caregivers. the newly recognized heroes.
Yesterday had me down and edgy. The conflicting and sometimes misinformed flow of "facts" from the government caused me no little alarm. But what really hit me between the eyes were the aftereffects of the pronouncements from national, state and local governments.
I think we can all agree that social distancing and the cancellation of events where people are in prolonged close contact are good ideas and will help a great deal to slow down the spread of contagion but it was when I saw the way this near total shutdown will affect normal people's daily lives I was depressed.
The first shock was a message from Zach Theatre that all productions would be immediately shuttered, until at least April 1st. The kid's plays have a longer run cycle and if we can get back up and running at the beginning of next month we'll breathe a collective sigh of relief. But we had a one person play called, Every Brilliant Thing, and it's run was only scheduled through March. Suddenly, the actor is without a job and a paycheck. Even though he is scheduled to start in another production in L.A. on the 6th of April there's no guarantee that the L.A. theatre won't also take the step of temporarily closing...
As I read the actor's plea for temporary work on Instagram I started multiplying in my head all the actors in theaters across the country who may be out of work and without a paycheck for weeks, or months. to come. It's a vulnerable segment of our population because most are classified as independent contractors and are not eligible for unemployment compensation.
The same situation awaits so many currently making it by in the "gig" economy. Legions of graphic designers, delivery people, tour guides, soccer coaches, drivers, and so many others working in these not very secure positions will likely be laid off without benefits as companies gird themselves for a long slide down and then even more months of recovery. It's the same for every single photographer who runs their own business and depends on the support of the interwoven market for existence.
When the money runs out there is no unemployment scheme waiting them at the end of their cash flow slide. When the money runs out it runs out.
All this was filtering through my brain when I got the notice that our pool would be closed and masters workouts put on hiatus until the end of the month. Personal tragedy. Doesn't rise to the level of actual
existential dilemma. I'm sure I could throw money at another pool and be back swimming again in hours. With cash nearly all things are possible... but when humans who are used to grand entitlements are forced to change ingrained habits we tend to be less than gracious about our frustrations...mea culpa.
I came home in a funk and wrote an ill-natured post. Then Belinda came home and told me stories of her trip to the nearby grocery store. The store was out of everything. Bare shelves as far as the eye could see. The only remaining products were the vegan dishes and the gluten free stuff (another litmus test for marketing?). Panic over the week's news and the less than graceful new conference by a very corrupt federal administration had pushed people into the fear zone and they were panic buying everything from toilet paper to coffee ice cream. We'll save the oil and gas industries at any cost but the citizens who pay for everything are now on their own... Belinda was trying to find eggs. She thought she'd make a cake or something. Maybe it was brownies with almond flour... She went to three stores and there were no eggs or milk at any of them.
I was amazed by this new inflection point and headed over to Trader Joe's to see it for myself. The scene there was as though the store was closing forever and having a going-out-of-business sale. All the frozen foods were gone. Completely sold out. No bread. No milk. No yogurt. No eggs. No beef, chicken or fish. No granola. The only things still in stock seemed to be beer, wine and chips. I was stunned. this was a run on a grocery store like I'd only seen in coastal towns preparing for category 4 and 5 hurricanes.
When I got home we did the back of the napkin calculations aimed at figuring out how much cash on hand we had and how long we could budget with no work without having to touch our investments or retirement accounts. The good news is that we'll make it through just fine. But having the money and having access to groceries seems to be two different parts of the same equation.
We stayed in last night and watched a movie on a streaming service. Our plans were to figure out how best to stock up for the next two weeks and to figure out the best use of our time. The final straw on the pathway to quiet dismay was to read Ctein's mawkish review (on The Online Photographer) of his new "$100,000" Tesla car. What an ill-timed decision to showcase that bit of braggadocio... Ah, the (in)sensitivity of the nouveau riche...
New headline: Old man with beard drives new car 100 mph. Attempting "die" transfer...
I woke up late this morning and made a peanut butter and blueberry preserve sandwich, on Ezekiel sprouted flax bread, to have with a cup of instant coffee laced with whole milk. Since I had not figured out a swimming alternative yet I put on some running shoes and headed to the hike and bike trail to run the 4 mile loop. And that's when my mood and attitude started to change for the better.
The trails were packed with people. Earnest runners, whole families, people even older than me. And dogs. Seems like everyone had at least one dog in tow. Or were being towed by at least one dog. And these days all friendly dogs make me smile...
There was no observable panic, no angst, no paranoid actions whatsoever. No one had a mask on. No one was running with latex gloves on their hands. It was recreational business as usual. Multiplied by thousands. On the way back to my neighborhood I drove through Zilker Park and was heartened to see hundreds and hundreds of people on the soccer fields just embracing the Spring weather and enjoying life. (while staying one to two meters away from each other and only ever coughing into their elbow sleeves.
I stopped into our neighborhood Trader Joe's grocery store on the way home on the off chance that I might actually score some fresh eggs. The store was so different from yesterday evening. All the frozen foods were restocked. Fresh free range brown eggs were amply available. All the different kinds of peanut butter and fruit spreads were back in stock. Along with fresh milk. And bread and just about everything else.
Alas, many of their refrigerator cases were broken but the manager assured me that by tomorrow, at the latest, they would be repaired and restocked. Yes. And you could buy paper towels and toilet paper right then and there. Still rationing the hand sanitizer at two containers per customer --- ask your cashier.
I bought the eggs and a fresh loaf of sour dough bread. I bought some orange marmalade, just for grins, along with some more Greek Yogurt and Muesli. Our refrigerator at home is now stocked with everything we could think of for a short pandemic. Right down to a selection of wines and ice cream.
Frozen foods galore, and many bagged salads (which don't keep and need to be eaten, serially, in the next few days -- my rookie shopping mistake).
I think Austin, in general, is dealing with this crisis just as I hoped it would. People are bumping elbows instead of shaking hands, doing curt little bows instead of the usual gushy hugs, but they are getting on with their lives and looking for the bright spots to inform their happiness; along with ample doses of hand sanitizer and a ready supply of wipes.
By the time I got home I was calmed down and ready to dig in and enjoy my self-isolation.
How will I spend that time? I've got a back log of cleaning and organizing to do. It's a great time to really, really learn how to make videos with the Sigma FP at the highest level I can. And, it's time to create a quiet, continuous marketing presence so that when the worst is over and the businesses start to wake up and bloom again we won't have disappeared from people's radar or their memory.
And we're donating photo/video services and money where it can do the most good. Food banks. Non-profits. Friends caught a little short. Maybe "giving back" needn't be done in big virtuous bursts but in a daily, sustainable stream. And not to up and coming kids from wealthy families but aimed squarely at the places where it will do the most needy the most benefit. It's a start.
Today's blog images come from a weird assortment of cameras. The top one is from a Nikon D2H camera and a 100mm lens. The one just below was done with a Nikon D810 and some long zoom.. The image of the shielded syringe was done with an Olympus e300 and the kit lens. While the bottom image, in a medical warehouse, was done with the Panasonic FZ-2500. Funny to see such a quilt of cameras.
17 comments:
So great to hear you back in good spirits, Kirk. That raises mine, too.
I live near the quaint downtown of Roswell, GA. It is filled with little shops and local restaurants--most with wonderful outdoor sections all next to each other. It actually wasn't raining today, and the shops, sidewalks, and outdoor tables were full to overflowing. I sat outside and enjoyed my favorite BBQ. (Pork here in GA, which I know hardly counts in TX.) Live music in two places and some pre-St. Patrick's Day celebrations ongoing. And, of course, lots of dogs. Like you, any dog makes me smile. Lots of them make me smile more.
So glad life is going on both here and in Austin, albeit a little more carefully. It's certainly uplifting. Thanks for sharing that with us, and please keep up your wonderful commentary, cynicism, humor, and whatever you can share. We are all richer for it.
Tom
Thanks Tom, we only get one shot at life so we need to keep our spirits high, our pleasures sustainable and our kindness at the ready. Life is too short to spend miserably.
thanks for the nice note!!!
Glad go see you're a happy camper again! Positive outlooks are a must for all of us in the next few weeks.
And the federal government is rapidly planning relief for all those whose income is going to dry up for a while.
Now consider this: you cough into your elbow. Then when you greet a friend you bump elbows. Huh???
I personally never cough. I'm too disciplined for that kind of behavior.
Tell me again about how the federal government is going to step in and replace my income. I'm all ears!
Please let them know I have a prodigious burn rate. But $ 100K or so to start would help. I'll use it to aid a very needy German company.... I'd love to buy local but haven't been able to find a Texas-based mirrorless camera manufacturer...yet.
Something tells me the federal government won't be replacing your lost income. In fact, the bill recently passed but not made final will have a positive impact on only some 20% of the regularly-employed workforce (according to the NYTimes) because of all the exemptions and exclusions written into it.
Georgia, slow as any to wake up to reality, at least has postponed its March 24th primary election to May 19 because of the risk. What will really have an impact here when the fan turns brown is the lack of adequate hospital facilities and level of preparedness (largely nonexistent). Only a few major institutions like Emory University and a couple of the larger chains will have real response plans in place. The rest will be walking into walls.
But Michael, how will we be made whole? Like the airline industry the oil and gas industry, the resort industry, the cruise industry? I'm sure I can make a case, given a chance, that my photography serves a national security purpose.....
Belinda and Ben are hard at work building a raft on which I will sail off to Valhalla should I succumb to the virus. I can think of no more glorious end than to go to Zeus in a volley of flaming arrows as I drift across Lake Travis...
I'd settle for $90,000 and some farm subsidies. I do have some sage and some rosemary growing on the property...
Almost a generation older than you. Remember the following well, just went to school, work and got on with life..
https://www.city-journal.org/1957-asian-flu-pandemic
Three markets in one day, Thursday, which I had planned to visit anyway, and not for "stocking up:" Not one person was grouchy, no sense of panic, wonderful patience though the lines were long and slow.
My planned-for shopping completed, (just a tote at Whole Foods),I left each place smiling - and without toilet paper.
Unbelievable. What you are showing is the exact behavior that allows the virus to spread. Look at the european experience and stay home please
“The trails were packed with people”
Kirk do you think that closing parks (and borders) in Europe is some funny government trick ?
Please stay safe at home, we are not talking of the invasion of noisy mosquitoes
Much the same in the UK. Supermarket shelves empty of some goods as people panic. However we have an excellent supply chain here so they will be re-stocked. I agree with the sentiments expressed in your article. Nothing wrong with going outdoors and trail running either. Indeed if more people do that as a result of the pandemic it might even improve the health of the population!
Dasar, in a word: No. What causes the spread is congregations of people facing each other, shaking hands, speaking at each other and sharing surfaces. Running on a trail by its very nature means that people are facing away from each other, keeping a good distance between each other and not having the opportunity to put their hands all over common surfaces. You misunderstand the underlying physics of it all.. The point of transmission has nothing to do with leaving your house. It's the people you interface with and how you interface with them that counts. Driving around in your car won't cause disease or transmission. Nor will riding a bike. Nor will walking --- unless you do these things in the middle of a pack. The whole idea of "staying home" is to limit face to face and hand to hand interaction. It's short hand for "do the right thing" But since most people don't do nuance well the authorities have to paint with a broad brush. "Stay at Home" is easier for people to understand than: Here is a list of 20 specific things you should not do.....
I have just checked CDC and WHO guidelines and none are recommending personal, complete isolation in the general USA. All are recommending avoiding group gatherings. It's a totally different thing to sit in a huge park or run on a wide and vast trail. Once restaurants and bars are closed by law in the US things may change. We are not as densely packed as most large European cities and we barely have public transportation in Texas so many of the vectors of disease are much less problematic.
You might think about going out for a nice run in a place with very few people. It might make you happier and entail no additional risk.
Amended. No recommendations for isolation for healthy people but recommendations that people at risk and people who may have been exposed should self-quarantine. All group gatherings contra-indicated. But this does not include the concept of not going outside the physical walls of your home. If you live on a couple of acres of land you can still walk outside in your yard and drink your coffee under a beautiful sky. Let's not get too literal with recommendations...
If you lived in the desert of West Texas, miles from your neighbors, would you still feel it necessary to stay inside your house and "self-quarantine"? Or would it be okay to take a nice walk?
Grocery stores have to constantly restock just to keep up with week-to-week shopping. Of course they empty out when things become urgent. It is reassuring to know that the situation is merely urgent, not a great catastrophe. If things go poorly, it could become a great catastrophe yet. Stay safe out there!
Hi, again, Kirk.
Even in Italy, windows are open everywhere and there is lots of singing to keep spirits up, even while the streets below them are being disinfected. Italians are not sealed up in their houses. They are even allowed limited trips to grocery stores and pharmacies.
Now we've got time for reading, spring cleaning, printing, organizing, and tackling those "someday" projects, not just endless video games and binge-watching streaming services.
And Kirk, you're exactly right. We can spend time outside on our decks, balconies, porches, or in our yards. Well, between the incessant rain here in Atlanta. We'll need our connections with nature.
Tom
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