After a long weekend break

In the spirit of sharing softer news and/or silly vibes:

• Back to the Future cast held virtual reunion online, followed by surprising fan call from Biff to Josh Gad to raise money for Project Hope.
• Krispy Kreme will offer 2020 Graduate Dozen donut special May 18 to May 24.
• Webby Awards will be hosted by Patton Oswalt from home Tuesday May 19 at 3pm EST.

Daily pandemic update:  

16 May: India surpassed China, reporting 85,940 infections and 2,752 deaths. The worst-hit Indian states are Maharashtra with 29,100 cases; Tamil Nadu with 10,108;  Gujarat with 9,931; and New Delhi with 8,895.

17 May: Former US President Barack Obama criticised the country’s leaders for their handling of the coronavirus response, telling college graduates in an online commencement address that the pandemic shows many officials "aren't even pretending to be in charge".  India extended a nearly two-month-old stringent lockdown by another two weeks.

18 May: Spain reported a daily death toll below 100 for the first time in two months while Italy's count has been the lowest since the start of its lock down. India recorded its biggest single-day surge with 5,242 new cases and 157 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the country's infection tally to more than 96,000 - the most in Asia.  Aljazeera.com timeline

18 May 2020	Cases		Deaths		Recovered
13:19 GMT*	Fri 5/15	Mon 5/18	Fri 5/15	Mon 5/18	Fri 5/15	Mon 5/18
World	4,555,803	4,833,022	304,201	317,215	1,722,232	1,871,778
US	1,458,243	1,528,931	86,942	90,993	318, 027	346,389
NY	353,096	359,847	27,426	28,325	60,115	61,423
CT	35,464	37,419	3,219	3,408	6,264	6,264
NC	16,996	18,673	641	686	9,115	9,115

*Documenting time of day because real time data updates continuously.
Tracking specific states:  NY is US epicenter. Son Reid lives in CT. I live in NC. 
Worldometers     Coronainusa     Starsexpress2020     https://ncov2019.live/

A moment of silence for those we’ve lost to coronavirus, including the first 100 in the US.  

In the news: 

• Former President Barack Obama delivered two inspiring graduation speeches: one specifically for graduates of historically black colleges and universities, and another for the more than 3 million high school seniors which was broadcast on multiple channels during the Graduate Together virtual celebration. Meanwhile Trump retweeted a clip featuring his head digitally placed over Bill Pullman’s body in a scene from the film Independence Day. Also, NE Senator Ben Sasse gave a muddled and sarcastic graduation speech. 
• DeVos encouraged school districts to allocate relief funds to private schools.
• Doctors Without Borders dispatched a team to Navajo Nation.
• House passed $3 trillion HEROES Act plus historic rules change to allow remote voting. Senate is expected to block the bill.
• KY woman gave birth in parking lot because hospital doors were locked at 2:30am.
• Landlords are suing retailers who refuse to pay rent.
• Legal analyst Dan Abrams said Obamagate theory is 100% bullshit.
• New investigation discredits Biden accuser Tara Reade. 74 former staff members support Biden. 
• NY, NJ, CT and DE will allow modified beach access Memorial Day weekend.
• Some evangelical Christians are becoming increasingly radicalized in the US, believing conspiracy theories instead of science.
• Some restaurants add coronavirus surcharges to cover increased costs.
• Tropical storm Arthur is the first named storm this hurricane season.
• Truck horns blared in protest during Trump rose garden press conference where he announced Operation Warp Speed vaccine initiative. Truckers have been protesting for weeks asking for regulations on freight brokers and fair pay. Motorcoaches Rolling for Awareness is a separate protest that brought hundreds of buses to DC seeking federal aid for the motor coach industry. 
• Trump fired State Dept Inspector Gen Steve Linick who was investigating Sec of State Mike Pompeo for abuse of office; potentially an unlawful act of retaliation.
• TX appeals court ruled voters afraid of catching COVID-19 can temporarily use mail ballots.
• US Space Force official flag was unveiled in Oval Office as Trump described super duper missile which travels 17x faster than current missiles.

Following Kenny Beck’s lead to share a few signs of hope:

• Hassan Akkad fled the devastating war in Syria and made a life in the UK. Now he is volunteering to work for the NHS to help the fight against Covid-19.
• Mother of twins shared baby with grieving friend.
• OH man given 1% chance to live beat coronavirus after 45 days in hospital.

In my personal life…

Friday was a good day overall. I don’t remember all the things we ate but odd combinations of foods were consumed by both of us. Greg ordered groceries online from Food Lion, delivered by Raquel. There were a few items out of stock so Greg ordered those online from Lowe’s Foods. We couldn’t figure out how to leave an e-tip via Lowe’s or Door Dash so we gave Dexter $10 cash in an envelope. 

Saturday morning Greg was excited about helping his friend Rockey harvest hay and I was looking forward to a few hours of quiet alone time. Was about half way through breakfast (salmon and cream cheese on bagel crisps) when my cell phone rang. Greg was choking back tears. I could barely understand him. Austin had just called; his best friend from work had died in a car accident. Patrick Gouge, age 29, had recently found out his wife was pregnant with their first child. Devastated, Austin didn't want to be alone so he and 21 month old Alex were on their way to our house. Oh crap. 

First I vacuumed Minerva’s loose dog hair and tightened the child proof cabinet locks. A few minutes later Greg was home, scrambling to help me prep the house for Alex. We finished tidying up, then Greg cut up some strawberries and mandarin oranges for toddler snacks while I took a much needed shower. Afterward I joined Greg, Austin and Alex outside under the shade of some trees. None of us wore masks and we didn’t maintain safe distance. 

Alex hasn’t spent much time with us so she was initially tentative. After 15 or 20 minutes she finally relaxed enough to eat snacks and play. When she offered to share a yogurt covered raisin with Greg, he politely declined. I opened my mouth wide and she excitedly dropped the raisin into my mouth. By the look on Greg’s face, you would have thought I had just licked a toilet seat. At first I ignored his reaction, but later in the day, after Austin and Alex had gone home, I fell into a deep despair thinking about how reckless I had been. It is unlikely any of us are carrying the virus, but it’s possible. I should have been more careful.

I was mad at myself for letting my guard down, but not at all upset with Greg, Austin or Alex. The lapse in judgment was totally on me. I could have and should have kept a safe distance. Instead I went into goofy grandparent mode and disregarded safety protocols. For a few hours I let myself extrapolate the odds of potentially being infected. Eventually I fell asleep feeling sad and stupid.

Sunday I woke up feeling better than the night before but cranky just the same. Reading the news made me feel worse so I stopped. Greg made a batch of Scotch eggs which we learned are not Scottish at all; they were first made in England and might be based on African or Indian recipes. Enjoyed a little hammock time before retreating to the air conditioned house to watch tv and snack. Rockey and his girlfriend Amy stopped by to drop off some lettuce from their garden and to pick up an extra bag of potatoes Greg accidentally purchased. They stayed a while to chat on the patio, which made me wish we had a bistro table and chairs for outdoor seating.

Greg saw online a promising looking shop space for sale in King. He’s going to take a closer look at it later today. He’s also going to help his friend Matt work on a truck.  

Rainy weather is expected in NC most of the week starting tomorrow. Today is overcast but only 30% chance of rain so I may piddle in the garden a bit, pick some lettuce and spinach if nothing else.