I hope everyone is safe and well during this pandemic. I have had my ups and downs. Lately, I haven't been doing that well mentally. I freak out when I come home from the store. I wash my face and hands extremely well, even though I had a mask and gloves on. Maybe it is because I was recently diagnosed with asthma. I don't know. However, I do know it is normal.
I am reaching out to connect and to share an article I found helpful. I know a lot of you have never met me in person. I hope we can change that in the near future. If you or someone you know has been affected by COVID, please know this is your community and it is a place you can count on for support.
As always, I'll See You On The Ocean Floor,
Richard
https://www.chronicle.com/article/Why-You-Should-Ignore-All-That/248366/
Richard,
We're both looking forward to the cocktail party on May 9. Looks like there'll be a good turnout -- great idea!
AB3 -- 05/06/20
Al, I'm so glad you are well. We do the shopping for our older neighbors too. I started baking bread and it seems to be popular right now. Getting yeast is not easy. The movie night sounds like fun. We have played virtual games with friends. You can look into You Don't Know Jack if you are interested. They have trivia, drawing(Pictionary esq), and a lot of other silly games. You do a zoom meeting and share your computer screen. Everyone answers on their phone or tablet. Please tell Emerson I look forward to meeting him one day. Stay safe.
Sincerely,
Richard
Here in Manaus, we're living day to day. Watching one of the most sociable nations on earth adjust to social distancing has been strange, and often encouraging. As of today, Brazil as a whole has 40,581 confirmed cases, and 2,845 deaths. In the State of Amazonas, we have 2160 cases and 185 deaths, most of them in Manaus. As in the US, the states and localities are taking the lead; the Federal Government is useless at best, an obstacle at worst. The lockdown seems to be helping, but only time will tell if it's enough. No shortages yet, and hospitals are keeping up (sometimes barely), but this is a big, isolated city with no land connections to the rest of the country, so things could turn quickly. Many towns in the interior of the state can only be reached by water, and they're a particular concern.
Emerson is keeping up his legal studies independently with classes on hold, and we're bo