A milestone no one wanted us to cross, yet here we are. Today’s numbers from Johns Hopkins.
I’m rather discouraged. Not just because the pandemic continues to rage out of control, but because the conversation has shifted from, ‘how do we emulate countries that got this under control’ to ‘how do we try to fall somewhere in the middle of the range of countries where people hate their governments too much to save the lives of those around them?’ Which is a pretty dramatic drop in ambition.
I am still concerned that this isn’t going to be our only pandemic, now that I see how BAD some humans are at taking precautions. All the jokes about how zombie movies show humans putting in waaaay more effort not to become zombies than is realistic are hitting me kind of hard right now. (Also, Train to Busan is an entertaining addition to the Zombie genre.)
I live in a city & county that’s doing very well in keeping COVID-19 infections low. However, there’s still no effective treatment or cure for this particular coronavirus, and with many vulnerable loved ones around, I’d like to keep it that way.
Caution is an easy decision for some of us with elderly relatives and/or parents or friends who are cancer survivors. We stick to essentials. Even if we aren’t seeing our at-risk loved ones, we stay ready to in case they need us. Easy peasy.
Most of my friends are cautious in a way that’s similar to me. We chat by phone, text, or video, but I haven’t seen most of them in person, and they understand why. The few I HAVE seen for outdoor activities have been restricting their exposure to a small number of immediate family, who are similarly cautious. We met outdoors and wore masks. One of them even has a plan for family emergencies cross-country which involves a quarantine-like solo, cross-country drive with plenty of supplies, one cautious, overnight stop, and every other type of disinfecting precaution on an ongoing basis to remain ready.
And then there are my other friends and coworkers. The ones who fly on planes for recreational trips twice a month, and go out to places with few health restrictions so they can have fun. The ones who say they HAD to go to a packed, popular place in another state, because someone in their immediate family was BORED.
I can’t believe how careless people are being about this virus. At our house, we have been taking the strictest precautions since March. We stay inside all the time and never go anywhere. When we do go somewhere, we always bring masks, except when we won’t need them.
I love them dearly, but I will not see them in person, because they are taking risks that I don’t want to share.
Yes, I do have my friends ranked by risk now. I’ve seen who wears a mask correctly, and who has to be told to put it on (which is never a good sign in an adult). I know who goes into the office because they must, and who goes in because they want to. My friends who work in laboratories and clean rooms earn high esteem for taking cleaning procedures seriously at a professional level! 🙂
When more businesses and public spaces are open, I intend to follow a host of new social rules. If I am hosting a picnic, for example, I should disclose all attendees, the safety precautions we will agree on in advance, and any known risks. If someone has just come back from a wedding overseas, they can’t attend until after their quarantine period is up, for example (obvious, but still). No surprise guests, ever. Full disclosures of all relevant information about public exposures BEFORE anyone turns up.
Safe pandemic socializing is possible, it just requires people to be more considerate of the risk tolerance of their friends, and I think most of my friends are very thoughtful. And I’ve got a list of the ones that just don’t match my risk tolerance! (None of this was on my 2020 bingo card….)
From the excellent SF Department of Public Health page at https://www.sfdph.org/dph/alerts/coronavirus.asp
First off, I’d like to give a general shout out to my local department of public health for doing such a great job of data sharing. The website (sample above) is clear, and there is lots of data about how this has played out neighborhood by neighborhood, zip code by zip code. This information has really helped me think about my relative risks and make informed decisions.
Next, I have to give praise to the people of my beloved hometown, San Francisco. A city of 800,000+ people still managed to keep the infection rate very low. I LOVE YOU PEOPLE!
The City is still adjusting what services are safe based on infection rates around the state. (SoCal keeps messing things up for us.) The current version of the game plan is here:
We are gradually reopening to keep our City safe and healthy.
My museums are writing to me with some excitement about their October re-openings, which will provide a new experience: uncrowded, carefully timed exhibit viewings! That’s… actually rather appealing. (I can’t sit to draw, but I can live with that.) I’m contemplating that now, and the complex logistics of getting around.
(Transit service was reduced dramatically to ensure compliance with the safety precautions, while providing minimum support for essential workers. This was hard on the essential workers! This resulted in stable access to everything for people who drive everywhere, and less access for socially responsible, environmentally concerned transit riders. 🙁 Yes, that is [sad face].)
Today I mean this literally: I believe my next door neighbor stopped a local politician, who is running for the SF Board of Supervisors, and asked him to jumpstart her car.
He did it. While discussing neighborhood projects that might interest her.
That is an exotic example of a responsive local politician in action! 🙂
The same channel where the Idris Elba DJ set revealed this delightful one from Aline Rocha, who is having such a good time! Her set is entirely happy music.
The production of this one also impresses me: just enough variety in the filming to make it fun to watch someone having fun at a console! The sound is immaculate (without earplugs in the club!). Rocha’s mixing is completely satisfying, and her choices kept me moving (even while sitting at my computer, though dancing through the house is always better!). She is FUN.
More than ever, love is demonstrated with actions, to protect your family. When you wear a mask, you show that you love your loved ones. 40% of people with COVID-19show no symptoms. It is better to love from afar and protect them. Visithttps://t.co/cxFjh6Vhfs pic.twitter.com/0E2oCjOqK3
The first iteration of the campaign was unveiled during Martin Luther King Jr. Week in January 2020, with 40 large-scale ‘COME TO YOUR CENSUS, S.F.’ posters-in the four official languages of San Francisco: English, Chinese, Spanish, and Tagalog-on JCDecaux kiosks along San Francisco’s Market Street corridor, and at the SF COUNTS 2020 Census launch with Mayor London N.
I wanted to see an old Idris Elba music video (Boasty), and my search unearthed an entire, hour-long, video-friendly, socially-distanced DJ set from Amsterdam in August.
It’s quite enjoyable! Very danceable (it got me off the couch and on my feet). Good variety of beats. Nice digital screen show impersonating an analog screen show. Restrained use of drone video of the landmark tower hosting the shoot and a bit of the harbor; having the sun set behind Elba gave a nice sense of time passing (especially for those of us who have been indoors too much, and haven’t seen the sky due to smoke!). Skilled use of camera angle/distance variety to capture Elba’s enthusiasm up close during this socially distanced party (which appears to consist of the film crew, remote-controlled cameras on tripods, and Elba).
This is a very effective example of how to provide a club-like feel without a crowd that has visual appeal, but without the overpriced drinks or uncomfortable shoes. 🙂
I watched Tron: Legacy before bed (mostly for the excellent soundtrack, which I also own), and had a Tron: Legacy-influenced dream.
It was about Flynn’s apartment off in the mountainous edge of the Grid. I was living in a gray-stone-with-diagonal-lines apartment, and found a secret wing that was occupied by men working on computers at desks (basically, game developers). They hadn’t wanted to be found. They were alarmed that I discovered them.
That was it. No glowing spaceships, no electronic dance music, no light-up clothes. I am just not impressed.
This article brought me great joy. I laughed so hard I cried. Either this is because I was exhausted beyond all measure, because the article is funny in a very British way, or (most likely answer) BOTH. Recommended if you like dry-yet-hyperbolic-British humor.
We never needed The Great British Bake Off more than we do now. This is partly because, in this age of frightening uncertainty, Bake Off’s spirit of good-natured fun feels like a warm tight hug. And also, based on last night’s episode, this year’s series is going to be flat-out barmy.
