March 26, 2020

Well, Well, Well… would you just look at that? This whole thing fell down faster than an unzipped prom dress! Over the course of a few short weeks, a muffled cough was heard somewhere in China and now we have been sent home with simple instructions not do anything with anyone or go anywhere for anything. Okay, got it! No problem.

The first few days were absolute bliss. Pajamas and snacks with only an occasional glance at obligations or job requirements. Then, at some point, there was this numbing sensation that started to amplify. For me, the trigger was on the morning of March 9, just three weeks ago. The S&P 500 powered off for 15 minutes because the 7.79% nose dive at the opening bell triggered a halt in trading. I learned a lot about US markets that day. These “circuit breakers,” as they have been called, are staggered in three tiers at 7%, 13%, and 20%. The first two halt trading for 15 minutes, and the third suspends the market for the rest of the day. These trading curbs were put in place after the crash in October of 1987, and have been activated five times since. Four of these occurred in the last two weeks.

They called off school, shut down bars and restaurants. My internship sent everyone home to work remotely, but that just means I take a hike. I still have hours at Italia Gardens, where I am a cook and proud of it. So…so what, I just stay home. I’ll cook and I’ll bake. Maybe I’ll decorate! Definitely watching Mad Men again.

Well, I did. I made a pie, apple. Two batches of cookies. I did chicken, Marsala and Kabobs. There was a long hot bath and a nice glass of wine. I’ve enjoyed the occasional… well, no. Not the occasional, the usual glass of whiskey on ice followed by some cigarettes, Marlboro Reds. There’s a new photo above the sofa and I finally found that tie I was looking for. I cleaned out my wallet, I have done five crosswords. I’ve taken a lot of walks. A few bike rides, too. Did I mention I drank some whiskey?

March 30, 2020

For some reason, hope is a tough thing to grasp today. It seems bleak, it’s cataclysmic and disturbing. What we are set to deal with now, the threat of an invisible contagion, seems at times to be all we will ever know. I struggle to figure out how to see past it. I keep washing my hands and try to keep myself occupied with work, but where will we be after Covid is done with us?

I’m hopeful because we are a strong people. We are larger than any one crisis, and we have met many foes with courage and humility. This virus isn’t about right and wrong, though. It’s not who lied and who cheated, or who won and who lost. These metrics aren’t like sports and the circumstances have caught everyone off guard. We have been given an opportunity to move away from what’s small and instead see what is significant. These times will change everything, and this virus will kill a lot people. But, a brighter day lies ahead. That day is called tomorrow. I haven’t been there yet but it is on my list.

So to sum up, keep yourself busy and safe. Play your part and slow your roll. Do what you can from your end. We need to flatten the curve, and slow the spread. I don’t have all the answers I just know that smart people said that stuff. Listen to the doctors and go read a book.

Warmly,

Daniel J. Neebes

P.S. – Tiger King: All I can say is “Wow”