About the Coronavirus.
Well, this is swell time to get back into writing. A friend suggested, ‘what about that podcast you wanted to start? You probably have time.’ Yes, Jon, but I’m at the point were the logistics of all that overwhelm me. Who mixes and edits it? Who creates the cute theme song to open the show? No one is probably really interested in hearing me yammer on. So here we are... I told myself Friday afternoon, I’m going to turn off the news, stay away from the media… I need a weekend to just ignore the news. I couldn’t do it, and cause I like to torture myself, was like oh I’ll write about it. That’ll make people happy… it won’t, but I’ll try to mix in some levity…. This is about the Coronavirus…
A few weeks ago, when they shut down the bars and restaurants, I was kind of okay with it. I mean, feel super bad for anyone in the service industry, and displaced from work. Sadly, it’s going to go another month, and all those government checks aren’t going to be enough. However, what I mean by I was okay with it, is like, I don’t really miss having to go places. I could stay in this tiny apartment all day, and not be phased. I work from home most of the time, and when I’m not here, it’s because I’m somewhere in the air trying to figure out if I should order one or two glasses of Chardonnay. It’s always two. At this point, I’m used to spending a lot of my time at home. It’s a little strange not being able to go to a bar on the weekends, but like, honestly, don’t miss that either. Crowded places? I’ll pass. Maybe I’ll feel differently in three weeks.
Everything is a Zoom call now. Let’s have video chats to stay connected. I’m literally at capacity for video chats. I went to a work Zoom Happy Hour, and then a little bit after that a friend video call. The work one went an hour, and I went through pretty much the entire bottle of wine. I got to the friend call and literally opened a second bottle was like, oh I should cut myself off now, so I shut the screen without saying a thing. I apparently can do the Irish goodbye in the virtual world too. Who knew…
I thought I was mostly staying positive about this whole thing. This too shall pass, as my mother would say. I did however read a story last week, about this woman whose dad is a doctor and had contracted Coronavirus. It was an opinion piece, and her very frank conversation about how she wanted to spend the next few days with him unsure if he would survive it. I saw a vide on Reddit, as they hauled bodies into the back of truck outside a hospital in Brooklyn. Yesterday, while watching our fearless leader talk about just how under control the whole situation is, I noticed the total infections and death numbers were changing. We’re watching this in real time, as deaths are reported. Right there, right in front of us, as we tally them up not having a clue who they were. I believe what they’re saying. The worst is yet to come. Here in Chicago, the United Center and McCormick place have been outfitted to act as hospitals for overspill of people who will need medical attention. I feel like this week will feel different. I don’t know, scarier, is that the word I’m looking forward?
Anyway, I probably should have picked a better topic to write about after taking a year away, but it’s too late, because now it’s written and you’ve clearly gotten to the end of it. So, I guess that all along we were in this together… be safe, and healthy, and wash your hands, but also use lotion on them.