day 100

It's been 100 days since the first COVID-19 case was diagnosed in New York.

And today NYC is partially opening.  

Today's numbers — numbers we've grown accustomed to looking at daily — are excellent. 


























A random sampling of tested people in NYC shows less than a 2% infection rate (it's actually 1.2%). Compare that to 59% when the virus was at its peak, 9 weeks ago. 

I've even become more lax in wiping down packages. I still do it, but not quite as compulsively. Looking forward to the day when it's not even a thought.

I celebrate the beautiful weather by going to a nearby park.

It's nothing like the grandeur or beauty of Central Park.

There is no ground greenery. Just concrete and benches.

 

Its appeal is in its location — a block from my home.

I take my Kindle (am reading and enjoying Kate White's new book, Have You Seen Me?)

Stretch out on a bench; no one is even remotely near me.

Remove my mask and bask in the warm sunlight.

Like all New Yorkers, I am hoping that today marks the beginning of the long road back.

first step

Today, in NY, the curfew has ended.

The protests continue.

And phase one of re-opening NYC begins tomorrow.

I hear a man on TV say, "This is no longer a protest. It's the beginning of a movement." 

I have two hopes.  

One, that he is right. 
And two, that people are careful and that the protests don't spark an increase in COVID-19.

I am watching episode 5 of Defending Jacob, when I hear shouting outside. I look out my window and see a peaceful group of people, walking down 79th street.

I text some friends, and they too, see protesters in their neighborhoods. Some have even joined in.

People are talking.
Proposals are being made.
Police departments are being scrutinized.
Deep structural reforms are being considered.
There will be more transparency.
Better oversight.
More equity, one can hope.

And all this is good. 

But perhaps the most effective thing that can happen is that people remember all of what is going on today. And then vote in November.

It is a critical time in our nation's history.

We should not tolerate another four years of what we've had to live with since January 2017. All the issues we are experiencing today have not been caused by Mr. Trump. But still.

Under his administration we've lost 112,000 Americans to a virus. We've seen our economy in shambles.  And we've watched the country erupt in protest.

Our country deserves good and principled leadership.

Voting in November has never been more important.

I apologize for the political rant, but sometimes looking out one's window can help put the world in perspective.

nonno

Alexander was just a few hours old when Sal came to meet him.

I barely knew Sal, as his son and I had a complicated relationship. Before Alexander was born, Sal and I had met only once.

From the very beginning, Sal was an involved, doting grandparent (as is true of Diane, his wife and Alexander's grandmother).

Sal and Diane welcomed Alexander into their beautiful homes. Before my son could even walk, he would eagerly go with his grandparents to Sagaponack, without a single thought of his mom.

Sal is from Capri, and I had hoped that my son would learn Italian. Despite a valiant effort, Alexander only learned bambino, bella, and a few other words. His favorite of course being nonno which means grandfather.

Sal and Diane have been to every one of Alexander's celebrated birthday parties. Have shared holidays with him.

Thanksgiving 1993

And included Alexander in their own birthday celebrations, here at Sal's 65th in 1994.

Despite a fractured relationship with his father, both Diane and Sal have always been a reliable and influential force in my son's life. 

They have been to all of Alexander's important events,  including every graduation, from nursery school on.

Horace Mann, 2011

Cornell, 2015

Sal is a strong male role model for Alexander. He has shown him how hard work, strong moral principles, and a loving demeanor can lead to a good life. 

Today Sal/Nonno turns 91. 

Happy Birthday to a vibrant, wonderful man. We love you.

8pm curfew

Like many US cities, we now have a curfew. Eight pm.

Around that time, I hear some loud street noise, and decide to go out and investigate. 

That's when I see hundreds of protestors marching up York Avenue. 

Near them, lining the sidewalks, are police. There to protect, not arrest. it's all very peaceful.

Behind the marching protestors is a line of police cars, lights blinking. 

The city's curfew is ignored. Signs confirm the sentiment about having one.

And the police do nothing. As they should.

It's a nice show of unity in a country that has become anything but.

mask analysis and recommendation

So after weeks of mask-wearing, I now have a collection.

It makes me kind of laugh (cry?, I'm not sure what) that I am actually writing about different kinds of face coverings. But here we are on day 95 of a pandemic. I think that's the number Cuomo used today. And despite a continuous drop in covid cases, mask-wearing will likely be around for a while. 

After some practice (95 days of it, I guess), here are my thoughts.

Some masks are great for a quick trip to my lobby, or maybe a walk.

The black jersey one I got for free from a local politician is great as long as I don't have to talk to anyone. That mask inhales with me, making talking and breathing at the same time difficult. 

The N95 or KN95 are great for protection and little else. (But then again, isn't that why we are wearing masks?). Still, I almost never wear these anymore.

I got a black silk mask that I had canceled but it came anyway. It's too big and I don't like the fit.

The Matteo mask is nice-ish, but I don't love that it ties and it covers too much of my face.

Which brings me to my favorite, all-around mask.It's by Vida. The mask comes with a replaceable filter. Looks ok, as far as masks go. It's easy to wear and fits snug on your face. it comes in lots of colors and designs. And, it's easy to breathe in.

So here's my little chart;  ratings (on a 1-10 scale) are of course totally arbitrary.  

And in case you are wondering, it's been 16 weeks since my last hair-coloring. And yes, if I am making a chart of masks, I am definitely not busy enough.

	Protection	Ease of Use	Breathability	Aesthetic	Total
Vida Checkered	6	9	9	7	31
Matteo White w/Strings	5	6	8	5	24
Light Blue Disposable	3	9	9	3	24
Black Jersey (small black)	4	9	4	7	24
White N95/K95	10	6	3	3	22
Black Silk	5	6	6	3	20

stunning incompetence

In early April I order two lipsticks from By Terry.

I had no idea when I ordered the lipsticks that they'd be coming from Europe.

After some back and forth with the company, the package finally makes it to the US in early May.

And after that, well, it kinda goes rogue.

The package was sent from the Netherlands; arriving in the US on May 6.






May 6, 2020, 4:46 pm 
Processed Through Facility 
ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS)  

Then it decides to sightsee, and comes back to another part of Chicago 10 days later. Seriously, what was it doing in those ten days?

May 16, 2020, 1:26 am 
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility 
CHICAGO IL INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER  

3 days after that my lipsticks arrive in NYC. Finally!

May 19, 2020, 8:56 pm 
Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility 
NEW YORK NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER  

But then, after a night out (doing who knows what as everything is closed), they arrive back.

May 20, 2020, 10:42am
Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
NEW YORK NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

Next my lipsticks travel to parts unknown for a couple of days. 

May 22, 2020 
In Transit to Next Facility 

I give up. I write to  By Terry and get a refund.

Now I'm just curious where my lipsticks are heading off to, as I'm pretty sure it's not to me. 

And I'm right. 

Becoming bored in NYC, my lipsticks take off to Rochester, where parts of that city are now in Phase 1 of opening.

May 22, 2020, 5:22 pm 
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility 
ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER  
Your item arrived at our USPS facility in ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER on May 22, 2020 at 5:22 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination. 

Soon after arriving in one part of Rochester, my lipsticks travel to another part of the same wrong city.

May 23, 2020, 5:20 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility 
NORTHWEST ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER  
Your item arrived at our USPS facility in NORTHWEST ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER on May 23, 2020 at 5:20 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination. 

And then, back to NYC.

May 24, 2020, 10:24 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
NEW YORK NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER

And for the next few days, sometimes twice a day, I get the same exact new update. 

Your package is moving within the USPS network and is on track to be delivered to its final destination. It is currently in transit to the next facility.

Truthfully, I have no idea what the above message even means. 

Then I get this. 

May 27, 2020, 4:06 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility 
ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER  
Your item arrived at our USPS facility in ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER on May 27, 2020 at 4:06 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination. 

My package is now back in Rochester.

Okay, this is truly ridiculous. I go on the USPS website and complete a form for my missing package.  

Remarkably, someone calls me soon after.

"Looks like the address was completed incorrectly and that's why it keeps bouncing between Rochester and NYC," Ms. Harwood at the local PO tells me.

"So how can we get the package and change the address to the correct one?" I ask.

"Go to our website and complete the information under Package Interception," she tells me.

I do and get a message back that says, "Your package is not eligible for package interception." 

I ask Ms. Harwood to have a supervisor call me back. The next day Mr. Lopez calls.

"I don't understand," I begin. "I thought the whole point of paying for a package to be tracked is to be able to find the package if it's lost."

Mr. Lopez ignores my question and concurs with Ms. Harwood. "It must have the wrong address."

Then he adds, "Hey. Wait a minute. Says here you already got a refund on this package."

"Yes, that's true," I tell him.  "But if the package is still in transit than I'd like it."

"Sorry; you can't have it both ways." 

And that's it. Case closed.  My twice-daily updates stop. I even get an email from USPS asking me to complete a survey rating their service in resolving my problem. Hah!

Three days later, the doorman tells me I have a package. 

I open the box and there are my two lipsticks; arriving two months after I ordered them.

And, by the way, my address is correct.

I don't understand

It would be hard to write about some trivial occurrence when the whole world seems to be falling apart.

I, like everyone, was totally sickened watching a Minneapolis police officer named Derek Chauvin murder a black man, by keeping his knee on his neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds. Three other police officers stood by, as Floyd repeatedly screamed, "I can't breathe."

On May 25, George Floyd died. He was unarmed. His crime: using a $20 counterfeit bill in a store.

Understandable rage quickly ignited across the country. And protests began. And those protests led to riots.

Riots that have forced major cities to set evening curfews. 

Riots that have led to violence. 

Riots that, here in NYC, have resulted in stores being looted, police cars set on fire, and Soho and Fifth Avenue badly damaged.

I don't understand any of it.

8 3/4 minutes is a very long time. Enough time for a police officer to know that he is slowly killing someone. How could anyone do that?

And how could three officers stand by and just watch? Floyd was unarmed and handcuffed. What was anyone afraid of? 

How could Floyd's cries be ignored? Who are these officers who could let this happen?

And why has only Chauvin been charged?  And why only with a third-degree murder charge? Why is it taking so long to bring charges against the others?

This exact story has played out too many times, and for far too long.  

And still, nothing changes.

I wish the protests would be peaceful? Violence doesn't help. And it shifts the focus from the issues.

I know that what I'm writing is not unique. My thoughts likely mirror those of everyone who is reading this. 

But today, I just can't bring myself to write about how great it was to actually spend real time with my friend Shari yesterday on her sister's terrace. Or detail some silly problem with the US Post Office. 

The sun is shining here again today. But there is still too much that is clouding our world.