Me to Boss: "Magda* lives alone and relies on public transport; we should check in on her. I'm going to call her when I work on Tuesday."
Me, again: "...also, what day is this? Fuck."
Boss: "LMAO."
(*Name has been changed, obvs.)
Yup, three days into this, and it's already happening: times is ceasing to mean anything. It's like the week between Christmas and New Year's, but you don't know when the New Year is going to come, and you might die or accidentally get someone killed.
In other news:
Indiana COVID-19 cases are up to 19, up four from yesterday.
Indiana University is basically (but not really) closed for the rest of the semester.
Bars and restaurants in California, Ohio, and Illinois, and Massachusetts are shutting down; I think, on municipal levels throughout the country, this is also happening. As it should.
I've been in touch with a few friends who work at different libraries--one friend in urban Southern California; one in rural northern Indiana; one in suburban Southern Indiana. All of their libraries are remaining open. This strikes me as the apex of shortsightedness. Of course, it's possible that administrators are wanting to get all their ducks in a row and hopefully arrange for emergency pay for all part- and full-time workers, but I worry that it's more to do with administrators being reluctant to potentially provoke the ire of the public--the same public who seem to be carrying on, like normal, and not giving a flipping fuck about transmission. I think, though, it's not so much indifference as it is just...a sense of immunity? It's not like middle-class Western society grew up with famine, war, and pestilence as an everyday thing. Yesterday, one of my sisters and her partner attending a local Booze and Boards Game down in Florida. After thinking over it a bit, I gently chided her: going out, unless it's necessary for work, or to acquire food, medical care, or other necessities, is not only foolish--it's absolutely selfish.
In My Own Little Corner of the World:
This whole social-distancing, self-isolation thing comes very easily to me. My early years of being a socially-awkward, friendless little freak have served me well: I'm comfortable in my own company, and my internal landscape is rich and well-supplied with my own interests and curiosities. I spent the day puttering about my home, reading, tidying up, cooking, reaching out to people, even exercising. I also Skyped with my sisters this morning; we cackled over our coffee and made more plans for future Skype dates. It's through these kinds of structured engagements that I'll keep my sanity.
Best Memes of the Day:
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