Day 13: March 25th, 2020

Day 13

Helping boyfriend troubleshoot work from home situation.

Microphone not working on either computer for skype. Trying to figure out why. Have two mics. One is a headset. 

Parkinglot is very full today. Good sign that people are not listening to our dumb president.

Boyfriend did a food shopping trip. Missed a couple items. Still no cleaning supplies. We only have a little bottle of bleach and about 5 clorox wipes. And half a container of rubbing alcohol. I hate to even use it when we need it. Some regular bar soap is on the way from amazon and we have the soap I am allergic to. 

I am glad for the lessons I learned from my wwII/depression era grand parents. We are not doing too bad, except for the cleaning supplies. And we know how to make things last a bit.

People outside at 5 standing in the parking lot at 6ft apart talking and laughing. It is an odd sight. I want to walk, but need to wait for the standers to be gone.

Watching Blast From the Past. Rented it on Youtube. I love the soundtrack and thought the theme of living in the bunker was suitable but still funny enough to make us laugh at our current isolation situation.

The news is rough today. I hope people can stay at home as much as possible and eventually get the support they need from the billionaires.

Day 8:March 20, 2020

Day 8

Slept in. 

Just feel tired and headachey.

I have been doing much more than normal. It is good, but I need to remember to watch my health more carefully. 

Went on social media

Looked through my gg'mas old post cards. Found ones from during spanish flu.

Posted 3 of my family's post cards on twitter. I have some family post cards from during the 1918 influenza (aka the spanish flu), which lasted in the US from 1918 through 1920. 

I thought I would post a few of the post cards, because, like tweets, they say a little about life during a pandemic, like a short story.

I have fewer postcards from this time period compared to before and after. I do not know if my great grandmother was just busier or life was more hectic for them in general.

I did notice they tried to talk even if they had nothing to say. ❤️ That's love.

Boyfriend and I are rating car alarms. First today was a little weak, not great sound. We have a favorite, it gets a lot of air time and it has a nice beat. 

Went out for a walk around the neighborhood. It was rush hour on friday. It looked more like 8pm on a Monday. There was a jogger and a couple people doing yard work. We tried our best to navigate from parked cars and mail boxes.

Watched some youtube, faves being Jimmy kimmel with his fam with formal friday was cute and binging with babish and his pantry basics chickpea edition, very inventive.

Ended the night with popcorn and Australian soccer.

Day 10:March 22, 2020

Day 10

Very stressed.

Day 7: March 19th, 2020

Day 7

I read some of the comic book Locke and Key on amazon. Then I did chores and ate breakfast. I am going slow today because I am tired.

Social media was very busy. Saw Andrew Lloyd Webber playing a piece from phantom in his own home over Twitter. It was All I Ask Of You, from Phantom.

Many more musicians on Twitter today, especially after several at the metropolitan opera were laid off.

Turned on espn, and the talking heads mostly spoke about which players were infected. 

Outside music is blaring, small group of people enjoying the sun next door and a dog barks. I worked on catching up on blog posts.

After reading more news, I see states working out the details of how to manage the epidemic and quarentine. Meanwhile, I see some in the federal government being exposed for using the situation to their personal benefit.

A large small business in the area is having trouble. They are a famous bookstore in Portland named Powell's. Time to order books from them and not from Amazon. 

Tonight, my boyfriend and I are watching the Mandalorian while we eat tofu and bean tacos.

The ugh is this really happening news is there are several spring breakers still spending spring break as norm and Covid-19 is being framed as the "chinese" virus by Trump.

Possible formal friday. Cute idea.

Day 4: March 16th, 2020

The Decemberists

Today started off fairly normal. I did chores and took care of my elderly cat by which I mean I cleaned her bed by hand because that is how being a cat nurse goes. I decided it was time to take the recycling out to the big blue bin and took the trash out too. Then I walked around the parking lot at my complex. There were many cars parked. By the time I walked a forth loop I noticed no cars or people interrupted me. This was a good sign, but it still seemed eerie.

My boyfriend went to work today but said he would likely work from home from here on out. It is nice that he has that ability. We can do our part by staying home and away from others as much as possible.

I started to see the positive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic today. There is something in humans that makes us fear radical change and so we tend to bind together in times of hardship. Humanity is often at its greatest when the situation is at its worst.

The musicians and other creative artists began to entertain over the internet. They are lifting spirits and, hopefully, keeping their careers afloat. I watched a concert the Colin Meloy from the Decemberists streamed from his home in Portland on Instagram.

I watched the "Decemberists" concert from my couch while sipping a beer and vegetarian curry. Colin Meloy said it is their 20th anniversary. He played ten songs, the first if which were Make You Better, Raincoat Song, On The Bus Mall, and Your Red Right Ankle. The comment section was filled with happy and heart filled emojis, people yelling lyrics, thank yous, and song requests. His kid brought a chicken in near the end and the bird photo-bombed the last song. It was a nice concert and retreat from the madness.

Retailers are closing up or going on a restricted schedule. Some restaurants are switching to carryout only. Wallstreet, the courts, and the private sector are struggling to adapt to the pandemic's needs and constraints.