March 21: And now…baking
HEADLINES:
Special UK shoutout: Tomorrow is Mother’s Day there. Sending love to anyone isolating and unable to spend the day with their Mom. Extra hugs to my sisters and brothers whose Moms are gone. I see you.
NY Times reports that US now has over 21,000 cases. That is a change of 519% since March 15th.
NY Times headline regarding Washington: “Chilling’ Plans: Who Gets Care as Washington State Hospitals Fill Up?”
I contemplate on an hourly basis how people are not taking this situation seriously.
Oakland Longshoremen threaten walk out due to improper sanitizing.
National Park Service say that too many people crowding around to see the cherry blossoms in DC.
SF Bay is figuring out how to dance & sing with friends outdoors
Steve Martin posted a banjo performance on Twitter. He’s the hero we didn’t know we needed.
The Daily Show is doing great Coronavirus coverage. We need the laughs. Thank you, Trevor. The digital The Daily Social Distancing Show with Trevor Noah will start airing Monday on Comedy Central.
9am-12pm I don’t know. It’s Saturday.
1pm: Transitioned from pj shorts to pj pants.
Watched Facebook Live feed with Dr. Tim Lahey, infectious diseases specialist and medical ethicist at UVM Medical Center in Vermont.
2:45 Talked to Nikki on her birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NIK!
Discovered the SF Bay Area literary community is pitching in, particularly these fellow Berkeley residents:
Michael Lewis, author of The Big Short, Moneyball and money others, will be doing a livestream fundraiser tomorrow at 3pm PST with Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin for the new Berkeley Relief Fund: berkeleyrelieffund.org
Ayelet Waldman (Bad Mother) and Michael Chabon (Wonder Boys) tweeted that once a week they will buy 25 meals from local East Bay restaurants and delivery them to Highland Hospital ER staff for as long as this lasts.
3:37 Ventured outdoor for the first time today to grab the mail. Put on a bra AND sweatpants. Bow to me, for I am the Queen of sheltering in place.
3:52 Oh la la, I can pay my very expensive COBRA payments by credit card now. How exciting.
Saw Neighbor Dody who is retired and yet takes care of other neighbors and isn’t letting anyone shop for her right now. She gave me and Neighbor Lady Who Smokes and Likes Dogs updates on our Neighbor Joyce who is back in the hospital. Sending good vibes to Joyce. Even before the virus, I worried that Dody would wear herself out caring for others. Wish I could shop for Dody, but she’s not having it.
4:01pm The rest of the day feels…..long. I will write the cover letter I need to send. I think cover letters are the biggest waste of time ever perpetuated on job hunters. I’m submitting through a contact’s employee referral link and it has a spot to upload a cover letter, which I find confounding. One of your workers is recommending me. Why is this necessary? But the blank space haunts me and (seemingly) needs to be filled.
Unsurprisingly, my friend Joe Donatelli has some good input on this for us: How to Write a Cover Letter That Won’t Break a Hiring Manager’s Will to Live.
Real question: What is the 1% doing right now? Are we living in a world of high-net worth individuals who are suddenly locked down with their young kids without a Nanny, Housekeeper, Gardner, etc? Or did they sneakily ask these folks to “shelter in” with them? I cannot fathom that they’re asking them to commute and be considered “essential,” but I suppose this is possible.
I’m honestly curious. I have a weird vision of the wealthy trying to figure out how to feed themselves and entertain their children while living in dissary. Also a ton of people googling when/how to add chemicals to the pool.
I know you can be wealthy and not helpless. I also know that I once sat next to a very famous Producer at Starbucks as he asked someone on the phone how to switch over to the call beeping in
4:30pm I should bake muffins
4:55pm You may ask, “Is it relaxing to listen to Annie Lennox while slowly pouring muffin batter into individual muffin cups?” Of course it is. How could you even ask me that?
I’m honestly unsure if I should share with neighbors (via notes on doorsteps of course). If I had Coronavirus could I spread it through a baked good? #paranoid
Row 1 Left to Right: Haight-Ashbury, another Berkeley medallion, “Little Free Library” transitions to snacks in Alameda & Crissy Field.
Row 2 Left to Right: Grocery line in Castro Valley, Farmer’s Market distancing, the Ferry Building & Farmer’s Market protocol.