Day Beyond Counting – Support
Thursday’s Theme Music
Song from 1969 is rambling through my head. (Guess it’s Throwback Thursday.) (This is Thursday, innit? Days are sort of bleeding together with a lovely melange of rain, sun, and night.)
“Good Times, Bad Times” by Led Zeppelin is cranking through the stream? Why? Because it can. But I think it sorta works for these P.D. (pandemic days, or pandays, if you must). “Good times, bad times, you know I’ve seen my share.” Plant sings it so much better than me, according to my cats. But then, they’re very critical by nature. They’re like, “Stop singing. Feed me. Stop moving. Let me sleep on your lap. What’re you doing? Where you going? Get back here. Don’t close that door. Hey, what’re you doing? What’s going on behind that door? Let me in! Let me in!”
Tale From Another
Have a friend who has tested positive for COVID-19.
She the first friend that has confirmed she’s tested positive. I have third hand tales that a group of friends I sometimes hang out with had two people test positive.
My friend is traveler, visiting Africa, Europe, Japan, and other parts of the U.S. this year. Retired, she enjoys being active and seeing the world. After returning from her latest trip (to Arizona), she experienced symptoms that were listed as possible signs of COVID-19; besides that, she’d been with someone else before that exhibiting the signs.
So, she decided to go into isolation and get tested.
Deciding to get tested was one thing; actually getting tested required days of telephone calls and insistence that she be tested. After being tested at a drive through testing center, she remained in isolation while awaiting the results. Receiving the results took more days of telephone calls and emails. Ten days later, they confirmed what she suspected.
Although she’s over seventy, her symptoms weren’t too severe. The worse part was the dry cough, she said. It felt like her ribs were being torn apart on some days. Mended now, eight weeks later, she considers herself lucky.
Meanwhile, as nobody else seemed interested, she conducted her own tracing program and notified others she’d been with. Of the seven that she notified, six tested positive for COVID-19. The seventh didn’t want to be tested. He was showing numerous symptoms but refused to be tested. Coincidentally — and it must only be a coincidence — he’s a Republican and Trump supporter.
And that first person? Yes, he tested positive for COVID-19. Like her, the worse that he experienced was the dry, hard cough.
That is all.
Tuesday’s Theme Music
Trump’s comments about people dying were infuriating to hear. He couldn’t do anything about it. So powerless, isn’t he?
Yeah, infuriating. Watching him, thinking about that, and remembering children in cages, and the way he seems to think — certainly the way he acts in general — an old Foreigner song, “Cold As Ice” (1977), came into my mental music stream.
Not like the COVID-19 deaths (or the children in cages) is the first time he’s demonstrated a lack of empathy. Remember his call to the family of the U.S. soldier killed? “He knew what he was getting into.” Jesus wept. There’s also the lack of caring demonstrated in dealing with Puerto Rico and their issues. Unless it’s about him (and his numbers) or, lordy, the economy, he just doesn’t give a shit, demonstrating nothing but contempt, anger, and hatred as far as emotions go.
Yep, cold as ice. He’s willing to sacrifice anything to make himself look good.
Monday’s Theme Music
Went with “The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats, 1982. Odd choice for this song, I think. It was a protest against the establishment. Yet, to me, you can dance at home in safety, if you wanna, instead of giving in to irrational exuberance that the worse is over and we’re all free to go shopping and dining in restaurants. I know it’s tough, made harder when you’re bored and frustrated, worried about your cash, your health, and your life.
Take a little time to dance and sing “The Safety Dance”.
2020
In the beginning…
Yeah, the beginning of the year. Remember just five months and something days ago, when we set out on this year? Many were joking about the significance of the year’s number. The roaring twenties were called to mind for many New Year Eve parties saying farewell to 2019. I took up the idea of 2020 and having clear vision. Use the idea to create your vision and pursue your dreams.
Hah.
Although pandemics are part of life, none of us were looking ahead and suggesting, “Looks like we’re going to be staying in the house, wearing masks, and avoiding one another for a while this year.”
A hundred years from now, will anyone use 2020 and the year of COVID-19 as their theme party? I can’t imagine that, but then, I’ve demonstrated that I really suck when it comes to seeing the future.
Tuesday’s Theme Music
Stumbled down nostalgia lane this morning. Probably a combination of mood, weather, and personal struggles, the sort of thing that sometimes takes most of us. It ended up with a stream of what I used to do and used to be. That invited the 2008 Coldplay song, “Viva La Vida”, into my morning’s mental music stream.
It’s not a dance number but the way the song’s layers build always rouses me. It is at once a contemplative and reflective song about what had been, and a song that reinforces my will about what I will do. Does anyone else experience an effect like that? No? Well, maybe it’s the coffee.
Michael Seidel, writer 