March 15
I was supposed to start writing this on March 1, the night after I had had a terrible nightmare, likely induced by a combination of having the flu, not taking my mood medication, and watching Parasite the evening before. In the dream, something evil was after me, or maybe someone ... or several someones, .. and they knew where I was. I woke up to get away, woke up in a sweat, with a sense of foreboding. Waking up, I knew there were things I should write down, a story to tell about some important insight.
It is gone now, that insight, but what with what is going on in the world around us I thought I had better write anyway. Thursday the president of my university decided to extend spring break an extra week in order to take all classes online. Today they added that staff will not go in, will be working remotely as best as we can. As of today there are, according to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus dashboard (see here https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html ) 3,774 confirmed cases i the US and 1,032 in Sweden.
Low grade fear; the tiger is out there, we know they will attack but not how many, not how severely, nor exactly what precautions are reasonable to take or what the long term consequences will be. The constant changes are unsettling, but we know there will be more, but not when or what.
March 16
Went in to the office for a while. Set up the away message on my answering machine and talked a little with the few people there. We so very much wanted to hug, to tell each other that we will be safe, that it will all work out. Today we are at
4,442 4,464 4,661cases in the US and
1,103 1,121 in Sweden.
Went to the store to get stuff for meatloaf, but there was no meat, so we got stuff for tuna salad. Lots of people in the store, polite but a little scared, all of us. A few of them closer to the panic, getting just a bit short, getting ready to hit back if pushed. Getting back from the store we learn that all restaurants have been ordered to do take out or delivery only - no dine in. CDC guidelines now say no groups larger than 50 people, Friday (or maybe Saturday) it was no groups larger than 500.
An hour later the recommendation is no more than 10 people together.
March 17
Worldwide we now have over 190,000 (196,979 at 6 pm) cases -
5,702 6,233 in the US and 1,190 in Sweden. We went to the bank this morning (to make sure we have access to money if the banks close) and they were open, but have people coming in twice a day to wipe all surfaces. In the afternoon our dentist closed up shop until April.
Started watching Tommy on CBS - better than it might have been and after two episodes we like it.
March 18
Today we got takeaway food from Taco Bell and I got my oil change. My stomach is upset and I have a little bit of a fever, 99.8. The US number is
7,769 9,249 and
1,279 1,301 in Sweden. Worldwide the tally is 217,977. Today at midnight Tarrant County will follow Dallas and Collin in closing dine in services (finally).
March 19
we had our daily meeting and it really does help, even if no one had anything specific to add today.
The case numbers this morning are
229,289 240,119 242,191 244,421 globally,
10,755 11,274 13,159 14,250 in the US and 1,439 in Sweden. Work today went better than expected - as we get used to the new technology and new way of doing things there will be a new normal as people get sick around us.
March 20
Mom was supposed to go back to Sweden today, but when she got to the airport her flight had been cancelled - with no notice. She is stuck in Portugal for now, doing okay, but it is a bit stressful. The case numbers this morning are
255,305 258,419 275, 429 globally,
14,631 16,638 19,624 in the US, 1,639 in Sweden and, since mom is still there, I need to note that in Portugal today there are 1,020 cases. We went to my office to rescue my plants and get a scanner. That little outing went well, but it is a bit weird to walk through the empty building and say goodbye to my office and not know when I can come back. The leaves are budding and it will be a beautiful spring on an empty campus.
March 21
Saturday I got my plants organized and we went to check the mailbox and then drove to Oak Cliff to get pie from Emporium Pies - they had set up an impromptu drive through and we got pie and drove back home and stopped at the grocery store and hung around and I made chicken for dinner and we watched CSI Miami and then things felt almost normal until I turned my computer on ... Worldwide, the cases are 304,544 and out of that 25,493 are in the US, 1,763 cases in Sweden and 1,280 in Portugal.
March 22
Sunday. Talked to Rachel for two hours and then briefly with mom. House chores and then coffee in teh park with Lauri. Came home to the news that Dallas county is now under a shelter-at-home warning. Worldwide number 336,004 and the US has 33,276. In Sweden the number is 1,934 and in Portugal 1,600. 627 in Texas and 830 in Florida. FFS.
