The Day the Earth Stood Still

It was exactly two years ago when the world ended.  Well, the old world ended, the Before Times when I could have said that I lived in a society which, by no means perfect, wasn't enthralled by a suicide cult.  It was Tuesday, I can tell you that without consulting a calendar because it was bar trivia night in an establishment which no longer exists, yet another casualty of the pandemic.  I met up with the usual gang, faced off against the usual rivals, in a contest run by the usual Master of Ceremonies.  We actually discussed the probability of event cancellations- his decision was easy because he had an infant daughter at home.  

Other upcoming events, such as March 17th's St Patrick's Day parade and the 2020 NY Judo Open Tournament, were canceled in the subsequent days.  After some initial mixed messaging about masks, largely because masks and other PPE were needed for medical personnel, I bought my first mask, mandated by NY State, in a 7-11 near my workplace.  Eventually, we all got care packages from management, a box of masks, a box of nitrile gloves, a bottle of hand sanitizer, and (inexplicably) a bottle of water.  

The real problem for me, a guy who works night shifts, was the diminished hours of all sorts of stores.  Most of the grocery stores in the area started closing at 7PM, which made buying coffee and milk for a midnight shift a frustrating task.  I recall driving on deserted roads to get to work, and upon arrival, watching my coworkers from a distance as they disinfected the company smartphone, and at the end of my shift, disinfecting the smartphone and putting it in the lockbox, then disinfecting the lock.  All sorts of rituals in a similar vein were adopted.

Yes, it was Tuesday, it was March 10th, when the old world ended, and a Changeling Earth (though not the one you're thinking of) was left in its place.  Things seem to be returning to life now, though nothing will ever be quite the same, especially in light of the revelation that a sizable percentage of the population is actively pro-pandemic.  It might happen again, another variant might cause the Earth to stand still once more.  COVID barada nikto!