Sunday, March 08, 2020

LIFE -- COVID 19 -- VOTING -- MCCOY TYNER

My thoughts this week have been primarily focused on practical day-to-day living.   I was reminded of how quickly life’s circumstances can be altered when I somehow twisted an ankle while the knee on my other leg was slightly bent, so not locked to support my continued standing.  So, down I slid onto my tush just inside my front door.  That was the easy part.  Nothing broken.  The challenge came in getting back up.   This I finally managed in time but only after moving further into the house. 

The next few days the body has dictated some accommodations and adaptations are necessary on my part due to aches and pain, especially the first night trying to sleep.   I’ve managed to handle the basic necessities including progressing to doing a couple loads of laundry.  Another day I went to the store.  I welcomed sitting down to drive one of their less than smooth-accelerating hot rod vehicles – even managed to avoid colliding with other shoppers. 

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Meanwhile, I had plenty of occasion to view all forms of media and tech describing what was happening in the rest of the world.   The Coronavirus has us continuing to play catch-up in dealing with prevention and treatment.  I continue to respect select scientific data and some knowledgeable medical authorities reports in preference to this presidential administration’s political efforts to control and manipulate reality with what can best be described as their “massaging the facts”.   

Here in California our news is filled with periodic accounts of cruise ships filled with passengers stranded on board as tests are made to determine whether or not the Coronavirus is present.  A negative test of an ill passenger will now allow all on a ship offshore in Southern California Long Beach to disembark a day later than when they were scheduled.  Those waiting to board for the next trip had to find overnight accommodations due to their delayed departure – if they’re still going.  Another quarantined cruise ship stranded at sea elsewhere with some passengers testing positive is finally being sent to Northern California’s Oakland for further follow-up.   

Large groups of people around So Cal previously scheduled events continue gathering but inconsistently – some events are cancelled, others move forward, such as the Los Angeles Marathon with thousands of runner participants expected.  Everyone has their rationale and justification as to why their event is either occurring or not and why they may or may not attend.  Clearly there seem to be pretty fluid guidelines defining criteria on how best to conduct our lives in the beginning days of this health issue. 

The availability of tests to detect the Coronavirus has certainly been an overdue factor in aiding our more successfully coping with this health issue.  Meanwhile, we are well-advised to take responsibility for ourselves following prescribed hand-washing techniques and a variety of other recommended behaviors in this U.S. Government Center for Disease Control and Prevention – Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Important to note that older people and individuals with certain medical complications are considered to be at high-risk for contracting the disease as noted by the CDC.

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A ‘Super Tuesday’ of primary 2020 election voting resulted in narrowing to two front-runner Democratic Party Presidential candidates in the days immediately following – former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders.    This coming Tuesday another group of states will hold primary elections to define even further Party delegate totals.  The Republican Party’s President Donald Trump is a virtually uncontested candidate as he seeks re-election for another four years.  

Los Angeles County voting was problematic as a new system using touch screen technology that prints a paper ballot for verification was introduced.  There were numerous voting sites where people had to stand in long lines for hours and hours with some not finished until midnight.  Machines didn’t work in some sites accounting for some of the problems.   Officials are challenged now to ensure the issues are all resolved when we vote in November’s 2020 Presidential election.   

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The jazz world will miss McCoy Tyner who died Friday, March 6, 2020 at his home in New Jersey.  Here’s a solo piano performance of John Coltrane’s Giant Steps, by McCoy Tyner, 1996, Hamburg.



NPR (click for link) provides an extensive obituary beginning with this description:

 “McCoy Tyner, a pianist whose deep resonance, hammering attack and sublime harmonic invention made him a game-changing catalyst in jazz and beyond.”

You can also stream NPR’s In Memoriam Playlist on that site.  

19 comments:

  1. I truly can't imagine why anyone would be wanting to board a cruise ship these days. They seem to be floating petri dishes. I am one of those in the highly vulnerable list so I am keeping my crowd exposure to the barest minimum.
    I really wish there was a way in this state to vote by mail though those who did vote early probably voted for someone no longer on the ballot. I voted on Super Tuesday and one of the poll workers was coughing up a lung. Don't understand people going to work sick. Even just a cold is hard on those of us with compromised lungs. Oh well, so far so good and it has been 6 days.

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    1. I agree — but travel on a cruise ship has never appealed to me even before this virus. A really small ship with a few passengers without recreating all of the entertainment features we have on land is more to my liking.

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  2. Oops, forgot to say I was so sorry about your fast trip to the ground but happy nothing was broken. That getting up again can be a problem. Hope you are pain free now.

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    1. Residual pain with moving has been a given for several years and is not expected to go away, but time is seeing a lessening in that caused by my recent gymnastics.

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  3. I've never liked the idea of a cruise because it seemed confined and although partying appeals to some, I never liked it even when young. I also have thought that so many cruise liners can't be good for the ocean's health. Still, i feel sorry for the ones trapped on board these ships. I doubt it'll make cruises less popular when the vaccine is here.

    On the vaccines and test kits, I think they are going as fast as they can from what I've read from the experts. We are so spoiled thinking money and science can take care of everything. It never used to but our age is golden for antibiotics and then polio being there to protect us. Nature has the last laugh-- unless this wasn't nature and it did come from a Chinese lab. Maybe we'll never know.

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    1. I’m not keen on these large ship cruises either. Yes, we’re constantly challenged by various “bugs” attempting to gain supremacy over us humans

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  4. I hope you're fully recovered now from that fall. I've had my share and know the after effects are pretty debilitating.

    Sigh... We have a cruise planned in a couple of months and believe me, I'm scared. However, the other couple really wants to wait and see until April. So I guess we'll wait a bit longer before cancelling.

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    1. My ankle is still hampering my mobility a bit but all in good time I expect. Can appreciate your concern about the cruise. Expect developments in the next few weeks will keep you on edge until resolution of the issue occurs. Perhaps you need to be selfish and decide what is best for you.

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  5. Like you, Jenny and I were never much interested in cruising even before all the recent locked-down cruise ships. There's so much ill-thought-out advice about warding off the virus. Like all this talk about self-isolation, when so many people are in precarious employment and can't afford to take any time off - and won't get any sick pay.

    I hope your ankle recovers very soon. It's tough when pain is hampering so many everyday activities.

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    1. Unfortunately, we all may have some very hard choices to make in our future due to this virus, I think.

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  6. I hope your ankle is healing quickly. Those cruise ships have always been a rather closed environment so I can see how illnesses can spread while on them.

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    1. Thank you! I am becoming more mobile with less pain since adding an inflammation reducing med which also minimizes pain. Appreciate your stopping by to visit.

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  7. Just when I thought that a cruise might be a pleasantly acceptable new experience for a lone woman. Ah well, maybe not.

    I am keeping well away from crowds and have already cancelled one or two outings. Belonging to the vulnerable and over 70s group I will heed the scientists’ advice.
    Good luck to all of us.

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    1. I can appreciate how you currently view cruising. Do stay well since we older folk seem to be more vulnerable to the less mild effects of this virus.

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  8. So sorry to hear of your fall. I hope you heal up soon. Sprains and strains require lots of time and patience.

    The coronavirus is here in NEO now, and many events are canceled. Both Democratic candidates had scheduled rallies here, and they were not held due to health concerns. Colleges here are now extending spring breaks so that instructors can plan for classes to occur remotely.

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    1. Thanks! I’m becoming more mobile with minimal pain. Easy does it every time! The virus has no trouble with mobility it seems. Do take good care of yourself and stay healthy.

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  9. Joared--I've an acquaintance who, with her husband, takes 10-20 cruises each year! I don't know what she is doing now as I've quit going to the senior center to avoid possible virus exposure. She is 10-15 years younger than am I (82).

    I understand that, not only are we oldsters more susceptible to the virus but it hits us about 10 times as hard as it hits younger adults. Perhaps the "susceptible" part is just a reflection of how bad people's reactions to the virus become. If one doesn't react, we probably don't know that they are carrying the virus. Makes me re-consider spending as much time with great-grandsons.

    Hope your healing continues, rapidly. My RN granddaughter complimented me one time on how I stood up from sitting on the floor - be putting a hand on the arm of a large chair. What? We need to be taught simple survival techniques? We have mostly learned a thing or two in our years on earth.
    Cop Car

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    1. Some small ship cruises I’ve read about with a few people could have attracted me when I was younger but I’ve never cared for those large ships. I don't have sea legs or distance walking tolerance now to make such a trip with excursions on shore attractive.

      Yes, we do reconsider reacting with others when we consider what is currently known about this virus. What don’t we yet know?

      I couldn’t get on to my knees comfortably so was pushing up the ol’ tush that surely did seem awfully heavy. Past time to drop some more pounds if they’d just come off in the right place.

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