Shut Down Day 3

Day 3 will be remembered as us vs. them day.  The "us" being the people who were practicing social distancing and acting responsibly.  The "them" were the young people going out for St. Patrick's Day, hanging out at dance halls, and doing other blatantly dangerous things.  While we waited for our government, at the state and national level, to shut things down, celebrities took to their social media to encourage their followers to be smart.  Think about this for a minute, Ariana Grande and Steph Curry showed more leadership on Instagram than our president did in the briefing room.

Around 6:00 pm, our governor did finally close all bars, restaurants and schools for three weeks.  My heart goes out to all of the small businesses impacted by this.  When this is over, I'm wondering how much our neighborhood will have changed.   A lot of local restaurants have started Venmo accounts.  Money raised will be split amongst the staff.  If you have a favorite place, consider donating some money to those people that have brought you so much joy, and yummy food, over the years. 

Day 3 also featured more games (I've played this one about six times already and I am still bad at it but I do like making the bunnies do stunts!)

 I also reacquainted myself with my oven.  Honestly, I don't know the last time I used the oven.  I occasionally use the stovetop and I do make a mean Greek salad, but roasting/baking something is pretty much not something I do anymore.

We also left this note for the postal employees and delivery workers who are keeping mail and supplies moving during this difficult time.  

We're also trying to stay informed, even if that means we have to listen to the liar in chief.  I pop up videoed this portion of today's press conference to make it clear for everyone what is going on.  Please make sure that you have plenty of supplies.  The things we are doing today, in terms of social distancing, probably should've happened last week, which means times are going to get worse before they get better.  Stay healthy!

Shut Down Day 2

Things are getting bad, really quickly.  I'm hopeful today that the government will close things down, but I don't hold out hope.

Shut Down Day 2 featured us going for a run (we avoided any people that were out and about)

Played games (so glad I picked up Welcome to the Neighborhood at PAX)

Ate some hot dogs

Annoyed the cats

And toasted to all of our favorite restaurants that have had to close up shop.  This is going to be devastating for them and I really hope they are able to hang on because when this is over all we're going to do is support our local bars and restaurants.  Places like Parlor Sports and Puritan are the heartbeat of Inman Square, they never close during storms, but that's how bad it's gotten.  They are doing the right thing because no one should be outside unnecessarily.  It's sad that businesses have had to take matters into their own hands because state and federal governments are slacking.  Please don't take unnecessary risks.  Our survival depends on everyone doing their part.  

I've decided it's important to track and share some of the important developments.  We (the resistance) will all need to share these widely in November (our society forgets quickly.)  Our government has failed us (not a shocker) but this time it didn't make the rich richer or cheat in an election.  It's failing us because it's killing us.  

A travel ban with no planning led to this disaster at least two of our airports last night.  These are travelers returning from Europe~ no social distancing, no precautions set up.  Our government created a Petri dish in Chicago and Dallas.  That's going to have major repercussions.  DO NOT FORGET!

Two weeks ago, the CDC told us we would experience major disruptions to our lifestyle.  They told us to get prepared.  Our president silenced them and called the virus a hoax.  Now the CDC is recommending at least eight weeks out of school.  It is vital that this guidance is followed.  At this point, schools should be considered non-essential.  All schools still open must close!

Shut Down Day 1

Friday marked our first official "Shut Down Day." 

I spent the day catching up on my blog, watching the news, and doing my arm weights, while JO worked from home.  We broke into our food supply for lunch, which meant a big can of spaghetti o's for me.

Around 4:00, we went for a run through Kendall Square (we figured it would be the emptiest part of the city.)  There were a few people out and about~ some students packing up to go home, some employees leaving their offices with boxes, and some tourists admiring the views of the city.  It was a gorgeous afternoon, and it seemed so sad to not be able to stop somewhere and get a drink, but I'm glad we were able to see the city views for a little bit.  We're going to try to get outside for a walk or a run every day, while we can.

For dinner I cooked up some raman, and then we watched Ground Hog Day, and played some games.

And So Here We Are

Wednesday was when everything started to get real.  (Again, I've been expecting this for three weeks now because I paid attention to the situation but Wednesday was still surreal.)  When the NBA suspended their season and Tom Hanks shared his diagnosis, it was real. 

On Thursday, it seemed like with every passing hour something else was cancelled, suspended, or postponed.  It was hard to teach anything at school because things were changing so rapidly.  I walked my kids out of the building and had this weird feeling that things just weren't going to be the same.  We were supposed to have school on Friday, but I knew that wasn't possible, so I packed up my room and took my manuals home with me.  Sure enough, school was cancelled.

We're done going outside now.  We might go for a run but we aren't going in any stores anymore.  I can't even imagine what is going to happen to the small businesses and restaurants in our city.  We had our first "hunker down" meal of spaghetti o's. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be done with my to-do list by tomorrow night. 

Dear Cambridge and Boston~ I already miss you! xoxo City Vicky. 

Stay safe out there.  Be healthy.  Do your part to flatten the curve.  You might do ok with the virus but those vulnerable people around you, need you to be smart!

Dave Godowsky at Passim

On Tuesday, we had tickets for a show at Passim.  Dave Godowsky, who we've seen play with Sub Rosa, had an album release show.  Dave is a quirky singer, with a real knack for songwriting.  Things were still stable enough on Tuesday, that we felt we could go out.  I'm glad we went because that was our last outing for the foreseeable future. 

Parlor Run Club

Monday was Parlor Run Club and it was 65 degrees out!  It was a perfect night for a run, almost a little too warm.  It was also a great way to take my mind off of current events.  We celebrated our run with elbow bumps but without the usual communal nachos.  

Birthday Gathering at Better Sorts Social Club

Remember a few weeks ago when JO and I hung out at Better Sorts Social Club and I told JO I wanted to celebrate my birthday there.  Well, that's exactly what we did.  I'm not one for doing something big for my birthday but last year I didn't even get to really celebrate with JO because I was so sick and grossed out by my appearance.  I reserved a "lounge" area with a couch and arm chairs for some friends of ours.

I have to say, Better Sorts Social Club is a really great place to hang out.  The atmosphere is great.  Between the beautiful decor (plush couches, rich jewel colors, some rustic touches sprinkled about), great drinks, and live jazzy music make it such a fun place to hang out.  We met up at 7:30 and by 10:00 it was full.  Even as it filled up, it wasn't hard to hear what the others in our group were saying (something we value a lot.) 

It was one of my best birthdays.  I'm so glad we were able to get the fun in before all hell broke lose in our country.