Falling Back, 45. The New Daily Life.

Thoughts and observations on life during the pandemic.

•  After midnight last night, I turned off the television. I was the only one up in the house, aside from the cats, but the silence was eery. I slowly realized there were no cars going by, at all, due to the curfew. It was quieter even than during the worst days of lockdown in April.

•  This morning, while driving, everything seemed normal until I saw the first person walking by on the sidewalk. Mask. Masks everywhere. Some were patterned cloth. Many were surgical, as if the owner wanted to be able to throw it away as soon as the obligation to wear it was lifted, and keep no souvenir in the house of these troubled times.

•  After passing my car's inspection (finally!), I went into town to look for something. Every store I went into, I was reminded to use alcoholic gel on my hands. It didn't matter that I had already done it two minutes earlier, in another establishment, and hadn't touched anything. My hands were cleaner than a surgeon's, after spending an hour going from store to store.

•  Lines on the floors in stores, enter here, exit there, continue around the store in this direction. A woman crossed over, and was told by a clerk to follow the lines around to reach where she wanted to go. There were only two customers in the store, and we were far apart.

•  Seeing in the news that Santiago might be shut off from the rest of the world if contagion continues to grow. It's the administrative capital of Galicia, and people from kilometers away commute in every day to work, or to resolve paperwork, or to visit the hospital. It looks like it might not be very effective to close off that city.

•  Through some trick of magic my glasses and my mask are in sync and there's only a tiny bit of fog on my glasses. I can see! But, after pulling down the mask along a sidewalk with no other people, when I pull it back up, I go blind. I walk into an establishment and try to settle my mask and glasses into an acceptable friendship. I give up and take off my glasses, looking around and peering at signs closely to see what I want. I have reconciled myself to not being able to see at any distance for the duration of the pandemic. By the time this ends, I'll need stronger glasses. 

•  Stepping out of a store and pulling down the mask at an appropriately empty spot, and pulling in the fresh, sweet air.

•  Remembering to turn on the air purifier at least an hour before my first class. Wanting to throw a shoe at it for all the noise it makes while it notices all the kitchen smells, the pet smells, and the general dust of living. At least by the first class, the thing makes less noise, as the air is cleaner.

•  Finally taking off my mask and putting my glasses back on after the last class. Now life returns to normality until tomorrow.     

Life continues.