On April 17, after a 12 hour Zoom mediation, I settled a case I had been working on for over the past five years for a young woman whose life was permanently upended by an executive from a Big Pharma company who rear-ended her for $525,000. The check arrived in the mail yesterday. It makes living in Northern Illinois where I have to wear a mask to walk the dogs around the block downright worthwhile.
After watching sports for years on my couch, it was beyond frustrating to have nothing to watch. When I turned off the tv, I found this very pretty lady sitting next to me. Apparently this lady is my wife and we have five grand children. A very positive revelation.
We returned from our winter home in Arizona and spend a lot of time with our kids and grand kids. We are all doing well. Also, very positive.
I see that some of you have read Hamilton and Grant by Chernow and Da Vinci by Isaacson. All very fine books. Just read Rise and Kill First. It is about Israel’s target assassination program connected with its foundation and survival. Somewhat tedious in detail but very fascinating.
With so many things to do prior to this scourge, I am happy to report that I now have much more time to procrastinate. It is very relaxing and allows me to abuse the privilege of reconnecting with some of you classmates visually and audibly by the miracle blessing and curse of our current electronic technology.
The best thing about the shut down for me is that I have had a chance to connect with out of town family and friends through Zoom. We had a seder with cousins in DC and Chicago; friends in Big Bear, CA and Evanston read a play written by one of them and I have engineered several staged readings with the theater company I have worked with for 10 years or so. Very little is changed for me and if it is, it's for the better. I don't have to go do things I would rather not have to do - I see a few students online for academic support and help out in a Shakespeare class. No need to run around and see theater which I have done the past few years for a class. I have a big dog that needs to run in a park but that's fine - great park open and the air has never been cleaner. My house and yard are looking good. Enjoying the right to relax!
Forgot to mention, we live in Oakland on the border with Berkeley. I too have read the Chernow Hamilton book - a few years ago. Am now reading Overstory by Richard Powers about trees and protesters trying to stop clear cutting of old growth forests. Intense but pretty absorbing. Thanks to Larry for getting this going and all of you for keeping in touch. Long strange trip,what? I think Gov. Gavin Newsom is doing a good job planning and getting things in place and we all are staying safe, wearing masks at the grocery store, etc. We of HPHS 1963 were a good class and it's interesting to see how we all branched out in our occupations, the places we live in, families etc. Hang in, all, and be well.
Zoom and FaceTime have been the good thing to come out of quarantine. Our son in LA has been FaceTiming with us 5 or 6 times a week with his 21 month old son. Having spent 3 weeks in LA in February, our grandson really got to know us and now he gives us big smiles and shows us his toys, etc. We zoom or FaceTime with our 19 and 15 year old grandchildren in NJ more often than we used to which is great. And thanks to zoom, we have regular weekly calls with different groups of friends which keeps us connected. Stay safe!
The older you get, the more risk-averse you become. We are sheltering in place, wearing masks on infrequent trips outside, and avoiding gatherings. (There may be a few of us in essential jobs who do not have that luxury.) But I'm sure that each of us has read or heard about people who have aided the spread of the disease by doing things that have surprised or angered us. This week, tell us the most outrageous behavior you've seen in light of the virus. Extra credit for including pictures.
I'll start with pictures of the Ft. Lauderdale Beach, taken during college Spring Break, March 4, 2020. There's not a mask in sight and social distancing appears to be a foreign concept.
Some folks here in North Carolina got tired of being housebound or decided COVID-19 was a hoax. They have formed a group called ReOpen NC and have chosen to exercise their Constitutional 'right to assemble' by marching on the State Capital every Tuesday. Attached is an April 21 photo. There are no masks or social distancing evidenced
Although my wife and I are still in the space of isolation, we get outside in our Florida community to walk and bike without needing masks. There aren't many folks outside, and when we do encounter community neighbors we all give space.
I have gratitude for people who are out there working in essential jobs as they allow us to stay at home. I also have compassion for those who don't have the financial resources to remain out of work. It's a horrible and complicated trade off that many are facing.
We went to the beach on Friday and saw lots of families sitting on beach chairs at respectful distances. I have the luxury of being with my grandchildren remotely, though many have the challenge of being with their children 24/7. I try to let my compassion and respect temper my judgments, though it doesn't always work.
As most of you know I still live in HP. My only child, Joanna and her husband are raising their children in the city. During this very strange time we get to see our family once on the weekends when they come and sit on our patio (all bundled up) and we sit inside (all bundled up) and converse through our screen door. No hugging, no kissing, no snuggling of any kind. I try not to cry when they leave but it breaks my heart. Life is short and I know none of us expected to be quarantined. I know there are millions of people in much worse circumstances than we’re in and certainly previous generation have suffered awful losses but this is the USA and I never thought my country would be unprepared for something like this. I can’t help but wonder what our parents would think. They thought they left us a safe, somewhat solvent and healthy country. I’m glad my mom and dad aren’t here to see this. They’d be so disappointed. Anyhow there r some pluses: my cabinets, drawers and closets have never been so organized. My husband and are having a good time planning future vacations and picking out furniture for a home we’re co-building with our daughter and son-in-law in South Carolina. I’m staying in touch with my friends and family with Zoom and FaceTime, so all's not lost. I thought I was just going to say hello, excuse my rant. By the way, I read constantly and loved Hamilton (book and show). Stay safe and healthy.
There are many more than just one good thing in this Covid-19 crisis. If nothing else the next administration will be forced to improve our broken health care system. Susie and I are closer (no pun) than ever. The proof of a loving relationship is when you can't get away from your partner, and you're simply delighted. We share walking, gardening, on-line Pilates classes, and Zoom meetings with close friends. There is the now ordinariness of sleeping later (we had 5:30 am classes at the YMCA), eating left-overs from meals we cooked together, and reading different things in adjoining chairs. We may not do all these things when the lock-down lifts (we'll still be masked in public gatherings), but we won't forget the closeness that this closeness has brought us.
I really enjoyed reading about classmates, and thought I would let you all know that I have been in Texas since 1972 David and I are both retired and David does volunteer tax work for AARP. and we were playing a lot of bridge until everything was closed. We have been involved with the lab rescue program and have placed many dogs. Now that travel restrictions are easing We might visit my sister in Lake Forest and if any one comes to Dallas please call.
Travel restrictions are beginning to lift. We are still mostly staying in; wearing masks when shopping. We are considering a weekend at our getaway spot in southeastern Virginia, but expect to continue social distancing.
What are your plans for the summer? Visit https://hphs1963.com/forum_topic.php?topicid=148&pageid=2 and shareyour plans with classmates.
Well, I'm posting a message for the second time, so I am concluding that I have, in Bill Newman's words, more time to procrastinate...As an older fellow I used to work out with once said, 'every day is a Sunday'...summer ceased to be an event long ago, although in recent years, I have returned to Camp Michigania( the alumni camp for the U of M) with my daughter, son-in-law and 2 grandchildren. That's not happening this year...been playing string quartets in the driveway of one of my music friends. Incredibly restorative. I play with the Highland Park Strings and we were supposed to perform Beethoven #9 in May, we were disappointed at that cancellation...we're now experiencing unrest on two fronts...things are slowly re-opening, although the Covid cases are increasing mostly in rural areas...there's going to be a march here in Highland Park tomorrow, I am a bit concerned it's pushing the health envelope a bit, especially for those of us in the older age demographic...trying to stay safe and politically engaged
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