368. Catching up - Day 301

 

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Seems like only yesterday 

Time passes. We were at day 190 of Shelter In Place and now we are at day 300. I thought this would be a great year for reading and blogging. I was mistaken. But now I’m hoping to getting back to it. The HOA work has calmed down and, while the world is still on fire and everyone seems to be doing their best to die before the vaccine is in wide use, I’m enjoying some peace at home.

I’ve got my SIP routine down now. I hit the big super markets (Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s) about once a month and otherwise live on what I can get in my neighborhood markets and from local restaurants. I’m even eating better now that I’ve gone mostly vegan and am paying attention to my nutrition a bit more than usual. And I’m hitting the neighborhood taqueria every week. Life is pretty good.

I had to take a two week exercise break, but I’ve been back to my routine now for over a month and I’m close to being back in shape. Should be good by March, which is actually my goal in normal years.

I did replace my “expired” Chromebook and am loving the new machine with significantly more RAM. At some point I will have to deal with all the cafe WiFi passwords it doesn’t know, but who knows how many of those places will even have survived. It will be a new world in some ways. Lower rent for the survivors but also less business until (unless) the colleges and businesses return to on-campus life as usual. 

At some point I will have to talk about Trump and all that we’ve learned about America the past year, but not right now.

It’s getting hard to remember what my life was like ten months ago. Every day I worked for at least a couple hours in some cafe, often the Bank Cafe. I ate at least one meal a day out. Three times a week I was in the gym for a couple hours. Since many of my favorite places to eat were out of the neighborhood, I spent a fair amount of time on public transit. I was in Trader Joe’s for my marketing multiple times a week -- whenever there was something I needed. That was then.

It was so nice, on just a few occasions prior to Thanksgiving, to spend an hour drinking tea while sitting outside in the cold at a local cafe. I even got the WiFi to work. But that was just as the infection rates were going up again and -- I couldn’t help noticing -- male baristas almost always have beards, which means they can’t wear a face mask properly. After the third visit I decided it wasn’t worth the risk. 

I also ate, I think, four meals, outside on the sidewalk or in street parklets. It was delightful... with just a hint of that feeling when you dream you are in a public place naked. Again, as the infection rates started up again, I had already stopped doing this even before the City shut down outdoor dining. Sorry restaurants.

But despite all that, it hasn’t been so bad. Fortunately my teeth are in good shape so letting them go an additional six to eight months shouldn’t cause me any problems. Though I expect I will really feel the next cleaning. My dreams are irritatingly busy and social, some kind of compensation I suspect -- but how is this regulated? Who’s in charge there? My usual questions about consciousness and identity.

Since I have no control over the behavior of other people, I’ve decided to take the selfish view and be happy about all the people who, by ignoring social distancing and mask wearing and the like, seem eager to expose themselves to the virus. The more people exposed the quicker we hit herd immunity. I suspect many of the COVIDiots may also be anti-vaxxers so this is the only way to get them immune. In the end it should be to my advantage (unless I need hospital care at a time when the system is overwhelmed, so I do need to be careful.) I don’t think I should be able to get the vaccine until all the people with “essential” jobs have had their chance to get it, but I don’t know that I would refuse it if offered. One theory now is to try to give single doses to more people and I do see the logic behind that. Also, I know I have the self-discipline to maintain my self-protective measures even after receiving the vaccine. I’m sure the joke The Onion made about the first people who got the vaccine in the UK will be more-or-less true with many people here, too. If it were up to me the second group to get the vaccine would be everyone under 65. They are more important to the economy. (The day after I wrote this the Trump Administration goes for everyone OVER 65 instead. I still like my idea better.)

Is it just me, or has it been shockingly easier to learn what the average American is really like in this century? Were the signs there before but I didn’t notice them as much? From the Iraq War to Trump to masks and avoiding crowds during a pandemic, it’s like the country has been putting on a show of its stupidity.