new day, same pandemic

March 23 2020

Hello old friend, 

Here we are again: Me, isolated due to the overwhelmingly random and meaningless nature of life, You, bored enough to read this.

It all started back in January of 2020. My Husband transitioned from teaching to his dream of being a lawyer, Aidan our son was back for the second half of 5th grade. Life was going as well as could be expected. Eric and I had been married about a year when we got custody of Aidan and we had begun to find our routine, until....

I like to watch the eleven O'clock news before bed. Its a habit I picked up when I worked in Lehigh Acres to see which students had been arrested. I rarely see my new school there but old habits die hard. I digress, one night in January they really started to talk about the Novel Corona virus outbreak in Wuhan. I was instantly fascinated due to my lifelong fear of disease. (more on that in another post). 

This particular strand, COVID-19 is similar to SARS which I clearly recall from my senior year of high school. Unlike it, however, COVID-19 has a relatively low mortality rate and long incubation period. This has proven disastrous for society even in the early stages as it can spread when people are asymptomatic. This can be 5-14 days. Think about how many places you have been in two weeks. Think about how many buttons, doors, pens and people you have touched. This will get ugly. 

My brain, moving at its usual lightening pace, went to such films as Contagion, 28 Days Later, and other heartwarming features. At the time it wasn't here, but I felt sure it would be, as I have so many times before. SARS, MERS, Swine Flu, HIN1, Ebola, each time I was sure life would change forever. I was sure life as I knew it was over.

Each of those times I was wrong. 

This time I only wish I was wrong. 

Things fell apart rapidly. First it was sports games being cancelled, then entire seasons. Disney world closed the parks and then Disney Springs too. Airports are empty and airlines are cutting back flights after slashing prices with no luck. Starbucks announced it was drive through only. The news showed lines around the block at Costco with guards distributing goods one pack at a time. I got up at 6 am one day to wait outside Publix to get my mom toilet paper. Next thing you know cities and even states are ordering all residents to shelter in place. It hasn't happened here yet but it seems like a matter of time. 

At present, I am working from home. Aidan is schooling from home, and Eric is partially working from home, as court still goes on (though mostly via teleconference). Restaurants are only able to sell take out. Parks are closed, as are many business that do not sell food, medicine or supplies.  If you are brave enough to go out to the store you will not find toilet paper, lysol, or many food staples. Rice, Pasta and canned food aisles are empty. Meat, eggs, and milk are rare finds and even the produce is sparse. Aidan is having to go without his usual morning bananas but right now we have everything else we need. For now. 

Perhaps mostly in an attempt to have some control and a healthy outlet, I decided the family should log. I told Aidan he might be the next Anne Frank. Sadly the humor was lost, but never-the-less he writes. I'm not sure if it will bring any solace or simply pass the time, but I doubtlessly egotistical enough to assume others might enjoy my synopsis of things.