On the Bias

I’m in. I’ll do noon my time and noon EST.

What a beautiful idea. Lookey, I’ve been holding you and your son close. Perhaps it will be of some small comfort to know that so many of us are keeping you very present.

@Happyfatchick, thank you for what you have written. My background could not be more different from yours, but I too believe profoundly in Jill’s capacity for change. I’m sure that these last few years have been more terrifying than exhilarating for her; I imagine that she must often have felt as though she’d stepped into a void. Yet here she is now, living a life that is perhaps all the proof she needs that there is a different way to be, that it is good, and that she can find it.

I’m so, so sorry, @Scarlett45. It hurts so much to see someone you love begin to fade away before your eyes.

Henry’s t-shirt says “Free Range.” The last thing he, or any of them, will ever be.

@zoomama, that sounds very anxiety-producing. I’m so sorry. I’ll be keeping you in my thoughts.

@Jynnan tonnix, I was sad to read about what should have been such a pleasant evening. From what you've said in the past, Mr. Jyn has an iron core of integrity, but, if you'll forgive me, it also sounds as though he has an iron core generally. I know from experience how hard that can be to live with. I hope that he becomes better able to see you and all that you are despite the vision-distorting calamity in which we are all engulfed. I hope, as well, that your daughter is feeling less anxious and isolated these days. Here in Spain, case numbers are climbing again, although they are nothing like what I read about in the U.S. Still, of everyone alive in my region of Spain at the beginning of March, one out of every 595 of us has died of Covid-19. Our regional government has asked us all to stay home as much as possible, so that's what Best Beloved and I are doing, and every day we try to remind ourselves of how thankful we are that we and those we love are alive and well.

@jcbrown, I feel for you. These times are just crazy-making.

@lookeyloo, I’m keeping you and your family very close in my thoughts. I’m so sorry that you are experiencing so much sadness and pain.

I’m so, so sorry, @Scarlett45.

Oh God yes. I wake up early naturally but just don't want to get out of bed. If I didn't have a standing morning appointment (. . . at 11:00) I don't know if I'd ever get up. This is such a strange time. Once I do get up, though, I go for a long, brisk walk back and forth from one end of the house to the other. (We're not allowed to go outside here except for work or essential purposes.) From my house to Paris is just over 600 miles, I will probably get there before this confinement ends.

@ChiCricket, that is heartbreaking. Holding you and your family close in my thoughts.

@Jynnan tonnix, around here we just say that dinner is “Secrets of the Freezer.” I’m sorry that your mother’s in such pain. It must be really hard to see it and not be able to alleviate it. With luck some of the things people here have recommended will help.

Thanks, @Jeeves! Tulips are my favorite flower, and yours brightened my day again. Btw, I wouldn’t worry about talking to them, they look as though they’d invite a confidence, don’t you think? If they start to talk to you, though . . . .

Ha ha, someone tweeted here to the regional police saying that their six-year-old daughter was about to lose a tooth and was really sad because she was sure the police would intercept the tooth fairy and send him home if he tried to come over. (The tooth fairy here is a male mouse called Perez.) The police tweeted back that they’d already given the tooth fairy permission to move freely throughout Catalonia, so the parent should reassure their little girl that she had nothing to worry about. It was really cute. Happy Easter and Chag Sameach to all who are celebrating those holidays of resurrection and deliverance. And congratulations to all the kids who’ve lost a tooth.

Interrupting my afternoon slack-off to say thanks, @Jeeves, and that I agree that too much information can be very disturbing. There’s a purely factual Covid roundup online that I’ve taken to calling Sleep-B-Gone because I’ve had to to limit my visits to it to the a.m. hours. Of course, if anyone is sick and tired of waking up in the morning relaxed and refreshed, it’s a great remedy - just read it in the evening before you turn off your light and you’ll be staring into the darkness all night long. Seriously, the roundup is quite good if you are interested in the worldwide progress of, and against, this disease. Just go to Telegram (an encrypted chat platform like WhatsApp or Signal) and follow the Covid-19 Pandemic account. And now back to my completely unprogrammed slacking. Stay well, everyone.

Thanks, @Jeeves! Your tulips are brightening my day. The death rate here in my region of Spain appears to be flattening slightly, although it now stands at 44 per 100,000 residents. A terrified neighbor flew to my door on Sunday to announce that an ambulance was parked in front of our building, and although there are plenty of reasons to call the paramedics other than the one we're all afraid of, I admit that I freaked out. Very happy yesterday to be told that it was one of the other reasons (someone's blood pressure spiked - and who can blame it - leaving no lasting harm). How's everyone doing in keeping to a routine at home? I swear, I'd do better if I had a sheet of gold stars to award myself. 🙃 I've always been pretty self-disciplined, but now I'm a slacker. I look at myself and just shake my head and laugh.

Oh @ChiCricket, I’m so very sorry for your loss.

@ChiCricket, a friend’s son-in-law has died from it. He was about 35 and lived in Valencia (south-east Spain). It’s a nasty death. @doodlebug, add me to the list of those who appreciate your informative posts and are grateful to you and the other health care workers who, at the risk of infection themselves, are being the helpers Mr. Rogers told us as children to look for. We have been on lockdown here for fifteen days now, and the death toll is staggering. There are towns in the region with a death rate of 68 per 100,000 residents. Like everyone else, I’ve been bundling my essential errands so I don’t have to leave the house more than absolutely necessary. Yesterday I gave blood, something I do regularly; the hospital sends you an e-mail afterwards thanking you and then another one telling you that your blood was given to a patient on such-and-such day, but it never prompts you otherwise to give again. So it was unsettling to get a phone call from the blood bank on Monday asking if I could come in; it gave me a small idea of the medical emergency that our system is facing. (I had already made an appointment to give — so that proper distances are maintained, you can’t just drop in any more.) I gave while in a homemade mask in a blood bank staffed by masked and gowned nurses and phlebotomists; when I walked through the door I was told to stand just inside the doorway instead of walking up to the counter, which is — still — what I’d instinctively have done. Afterwards I walked on nearly empty streets to a fruit stand to buy fruit and vegetables for the week for us and for an elderly neighbor; I found that I didn’t want to go inside a supermarket and be inside a building where everyone was *breathing.* When I got home I left my shoes by the door, stripped naked and threw my clothing into the washer, showered and washed my hair, and cleaned everything I’d had in my pockets or on my person: phone, glasses, credit and ID cards, coins, keys . . . . Stay safe, everyone, and take every possible precaution.

"Renee, you have always been such a servant ever since you were small." Alas.

I feel the same way! Lots to do, plenty of time (we change the clocks next weekend: “Great,” said a friend of Best Beloved’s sourly, “an extra hour to spend confined to the house”), and the attention span of a grasshopper. On the bright side, doctors here in Spain are reporting that some patients who have been intubated have recovered to the point of having their tubes removed, which suggests that even those who are most gravely affected by the virus might recover. Keep safe, everyone.

Hoping for the best for your niece’s husband.

BetyBee, I had a difficult morning here as well, and what soothed me was the thought that the overwhelming majority of us will live through this and that and most of us will survive even if we become ill. And now I’m off to applaud the health care workers and wave to my neighbors across the street, it’s 7.59 p.m. here. Wishing everyone continued good health.

Here in Spain, we are on lockdown and the police are enforcing it. Stay safe and well, everyone.

@BetyBee, thanks! We live in interesting times. Right now from my bedroom window I can see a couple on a nearby rooftop. They’ve brought up beach chairs and are sunning themselves. At the risk of straying into politics, I will say that I’m very glad to be living in a country with a robust national health service. I’m frantic with worry for friends and family in the U.S.