Bitter Sweet Symphony

Deborah's genius and Ellie's determination in one box

For his 60th birthday, Bono published a list of "60 songs that saved my life." Some of his list was patently absurd. Could 'Killing me Softly with his Song' by the Fugees save a life? I hate to quibble, but the only plausible life saving song on his list was Bitter Sweet Symphony.

Javier came back (we suggested he start with three days a week) and it took him 8 hours to polish and shine the contents of exactly two rooms. We open the silver drawer now and gaze at the forks and knives. Such is our worship of the sight, we will eat with our hands for a while.

MMB is attracting a lot of hummingbirds to her "all you can drink- diabetes is also for birds" buffet
She seems to think it is a miracle that they come to her of all people; but she is offering a high sugar safe house on her deck. Tommy says she is affecting the ecosystem of the Richmond district and obese hummingbirds will lead, somehow, to saber tooth tigers roaming lake street.

In entertainment news, we had a little gathering with Amy R and family of San Francisco, CA in the garden. Deborah and I invented individual boxes of her food with plastic wrapped glasses and disposable forks and knives. I haven't decided if they are really cute, or kind of sad.

Then tonight MMB came for dinner and we were all a twitter. She had not eaten in the house for two and a half months; Javier set the table as if there were a small wedding, and Thomas put on his old tuxedo. Footwear was optional.

why did I ever blow dry (or cut) my hair? Am loving the aging hippy vibe. 

I am not certain, but I believe sometimes when I am watching the Office, Frederick's physics lectures are slowed. (I won't back down, so may the best man win). Amazingly, he let me eavesdrop on a zoom call he had with the professor for whom he is doing research (I had to sit on the bed out of sight) It was all I could do not to lean over his shoulder and invite the guy to stay with us. Can you imagine? All that black hole explaining in this house??!! Frederick is accusing me of having a crush on him, which is ridiculous, because I have never laid eyes on the man. But of course I do.

In many high density urban areas people come out and clap for the healthcare workers and firemen and Amazon deliver people. It is by far the best part of the whole Corona thing; but here on Pacific avenue, there is no clapping. It is not because we are against it, it's just that we have no leadership. Plus everyone is in the second house in Napa.

What if we put the youngest, fittest people in a stadiums and let them catch the Coronavirus but then made them stay in tent cities for three weeks after that? The tent cities could have hospitals in case people got sick. Some would die maybe but not many.
I am now fantasizing about things like that.

Both Thomas and I think our eyes have gotten worse during Corona. We also have slight allergies for the first time ever and the sniffling and scratchy throats make us think we have the virus. We go from storming the beaches bravery (and yes that will be the blog title if we get to Turks and Caicos), to Woody Allen level hypochondria.

In Athletic news- I took a one hour Bikram class, in- wait for it- the sauna! Seriously it felt like a victory. It was so very close to the real thing.

Why would anyone go back to high rises or gyms after this?
Why make Eloise leave her beautiful and amusing babies to go downtown or to the Silicon Valley? I know there is a connection between the world's obsession with the show The Office- it is the number one downloaded show of all time- and our recent illumination that not  working in an office, is not only possible but less absurd. Prepare thyselves for my Opus on this.

Things will change after we have peeked at a world without conference rooms and assigned parking, and maybe all that pretend stuff associated with work will disappear. Other fun things will come out of Corona- Donald Trump may dissolve into dust. People may begin to worship scientists; they might keep taking walks after dinner; might keep bringing their neighbors food and toilet paper for no reason. We might keep saying hello to strangers and drinking on our front steps.

I hope that once we are vaccinated or easily cured, we don't go back to rushing around not noticing each other. And as cliche as it is, as much death and misery as Corona has indeed unleashed, we will miss some of this. We will miss our bittersweet symphony.

Vikings fear no virus