Author Archives: oregonmikeruby

I don’t have anything pithy or poignant to say just now, but I want to check in quickly. We went to the grocery store today; everyone was masked up and social distancing well. There wasn’t a crowd there at all. The store even had paper towels, bleach, and other cleaning products in stock. Gas isContinue reading “Covid Journal: 47 days in”

Coping Not everyone is in the exact same situation. For some, life hasn’t changed dramatically…perhaps they were retired and didn’t need to run many errands, and essentially stayed at home before. For others, life took an incredibly abrupt left turn…I’m thinking of folks with school-age children, or who got laid off from their jobs, orContinue reading “Covid Journal: 46 days in”

Food and Drink Being essentially quarantined means you prepare your own food a lot. Before this all started, I had thought of myself as a good cook and that we (my wife and I) ate in far more often than we ate out. Almost six weeks later, I still think of myself as a goodContinue reading “Covid Journal: 41 days in”

‘Quarantine’ My understanding of the etymology of the word quarantine is that it comes from the Italian phrase for “forty days”. In Venice and other Italian ports back in the old seafaring days, when there was an outbreak the protocol was for incoming ships and crew to drop anchor in isolation for forty days, beforeContinue reading “Covid Journal: 40 days in”

The Deniers and the Apathetic Today I gave blood, braving the viral jungle. Since I couldn’t book an appointment anywhere within Portland for weeks or months, I booked one in a smaller town several miles south of Portland (I won’t mention the name, but it rhymes with Filsonville). The blood donation went smoothly and allContinue reading “Covid Journal: 39 days in”

As the days and weeks go by, it’s becoming harder and harder to remember what life was like before COVID-19. It’s also becoming easier and easier to picture a new normal. In some ways it will suck: undoubtedly the economy will suffer for a long time, shopping won’t be as quick & easy, travel especiallyContinue reading “Covid Journal: 38 days in”

Melancholy Wednesday, April 15, was the first day I have felt a sense of melancholy or overwhelming negativity since this all began. This is actually good news for me, since I tend to lean a bit on the moody side…it’s surprising that it took more than a month for strong negative emotions to creep in.Continue reading “Covid Journal: 34 days in”

New ‘Normal’ Monday, April 13, was the first workday in over a month that felt even remotely normal for me. I had two meetings, which were both held by video conference. And the predominant topic of discussion was the ongoing response to the coronavirus. But still, somehow, the presence of agendas, presentations, back-and-forth discussions, andContinue reading “Covid Journal: 32 days in”

Biking Since this is primarily a bicycle blog, I should probably write about some of the rides I’ve done recently.  They are all rides I can do from/to my house, of course, so in that sense they’re a little limited, but they are definitely better than nothing. Plus, we’ve been blessed with some amazingly niceContinue reading “Covid Journal: 30 days in”

Sprouts Wednesday April 8 was exciting, as the sugar snap peas I’d planted weeks before finally popped above the dirt level in my raised bed garden. The temperature got up to 72 degrees F, and it was sunny all day. Meanwhile, the chile peppers I started in a mini greenhouse box have also begun sprouting.Continue reading “Covid Journal: 27 days in”