Week One of the Global Coronavirus Pandemic
I knew something was serious when I received a message from Wells Fargo stating "if you have any trouble paying your bills during the corona virus, please get in touch with us and we will work something out". I have my auto loan through Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo may be one of the most vile corporations out there. I chose to get a loan through them because they gave me the best interest rate. If Wells Fargo is anticipating something catastrophic, then I figured they must know something that most of us don't.
Then, the next day, Thursday March 12th, I read an article that a friend of mine had posted on Facebook "Young and Unaffraid of the Coronavirus pandemic? Good for you. Now Stop Killing People" https://apple.news/AzwFk-
This article is when I first heard the World Health Organization (WHO) calling it a "pandemic". Wells Fargo letting me know that we can negotiate and the WHO calling it a pandemic. These two things made me pay better attention and take this whole thing way more seriously.
I was supposed to have lunch with my friend that day, but I canceled with him. As the author in the article above states "don't go out unless you absolutely have to". Furthermore, I was already felling a bit flu-ish that day anyways, so I definitely didn't want to get anyone else sick.
I was bummed out all day long that Thursday. What would happen to all my gigs? What about all my tour plans coming up May through October? Would all the hard work I put into planning the tours be wasted now? Well, I'm still not sure about the the tour plans in May through October, but all my local, San Diego, gigs in March and April were getting canceled. Ugh. What the heck was I gonna do for money now? I was just getting a little bit ahead, financially, then this happened. Ugh.
On Friday March 13th I had come to a feeling of surrender. I would not be alone in this financial crisis. All the bars, restuarantas, farmers' markets etc. were closing down. All those people would be out of work too. Then all the schools started closing. Those teachers would all be out of work as well. However, I would find out that many of these people would still be getting paid for their time off. I certainly did not have that luxury.
Oh well, I needed some time off anyways. I'm always looking for an excuse to relax and what better excuse than a global pandemic that tells me I have to stay home? As a self employed musician I always have plenty to do, including recording a new album in my apartment, alone.
I took the weekend off since all my gigs were canceled. I saw this now as a mandatory vacation that I've been needing for a few years now.
A few weeks ago I went to the grocery store and bought a ton of canned food and other non perishable food because I had heard some rumors going around that this virus was going to get bad. I'm glad I did because at least I did not have to go out during the main grocery panic of the wekend of March 14 & 15. I already had enough food to last me about 3 weeks.
All weekend it was so quiet outside my window. I had never heard San Diego so quiet. The highway traffic noise was almost totally gone. At night it was so quiet I wondered if everyone had disappeared.
I woke up Sunday early Sunday morning with a thought in my head "That's it. The apocalypse we all knew was coming, is now upon us. Almost overnight the world came to a halt. The nature of the virus makes it all feel as if it's happening in slow motion but there is still almost nothing we can do about it. Then I read this article and it reiterated what I had read on Thursday:
https://medium.com/@stephendinan/pandemic-preparation-938361649386
I just hope people, including myself, can handle all the emotions that will come with everything coming to a halt, including our over-bloated financial system with all the leeches who profit of nothing else but moving imaginary numbers around. Will our money mean anything anymore? Or will chicken and food etc.. once again be the only things of real value?
On Monday I walked on the beach with a friend of mine. We had been planning on taking this walk for a long time, but since we are both super busy musicians, we never get around to it. Well, the pandemic left us both jobless, so we made it happen. We probably should have stayed home in respect for the pandemic, but we kept 6 feet between us and walked the beach before the government might forbid us from doing it.
On the beach was a young fisherman in his early twenties. We were on a more remote stretch of beach in north county San Diego. There was no pier. Just waves crashing on the sand beach. The young fisherman cast his line into the surf.
"He's not going to be able catch anything in the surf, is he?" I asked my friend. However, ten minutes later I saw that he had reeled in a fish about 14 inches long! Dang! I ran over towards him because I knew I wanted to be friends with this guy. This guy would be able to survive the oncoming apocalypse.
"Don't worry, I won't come any closer" I shouted to the fisherman from 12 feet away "I just wanted to let you know that you are my hero for catching a fish that size right out of the surf!".
"You can come closer" he answered " I don't bite."
"I just mean with the virus going around" I said.
"Oh that" he said "that's a bunch of hype. This isn't 1918, we'll be fine" and so then we fist bumped. I didn't feel great about it, but I wanted to let this guy know that I respected his fishing prowess. Dang! Can't even shke hands with people anymore. This feels like I'm being controlled by the powers that be. They are always trying to keep us separated.
"You must really know what you're doing to be able to catch fish like that" I told the young fisherman.
"I've been fishing for a long time" he said "I use 4lb test fishing line, which is really lightweight so the fish can't see it. When the tide goes out and the fish is on the hook, I just let it go out. When the waves come in a reel the fish in along with the current". He went on about some other things and we exchanged phone numbers so I can ask him questions. I used to fish a lot with my dad when I was a kid. I know how difficult this style of surf fishing must be.
So I went on Amazon and bought myself a fishing pole. It has really good reviews as being a great pole for the the price. I also ordered some lures and a bunch of food, some stuff to get my solar panel up and running and some other supplies that I hope will get me through this crazy time. I put all the purchases on my credit card. I usually only use my credit card for emergencies, but I consider a global pandemic an emergency.
My rent, car payment, credit card all that can wait. My health and staying peaceful is my priority right now. I'm doing my best to not order a water de-salinater on Amazon. I have prepared as much as I can. Now I just have to do my best to get through this.
Then, the next day, Thursday March 12th, I read an article that a friend of mine had posted on Facebook "Young and Unaffraid of the Coronavirus pandemic? Good for you. Now Stop Killing People" https://apple.news/AzwFk-
This article is when I first heard the World Health Organization (WHO) calling it a "pandemic". Wells Fargo letting me know that we can negotiate and the WHO calling it a pandemic. These two things made me pay better attention and take this whole thing way more seriously.
I was supposed to have lunch with my friend that day, but I canceled with him. As the author in the article above states "don't go out unless you absolutely have to". Furthermore, I was already felling a bit flu-ish that day anyways, so I definitely didn't want to get anyone else sick.
I was bummed out all day long that Thursday. What would happen to all my gigs? What about all my tour plans coming up May through October? Would all the hard work I put into planning the tours be wasted now? Well, I'm still not sure about the the tour plans in May through October, but all my local, San Diego, gigs in March and April were getting canceled. Ugh. What the heck was I gonna do for money now? I was just getting a little bit ahead, financially, then this happened. Ugh.
On Friday March 13th I had come to a feeling of surrender. I would not be alone in this financial crisis. All the bars, restuarantas, farmers' markets etc. were closing down. All those people would be out of work too. Then all the schools started closing. Those teachers would all be out of work as well. However, I would find out that many of these people would still be getting paid for their time off. I certainly did not have that luxury.
Oh well, I needed some time off anyways. I'm always looking for an excuse to relax and what better excuse than a global pandemic that tells me I have to stay home? As a self employed musician I always have plenty to do, including recording a new album in my apartment, alone.
I took the weekend off since all my gigs were canceled. I saw this now as a mandatory vacation that I've been needing for a few years now.
A few weeks ago I went to the grocery store and bought a ton of canned food and other non perishable food because I had heard some rumors going around that this virus was going to get bad. I'm glad I did because at least I did not have to go out during the main grocery panic of the wekend of March 14 & 15. I already had enough food to last me about 3 weeks.
All weekend it was so quiet outside my window. I had never heard San Diego so quiet. The highway traffic noise was almost totally gone. At night it was so quiet I wondered if everyone had disappeared.
I woke up Sunday early Sunday morning with a thought in my head "That's it. The apocalypse we all knew was coming, is now upon us. Almost overnight the world came to a halt. The nature of the virus makes it all feel as if it's happening in slow motion but there is still almost nothing we can do about it. Then I read this article and it reiterated what I had read on Thursday:
https://medium.com/@stephendinan/pandemic-preparation-938361649386
I just hope people, including myself, can handle all the emotions that will come with everything coming to a halt, including our over-bloated financial system with all the leeches who profit of nothing else but moving imaginary numbers around. Will our money mean anything anymore? Or will chicken and food etc.. once again be the only things of real value?
On Monday I walked on the beach with a friend of mine. We had been planning on taking this walk for a long time, but since we are both super busy musicians, we never get around to it. Well, the pandemic left us both jobless, so we made it happen. We probably should have stayed home in respect for the pandemic, but we kept 6 feet between us and walked the beach before the government might forbid us from doing it.
On the beach was a young fisherman in his early twenties. We were on a more remote stretch of beach in north county San Diego. There was no pier. Just waves crashing on the sand beach. The young fisherman cast his line into the surf.
"He's not going to be able catch anything in the surf, is he?" I asked my friend. However, ten minutes later I saw that he had reeled in a fish about 14 inches long! Dang! I ran over towards him because I knew I wanted to be friends with this guy. This guy would be able to survive the oncoming apocalypse.
"Don't worry, I won't come any closer" I shouted to the fisherman from 12 feet away "I just wanted to let you know that you are my hero for catching a fish that size right out of the surf!".
"You can come closer" he answered " I don't bite."
"I just mean with the virus going around" I said.
"Oh that" he said "that's a bunch of hype. This isn't 1918, we'll be fine" and so then we fist bumped. I didn't feel great about it, but I wanted to let this guy know that I respected his fishing prowess. Dang! Can't even shke hands with people anymore. This feels like I'm being controlled by the powers that be. They are always trying to keep us separated.
"You must really know what you're doing to be able to catch fish like that" I told the young fisherman.
"I've been fishing for a long time" he said "I use 4lb test fishing line, which is really lightweight so the fish can't see it. When the tide goes out and the fish is on the hook, I just let it go out. When the waves come in a reel the fish in along with the current". He went on about some other things and we exchanged phone numbers so I can ask him questions. I used to fish a lot with my dad when I was a kid. I know how difficult this style of surf fishing must be.
So I went on Amazon and bought myself a fishing pole. It has really good reviews as being a great pole for the the price. I also ordered some lures and a bunch of food, some stuff to get my solar panel up and running and some other supplies that I hope will get me through this crazy time. I put all the purchases on my credit card. I usually only use my credit card for emergencies, but I consider a global pandemic an emergency.
My rent, car payment, credit card all that can wait. My health and staying peaceful is my priority right now. I'm doing my best to not order a water de-salinater on Amazon. I have prepared as much as I can. Now I just have to do my best to get through this.
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