The ides of March

 I was going through my archives a couple days ago and I came across an email from a buddy about three years ago and it opened with.

Just wanted to say I really enjoyed the first conversation with a human being in twelve days.  Imagine, not so long ago I could have one with anyone pretty much whenever i wanted to.

Are they still letting you into Union Station?

What the hell was this?  Some dystopian novel?  But wait the date is March 25th, 2020.  The pandemic.  Already it is beginning to seem quaint.

I keep kind of a diary, and the entry for Friday, March 13, 2023 reads, Full house at the Ten Cat.  I remember that night leaving the Ten Cat full of beer and good fellowship, north to Ashland, west on Ashland to the Brown Line.  It was on my mind that something was going on, some kind of bird flu type thing that I thought they were blowing up way too big in my estimation. Those things came and went, never a big deal.  I think that I had heard that Ohio had ordered some sort of shut down, pretty drastic for a solid midwestern state if you asked me.  Oh look at the lights flashing by in the train window.

The word came down over the weekend.  Complete shutdown for the city and the state starting Tuesday.  Well that still left Monday, time yet for a few friendly drinks.  I texted a friend and set up a meeting at the Old Town Ale house Monday afternoon. 

Monday morning I had a routine physical scheduled with my doc.  I was fine as usual but just before I left I kinda asked what about this here Corona (I think we were calling it The Corona (kind of like My Sharonna at the time).  And she scared me straight, and I cancelled my meeting at the bar, and did not have another drink with another human being for like three months.

BREAKING NEWS...BREAKING NEWS...BREAKING NEWS...

Not quite the equinox but today is the first sighting of the sun rising in the far south corner of my view of the lake.

I'll try to get back to my story tomorrow, but I am not sure if anybody else is reading this anymore.