Day 30: California Under Martial Law Lite (Falling To Pieces)

If it wasn't obvious to you before, it should be by now. The people running the show have no real idea what they are doing. Shelter in place versus "herd immunity." Masks versus no masks. Governors decide their own fate versus liberate your state. It's not just King Idiot Trump who doesn't have a clue. It's our governor, Newsom. It's our Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Frankovich. The messages are conflicting (we go several days with no new cases here in Humboldt, and we've had no deaths, but Frankovich says we're just at the beginning of the pandemic and some other health "expert" says he expects Humboldt to have 40 deaths by June - yet we only have 3 people hospitalized).

If I'm being honest, though, I think this is the best they can do, and that is awfully scary. I've taken to talking to people in the front lines like nurses and people working in emergency centers who are coordinating efforts and it is very clear by talking to them that the powers that be in Humboldt, California, and the rest of the nation have no idea what they are dealing with . . . and the media keeps stoking fears like incredibly high death rates, shelter in place orders until 2022, alcoholism spiking, and so on. The mental health issues everyone is fearing won't come from sheltering in place. It will come from listening to the media and our dolts in positions of authority.

The citizens of Humboldt are all over the place about it, too. They are the hoax people, the people who think their freedom is being taken away, those who just want everyone to stay home all the time, and the ones who think knowing what towns most of the cases are in will somehow save their lives. There are those who feel a need to howl at eight at night. There are those who are so scared they've cut off communication. It's across the board and it is obvious that everything is falling to pieces, and the solution is not going to be pretty no matter what happens.

Let your mind be your weapon.

Here we remain, just as polarized as before. Political views haven't changed, either. And what's worse, we were divided before, but now we are literally divided. If we don't start making some personal connections soon, you can bet things will get worse no matter how much you howl.

What do you want to see changed, and how do you want to do it? Do you think this is a hoax? Why? Let's hear it. It's okay if we don't agree, but we ahve got to be civil, and we have to have a solid argument. If not, it's just like Trump, Newsom, and Dr. Frankovich. It's just like spinning your intellectual wheels with no goal in mind and little gas left in the tank. The more rational are seeing this happen more and more, and we don't like where it's going.

So let it fly. What are your thoughts? Let's connect here and hash them out. I'm waiting.

Day 17: California Under Martial Law Lite (Spreading The Disease)

Humboldt, by all appearances, is taking the mask recommendation fairly seriously, though I have yet to have one. Unfortunately, when it comes to social distancing, we are still lagging.

While in WinCo, I was in front of the teller who was shouting a conversation to the person at the teller behind me. (It was about anime, so I'm guessing it was really fucking important that the entire store hear this.) The guy behind me was shouting back. When I turned to glare, the fucker, who works for Coca Cola as noted by his work uniform, just smiled. Hey, bra, it's all good. I wanted to gut him on the spot. One more reason not to buy Coke products.

Our neighborhood has started an email chain to lend services to each other, keep an eye on one another, etc. It's a good idea, and one I hope to see more people doing. I know there was another howl last night, but I didn't participate, and nor did I hear anyone doing it. I kind of think it's pointless. I would rather organize a lynching of our elected officials.

Humboldt now has two people hospitalized with Covid-19, and the number of positive cases is creeping close to 50. Small numbers when compared to New York City, but still big enough . . . and going to get bigger in the days to come. What are the numbers where you are?

Yesterday full-on depression hit me. See, my bedroom is my sanctuary. I got some books there, my Roku, my TV, my Blu Ray player, my PS2. My girlfriend hates the movies I watch, so I tend to have to watch them alone, which is depressing enough because I like to watch movies with people. Anyway, we had a power outage a few days ago, and yesterday I realized the entire wall that everything is plugged into has lost power. It's not a fuse issue, either. Now I can't watch anything. And now I'm told they may not come fix it because it's not an emergency. I guess it'll become an emergency once I go all Jack Torrance. Bottom line, being locked inside and unable to watch my movies . . . I'm about to go nuts and do bad things.

Anyone up for a lynching?