March 24: The Return of Fauci
Today I’m thinking about my Dad, who died exactly one year ago today. My sisters and I contemplated how he would’ve reacted to this virus, and concluded that he probably would’ve been in the “this is a hoax” camp. It’s impossible to know - he also could’ve taken it very seriously since he was over 70. Either way, we miss him terribly.
I would not have enjoyed fighting with him over “stay at home” orders, but would welcome it just to have the chance to talk to him again. I would regale him with quotes from Dr. Fauci, quote him statistics, say things like “BUT LOOK AT ITALY!!!” and I’d either run out of steam, or we’d switch topics. Today I’m thankful we had him as long as we did. That’s all I can do.
In virus news, I was happy that Dr. Fauci was at today’s White House briefing after many theorized about yesterday’s absence. It’s a crap day.
To quote Matthew McConaughey's character Rust Cohle in True Detective: “Someone once told me, 'Time is a flat circle.' Everything we've ever done or will do, we're gonna do over and over and over again.…”
I still have no idea what that means, but have assembled a timeline to put current events in perspective:
1/20 First confirmed case in the US.
1/26 Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and 7 others died in a tragic helicopter crash.
1/31 US restricts travel from China.
3/6 South by Southwest is cancelled - the first major US event.
3/8 The Indian Wells tennis tournament (known as the “fifth slam”) is the first major sporting event to be cancelled. Organizers decided after a case was confirmed in the area. US Cases per NYT: 547
3/10 Coachella is postponed. Gasps of music fans are heard around the world.
3/12 The NBA suspends the season.
3/12 I cancel a planned trip to Florida on 3/16. It became obvious that flying was a bad idea. US Cases: 1,168
3/17 The San Francisco Bay Area is the first region ordered to “shelter in place.”
3/19 The State of California ordered to “stay at home.”
3/24 NY Times reports: “At least 175 million people in 17 states, 26 counties and 10 cities are being urged to stay home.”
3/24 President Trump hopes to lift restrictions by Easter, less than 3 weeks from now. US Cases: 52,215.
Winners of the Internet
Photo by Andrew Jensen