The Lockdown Diaries: Vaccinations, nuclear codes and Jerry Stiller
Lockdown Day 313: Read about a recall on ceiling fans. Apparently, the blades fly off, at speed. I am instantly reminded of the time a six-year-old Ari and a bunch of his friends put all his underwear on his ceiling fan, called me to the room, and turned it on full when I walked in. Eternally grateful I don’t have six-yearold boys right now.
Lockdown Day 314: Finally got to spend some (careful, outdoor) time with Ari and Sarah. We had a fire in the firebowl out back. I lined the deck with candles, there was no wind to blow them out, and it was perfect. I’m sure the firebowl is technically illegal, but hey, at least I wasn’t in St. Barts pretending to be in Ontario.
Lockdown Day 315: Cairo thinks she wants to go outside to play in the snow. I remind her she doesn’t. She doesn’t believe me. I open the door. Two paws out, and Cairo remembers she is an inside cat.
Lockdown Day 316: My New Year’s resolution of more pushups, less cheese is going exactly the way you think it’s going.
Lockdown Day 317: Every once in a while, I take Pammy grocery shopping. I tell her to load the cart with anything, and I pay. We call it fairy shopping because sometimes the world needs a little more magic. I told her I’d take her this week, and she said nope, Christopher will only allow online groceries. She said I’d be proud of him. I am. I just transferred her money instead because I’m proud of both of them. This lockdown is infinitely easier having kids who respect it as much as I do.
Lockdown Day 318: Trump has criminal led beyond all belief, and yet, it is believable. I have a friend in Dallas who begins nearly every email with “everything is terrible” and I no longer know how to reply to her. Just when I thought handing out Medals of Freedom like PopTarts was the epitome of insult, I'm watching elected officials purposely destroy a country. I also take my eye off the ball and 89 people die of COVID that same day in Ontario. So elected officials can also destroy a province.
Lockdown Day 319: As cases of COVID tick up where Sarah works, she finally got her first vaccine. I’m not sure I can relate the fear and stress we’ve all been under except to say that if you’re breaking rules, not masking or aren’t taking this seriously I want you to stay the hell away from our front line workers who are exhausting themselves physically and emotionally running into burning buildings while you sit around and bitch.
Lockdown Day 320: Thank you to the three little brothers that live in a neighbouring yard and play hockey and Star Wars, and the two little girls who zip around the court on their scooters. I find joy in your energy, and hope in your play.
Lockdown Day 321: I actually took a few days off over the holidays. Days where I did nothing. I usually work every day, in some capacity, because 17 years of being a freelancer is basically 17 years of fear and trepidation.
That, and if your brain spits out an idea, you have to at least get it down before it disappears because, of course, that is the last idea you will ever have.
What does Lorraine doing nothing look like? It looks like Reddit rabbit
holes, King of Queens reruns, a few novels and a lot of cheese. I miss Jerry Stiller, and if someone just put together all the Arthur Spooner clips from that show, it would be much appreciated.
Hey, we all manage lockdown our own way. Right?
However you’re managing yours, thank you.