Reading
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The End of the World
But here in the calm latitudes of this room
I am thinking that the end could be less operatic.
Maybe a black tarpaulin, a kind of boat cover,
could be lowered over the universe one night.
A hand could enter the picture and crumple the cosmos
into a ball of paper and hook it into a waste basket.
A gigantic door might close. A horrible bell could ring.
We could have fire, ice, bang, and whimper all at once.
— Excerpt from one of the poems from The Art of Drowning
Hunkered Down
UPDATE: This is definitely a work in progress. My uke guru is suggested some changes. Thinking it might be fun to add one new verse a week for as long as COVID-19 hangs around. We’re talking epic. (Put this on YouTube for anyone having trouble streaming here.)
UPDATE: I’m going to record this again and change “Chinese Virus” to “Donald Trump’s Virus”
We are all connected
We’re All Monastics Now
“In this global pandemic, we’re in an era of isolation, retreat. We’re also in an era of heightened uncertainty. This can be a terrible thing, and drive us to loneliness and distraction … or it can be a time of practice, reflection, and deepening.”
MU Health Care using Zoom for “virtual care”
A couple of weeks ago Barb called the clinic where our GP practices (part of the MU Health Center) to report a persistent cough. None of the other symptoms but she wanted to play it safe. The nurse she spoke with explained they were using video visit for initial screening and sent her to the MU Health Care website. She was able to get online with a physician who quickly determined she wasn’t experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. (Even had her use the light on her iPhone to let the doc look at her throat.)
This service was provided by a third-party entity with whom the med center had contracted to take some of the load off their physicians. And it was well done, in Barb’s (former ICU nurse) opinion. Today we received a notice from MU Health Connect, the med center’s online portal:
“For patients who prefer to avoid public places or traveling during this time, we offer virtual care as a secure option. Using Zoom software, appointments can be completed from your phone, tablet or computer.”
Hmm. They were not using Zoom when Barb had her consultation. Since then, Barb has used Zoom almost daily, like a bunch of people. What’s going on? Are MU docs now doing “video visits?”
They are. According to my well-placed source, the feds modified their billing guidelines, so MU docs can do a zoom call and charge like a regular visit. That was a big barrier in the past. AND, all the other MUHC administrative friction disappeared quickly with COVID.
Spring 2020
The Wish Book
People of a certain age remember flipping through the Sears Roebuck “mail order catalog.” A huge mother with not very good illustrations and descriptions of the products (no reviews). This memory floated back while browsing Amazon.
Kids called it the “wish book” because some of us got to flip through the toy section and pick things for Santa to bring us. That Santa had a relationship with Sears didn’t seem at all strange.
We could also find interesting stuff to covet in the back of magazines like Popular Mechanics and Popular Science. (“Allow four to six weeks for delivery”)
For immediate gratification, some cereal boxes included a “prize inside.” The better the prize, the worse the cereal.
Changing a tyre
Only Land Rover folk make hour-long videos on how to change a tyre. And only Land Rover folks watch them.
Hunkered down
Barb and I have “gone to the mattresses” as one of the Corleone boys said. We’re fortunate to have a nice home and a few acres roam around in. Shoot, I can do this for a long time if I have to. My second favorite hidey-hole would be Bud’s trailer from Kill Bill II.
