It was a fabulous party. My house was packed with people.
I decided I was hungry. I walked past a bunch of people and went into the kitchen. I opened the freezer, and a frozen-pot-pie box fell out; it skidded across the floor and came to rest under a bar stool. I jokingly chided my friend who was sitting on the stool about being a terrible goalie.
I retrieved the pot pie and put it back. I pondered heating up a frozen pizza but decided against it, and instead went over to talk to some friends who were standing in front of the stove. Brad Fuhr was biting into a slice of another pizza that he’d apparently just pulled out of the oven. He started to say something—and one of the slices on the plate he was holding fell on the floor. We laughed, and as he began to clean up the mess, I started talking to another friend, Daniel, about an NFL player, recently in the news, who we both thought was attractive.
The conversation was suddenly interrupted by the sound of my iPhone alarm.
I woke up, confused at first, as the dinner-party dream had been so vivid. Soon, however, reality set in. The party and the amazing time I was having—neither were real. And they won’t be real again for quite some time.
Feeling sad, I sat up. As I continued to awaken, I checked the social media on my phone. About every third post dealt with President Trump’s remarks during yesterday’s COVID-19 press briefing, when he suggested that the virus could be combated by people injecting disinfectants.
I sighed, got up, and headed toward my real kitchen to make coffee. I paused briefly, but did not stop, as I passed our bottles of liquor. Somewhere down the line, there will be real parties again, after all, and I want to be functional for those. And besides, I had work to do.
Today’s links:
• No, seriously, we really are living in the timeline in which we’re six weeks into a crippling pandemic, and Lysol and Clorox need to issue statements telling people to please not inject or ingest their products, because confused people are calling health hotlines after the president said something bonkers on live TV.
• Also in this timeline: Facing a recession that could be as bad as the Great Depression—hell, in some ways, it could be worse—and with the country facing mind-blowing spending deficits, we’re giving rich people and large companies yet another humongous tax break.
• OK! We’re not walking past the bar this time! If you drink, join me in having a classic Manhattan. If you don’t drink, a tip o’ the hat to you, and instead, here’s info on Disney’s just-released Dole Whip recipe.
• Now, back to the news, and this fascinating piece on how Australia and New Zealand’s leaders—about as politically far apart as two people can get—have each seemingly put politics aside to help their countries make great strides in battling COVID-19.
• From the Independent: Kevin Fitzgerald recently talked to Rep. Raul Ruiz about how he’s been able to combine two areas of expertise—medicine and politics—during the coronavirus crisis.
• News you can potentially use: Riverside County—Palm Springs included, in this case—is allowing HOA and apartment pools to reopen, but only one person can be in them at a time.
• The 10-cent charge for bags at grocery stores is a (temporary) thing of the past.
• Very interesting: Gov. Newsom today announced an effort to deliver seniors in need three meals per day—with the government hiring out-of-work restaurant employees to make those meals at restaurants.
• If you’re someone who’s having a hard time adjusting to working from home, you’re far from alone.
• You know all these “grassroots” protests popping up here and there to demand we reopen everything, virus be damned? The Conversation reveals that these protests aren’t so grassroots after all.
• Some people have jokingly referred to COVID-19 as “the plague.” Well, this piece—again from The Conversation—looks at a diary from the time of a severe bubonic plague outbreak in 1600s London, and reveals that there are some surprising similarities in terms of what we’re all going through.
• Eisenhower is continuing its series of lectures and online classes—but now via Zoom, of course. Check out a calendar of events here.
• A cautionary tale that just so happens to come on the same day as Georgia is starting to reopen things: Here’s what happened when the Japanese island of Hokkaido lifted lockdown orders too soon.
• What will it look like when schools finally reopen? Here’s NPR’s take.
That’s enough for today. Buy our awesome coloring book here. If you can afford to support the Independent, and can help us continue producing free-to-all, quality journalism for the Coachella Valley, please go here. Please stay safe. Wash your hands. Wear a mask when you go out. Be nice. Unless there’s major breaking news, or the president announces that COVID-19 can be cured by using weedwackers or something, we’re taking the weekend off, and we’ll be back Monday.