The COVID Chronicle, May 16-31, 2021

 

May 16 [Saturday]

A Safehouse visit this morning, my parents, our first since we’ve all been vaccinated! Physical contact and hugs have been restored, but still dining outside due to Covid habit, plus it’s a nice day. Mom received her second vaccination Tuesday, so she’s not fully charged up yet, but we hugged it out.

 

May 20 [Thursday]

Thrift shops had been closed to donations since the early Covid days. Many were not taking property donations, or limited donations, due to pandemic-spread uncertainty. Well, it’s game on again, they’re accepting donations. [Wife Klem] boxed up a bunch of stuff from the garage and closets for giveaways. Tomorrow she and [the boy] make the drop off.

 

May 21 [Friday]

[The boy] returns to live action Dungeons & Dragons with his pals this evening. His friends had been getting together on the weekends, but he had held back due to study load. Plus he’d been waiting for his second vaccination to get fully charged. Well, with the virtual college semester almost done he’s back to gaming. Good. I want him comfortable engaging the world, even in a D&D capacity.

 

May 23 [Sunday]

The necessity of mask wearing is receiving some scrutiny. Personally, this has been brought on by the wide rolling out of vaccinations amongst my friends, family and a strong showing locally in the community. Mask wearing. I’ll continue if required, like when I’m at Vons bulking up on Yoplait if it’s on sale. Otherwise, I’m ready to abstain. People in some quarters, however, are strongly in favor of its continuance, the required mask wearing. To which I ask, “For how long? Until the governor or the president give the all clear?” At what point are we authorized to stop with the masks? If it’s simply “We’re going to keep wearing masks. No end date yet on the horizon.” Well, there’ll be disagreement. Others may choose their own arbitrary date. I’ve reached mine. By all means, I’ll wear as required. Plus, others are free to continue, but don’t mandate it. No mandated continuation.

 

May 25 [Tuesday]

I had court arbitration for work. Pre-Covid these would take place in a courtroom or some other judicial setting. But in the Covid-era, today’s episode was supposed to be by Zoom, but I had technical difficulties. The link provided by my employer’s attorney wouldn’t open, possibly due to the firewall on my company-issued computer. Anyway, embarrassing. I was dressed in a collared shirt, tie, sport coat, and short pants prepared for a favorable Zoom showing. As an alternative to my IT issues, I called in and was able to conduct my duties as witness over the cell phone. 

 

May 26 [Wednesday]

I continue taking the company car out for its weekly spin for maintenance purposes. The traffic is getting incrementally worse. Maybe not quite pre-Covid levels, but the light-traffic early Covid honeymoon ended many months ago.

 

May 27 [Thursday]

We’re vacationing in Arizona this weekend visiting [Wife Klem]’s mom and step-pop. Prescott. Is lovely, this place. This is our first overnighter away from home since the advent of Shelter In Place! No joke. It’s been so long since we’ve been away that I’m almost giddy with anticipation. Good people and delicious grub await.

The six-hour drive commenced with [my daughter] completing her afternoon virtual high school class from the backseat. She had internet access by means of our mobile wi-fi tool. It held up impeccably along the eastbound 10 freeway.

 

May 30 [Sunday]

We went to a pizza place in Prescott, Arizona this evening. Phoned it in, then picked it up. This experience was a throw back to pre-Covid times. Masks were optional and none, in fact, were donned by any of the employees. The only Covid precaution was that the phone orders were requested to wait outside and the pies would be brought to them. This was explained to us after we’d paid and taken seats indoors to wait. Since we were already seated waiting for the pies, we were OK’d to sit inside instead of being redirected to the outdoors. I have no beef with the lack of precautions. Coming from California I’d been conditioned to businesses being coerced into abiding. And hey, I get it, the heavy Covid months were definitely worthy of precautionary measures. Anyway, I hope the non-vaccinated make arrangements to get it done for themselves.