Humans Being Human

Jeanine tells me that she read on an online chicken forum (yes, there are forums for everything) that chicks are currently hard to come by. Apparently, people are panic buying chickens. They're going to have to wait awhile before chicks will be old enough to lay eggs, but maybe they're already planning for future pandemics. I'm thankful that we've had chickens for years, although there were no eggs in the coop today. I hope people aren't coming over the fence and stealing them.

On the flip side of that, a woman on our block has been stress-baking loaves of bread and distributing her surplus to neighbors. I've been ignoring the doorbell, but Jeanine answered, so now we have loaves of bread. I admit I was irritated at first, because technically we should all be keeping our distance, but it really was a sweet thing for her to do.

A little earlier in the week, or possibly last week... what day is it today anyway? ... the doorbell rang, which I ignored. Jeanine opened it to find an elderly woman wanting to know about our Little Free Library. Apparently, she was desperate for reading material because the actual libraries are all closed. Again, I was irritated in the moment, but afterward decided that it was nice to be able to help her. I even found a book out there a few days ago that I want to read. Also of interest was a board book about vampires. Usually people dump the worst sort of trash in Little Free Libraries - self help books, books about Jesus, and flavor-of-the-month popular culture junk, so it's nice when interesting things appear.

Here's a photo of our resident backyard Yellow-rumped Warbler, taken out the back window while I paused Tarkovsky's "Ivan's Childhood" yesterday.

It seems that this whole stay at home thing is hard for the majority of people.

Also, I got news that friends in the UK actually have Covid-19, although thankfully not serious cases (as far as I know).

We're looking at another month of hanging out at home.

Currently listening to: Fossil Aerosol Mining Project "Scaath Catfish"

Social Distancing Scoreboard

At the moment, California gets a "B" on the Social Distancing Scoreboard. Most San Francisco Bay Area counties rate an "A", while it seems that the people who didn't study mostly live in the Central Valley and the southeastern part of the state.

It Goes To Eleven

It's going on 11 days since Santa Clara County entered shelter in place mode, and over a week since the rest of California followed suit.

I find that I'm actually being more social than I was before this all happened. I'm not at work, so my time is completely my own. Of course, all of this new-found sociability is happening at an electronic remove. I'm also starting to fall asleep (and awaken) slightly later than my norm, but not to the extreme that Jeanine and Eva are. My current morning routine is to get up, check e-mail and Facebook while eating breakfast, and then go watch movies or shows until noonish. I just finished watching the U.S. remake of the French TV show, The Returned (Les Revenants), which is in turn based on the French film, They Came Back. Despite owning it on DVD, I had been putting off watching it because I'd already seen the original(s). The main selling point for me is that Zoe Keating (along with Jeff Russo) composed the soundtrack. Despite the fact that I knew the story, it was enjoyable. It's a shame it was canceled after just one season. Oh, well. At least I now know there is a season 2 of the French show.

I'm now a veteran of two Zoom meetings. It looks like schools will be closed until at least the beginning of May.

Recent visitors to the yard (or nearby) are as follows:

Eastern Gray Squirrel
House Finch
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bushtit
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Mourning Dove
California Towhee
Northern Mockingbird
Lesser Goldfinch
Fox Squirrel
American Crow
Black Phoebe
Anna's Hummingbird
House Sparrow
Bewick's Wren
American Robin

I'm thankful to be able to be comfortable and entertained in these uncertain times. Good will come of this in unexpected ways, although so will grief and uncertainty. Right now, we live one day at a time. The big picture stuff is more or less out of our hands.

Currently listening to: Mahsa Vahdat & Mighty Sam McClain "A Deeper Tone of Longing - Love Duets across Civilizations"

A Week In

We're a full week in to sheltering in place. I went up to camp to deliver some food supplies to our nature lab today, with the intention of doing a little walk and photographing birds. Of course, it rained. The only worthwhile photos I managed to get were of the deer herd cropping grass on our lower field. I'm trying to get a better photo of a Wilson's Warbler, and I could hear it down in the meadow, but never managed to actually see it. Maybe next time I'll be more successful.

After I got home, I got some photos of one of the pair of California Towhees that live in our yard. It had a beakful of nesting material.

Jeanine went out to deliver clean clothes to her mom, who lives in an assisted living facility. They're closed to visitors, so she has to hand things off at the door. She also went to the store for a few supplies and found many of the shelves bare. The self-serve lines were nonexistent, presumably because everyone is terrified of touching surfaces. Not that I blame them.

Against the advice of smarter, more experienced people, Resident Rump is making noises about getting things back to normal in time for Easter.

Check out the global numbers of Covid-19 cases here. They've just added a breakdown of cases in Africa.

Our local county (Santa Clara) numbers are here.

Currently listening to: Boris "Love and Evol"

Interacting While Isolated

I've now engaged in my first remote work meeting. If nothing else, this pandemic is making me try new things. I'm a bit of a technology-phobe with borderline Luddite tendencies, so I really do need to be prodded to do this kind of thing. We're going to try to play music together the next time we meet.

Speaking of remote meetings, the show Talking Dead, which is a discussion show immediately following new episodes of The Walking Dead, broadcast the same way last night, with host Chris Hardwick and guests all chiming in remotely from (I assume) their homes. Hopefully this doesn't become the new normal, but our modern society has become a place where we really don't have to leave our houses if we don't want to. Sociologically, this is interesting. Obviously, human contact is important, and the extroverts and the needy (emotionally and otherwise) among the population are going to suffer more than most, but hopefully we'll learn something from all of this. Not that I'm downplaying the plight of those in need, mind you. In addition, I've already read articles about improving air quality in China and Italy, and I imagine we're going to see it in more places as time rolls on. The UK is going into lockdown mode now as well, in order to stave of a situation like that which devastated Italy.

I think this is all going to last a lot longer that we've been told. Our societal shortcomings are going to rise to the surface like bloated corpses around a shipwreck.

Currently listening to: Laibach "Laibach Revisited"

A Week In

This time last week, we were a few hours from learning that five San Francisco Bay Area counties were to be asked to shelter in place. Over the course of the week, that mandate extended to the rest of California. Unfortunately, this is going to prove to be unenforceable. I think a lot of people can't figure out what to do with themselves at home.

Fortunately, I'm not one of them. For better or for worse, I've always had a tendency to accept things as they happen. Admittedly, this change is unprecedented, but it has quickly become the new normal.

Emotionally, I'm doing okay, although sometimes I jump at phantom symptoms, worrying that they might not be phantom. Jeanine is still painting every day, but so far, I've been consuming art rather than creating it. Eva is going a little stir crazy, I think. She has done a little painting as well, but is mostly planted in front of the TV playing video games. Willow is at her mom's house, and reported to me that she had a slight fever.

I'm supposed to have a Zoom meeting at 1:00 PM today. This will be my first attempt at joining a remote meeting. I missed one late last week because I didn't check my work e-mail. Other than that, I'll see where the day takes me. I've still been getting up relatively early, while Eva and Jeanine have been staying in bed late. I predict that I'll slowly shift toward being more nocturnal as things progress.

The economy is tanking, which means we should expect unwise decisions from our federal "leadership" sometime soon. This may last longer than we think. One hears so many conflicting stories online. That's the thing, there is no calm Voice of Reason at the controls. Instead we have a Voice of Chaos. Self-interest and power make poor bedfellows.

Support the arts. They are a balm for the psyche during such times.

Written to the tune of: Animal Machine "Thrashing Drive Vegetation"

A Brief Excursion, Then Rain

Earlier today, I briefly left the house to drop a couple of things in the mailbox and to get some pet food (crickets, rodents, and cans of silkworms and snails). The streets were quiet, but not deserted. The door to the pet store was open, presumably so nobody would have to touch the handles. Inside, everybody awkwardly stood a little further away from each other than normal.

Now, the sky is a monotonous gray and rain is spattering against the windows. It's weird how the pandemic coincided with plummeting temperatures and much needed rain. The previous weeks were almost summer-like.

Currently listening to: Hackedepicciotto "THE CURRENT"

A Couple of Things

I went out for a walk along the Los Gatos Creek Trail a couple of days ago. Most people seemed oblivious to the six foot personal space bubble we're all supposed to be maintaining, so the next time I go on a walk, it's going to be somewhere more remote. This Red-winged Blackbird also seemed unconcerned with my proximity, continuing to sing as I took photos.

At home, I saw a Bushtit taking advantage of the nesting fluff (a present from Jeanine) I put in the yard awhile back. I've been considering putting some of my own hair out there too, and just learned that pet hair can only be put out if said pets haven't had recent flea treatments. I guess that would apply to human hair too, but I haven't had any flea treatments, so mine should be okay.

This is the first time I've seen a Bushtit in the yard.

The Northern Mockingbird was hanging about as well.

I watched a couple of things today, or should I say a couple of Things? To be precise, John Carpenter's "The Thing" and the prequel, also called "The Thing", which came out a few years ago. The movie was on my mind last week when I though we were still going to be expected to go to work. The movies are about paranoia and isolation. The isolation is geographical, since the setting is Antarctica, and the paranoia comes from the fact that the titular Thing replicates human beings. Anybody could be a deadly alien being. In fact, it is compared to a virus at least once over the course of the films. The Covid-19 virus could be inside any of us, which makes any kind of close contact especially dangerous for people with existing health problems and/or the elderly. In short, the films are quite relevant to current events.

In other news, the "shelter in place" order is now statewide.

Day 3

This is Day 3 of not being at work. Originally, there was some confusion as to whether my position was considered "essential" or not. Apparently, it's not, which, under the circumstances, makes perfect sense. In fact, I was surprised that there was any confusion about it. I teach kids. There are no kids right now. Case closed.

I'm actually really enjoying sitting at home and catching up on my book reading, movie watching, and music listening. I'm in the middle of "Dancer's Lament" by Ian C. Esslemont, which is part of the Malazan series originally kicked off by author Steven Erikson (I finished his 10 book "Malazan Book of the Fallen" series recently, and it's epic in every sense of the word - if you're looking for a series to start while avoiding people, this is the perfect one, since it is easily over 10,000 pages in length). Movie-wise, I've watched Richard Stanley's "Color Out of Space" (loved it!) and re-watched Aleksei German's "Hard To Be A God", based on a novel by the Strugatsky brothers. It's a stunning piece of work, and features more mud and rain that the bleakest of Bela Tarr's films. Right now, I'm in the middle of the "Films of Jorg Buttgereit" blu-ray box set. I've seen all the films before, but the blu-ray has all sorts of extras, plus it's a serious upgrade from my old VHS copies. I'm thinking about sitting down with John Carpenter's "The Thing," next. Maybe I'll even rewatch the prequel that came out a few years ago. I might even see what's new on Netflix. I'm living the introvert dream right now.

I've also compiled a list of other things that need doing. So far though, I'm perfectly content to indolently entertain myself. It has been cold and rainy, which has stopped me from doing the other thing I've been doing a lot of lately, photographing birds. Maybe tomorrow...

Oh, and the toilet blurped up a bunch of water and flooded the bathroom this morning. Add that to the power outage a couple of days ago, and things are quite comedic around here. Plus, we have rats in the walls. We've had them for awhile, but it's more on my mind when I'm home to hear them scrabbling about.

Currently listening to Sainkho Namtchylak/Ned Rothenberg "Amulet"

Sheltering In Place

Sometime yesterday, we learned that five San Francisco Bay Area counties were going under mandatory "shelter in place" orders, although the wording was somewhat squishy. Essential services are to remain open, and people can still apparently still go out to exercise (just not at a gym - those are supposed to be closed). I guess that means I can hike if I want to, although it has been raining off and on since Saturday.

My first response when hearing about our impending house-boundedness was to run out to the book store. Jeanine went to Safeway. She reported lines stretching to the back of the store. Recycle Books was empty except for employees. Barnes & Noble still had a number of customers though. I didn't manage to find the direct sequel to the book I'm currently reading, but I did buy four books. Later, I ordered the one I want to read next on Amazon, although today word comes that they're now only shipping essential and high-demand items. Damn it.

In the evening, we had a power outage. Figures. It interrupted the documentary on crows I was in the middle of watching. I sat by the window and read a few pages until the power came back on.

This is going to be interesting.

Social Distancing

In some ways, we live in a society where social distancing is already the norm, and the only reason we don't effectively practice it is because there are so damned many of us. It's hard not to contract diseases when we're packed together like the proverbial rats. As the Covid-19 virus spreads across the globe, we all need to back off, change plans, and reexamine our activities in hopes that the exponential growth curve levels off. Questions remain. In coming years, will there now be a Covid-19 season on top of the flu season? I'm sure they're frantically working on a vaccine.

Keep in mind, this is the perspective of a confirmed introvert. I'm quite happy doing things by myself. Ironically, my job can't be done through the ether, so I'm currently looking at some time off. We won't have kids back at camp until mid-April, and even that is subject to change. In the meantime, there are other tasks to be done. I have a pet field guide project to finish, and I'm excited to get a chance to wrap that up, although I don't yet know if I'll be able to work from home. I'm less excited to do most of the other things that happen at camps when there are no kids, because t usually ends up being deep cleaning, trail maintenance, pulling weeds, and other less mentally stimulating tasks. My other option is to use my nearly 300 hours of accrued vacation time. So, I won't personally suffer much in the way of financial consequences.

Or will I? Jeanine relies on gatherings of people to do her job. People are no longer gathering as they used to, and she has already had a number of parties and other gatherings cancel on her. Beyond my selfish little bubble, I realize that this pandemic is going to be devastating for many, if not from getting sick, then from financial woes. Every day, another musician friend posts on Facebook that a show or tour has been canceled. The Current 93 shows in Brooklyn next month have now been postponed until March, 2021 (historical note: the last time I had tickets for a Current 93 show in New York, it was September, 2001, so there is a precedent for disasters scuttling their plans, as one might expect from a band once dubbed, "apocalyptic folk").

If nothing else, this pandemic has made me aware of how often I touch my face. I'm also acutely aware of the fact that I'm now in the age range where the consequences of getting sick are much worse.

I'm thankful for my stockpiled hoard of entertainment possibilities. Speaking of hoarding, I think that the panicked overbuying necessities (like toilet paper) is akin to looting during a disaster. This is where the "me first" mentality so encouraged by the capitalists and eaten up by low-information, low-empathy citizens shoots society in the foot. I get that some people look at hoarding and re-selling at a profit as a way to keep ahead of their bills, which starkly reveals that a huge number of us are teetering on the edge of insolvency, but that just proves my point that we live in a broken system.

More to come.

For now, here is a link to a new blog from a friend, started as a response to our current crisis.