It's been almost exactly three years since covid struck.
The last day I went anywhere for most of 2020 was March 12. In April I started keeping what I called my "Plague Diary," and made an entry almost every day until August 13, when I stopped out of exhaustion. Then I made one more entry on November 15. It was interesting to go back and read what the me of 2020 thought about the events of that year.
Here's my first comment, dated 4/15/2020:
This will go on for a while, I think; maybe it’s time to start documenting for posterity. Or I’ll toss it all away when it’s over, if that ever happens.
I’m trying to remember when we started to take notice – not that we had any help from His Lardship.
In January there were reports that people arriving from China had a newly-identified virus. In early February the disease was discovered in the Diamond Princess cruise ship near Japan, and on the Grand Princess after a February 11–21 cruise followed by another departing San Francisco. This is interesting because [a friend] had been on a Grand Princess cruise immediately preceding the one on February 11-21....
A few cases started appearing on the west coast in February, especially in WA in nursing homes. This was in the news but I don’t recall any significant warnings. [My vocal ensemble] went ahead with our Feb. 23 concert and nobody seemed concerned about gathering in groups.
The following week more cases were reported. I went to a theater showing of the Met’s HD broadcast of Agrippina on the 29th, at that time aware and a little more cautious about crowds and surfaces but not really worried. After the show I went to Costco which was nearby because I needed food and TP. There was still a fair amount of that, although the pile was not as high as usual. I did see people buying unusual amounts of it and other paper products which I thought was kind of ridiculous. I bought the usual amount of TP – the big package – and didn’t think much of it.
I think March 1 was when it started getting real. There were no cases in MN until March 6; that person had been on the second infected Grand Princess cruise. There were reports of panic-buying of TP and that Costco was out of it. Business pretty much as usual continued for that week but I was starting to worry.
The week starting March 9 was when things started changing....
As of March 15 pretty much everything I was involved in was canceled. After... March 12 I decided to stay home and shop on line. It does not help that it snowed a couple of days ago and it’s 25F. It looks like February outside.
I wish I could get over this lethargy. I have so many projects, plenty of time to do them and no excuse not to, but I just sit. Maybe it’s because every day seems the same and I can tell myself I’ll do it tomorrow since tomorrow will be just like today anyhow. There’s not much to look forward to when every day is the same and probably will be for weeks or months or a year. Sometimes Netflix or Amazon Prime announces a new show to watch, and the Met is broadcasting HD operas. When it’s not Verdi or Donizetti or one of the other boring 19th century bel canto warhorses I watch it, and these broadcasts are a great distraction. I think of them as if I were going out to a concert or a show because that’s the closest thing there is I to a special event if I can’t fucking go anywhere. I think I missed the latest episode of Better Call Saul on Monday because the Met was broadcasting Russalka. So I guess I’ll watch that instead of sorting the crap in the living room.
August 13, 2020
....Trump is still not dead and keeps getting worse and more dangerous. I just don’t know what’s going to happen. And meanwhile stupid people are spreading the bug around because they’re stupid.
(No more entries until after the election.)
November 15, 2020:
So, a bit of a hiatus. For a long time not much was new or worth recording; then, with the election coming up, it was too weird and stressful to write down. But it’s over and Biden won, not that His Lardship, who is still not dead, will admit to it.
....
The pandemic is getting worse again, just as the smart people predicted and the stupid people ignored. Don’t know whether we’ll go back to an actual lockdown but there are more restrictions to try to keep the stupid people from acting out their stupidity, but I don’t think it will work. I will keep doing just what I’ve been doing since March.
Trump got covid in early October but unfortunately, he survived, having been whisked away to Walter Reed on our dime, where he received experimental drugs nobody else has access to - and since he recovered, if he did, he’s been more obnoxious and useless than ever.
Halloween was kind of cool this year because there were block parties and creative candy-distribution systems all over the neighborhood. A surprising number of kids were out. I didn’t give out candy because I didn’t have a good system for it, but I went for a late walk and observed the fun.
And then there was the election. It was fairly apparent that Biden would win, although the margins were closer than many of the polls indicated, but as was also predicted, there were no definitive results by the end of election day. Results trickled in, but Biden wasn’t declared the winner until Saturday when PA was called – which caused great rejoicing and dancing in the streets just about everywhere. Down the street on the corner of Nicollet and 40th was a bunch of people yelling and making noise and pounding pots and it was all wonderful. I drank a half-bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, which is a lot for me. But AZ and GA were still out and being counted. AZ came in a few days later and finally GA, for a total of 306 EV and (so far) more than 5 million votes ahead, so it wasn’t even close. But all over the country lawyers have been embarrassing themselves with bogus lawsuits on Fat Nixon’s behalf, and they have lost all of them. Rudy Giuliani is certifiable – and he’s now in charge of national litigation, the reputable law firms having all withdrawn from representing Trump. Rudy made some bizarre announcement about election fraud in the parking lot of Four Seasons Total Landscaping, a Philadelphia landscaping firm in a seedy part of town between a crematorium and a porn shop. How the mighty have fallen.
The lunacy continues…
I decided to start it up again yesterday, since the story isn't over yet.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I log on every day, in hopes...
I was finishing cancer treatment and had surgery on March 9. They were only too happy to let me go home next day, my brother left on a long planned trip to spend two weeks on Crete. He had to turn around and come right back, we were only lucky he made it before the borders closed. My brother is now currently in Crete enjoying himself after having canceled one more time due to Covid. I swear the next three years are kind of just a blur. Glad we all made it out on the other side. Very interesting journal thanks for sharing
I bought some rubbing alcohol, peroxide, & a few first aid items & meds, as well. I remember cuz it was my last PT session. Ten days later the county was on lockdown & you couldn't find TP, alcohol, or peroxide anywhere. Everyday I logged onto a national map & watched the virus spread around the country, hitting red states last, but saturating everywhere eventually.
I still get looks at the grocery store where I mask. "Oh you poor deluded fool." At least people keep their distance. When my husband shops alone, people are rude & he thinks, purposely infringe on his space. You gotta show up a wimpy man, don't ya know.
Trump did such a disservice politicizing masks & the vaccines. We're still paying for it & the lunacy continues…
