The COVID Chronicle, March 1-15, 2021

 

March 3 [Wednesday]

[Wife Klem’s] first Covid birthday of Shelter In Place! We celebrate in haughty fashion with a take out dinner order from Pick Up Stix. Birthday girl ordered online, I braved the wilds to retrieve.

 

March 4 [Thursday]

A temper flare up from our youngest monkey. Frustration of quarantine, I suspect, is a considerable contributor. Virtual high school in Los Angeles County has classes from 8 am to 12:15. This does not allow for the blowing off of steam between classes, as might be accomplished with live action tutelage seeing friends at lunch. Regardless, a person is responsible for their own actions. An intervention of sorts and an airing out has been established. These are good kids dealing with crummy times. It’s just that they’re too old to spank.

 

March 6 [Friday]

High school Dive practice has restarted for [my daughter]! Bummer about the bitter cold and occasional drizzle, but it’s good to have an outdoor activity with real live interaction with other students. 

[Note regarding the cold. Most divers wear wetsuits to combat the cold. They still get cold, but the wetsuit helps. Some kids remain in the pool because it is warmer than standing in the cold.]

 

March 7 [Saturday]

[My daughter] and I had the second in our biweekly recurring serious conversations. I know, sure, serious talk should be done daily including at the dinner table, but we’re going with twice weekly in the evening. Is maybe not easy to dilute the tension of Shelter In Place when being confined to only the four of us all day, everyday. The action plan’s idea is to hear each other out to lighten the mood during the constraints of Shelter In Place. Plus, and more importantly, we’re on the cusp of a transition toward independence with the acquisition of 18 years only 1.5 years away. A person cannot be told what to think or what to strive for, but through constructive and positive conversation rapport can be improved. Independence is coming. Preparation best be in the offing. A parental inclination to protect a child maybe need take a back seat to the preparation for adulthood. Or is that too dramatic?

 

March 9 [Tuesday]

[My daughter] and I took the Learners Permit out this evening for an introductory round of night driving. I’m happy to see the wild monkey drive with restraint. She did well.

 

March 10 [Wednesday]

[My daughter] had a live action lunch with [her boyfriend] today at Butter in San Dimas, her favorite local restaurant. Their first face-to-face date since their rogue rendezvous before Christmas, those scamps. [Wife Klem] and a girlfriend chaperoned from another table. Dining was outdoors and the kids compliantly socially distanced. This appointment went well enough and a repeat has been approved for a future date.

 

March 11 [Thursday]

Virtual college has experienced an occasional, and frustrating, internet lapse. This becomes critical when the internet connection drops during an exam or quiz. We made a change in the hopes of boosting the bandwidth dedicated to virtual college. I have a separate internet connection provided by work. I will share my bandwidth with virtual high school. Previously the kids were both on the house internet, the stronger connection. But we’ll implement this change hoping for a better result, meaning less college drops.

 

March 13 [Saturday]

Sadness today. [My sister-in-law’s] dad passed away, a Covid casualty. This is [my eldest brother’s] father-in-law. He’d been ill with Covid, his wife and son, too. They’d been separated for the last few months with him in the hospital, wife and son at home. Peace to the family.

 

March 15 [Monday]

It’s been one year and my work colleagues and I remain strictly virtual. In our Monday morning virtual meeting I asked about possible partial release for field work, but no. Strictly virtual will continue until further notice and work is very busy. Meanwhile, my work garb, the finest of Kohl’s-quality pull-over polo shirts, remains engulfed in plastic waiting to be redeployed.

 

 

 

The COVID Chronicle, February 16-28, 2021

 

February 17 [Wednesday]

Today the home front felt like pre-Covid. Due to separate dental appointments Wife Klem and I branched off in our own directions in the morning and didn’t see each other again until the evening. That’s like a regular day’s work schedule dating back to early 2020.

            Precautions were taken at my dental check-in: temperature reading of my forehead, ‘Have you been outside LA County in the past two weeks,’ ‘Have you been ill, any symptoms of Covid.’ I responded in the negative to all and was approved for entry. Dental office staff has been vaccinated due to exposure risk. In speaking with my dental hygienist she said work is stressful due to the potential for Covid exposure interacting with so many people, her patients. Given the circumstances she’s apprehensive about being so close to her patients all day long, often within one foot of a gaping pie hole. She wears double masks plus a face shield when at work.

 

February 22 [Monday]

It has been said of parents that they can be only as happy as their saddest child. This seems to have become a competitive sport, unfortunately. One child battles a moping lethargy. Maybe it’s just a college thing due to the tedium of one’s endless studies. The other battles looking for happiness and a constructive cause to go on. The evening degenerates into a bottomless array of YouTube videos and videogaming. The desire for creativity or constructive behavior is being eluded. Am I truly as inert as I feel in enacting change? Time will tell.

 

February 23 [Tuesday]

I saw my neighborhood dog-walking pal Ted this evening. We came across each other when I was returning from my evening walk and he was walking his dogs. He’d recently been down with a mild case of Covid. Scratchy throat, head congestion and two other things I forget, but no fever or body aches. His daughter also had it, she’d been alone since June! That’s a long time to go solo, I’d be a nut job. But then, some might suggest that I’m already a nut job. Regardless, I don’t know how solo dwellers do it and maintain mental health. In her case she lives with a cat and carries it in a backpack when she steps out.

 

February 24 [Wednesday]

The state opened back up for Drivers Learners Permits! Wife Klem and [my daughter] went to the DMV today. She passed her test and qualified for her Learners permit. The street driving commences! We enjoyed a celebratory dinner of her choice, Blaze Pizza. Wife Klem ordered online, I retrieved.

 

February 27 [Saturday]

I had a solo Safehouse visit today. Just me, mom and dad, and Uncle Joe. [My niece] was feeling punk so [my brother and his team] were absent to avoid possible contagion. The elders and I discussed vaccinations. They’re not enthusiastic and are awaiting the availability of the recently approved single-dose vaccine by Johnson & Johnson. My mom sounds like she’s coming around. She’s adamant against the two-shot routine, but sounds almost receptive to the single. I otherwise worry about my people being holed up without the former bountiful and frequent Sunday dinner visits. But they’re doing well and getting along peacefully, the good sports. It was a fun visit.