Sláinte, wherever you are today.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
the things we say
The things we are having to say to each other are unthinkable.
Some funny, some verging on the really scary.
*
With my significant other, wondering if and when there's a curfew or complete shutdown of the city, whose place we want to be stranded at.
Whose turn is it to stand in line at the grocery store.
Is this cough seasonal allergies or something worse.
*
We have family members who are medical professionals, transit management, law enforcement, and in the armed services. They don't get to work from home. They're the ones keeping society in the US and Canada afloat right now. I'm fine on my couch, but I worry for them.
*
And we have a family member with a less than robust immune system, realizing belatedly they don't own a thermometer, there are none left in the stores, and getting tested is probably not a possibility in the near future.
Some funny, some verging on the really scary.
*
With my significant other, wondering if and when there's a curfew or complete shutdown of the city, whose place we want to be stranded at.
Whose turn is it to stand in line at the grocery store.
Is this cough seasonal allergies or something worse.
*
We have family members who are medical professionals, transit management, law enforcement, and in the armed services. They don't get to work from home. They're the ones keeping society in the US and Canada afloat right now. I'm fine on my couch, but I worry for them.
*
And we have a family member with a less than robust immune system, realizing belatedly they don't own a thermometer, there are none left in the stores, and getting tested is probably not a possibility in the near future.
Monday, March 16, 2020
the good-byes
Social media is heavy these days with good-byes from our favorite bars, restaurants and hangouts.
I'll keep posting as they roll in.
I'll keep posting as they roll in.
 |
| Honey Hole |
 |
| The Stranger |
 |
| Tom Douglas restaurants |
 |
| Vermillion Art Gallery and Bar |
 |
| Clock-Out Lounge |
 | ||
| Seattle Public Library |
 | ||||
| 522 Tattoo |
 |
| Belltown Yacht Club |
 |
| Central Cinema |
 |
| The Cuff Complex |
 |
| Jupiter Bar |
 |
| KEXP |
 |
| Monster |
 |
| Mercury@Machinewerks |
 |
| Bar Sue |
 |
| Cafe Pettirosso |
sunday church is closed for now
(PS Flammable has moved online to Twitch for the duration. 🔥🔥🔥)
Sunday, March 15, 2020
streaming Saturday night
Trying to follow the Governor's order to stay in and away from crowds, I stocked up on essentials on Saturday afternoon--nacho ingredients, a vegan cheesecake--and walked home in a cold wind.
(The grocery store in Ballard was a hive of activity, with entire families roaming the produce department, shelves empty of pasta and bread, and a worried-looking cashier wiping down the debit card keypad after every transaction.)
It was date night, and so my partner and I worked on his unemployment budget, chefed up nachos and considered our entertainment options--Netflix, Hulu, YouTube. We settled on the Seattle Symphony's broadcast of a Mahler symphony (the lead flutist or flautist or fluter or whatever you call them was wonderful), and later, an ill-advised viewing of a really bad Will Smith superhero movie (the kind of bad where you writhe around on your chair groaning at each new stereotype, but don't quite have the energy to turn it off).
This morning, a bus ride on a coach that was surprisingly full, although riders spaced themselves out pretty evenly. Another quick grocery store stop, a Whole Foods with seemingly zero sanitation measures and fully stocked shelves.
Every overheard conversation revolves around "the virus." Who's out of work. (all our restaurant and music friends) Is it still okay to go to bars? (no) Is the USA going to be Iran or Korea in this scenario? (remains to be seen)
Everyone mocks the toilet paper hoarders but I don't blame them.
We don't know where this is heading and I for one am not interested in a full-on quarantine without sufficient rolls of t.p. on hand.
(The grocery store in Ballard was a hive of activity, with entire families roaming the produce department, shelves empty of pasta and bread, and a worried-looking cashier wiping down the debit card keypad after every transaction.)
It was date night, and so my partner and I worked on his unemployment budget, chefed up nachos and considered our entertainment options--Netflix, Hulu, YouTube. We settled on the Seattle Symphony's broadcast of a Mahler symphony (the lead flutist or flautist or fluter or whatever you call them was wonderful), and later, an ill-advised viewing of a really bad Will Smith superhero movie (the kind of bad where you writhe around on your chair groaning at each new stereotype, but don't quite have the energy to turn it off).
This morning, a bus ride on a coach that was surprisingly full, although riders spaced themselves out pretty evenly. Another quick grocery store stop, a Whole Foods with seemingly zero sanitation measures and fully stocked shelves.
Every overheard conversation revolves around "the virus." Who's out of work. (all our restaurant and music friends) Is it still okay to go to bars? (no) Is the USA going to be Iran or Korea in this scenario? (remains to be seen)
Everyone mocks the toilet paper hoarders but I don't blame them.
We don't know where this is heading and I for one am not interested in a full-on quarantine without sufficient rolls of t.p. on hand.
Saturday, March 14, 2020
apart but together
Social distancing.
Flatten the curve.
Terms I'd never heard of a week ago and now are part of daily vocabulary.
I haven't been to the office in just over a week nor have a huge contingent of Seattle office workers. Team meetings are on Zoom, all of us in our living rooms or spare bedrooms, working away as best we can, with occasional cat or child visitors popping in.
The stores are empty of toilet paper, beans, and any sanitizing agents.
So many Seattle restaurants have closed that you now go online to check who is still open, if you need to order takeout.
Most art and music gatherings are cancelled but The Seattle Symphony and punk Belltown bar Screwdriver both are offering up live shows this weekend online.
A family member in Canada reports that border crossings to the US mean a 14-day quarantine upon return, so we won't be seeing them for awhile.
Other family members are for some reason on a cruise out of the country, and we are anxiously awaiting their safe and healthy return.
My e-mail inbox is jammed with daily notices from travel sites, hair salons, property managers, hotels, cupcake stores--everyone notifying their covid-19 status and how they're handling it.
*
The upshot for me, as a relatively privileged person with an office job and access to grocery stores and Netflix, is a few minor inconveniences. For my friends in the food and service industries, they have either been abruptly laid off or working severely reduced hours. Those in the medical field are working long hours and trying to be safe.
I signed up for a Seattle-based community help group to bring groceries or supplies to seniors or those who can't get out and about.
The few public conversations I have feel meaningful and fraught.
At the tiny coffee shop near me, where the owner roasts her own beans and calls me kitten, the one table has no chairs and a sign that says, "Eat it and Beat it."(She also gave advice on getting SNAP lined up now vs after April 1 when Voldemort has implemented new restrictions.)
With each new closure or restriction, I wonder what's next. I wish the feds were doing a better job--the lack of testing is criminal but we have a lot of smart scientists and local officials working their hearts out right here in my own city.
I know we will get through this. Will we emerge stronger, healthier, wiser? Time will tell.
Flatten the curve.
Terms I'd never heard of a week ago and now are part of daily vocabulary.
I haven't been to the office in just over a week nor have a huge contingent of Seattle office workers. Team meetings are on Zoom, all of us in our living rooms or spare bedrooms, working away as best we can, with occasional cat or child visitors popping in.
The stores are empty of toilet paper, beans, and any sanitizing agents.
So many Seattle restaurants have closed that you now go online to check who is still open, if you need to order takeout.
Most art and music gatherings are cancelled but The Seattle Symphony and punk Belltown bar Screwdriver both are offering up live shows this weekend online.
A family member in Canada reports that border crossings to the US mean a 14-day quarantine upon return, so we won't be seeing them for awhile.
Other family members are for some reason on a cruise out of the country, and we are anxiously awaiting their safe and healthy return.
My e-mail inbox is jammed with daily notices from travel sites, hair salons, property managers, hotels, cupcake stores--everyone notifying their covid-19 status and how they're handling it.
*
The upshot for me, as a relatively privileged person with an office job and access to grocery stores and Netflix, is a few minor inconveniences. For my friends in the food and service industries, they have either been abruptly laid off or working severely reduced hours. Those in the medical field are working long hours and trying to be safe.
I signed up for a Seattle-based community help group to bring groceries or supplies to seniors or those who can't get out and about.
The few public conversations I have feel meaningful and fraught.
At the tiny coffee shop near me, where the owner roasts her own beans and calls me kitten, the one table has no chairs and a sign that says, "Eat it and Beat it."(She also gave advice on getting SNAP lined up now vs after April 1 when Voldemort has implemented new restrictions.)
With each new closure or restriction, I wonder what's next. I wish the feds were doing a better job--the lack of testing is criminal but we have a lot of smart scientists and local officials working their hearts out right here in my own city.
I know we will get through this. Will we emerge stronger, healthier, wiser? Time will tell.
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
As most of you kids know, I've gotten a lot of "no's" this year, but happily have had a few "yes's" too. So ... -
If you live in Seattle you've seen this tag: LetGo I try not to get crazy about reading too much into street messages but sometimes I th...
