Saturday morning here in these parts; here we’re in a (partial) lockdown. Now that the crisis of the Coronavirus or Chinese Coronavirus, or WuFlu or Corvid-19 (take your pick) is raging about us, it’s all that can be talked about. Serious? Sure, but the cataclysmic calamity and ruin is mostly raging throughout the business world and thereby our world. As far as pandemic events go along with accompanying loss of life, there have been much worse.

Back to Saturday morning, and this means that it’s coffee for me and a feet-up pre-dinner glass of Jonge Jenever by my friends and family in Europe. All of us, similarly isolated and under lockdown.

Thinking back I believe that about age 14 or 15, I was already ‘self-isolating’ with frequency (air quotation marks inserted here). Now, at the ripe old age of 78 I am told by a similarly aged Doctor, Doctor Fauci, that I must ‘self-isolate’ all over again. The circle remains unbroken.

Dr. Fauci, could be a ‘mini-Ming’ to Ming the Merciless, the arch nemesis character of Buck Rogers movie fame. With Fauci, everything that comes out is ten-times worse than what you thought, but presented with a soft smile and in such a kind manner. I should mention that, giving credit where credit is due, the “Ming the Merciless” connect came from Dennis deYoung, musician and the lead vocalist of the band Styx.

While checking my TD Ameritrade site for a good deal on Cruise-Line stocks I remembered coming across this a week or two ago;

” Can you imagine being so f’d up on a cruise that you’re hoping to hit an iceberg?” ~ comedian Dennis Miller

Meanwhile from the wonderful world of statistics;

”Does it bother you more that there are more (Americans) who blame Trump for a virus; or that 68% of Americans aren’t sure if Corona Beer is the cause” ~ MLB Pitcher Curt Schilling

Sizing up the political and medical scene it’s evident that we’ve lost the ability to use logic and are drowning in historical ignorance. Now I best get back to checking out what the NIH (National Institute of Health) is up to these days, spending $40-Billion a year by artfully skipping past ‘lightweight’ research on things like viruses, instead grinding away at the ‘heavies’; drunken monkeys, soap operas, tailgating, and Shrimp on treadmills.

Safety Net – On March 18, Howard Reich of the Chicago Tribune wrote a column titled: “With little or no safety net, jazz musicians watch their gigs disappear as coronavirus spreads”. The article brings to the forefront those on the front lines of economic devastation in these pandemic times (a good read).

The reason for me paying attention is that Reich interviews two Jazz musicians; guitarist Andy Brown and singer Petra van Nuis a husband and wife duo. Petra was a classmate of our Kirstin at SCPA (School for Creative and Performing Arts) and Petra’s mom is a longtime neighborhood friend of ours. It’s a worthwhile article connected to the linked title. The YouTube is 15-minutes of quiet Jazz the two recorded at home now that their gigs have dried up.

Listermann – Listermann Brewing Company is a small, nearby, Craft Brewery serving primarily the Xavier University crowd. With Basketball having ground to a halt and now most students having vacated the grounds, what to do? Well, they’re open, the grill has take-out, and they’re selling beer making supplies. And, most importantly, bring your empty Growler for a refill to then enjoy back at home. Yup, people are making it work these days.

Springtime – I’ve managed to get in a daily walk through the neighborhood and the surrounding areas. It was a good week to manage that since spring had everything in full bloom. And the springtime smells have been heavenly.

The Toy Cannon –Thursday baseball great and Cincinnati native Jimmy Wynn “The Toy Cannon” passed. His passing occurred on the very day Major League Baseball season was supposed to open. Wynn’s career centered around Houston (minored with Cincinnati). However, what is remembered in these parts is that once, in old Crosley field, he hit a home run into the history books by hitting the ball onto the nearby Interstate 75 highway.

Baseball – No activity other than Baseball absolutely grinds the city to a halt other than Opening Day here in the ‘Nati. Baseball’s oldest professional baseball team has a warm spot in the hearts of this town and it’s a huge deal. Traditionally the first pitch opening of the new baseball season was handed to Cincinnati. Even now it happens, even if by mere minutes of the start of other games.

However, it’s the lead-up activities which makes most everything stop. Biggest of that is the two to three hour parade winding through the city. The ‘Lockdown” and the postponement of Opening Day and has made it all into a nothing day. The pictures below are from last year, just to give you a ‘feel-good’ moment.

Fini – This week Marcia lost her Aunt, Naje (Nellie Jane). She lived healthily and lovingly for 95 years and Marcia adored her. Naje’s sister, Dodie, will dearly miss her since the two sisters lived together during these last years by sharing an apartment at an independent residential center. Aunt Dodie is well, but this loss will be difficult for her to deal with at age 97.

Mid-week brother Art will celebrate his birthday – at home! Even so, have a good one guy.

How low can it go?

And I have my fingers crossed that the trials underway with the anti-malaria drug chloroquine bear fruit. New York has started trials.

Make it great week, stay safe and healthy!
Dirk