i. Dolls Help
I'm relieved to report that the morning after I dropped off groceries, a thermometer, and Penny Cooper with Mz felt fine.
Penny Cooper deserves some of the credit. "My patient recovered completely", Penny reported. She had dosed Mz with elderberry tincture and told her to rest.
Yes.
She and I walked around the lake today (the chain of lakes in town is surrounded by parkland and paths)--my first time since early winter. It was cold and windy, but sunny, and lots of people were out. It was nice to see people together, looking happy, not nervous.
Socializing outdoors is a good way to be together but keep distance.
The Boston Globe writes:
Yesterday, bink, Maura, and I went to see Knives Out at the second-run movie theater. The theater is big enough that we didn't sit near anyone but one another, and we've spend a lot of time together recently anyway.
Knives Out was a perfect diversion from reading about the coronavirus--it's a fun, relatives-gather-at-the-family-mansion murder mystery.
. . . It's only as I started writing about it just this minute that I realize it's sort of a romantic-fantasy version of Parasite.
Weird!
Both movies have the same set up:
poor servants work for a rich family, a mystery is uncovered, people die, class divisions are shown up, some sort of justice (?) is meted out.
But Knives Out dishes out a morally simplistic (a bit too black and white, I thought) happy tale, and Parasite... does not.
[A quick google, and I see I'm not the only one to see similarities between these movies.]
Anyway, it was no Gosford Park, much less Parasite. It was a perfect, silly distraction--and the last movie I'll see in a theater for a while.
iii.
Today the first "community transmission cases" of coronavirus were reported here--(vs. cases where patients had links to travel or exposure to known COVID-19 patients), and the movie theater announced it will only sell tickets to 35% of the seats, so the audience can spread out.
It's a weird time... The U has closed, and K-12 schools across the state are closing on Tuesday.
I'm really glad to see that people are starting to coordinate creative efforts to offer help--grocery delivery, phone calls, etc.
Here, and elsewhere, of course.
A cheering example: Revolutions Bookshop, the Portland, Oregon, indie bookstore that our friend Art Sparker is associated with, is offering book delivery.
(Mine is the only Girlette Loan Program I've yet seen.)
I started biking last week--the roads are finally ice-free--so I don't have to take the city bus. I can keep my distance from people at work, too, but I still feel like since I can, maybe I should step back more...
I'm not particularly worried about my own health. I mean, I'd hate to get this nasty illness, but I'm not extra-vulnerable (I don't think...).
But of course the idea is to break the chain of contagion.
So, I'm going to work at home tomorrow. I'm not necessary at the store, and in fact in the past couple weeks, book donations have dropped off and I'm almost caught up.
It stinks that a lot of my coworkers can't work at home and can't afford to miss any work. Once again, this shows up the short-sighted management's inability to live up to our mission statement to eradicate poverty and the causes of poverty by paying a living wage.
But I can work at home, and I've been wanting to do a bunch of social media stuff anyway, which is better to do that at home, where I can concentrate. I started taking notes, for instance, for a social media policy a couple months ago, but never wrote it up.
And I want to think about what to post for the store's FB & IG. The Society SVDP has released no statement that I know of (we're so uncoordinated). I found and shared a prayer from SVDP in Norwich, CT.
It's pretty bad, actually, and it stinks that, as usual for almost everything I've read from SVDP (and most charities), the assumption is that "we, the readers" are middle class ("may we who have to cancel our trips remember those with no place to go" )
... but at least it's something that says "let's reach out".
I pulled out this line and posted it:
"As fear grips our country, Let us find ways
to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbor. Amen."
I'll see if I can find something better tomorrow.
P.S. Due to the language, I won't be posting this particular link I just saw it on Orange Crate Art on the store's FB, but I like it and can post it here:
https://staythefuckhome.com
I'm relieved to report that the morning after I dropped off groceries, a thermometer, and Penny Cooper with Mz felt fine.
Penny Cooper deserves some of the credit. "My patient recovered completely", Penny reported. She had dosed Mz with elderberry tincture and told her to rest.
Yes.
She and I walked around the lake today (the chain of lakes in town is surrounded by parkland and paths)--my first time since early winter. It was cold and windy, but sunny, and lots of people were out. It was nice to see people together, looking happy, not nervous.
Socializing outdoors is a good way to be together but keep distance.
The Boston Globe writes:
"Going outside will be important during these strange times, and the weather is improving. Go outside every day if you are able, but stay physically away from people outside your family or roommates."ii. Knives Out
Yesterday, bink, Maura, and I went to see Knives Out at the second-run movie theater. The theater is big enough that we didn't sit near anyone but one another, and we've spend a lot of time together recently anyway.
Knives Out was a perfect diversion from reading about the coronavirus--it's a fun, relatives-gather-at-the-family-mansion murder mystery.
. . . It's only as I started writing about it just this minute that I realize it's sort of a romantic-fantasy version of Parasite.Weird!
Both movies have the same set up:
poor servants work for a rich family, a mystery is uncovered, people die, class divisions are shown up, some sort of justice (?) is meted out.
But Knives Out dishes out a morally simplistic (a bit too black and white, I thought) happy tale, and Parasite... does not.
[A quick google, and I see I'm not the only one to see similarities between these movies.]
Anyway, it was no Gosford Park, much less Parasite. It was a perfect, silly distraction--and the last movie I'll see in a theater for a while.
iii.
Today the first "community transmission cases" of coronavirus were reported here--(vs. cases where patients had links to travel or exposure to known COVID-19 patients), and the movie theater announced it will only sell tickets to 35% of the seats, so the audience can spread out.
It's a weird time... The U has closed, and K-12 schools across the state are closing on Tuesday.
I'm really glad to see that people are starting to coordinate creative efforts to offer help--grocery delivery, phone calls, etc.
Here, and elsewhere, of course.
A cheering example: Revolutions Bookshop, the Portland, Oregon, indie bookstore that our friend Art Sparker is associated with, is offering book delivery.
(Mine is the only Girlette Loan Program I've yet seen.)
I started biking last week--the roads are finally ice-free--so I don't have to take the city bus. I can keep my distance from people at work, too, but I still feel like since I can, maybe I should step back more...
I'm not particularly worried about my own health. I mean, I'd hate to get this nasty illness, but I'm not extra-vulnerable (I don't think...).
But of course the idea is to break the chain of contagion.
So, I'm going to work at home tomorrow. I'm not necessary at the store, and in fact in the past couple weeks, book donations have dropped off and I'm almost caught up.
It stinks that a lot of my coworkers can't work at home and can't afford to miss any work. Once again, this shows up the short-sighted management's inability to live up to our mission statement to eradicate poverty and the causes of poverty by paying a living wage.
But I can work at home, and I've been wanting to do a bunch of social media stuff anyway, which is better to do that at home, where I can concentrate. I started taking notes, for instance, for a social media policy a couple months ago, but never wrote it up.
And I want to think about what to post for the store's FB & IG. The Society SVDP has released no statement that I know of (we're so uncoordinated). I found and shared a prayer from SVDP in Norwich, CT.
It's pretty bad, actually, and it stinks that, as usual for almost everything I've read from SVDP (and most charities), the assumption is that "we, the readers" are middle class ("may we who have to cancel our trips remember those with no place to go" )
... but at least it's something that says "let's reach out".
I pulled out this line and posted it:
"As fear grips our country, Let us find ways
to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbor. Amen."
I'll see if I can find something better tomorrow.
P.S. Due to the language, I won't be posting this particular link I just saw it on Orange Crate Art on the store's FB, but I like it and can post it here:
https://staythefuckhome.com
"Please keep in mind there is no right or wrong amount of actions to take. Only take the actions that you feel comfortable with and that do not endanger your livelihood. Do not quit your job over this! However, keep in mind that every action helps.
Let's put it bluntly: Stay The Fuck Home!"
I think of the joke with the Lone Ranger and Tonto when I see the “we” in that prayer. “We’re surrounded, Tonto.” “What you mean ‘we,’ white man?” And I think of the element of privilege required to be able to stay at home. But those who can should do so.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to the Globe piece by Asaf Bitton. I saw it on Medium. Now I have to see what he’s added or changed.
Oh — and happy Marz is well.
ReplyDelete