Cobb

Pops on Corona

"CORONIC CHAOS"

The CoronaVirus Pandemic rules today as it did yesterday...a seemingly powerful phenomenon heading back too many taken for granted weeks,  Corona now even reeks havoc throughout the once restful night.  And doing this with what is hard to keep up with greed and measureless fury.  Sadly this and similar attitudes have become all too familiar.  We all weep, shake our ever-reeling heads, have over-taxed feelings and a general drooped and miserable outlook.  There is so much, too much to take...with no apparent sign of a break.  Whew.  When will it all end?  When will we get back to what was once lived and experienced as the good life...or if not, the normal pattern of living?

Well, what follows was put together during a couple of badly needed "breaks" from the sane, sensible and thoughtful therapeutics that already address what is noted above.  It is not intended to replace what folks already do and what already works.  Please know and understand that I did not and do not have the esteemed FACEBOOK in mind as a "recipient".  Whew.

So, here we go with some suggestions to remove ourselves from the Corona Virus Emotional Overload Speeding Roller Coaster:

# Being completely informed is a super-abundance of knowledge, but is likewise a replacement of wisdom.  A once an hour 3-5 minute update will suffice.  

# Listening to music always works.  From much calmer times we learned what specific styles of music and what specific composers/artists are at the top.  Now is their time for reconnecting with us. 

# Think about someone you are not now going to call or write but whose long time ago memory causes a smile, a laugh, a few tears or all 3.  Some time later, make the call.

# Take a slow walk through your house or apartment or wherever and look at something you never paid any serious attention to...and think what it might say.....if only it could talk.

# Hold in your hand a leaf from a branch in your garden or an indoor plant, close your eyes, smile and see what happens to you.

# Spell out your full name on a piece of paper...no spaces.  Then think of an adjective for each letter to describe yourself...actually or ideally.  Review the list in 24 hours.

# If you have a house pet, talk to that pet or pets whatever it/they might be.  This includes dogs, cats, hamsters, goldfish, turtles, frogs, caged birds, etc.

# Sit in the bathtub for no less than 20 minutes.  Hum softly with your eyes closed.....open.....closed......

# Make up a song and sing it in front of the mirror.  When finished tell the mirror image exactly how you felt while singing.  If you have a small portable recorder, use it.

# Go to your in-house library and, closing your eyes, select a book.  Flip through it, stopping at any page.  Read a few lines and in your mind draw a parallel with what the day has been like for you.    

# Take a shirt and cap out of your closet and put both items on backwards.  Craft a silly explanation you would give either of your living or deceased parents if either or both of them should suddenly appear.

# While safely riding on your bike, ride with one hand for a short distance.  With the other hand pat yourself on the head for being so skilled and confident and silly

# Take a swig of your favorite fruit juice, briefly gargle same before swallowing and then either smile or laugh outright.

# If you on your treadmill for any length of time, make a strange and original sound every few minutes.  The sound shouldn't make sense.

# Try tying a sneaker or shoe with one (either left or right) hand. Note: If you can do this without laughing at yourself, you are probably cheating!

# The next time you feel inclined to tell someone to "Have a nice day", say instead, "Have a rice day" and see if they catch it.

  ENUF!!

There is nothing wrong with the ever-unfolding protocols which are being advised to make and keep us safe and sane during the crisis.  I am pretty sure the harshness of the day can be eased by trying these or countless other innovative behaviors.  What is suggested above is not intended to replace whatever anyone is now doing to get through the day or night!  That which is serious is NOT compromised by our taking complementary steps to lighten the load.  Just crafting the above has given even me a badly needed and joyful break.

So...try any part of it.  You may like it and be inclined to come up with your own list of activities.  Or you might just laugh at the very thought of taking these suggestions seriously.  But just think about it. LAUGHING IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL!!

and...when you get tired of laughing...

WASH YOUR HANDS!!!!!!!!!!!

Surviving COVID - Episode 4 - Shopping While I Can

I was able to get about 90% of the items I wanted on my shopping. I was a bit surprised at what was available and not surprised at what was not available.

Obligatory Seriousness on the Chinese Disease

People are upset that the President of the United States has called COVID-19 'Chinese'. By the way, the novel coronavirus discovered in Wuhan is also known as SARS-CoV-2. Technically speaking, I understand that to be the name of the virus and COVID-19 the name of the illness. But does it matter what you call it when it is rather obvious we are talking about the same thing? People who are outraged at this use of the term find it racist and just another purposeful attempt of Trump to be xenophobic. I haven't looked, but I haven't heard anyone of that contingent suggest that the 1918 Spanish Flu was racist. My great grandparents died in that. I never thought to blame Spain for orphaning my grandfather and great uncles. The historical fact is that it was so named because Spain's government did not censor its existence. So while it was plentiful on the frontlines in WW1 combatants from France, Germany and England, those governments hushed up about it. 

Syphilis, an age-old scourge caused by the Treponema pallidum bacteria, is one of those ailments no group wanted to claim and all groups wanted to blame on some other. After an invasion by the French in the late 1400s, Neapolitans labeled it “the French disease.” The French, on the other hand, called it “the disease of Naples.” The Russians called it “the Polish disease,” while the Polish and Persians called it “the Turkish disease.” The Turks called it “the Christian disease,” the Tahitians called it “the British disease,” the Indians called it “the Portuguese disease,” the Japanese called it “the Chinese pox,” and so on and so on.

Osterholm, Michael T.. Deadliest Enemy (p. 74). Little, Brown and Company. Kindle Edition.

Considering how many Americans think this thing is similar to the flu, what you call it has nothing to do with how you treat it. Some people actually believe that you can kill the virus by pointing a hair dryer up your nose. I swear to god, and I'm not linking there. So does it matter what you call it? No it matters how you deal with it, medically. Jumping on this particularly simple-minded partisan political bandwagon is to be expected. I'm glad my mind is not infected by such worthless jabber. You have read the disinfectant. Go in peace. 

Surviving COVID-19 - Episode 003 - Lockdown & Mythbusting

• Pandemic Czar
• Skid Row
• 231 & 2
• State of local neighborhood
• Florida beaches
• Sauna Rumor
• Food stocks
• Zika SARS MERS
• Global Health Security Bioterror budget
• Stoics & IDW

Surviving COVID19 - Episode 002 - LA County, Stoicism, EDC

My COVID Resource page is up. I hope you can find it useful. http://bit.ly/covid-mdcbowen

Suviving COVID19 - Episode 001 - The First Week Video

This week it's about Osterholm and his book, and my general attitude about it. 

The New Pandemic Normal

"The sun warms a graveyard in December."

So mentally, I'm prepared for this. Financially, I will probably be ruined. Emotionally, I'm certain to get through it. Healthwise, I say I'm in better shape than most people my age, but you never know. I'm not the Omega Man. What's 3 or 4 Greek letters backwards from Omega? Upsilon? I'd rather be the Tau Man, so I can associate it with the Tao.

The aim here is to make use of some basic skills I have and do my part sitting at home and rapidly parsing through a mental landscape of data / information / knowledge / wisdom and present it with some common language commentary. I don't have many more than a couple thousand followers all told, but I do what I can. I hope I can keep my head when about me are losing theirs. I know I can't just data dump. So I'll do some fraction of a daily thing and interpret what it means to me, giving a sense of what I believe to be actionable and that which is just good to know. I kind of do this for a living - which is to boil down desires, aims and goals into systems that use data / information  to help people turn it into knowledge. I can't get paid for assisting people with the wisdom part. 

Background:
I'm going to start with helping you understand my perspective. So last year I suffered through what seemed my worst year in about the last 20. I'm 58 years old, and can write both essays and software. I took a salary cut and burned through 75% of my savings. I got kicked out of my apartment and started renting in a newer more expensive place. My son was hospitalized twice for mental illness. My mother suffered blood clots that could have killed her. I was diagnosed with depression, and I basically blew my top at a big family gathering. I gained about 17 pounds and I'm sure there were other things I can't think of at the moment that made it a miserable year. 

On the other hand, about four years ago, my younger brother dropped dead (of a blood clot) and then my mother suffered a stroke. I then went through the agonizing processes of dealing with my son's mental illness, and the shaky financial position of my employer. So I had a couple years of tragedy and sorrow to prepare me for 2019. So things haven't been normal for me since 2016 or so. But even prior to that I was prompted to approach Stoicism. You shouldn't call Stoicism the hero of my story, but it is a nominee for best supporting actor. So if you wonder how it is that I've managed to John Wayne through a lot of this, part of it is my personality, part of it is Stoicism and part of it is that I've had a lifetime of ups and downs. Back in 1989 I studied the Tao. It helped me to understand how to live in the present. That's a part too. It's not about me. This just helps you know who I think I am not being a medical expert trying to be helpful. 

Now:
I have a wife and two adult children who live with me and I suspect my wife will be the hardest hit if it comes to us getting infected and sick. So I am concerned for her. My father is 83 years old and has survived cancer, but is starting to be frail and forgetful. His wife has also had some serious medical issues over the past few years. I worry that they may not make it. I have an uncle who is the oldest of our family, and a couple aunts for whom I am concerned. I also have a cousin who lives abroad where things might not be so tightly wrapped. So a number of my family members are at risk, as are all of my friends who are around my age. I have watched my father see all of his dearest friends die (and one of his sons) over the past several years. I see what it's like to look backwards and not forwards in life.  

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This week:
I have Evernote and I started using it to keep track of this and that for years. This week I started taking notes about COVID-19 and now I have enough to make some kind of presentation. It started with the big reveal on Joe Rogan's podcast with Michael Osterholm. This is some of the best straight talk I've heard and it is my ground zero. Last Friday I purchased 200 nitrile gloves and sent an email to my local CERT alumni coordinator. That was the moment I started dealing with the fact that I'm going to have to deal with this. But the interview really kicked it off for me and straightened things out. I expect now that washing my hands will give me a 5% better chance of resisting infection, and adding gloves to that will add another percent or two. It's really about breathing. 

 

Here is the tweet that got me a few bits of rec.

@mtosterholm @CIDRAP And see his interview here.bit.ly/3aNVOMI and his book is here: amzn.to/2TQpxNW 

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So I'm going to close this first post by making a parallel between Osterholm and the man who tried to warn us about 9/11. So if we know nothing at all, we know that there are people who know what they are talking about, who are working on the problem and have mastered the details enough to be able to see the big picture. I'm all about the big picture. All of everything I've written here in this blog over the past 17-odd years may add up to nothing during my life, but I took no money to say what I had to say. This is an unexpected turn, but I can do it. More people are going to die from this than from that terror attack. And we survived. We survive a lot. So much that most of us don't have to think about survival. I do, because I've had to deal with death, something I'm now mature enough to reckon with - even my own. So I'm keeping my head up and my eyes open. You can too. 

More later. I want to expose more of my thinking, but this is enough for now. (It's about thinking through it, not just knowing stuff.)