Days #229-231 Writing Through COVID-19: Distractions

Wednesday night, Nov. 4, 2020. 

Our nation awaits election results and braces for the upheaval that may follow. 

I was determined to keep myself focused on HERE and NOW today: My broadcasters shot B-roll; the yearbookers designed layouts; my freshmen dug into the vocabulary of Robert Hayden's "Middle Passage"; one journalism class practiced the rule of thirds (photography) while the other class worked on opinion writing.

I made it through the day with relative calm. I only checked my newsfeed during my prep period. (And then every three minutes after school dismissed.)
--------------------------

Thursday:

My sister in Davenport sent me a text asking me to explain why rural Iowa voters support Trump.

I haven't heard from her in months. She has layers of issues (as do I). We are not close. 

I chose not to respond.

But this is what I might have said: "I don't know why rural Iowa continues to support Trump. I was relieved that my conservative husband chose to write in John Kasich in 2016 rather than vote for a reality TV guy. Watching my husband's transition to Democrat over the past four years gives me hope that thinking, empathetic people who have previously aligned as Republicans will not sell their souls to the devil."
-------------------------

Thursday night, Nov. 5, 2020. 

We are all waiting, waiting, waiting. I'm grateful school demands my concentration for hours at a time. 

After school, I Google "Pennsylvania" and "Georgia." I think of beautiful story problems:  If Candidate A has 49% of the vote and Candidate B has 49.2%, how many of the remaining 6% of the uncounted votes are needed for each candidate to claim victory?
--------------------------

Friday, Nov. 6, 2020

Times today I did not think about the election:

• During a laughter-filled film session with broadcasting students as we experimented with mics.
• While experiencing multiple frisson moments as freshmen shared their poetry.
• When listening to my student newspaper editors argue about...everything!

-------------------------

Iowa's COVID levels are out of control. 

• Tonight Jones County is posting a 14-day testing positivity rate of 40.6%.
• Anything over 20% is considered an uncontrolled outbreak.
• 29 of Iowa's 99 counties are above that 20% threshold tonight. 
• 76 counties are over the 15% point at which schools can request to move online to slow the spread.
• Only two of Iowa's counties are under 10% positivity.
• ZERO counties fall under 5% positivity (the safe zone).

Meanwhile, Governor Kim Reynolds held a press conference Thursday and claimed the 2020 election validates her (non)response to the pandemic. In the same presser, she said she will embark on another ad campaign to urge Iowans to "double down" to contain the virus. Still no mask mandate. No muscle to close spreading events. 

This feels to me like a big shoulder shrug from Reynolds delivered with a half-hearted "Hey, try harder."
------------------------

My parents have spent the past week isolated in their tight living quarters as their care center logged another seven COVID cases.

My dad said he and my mom feel fortunate to have each other during lockdown. Eighty percent of residents live alone and are now in isolation alone. 

"It's great to have someone to argue with," I said. We all laughed.
------------------------

When I called last night, my parents were reading a book together. One would read the right page, the other would read the left.

"What book?" I asked.

A biography of George Bush.

"I hope Mom gets to choose the next one."

Enough.

Be well.

Write.

Allison

Who slept 11 hours straight?