I'm sorry, aurelia.
It's so very discouraging on so many fronts. The worst part is looking at the calendar and knowing that even with a landslide election it is over 6 months before we get new leadership. Without Mitch or Donald personally ending up in ICU they are not going to care how many people get sick or how many small businesses collapse.
I stopped at a friend's restaurant yesterday for takeout. The region is open for distanced indoor seating. She had removed half the booths inside, increased outside tables, and there was only 3 stools at the bar. Not a single customer. The owner was working by herself, tending bar, cooking, serving. While I visited one other customer came in and went to the other end of the bar and ordered a beer. Then I felt guilty for not getting takeout more often. (worse update this morning as she had to close completely because her granddaughter is in the ICU in another part of the state so she fled to be with her and help her daughter with the other kids)
Although now open after months of being closed or limited to takeout, people still are staying home. I know a lot of people who won't go to a restaurant and are either ordering essentials for delivery or pickup, or just doing without. No, small businesses cannot survive with no income for months on end.
There are surely solutions, but the refusal to work together to bring relief and coordinated assistance has made this far worse than it had to be. The division in our political leadership has made both the economic crisis, and the pandemic itself far worse than it could have been.
I'm just discouraged, watching the results play out in my state where the Trump idolizing DeSantis continues to make matters worse. There are real experts that know that the heat isn't going to make it all go away. There are real models that have worked. Yet about half of the 'leadership' of this country kowtows to a narcissist who just finds it all inconvenient for him personally.
I believe there are solutions, but not when the people in charge won't consider listening to them.
Quiche and coffee:
In much brighter news, today is Bobby and Tate's 2nd anniversary, and my mother-in-law's birthday. So a celebratory day! Also, we get to celebrate Zenkitty's birthday today.
The kids plan to formally announce their impending parenthood today as part of the anniversary celebration.
Happy Birthday, Zenkitty!
I'm just discouraged, watching the results play out in my state where the Trump idolizing DeSantis continues to make matters worse. There are real experts that know that the heat isn't going to make it all go away. There are real models that have worked. Yet about half of the 'leadership' of this country kowtows to a narcissist who just finds it all inconvenient for him personally
I'm so angry about this. 138,000 people are dead in this country, hospital systems in hotspots are getting overwhelmed, and Trump's sycophants are more worried about downplaying the crisis to appease their idol than doing something about it.
The county E is in is now Red. CA is going back on lockdown so my mother is losing her swimming that she had for a few weeks and my brother missed his window to get a haircut so he buzzcut himself.
Meanwhile, my office started the 3 week rotation schedule with 1/3 of out employees in the building each week. I am on next week. Work is in the County and that is still yellow, but the city where I live is still orange.
I am not loving life.
I feel like I'm hiding from the problem—working from home, getting groceries brought out to my car, contactless takeout delivery, socializing via Zoom and Skype. But it seems like doing my best to not be a vector is the best thing I can do, pandemic-wise. I'm just lucky to be in a position where I can do that.
DH is now thinking he might not be able to join me in NY.
I went to the farmer's market and 6 stores on Saturday - all masked - 4 of the 6 stores limiting customers at the entrance. I feel like that was too much.
I shouldn't need to go to any stores after the market this weekend and thus far this week I have not done any take-out.
But like, we aren't really the problem are we? - the mask wearing mostly stay-home people. It's people not wearing masks and having 30 people over and people not changing behaviors at all. Not to be all pat ourselves on the back, but us getting stressed out again or more stressed out is not going to help at all. And the info is out there - easy to find in any media.
I am a bad person who thinks that the only thing that will start getting through to some people is if they are targeted in some way. Spray paint "plague rats" on their homes - or "I'm willing to let you die". Put "I'm spreading the COVID-19 virus" bumperstickers on their cars. Maybe paintball them in public to mark them.
Hiding from this problem is what we're supposed to do, Calli. Isn't it?
My county is reportedly orange because agricultural workers who live here were exposed while working in Napa. So that's hardly their fault. And it's hard to argue with agriculture being essential (although Napa agriculture, well, who knows? I am still weirded out that my company is considered an essential business as we were reminded yesterday in discussion of the tightening lockdown not affecting our continuing sometimes being in the office schedule). I do flinch every time my one coworker posts pictures of her and her friends on FB hanging out and not wearing masks but it is always the same friends and it is not very many and for all I know they have formed some kind of bubble. And she and I both wear masks when we are F2F, which is hardly ever.
