Day 668/213 - 1/14/2022
If the published statistics are anything to go on, and they may not be, this COVID surge may have peaked on 1/5. The reason I question the numbers is that test kits have been in very short supply of late. More test kits, more new cases. But if the numbers are accurate, then we are looking at exactly what I was expecting -- a couple weeks for the virus to burn through the less cautious, followed by a fairly rapid return to “normal.” The next week should tell the tale.
I am working at the Bank Cafe, as usual, but yesterday I had been planning to eat and then work at my favorite pizzeria but when I walked in there were too many people there so I left, did my marketing, and went home to eat. Whole Foods still has its prepared food section open, which I took advantage of. Since everyone in the store is now masked, I figure it is safer than it was pre-pandemic. So far at least it seems to have worked out.
I have a list of errands I’m waiting to do once the surge is over. Mostly they involve riding on public transit -- in one case for a very long time. In the past three weeks I’ve eaten out only three times at restaurants that were nearly empty. My Christmas present to myself was a food chopper/blender, so I’m making some good and healthy new drinks/dishes. But I really miss my salads. There’s no reason I couldn’t make my own salads, but this almost always results in an annoying degree of food waste.
Day 681/226 - 1/27/22
Recently I’ve been thinking about the wonderful post-industrial world we were promised in those architecture/sociology classes back in the mid-’70s. The idea was that, thanks to automation, we would live in a world with little work but many things and so our biggest problem would be what to do with our leisure time. I’d like to say I feel cheated, but I never bought this load of BS even at the time. I recall quizzing the arrogant professor after class -- this was another class taught in a huge lecture call -- about what possible mechanism there could be to get wealth out of the corporations and into the pockets of the people. He just blew me off.
Anyway, thinking about this now I think the current chemical dependency pandemic is one aspect of the brave new world without work that they were not anticipating. And this would probably be the case even if there were a method of redistributing wealth.
But even worse, the environmental consequences of the fortunate leisure world they anticipated would have been even worse than what we’ve actually done to the planet. Imagine how much more consumption and travel and petrochemical consumption there would have been if everyone had had the funds to do what they wanted? Our billionaires certainly produce more carbon and pollution than the average citizen, but probably not as much as what millions of people could do if they had a share in those fortunes. One could go full-on Pangloss about the current American system of wealth inequality from this perspective.
The pandemic: Continues. The local new case numbers seem to have peaked but we are probably still a couple weeks away from KNOWING that we are in the clear again. Extrapolating from week old data that isn’t reliable does not produce confidence. Consequently, I’m still at defcon 2: I’m at the Bank Cafe most weekdays, and I eat out once a week, but only where I can be distanced. Otherwise I’m masked or double masked.
Over 2,000 Americans are dying each day but I prefer to think of it as over 1,500 Republicans. This is based on the vague numbers I’ve heard about vaxxed vs unvaxxed in hospitals. I still have yet to see actual fatalities broken down by vaccine status -- which would be the most interesting and might even change a few minds.
Day 682/227 - 1/28/22
Best laid plans... I try to hit my neighborhood Chinese restaurant once a month (now that my favorite Burmese place has closed). I hadn’t been there in January so I planned my weekend around picking up food there on Friday. Only they are closed this Friday for Chinese New Years. So, Plan B, I went to the pizza place near me where I love the salad but not the pizza. I don’t know why they were closed mid-afternoon on a Friday. So, Plan C. I’m at the other pizza place but instead of my usual pizza which is not vegan I’m getting a Greek salad, garlic fries, and a glass of Merlot (always a shout-out to Sideways).
This is similar to, but not identical with, the meal I had planned for Thanksgiving when I ended up too sick to eat. Now I just have to come up with the three more meals this weekend+ that were supposed to be Chinese leftovers -- and vegan. Correction, like me it was almost vegan. I had forgotten the feta in a Greek salad.
Day 685/230 - 1/31/22
It’s the ultimate day of January and my Chinese restaurant is still closed for New Years. Year of the tiger, apparently. This sent me to Subway for a veggie salad wrap. I think this is going to become my new standard order since bread in general is something of a negative and Subway bread is especially questionable. And I quite like the wrap.
The case numbers are still coming down nicely and the hospitalization numbers appear to have plateaued. Meanwhile over 2,000 Americans are dying every day. And they’re dying for “freedom” so I guess you can’t get more American than that. (sick joke)
I’m really hoping to be back to eating indoors -- my main pandemic complaint -- by the middle of February. I already have a list of places I want to eat. So many voices are urging us to start returning to life as usual and I’m not opposed to that. I’m just going to wait until the case numbers of this surge drop below 100 and with luck, below 50. I was really hoping to get back in the gym, but they just changed the rules about wearing masks in the gym, so that’s on hold again.
Have I mentioned here that I’m rereading my blogging of A History of Europe? It is so good I’m planning to start over as soon as I’m done and this time read it in chronological order.
This week should see the completion of two jobs around our building that I’m indirectly in charge of. In one case I need to pay the contractor on behalf of the HOA and I need to photograph the end result of both. I can’t think of anything else coming up after this until the weather warms up so I can throw my windows open and do my spring cleaning.
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