covid diary: day 12

Well, today I got the email I've been dreading: my job got cut from 40 to 30 hours per week. Not gonna lie, losing 25% of my income will be a big hit for us, and it doesn't look like I have any other side gigs lined up right now. I kind of figured this was coming, and I'm very glad my boss chose to cut my hours instead of letting me (or my colleagues) go entirely. We're okay for now, and we've got everything we need, but it's worrisome because as a part of the "gig economy" I won't qualify for unemployment even if my company does entirely shut down eventually. So let's sincerely hope that doesn't happen.

In today's news, Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) became the first senator to test positive for COVID-19. He's a doctor (optometrist) and he knew he was awaiting test results, but he still had lunch Friday with all his Republican colleagues, and he still went to the Senate gym and pool this morning, potentially exposing a lot of other people to the virus (not just other senators, but the people who work at the Senate gym, in the Senate itself, and wherever it was they had their luncheon -- and those people likely don't have that great health care members of Congress enjoy). So Dr. Rand Paul gets a failing grade, both for how to act in a health crisis and for how to be a decent human being.

Nationally, we're above 33,000 cases, and 416 people have died (69 people just today, and the day's not done yet). I've seen reports of people my age with no underlying health conditions being put on life support. Yes, many of the people who will die are older, but a lot of people aren't that old. I'm not that old. On the other end of the spectrum, I saw a report today that a 7-month-old baby in North Carolina tested positive for COVID-19 at the same time that his grandmother did. I hope that baby and grandmother will both end up with mild cases and be fine, and I'm grateful to the family for coming forward to raise awareness that this can make very young people quite sick as well.

It's been a quiet day at home as we digest our new circumstances and try to make plans to adjust. I did some work in the library today (yes, I know what a privilege it is to have a whole room dedicated to books!), and Mike's been busy cleaning. The boys are feeling the stress too, and we've been talking about making an extra effort to be kind to each other because we're in this together. Also of note, it's been snowing all afternoon (reminder: it's March 22); we're supposed to get 2 inches today/tonight. That makes staying inside more appealing, so at least there's that.

Hang in there, friends. This can't last forever ... I think.