April 3rd: Nationwide Lockdown, Please
Headlines
I Spent A Day In The Coronavirus-Driven Feeding Frenzy Of N95 Mask Sellers And Buyers And This Is What I Learned. This is a headline from Forbes.com. It’s a compelling read.
Captain Brett Crozier relieved after raising concerns over the virus on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier. The Navy said he was removed because of the way he went about it.
Putting Jared Kushner In Charge Is Utter Madness - This one speaks for itself.
UC Berkeley leads team of scientists to open advanced, ‘pop-up’ coronavirus testing lab, It will be capable of diagnosing 1,000 swab tests a day. Go Bears!
Andrew Lloyd Webber Launches Free Musical Theater Streaming Service starting with “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,”It will remain available from today 7 p.m. (U.K. time) for 48 hours.
Amazon Prime and the South by Southwest Film Festival will soon launch Prime Video Presents the SXSW 2020 Film Festival Collection. It will launch later this month and give exposure to those who missed having premieres once SXSW was cancelled due to Coronavirus.
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) has officially recommended we stop playing tennis. The release sites the possibility that the virus “could be transmitted through common sharing and handling of tennis balls, gate handles, benches, net posts and even court surfaces.”
Photo by Tookapic
I settled into the afternoon with a mix of trying to network online, texting a neighborhood friend about the inferiority of the Whole Foods pre-made tuna, contemplated the handsomeness of Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and bugging friends via FB about their proximity to Mackinac Island (beautiful coastal drive/fun ferry ride!). I cannot claim any level or productivity today.
I’ve also had a migraine most of the day and finally threw in the towel and laid down for a bit. The Mayo Clinic describes a migraine as causing “severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, usually on one side of the head. It's often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound.” To that I say “Yes.”
Today it’s on the right side and still lingering, like an itch I can’t quite scratch. Very happy I have a new bottle of Excedrin, my sweet old friend. I don’t know if it’s the caffeine inside those delightful white pills that speaks to me, but they help. It’s been suggested by friends that I get actual migraine medication from a Doctor, but that somehow feels dramatic. It could be the stoic Midwesterner in me. I don’t know, I have a headache. Ask me tomorrow.
For the first time in days I skipped watching the daily White House press conference. My head simply can’t take it. I already groan at the TV while watching it and simply can’t deal today. I’ve seen stories suggesting that the number or Coronavirus cases are climbing in states like Alabama which currently have no restrictions and I just think….”well yeah….of course they are.” I read a few articles on why there’s a shortage of PPE and the process of it getting routed….it’s truly infuriating.
Photo by Canva Photos Team
From what I’ve gathered, FEMA would normally buy and distribute to states but instead, as widely reported, states are in bidding against each other. For the love of God, someone let FEMA do what they do best, along with the Military. This may be unprecedented, but the mechanism to handle purchasing and mass-distribution of supplies is there.
I can empathize with the President for not wanting to declare a federally mandated shutdown of the US. It’s a terrible call to make. I can absolutely appreciate that. But with the majority of US states under some form of “stay at home” order, it truly feels we’re only delaying the inevitable. We have no travel restrictions. I live in CA (11,987 cases) and I could hop a plane to Wyoming (162 cases) right now and breath all over everyone there.
Obviously I’m not going to do that, but people are still getting on planes, driving across state lines, taking scenic Amtrak trips…etc. As much faith as I have in my fellow humans, people will simply to continue to do what they want until you force them not to.
It’s terrifying to think of having our basic rights restricted, but I watched Doctors Fauci and Birx explain that the model projecting 100,000 to over 200,000 US deaths is a low estimate based on the assumption that every American practices the suggested social distancing. If we don’t, well over a million.
The Good Guys
Dwayne Johnson: Dad, Actor, Wrestler. Just being adorable.
Generation X: We’ve been training for this moment our whole lives.
Left to Right: Berkeley public tennis courts, Armstrong Stadium at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center - now being used as a food prep & distribution center and Rafa Nadal and moi at the 2019 French Open.