Modern life makes skeptics out of us all. No doubt you were skeptical about a hundred things before breakfast, and a hundred more since; if you put on the news, you can double that count. So many official stories feel inadequate, or messily manipulated for popular consumption, or just downright implausible. When you hear them, […]
Category Archives: General News
The fog and the sunshine
Yesterday began our seventh week of isolation. This I know because we’ve been keeping a record of the days on the back of the door, and for no other reason. March moved deliberately, with each moment loaded with significance, and slow-burning questions: how am I feeling?, where am I standing?, am I a transmitter or […]
Staggering to the wire
Like you, I have made it to the last day of a difficult month. Seven hundred and fifty eight of my Hudson County neighbors did not. Unlike more than a hundred thousand fellow Jerseyans, I am not an active case. I may be infected, or I may be virus-free; I may have developed antibodies, I […]
Mixed messages
Yesterday we walked to Berry Lane Park. I’d been looking forward to a little time on the grass, or just a seat on a park bench. But familiar comforts were tough to find at Berry Lane. We took a tour of the perimeter and, without stopping, walked home. Berry Lane is a park with a […]
The arrow and the three bars
In March 2019, we were at Sloan-Kettering every day. I never got used to it. Every time I entered the building, I had the same stomach-ache. Every time I left, I felt the same relief. This wasn’t a reflection on the facilities, which, as doctors’ offices go, are very comfortable: no blaring televisions, no pharmaceutical […]
Openings and closings
Today, the Jersey City municipal government is reopening local parks. Not all of them, but enough of them to put a small smile of relief on my face. Berry Lane Park on Garfield Avenue is the size of several city blocks. It shouldn’t be too difficult for us to practice social distancing there. The sun […]
Going north
Hilary’s car was not made for highway driving. It’s about the size of a teacup, and it gets tossed about the street in a light breeze. Nevertheless, when the weather is right, we’re compelled by the prospect of the open road. Since the beginning of the lockdown, we hadn’t done much more than move the […]
Yesterday it rained
With full awareness of the emptiness of the metaphor, I was determined to turn a corner. I was going to set aside my worries and rededicate myself to writing and music, and maybe discover a little optimism hidden in somewhere in my outlook. After examining the subject from every angle I could, I’d decided for […]
The trick is to keep breathing
Hilary got a package of masks in the mail — three of them, hand-sewn and sold through Etsy. I chose the blue one with pink flowers on it; it’s cute, but I can’t say I wore it well. If I’m wearing a mask properly, it fogs up my glasses and makes me want to sneeze. […]
The exit door
On a day of dispiriting news, the most unwelcome came from Northern China. The city of Harbin is locking down again after an outbreak in Heilongjiang Province. Heilongjiang is right on the border, so it’s likely that China will blame the spike on returning nationals; a story in Shanghaist points the finger at a young […]