Pandemic Journal - Day 66

Today I cut my husband's hair.

He is bald on top and I have never cut his hair before. I think it is easier to cut someone else's hair than your own.

Stories of people who have gone to the hair stylist's whilst having Covid-45 has made me wary of going back anytime soon. It has also made my husband wary. He was going to let it grow out but he has curly hair. It was sticking out under his hat and he looked like Bozo the Clown.

So I gave him a haircut. He said it feels better.

In other news, Virginia has begun Phase 1 of its "reopening." I have no idea how successful this has been. I expect if it wasn't successful, there will be surge of sickness in June. A lot of people are acting like they've been in jail for six weeks instead of at home. I am afraid America is home of the idiot.

Interesting word, idiot. It comes from the Greek idiōtēs, and meant a private person, individual, who was common or a person lacking a professional skill. In Latin, idiota meant uneducated, ignorant, common, and later came to mean crude, illiterate, ignorant. Around the 13th century, the addition of stupid was added to the meaning of the word. By the 14th century, English had adopted the word and it meant mentally deficient.

Some historians have interpreted the word "idiot" as reflecting the Ancient Greeks' attitudes to civic participation and private life, combining the ancient meaning of 'private citizen' with the modern meaning 'fool' to conclude that the Greeks used the word to say that it is selfish and foolish not to participate in public life. Those who are disdainful of the many in favor of the few are idiots.

That means the people who say let Grandma die so I can go buy beer are idiots.

So that makes the "me me me" attitude of the the majority of Americans, well, idiotic. We have an American Taliban comprised of American idiots. This is not an original idea. This is, I'm afraid, how most of the world sees us today.

That has been my summation of what I've watched as the country has opened, especially this weekend as I've seen pictures of big crowds and few masks. We are one big beast of selfishness, because we're so consumed with our "free-dumbs" that we can't see how slavish and selfish we really are. I include myself in this. I wonder if there is a single American capable of original thought anymore, we're all so brainwashed by the peculiarities of what we read and see.

At this point, I can only heave big sighs.

I am staying home, still. I am not going out even though I'd like to. I have not made an appointment to have my hair styled. Lord knows it needs it.

Once again, I have developed a sore throat, for the third time since the pandemic, but I am fairly certain it is a food allergy (chicken alfredo pizza, although I am not sure what exactly is in it that I am reacting to, but this is also the third time I've had that pizza, followed a few days later by a sore throat).

It would be inconsiderate and foolish of me to go anywhere while I have a sore throat, and it would be incredibly foolish and idiotic of me to do that without a mask. If I must go out, a mask, at least, will protect someone else if I do have more than an allergy.

The young women who clean my house are supposed to come Thursday, but since I have a sore throat, I will be calling them tomorrow to move the date back again. I don't want to risk making anyone ill.