Surveys and Thoughts Part 2 in Book Seven: Reconstruction 2020

The following was written on Friday, April 17, 2020 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.

I have to admit, every morning I wake up with a CPAP on my face. Helping me breathe. And I sit there. Breathing. Realizing and embracing the fact that because of that CPAP, I breathe better in those morning moments than I do at any point in the day. And I imagine the people fighting COVID right now. As their symptoms worsen (from what I’ve been told) they go to a CPAP to a Ventilator if one is available. Then some get better. Some die. And I sit in bed and I breathe. To anyone saying “Stop panicking, this is a hoax” and to anyone saying “I’d rather get the virus than stay in quarantine” and to all the rich fuckers saying “end quarantine, I’m losing profits!” I would say this.... imagine struggling, fighting, gasping for every breath. Stop what you’re doing right now and count how many times you breathe in 1 minute. Now imagine each breath is a struggle. A fight. Sure, you’re not going to die. We’ll say you are of the proper age and formidable health that this will simply be a mild inconvenience in the grand scheme of your life. But while you’re living it… in the moment… imagine every breath you’re taking right now is a struggle. And then tell me that your profits, your essential oils, your desire to “go out” are worth more to you than the very breath you take. I’ll wait.

The website Google and Iowa suggest using is https://coronavirus.iowa.gov/ for tracking COVID throughout the state. I do not trust this. That isn’t to say I’m becoming a conspiracy freak or anything, but the State Tracking of COVID (at least for my county) disagrees with what our own County Emergency Management and Health Department say. So… whether our county is simply not reporting for some reason, or the State wants to wait until they receive the official test results (though I don’t know why that would take time) I have no idea. But our own government team confirmed new cases within the last 24 hours. So… this isn’t accurate. Not to mention the fact that this is only listing those who (1) were symptomatic and/but (2) were healthy enough to locate/reach a testing facility and/but (3) actually got tested. So… while Northeast Iowa has been put into tighter restrictions due to becoming a much higher risk area… people in my neck of the woods are saying, “It’s time to get back to normal!” I hang my head in shame for them. Many of you are older people and far more susceptible to death. We don’t have a fully functioning hospital in this county but we have 5 retirement villages. The stay at home directive is to prevent individuals who may HAVE the virus but aren’t showing symptoms from transmitting it to people like them in the retirement villages. All we need is one person in one of those homes to get sick… and it’ll spread like wildfire. 13% of all COVID cases in Iowa are said to be in nursing homes and retirement villages. 45% of all COVID deaths in Iowa are in nursing homes and retirement villages. Considering we have 5 of these and no proper hospitals… maybe taking Stay At Home seriously and protecting those vulnerable people is smart not just for humane reasons but for purposes of our economy. You’re miffed because you can’t get your haircut but if everyone in the retirement villages die at once? That is a bare minimum of 2% of this county’s population. If it spreads to the older people outside of the retirement villages and starts killing them? Let’s say (extreme example) it kills everyone “over a certain age” (meaning elderly)… that is 20% of the county’s population. Not to mention the effect it would have if it spread but didn’t kill other people. So please folks… especially after additional cases have been confirmed in the county… can you… not… act like your civil liberties are being denied to you just because you can get your beer, your alcohol, your groceries, your meth, your cell phone, your TV, your.... I mean honestly folks! The only real restrictions are “you can’t go to the bar” and “you can’t go to a restaurant” and “please conduct your church services online.” Most of what this county does hasn’t been affected, frankly. Oh… and dear old Governor… unless I missed it, she still hasn’t pushed deadlines back. So despite now having a “Hot Spot” that checks off 10 of her 12 “Shelter in Place” checkboxes… does she still think we can re-open everything on April 30th??

I went in to the office today. Was actually… not as productive as I wanted it to be. Mostly went in to handle the “large stack of things that needed to be dealt with” but that large stack was done in less than 40 minutes. I stayed anyway as nobody else was here and at least I could catch up on some other work. That’s the weirdest thing about this so far for me… I can quite literally feel the “other shoe.” When courts open back up and the floodgates burst and all the people who want a jury trial are fighting over the scraps of trial dates we have… the immense massive WAVE that is coming our way? I can feel the stillness of now looking at that.

And things never change. Meth still gets sold, people still break the law, things still get insane. We’ve got an insane case. Involving kidnapping, drug sales… like literally POUNDS of meth. And the deeper we dig, the more dirt we find. And it is proving what I’ve been saying for quite a long time. Just because my cases aren’t “drug related” doesn’t mean they aren’t drug related. A large number of the violent and angry people I deal with we are discovering without surprise are involved in the usage, sale, and trafficking of methamphetamine. But then… that really isn’t a surprise to any of you, is it? Even the non-drug taking people are showing how stupid and imbecilic we’ve all become. SO add meth to that and watch the world burn.

I’ve still been reading ya’ll but again not noting much. Just… in a funk. As I’m sure we all are. FUCK Again, my own dumb ass fault. AS I was writing the “As I’m sure we all are”… a notification. Fuck our dumb stupid ass idiotic fucking president:
“LIBERATE MINNESOTA!” Trump wrote, followed soon after by a message that read, “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” He also tweeted, “LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!”
And as absolutely horrible as the tweets are coming from the FUCKING PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES… what is worse and soul-shattering is the supporting replies. My country has… quite possibly died. I honestly don’t think I want to live in the United States if Trump gets a second term. I don’t know where I’d go or what I could do but… a president that foments rebellion, armed rebellion (you’ll note his pointed statement about the 2nd amendment)… a President that insists he is worshiped and obeyed without merit or thought… a man who would insist that conspiracy is equal to facts… and there are so many in this country who have not only drunk the koolaid but have baptized themselves in it, been reborn by it, decided to dedicate their lives to supporting a man that would literally sell them as soon as look at them.... I don’t know how to exist in that world.

SURVEY

Are you an essential worker?
Well, yes and no. I do agree that it is still essential to have attorneys protecting the rights of people while simultaneously protecting people from criminals. So as a Government Attorney we are deemed essential.

How many drinks have you had since the quarantine began?
Bottles worth

If you have kids, are they driving you nuts yet?
No kids :)

What new hobby have you taken up during this?
Playing outside more with Nala

How many grocery runs have you done?
Two… maybe 3 tops

What are you spending your stimulus money on?
I don’t even know if I’m getting stimulus money to be honest.

Do you have any special occasions that you will miss during this quarantine?
COVID has taken my friend’s birthday, likely my birthday, my trip to Canada, my trip to Japan, and likely my trip to The Lake

If a burglar breaks into your house, are you prepared to suppress them?
This feels like a disturbing question… are you asking if I have firearms… are you asking this because we’ve seen a sharp uptick in purchases of ammunition....

What movie have you watched during this quarantine?
Haven’t watched many movies, to be honest. Though I may watch the remake Wolfman tonight

What are you streaming with?
Netflix, Amazon Prime mostly. Just started a trial of Hulu. Personally, I’d rather pick up a Funimation Streaming package but considering my usage, it isn’t really necessary

Nine months from now is there any chance of you having a baby?
Not even a little bit

What’s your go-to quarantine meal?
Pretty much pasta

Is this whole situation making you paranoid?
I wish this situation was making me paranoid. Instead, it seems to simply be confirming what my job has long since proven. The human world is lacking in empathy, intelligence, and wisdom to such a degree that we should all be very ashamed and very worried.

Has your internet gone out on you during this time?
No, but when I started work (WFH) a few days ago, the whole block lost power momentarily!

What month do you predict this all ends?
Here is my honest answer to that question… if we do things intelligently, which so far we haven’t this COULD end by July or August. BUT considering how things have been going? We are assured to get a new swath and a new peak and we’ll reassess Stay At Home and be doing all of this all over again come August… so, current trajectory? We’ll be lucky if it ends by 2021.

First thing you’re gonna do when you get off quarantine?
Go to the River Tap and order a Calzone and buy a round for everyone there

Where do you wish you were right now?
Back in Hawaii. If I’m going to be isolated or feeling lonely (which likely would have happened without COVID anyway) I’d rather do it somewhere beautiful where I could swim in the ocean every day

What free from quarantine activity are you missing the most?
The freedom to go to the store whenever I want. I know that TECHNICALLY I could do that now still but I’m neither an asshole nor a monster

Have you run out of toilet paper and hand sanitizer?
I have about 4 rolls of TP left and a little hand soap left. When I go to the store next I’ll be looking to see if I can get either of those things to make sure I don’t run out

Do you have enough food to last a month?
I’d say I have enough food to last the rest of April