screen shot from the film Frequency: “I’m still here, Chief”
etched into a wooden desk
After months of blogging about living through the pandemic I
took a break from writing to pull myself out of persistent melancholy.
For my birthday Greg and I ordered crab legs and lobster
tails from Red Lobster. We avoid dining inside restaurants due to COVID yet we
live too far away to carry freshly prepared seafood back to our home so I joked
about tailgating in the parking lot. Fortunately Greg has access to a nearby storage
unit he shares with his friend Ken so we dined there instead. Greg had
mentioned our plan to Ken, who surprised us by setting out a table cloth and
candle for ambiance. It was our first date night out in months.
The next day I participated in a peaceful demonstration at
the Greensboro, NC home of postmaster general Louis DeJoy. There had
been a large gathering over the weekend which I almost attended but chickened
out at the last minute due to fear of contracting COVID from strangers in the
crowd. The organizer encouraged folks to keep the movement going so I made a
sign and set up a folding chair to occupy a small area outside DeJoy’s gated
mansion. A few neighbors stopped by to tell me they support protests to protect
and restore the USPS. Some folks driving by rolled down their windows to share encouragement with friendly waves; not a single person gave me a middle finger salute. Only one person chastised me, a young (early 30s) pregnant
woman walking her dog cursed at me as she passed by. A few minutes later a
police officer stopped to investigate an anonymous complaint that I was
blocking the sidewalk and entrance into the property. I was actually in the grass
out of the way though I asked the officer if I needed to move. He said there
was plenty of space for people to pass by and wished me well before driving
away. A dear friend joined my micro protest mid morning, then afterward we enjoyed
a safely distanced afternoon visit with another friend across town. It felt like
old times sitting in a back yard among progressive women talking about life
and politics.
Perhaps the boldest action Greg and I took over the summer
was purchasing a van and outfitting it for camping trips. Our first excursion to
Hanging Rock State
Park in August yielded mixed results. We enjoyed our camp site and fishing
in the nearby lake. However, we made the rookie mistake of assuming we could
start a camp fire. The bundle of wood we bought at the local camp store would
not light, despite wadding every scrap of paper we could find including our
printed camp reservation, receipts from our wallets, and the sacrifice of an
entire roll of toilet tissue. We had planned to roast hot dogs and make s’mores though we settled for summer
sausage with havarti cheese on buttery crackers after giving up on the fire. No
sooner had we finished eating when rain drops began to fall. It had been a
beautiful day with only a 20% chance of rain, which turned into a 100% downpour
for 2 full hours. The rain didn’t dampen our spirits though. We quickly stowed
our gear and relaxed inside the van where we slept comfortably overnight.
When we got back home, Greg researched fire starter options
and ordered a box of 100 online. A few days later I noticed a container of what
looked like coconut cookies sitting on the kitchen counter. Greg doesn’t like
coconut so I was puzzled. Turns out fire starters made of saw dust look an
awful lot like coconut cookies. They smell strongly of lighter fluid though so
there is zero chance of eating one by mistake. He placed a few inside an old
wonton soup container for use during our next camping trip, and stored the rest.
In mid September Greg and I joined his sister Tonya and her
husband Peter for a beach vacation on Topsail Island. The condo rental
overlooked the ocean and was a short walk to the beach. There were more people
vacationing than we expected, and most of them didn’t wear masks, so we kept a
safe distance as much as possible. The highlight of the trip was a steam pot
dinner of shrimp, crab legs, lobster tails, corn and potatoes from Topsail Steamer – delicious and oh
so much fun!
We had planned to camp near Ocean Isle beach a couple nights
until Hurricane Sally necessitated a change in plans. We were able to get a
refund on our camp reservation and drove home early to weather the storm.
While Greg and I relaxed at the beach, our beagle Minerva
vacationed with friends at the No
Goats No Glory farm and pet kennel. When we picked her up she was happy and
wagging her tail as she walked to the car. We stopped at Biscuitville
on the way home, picked up a dog biscuit for Minerva plus breakfast for
ourselves. She slept the rest of the day and remained low energy the following
day with little interest in eating. Diagnosed with a tumor on her spleen a
month earlier, we knew she wouldn’t be with us much longer, but we weren’t
prepared for such a sudden decline. We endeavored to give her extra attention
and cuddles, and to make her as comfortable as possible over the next few days.
Then on a rainy Friday we drove her to the vet for her final appointment. I had
envisioned being in the office with her and holding her paw as the doctor
medicated her into unconsciousness, but COVID made that impossible. Instead, a masked
vet tech met us at the car and gently carried Minerva inside, out of sight. Over
the weekend we washed her bedding, packed up all her belongings and called the
local humane society to coordinate
plans for donation drop off. Greg tends to be more tender hearted and I tend to
be more pragmatic so I thought I would be strong for him. We’ve both cried buckets
as we mourn the loss of our fur baby.
Over the summer I signed up to be an election worker. NC
was the first state to mail out ballots in September. In person early voting
starts October 15th though I was called in early to help with data entry. Being
a retiree, returning to work full time has been an adjustment. After more than
a year of napping whenever I want, now I wake up at 6am so I can shower, pack a
lunch, and leave the house by 7:30am to be at a desk by 8am. I leave work at
5pm, eat dinner with Greg, then crash.
I'm one of 20 temps called in to help the regular Board of
Elections staff in Forsyth County. About half the temps are on a supply team processing
incoming mail and preparing outgoing mail. The rest of us are on the data entry
team.
Mail is delivered twice a day, morning and afternoon. A mail
clerk noticed the post office did not "cancel" post marks on a large
batch of mail. He said hundreds of dollars worth of stamps could be removed and
reused but I don’t think anyone bothered. It doesn't seem to be a huge issue of
concern though some in the office are worried mail without proper post marks
could be challenged.
Monday we received 1,300 pieces of mail, Tuesday only 29,
and Wednesday morning 420 more. Someone sorts the mail by type (voter
registration, request for ballot, ballot, etc.) and date stamps every piece.
Then papers are scanned for input. Temps are allowed to open and sort
regular envelopes containing voter registrations and ballot request forms but
we are not allowed to open special envelopes containing actual ballots. Those
are stacked and processed separately by trusted permanent staff to protect
the integrity of each vote.
My initial task was processing ballot request forms. There
are at least half a dozen different forms due to various organizations sending
ballot request mailers to NC voters. Some of the forms are easier to read than
others. Some are printed so small that we have to zoom in to read important
information. The scanned forms are in batches of 20. We match info from forms
to registered voters, verify mailing addresses and other info, compare
signatures, and then someone else reviews what we did to verify. A reviewer
sitting near me said approximately 80% of forms are fine with 20% needing some
additional attention. Common issues I've seen are people requesting ballots who
are not in the system as registered voters, name changes, address changes, and
missing required info. Most can be easily corrected and hopefully will be.
I'm in a large room with people spaced apart due to COVID. I
can see and hear staff on the phone, receiving incoming calls from people
wanting to know where is their ballot among other things. I'm mostly hearing
calls coming in from voters, plus a few outgoing calls to potential election workers. I've heard staff tell voters over the phone that once a
ballot leaves the BOE office, it is taking 7 to 10 business days to
be delivered. That seems awfully slow to me for intra-county mail.
Staff and temp workers here work as fast as they can while
also being meticulously careful to do everything right. The majority of people
in the office seem genuinely good hearted and helpful and honest, dedicated to
protecting our democracy and supporting all voters, regardless of party
affiliation.
There is one woman, bless her heart, who talks loudly and
doesn't think masks are helpful. Her voice is like nails scraping a chalkboard.
Some days I wear ear plugs to block out office distractions and help me focus
on data entry.
There aren't enough work stations so some of us are (were) awkwardly
sitting in hard wooden chairs at folding tables, not ergonomically beneficial
for 8 hour data entry shifts. Monday night I came home exhausted, stiff and
sore. Tuesday was a little better. Wednesday I brought from home a proper desk
chair which helps a bit.
Week 1: Monday was my first day learning what to do, not
sure how many request forms I processed. Tuesday I kept track: 280. Wednesday:
300 total. Monday we were processing forms that had been date stamped the week
prior. We are now caught up and processing same day date stamped forms, though
there is a backlog of thousands that need to be reviewed and verified before
next step in process. Thursday morning we received 4 baskets of mail. I was caught
up on data entry so I helped sort the mail and date stamp forms. Friday was
slow so I left early to accompany Greg and Minerva to the vet’s office.
Week 2: Forms are being processed quickly now that the
backlog has been handled. Monday morning I organized and archived 8 boxes of
scanned forms to make room for more incoming mail, then processed
5 batches of voter registrations in the afternoon.
Some of the BOE staff are tired and worn down already. Most
of them won't have a day off until after the election. I've been told I can
work as many hours as I want but 8 hour shifts are all I can manage right now.
Some of the staff are concerned about escalating tensions, voter
intimidation, and recent election news stories. A temp election worker in PA
tossed some ballots which triggered allegations of vote tampering and fraud. It
appears to have been a mistake which was corrected, not fraud. In NC
the 2 republican members of the 5 member state level board of elections
resigned in protest after consenting to ease voting rules. Their resignations
open the door for republicans to challenge NC election results, adding to the
chaos Trump and Barr seem determined to foment.
There will inevitably be more shenanigans reported between
now and election day. Still, I trust there are enough brave and honest people
in positions of power to check and balance attacks on our democracy. I trust
enough votes will be counted to legitimize the results. And I am hopeful and
encouraged by all the people voting early.
Here in NC more than 1 million absentee ballots have been
requested. To date more than 200,000 mail in ballots have been ACCEPTED in NC:
54% from registered democrats,
30% from unaffiliated voters, and
16% from registered republicans.
There is more good news like this in several red and swing
states. People are voting, and donating, and mobilizing to prepare for mass
peaceful rallies in November if necessary.
I am cautiously optimistic about the first presidential
debate Tuesday night. I plan to take a nap after work so I'll be awake to watch
and text with Reid.
Reid is 1 of 2 candidates being considered for a web
developer job near where he lives in CT. Hopefully he will know soon.
Unfortunately Austin lost his job Friday but quickly found a new job with a
landscaper and enjoyed his first day Monday.
Of all the things I’ve done over the past 2 months, I am
giddy with excitement to report a small accomplishment: successfully refilling our tiny hand sanitizer bottles. Two years ago I had purchased 2 itty bitty 2oz
bottles of Purell for use during a camping trip to Brazil with son Reid.
Afterward I stowed the half empty bottles in my trusty travel back pack for
future use. When the pandemic struck I gave one to Greg and placed the other in
my purse. As the bottles emptied I was determined to refill them rather than throw
them away though the task proved difficult at first. After several
frustratingly failed attempts I finally struck upon the idea of utilizing a
pastry bag to pipe the gooey gel, like decorating a cake. Worked like a charm!
NOTE: some hand sanitizer products have been found to contain toxic levels of
methanol or 1-propanol so please check the FDA
list before purchasing.
COVID UPDATE
|
27 Sep 2020
|
Cases
|
Deaths
|
Recovered
|
|
12:53 GMT*
|
Mon 7/27
|
Sun 9/27
|
Mon 7/27
|
Sun 9/27
|
Mon 7/27
|
Sun 9/27
|
|
World
|
16,442,487
|
33,101,265
|
652,608
|
999,425
|
10,064,736
|
24,452,178
|
|
US
|
4,371,992
|
7,288,094
|
149,852
|
209,180
|
2,090,231
|
4,524,383
|
|
CA
|
459,195
|
807,578
|
8,455
|
15,587
|
141,211
|
411,134
|
|
TX
|
397,992
|
768,869
|
5,144
|
15,826
|
229,107
|
663,408
|
|
FL
|
423,855
|
698,682
|
5,855
|
14,023
|
41,866
|
276,975
|
|
NY
|
439,885
|
488,970
|
32,689
|
33,206
|
281,625
|
391,607
|
|
NC
|
112,771
|
206,090
|
1,813
|
3,440
|
78,707
|
176,422
|
|
CT
|
48,776
|
56,587
|
4,413
|
4,501
|
22,872
|
41,822
|
*Worldometers Coronainusa https://ncov2019.live/
During the past 2 months, confirmed cases of COVID-19
doubled and the global deal toll reached nearly 1 million. Nearly every nation
on the planet has been impacted while 4 countries (the US, India, Brazil, and
Russia) account for roughly half of all cases.
Globally, 4% of closed cases resulted in death. A moment of
silence for all the souls we’ve lost to coronavirus, including the first
100 in the US, the first 100,000 and others documented by the Faces of COVID project and the NY
Times.
IN THE NEWS
Even though I don’t blog about news anymore, I continue
to scan multiple news sources and carefully scrutinize social media for
additional perspectives. Fact checking remains an obsession. Historian Heather Cox
Richardson began recapping daily news last year, prior to the pandemic. I
find her analysis and historical context of current events helpful in making sense
of the current political landscape. She also live streams video
chats about history and politics twice a week.
COVID, the election, the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,
the nomination of Amy
Coney Barrett, and Trump’s
taxes have dominated recent news cycles. I’m just as concerned about the 2020
census though it isn’t getting as much attention.
2020 also is noteworthy for multiple natural disasters. In a
single week NC was hit with a hurricane,
tornado,
flooding,
and an earthquake.
A rare derecho
devastated parts of Iowa
and Illinois. A heat
wave, fire
tornado, and a series of wildfires
broke records in several western states. East coast and gulf-states face an
exceptionally active hurricane
season. Murder
hornets threaten the US as locusts
have swarmed East Africa, India,
and Pakistan. Our global climate
crisis
continues unabated. And an asteroid
is expected to pass near Earth ahead of Election Day in November.
These are the reasons peaceful sleep eludes me some nights.
But sleep I must, at least a few hours before I go back to work in the morning.
Enough typing for now. More later, when I have the time and energy.
