As of mid-March, the storm had arrived. Pi Day, the Ides of March and St. Patty's Day seemed non-existent. The first day of spring? No one really noticed. What a crazy couple of weeks. The new coronavirus (Covid 19) is now the real deal here in California. Having been in the news for the better part of two months, but remote because it hadn't really hit here in the States, it is now front and center, regardless of what our inept president or the right wing news media said about a hoax. Stupid fux. The Bay Area was first and now the whole state of California is in a "shelter-in-place" (SIP) mode and of course, many of us cyclists wonder what that meant for biking. That's really the connection to the blog, but first I just wanted to offer my thoughts, observations, etc. from this time. It's all changing really fast, so this entry will be dated soon. But it might be interesting to read a little time capsule in a few years time, when we're hopefully past this whole thing. And on we go.
Thoughts and Observations
- It's hard to imagine anything being so impactful, mostly in a negative way, to the way we live our lives. It's officially a viral pandemic, so it's affecting the world. Not just a region or a state or a country. But the world! And it's not something you can escape, like a war or hurricane or earthquake or locusts (which is wiping out crops in east Africa right now). But it's here. And invisible. You can't see it or any physical impacts. You can't even see if someone is infected. You just know that it's out there and you have to be aware and abide by the "hand washing" and "social distancing" guidelines.
- Wash you hands. Keep 6 feet away from those you don't live with. Don't go to work. No restaurants, public gatherings, meetings, etc. Don't leave your house unless absolutely necessary (it's ok to shop for food or go to the hospital). How is this possible in a modern society? Some people have to work....public works, garbage, food store workers, hospital workers. The can go. But they rest of us are going to get real close to our families or learn to hate them. Those are the SIP rules. Enforceable? Yes, but.....
- One of the exceptions is that you can go out to exercise and get some fresh air or walk the dog. So, what about cycling? You don't have to be in a big pack to get a ride. You can ride solo. You get fresh air and it's mentally good for you too. After a day or two of people speculating about this online, a number of bike advocacy groups starting posting clarification that it was ok. They consulted with the counties and it was deemed acceptable. Thank goodness! This is not the case in some European countries, where it is currently much more deadly, so the restrictions are more of a lockdown than a SIP. You can be charged a fine in Italy or Spain for riding your bike. So far, here we can ride. And we have been.
- UC Berkeley surprised everyone just about 10 days ago by going to online classes to avoid crowds. Originally, that was it, but now all buildings and workers are asked to not come in. And dorms have pretty much cleared out. Same for many universities across the country. Many college kids have gone home for the year and it's only March. And city schools in most places (K-12) are also closed indefinitely. Which brings me to KALX, the radio station. It took a series of increasingly restrictive moves, but we went automated as of Tuesday, March 16. KALX DJs are coming out of the woodwork by recording shows at home for future broadcast (and clogging up our inboxes with lots of yacking), but it shows peoples' love of music. And it's great that we're still on the air!
- So.....no work, no school, no public gatherings. People can't work, so people can't spend money. The stock market is a big fucking mess. It's schitzo, but as of today, it's dropped to levels below what it was when trump took office over three years ago. More than 30% down. Granted it was due for a correction, but not all in a week! The administration's reaction? It's been both late, foolish and irresponsible, but that's material for the history books.
- I keep bringing it back to "we've never seen anything like this before". And the big question is "how long will it last"? Health and economic issues of the world are hanging in the balance. Certainly, people are dying, but I'm not so worried about us. It seems to most adversely affect already-compromised older folks. In-laws could certainly be affected. One overwhelming observation is that while life is changing, when you go outside, it seems that nothing has visibly changed. Except that it is more quiet and most people seem more patient, polite and friendly. Sometimes positive things can come out of a disaster? I guess so.
- Businesses can't open. So people can't work. People don't make money. People can't pay bills. Can so much be affected by this virus? Health. Hospitals. Pro and college sports. Business. Airlines. Travel and tourism. Entertainment. The stock market. All shut down. Except for guns and toilet paper, whose sales are through the roof. I feel like I'm starting to repeat myself, but this sh*t is real.
- I have to admit that I was skeptical of the importance or seriousness of this whole thing for awhile. Who would have guessed that so many changes could happen so fast and affect so much in our lives? Or how crazy those Chinese were for building complete hospitals in days to care for the victims. What started there (trump constantly reminds us of that) is now affecting most all countries at an exponential rate. I don't want to say I've ever agreed with Trump. He was poopooing this until just a few days ago, egged on by Fox news. I also had my doubts about its authenticity a few weeks ago. But my opinion all changed long before the Administration got religion. The paper still publishes occasional letters from people who think too much has already been sacrificed economically. But the message is that to contain this thing, it takes drastic measures. Let's just hope it's not too little too late.
- I heard my first big conspiracy theory today, which was bound to happen. The national guard, the military, FEMA, etc. are all being told to get ready for at least a 30 day deployment and the whole country will be on lockdown. Get ready for riots and looting. No wonder guns are selling so fast. Sheesh. Stay calm and enjoy a slower pace of life and your family for once, even though those chanting "The End is Near" are starting to smile. Don't make the "end" be a self fulfilling prophecy.
- Before getting back to cycling, I saw this in the comments section of NY Times op-ed by David Brooks. It expresses hope that things will go on, regardless of this pandemic. It referenced Camus' "The Plague" and seemed like a hopeful thought for these times.
ETUDE ON A PANDEMIC
The world is afraid
and so am I
but this morning at the park
I met a woman pushing a stroller
and as we chatted
from an appropriate distance
her son climbed out
and chased a squirrel
into a tree where he
stood and screamed into
the high branches: Hello!
We laughed and his mother
said: He’s in charge
of waking the squirrels. All
of them.
And then I came home
and sat on the porch
at the glass topped table
with the rusty frame
and sipped my coffee
and watched the pollen
stirring like golden dust
and the sunlight slicing
a leaf with shadow and
the breeze stirring a fleck
of incandescent orange
and black into the air where it
fluttered round the yard
and hovered over
the table like a dove
while I sat with my cold coffee
waiting for the world to end
but nothing happened except
a bee settled on the lip
of my cup and wandered the edge
of this beautiful morning
with me.
The world is afraid
but the bee hummed,
filling the cup and reminding me:
we are alive
and that is enough
if only we live.
- Back to cycling. The reason for this silly blog (everything seems silly these days, doesn't it?) is to pontificate about bikes and bike rides. Until recently, I had 4 big ride trips planned this year. The Paso Robles 4 day trip (which is replacing the MDR). The "Feral Ride", which is a ride down the coast like the MDR, but with just a handful of people and no sag. The three day GAP/C&O Trail ride with Eric from Pittsburgh to DC, all on trails. And finally, the HC ride in Austria and Slovenia with Aigars and friends in July. Will any of these happen now?? Gosh, let's hope so! Even though we are talking about events that are months away, events are being cancelled all over the place. So we shall see. That said, even though the State of California is now officially under SIP, we hope to still do fun local rides to keep healthy and sane (sans snot rockets). Maybe we'll have to live with just those rides for awhile. And maybe that wouldn't be the end of the world. But I've still got my fingers crossed and my tires pumped up. And finally, I like this old poster so much because it is so applicable to the times, that I'm going to post it again!
