A fleeting thought crossed my brain last night after I posted yesterday's blog entry, "Am I becoming too one-note about the pandemic?" Well, that was sixteen hours ago, and a lot can change in that span of time... and change it did. This morning, right around 7AM, I received a text from one of my coworkers... sure enough, he had been exposed to COVID and would have to quarantine for at least a week.
For those keeping score, my other subordinate (we're a department of three) is already under quarantine because his wife and daughter have the 'rona. Suddenly, my job has become like one of the 'Highlander' movies:
And here I am, trying not to lose my head!
The worst thing about this, besides the fact that two dear friends are now having to deal with the possibility of a dangerous (even though they are vaccinated and boosted) disease, is that I just cannot make plans, not even to go to a diner for a coffee and a spanakopita. Hell, at 7AM, when I realized that I had to be at work by 5PM instead of 9PM, I regretted listening to a podcast after getting home around 1AM.
I shouldn't complain too much, with the current conditions, I really don't plan on being anywhere besides home or work for a while, with occasional trips to the grocery store. Working overtime when there's nothing else to do isn't so bad...
On a tangential note, today I witnessed something I hadn't seen before in the course of the pandemic. I stopped at a supermarket to buy the week's milk for my workplace coffee, and I saw two couples squaring off as if to fight, and loudly arguing. A store manager was on the scene to intervene, and these people didn't look like they'd actually engage in fisticuffs. I don't know if this was just a function of me being in a store around 3:30PM rather than 11PM, or if it was a function of people losing their patience, but I hadn't seen the like at all before. Did people forget just how bad Spring 2020 was here in the NYC metro area?
2 comments:
BBBB, you have a great attitude toward your job, which has been extra damn hard for you these past years. I do not know the details of your work, but I hope like hell it involves actual overtime pay.
I have not see an increase in the kind of squaring-off confrontations you related, but I have seen people's anxiety, irritation, and impatience manifest in their driving habits - particularly running stop signs, risky red-light moves, and tail-gating. (I have to acknowledge that people seem to finally be getting used to the "zipper-merge" maneuver, and that's helpful.)
I personally am trying to be very conscious about identifying for myself what is a big deal, and what really isn't. Like the other day I finished up a dog-sitting job, made sure everything was neat and clean, packed up my stuff, and got 15 miles up the freeway before I realized I'd left my cellphone. I allowed myself one "Oh, you dimwit, if you were any smarter you might be a moron", and then I recognized that it was Not A Big Deal. Plus it was a beautiful day, so I just recalibrated my attitude and enjoyed the drive. Life is too damn short, you know?
Thanks, Maggielle. The weird thing about the job is that it's not that hard, though I know of two guys who couldn't last a night because they were scared of working outdoors in the dark. There are days when I get my ass kicked, but those are the dues I pay for those quiet nights that are typical of about 70% of my work experience.
Sure, the hours have been long for the past couple of years, but I love being here. I love being onsite, I love hanging out with Ginger. I love the human coworkers who I occasionally see.
Sure, it would be nice to have a day off, but with this pandemic now raging once again, I might as well be at work.
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