Category: Fourre-tout

As the San Quentin’s lodgers can testify, forced confinement can be tedious. You suddenly have too much time on your hands and you are starting to go bananas.

Not only that! Due to house arrest, your roommates (wife, husband, kids, lover) now easily aggravate you and you have no place/pub to go to cool off.

Before you commit any kind of parricide, I will present you with a few occupations that you could use while serving time.

When enduring this predicament, the first thing that most people will do is binge-watching. One movie after another. But this can get old fast. There are zillions of flicks out there, yet most of them are stinkers. In desperation I have resorted to watching only European movies; they are generally more realistic than most American offerings.
You could also try some museum virtual visits or read some trashy novels.

The more adventurous could indulge in some (educational) porn watching. Nothing is taboo anymore and this kind of divertissement has become mainstream. Statistics also show that porn viewing (by men and women) has increased significantly since the beginning of the crisis. You might also learn a thing or two.

A big thing on your bucket list could be cleaning a closet and getting rid of old or obsolete items. You will be surprised by the kind of stuff you will discover there.
Also investigate your wardrobe and discard what has been gathering dust for the last 10 years. I am in the process of doing that.

Some people like cooking or baking and this is an excellent time to polish your skills. The smell coming from your kitchen might also soothe the restless creatures pacing in your living room. My wife does it and I don’t bite or scratch anymore… I just growl.

Gardening is also something that could calm your nerves. Tamara likes it and spends a fair amount of time doing dirty things in our backyard. A little dirt never hurts.

You could also write a letter (in longhand) to somebody. When was the last time you did this? I have been using a computer for so long that I am now totally incapable of doing this… On the same vein, you could also start a blog.

Don’t forget to exercise. It boosts your energy and takes your mind off the #%*(%$#@ coronavirus nuisance. If this is not your cup of tea, you can substitute that for sex. But keep at it for at least 30 minutes to build up your cardio.

Last but not least, (this according to Christine Morier) you could also go outside and howl with your neighbors every night at 8 pm. It will help to alleviate your anxiety and make you feel better. It works wonders in Denver Colorado.

I hope that my suggestions have been helpful and will assist you in weathering that calamity. If you have more useful recommendations, let me know; I will transmit it to the troops.

Virtual kisses and hugs!

Alain

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We have now been in mandatory confinement for 2 weeks, and it is starting to weigh on everybody.

The daily news has not been encouraging; there seems to be no end to depressing bulletins, compelling dispirited people to avoid listening to the news altogether.

I am a child of World War II and even though I was very young when it happened, I was still deeply marked by it. The present world situation reminds me of what Europe felt at the beginning of the war. The enemy had overwhelmed most of western Europe in a matter of weeks and everybody was frightened. The mood was dark and foreboding.

The Nazis succeeded partly because Europe was pathetically unprepared for such war. A story very similar to what is happening in America today.

In this dark period, two people stood out. Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle. They didn’t accept the status quo and continually exhorted their countrymen to resist and fight back.
Charles de Gaulle said in June 1940: “France has lost the battle but she has not lost the war.”
That’s where we are today.

At the same time, Winston Churchill most famously declared:

“We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!”

Leaders

Leaders are not necessarily heads of state. They are people who, in extraordinary circumstances, rise to the occasion, and in America, governor Andrew Cuomo and governor Gavin Newsome are admirable examples of what leaders should be.
Furthermore, they tell it like it is, and are in the trenches organizing and encouraging the troops to fight. Cuomo and Newsome strive to provide them with the necessary weapons to battle the invisible enemy. If Andrew Cuomo was running for president, I (and a sizable chunk of the electorate) would vote for him in the blink of an eye.

Most of all, despite our President’s farfetched promises, this war won’t be won in a few weeks. It is going to be a long haul and our confinement might last months instead of weeks.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we have to face reality.
Keep your social distances. Your life depends on it.

Alain

The strange New Normal is here… and is probably here to stay.

The New Normal, according to various publications “is a previously unfamiliar or atypical situation that has become standard, or expected.”

In the not so distant past, we have been operating according to some time-honored bureaucratic rules that are not pertinent anymore. The present COVID-19 crisis forces us to come up with new solutions that are more adapted to the present situation. It also encourages us to come up with practical answers instead of lamenting the past.

Presently, the medical profession is at the forefront of the battle against the disease. But it is being overwhelmed and can barely respond to the demand.

The New Normal demands that a sick person uses Telehealth instead of physically showing at the doctor’s office. No unnecessary direct contact. This is something that might endure in the future. It is by the way, already in use with Kaiser Permanente.

Also, of great interest…

Faced with the Covid-19 epidemic, three British outfits will try to apply a method already used to detect Parkinson’s disease.
British researchers will try to train dogs to detect the new coronavirus and identify sick people to help curb the spread of the disease, announced a specialized association on Friday 27 March. Huffpost

Many people are now working from home, and after the pandemic fades away, this practice might become more widespread. The employee saves time and reduces pollution by eschewing traffic. The employer benefits by reducing office space and paying less for rent. Meetings will also be held online.

In the future, children might not have to trek to schools every day. If online teaching succeeds, some parents might resolve to keep their children home. And they could decide what curriculum would (or should) be taught. This trend could also become the New Normal.

And don’t ever underestimate the clout and the financial weight of the dating business. To the despair of many, the Coronavirus has created havoc on online dating. Since people cannot meet physically anymore, the dating giants are launching Virtual Dating a system previously judged too invasive. People will now be able to communicate face to face prior to dating and exchange selfies instead of merely texting.
This new modus operandi will certainly remain in place after the virus is defeated.

So, be ready for the New Normal. It is already there and probably won’t leave after the war is over.

Alain