We are in our fifth week of living under the stay-at-home order issued in the Bay Area on March 16. Here are some observations about these strange times.
Kensington is a Pretty Place to be Trapped
For being stuck in one place, our new house isn't bad. The neighborhood has lots of places to walk the dog, on quiet tree-lined streets through nice residential neighborhoods. There is a usually well-stocked market just a five minute walk away. We've got a big backyard and a small balcony/deck on the front of the house that we're using more and more. With the recent pleasant weather, it's hard to complain about the surroundings.
Nevertheless, I'm Often Grumpy
I've been taking extra precautions because of my depressed immune system. That means I haven't been in a store during those five weeks. Suzie says I'm not missing much, since most stores are closed and shopping for groceries is a wait-shop-wait process. Still, one of the reasons we moved to Kensington was to be closer to all the activities available in the Bay Area -- from Pac 12 sports to plays to art museums and concerts. All those are unavailable now.
As time goes on, the inability to go and do, the lack of control I have over the situation, and the always-just-below-the-surface thought that I might catch the virus, is wearing on me. I find myself being short and grumpy more often than I'd like.
Then There are the Kids
In addition to the coronavirus confinement, We got hit with two additional curves. Our older son Will got into a bad car accident, and he moved in with us four weeks ago so we could take care of him (he's in a neck brace and has a broken leg and so is immobile). Then our younger son Andrew got very down because of his confinement -- he was working from home in his bedroom in his apartment and then kept his distance from his roommates by staying in his bedroom in his apartment. That bedroom is small and dark, and after 4 weeks he asked if he could come stay with us for awhile to have some human contact again. He has a Husky named Rose that he brought with him. Now four people and two dogs are living in our fairly small house. Not exactly what we had in mind when we bought the place. This doesn't help my grumpiness; I want my quiet space back.
Motivation? What Motivation?
With all the free time available, I figured I'd put it to good use, by learning something new and by continuing to write. But like many people, I am finding it hard to motivate myself. I did build this web site, but it took much longer than it should have, because rather than moving ahead in an organized manner, I'd just pick at it, using one framework, then another, back and forth. The work equivalent of scanning Tweets rather than reading a book. My sense is I'm not the only one having this problem.
Except for One Thing
One thing I've been very motivated to do is exercise. Not being able to go to the gym, I started doing exercise videos on YouTube. To my surprise, they were hard (plus I was not in the best shape when I started). The first one damn near killed me. But I've kept up with them, one every other day, for the whole lockdown period. Most of the exercises are those I'd never done before -- squats and lunges and kicks and punches -- and are complementary to the walking and cycling I do. My balance and range of motion is better, and my lower back problems have taken a break. Between the videos and the extra walks I'm go on with new dog, I'm in the best shape I've been in for a long time. Unexpected, and a small bit of insurance against a possible coronavirus infection.
Feeling Cheated
More and more I've been feeling cheated by the coronavirus and lockdown. After the horrible experience with cancer in 2018, I'd finally gotten to a place where I felt strong and healthy again. I was looking forward to a summer in the East Bay and a July in France. I may have only so much time left, and now at least three prime months (and likely a lot more) have been taken away from me. Boo-hoo, I know; I've got it a lot better than most (see above), but this idea of losing time bugs the holy hell out of me.
The Federal Government is Incompetent and Our Politics are Crazy
On top of everything, we're treated daily to the spectacle of a federal government wholly incapable of acting positively in this crisis. Its leader has the IQ of a six-year-old ("Mommy, if bleach kills the virus, why don't we just drink it so it can kill the viruses inside us?") and is not right in the head, the administrative competencies we need to rely on in a crisis have been hollowed out, and the Left and the Right can agree on only one thing: Spending outrageous sums of money with no means of paying it back is just fine. The Boomers' final screw-all-you-other-people will be saddling younger generations with a never-seen-before level of debt. It's become clearer and clearer that the entire political class -- Democrats and Republicans, the media, and institutions alike -- has failed its constituents miserably over the past 30 years. They all think divisiveness is in their own best interests (riles up the base, sells more papers, gathers more eyeballs), and that shows no signs of changing.
Sorry to end on a down note, but I call 'em as I see 'em. It is lovely in Kensington, though.