Not a pleasant picture.
Mass graves are something else I hoped not to see in the 21st century.
Reading he history of Hart Island was interesting though.
I posted a few days ago that I was worried that the GOP would try to capitalize on āChina Fluā to do something truly bonkerballs. And lo:
Weirdly, I had that book when I was a kid in Minnesota.
A default. Well, itās the Trump way.
I went to Meijer about a half-hour ago. They have lines marked off on the outside walk with orange tape for when the store reaches capacity (I donāt know what that number is); itās then one-in, one-out. I got there before that happened. No paper products to be seen. It appeared to me that more people are favoring wearing masks than not, but the margin from my observation seemed slim. Also, people acting like itās the old days and picking up and examining items, then putting them back, or just plain standing there looking, totally ignoring the fact others are waiting to get by and/or get to an item. Clear plexiglas facial shields have been installed at the manned checkouts. I used the self-scanner (I brought my own wipes). The wait was kinda long, but no worse than if it were an āold dayā with people shopping for the holiday.
I think Iād want the ātailā to be a separate piece, and maybe just a patterned scarf. Still, pretty interesting.
Related:
In case the pandemic has been too calm for some people:
A local expert told CNN Indonesia the lack of traffic at the moment, thanks to COVID-19 lockdown measures, made it easier to hear Krakatoaās rumbles.
Ok, a lot of his videos feel like theyāre a bit overdone to me, but this was cute.
So, the acoustic duo of Lucy & Steve is finally dissolved; I feel like weāre Lennon & McCartney breaking up, only without all the acrimony. It took almost as much time for us to do it as it did them (though we havenāt sued and countersued, which does take up a lot of time).
Now I feel like a 55-year-old woman with no future except to take care of others, which is only personally satisfying up to a point: I want someone to take care of ME once in a while. I want to do something that gets folks to appreciate me using my creative talents.
But Iām not special or sparkly enough; not loud or pushy enough. This is the first time Iāve cried out loud in a long time.
At some point I probably need to find a good cloth mask. Iāve got one n95 mask that Iāve been holding for if I end up needing to go anywhere with a crowd, but otherwise I just have the makeshift folded-bandanna-and-rubberband option. And since Iāve never really been a bandanna wearer, the main one I have is an old one with a Guy Fawkes mask:
Which makes for a nifty looking mask, but can be a bit threatening and tough to justify at work.
Journal of the Corona Year
4/10
The mask and I
Part 1
The wearing of masks has reached a crescendo this week. Even on a day like today with high winds, most people you see on the street are wearing a face-covering of some type. Out of desperation, or style preference, some people have started wearing bandanas.
For the past two weeks there has been murmurings among those in high places about making masks mandatory. So today I wore one for the first time.
Not that wearing a mask is going to help me, the wearer. Wearing one is a subtle way of saying, āyes, unlike the president I take this disease seriously,ā and āno, I am not going to breath on you.ā
For the past few days I have been idly seeing if I can buy one of some type. The trouble is, now that masks are becoming de rigueur they are becoming hard to find. Many pharmacies and drug stores have signs on the doors, sometimes with helpful illustrations, informing you that they have hand sanitizer, they have gloves, but they have no masks.
I remembered seeing a sign in the window of a small pharmacy on 87th Street saying they did have masks. So on Friday morning I headed there hoping.
While walking up 5th Avenue I saw signs on the doors of Staples reading to the effect āWe recommend all guests to wear face masks.ā So I went in. They might be selling them. It seemed likely that a place like Staples would try to capitalize on a pandemic.
I walked in a looked around. They werenāt behind the counter with the inkjet cartridges and other impulse items.
Someone stocking the shelves, to be helpful, said āuh, excuse me, sir, you canāt shop here without a mask.ā
āDo you sell them?ā
āUh, no. Itās just our store policy that youā¦ā
So I left. Continuing on my way to the pharmacy. I began feeling a little desperate. What if they didnāt have them anymore? Could I make something out of one of my old t-shits?
I passed a small fabric store with a sign saying they had masks for sale. I almost went in. No, this would be my backup plan. I would see what the pharmacy had first.
The pharmacy on 87th Street was small, clean and reassuring. The people were very helpful. I ended up buying a two-pack of disposable KN95 masks for $16. They were manufactured in China on March 15th, and here they are already.
KN95? Isnāt that a radio station in the Twin Cities? Your source for hot adult contemporary from yesterday and today?
I asked how long they last. The woman behind the counter said she sprays herās with alcohol every night and wears it again the next day.
So now I was equipped to be in enclosed spaces with other human beings. Just in time for me to make my trip to the Home Depot.
If you have the right attitude, go for it.
Attitudeās actually kind of a problemā¦ Iāve been working 16-20 hour days lately, thereās been a lot of friction with co-workers for various reasons, and Iām generally one of those quiet types. Mask like that can cause some uncomfortable jumping to conclusionsā¦ 