Rearranging Deck Chairs on the Titanic

I no longer have any words to describe what’s going on in this country: People are dying every day because of that monster in the White House. And yes, I am referring to both the pandemic and the racial atrocities. I used to be quite political on this blog, back before there was social media, but nowadays I reserve this spot for a break from “the world.” But the last month or so have left me unable to just turn off the bad stuff, so I haven’t written anything here. But today I’m feeling some peace (for no particular reason), so I figured I’d check in. Please don’t think me tone-deaf; you can check out Twitter or FB if you want to know what I think politically (I have a feeling you already know...).

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First off, we are all healthy here. I am one of only a handful of people I know who is still quarantining as much as possible. I haven’t been to a grocery store in nearly 3 months! Restaurants just opened here in Mass., but you couldn’t pay me to set foot in one (we are doing our fair share of takeout, though, to keep our neighbors in business!). I can’t imagine eating in a restaurant until there’s a vaccine. I'm not even interested in sitting at an outdoor restaurant table and taking off my mask to eat. Here's how I look at it: Every day that I avoid standing a foot away from a supermarket cashier, I’m also avoiding the hairdresser that cashier saw yesterday, and the waiter who took that hairdresser’s order at a restaurant the day before, and the bank teller who handled the waiter’s cash deposit, and so on. I do the things I have to (like getting a blown tire repaired or picking up a prescription that got shipped to CVS instead of home), but I don’t do anything else.

And you know what? I’m turning into a very happy hermit! I do miss grocery shopping, but if I went now, it wouldn’t be the kind of shopping I enjoy—lazily browsing the aisles, taking my time choosing produce, examining new products, seeing what looks nice in the prepared foods case, chatting with my favorite cashier. No, I would dash in, heart pounding, grab the 10 things I need, pay, and dash out, panting and sweating. Not fun. I also miss my volunteer gig at the food pantry. I don't miss a whole lot else out there in the world.

But we’ve also had some good news around here:

First, Steph completed her Master’s in Early Childhood Education and Developmental Psychology! Her department had a small Zoom graduation ceremony, which was really lovely. We wouldn’t have likely gone to the huge Boston University graduation anyhow, so this was just fine by us. And, as if that weren’t enough, she has already found a full-time teaching job for the fall! We couldn’t be more proud.

Then, Julie graduated from high school! As I mentioned in an earlier post, I feel terrible that she got cheated out of everything fun for her senior year. There was no prom, but there was an online graduation, which was better than nothing and just fine for what it was, but it wasn’t the real thing. (They are talking about having a real graduation in July … color me skeptical.) She also won a big award from the World Language department; in lieu of Senior Awards Night, a bunch of the language teachers drove over and held an amazing mini-ceremony right on our lawn! I soaked my mask with tears.

And Julie’s other piece of big news is that she will be a freshman at Wesleyan University in the fall, which is my alma mater, so I’m tickled pink. As of now, Wes (and Colby College, where Pete will be a senior) have both said they plan to start the semester a few weeks early (in August) so they can be done by Thanksgiving and send everyone home for a couple of months (rather than have everyone go home for Thanksgiving and then come back and infect each other). Stay tuned…

That's all for now. I plan to catch up on all the fluffy stuff (recipes, book reviews, etc.) soon.

I hope everyone out there in blogland is doing well. Please stay in touch in whatever way suits you best. 

Comments

[Beth F]

Totally self-quarantining here too. The "worst" thing we did was risk a pizza last week. We have seen no one. The only store we go to is the state store because we can't get wine delivered in PA and I can't get through this without it. LOL. Penn State is on the same schedule -- send students home at Thanksgiving until . . . spring?? Who knows. So happy we both have careers that can weather this well.

[Lisa Goldstein]

Mostly self-quarantining here too, although I've started going into the office occasionally since I'm quite literally the only one here. I'm grateful that I can do most of my work, including teaching and leading worship, from home. I'm painfully aware that not everyone is so fortunate. Congrats to your daughters! And to your friend Beth F, my daughter and son-in-law just moved to State College, where my SIL, a newly minted rabbi, will be working for Hillel at Penn State. Interesting times... Stay safe!

[pam the beancounter]

Steph has a graduate degree? Where does the time go? (Wait--you and I have been blog friends since about 2006, so yeah, no wonder!) Congratulations to her, and to Julie. You have such wonderful kids.

We've segued from full seclusion into a bubble lifestyle here. My office is content to let us work from home indefinitely, so my only social interaction is limited time with the couple next door. SO ready for a vaccine so we can all go out to dinner again. :)

[Deborah B]

I get out to the grocery store once a week, and I go right when they open since it seems to be the lowest risk. I really miss taking my time at the store, too, just to explore what might be new or fun to try. I never thought about that when all of this started, but I miss that more than I miss almost anything besides attending plays and musicals.

It's been so fun to "watch" your kids over the past 15+ years that I've been reading along with you. My stepson was supposed to be getting married this coming weekend at a venue in upstate NY. We had planned an entire road trip from AL that went on to Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut and more. I'm sad to miss all of that, especially since we don't know when we can have the wedding.
But we are happy and healthy. I've discovered that I can be quite the happy hermit as well. We've always had an active social life, but I have been quite content to stay home with my husband for the past few months. I'm lucky enough to be able to telework - I haven't been in the office since March (prior to that, teleworking was NEVER an option). My husband is a college professor, so the fall semester (in whatever form it takes) is going to be a bit trickier for him to navigate.

I'm so glad to hear that you're all doing well!

[Margaret]

I watch the news (and the monster in the WH) with disbelief. I didn't realize how many stupid and self-centered people there were! I'm not as strict as you are, but go few places, and always masked. When my county went to Phase 2, I stayed in Phase 1.5. Great news about your kids! My NY daughter had a baby boy on May 20 so I'm headed back there soon for a visit, after quarantining for 2 weeks. This virus makes travel quite difficult.

[Marta]

I absolutely agree with you on the grocery shopping. It's so stressful and it's just find the things fast and get out. We've actually chosen to drive 10 minutes out to go to a grocery story that actually has everyone using masks and enough cashiers so there's no line up. We only shop early in the morning and only once every two weeks if we plan it right. Plenty of takeout here too. But I am in no hurry to return to "normal" when you think about how crowded the old "normal" was.

I'm glad that you're all healthy and congrats to both Steph and Julie.

[Elena]

Still quarantining here too with very few exceptions. I have no desire to set foot in a grocery store until I absolutely have to, although it is getting tedious having to rely on Instacart shoppers, etc. (but thank goodness they are available). So glad to hear that Steph has already found a job! Woot!