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Does this time of the year feel different than it normally does, or different than it should? If so, give some examples of what feels different.
Tests are rationed in drugstores. Today in Boston: 4 per customer at Walgreens, 6 per customer at CVS. My brother-in-law wanted as many as possible, so yesterday my sister and I ended up in a bunch of different stores, and she bought 18 packages -- 36 tests -- in total. At $25/package, that's a pretty penny. I didn't say anything (though I did buy her an initial set of four to match her first 4 in the first store), but it felt pretty awful to me to be buying so many when there's such a serious shortage. Today the shipments seem to have just come in, but for days people all over Boston apparently were scrambling and home tests were completely unavailable. Meanwhile, people waited in long lines for equally hard-to-obtain PCR tests. My bro-in-law's justification is crap. Said something about someone last spring who'd said "it's everyone for themselves" upon scrambling to jump the queue to get vaccinated -- but of course he's doing exactly the same thing by getting all these tests.
December 27, 2021
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
this week has been dominated by anxiety. Frankly, I am anxious about re-opening. On the professional front, as the CEO of a mid sized non profit I am anxious about what to do about bringing people back into the office over the next 9 months or so, and uncertain about how to get it right. I'm anxious about the ongoing work load associated with the additional burden of the pandemic. On the personal front, I don't really feel like engaging full on, from being a little foot dragging about any potential travel, to hesitating to be seen outside without a mask even though I am fully vaccinated. I feel like masks have been a sign of solidarity for so long that I am reluctant to have anyone think I"m not one of the good guys. But also I really, really like breathing fresh air. So I will have to sort it out. I wake up more often lately fretting about work. Usually I am pretty good about separating myself and getting down time, but not so much lately.
April 30, 2021