Day 6 - Statistics

Thursday, March 19, 2020

"Every time I change the toilet paper roll, I cringe." I shared this sentiment last night, because I noticed the cringe happening to my face. (Yes, "happening." It was not a decision I made consciously.) I'm trying to keep my roller coaster of emotions at bay. It was kind of comic relief via Twitter, and kind of not. JoAnn Jacobs from Hawaii was concerned because they get all their supplies by airplane.

On my walk today, I started talking to myself. There was no one around, so I entertained myself by creating a song. I used to do this when I commuted by bicycle to work. It helped pass the time and get out my frustrations with drivers. After I toyed with some words, I thought of what people have said (via Twitter). "They" say that this is a time to create. The arts should be in full swing. Music, writing, drawing, painting, woodworking... Our project for today was to set up the junk drawer the way we want it. It's done - and functional.

Julie Nilsson Smith shared the Johns Hopkins site I was hooked on for a bit. Now I limit myself to looking only once in the morning. I look at the numbers for the United States, and then Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan (family in all three). ONCE a day. In the morning. That way I'm not thinking about it on my way to bed.

The first column is total cases in the U.S.       D/R = Deaths/Recoveries in the U.S.

• Statistics are rampant on the web and television.
• Reporters are reporting from their homes.
• The stock market actually went UP (1%) today. It's been in free-fall mode for the last two weeks or so. It makes sense considering everything closing. FOUR trillion dollars in corporate losses. So far.
• Indiana schools are closed until May 1st.
• Woodfield Mall closed last night.
• I heard the train on my walk today, and saw planes coming into O'Hare.
• No flights come in and out of India as of this coming Sunday.
• Italy has surpassed China in the amount of deaths (3,405).
• Trump is still calling this the China virus. He's constantly blaming other races. Still.
• I hear teachers should be paid $1 million a year, according to parents suddenly at home with their children - for who-knows-how-long.
• Some teachers still think we'll go back in three weeks, max. I'm thinking no way.
• Six of us (teachers at my school) had a Zoom call today. It was nice to laugh.
• Some of the humor via social media is hi-LAR-ious. (This thread about calling everyone at your house a "coworker... This TikTok...) 
• We've been listening to Sirius XM radio after dinner. The music is a good balm. The D.J.s bring us back to reality when they talk about self-quarantine, etc.

Investment company commercial - "We can't predict what tomorrow will bring."
Hubby's reply - "I bet it'll be kind of the same."

I write these quotes down and put them in a day-by-day calendar for next year. I have a lot of fodder for March of 2021...