Hello readers. Just a short post to let everyone know I am alive and how I am dealing with lockdown. Like 99% of the planet I am chilling at home looking at a lot of exponential graphs. In the Bay Area we are beginning to see a flattening of new COVID-19 cases which is cause for cautious optimism. But at this point it could still go either way. I am disheartened by the many failures of our global leaders, not only Trump for his willful ignorance but also China for information suppression. There is plenty of blame to go around.
My days consist of writing in the morning, making electronic beats in the afternoon, and lots of breaks for walking the dog and snacking. I’m trying not to gain the COVID-15 but I am fighting off the COVID-5 for sure. No racquetball at the YMCA but I’m hitting the weights at home and doing lots of pull-ups on the bar. So if I get a little heavier, hopefully it will be half muscle?
Not much consulting work coming in at the moment, so I have additional time to make music which is a nice change. I’ll have some new techno and breakbeat releases to announce soon. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about money. But if you don’t dip into the emergency fund during a global pandemic, when do you dip into it? Same goes for emergency supplies of dark chocolate and peanut butter.
Homeschooling is going okay. In California school is probably cancelled for the rest of year. OUSD is doing a decent job of reaching out to the kids and providing them with assignments. Our daughter is getting way more screen time than usual, but a lot of it is talking, texting, or gaming with her friends, which we all feel is important.
I feel pretty good most of the time, punctuated by short bouts of anxiety and mild depression. So… more or less normal. Most of us will get through this. But a lot of people won’t, and many have already lost family and friends to this pandemic. So I keep looking at graphs…
If I get COVID-19 I’m putting my bets on broad antivirals including garlic, sage, and vitamin D. But I’m doing my best not to get it (unless I already did — but I won’t know until an antibody test is widely available). I’m hoping for a fast effective vaccine development process.
I’m also hoping for kinder, gentler, more rational world when all this is over. And ideally a new government that takes public health more seriously.
Patrick
Well said!