I called one of my brothers today. We don’t talk that often, so he asked what was the occasion, I said, just the standard Pandemic Check In. He works retail, so he still goes in daily; they have gloves and tend toward no-contact delivery or car window service as much as possible. My SIL is a hairdresser, and she has had to close her salon by order of the governor; although I am sure she does in-home for anyone who is OK with that.
We have an elderly widow a couple of houses up from us, she makes it a point to walk up to our corner and back every day. I’ve made it a point to walk out and ask how she’s doing (from 10 feet away). She has a grandson living downstairs from her, so she’s got someone keeping her stocked.
I got my meds updated to 90 days. Also got a gift card for our mail carrier (enclosed in a beautiful Chihuly at Biltmore card because I am ARTSY).
Wife Sublime and I are both working full-time from home, and we’re very fortunate to be able to do so. Had a brief panic episode early on, when the internet service went down for half an hour. I have had most of my current files in cloud storage, and older stuff on my HD. We haven’t gotten on each other’s nerves as yet; no more than usual.
That is not the case for a neighbor up the street. The other day, we had police descend on our corner in force: at least six cars, 3 vans, two unmarked. The streets were blocked off, including our driveway. Cops were lurking around the corners and inside of nearby buildings, hands on their guns and always close to cover. They dispersed through the backyards and from the other end of the block. As Imaginary Digital Friend mikey said, it looked like a Hill Street Blues episode, and friends and capybaras, it did at that.
Some of the police did not have hands on their pistols. Those would be the ones carrying rifles.
Another friend said the police log simply said “suspect with a gun” because you don’t have that kind of force arrayed when there isn’t. Later, we learned that he was threatening to shoot his wife although it is not clear whether it was a hostage situation. My wife said she heard a gunshot, but I missed it. In any case, we weren’t all that surprised; social isolation and a frayed relationship; and someone who might have responded to the pandemic by getting a gun or another one; it was kind of inevitable. Again, quoting mikey (who sometimes has the soul of a poet): “Nowhere to go, death lurking outside, violence and hatred in your ‘safe’ place.”
Our last concert was March 5; They Might Be Giants at the Pabst Theater. the weekend of the 14th, we were scheduled for a trip to Costa Rica for 9 days, and I was nervous but Wife Sublime was so eager for the trip I said I would be OK with it. However, the tour company canceled all their tours two days before we were due to leave. Since then, we have been self-isolating and sheltering-in-place like motherfuckers. My concert buddy and I have tix for Tame Impala on May 30, no word yet. We also have tickets for Roger Waters in August; no idea. Summerfest has been postponed and rescheduled for three consecutive weekends in September. Roll the fucking bones on that one.
Fortunately, our (Democratic) governor was not being an idiot and closed down all non-essential businesses (as noted above, including hairdressers) and being not-a-further-idiot, also declared liquor stores to be essential businesses. Wisconsin, you know? But liquor stores are reporting quite a brisk business with the populace staying home with little to do except to self-medicate (and threaten their wife with a gun, of course) and when I am honest, my consumption has gone up.
Wife Sublime is self-comforting by incessantly watching news shows about the pandemic, she even resorts to watching the lying press conferences by Lord Dampnut. And also reading about other pandemics and epidemics and researching local statistics, then producing analysis charts for Facebook. She’s an engineer and IT professional and that’s what she does. She feels uncomfortable when she feels like she has no control, and right now, there is no control to be had. The best there is is analysis. FWIW, we’ve been married for a long time, and I understand. I put in my headphones and watch horror movies.
As I said to friend, “I am watching horror movies to avoid horror reality”. But man, you bottom out on quality horror movies really fucking fast. I also burned through Netflix’ comedy specials in like two days. In the meantime, I am still working on projects, that I had fallen behind on although believe me it’s hard to be productive under wartime conditions. See: this blog post. When I should be working on fire separation details (but at least I got those elevator shop submittals pushed out into the motherfucking mojo wire).
(ahh, you see. There you go. wandered off to make a new cocktail and lost my train of thought.)
But of course the difficult thing is the social isolation and the incessant dread and paranoia. During the day, I hear Wife Sublime on video conferencing with people around the world, and they always talk about how things are where they are. I usually have to argue with insurance shit weasels about why they won’t give me new CPAP equipment. Oh, sure, sometimes I talk to contractors and such, but since all of them are working at home, that’s almost all email too. It does all make everything a bit more distancing.
And then, a few days ago, I went to bed and couldn’t sleep and then found myself curling into the tightest ball I could and sobbing uncontrollably. All the fear, tension, stress and paranoia came spilling out all at once into my arms and belly and sheets. It came as a bit of a surprise and certainly relief.
Certainly everyone is feeling the same kinds of things, and I hope they don’t respond like my neighbor up the block. I would also say, if you have guns GET RID OF THEM or at least secure them. When I was at my bleakest, I often thought about buying a gun and I didn’t but if I had had one available, this might be a very different blog.
Meanwhile, I appreciate all the half-dozen readers I have and all the other readers I have ever had and hope you are all well and things are going well and that you are coping well. I have love for you all I send zombie love out to you.
Empire Of The Senseless 
There was a very angry someone outside yelling “You ruined it all” or something a few mins. ago, first I’ve heard or seen of cabin fever or whatever. And I’d just been thinking how little traffic I hear.
Typed too soon. There’s a helicopter circling the neighborhood.
Anyway, stay out of (or in from) trouble.
Charlton Heston lives in your neighborhood?
Yeah, this is hard.
No guidance. Some of my history – a bit of agoraphobia, social anxiety, anger management issues – has prepared me for sitting at home six days out of the week, and only visiting the grocery for provisions. It IS wreaking havoc with my carefully cultivated frugality – I don’t make enough money to make it all the way through the month, and not being able to maximally optimize my spend is going to increase the gap at the end of the month. Last night I was dreaming that it was a quarter to eight and I was going to be LATE to work and I got quite anxious about that and then I woke up and realized that I wasn’t going to leave the house for DAYS and I found that somewhat…calming. At least I know my schedule without question, gnome sane?
Well, so last night I had a bout of insomnia. So I got THAT going for me. Which is nice.
i read this and could relate to it [it was linked at blckdgrd]
my governor is a republican – larry hogan – but he is handling the situation in a sensible way
i’ve enjoyed a couple of youtube videos recently – ‘coronavirus rhapsody’ and ‘my corona’
as yogi berra might have said, you never know when something surprising might happen
Wow — first time reader here. Blown away by your honesty and dark sense of humor! Great stuff. Stay safe.
thanks. I try to write from the heart.