I think the worst thing, for me at least, about this extended run of being concerned about COVID is mostly just the boredom of it all. I DO realize how lucky I am to be retired and, hence, do NOT have to go to work on a daily basis. In fact, since Bonnie does the vast majority of the shopping (her choice, but it makes sense to both of us), there are days when I don’t even leave the house.
Thankfully, the local YMCA has not yet had to re-close due to “the new variant,” so I/we can get to Aquasize classes and “Water Walking” which are good for my arthritic right knee, my “rebuilt” left one, and (probably) my general well being. Bonnie often comes with me, but she gets “out” more than I do with trips to the store and, occasionally, to small “gabberings” with carefully selected friends. The local “Sherlockian” group I belong to has confined itself to Zoom meetings and I have not even been to bookstores much, although I did get out to shop a little for Bonnie’s birthday and some Christmas stuff. Still, I admit that I’m tired of not getting out much, even if I am, by nature, something of a hermit, as least as long as I have a book to read. I should hasten to note that we HAD been able to get together with Maggi and Brian every so often, but, they visited with Brian’s family in St. Louis over Christmas and ended up with Maggi coming down with COVID, then (a few days later) Brian got it. It has taken them longer than anyone hoped to get well. However, they both work (primarily) from home. I’m happy to say, though, that they are finally both “negative” at this point. Still, all of us are quite conscious of the fact that we are all still at some risk, even though we are all immunized and boosted, etc. This means we have spoken and texted with them, but we haven’t actually seen them since before Xmas. Still, we find ways to keep busy, although that varies a good bit.
Probably the most consistent thing I do is to read the newspaper in the morning. I think it’s important to support the local paper because it reports on stuff which even the local TV news doesn’t, and also includes the COMICS. That’s where I get a lot of the material I use in this blog, so I’ve been collecting odd bits and pieces from a variety of sources which relate to surviving the current “plague,” and have derived considerable humor from doing so. Here’s a very true sample from Thatababy:
Thankfully, the local YMCA has not yet had to re-close due to “the new variant,” so I/we can get to Aquasize classes and “Water Walking” which are good for my arthritic right knee, my “rebuilt” left one, and (probably) my general well being. Bonnie often comes with me, but she gets “out” more than I do with trips to the store and, occasionally, to small “gabberings” with carefully selected friends. The local “Sherlockian” group I belong to has confined itself to Zoom meetings and I have not even been to bookstores much, although I did get out to shop a little for Bonnie’s birthday and some Christmas stuff. Still, I admit that I’m tired of not getting out much, even if I am, by nature, something of a hermit, as least as long as I have a book to read. I should hasten to note that we HAD been able to get together with Maggi and Brian every so often, but, they visited with Brian’s family in St. Louis over Christmas and ended up with Maggi coming down with COVID, then (a few days later) Brian got it. It has taken them longer than anyone hoped to get well. However, they both work (primarily) from home. I’m happy to say, though, that they are finally both “negative” at this point. Still, all of us are quite conscious of the fact that we are all still at some risk, even though we are all immunized and boosted, etc. This means we have spoken and texted with them, but we haven’t actually seen them since before Xmas. Still, we find ways to keep busy, although that varies a good bit.
Probably the most consistent thing I do is to read the newspaper in the morning. I think it’s important to support the local paper because it reports on stuff which even the local TV news doesn’t, and also includes the COMICS. That’s where I get a lot of the material I use in this blog, so I’ve been collecting odd bits and pieces from a variety of sources which relate to surviving the current “plague,” and have derived considerable humor from doing so. Here’s a very true sample from Thatababy:
Anyway, in the attempt to maintain a certain level of something approaching sanity, I thought I would share some of the stuff I have found, with some brief commentary.
Zoom has become such an established part of so many people’s lives that it amazes me. When you consider that a couple of years ago most people had never heard of it, or programs like it, I now wonder how we got along without it, although I know a lot of people (of ALL ages) who would have been perfectly happy never to have heard of it. Still, as annoying as it may be at times, it seems to have made a considerable difference in both the business AND educational worlds. As previously mentioned, my Sherlock group has been meeting on Zoom for longer than most of us wish and, when I got drafted into becoming a minister and officiating at Maggi and Brian’s wedding, we “broadcast” that ceremony on Zoom for friends and family who couldn’t travel due to COVID. So Zoom HAS become a significant part of many people’s lives in a variety of ways, but it CAN still be a source of humor, as shown in this cover of The New Yorker magazine from about a year ago.
Zoom has become such an established part of so many people’s lives that it amazes me. When you consider that a couple of years ago most people had never heard of it, or programs like it, I now wonder how we got along without it, although I know a lot of people (of ALL ages) who would have been perfectly happy never to have heard of it. Still, as annoying as it may be at times, it seems to have made a considerable difference in both the business AND educational worlds. As previously mentioned, my Sherlock group has been meeting on Zoom for longer than most of us wish and, when I got drafted into becoming a minister and officiating at Maggi and Brian’s wedding, we “broadcast” that ceremony on Zoom for friends and family who couldn’t travel due to COVID. So Zoom HAS become a significant part of many people’s lives in a variety of ways, but it CAN still be a source of humor, as shown in this cover of The New Yorker magazine from about a year ago.
I suppose that the biggest challenge which “life on Zoom” has created is having to deal with the fact that “normal” business meetings can be quite boring. They MAY be necessary, but that doesn’t make them exciting. And, while I never had to teach (or take) classes on Zoom, they can’t be anything like as “enjoyable” as classes in person. They may be “real time,” but they still seem a lot like a low-grade “educational” movie. Baby Blues seems to have captured all of this quite well, in my opinion:
The “boredom” level has, I’m afraid, provided too much encouragement for people to find “inventive” ways to prevent (or at least not notice) its presence. Unfortunately, this “encouragement” seems to have, all too often, included increased consumption of alcohol, or so I am told. See B.C. below:
Still, there just MAY be some compensations for those of us who have tried to pay attention to people with some actual medical knowledge, as opposed to the “bleach drinkers,” as Dilbert suggests.
I confess that I do wonder at times if our Public Health Officials haven’t gone about encouraging masking (to say nothing of getting immunized) in the wrong way. Given the stubborn stupidity of folks who insist that lawyers and business people (often with self-inflated notions of their own intelligence) know more about Public Health than people with years of educational study and practical experience in dealing with pandemic situations, I suspect that Non Sequitur may have had the right idea about a year and a half ago.
This is NOT to say that there haven’t been (still aren’t) legitimate reasons to be concerned about the COVID “crisis.” It IS serious, although one CAN choose to look at it with a sense of humor. And, I believe that there have been (still are) opportunities to see some humor hiding amongst the seriousness. Regarding shortages, for example, Thatababy poses a problem which some would find worth pondering.
Then there’s the real concern over having to deal with the reestablishment of wearing masks and other features of what we referred to as “the LOCKDOWN” (which it really wasn’t, although it WAS an inconvenient annoyance) back in place. I suppose that if people won’t listen to reason, science, and logic, we COULD end up with this sort of problem!
I do NOT wish to be thought of as overly pessimistic, but I’m not overly optimistic, either. Just because things aren’t as bad as they might be does NOT mean that they couldn’t get worse. This is especially true when some folks insist on citing “social media” as a source of greater credibility than people with real expertise. I guess that it’s comforting to some people to hear that it’s “really not as bad as the media want to make it,” and so forth, but, then again, people have frequently put wishful thinking ahead of reality. It’s just possible that Non Sequitur has it right!
Think about it. Get your shot(s), wear a mask, do the other stuff. Even if it doesn’t help (I think it will), I seriously doubt that it’s going to hurt. It could make a life or death difference to you, or someone you love.
By the way, the “Day the Music Died” is/was Feb. 3, a day that made Don McLean rich, but a sad day for those of us who still remember the actual event.
Also, Valentine's Day is coming, on the 14th. I hope you can spend at least part of it (safely) with someone(s) you love.
I’ll be back in a while,
LLAP,
Dr. B
“Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic; capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.” ―Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
By the way, the “Day the Music Died” is/was Feb. 3, a day that made Don McLean rich, but a sad day for those of us who still remember the actual event.
Also, Valentine's Day is coming, on the 14th. I hope you can spend at least part of it (safely) with someone(s) you love.
I’ll be back in a while,
LLAP,
Dr. B
“Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic; capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.” ―Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
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