Us, January 19, 2020: John, Leo, Shadow, Roy, Ondine
Us, January 19, 2020: John, Leo, Shadow, Roy, Ondine
It's been another few days in isolation here in San Diego. At least it's gray and wet outside, so we're not losing days of glorious spring sunshine. On the other hand, apparently the coronavirus doesn't like warm weather (heat kills it) or sunshine (UV kills it), so there you go. The forecast calls for the rain to settle in over the next few days.
According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracker, there are now over 1.4 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide, with over 80,000 deaths. British prime minister Boris Johnson is the first major world leader to be hospitalized for coronavirus. The U.S. has over 383,000 confirmed cases with over 12,000 deaths. Here in San Diego, there are 1,404 confirmed cases with 19 deaths.
Hospitals nationwide are bracing for "the surge," a dramatic spike in cases over the next week or two, although recent numbers may show a leveling off, perhaps demonstrating the effectiveness of social distancing.
As for us, we're sheltering in place as much as possible, consolidating and minimizing trips to the grocery store. Face masks are now the norm everywhere, and some counties in California require facemasks on all people going out of their house. We rarely see anyone else out when we take our night walks. We have seen owls, though, and a coyote. And, a hawk may be taking up residence in the tree behind our house.
Word is that auto insurers may rebate some of their insurance premiums based on drastically reduced risk, because people aren't driving as much. We're paying for three rated drivers including Roy, but so far we've driven maybe a combined distance of 15 miles in the last two or three weeks.
Leo started school online Monday, although what's available is pretty spotty. Many teachers haven't had the time or training needed to develop and deliver an online curriculum, plus many have their own caregiving issues being stuck at home with their families. So, Leo spends a lot of time playing Minecraft and watching videos.
Roy started school online a couple weeks ago, and his professors seem pretty solid with the distance learning thing. He's attended lectures, received and submitted assignments, and even taken digitally proctored exams. And, he plays Minecraft and other video games. A lot.
Ondine continues to work from home, and has been very busy and productive. We're grateful she's able to work from home!
John has been watching theatre productions online. Over the weekend, he watched the Metropolitan Opera's production of Macbeth, and then later watched the National Theatre's production of One Man Two Guvnors, a farce starring James Corden. The National Theatre will release Jane Eyre this Thursday. The Folger Library has also released several of their co-productions of Shakespeare's plays on YouTube. And, he started a MOOC on archaeology, which he's enjoying.
Shadow is fully fine after hurting his foot on a walk last week. We think he stepped on a dead bee, because he was totally fine the next day. Here's
a picture of him rummaging around in the back yard clover.
If we've been updating more frequently than usual, it's because the whole situation with coronavirus causes significant changes every day. Just a month ago, toilet paper was plentiful and nothing to think twice about; now there is none available anywhere. Just a week ago, very few people wore masks in public; now everyone does. Just the other day we received in our mailbox a coloring sheet of two Easter eggs to color and place in our windows so kids can walk around the neighborhood having a "social distancing Easter egg hunt;" today it sounds like even that outdoor activity might be restricted as non-essential.
Then there are the things we've forgotten to mention. Like getting Roy's return flight to Colorado Springs canceled and refunded. Ondine worked on that for most of a weekend and found the airline website and phone lines so swamped she couldn't get through. She turned the reins over to Roy, who worked it off and on over the next two or three days before finally getting the cancellation and refund processed.
And there's taxes, which John is working on and which Roy will also be working on for the first time. We're still aiming to submit by April 15, even though the deadline has been extended to July 15.
And there's Leo's braces, for which we made the deposit payment in March. Production of the Invisalign trays was delayed, but they arrived at the orthodontist's office yesterday. The office, though, is mostly closed, except for one person answering phones and emails and dispensing Invisalign trays two at a time. That's enough for a couple months, after which treatment can start accelerating. But, since we're not going out, we might not pick them up for a week or two. We've been told that's not a problem; the treatment doesn't have to start by a certain date. And the price is fixed, so the added time won't add cost.
Neighborhood gas prices range from $2.89 to $3.09. And the stock market is sitting at just over 23,000 at mid-day.
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