This one’s a little different. I’m stealing this from Craig Calcaterra, one of my favorite writers and a guy you really ought to consider following on Twitter. One of his friends came up with a series of questions regarding the pandemic and how it has affected you/me/all of us and they’re a good exercise for getting a sense of how you’re doing.
So, I stole it. With permission, of course, but still..
When was the last day you went in to work?
Physically? Wow…that’s a tougher question than I would have thought. 14 March, if I remember correctly. Somewhere around then. I’m pretty sure I just went in to pick up my laptop. “Weird” gets normalized quickly, doesn’t it?
When did your state or city order everyone to stay at home?
The city order came on 24 March. It’s a bit of a miracle that the state of Texas hasn’t overridden it. They’re prone to do that sort of thing.
Has there been a particular change to your lifestyle that has been difficult to make or accept?
Like many people who don’t normally work at home, the loss of compartmentalization of “work” vs. “off-work” has been a struggle.
In addition, the fact that so much of the company has been furloughed has cut lines of communications and rendered establish process obsolete. We’re reinventing the wheel with everything we do and, despite my lack of organization in most everything, I’m a creature of process at work.
Finally, my side gig is also shot. It’s a sportswriting job, and, as you may have noticed, we have a distinct lack of sports these days. I don’t watch a lot of sports, but losing that little thing to look forward to is weird. Having things to look forward to is like being able to see the next rung on the ladder. There’s nothing to put any demarcation between the days right now.
What do you miss the most?
Normalcy? That’s too broad. I miss the sense that I know what the next day, the next month, and the next year will bring. Weekdays and weekends are just isolation days now. Gray, indistinct, and very, very uncertain.
What is the most unusual thing you have noticed since this crisis began?
How social media has regressed by 15 years and I mean that in a good way. People are doing more and more of lists/quizzes/meme/tag-you’re-it posts on Facebook and Twitter than I’ve seen in ages. I did not expect this particular reaction. I’m not sure what it means, but it feels like it’s a good thing.
Do you know anyone who has COVID-19?
I don’t yet, but it won’t be long. It’s circling near my direct social circles and I would wager that, within a week, someone I know will have it.
Do you know anyone who had died from complications related to COVID-19?
No.
How long do you think it will be before the stay-at-home order is lifted in your community?
There’s really no way of knowing, is there? If I had to guess, it’ll be around the 1st of June, but it could be earlier (probably too early in that case). The complete lack of a national strategy makes me hesitant to even consider the end date.
Will you immediately return to your normal routine after the stay-at-home order is lifted? Or will you wait before returning to normal? If you’ll wait, how much longer will you do so?
I think it will depend on when the order is lifted and the circumstances in which it is lifted. If we’ve decided to lift it to “save the stock market” when it’s clearly not safe to lift it? I don’t think I’ll be returning to normal. If we really are past it, and the medical professionals are giving us the thumbs up, I expect I’ll return to whatever the new normal looks like pretty quickly. I do expect the new normal to be somewhat different than the old.
What’s the first thing you want to do when the stay-at-home order is lifted?
Take a weekend trip with my wife and/or visit my family. Not sure the order of the two, but those will be first.
Have you been ordering food out from local restaurants (carry-out or delivery)?
We have not. Nicole has been cooking every night. We might mix in a carry-out at some point, but the combination of uncertain income and risks are pushing us to dine at home as much as possible.
How often have you been going to the grocery store?
About once a week. We’ve found that Amazon delivery is utterly useless right now, and scheduling delivery from the grocery store is spotty. With restrictions on how much one can buy, a week is about the extent of how long we can go. Huge shout out to H-E-B. We’re very fortunate to have them. They had a plan for this sort of pandemic and started updating and implementing it in mid-January. So, going to the grocery is a little less traumatic for us than it might otherwise be.
Will you wear a mask when you go out?
To the incredibly infrequent degree I do go out, the answer is “yes”. There’s no reason not to and if it normalizes it a little, then I reckon that’s a good thing. Again fortune was with us on this one. My wife has a decent stash of masks from crafting, so we’re in good shape there.
Do you think other people have been taking this crisis seriously?
Too broad a question. I think more people are taking it seriously every day, but there are still those who are getting their news from bad sources who have been downplaying how serious this is. Unfortunately a lot of those people are older and more at risk of serious complications if they become infected. But, I think the trend is moving in the right direction; it’s just happening a month or two too late.
Do you think people have been over-reacting to this situation?
No. The doctors are pretty unanimous in saying we’ve been under-reacting. Some of the reactions have been appropriate strong but misguided (toilet paper, I’d be looking at you if I could find you), but by and large? No, if anything it’s the opposite.
How many people do you think will eventually die from COVID-19?
Speaking in Fermi estimates, 6 to 7 figures. It’ll be tough to get an exact count for multiple reasons, some more legitimate than others. I hope it’s fewer.
Do you think schools will re-open yet this year?
If you mean “for the 2019/20 school year”, then no. I do not. I would not be shocked to see them re-open at some point in the fall.
Do you think that summer sports like baseball will occur?
In some form, maybe? I’ll have a better sense of this come the end of the month, but right now, I’d bet on “no”. We certainly will not see a 162-game baseball season.
What is one thing you have done since this crisis started that you don’t usually do?
Well, I’m writing in my blog more regularly. That’s probably the biggest thing.
Is there anything that has changed in your life since this crisis began that you hope to keep after the crisis ends?
See above. I’m baking bread, really good, slow, bread that I’m weirdly proud of. We’re eating at home more, and goodness knows we could use to save the money when/if normalcy returns. To be honest, Nicole makes better food than most restaurants.