My Daily Struggle in the COVID-19 Lockdown

This was a bad day. All over the country today, even if my hometown, Chicago, there is rioting. Yes, some areas have peaceful protests where police officers have even joined them, but in Chicago, its suburbs, such as North Riverside, Tinley Park, Orland Park, etc, as well as Atlanta, New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix, and, of course, Minneapolis, people are burning buildings, firebombing police cars, throwing things at officers, turning over vehicles, spray painting, and so forth. There was even a demonstration across the pond, in London! Many news networks still call these punks "protesters, so allow me to summarize what I wrote last night: While some of these rioters and looters are opportunists or more violent factions of BLM, there is much evidence that White supremacists have provoked the protesters, and Antifa has taken a great hand in hijacking peaceful demonstrations, turning them into riots. This is why the President has declared them a terrorist org...

Macchiavelli. Those who have taken Humanities in college have learned at least a little about Niccolo Machiavelli. He was a Renaissance diplomat who taught his contemporaries how to maintain power yet extend mercy and reason. One thing I remember most about him is how he asserts it is better to be feared than hated, which is why you can execute a man's father for a petty crime, and he might forgive you as long as you leave his inheritance alone. Hence, Machiavelli was, if anything else, a pragmatist. He was ruled by reason. I have seen little pragmatism in the George Lloyd matter this week. Before I continue, I want to commend the many police chiefs across the country who have condemned this hate crime and called it what it is: murder. Now, I wish to denounce Hal Marx, the mayor of Petal, Mississippi, who said, "if you can talk, you can breathe," referring to George Lloyd's last words. Has this man even graduated high school? Seriously?! It does not take an asth...

So, the good news is, the issue with Big Syl is not the compressor. Halleluyah! It appears to be electrical. They need another day, however, to find and resolve the problem, so I won't get my car back until tomorrow. More good news: the death toll for COVID-19 is the lowest it has been in a month. Yes, it does seem as if the virus is being controlled. So far, it seems that the move to Phase 3 on Friday is inevitable.  In retrospect, when the nation determines what the "new normal" will be after a vaccine or treatment is approved, they need to create laws to stop people from neglecting to cover their mouths in public areas when they cough or sneeze. We need to outlaw such carelessness of people. To take it a step further, schools must start making sure their students, even kindergartners, are aware of preventative measures. Additionally, all child care providers must either send sick children home or keep them in isolation. Workplaces must either provide sick pay for t...

I had a good worship at church today. We did a drive in service, and people formed a circle with their cars. It just made me want to burst out singing: "Oh, may the circle be unbroken by and by, Lord, by and by..." It was a warm and sunny day, and I needed to hold onto an umbrella to avoid getting overheated. An argument between a few people almost but a damper on the beautiful day as a few people had gotten into an argument about who is the right authority on social distancing and COVID-19, and so on. This damned virus is driving everyone crazy. Not just the virus, but fearmongering politicians, media, and "experts". I see truth in what each of them say, but not full truth. Besides, none of them truly know everything, so we must stop behaving as if their words are gospel. I am unaware if any of you have experienced this yet, but when I wear a mask too long, I start having trouble breathing. At first, I thought it was too much fat in my midsection, and then I thou...

Today was an interesting day. First, I was expecting a package to be redelivered today, but the mail never came. Now I will have to wait until Tuesday to receive the package. Blimey! Yes, I know that COVID-19 slows down everything, so I will just need to be patient. I am going to feel guilty if the postal workers are working tomorrow, a Sunday. Second, I took my minivan in for an oil change and to have them check the air conditioner. When I turn the air conditioner on, it only blows warm air. I had to spend all of last summer, the world's hottest summer on record, without air conditioning in my car. They had to recharge the car with freon, but the compressor would not start. They need to hold onto Big Syl until Monday so that they can rule out electric wiring. I can never catch a break, it seems. Why must life be so difficult for innocent people and for people who try? I so hope it is not the compressor because I have already put so much money to essentially rebuild the car. If...

Nine more days. That's right. In 9 more days, Illinois will move to Phase 3. Nonessential businesses will be allowed to open, with the following of specific guidelines, and, while eating and drinking indoors will still be restricted or forbidden, outdoor dining will be allowed. Moreover, state parks will be opened, and retail stores can open, provided capacity limits are followed. Additionally, according to Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the director of Illinois' Department of Public Health, the numbers of infected Illinoisans continues to drop, with the number of hospitalizations dropping below 4,000 since they started taking statistics essentially, and the numbers of those testing positive for COVID-19 and COVID-related deaths. Unless something major and unforeseen happens, there is nothing to prevent the lockdown (in the strictest sense) from expiring on May 29--9 days from now. So, this is good news all around. Still, it leaves me with questions. First, will there still be restrictio...

Well, it rained. As much as I hoped for dry weather today, it virtually rained nonstop today. In fact, certain parts of Cook County were flooded. I arrived at the church early this morning to help set up the outdoor service when I saw that most of the other officers were already there. They decided to move services inside the church. For every open pew, two pews before and after were cordoned off. Since we had no organist today, the vicar had organ music pre-recorded. And we had church! Not too many people came, but it was almost like it usually is, with having so much open space for our numbers. I was so glad that we could finally worship together again. Livestream is simply not the same. While you get a glow from the computer screen, there are no warm bodies or smiling faces. Even though we were within the law today, I mentally prepared for there to be a ticket tucked under my windshield wiper. Even though the lockdown is important to keeping the vulnerable safe from the virus, e...

Another day, another protest to reopen the state. While the Governor plans to move Illinois to Phase 3, the Recovery Phase, many lawmakers in various towns throughout the state are becoming restless because of the economic disaster the lockdown is causing them. One mayor downstate even threatened to defy the order. I am at the middle of the argument as both sides have valid points. As long as both sides are being reasonable. The definition of reasonable is simple: the opposite of Gavin Newsom, This shameful excuse for a governor has ordered the state's lockdown to be extended to August. Even our local premier has enough sense to take things a few weeks at a time. Furthermore, he has authorized COVID-19 relief funding to be extended to those in the country illegally. Let's remove the morality and ethics of illegal immigration for a moment. Throughout the country, there are people still waiting for their stimulus checks. For some, those checks barely help their families because...

So, I promised pictures. They are near the bottom of the post. There was one picture I wanted to show. It was probably the first picture and I took together. As a baby and toddler, I had many health problems. In this one picture, I was getting ready to leave the hospital after my open heart surgery. She was sitting in a chair next to my hospital crib holding me with one arm, with a small child's belt in her other hand (not mine, and not for me ;-) ). Behind us was a window with a brownstone in the background. I think I was in the hospital that used to be Children's Memorial Hospital. I looked in every place where I keep pictures, and I cannot find it for the life of me! What can I expect? Whenever I don't need something, it is always around, but the moment I look for it, it disappears! Such is my fortune. I finally had a chance to look at Governor Pritzker's Five Phases. We are now in Phase 2. I pray that they will find an effective treatment or vaccine soon. I year...