Category: My Coronavirus Diaries

Jackie’s Excellent Adventure. Or, How I Finally Got the Covid Vaccine (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #21)

March 11, 2021

March 10, 2021 Today’s the Day! Dose 1 Getting there Since I’d never driven to GBMC (Greater Baltimore Medical Center) before, I searched for directions to the site. Of course, the search engine (starts with G, ends with gle) sent me on an unfamiliar route. But a late-night epiphany set me straight: North Charles Street… … More Jackie’s Excellent Adventure. Or, How I Finally Got the Covid Vaccine (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #21)

2020 Elections: Voting in the Age of Covid (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #20)

October 19, 2020

I have been a registered voter in Maryland since 1971, the year I turned 18. I have always considered voting to be my sacred duty. Although I have a few vague memories of Dwight (“I Like Ike”) Eisenhower and his wife Mamie (with those famous bangs), my political awakening really began in 1960, when at … More 2020 Elections: Voting in the Age of Covid (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #20)

“What you say means far less than what you do. Your actions are the real you.” (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #15)

May 9, 2020

May 5-8, 2020 A worrying contemplation for me…. I. What I do is say. What I observe,What I learn,What I know. Mostly in writing. On paper,On tablet. In emails,journals (personal),blogs, letters—occasionally publishedin the localnewspaper(3—or is it 4,To be exact?) What I do is write. “Words” is what I do. Do I make goodon my Words? … More “What you say means far less than what you do. Your actions are the real you.” (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #15)

Springing Forward, Though Covid-19’s Shadow Is Ever Present (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #14)

May 3, 2020

May 3, 20204:42pm I. Now that the cold and darknessof Winter is finally past,I‘m opening blinds and windows, Letting light and fresh air into block the fearand uncertaintythat Covid-19 has cast. No more daily briefings—though the deaths continueto mount— Today my heart is singing, beatingfor the living whoalso count: the ones who foughtand survived like … More Springing Forward, Though Covid-19’s Shadow Is Ever Present (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #14)

Grief in the Age of Coronavirus (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #13)

April 24, 2020

    April 24, 2020 4:30am I keep a binder filledwith obituariesof every loved oneI have lost. The binder is dividedinto sections,each sectionin chronological order: FamilyFriends & NeighborsChurch & Community Friends In my lifetime,I have grievedfor 1 set of great-grandparents,2 sets of grandparents,My parents,1 brother, Most of my aunts and uncles,Many cousins,and a Hostof friends, … More Grief in the Age of Coronavirus (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #13)

Easter 2020 (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #10)

April 12, 2020

April 12, 2020 Dear Covid-19, Sorry I missed your call yesterday. First, my friend who hosted the Zoom Passover Seder brought me some matzoh ball soup. She set it down on my porch by the front door. Through the glass of the storm door, we pantomimed self-hugs and patted our own hearts to simulate the … More Easter 2020 (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #10)

Yo! Covid-19: You Don’t Scare Me (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #8)

April 3, 2020

April 2, 202011:45 AM Okay, Covid-19. Let me school you. You see, I am 66 years old. I have fewer years ahead of me than I have behind me. I may have anywhere from 12 years (age 78, when my Dad died), to 20 years (age 86, when my Mom died), or 24 years (age … More Yo! Covid-19: You Don’t Scare Me (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #8)

Are You Barely Functioning? (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #5)

March 27, 2020

March 27, 2020 2:18 AM   A friend posted a Self Magazine article with the above question as the headline, and asked, “Where’s my tribe?” Here is my reply: 👋🏼 Here I am❗ I spent 2 weeks with a cold. Then another week coming out of a lingering brain fog! Then, last week, The Aborted … More Are You Barely Functioning? (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #5)

Staying Alive, Inside (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #2)

March 21, 2020

Saturday, March 21, 2020 The Aborted Poetry Reading On Wednesday, March 18, I was scheduled to join three other women poets (Toni Bee, Marianne Szlyk, and Lynne Viti) to read recent work on the Quintessential Poetry podcast (http://www.blogtalkradio.com), hosted by Dr. Michael Anthony Ingram. The theme of the program, 3 months in the making (almost), … More Staying Alive, Inside (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #2)