hammer 2 day 2

 So totally worth it.

hammer 2 day 1

So after 56 days of the first hammer and 165 days of dancing around covid, here we are day 1 of hammer 2.  Can't say I'm surprised what with winter and all.

The last day before this lockdown I went to work like I had the day before the first lockdown.  Instead of apprehension of the unknown like the last time there was an air of knowing resignment that we were living our last day out and doing what we wanted.  On the metro I took in the proximity I had to strangers, at work the ability to see the live faces of my collegues as we talked.  Soon I would only hear their voices coming from my laptop.  

At lunch I took a walk to the mall taking me across the Seine and past restaurants full of people eating out before it would be at least one month of eating in.  It wasn't a beautiful day but not too cold and it would be last time I could go more than 1 kilometer radius without a justification cerificate.   

When I got to the mall I went to the big chain grocery store.  I wanted pumpkins for Halloween.  My strategy to get through a lockdown winter was to do fun indoor things and I would start with pumpkin carving.  

It was crowded and reminded me of the first lockdown when I went to the grocery store and walked past empty shelves of pasta and toilet paper.  This time I walked past full displays of halloween candy and do it at home hair color products.  They had put immediate need items available for their customers.  

I passed on the halloween candy (I had learned from the first lockdown that sugar and limited excercise was not a good combination) and instead opted for mexican face death stickers for the kids.  I went to the produce section for my pumpkins but only found potirons.  Close but no cigar. I grabbed a sushi box for lunch and left. 

I took the long way back and stopped at all the shops to see if I could find pumpkins.  On my way I saw ladies in salons getting their hair dyed, people lining up outside of pharmacies, and a guy zooming by with a giant pack of toilet paper on his electric scooter.  Seemed silly but really was it more ridiculous than walking around trying to find a pumpkin in a land of potirons?

I finally found my pumpkin and it was huge.  I bought it anways because well, I would not have the luxury of searching for another one nor would I have the luxury of going back to the States anytime soon and the idea of doing something very normal and authentically American with my kids made me happy.

At the end of the day I was the first to leave and my team and I all looked at each other. 

Teammate 1:  A la mois prochain?  (Until next month?)

Teammate 2:  A l'année prochaine? (Unitl next year?)

We all laughed.  I settled for "A bientot".  It means see you soon and it's what you say when you don't know when you'll see someone again but you hope it will be soon.  It's normally accompanied by a French bise (kiss on the cheek) but of course we don't do that anymore. 

As I walked from the metro back to to my apartment weighed down by my laptop, giant pumpkin, and the gravity of the situation, I saw a woman leaving her office.  Looked like she was taking an uber back home and her driver was trying to stuff her work chair into his van. 

Of course.

dance day 165

So the French president announced a second lockdown starting this evening at midnight until the first of Dec.  

On Tuesday 523 people died from covid. 

dance day 164

So Gene Weingarten always manages to put things into perspective for me.  Not only are we isolated today we are divided.  

Could this be why?

dance day 163

So a co-worker whose wife is a nurse told me that behind restaurants and bars the third most common place people catch covid is the workplace.

Funny how they don’t talk about that in the news. 

dance day 160-162

So I saw this on the wp:

 

I would put metro as crowded indoor poor ventilation even when masked and silent so red.  Work as indoors good ventilation not crowded speaking so apparently green.