Qubit!

Dogs, we've got 'em!

Boys need dogs, my boys maybe more than most. But getting a dog turns out to be complicated. It used to be you'd hear about a friend who had a litter, or there would be a box of them in front of the supermarket, or you just waited until someone threw a puppy over your fence. You didn't have to seek to find. Now it's more like adopting a child, with forms to be filled out, interviews to be had, fees to be paid. And new now, which is to say under the current circumstances, a lot of people have drawn the obvious conclusion, namely that having someone at home who actually wants to spend the entire day with you would be lovely, the result of which is that a dog has become quite hard to find.

Hard, but not impossible. Welcome Qubit, a small dachshund/terrier (?) mix puppy we fetched yesterday from the Humane Society of Sonoma County. She is healthy and happy and friendly and not too nervous and totally untrained and almost as lovable as Talia I mean just look at that smile...

There's nothing like a dog to give one a sense of future.

Pandemic planning-Weeks in

The Scoop now delivers!

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11th, a little more than three weeks ago. Health officials, who are allowed to do their job here in the Bay Area, have had us under a shelter-in-place order since the 16th (which was made more stringent and explicit as of the 31st). So, are we used to the new normal? No, we are not, but we're learning that...

• Even in a village surrounded by extensive parklands, social distancing is a chancy thing. If you're going for a walk, choose the less traveled and broader path. If you have to go out, wear a mask: it won't make you impervious but any filter is better than none. All masks are one-time use, of course, thus disposed of or washed after exposure.
• Kids need structure. Ours must be dressed and at the table by 9. Schoolwork is their main occupation, with me providing supplementary work if somehow they don't have enough to do. Screentime cannot start before 4 and must not happen after 8. The great outdoors is to be experienced for two long stints each day. A child sous chef is a necessary ingredient for daily dinner prep. In addition, a chore schedule is posted. Compliance varies.
• Adults need release and, no surprise, alcohol consumption is way up. For us, it's because we've started observing happy hour more frequently. We sit in front of our house, often our neighbors sit in front of theirs. We haven't yet started singing, but we do howl at 8 each night, possibly also alcohol-related.
• We all need vacations, even if we can't go anywhere. Schedule one and take it as it is meant to be taken, i.e., by shifting your attention from work to play.
• You should airplane your connection to your mobile network and turn off location services on your phone. Because surveillance, but also, why do you still need it? In fact, why do you still have a mobile data plan at all?
• You should take a break from the news. It's not good. It's not getting better. It doesn't help to know that, and no one can tell you when this will end.
• We should be doing all we can to help others, but should be especially worried about people who live alone. On your long list of people to check on perhaps put them nearer the top. I'm an extrovert who has never lived alone so perhaps I am exaggerating the psychological threat isolation poses, but then again maybe I'm not.

Things to think about going forward:

• Delivery times for online shopping are much longer than usual. Plan ahead. For example, it's not too early to think about summer. I anticipate a run on badminton sets, and Talia is putting in a garden.
• Supply chain disruptions or other factors may make shipping from remote locations problematic. Don't let this impact your food supply: identify local suppliers (we are ordering direct from farmers, fishermen, breweries, and dairies at the moment) who will continue to deliver even if, for example, Instacart workers go on strike. This is a great time to get involved in community supported agriculture and to increase the amount you spend with independent, local companies.
• Many people are finding themselves without income or means. Talk of stimulus payments is just that, talk (though there are already scammers leveraging the hope it generates to rip people off), and in the meanwhile people need to eat. Find your local food bank and give. Contact your local government to find out what else can be done for your neighbors. The faster you work, the more you give, the safer we all are (I'd steal to feed my family, wouldn't you?).

Above all: DON'T GET SICK BUT ASSUME YOU ARE.