to leave bag(s) on stoop?
Andy and I ordered Chipotle on the app for delivery. We've never in our lives ordered food through an app before. Just before the driver was due to arrive, Chipotle calls me and says the guy picked up only half our order. Shit. Chipotle guy says to tell the driver to come back and pick up the rest. "Okay," I tell him. I call driver, hoping to catch him before he's too close, but he pulls up in front of my house as I do, so I explain the problem to him first over the phone and then face to face as he hands me the bag. I notice he's got a mask, but it's just around his neck. Says he's already here and not going back to Chipotle, that I'll have to go back myself, but either way not his problem. I regret leaving him such a large tip in advance through the app.
I call Chipotle in Oceanside, where the food is delivered from, and speak to at least three of the four people working there, as each one in turn puts me on hold to figure things out. I look at the bag at some point now and realize the guy didn't even deliver our half order, but someone else's. I tell the guy at Chipotle I'll come to pick up the food, and will need them to re-make whichever half of my order they don't still have at their location.
We drive over--and this is after being home for over a week and hearing how many people are getting sick out there, so it just felt very wrong somehow to be outside at all. It's only around 8 or 9 PM, but based on how empty the streets are, it felt more like 4 in the morning. Super, super eerie! Andy stays in the car and I walk in, immediately noticing the place is cordoned off behind chairs and tables. It's not quite like the wall in Les Mis, but still formidable, and sends a powerful message: stay back! I stand with three other people, all staying 6-10 feet away from each other as we wait for our food.
I get my bags a few minutes later and head back to the car. When I get home, we wipe everything down, I soap down my hands and arms, take off my clothes and change into fresh clothes, and then wash my hands again. I report the issues to Chipotle multiple times, but never hear back. I've always hated the Oceanside location, by the way. The place is always a mess, and the staff have never been pleasant to deal with.
Wednesday, March 25th
Facebook status update: Sports AND the Tony Awards are postponed for the same reason?! What?!?! But hey, listen. You know what ISN'T postponed? LIFE is not postponed! Your ability to smile right now in this moment is not postponed! Your ability to appreciate all the life behind you and all the life still ahead of you is not postponed! All this and more are open for business RIGHT NOW as essential services! So cherish your life and all you still have. I promise you the Tony Award-winning baseball games will be back once this commercial break is over.Tuesday, March 24th
A text thread with coworkers included this brief exchange:COWORKER (cell):
Hi guys! How's everyone doing today?
SEAN (cell):
Work wise, health wise, and otherwise good. The biggest challenge has been dealing with the stress of the situation as a whole. Heard about [a family member] who tested positive (hadn't seen her this year yet though), and so that makes me worry. I think I did a good job protecting myself the past few weeks though, so [fingers crossed emoji].
Later that day, I learned playwright Terrence McNally had died after contracting the coronavirus. I had the chance to meet Mr. McNally once at a pride event, but was too shy to do more than wave his way. His partner Tom friended Andy a few years back on Facebook, but we never tried to strike up a friendship with either of them. My heart aches for Tom and all who knew Terrence.
Facebook update that afternoon: Working from home has its challenges and its rewards, but after just over a week of this, I've fallen into a nice rhythm, and I imagine I'll finally find my stride just as it's all ending. In the meantime, despite the annoyances, I'm happy to celebrate the little victories. Getting Acrobat and Excel to cooperate with my demands. Making my mouse stop acting like a hyperactive little brat. (STOP HIGHLIGHTING EVERYTHING!!!) Cleaning up my desktop and my desk's top in short order. Making myself get up throughout the day to tidy up little bits of my second floor in between jobs. Making a pot of coffee twice a day. Cleaning the dishes after I use them. Maintaining home and body cleanliness in general along with all my best hopes for sanity. Each of these little moments will no doubt be long forgotten once this is over, so I register them here for posterity. No, hardly the stuff of the Smithsonian, but the Facebook Memories feed will do.
Monday, March 23rd
My friend Taylor, who works in a pharmacy, tells me of a couple he knows who have the virus, and she just had a baby, so they're all separated and can't see their baby. The pharmacies can't close, so he's worried about his exposure, and apparently people keep breaking the six feet apart rule, despite all the tape on the floor. He has to keep yelling at them in as nice a way as possible.Later that day, my sister Marilyn tells me in a text that she's got the same problem at the hardware store she works at.
MARILYN (cell):
I am still going to work every day...essential business and all...I have to keep softly yelling at customers to keep a respectable distance
Andy thinks we already have the coronavirus, but are just asymptomatic. I'm not so sure. I don't like the idea of having it even without symptoms. People we're connected to who thought the whole thing was overblown are already starting to worry.
Sunday, March 22nd
Diary entry: As far as I'm concerned, social distancing sucks, but I'm grateful to have Andy here with me. The catch, however, is something others may be going through too: we're staying away from each other too, even inside our house. Why? Well, because either one of us may have this thing, and just in case, I'd rather we not kiss or touch right now. I'm careful of what I touch in the house too, and wipe down common items like the refrigerator handle, stove, and more, but at the same time, I can't help but think it's inevitable, that if one of us did catch it somewhere, it's only a matter of time before the other gets it too. Even so, I prefer to be safe.I posted a reflection I called Before I Leave This Earth:
I also posted this on Facebook: Sunday update from the House of SEANDY. Because Andy needed to go pick up a prescription today, he decided he'd just go to the store for food as well. Though we're both 100% on board with shopping and supporting local businesses, he decided he'd do Costco, if only because it's easier to avoid getting too close to people. Anyway, without giving you every last detail, he was able to pick up several things we needed, and then once he got home, I rubbed everything down with sterilizing wipes, including his sunglasses, keys, and the door handles. Plenty of handwashing and other thoughtful maneuvers too. I pray all our friends, family members, work friends, and neighbors stay smart, sane, and healthy right now. I believe if we all do what we need to, and stay home as much as possible too, we'll get through this okay.
Saturday, March 21st
I was supposed to meet a few family members for dinner in Rockville Centre this day, the day of the scheduled St. Patrick's Day parade there. The evening wasn't cancelled, but we all knew not to go.Friday, March 20th
Facebook status update: Quick update from the House of SEANDY: Andy and I are well. We've both been pretty busy at work, so that's kept us distracted from the news and stress a bit, thank God. We're okay on our paper supplies, and have food to last us the next week or two. The more I work from home, the more I've cleaned up my desktop and actual desk's top, as well as learned how to change my programs to best match my work needs just as at the office (I proofread PDFs, Excel files, and Word documents for a living). Regarding food, by the way, Andy's talking about going out for eggs, berries, and other food this weekend, but I'm encouraging him to not worry about that for now. Any thoughts? I suppose a Costco trip is a necessity sooner or later. Just need to make sure he stays safe on any trips out if he does go anywhere.Thursday, March 19th
Andy had a scheduled doctor's visit in Manhattan, but ended up doing a video call instead.I spoke to a friend in South Korea, making sure he's okay, and he gives me some good news, that the number of patients there are actually decreasing.
Wednesday, March 18th
I got up, shaved, showered, and dressed for work. Left the house at 8:15 AM per my usual schedule. When I arrived to work, I walked in through the warehouse entrance as usual, and saw three of the guys there, all standing apart, and one of the ladies who works in my area there too (NG), holding some things. I'd noticed her car was parked right outside and was filled with plants she'd brought down from upstairs, but didn't think much of it. "Oh, is today your turn?" she asked me. "Yeah, let's see how long this all lasts," I said. A little more brief banter then, and I went upstairs, where I very quickly realized something was amiss. It was very, very quiet. I looked at my cell phone then, and saw my manager had texted me at 8:19 AM, just four minutes after I left the house.FRANCINE (cell):
If you haven't checked your email yet from last night, please don't go to work. We're remote next two weeks.
Whoops. Well, at least I get to go home again, I thought. I checked my email to see what was sent out, and then I texted her back.
SEAN (cell):
Oh. At office now. Okay then. :)
I recorded a silly little video a la Kevin in Home Alone, saying, "I made my coworkers disappear", and then I went home, grabbing my bottle of flavored creamer out of the fridge, along with a couple other things from around my desk.
On Facebook later that morning, I shared this: Work update: Andy and I are both working from home through at least next week. We are well aware this is a blessing to have jobs that allow us to keep doing our work remotely, and I encourage you to be as generous as you can be with friends, family members, and indeed complete strangers in your local community too who might suddenly be out of work at some point now or in the near future. Our health is what matters most of all, of course, but we need to help each other get through all the financial repercussions that may follow too! Just imagine the celebrations and hugging to come! If anyone needs to vent or talk, please send me a private message anytime. Maybe we already chat often or perhaps we've never talked before. Just know I'm here for you!
Tuesday, March 17th
I told a friend in a Facebook message something I haven't mentioned publicly until now:"Andy and I aren't kissing just in case. So weird. I wash my hands here at home and sanitize, but if one of us has it, I feel like it'll be all too easy for the other to get it too."
I worked from home, while some of my coworkers worked in the office. I punched out at 5:06 PM and turned off my computer for the day.
Las Vegas shuts down.
Monday, March 16th
Andy began working from home.Someone I know told me her sister's friend's husband, 38 years old and healthy, contracted the virus and was already in the ICU. At this point, my anxiety officially ratcheted up a few notches.
SEAN (Gmail IM):
restaurants and more will all be closing statewide today or tomorrow, only thing open will be some supermarkets I guess
ANDY (Gmail IM):
wow...ugh, so crazy right now, saw stock market is going down like crazy
After setting up a schedule only the previous workday (Friday), my employers changed it again on Monday to only have half the number of people in the building at any given time. Since I was scheduled to be in the office that day, it meant I was due back in again on Wednesday the 18th. Even so, as I left work that day, I waved goodbye to everyone in case I didn't see them again for a while.
Saturday, March 14th
My brother Paul had invited me this day to a small St. Patrick's Day celebration at his house. I told Andy he should stay home, since he was going back and forth to Manhattan for work, just to be safe in case he was infected with the virus unwittingly.I attended my brother's party, but we all stayed a few feet away from each other (not a full 6 feet, but we were outdoors 99% of the time) and fist bumped, elbow bumped, or kicked shoes together rather than shaking hands. Two people shook hands anyway, and openly criticized the rest of us for worrying at all. Their dismissiveness bothered me, and I decided to cut out even earlier than I'd planned to.
On the way home, I passed Jake's 58 Casino on the L.I.E. I'd been thinking earlier that I might pop in there quickly if I could stay away from people a bit and maybe keep using hand sanitizer, but Andy had urged me before I left the house that day not to go in. Hearing his voice in my head, I kept driving, and didn't stop until I was home.
Andy went over to King Kullen that evening to pick up a few things, before there was a run on the store. He was already too late in some ways, as you can see based on these pictures...
That night, I heard from my sister Maureen that the engagement party scheduled for my niece Alison on Saturday April 4th was rescheduled for September 5th due to the virus. I remember thinking, wow, delayed by 5 months? Is that necessary?
SEAN (cell):
Okay, sounds good. I'm usually away that weekend [in Vermont], but this year will be crazy, so no idea what will happen.
Friday the 13th (because, of course)
President Trump declares a National EmergencyOn Friday morning, HR at my job confirmed the work schedule, adding that those who take the Long Island Rail Road or buses need to start working from home every day immediately, and I soon receive more specific direction from my department manager. I'm scheduled to work in the office Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday (March 16th, 17th, and 19th) that next week. Andy, meanwhile, will begin working from home full-time on Monday the 16th.
ANDY (Gmail IM):
ok, so you are going in 3 days then
SEAN (Gmail IM):
each week, yes
for starters...though I personally think we'll all be working from home within another 2 weeks
At 12:10 PM that afternoon, our friend Rick canceled his party invite for the next day, citing a rapid increase of concerns shared with him from various family members: Hello all as you all know my father is not a well man and has a low immune system. Due to that fact sadly I am going to have to cancel tomorrow. Hopefully we can do something in the future. Sorry for the short notice.
That afternoon, we also got an email letting us know our in-building cafeteria will adjust for the different flow of employees. "The Cafe hours will remain the same. However, we will move the hot food special from Monday to Thursday since we will have a full staff on Thursday. Bagel Friday will also move to Thursday and will be served from behind the deli counter. Taco Tuesday, Quesadilla Wednesday and Panini Friday will remain as is."
I got home from work and put on The Golf Channel, only to learn The Players tournament was canceled at the conclusion of Round 1, and all golf tournaments, like many other sports, are now temporarily suspended. Well, fuck.
That evening, keeping up a Friday night tradition, Andy and I went to our favorite Chipotle (in Uniondale by Hofstra University) for takeout. It would be our last visit there for quite a while.
That evening, keeping up a Friday night tradition, Andy and I went to our favorite Chipotle (in Uniondale by Hofstra University) for takeout. It would be our last visit there for quite a while.
Thursday, March 12th
Our friend Rick was planning to have a birthday party at our house on Saturday, March 14th. Andy suggested we cancel it multiple times, so finally on Thursday morning, I texted Rick to bring it up.SEAN (cell):
Good morning. We're concerned about the party, thinking it may be best to cancel, just in case one of us (any of us) has the coronavirus already without knowing it, just because of your parents and other people's elderly relatives. Open to your thoughts. Rick wasn't worried, and said he trusted our friends to not come if they were feeling ill, so I suggested we turn it over to our friends to decide, and he agreed. My words and his here both show how we didn't understand this thing very well yet. We're open to hosting still, I texted him back, but I'm gonna post in event now to discuss.
At 11:12 AM, I wrote the following in the event:
Andy and I are still up for hosting this, but want to (figuratively) take your temperature too. Are we all okay with hanging out in close proximity with one another? Will we all make liberal use of tissues supplied and wash our hands regularly? And of course if anyone's even a little sick with something other than just a sniffle, you'll agree to please stay home? (Same for Andy and me, our house would be canceled for this if we were ill.) Open to all your kind and loving thoughts though on any of the above. Laughter at my concerns is the only thing not welcome.
In a followup message, I added:
It's strange, but this really does make me yearn for hugs/affection in general more knowing we have to be careful.
Broadway announces all theatres will immediately go dark.
People at my job began discussing a new rotating work schedule, where some people would work from home some days while others came into the office, but nothing official is announced yet. That afternoon at Andy's job, he gets an email saying they'd like everyone to begin working from home starting on Tuesday, March 17th, which, it was noted, accelerated their earlier plan to do it in stages.
Just before I left work for the day, I hear the schedule will begin Monday the 16th, and that they'll have some of us work from home Monday, all of us work in the office on Tuesday, some of us work from home on Wednesday, all of us work in the office on Thursday, and some of us work from home on Friday. So everyone will be scheduled to work in the office three of the five days on a rotating schedule that will be revised the following week.
I get home and watch what's left of Thursday's playing of The Players golf tournament, happy to at least have that as a welcome escape from reality, and confident that while other sports may need to go on break, golf will be able to continue, because it's all outdoors in the open air, not even within a stadium. Patrons at the courses, it seems, will just be kept home.
On Facebook, I posted this:
Starting next week, everyone at my job on Long Island will work in the office on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and on one other alternating day, working from home the two other days. Seems odd, but I think it's their way of starting to get people used to it. It'll probably increase over time. Andy works in Manhattan, so they're moving everyone to work from home every day starting this Tuesday, if not sooner. As far as our jobs are concerned, we're both very lucky to be able to do this, and recognize so many others are not. I've worked from home a bunch of times before and enjoy it a lot. Same work, just more time in sweatpants and slippers. Please join me in praying for all those affected in so many industries. The sickness itself is awful, but the economic hardships are going to last quite a while too, it seems.
Wednesday, March 11th
The pandemic is officially declared from the WHO Headquarters in Switzerland.
Toilet paper supplies are dwindling quickly, due to mass hoarding around the world.
That morning, I asked my manager for Monday, April 13th off from work, as I was planning to visit our niece in Massachusetts for her birthday. I add that fact here to remind myself I was not worried about this situation extending more than a month.
On Facebook, I shared a meme and a cartoon about the virus, both specifically directed at people who didn't seem to be worried at all.
Tuesday, March 10th
@ThatSaraGoodman on Twitter: I guess we're about to find out which meetings could've been emails after all...
Around 6 PM, our HR Director wrote to tell us that while they were not planning to close the office, they were beginning to look at various work-from-home possibilities.
That evening at home, I find out that Nassau Community College, down the block from my building, had closed due to a positive case. Nearby Hofstra University, next to where Andy and I go to Chipotle on Friday nights, already closed their campus too, and schools around Long island were at least temporarily doing the same. A news story from our local Patch reported that as of that morning, "there are 20 confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Long Island, with 19 of them in Nassau County."
Monday, March 9th
I posted this on Facebook... I don't know of anyone connected to me who has the virus or who has been
quarantined, but just a reminder: please don't judge people who are as
if they've purposely endangered others or carelessly endangered
themselves. Even with vigorous protection, things still happen. Please
be compassionate to all. ...yet someone still mocked me, telling me to "chill".
An HR representative at my company sent us an email that said, in part, "As you are aware, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has categorized the health risk of COVID-19 to the general American public as low." It talked about dealing with insurance as well as mental health, but didn't go further.
Sunday, March 8th
I shared this meme on Facebook, from a page called "Blessed Are The Weird":
Saturday, March 7th
Governor Andrew Cuomo declares a State of Emergency in New York StateThat evening, Andy and I took our friend Danny out to dinner on Long Island for his birthday. We were at first planning on a buffet, but after talking more about it, decided that wasn't the safest decision based on all the serving utensils touched by so many at those places. I remember being glad we were seated where we were that night too, as the location was a little bit away from most people.
Thursday, March 5th
I published my review of Andrew Barth Feldman's Star Wars musical parody on Medium, and tagged him and others when sharing it on social media. At 1:04 PM, he retweeted my review with a caption that made my heart sing with joy: "This is the best review I will ever receive."With growing concerns about the virus seeping in, the company I work for held a spontaneous Town Hall meeting. Approximately 150 of us gathered together, and many joked we probably shouldn't be doing that, but based on our participation, it's clear we weren't all that worried either. One coworker left halfway through, and when I saw her afterward, she said she felt a small coughing fit coming on, and didn't want to freak everyone out. At the meeting, three of the top executives told us the company was in a great place, so if there were any repercussions from the possible outbreak, we'd be okay. They also announced we'd each receive a $7.00 coupon to use in the company cafeteria and get out at 3 PM the next day. The coupons were already printed out for us and ready to pick up at reception that afternoon, but had expiration dates set for September, 2020.
That evening, Andy and I attended a birthday dinner at Olive Garden. Some hugged, while others just bumped fists. The situation was discussed with more concern than in the past, but not with any grave worries about an all-out pandemic. Picture from that evening:
That night before I fell asleep, I shared this meme on Facebook:
Wednesday, March 4th
That afternoon, I made a trip over to Target to buy some bread and one or two other little things. Before I left, my coworker joked she might need to go get some toilet paper soon, as there were reports it was disappearing from the shelves. "Want me to get you some?" I asked, and she agreed. Supplies were running out, but they still had some, so I grabbed her an 8-pack.Tuesday, March 3rd
I attended a small gathering at my friend Laura's home in Bay Shore.
There were only about 6-8 of us present, but we knew at that point we
shouldn't hug or kiss each other, only bump fists. Laura and I may have
hugged anyway by the time I left.
Monday, March 2nd
Dan Rather shared this helpful mnemonic on his Facebook page: "If you’re happy and you know it... wash your hands."
Sunday, March 1st
On Sunday morning, Andy and I picked up our friends John and Michael as they disembarked a cruise ship in Bayonne, New Jersey. If the conversation of an illness going around was brought up at all on our trip back to Long Island, it was certainly not discussed with any great concern.That night, I met my friends Rick and Mike for dinner in Rockville Centre, then took a train into Manhattan for a Star Wars musical parody put on by Andrew Barth Feldman and some of his Broadway friends. Hugs and kisses were exchanged that night, and handshakes too with a man seated at our table with us.
Saturday, February 29th
Andy and I attended a 60th birthday celebration for our friend Charlie. Really fun evening filled with great conversations, hugs, kisses, and booze. One of the highlights of the evening was meeting his Aunt Jo, 97 years young, who I swear looked and acted (and even danced!) like a woman in her mid-70s. After the party, we stopped by a nearby hotel, where our friend Abby was celebrating her birthday with a bunch of friends. More hugs, more kisses, and no worries at all about catching any kind of illness.February 28th
Dan Rather shared this observation online: "I don't mind leap years. I know why we need them. But 2020 doesn't strike me as a year that deserves an extra day."CNN shared a story titled, "The spread of coronavirus couldn't have come at a worse time for Corona beer", and they captioned their Facebook share with a startling fact. "38% of Americans wouldn't buy Corona beer 'under any circumstances' because of the coronavirus, according to a recent survey." I shared the CNN story and their caption with one of my own: "Short story: 38% of Americans, at least those polled, are very, very stupid".
Wednesday, February 26th
I took off work on a Wednesday to see two Broadway shows, Beetlejuice and Frozen. Surrounded by people in an enclosed space for each show, I wasn't worried at all about any strange virus looming on the horizon.
Sunday, February 16th
I visited Resorts World Casino in Queens with my friend Heath. Hadn't been there in years. Didn't do so well.
Wednesday, February 12th
On Facebook, I posted a meme that featured this text: "Dear anti-vaxxers, now is your chance to go to China and prove us all wrong."
Monday, February 10th
I posted a photo of myself on Facebook showing off a very small amount of stubble with the caption, "One
week's worth of stubble which I've already shaved. Only Andy and my
friend Alyssa even noticed, so even if I grew it out for a month, I
doubt I'd have much to show. Oh well!" This post would prove to be prescient, as I'd end up growing a full goatee multiple times in the year that followed.
Sunday, February 9th
Andy and I normally host at least six parties a year, but on this date, February 9th, 2020, we welcomed seven guests into our home for what would be our last party for well over a year.
January 28, 2020
I shared an article on CNN titled "Evacuees from Wuhan are on a plane to the United States. Should they be quarantined?" The post itself said, "An airliner from Wuhan, China, is expected to land in Ontario, California, filled with US citizens who could possibly be infected with the deadly Wuhan coronavirus. There could be 240 passengers on board, flying in from the very epicenter of the outbreak." When I shared this post and comment from CNN, I added my own comment too: "Quarantine that shit!"
