The Quarantine Recordings

Here are the latest recordings, calling these The Quarantine Recordings. What with this historic worldwide pandemic it's sometimes easy to forget about the little things in life, like music, and watching musical performances, and/or hearing musical performances. Enjoy our music, if you like, leave a like and/or comment on Soundcloud or the blog. 

Thanks

Orlando Figueroa, Guitar/effects
Jason Thomas, alto saxophone

https://soundcloud.com/orlando-figueroa-17/all-the-things-you-are 
https://soundcloud.com/orlando-figueroa-17/four 
https://soundcloud.com/orlando-figueroa-17/freddie-freeloader-latest 
https://soundcloud.com/orlando-figueroa-17/untitled-composition-latest-331 

Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse Virus pt. 5

Here we are. We've arrived at part five of our series. Here I'd like to jot down some general notes and ideas on the current state of affairs during this historic moment. Mostly of a personal nature. I've saved part 4 for detailing the historical aspects and news headlines. Reading through those headlines in part 4 really gives you the wider picture beyond me and my now solitary life. 

First, my life has fundamentally changed. Maybe not forever but for the indefinite future. No more guitar and singing at open mics. No more hangouts with friends. Now I live the humble life of a guitar playing, writing, gaming, grocery store worker. It ain't much, but it's a living. But at what cost? 

Some of my relationships have been put on hold. Others have gone south in some aspects. A friend of mine wants to hang out but he's got a weak immune system so I dare not hang out with him, lest I unknowingly spread the virus to him, and kill him. Another friend of mine got into it with me over comments on social media, saying that I was being delusional. I'm not going to be seeing any friends anytime soon. That much has sunk in. I've started a new life, not without them, but away from them, temporarily. 'Social distancing!' Once this thing blows over, I believe my friendships will be stronger than ever. But in the meantime, the distance has brought a rift between us. I feel sad about it, but alas, this is the fate of all. 

Well, that's grim. But remember this is only temporary. But until then it is indefinite. These are the facts, the new reality, the brave new world. Let's see how brave we really are. I'm going to keep practicing social distancing and avoid going out of the house except for work. I can't risk spreading the virus to my family, friends, or even coworkers really. Which brings me to my next point. 

Although my personal friendships are going through some rough patches I have to admit that my relationships at work with customers and coworkers have improved a hundredfold. The staff, employees, and management have really come together, showing me that even if my own friendships are put on hold, at least I have my coworkers to depend on. We've really come together at that little store. There have been so many changes, so many alternating managers and employees, that we have no other choice but to come together. Showing the power of human solidarity, our workplace is a great example for others, a beacon of hope.  We will get through this and prevail.

Lastly, I can't say that personal life has improved. It's become more solitary. More hermit-like. I really only talk to or hang out with family and coworkers. I do talk a lot to friends online on social media but social media isn't like real life. You can fake being happy or sad on social media or texts. It's artificial.

I've spent a lot of time in isolation writing nonstop. I'm going through a creative spike. I've also been playing a lot of guitar. Listening to a ton of new music via YouTube, especially classic jazz albums from the 50s and 60s that I've missed over the years. I've been reading a lot and posting my book reviews on Goodreads. Currently, I'm ranked as a #12 Reviewer in the US, ranked #19 in the world. Not too shabby for a guy who loves to read and write. You can view my ranking here. Keep in mind you have to have an account to see view it. I've also been gaming a lot to relieve the pandemic stress. I believe that nowadays more than ever we should have a good amount of time just for dumb fun. Now more than ever. 

Until the next post in this series. Keep the faith. 

The Plague

The Plague (French: La Peste) is a novel by Albert Camus, published in 1947. It's about the plague sweeping the French Algerian city of Oran. It raises questions about destiny and the human condition. Throughout the novel, there are existentialist ideas that reverberate. The novel is said to be based on a cholera epidemic that killed many people in Oran back in 1849 but the novel is set in the 1940s. Likewise, it is based on real plague outbreaks that really happened in Oran back in the 1900s, but these outbreaks were very small compared to the devastation seen in this novel, which is apocalyptic, a word seen in today's NYTimes headline. 

Camus objected to the book being considered an existentialist classic yet it has that sort of tone. It is also seen as an allegorical treatment of the French resistance to Nazi occupation in World War II. Lastly, the novel brings up the philosophical notion of the Absurd, "the conflict between the human tendency to seek inherent meaning and value in life, and the human inability to find any in meaningless, purposeless, or chaotic and irrational universe. 

Let's start at the beginning. This is my first Camus novel although I have heard of The Stranger, which was recommended to me by my father and my friend, a master's degree student from CSUN. The Stranger and The Plague are terrific novels but for entirely different reasons which we won't go into here. I went to the local library book sale initially looking for The Stranger, because I'd seen it multiple times at other book sales, only to find they didn't have it this particular time, but they had The Plague, so that's what institutes my introduction to Camus. 

The story told therein isn't complicated nor long. On the contrary, this is a very simple story, but with deep meanings and notions. There are only a handful of true actions. But again, deep meanings within them.

The story is told from a narrator's point of view. We don't know who the narrator is until the end of the book, where we learn that the narrator is the doctor himself, who had been treating all the victims of the city, possibly exposing himself to the plague, his friends/associates who are workers of the city, helping him in fighting the plague. The fact that the narrator is nameless/faceless until the very end is a great literary device used in some other novels that I've read, especially in science fiction of the 50s and 60s. It's quite an imaginative plot device because the reader is always in a sort of suspense. Who is really telling the story? Well, you don't know until you find out. You don't find out until you keep reading. It's not difficult to guess that it was the doctor but it's rewarding to find out that it's him. Why? Because the doctor has such a personal relationship with the town, the citizens, his friends, the workers, the plague itself. His point of view is important to the telling and conclusion of the story. Even if he isn't the only character that the novel focuses on. Rather, there are a couple of characters in the novel. Although none as important as the doctor because he's the narrator. 

Then, the plague itself. The plague is the worst disease known in the history of mankind. Camus displays fantastic writing ability in the way he describes the symptoms, the victims, the deaths, the burnings, the burials, the quarantined, the panic buying, the lockdown of the city. This is where I get to make a comparison between this novel and what's going on today. 

Today we have the coronavirus having gone viral across the world, and today 13 people died in N.Y.C, but overall something like 1,000 people have died from coronavirus in America. Twenty-six states are on quarantine/lockdowns. Most people are out of jobs or working at home, or they might be like me, they're grocery store workers [essential workers like healthcare workers] on the front lines, battling an invisible enemy, with nothing but gloves and a mask, if they're lucky enough to have PPE [personal protective equipment]. Life today is somewhat like life in Camus' novel. The absurd has already happened: People are panic buying hundreds of rolls of toilet paper and canned goods. Like the novel, people have made a fortune off selling items in a black market sort of fashion, selling toilet paper, hand sanitizer, even foods. Existentialism is more popular amongst my more literary and/or more articulate friends. There's a definite sort of dread, confusion, disorientation, in today's climate. The individual has come apart from the whole, not just objectively, but literally. We literally have been ordered by local, state, and federal governments to practice 'social distancing,' a 2020 buzzword that states we shouldn't gather in groups or get too close to others because we could spread the coronavirus to each other more easily that way. And this is just the beginning! 

So it's easy to see how a novel like The Plague holds such important intrinsic, historical, philosophical, and emotive value because what happened in the novel happens in real life so to speak. This novel is so realistic and spot-on, in some ways it's absolutely terrifying and ultimately unforgettable. A lot of book reviewers like to say this a lot but I mean this; this is one of the greatest novels I've ever read, will read, or will ever want to read again. 

Lastly, this novel portrays everything that a pandemic will and should. The horror, the death, the spreading of the disease, the removal of the bodies, the burning of the bodies [in some cases], the funerals, the lovers being split apart, the non-discrimination of the disease killing everybody including men, women, and children, the human compassion and support especially from doctors, healthcare workers, city officials, police, volunteer workgroups, the love, emotion, isolation, the absurd, the existential angst, it's all there really. What's really comforting to see is that even having gone through the plague this fictional tale has one thing that humanity will always need, crave: hope. For if there is one reason why we should get up out of bed in the morning it's because of hope. That's why this is such an important, great novel.

Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse Virus pt. 4

So far I've been writing about the virus from a more personal perspective. Here I'd like to jot down some of the more world and/or historical facts and headlines. Keep in mind that we're somewhere in the middle of week four of the zombie apocalypse virus, our facsimile plague. I believe the one very sad thing about this historic moment other than the deaths and the continuous spreading of the virus throughout California, America, and the world is the fact that most people aren't taking this seriously. 

Not even close to taking it seriously enough. A lot of my friends are still congregating, eating together, drinking together, smoking together, partying together, and gaming together. Not good. The President's thoughts seem to tell the American people that this will be over in two weeks, fourteen days, that's when he wants to reopen everything again. Hence the lax citizens continuing to party. Anyways, here are some headlines that will put more of a worldly context on my series entitled Plague Journal, or you might recognize more as part of Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse Virus Parts 1-4, so far. 

3/24 Headlines
Trump, defying experts, talks of easing restrictions by Easter.   
People who left N.Y.C recently are asked to self-quarantine. 
China to ease lockdown. 
Bernie Sanders to participate in the next debate. 
Some pregnant women in New York City will have to deliver babies alone. 
US and U.A.E troops hold major exercise amidst the virus and Iran tensions. 
Women should have to register for the military draft, Commission tells Congress.
States say some doctors are stockpiling trial coronavirus drugs for themselves.
Density is normally good for us, that will be true after coronavirus too. 
Virus knocks out thousands of healthcare workers in Europe. 
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas said he and other grandparents might be willing to die to keep the economy going.
Terrence McNally, Tony-Winning Playwright of Gay Life, Dies at 81. [from the virus]
Nearly a million children left behind in Venezuela as Parents Migrate. 
Here's how to give your space a makeover while you're homebound.
Olympians have another year to prepare, a blessing and a curse. 
Prime Minister of India orders total lockdown of India, including all 1.3 billion Indians. 
Facebook is "just trying to keep the lights on" as traffic soars. 
Waves of suspect websites look to cash in on pandemic. 
Helping your neighbor could hurt the neighborhood. 
For abused women, a lockdown holds dangers of its own. 
How to stay sane when the world seems crazy. 
Why mundane moments truly matter. 
Be more productive in 7 days. 
Burnout isn't just in your head, it's in your circumstances. 
A D.I.Y dance for your home. 
The Doctor and the "Apocalypse." 
Young adults come to grips with the coronavirus health risks. 
What does our body temperature say about our health? 
Share blood with your friends for vampire bats, it's good manners. 

3/25 Headlines
Senate approves a $2 trillion-dollar economic stimulus package. 
New York City has over 20,000 confirmed cases, and the death toll stands at 280.
13 Deaths in a day: An 'Apocalyptic' surge at an N.Y.C. hospital. 
Calls for federal intervention as the need for ventilators grow.  
The fine print in the bill contains special industry deals.  
Can you become immune to the virus? 
Governors tell outsiders from 'hot zone' to stay away as virus divides states. 
"Hi, please cancel our cleaning for tomorrow." Undocumented household workers are being cast out with little help. 
Europe's leaders ditch austerity and fight pandemic with cash. 
A deluged system leaves some elderly to die, rocking Spain's self-image. 
Arts groups, facing their own virus crisis, get their own piece of the Stimulus. 
Food supply anxiety brings back victory gardens. 
Even before coronavirus, the U.S. population was growing at the slowest rate since 1919.  
How to see the world when you're stuck at home. 
How to get more sleep tonight. 
Britain enlists an army of volunteers to fight the outbreak. 
Sanders is ready to debate again. Biden says, "We've had enough debates." 
White Supremacist Pleads Guilty to New Zeland mosque killings. 
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe wins a victory in the Pipeline case.  

3/26 Headlines
Markets shrug off jobless claims; Pelosi predicts bipartisan aid vote. 
S&P has the best 3-day run since 1933 as U.S. deaths top 1000.  
Jobless numbers convey the scale of economic wreckage. 
With a doctor in Brooklyn E.R.: "We're in disaster mode." 
Wallstreet shakes off the unemployment report as aid nears. 
Will I get some money? How much? And when? 
6 die as coronavirus races through an upscale retirement community. 
Europe fumbled coronavirus at first. Can it manage the pandemic now? 
Louisana may be experiencing the world's fastest growth in new cases. Mardi Gras may be why. 
Japan's virus success has puzzled the world. Has its luck run out? 
Trump wants to 'reopen America.' Here's what happens if we do. 
How to look your best on a webcam. 
What you can do about coronavirus right now. 
The baseball season opens with a dash of imagination. 
A promoter's screen test involved sex on camera, lawsuits charge. 
Venezuelan President is charged with drug trafficking in the U.S. 
Jane Goodall is self-isolating too. 
Life on the planet Mercury? It's not completely nuts. 
Take steps to counter the loneliness of social distancing.

3/27 Headlines
Trump signs a $2 trillion dollar coronavirus relief package.
Some U.S. cities could have outbreaks worse than Wuhan.
'White-collar quarantine,' Virus puts a spotlight on the class divide.  
'We take the dead from morning till night." 
I became a disciplined investor for over 40 years. The virus broke me in 40. 
'The other option is death,' New York starts sharing of ventilators.  
Blood plasma from survivors will be given to coronavirus patients. 
In the U.S., luxury brands board up the store.  
These stores are deemed 'essential' in the pandemic but not everyone agrees. 
The U.S. now leads the world in confirmed coronavirus cases. 
Updates: States plead for more federal help. 
'It's a wreck,' 3.3 million file unemployment claims. 
How the largest stimulus in history united a polarized Senate. 
$1 Billion price tag for ventilators gives White House second thoughts. 
A nurse dies, angry co-workers blame a lack of protective gear. 
Trump says he will label regions by the risk of coronavirus threats. 
The stimulus package will fundamentally transform the government.
Fact check: Trump's claim that recession will be deadlier than the virus is baseless. 
I was an accidental playboy pinup.  

3/28 Headlines

• President Trump says he is weighing enforceable quarantines for hot spots like New York, New Jersey and Connecticut as U.S. cases pass 104,000.
• New York State’s primary is delayed, and New York City may fine those who break social-distancing rules.
• Federal civil rights office rejects rationing medical care based on disability or age.
• As deaths surge, Spain and Italy look for signs of a turning point.
• Ireland enters a strict lockdown, and the U.K. checks its rule book.
• Japan is ‘barely holding on,’ Abe says, but declines to order a lockdown.

Don’t overlook the good news (yes, there is some).  

3/29 Headlines

• C.D.C. issues a travel advisory for the New York region, after Trump backs off his quarantine threat.
• U.S. civil rights office moves to prevent discrimination over who gets lifesaving care.
• A sudden lockdown in India leaves hundreds of thousands of migrants homeless and jobless.
• Illinois reports first known U.S. coronavirus infant death; Louisiana inmate dies.
• A surgeon on the front lines dies as Britain is warned of a ‘significant’ lockdown.
• America’s lost month: How the U.S. fell behind on coronavirus testing.
• Wealthier Europeans escape to second homes, stoking fear and anger in smaller communities. 

 3/30 Headlines

• As the virus’s impact expands, Washington mulls more emergency measures.
• Roughly three out of four Americans are under orders to stay home, or will be soon.
• China says it’s halting the virus’s spread. Is that true?
• Agony in Spain and Italy as deaths climb and lockdowns are extended.
• “Doctors are getting sick everywhere.” Health workers confront fear as colleagues fall ill.
• As the virus spreads behind bars, there are calls rising to free inmates.

The virus sweeps into Detroit, a city that has seen its share of hardship.

4/3/2020

• New York State records its biggest daily death toll, and pleads for the nation’s help.
• Should you wear a mask? The White House and public health officials are debating the advice.
• U.S. tries to bar 3M from exporting face masks.
• With joblessness soaring, Pelosi says it’s time to “go bigger” on another economic relief bill and wait on infrastructure.
• Half the planet is on lockdown, but not every U.S. state.
• Britain has its deadliest day as the government races for an “immunity passport.”
• Small businesses seek a share of $350 billion as some predict a chaotic process.

4/9/2020 

• As millions more Americans lose their jobs, more aid from Washington is uncertain.
• European officials agree to spend more than half a trillion euros to blunt the economic effects from the virus.
• OPEC and Russia reach a deal to cut oil production, as the pandemic drives down demand.
• New York State and Pennsylvania set new single-day records.
• In California, Newsom defends his decision to send ventilators to other states.
• In the race for virus drugs, a scientist on the front lines is urging caution.

The outbreak spreads to the South, home to some of the nation’s poorest states.

5/1/2020

• As many businesses open their doors around the country, some governors face growing resistance.
• W.H.O. extends its declaration of a global health emergency.
• Labs across the U.S. join a federal initiative to study the virus genome.
• As stay-at-home orders lift, individuals are wrestling with decisions that feel life-or-death.
• Mnuchin says private schools with large endowments should return funds.
• Texas moves aggressively to restart businesses, with restaurants, malls and movie theaters all open.
• Schools across N.Y. State will stay closed through the end of the school year, Cuomo said.

Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse Virus pt. 3

Wau! So we're finally at part three of our little series. So far I'd been writing about the doom and gloom of the situation. Mostly outside in the world and at work especially. For this post, I'd like to focus on quarantine life and positivity. What is life now like, now that for the most part, America is on a national lockdown? What advice do I have for quarantine life?

Well, for starters,  you should maintain some sort of schedule. You should have a list of things you want to do every day and do them in whatever order of your choosing. For me this resulted in a creative spike: writing, guitar playing, even playing video games can be creative, at least for me, depending on the type of game and/or gameplay style. Really? Said the non-gaming naysayers. 

I'm still working five out of seven days a week. A typical workday for me is like so. My late shifts are better than my morning shifts as I don't get supremely tired on those days. So I wake up around noon or later [oh wau!], I clean up, brew some coffee, and read the latest news about the virus. Sometimes the NYTimes articles get depressing but I always read them to the end because the NYTimes is covering the pandemic with precision and skill. In fact, I trust their view on the coronavirus because they're looking at it from the very big picture whereas something like the LAtimes is covering just the state of California. 

While reading the news and occasional op-eds about the virus, I'm listening to a lot of jazz and classical music, so as not to have lyrics be too distracting. I've discovered a lot of lost 1960s hardbop/bebop music through this. Then I may play video games to put my mind off things. And I go to work. Usually, I close the store at one am but considering that the store closes at eight pm now, most of my managers are allowing me to leave at midnight. Kudos!  

One thing that should be put into consideration is that you should go out and enjoy nature. Go for a walk or a hike. Even when it's raining and I'm getting wet, I don't seem to mind it as much. Nature in and of itself is beautiful and relieves stress. I can't stress the importance of nature enough. The dark ominous clouds before the rainfall. The bright oh happy day of the afternoon sunshine. Love it.

When I come back to work I play acoustic guitar to keep up my chops. I play songs and jam. Then I play video games for a while. Then I go into writing mode. Currently, I'm working on a short story or possibly novella. Again, this zombie apocalypse virus has really spiked my creative endeavors. After this thing blows over I hope to spice up my writing skills and get a writing gig somewhere. Difficult I know, but not impossible. During the current moment of crisis, as a creative person, I've found that words, sounds, and images have taken on much more severe importance. It's become much more visceral. It's all changed really.

Then I go to sleep and do it all over again. Every night before I go to bed I read. Even if its only twenty pages or thirty, I always read something. Currently, I'm reading The Plague by Albert Camus. It is truly a masterpiece in fiction. I'm inspired by the pandemic.

Sometimes I have morning shifts and that changes the dynamic. My schedule happens in reverse on those days. So you should maintain a schedule. My schedule is going to be different from yours, it goes without saying, but I believe if I keep doing what I'm doing I'm going increase my creativity, improve my writing and guitar playing, and save lives by practicing social distancing and staying away from others, only going out to get food and work, thankfully located at the same place. 

Next, tip number two. Always do things that are fun. Just dumb fun. For me, that includes playing video games to relieve stress. Video games are now one of those things that people can still do with others [online as opposed to in person], that still connects everybody, and is still fun. Voice communication in gaming has become more important during this time. It's a connection with others. If you don't like gaming you can catch up on shows you like. For example, I'd like to binge-watch Game of Thrones.  

Next, keep in touch with friends and family as much as you can so as to avoid too much self-isolation. The best way for me to keep in contact with friends is through phone, text, email, and social media. Every time I contact friends and family I feel a sense of relief, knowing that I'm not in this alone. Their well being is important to me and just knowing that life goes on for them without having the virus, their safety, it's a boost in our collective spiritual unity.

Lastly, you could learn something new. You could learn to play the guitar or the piano, how to cook a certain dish, a new work skill that will be more in demand after the virus goes away [if it goes away], or write a song, poem, blog, or op-ed about your thoughts during this historic moment. Even though technically the country is on lockdown it doesn't mean that life doesn't go on. 

"Nothing you can do if you want to sing the blues, but you know it don't come easy."

Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse Virus pt. 2

It's been three weeks since the zombie apocalypse virus has hit. Also known as the coronavirus or COVID-19. Here's an update on how I've been surviving. 
  
Well, for starters the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, ordered a nationwide quarantine and/or shutdown of the entire state of California. If you aren't or haven't taken this seriously yet, you will now. 

Week three
There has been no major meeting with the employees at my work regarding the virus. Upper management nor lower management has not provided us with masks or gloves. Rather, we have to get them on our own initiative. A lot of employees are wearing gloves they bought elsewhere, some are wearing bandanas as masks, but most of them aren't wearing the typical surgical style masks which are out of stock in many places around the country.

They're only allowing a few customers in at a time. The store isn't packed and there's room to breathe without getting too close to others. The shelves aren't really stocked. They're mostly empty but shelves are even worse at our competitor grocery stores down the street. Most customers still can't get toilet paper or hand sanitizer. Hell, even as employees we can't even get toilet paper anymore. It feels somewhat like a third country. Three weeks straight and we can't get toilet paper. Ah! 

The work tasks have changed a bit as well. I spent two hours today wiping down all the cart handles with sanitizer. I was wearing gloves. However, the state of nature outside the building isn't so helpful as cleaning off the cart handles. If you go outside the store during the day you will see tons of customers huddled together, waiting to get inside the store. There isn't a security guard or any authorized personnel ordering them to stand apart or away from each other. This is the worst thing I've seen on the job and it's been going on every day since we started limiting the numbers of customers in at a time. So much for "social distancing." I think if people saw how closely huddled together the customers were they would be horrified. There's got to be a better way to do it than this. For example, we could have another employee or security guard ordering them to stand apart from each other. Keep them out there and telling anyone who gets too close to others to move farther away. Something simple like that would suffice. 

Store hours have changed significantly. The store is open to the elderly from 7am to 8am, but for regular people, from 8am to 8pm. This is a big change for me considering the fact that I usually work the late afternoon to 1am shift. I've been doing a lot of cleaning and gobacks as of late. Again, there's no guidance or protocols for the cleaning. The closing manager must have at least one other employee closing the store with them until the night crew arrives. That's where I come in. 

Some employees have stopped working citing health concerns. People with asthma, that sort of stuff. It's sort of a cop-out to me but let's face it, they're spooked. I can't blame them. I'm planning on continuing to work throughout the pandemic for as long as I can or until I get sick if I get sick, which is a very real possibility, unfortunately. The cost of a continuing paycheck week to week.

The corporation we work for has given us $25 a few days ago. Now they're giving us $150. The President of the Company says if we get sick with the virus we will get two weeks of pay. All this stuff is fine and dandy, good for the press and all but we haven't really been given any safety protocols by the company, the President, nor upper or lower management about how we conduct business at the store. 

The best line I've heard from management is, "make sure to wash your hands." If that's the only safety protocol that a million-dollar company gives its employees then it's safe to say that we might be fucked. This is the equivalent of the Boris Johnson herd immunity tactic. 

Sometimes it takes a reverse in civilization for you to realize what's truly important.

"Are you COVID-19 resistant?"   

Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse Virus pt.1

So things have been pretty crazy as of late. Yes, I know that sounds like a broken record at this point. But this is unprecedented. I've never seen anything like this my entire life. This is what it's like during wartime by the way for all you youngsters out there. I've decided I'm going to start a series about life during the virus. Really get into the nitty-gritty details. Some of it might be a bore but nonetheless, I think it's an important time to write down all our thoughts on digital paper [ :D ] while the crisis goes on. Who knows,  maybe it will be of use to us as a record. Life during the New Dark Ages. I coined that term first. You read it here first folks. 

Okay, so I've decided on calling the coronavirus the zombie apocalypse virus because for one thing it just sounds way cooler. Much sexier. Yes, I know that corona apocalypse has been trending on Twitter but let's face it folks, that name sucks. The zombie apocalypse virus is better. Because essentially that's sort of what it's like. Sure there are no real zombies walking around but the fact that there are people who have the virus who don't know they have the virus makes them a lot like zombies. And the fact that the elderly are at risk too. Zombies would love killing old people. Oh, the humanity! 

But seriously! Okay, so work has been pretty intense the last two weeks straight. Just in case you're new here, I work retail at a grocery store. Yeah, I know, hard to believe a guy who works retail spends all his time reading science fiction and philosophy. 

We've been swamped with so many freakin' customers nonstop. The first two weeks were absolutely nuts. No carts, no wipes by the door, no bags for the groceries to be put into, no water, no wipes, no sanitizer, no toilet paper, and that was just the first two weeks. We could barely get the customers out and sometimes the wait times were 20 mins or longer. 

The parking lot is a disaster zone. You can't even walk out into the parking lot without possibly getting run over. People are in mass pandemic panic mode right now. It's scary. Ce la vie, that's life. Keep in mind that they just closed another branch of our store down the street so we have all this increased traffic from that recently closed store. Adding to that is the fact that our store is also remodeling the store every night for the next two months. Bad timing! 

So two weeks of this go by. The workers are exhausted. Management doesn't have a clue what they're dealing with. Especially with the sickness and/or spread of it. Enter week three. The store runs out of most items. Most items. Almost all the shelves in the store are empty. Everyday. All-day. The only time we can restock the shelves is at night when the store is closed. The solution? We open later and close earlier. New emergency coronavirus store hours: 8am to 8pm, every day, indefinitely. This is every grocery chain out here by the way. Oh, boy!

Despite the fact that the store is closing early every night, management is still making a lot of the staff stay late during the evenings, some of us as late as 1am, which is my normal gig at that little store. We clean, grab all the carts in the parking lot, take out the garbage, and put all the gobacks back where they belong. It ain't much but it's honest work. There's a real art to the gobacks work now. With almost all the items gone, mia from the shelves, you have to match all the items with the UPC code stickers and find the items that way. It's a bitch. I don't even think upper management would have the patience for that kind of work. They would say it's beneath them. Or perhaps they would get frustrated instantly with how tedious it truly is? You decide. Either way, it's definitely one way of making us work hard for our paycheck.   

The one thing that is very scary about the retail gig and the zombie apocalypse virus going on at the same time is the fact that there's a reported case of the virus at a hospital nearby, and I'm in physical contact with all these customers, potentially an unlimited amount every day I work and continue to work, and potentially unlimited items every item that I touch every time I work. The reality of the matter is that nobody in my town except the one case has been tested so even if they show symptoms they can just ignore going to the doctor, keep living their lives, and nobody would be the wiser. What a sick twisted turn of fate.  At first, it was a comedy, now it is a tragedy.

Luckily I finally found some gloves that I can start wearing for my shift tomorrow. I've been washing my hands like crazy, drinking vitamin C supplements every day, and wearing a hat and sweater outdoors so I don't get sick. Even having a regular cold/flu at this time is horrible as it would look bad at the store when customers come in contact with me. Even my coworkers wouldn't like it.  The world goin' crazy.

Every day I look at the world from outside my window. I flip open my computer and read the latest news about the virus. I read slowly so I can understand every little detail. None of it is good. Nothing is getting better. It's only getting worse. The governor just announced that he's closing all bars and limiting numbers of peoples at restaurants and/or just closing them down. The elderly have been ordered to stay indoors as they are the most vulnerable. And possibly the most pigheaded and stubborn. Because I saw a lot of old people at work today. Very sickly old people. Not good. 

When we survive this it will be like a new age of enlightenment. People will all of a sudden become wiser, more humble, nicer, more serious. They won't go out for frappes as much. It will take losing a lot of happiness from social gatherings, a broken economy, and a quartine to bring the world to a better fate. I hope. 

This will be an ongoing series. Welcome to the New Dark Ages. If you catch the zombie apocalypse virus you will be quarantined for 14 days. Even if you don't get it your city might have to quarantine anyways. Don't touch your face. Wash your hands. What a way to live. In the end, the world doesn't end with us saving the girl in some war-torn country. Instead, we get super sick and pass it on to others. Oh, the irony!   

Welcome to the machine.

The Midnight Line [A Jack Reacher Novel]

The Midnight Line is a Jack Reacher novel written by Lee Child in 2017. Let me start out by saying this is my first Jack Reacher novel and it is a great one. I would even say superb. Before this, I was familiar with Jack Reacher only through No Middle Name, Child's short story collection about Jack Reacher. That was very good too. But not as good as this novel. 

Okay, so the novel takes place with Reacher somewhere in the midwest. He goes to a pawn shop and finds this ring, the catalyst for our entire story. The ring is engraved with the initials S.R.A and it's from West Point. The very same school Reacher graduated from back in the day. Reacher knows it's a woman's ring because it's tiny. He goes on a quest to find the woman, return the ring, and make sure that she's safe. Because the only reason a West Point student would sell her class ring is that they're in some sort of dire straights and/or trouble. Right? Right. 

As far as suspense thriller versus action this novel is more on the suspense thriller side of things. Which inevitably means its a more serious book. More serious than the next novel in the canon, Blue Moon. But there are still good fights and an incredible climatic takeover and/or heist moment in the end. Jack goes through all kinds of clues, traveling, following, and occasionally beating the crap outta anyone who gets in the way of his mission, to find the woman who owns the ring. One guy even gets his head blown off. Talk about over the top.

The action is simple and straight to the point. It actually reminds me of the action scenes I've read in Cecelia Holland's intense historical fiction novel fights. Except I believe Lee Child knows more about the actual machinations of guns and how and they work. Short, fast, climactic, and brutal in some cases. It's a good writing style. I've learned a lot from it. There's a lot going on stylistically in this novel that Child does.  Also, keep in mind that this novel doesn't feel like he's just making it up as he's going along. [Even if he actually did that.]

The prose is short, simple, and sweet. It's all simple-minded plotting and narration but there's a continuous momentum that keeps the book running from page 1 all the way to page 368. This is a longer novel than your typical suspense thriller. And despite that, it never loses momentum. You want to keep reading until you find out more. You keep reading, find out more, and that propels you into more reading. Well, you get the picture. I read almost half the novel in one day off work. It's that good. It's a great example of popular writing that keeps the readers wanting more. Hence the fact that Lee Child has written twenty-something of these Jack Reacher novels. Not all of them are as good as this one of course. 

So Reacher goes on to find a Private Investigator who is also looking for the woman. An Asian cop is trying to take down a low-level criminal involved in the case. The woman's twin sister gets involved. The Super Intendent from West Point looks back at the woman's records and finds information about her. She's ex-military, been to Iraq five times. Honorably discharged, Purple Heart, face wound. Her twin is so beautiful you don't want to look away. Serena Rose Anderson is the other one.  Hooked on drugs. Has three cowboys look after him in some cabin the woods. A former boyfriend who OD'd himself. No good news.

What we find out throughout the novel isn't quite as much of a big reveal as you'd expect. Nothing truly surprising happens. Rather, it's the way the story is told that is memorable and remarkable. There are touching scenes in this novel. Some that are even very sad. There's a lot of good one-liners from the characters, especially Reacher. 

"I need to pay Arthur Scorpio a visit. He lied to me about Porterfield, and he told two separate people to shoot me from behind a tree. He crossed the line. It's not going to end well for him. He's going in the tumble dryer." 

The actual story, narration, characters, plot, and actions are all very simple. But the delivery and result of all the work put into this are top-notch. Overall, I would say this is one of the better fiction novels I've read this year. Again, it's all simple-minded, and perhaps anyone with decent writing skills could write like this or at least something like this. But it takes Lee Child's drive and will to write an action-packed Jack Reacher story with emotional gravitas. Bravo.    

Much recommended. Better than Blue Moon, the most recent book by Lee Child.

Fun Day During the Plague of 2020

Hello, ladies and gents. I wanted to write another post during what I will now call the Plague of 2020, aka coronavirus outbreak. To think our government knew this was coming for two months yet only 2,000 people have actually been tested for it in the United States. What the heck man! That's truly fucked right there. How is it even humanely possible to be that fucking stupid as the President of the United States? Now it's too late in a sense because 1) there aren't enough tests to test everyone 2) there's no way to tell if you actually have it, and or differentiating it from regular flu 3) it's already too late because the numbers are getting worse by the day. Thanks a lot, Trump. But this post isn't about Trump. But we can all agree that he's human scum for lying about there being enough tests when there aren't any nor nearly enough. The incompetence is through the roof here folks. 

Okay, okay. I'll settle down now. I just had to get the "partisan" outta me. Lol.

Now we have new social buzzwords like social distancing, aka "get the fuck away from me." In a way, I'm totally excited about these new exciting times. It's like living during the Plague. This virus is going to be so bad that it's going to completely change America and the world, turning them and it, into a better place. How? Through suffering and perseverance, things will go through the natural state of nature, a metamorphosis that will result in a better world, where people will care more. That's usually how these things work. Just ask the Chinese. They know all about it. 

Americans haven't really suffered like other cultures have suffered. This little taste of suffering will improve our character as a people. 

Anyways, considering the fact that perhaps soon there will come a time when there will be regional shutdowns, I went to my favorite Chinese restaurant. I had a wonderful meal and a good time with my dad. 

I got one of my favorite meals of all time. Barbequed pork with fried tofu and vegetables over rice. The only problem with this terrific dish is that they actually give you too much rice in proportion to the other stuff. The barbeque pork is real barbeque pork. None of that fake Panda Express stuff. Good texture and flavor. The fried tofu was hot and delicious. The rice soaked in the sauce was tasty.

My father ordered one of our favorite dishes. Barbequed pork wonton noodle soup. It's one of the best meals I've ever had in my life. A working man's meal. He enjoyed it. 

The restaurant didn't have too many people because of the virus scare. At one point everyone left except the workers and my dad and I had the entire restaurant to ourselves. At some point, more customers came in. All Chinese. No Americans. That's just the way it goes. 

I spent most of the day before and after reading Lee Child's The Midnight Line.

Fun day during the plague of 2020. 

Our very own zombie apocalypse virus

Greetings supposedly healthy people of the interwebz. 

Thought I'd jot down some thoughts on the coronavirus going around right now. Well, for starters, let me say that we finally have our very own zombie apocalypse virus! World War Z! Book of Eli! *Insert any random apocalyptic movie!* This is good news for people who love bad news. [Modest Mouse reference]

The one good thing about the virus is that it will bring the world down to Earth, humble them, before everything is turned back to normal. Also, and this is a great good, it just might bring down the entire Trump Presidency. It isn't that the virus is singling him out, it's just that his administration is handling the whole thing very badly. As the late-night comedians joke, "If Trump is in charge of the coronavirus we're all gonna die." Probably the truest and most dark joke I've heard in a while. At least it's funny. I like dark comedy and satire. I'm a Voltaire fan. 

But in all seriousness, the virus will make the world great again. Right now people are stupid, ignorant, and as long as they have their TV, streaming, video games, porn, sex, and beer/liquor, they're content to live their happy little lives not giving a shit about the state of affairs of the world. I'm talking about the average idiots, the biomass. Sitting on their lounger chairs with their potato chips, weed, and beer. This is their only life away from work. Something akin to what Green Day sang about on their critically acclaimed hit album American Idiot.  

The virus will completely decimate the biomass and bring them to their knees. It will humble them. And the entire world. This is just what the world needs in what I would call one of its darkest hours. Ironically what will save them will hurt them and the economy. We don't get to save the girl. Instead, we'll get something like the flu. 

Welcome to the New Dark Ages. This is something of a divine comedy. Somebody should write a book about this period in the world. It will sell like hotcakes. After this period passes the world will be a better place. We will change the world. Or rather the virus will.

Punk show last night

Last night I went to a pretty sick show at the Sugar Mill Saloon. The show was sponsored by Demon Candy Promotions. I was around for three bands. All great. 

The first band was Kittenhead. They're a female-led group consisting of a white chick frontwoman singer, a black chick guitarist, an Asian chick bassist, and a white dude on drums. Talk about diversity! I actually haven't seen a band like that live before. The guitarist and bassist kept switching off instruments. They were proficient at guitar and bass, both of them. However, the Asian chick was the better guitarist. But the black chick was funkier. 

They reminded me of the 90s bands fronted by women like The Cars. But they had a more punk rock edge. The three girls sang vocals and sometimes they switched off between lead vocals. The black chick even had songs where she rapped. And she was good. And funky with her guitar playing. They weren't terrific or remarkable in any particular way. Rather, they were the perfect rock band. Perfect in the sense that you know that these musicians aren't remarkable on their own. However, when they come together as a band they are greater than the sum of their parts. Wowie zowie! 

The second band was called Rosemary Reyes. Loudest band I've ever heard in my life. The guitarist even told me outside the bar that he couldn't hear himself. "Did it sound good?" Sure did, buddy. Okay, first of all, this band is one of a kind and I will never see another band quite like it. For starters, the band is fronted by a 72-year-old woman! 

The guitarist was quite good. He was playing an old 1950s guitar, possibly a Silvertone from the looks of it. He had a Vox half stack setup. He had a great fuzzed-out guitar tone emanating throughout the place. Honestly, his guitar playing was carrying the whole band from start to finish. The old lady singing was doing a punk rock snarl throughout every song. I couldn't understand a word. It was all gibberish. So much for punk rock. BUT...the fact that she's fronting a punk band at that age is freaking inspiring. She's a true inspiration. Even though I wasn't a fan of her vocals she looked cool and even sounded cool. 

I was very impressed with the guitar player. He was playing punk rock so his guitar playing was limited to just hardcore rhythms, power chords, and open chords. He did do one solo but it was like maybe ten seconds long. But he made it sound so good. His guitar was an old 1950s model. It's quite fascinating how those old guitars from the 50s actually look futuristic like they could've been made in 2020. Those were the days. They were so loud. I've never seen a band play there that sounded so loud. It was quite good. The young drummer killed it with a lot of hardcore fills. The bassist was very good as well. Talk about fuzz tone.

The last band was Swords of Fatima. The group consists of a girl singing and playing guitar with just a drummer. Because it's just a duo it sounds more rock and roll, more visceral, more raw, more punk rock, maybe even more blues. I didn't stay for the whole set but the drummer was on point. And her guitar playing was great, especially her rhythms. 

It was late and I called it a night. A good show indeed. You can listen to these bands on YouTube but those videos aren't as good as the real, live, thing. Women in rock and roll are pretty damn cool. 

Meet the new grind, same as the old grind

Good evening ladies and laddies. I'm back to writing again every night. This calls for a celebration. *takes a swig of coffee* I'm back home after an eight-hour workday, baking a chicken pot pie, and listening to Chet Baker. Ah, this is the life. There's something so soothing about straight-ahead jazz, especially Chet Baker. That slow west coast jazz sound is sublime. It's a privilege to even listen to it for free via YouTube. Meanwhile, the rest of my community is hoarding toilet paper, antibacterial wipes, and water. It's a shit show, it's a shit show, as one of my managers likes to say. 

 The craziest part of this story is the fact that there is indeed a confirmed case of coronavirus at a hospital near my house. It's definitely alarming, perhaps even frightening. But I'm optimistic about the future. Even if the virus breaks out into a worldwide zombie apocalypse. Think about the philosophical ramifications of [corona corona corona!]

Hear me out. Let's say the virus gets much worse in a matter of months. As it's been doing so already. So they lock down cities, schools, public events, and so forth. People will be afraid to go out in public most of the time so they would be confined to their houses or small gatherings with only a handful of friends. Think about the philosophical ramifications of said actions. 

First, people would become more thoughtful. Because people wouldn't have much money and couldn't go out, they would have to learn to do with fewer possessions and less activity. Perhaps they could read books more and bond with their families more. They would think more about who they elect as their leaders. As a result, somebody like Donald Trump could never win in the future. Because people would be more thoughtful, including meaning smarter.

Second, sometimes it takes a disaster to bring people together. We're living in the most polarizing times I think since the 1960s. Things have gotten better since then. But have they really? Or have they just changed forms and modernized into a digital age with the same problems? We as a nation have to come together to overcome all these hurdles. It takes a strong leader of the free world to do so. Trump is a weak-minded fool. He's divided this country more so than any other President since I was born. Heck, even Nixon met the hippies halfway. I'm no conspiracy theorist but if the Russians are using him as a Manchurian candidate, then his whole mission of using the Presidency to sow discord in America was truly fulfilled. I had to go dark here. But from a practical standpoint, we've been living in a tyranny since 2016 when Trump was elected. 

Third, this is the only story bigger than Trump. That alone makes coronavirus a true sensation.  

Sometimes the only way you can deal with something like this is to play it cool and wait it out. The election is this year so perhaps Americans will elect someone with some brains or at least knows how to read. Or perhaps our very own zombie apocalypse virus will infect the whole country [world] at some point, and then we as a nation will have some real soul searching to do. Who knows, maybe we can change the world. 

Until then the song remains the same.  

A Hard Day's Night

Salutations. I just wanted to jot down some notes about a good open mic I played last night. I performed with my friend Jason Thomas. He's an excellent alto saxophonist player. The night started early for us. We got to the Sugar Mill Saloon bar around 10 pm. We ended up waiting until nearly 1am to perform. We had beer.

There were a lot of performers. Most of them were comedians. Terrible comedians. But there was one fat comedian who kept making jokes about how he's bisexual. Things got pretty awkward. However, he was the funniest comedian so I give that guy props. 

Eric Shaffer played a terrific set on his shiny Stratocaster guitar. He does improv with loops and pedals. He makes beats by drumming on his guitar and sliding his hands on the strings. He's quite good at it. He even wears a suit coat.

We ended up going on around 1am. There was still a decent amount of people. How the heck does this bar bring 15-20 people on a Tuesday night? Even staying till nearly one in the morning? I guess the open mic is getting popular. I used my Hagstrom Super Swede Les Paul and a bass amp. However, my guitar tone was super clean, too clean, because I plugged in my guitar in the low input jack. A female friend of mine who's also a good musician said my guitar tone needed more bite. Should've brought a distortion pedal she said, lol. Clearly, she's clueless? Lol.

In terms of my guitar tone, I thought it was good for what we were doing. Which was straight-ahead jazz. We played Footprints by Wayne Shorter and Freddie Freeloader by Miles Davis. 

Jason's tone was good per usual. You can hear him on my recordings from Soundcloud. However, a good musician friend of mine said that when he was soloing and I was comping, that it seemed like we were just getting into it when I returned back to the theme and ended the tune. It's good criticism but we also had a time limit. I was limiting the songs to about ten minutes each. We played for a considerable time. Considering.

Are you supposed to feel great after a performance? I usually feel really great after playing an open mic, and then the next couple days after. It's the one outlet I have to perform music in front of an audience. I really need to be playing in a band but I've not the organizational ability to form a band nor the time to really invest in a serious gigging band. One day soon I hope to play in a band. That's really all I need. I have the talent already.  

A lot of times after performing I critique my playing pretty hardcore. I would say that my friend Jason is a better musician than I am, certainly a better jazz musician. But I also think that because of his conservatory training, sometimes when he performs live, especially with new people for the first time, he comes across kind of stiff. But that's okay. At least our set sounded great. We've only been rehearsing for a year together, lol. 

After the bar shenanigans, a bunch of us went to an after-party at a friends' house. I usually get home safe and sound through a friend of mine. But she was in a rush to get home so I ended up sleeping over and taking off in the morning. I live a few blocks away but carrying my amplifier and wearing my guitar on my back was rough walking home today in the hot afternoon sun. I tried to get my friend to call a lyft ride for me but he claimed his phone was dead. You don't get to party all night long hard without facing some repercussions. So I guess the moral of the story is that when your lady friend checks out for the night, you should always go with her. 

And that's all she wrote.

And Your Bird Can Sing

Hello, the world of the interwebz. I thought I'd jot down some notes after what I considered a great day. 

First of all, let me explain a bit about what I've been going through before this said great day. I almost lost my job, due to my own stupidity, initiating bad karma, and then I was really down on my luck for a couple of days. That's pretty much it. Losing a retail job might not be the worst thing in the world but technically I can't afford to go without working. Who can, given this economy? 

I came out of all those bad vibes after a few days. Today, I'm back to being on top of the world. It's like that Cream blues cover. "I'm sittin' on top of the world." I came to such good vibes on my own initiative, as I usually do. With a little help from my friends of course [The Beatles].   

First of all, it hit me that it isn't necessarily the job that I do or the money that I get from the said job that is important. My job has never defined who I am or my personality. Rather, it's the fact that I'm working hard, improving my character, and generating goodwill and reciprocity with coworkers, managers, customers, and friends that I've made through the community. I've created a vast network of people who know me through my job. Intellectuals, musicians, readers, writers, movie biz people, friends, so much out of this little job. This is a hard concept for some people to grasp considering it's just a retail gig. 

Second, all the negativity that I feel, see, hear, will always be negated by own positive energy, IF I can sustain positivity every day all the time. The naysayers will always doubt you. They are losers and they want you to become like them. Misery loves company. The only way to get through them is to practice positivity right in front of their faces. When they see that whatever they say to you will leave you unscathed, they will see you in a different light. Wau, dude! Yer a total hippie. I told you about the walrus and mean man, now here's another place you can go, man.

Third, the only person who can save you from the world is yourself. It's up to you. Everything in the universe is possible through your own sheer will. Instant karma is gonna save you or the reverse. Because of my own goodwill, I get good vibes from the universe. The reverse is true if I bring negativity in the world. It's not like my religion or anything but it's definitely true of being. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that even if your life isn't great the only way for it to become great is to take it all in stride with a positive attitude. Be the man with the golden smile. It takes a lot of practice but with the power of soul, anything is possible. Meditation helps. And the Beatles. And singing and playing the guitar. Who knows, maybe after a lifetime of zen practice, at the end of your life you will have attained full Zen Buddhahood. 

Tell me that you got everything you want
And your bird can sing
But you don't get me
You don't get me

It is Being

Greetings everyone! Thought I'd do a short post saying since I haven't written much for about a month. Things are alright but could be better. Work has been a little rough around the edges but I'm doing the best that I can [it's getting better all the time]. Sometimes you just have to relax and not take work seriously. It's not like it's as serious as your life [a great title of a great free jazz book by a British woman]. Honestly, these days, I'm just glad to still have a job, lol. 

I've been reading a lot. I'm nearly finished reading The Republic by Plato. Wow! What a terrific read. 2,000 years of philosophical thought, transcended down to today. The funny thing is that after reading so much philosophy, there isn't really anything new or truly great, or exciting from reading The Republic. Rather, it's the way it's written that is quite unique and interesting to the budding philosopher. 

The Republic is written as one long 400-page conversation between philosopher friends. There's the guy who questions Plato on everything, and he answers everything back, in great detail. The great thing is that although the dialogue itself is quite simple, it forces you to really think about questions and answers, going towards any plausible or implausible questions and answers. The Republic forces you to think. In addition, the way it's written ensures that there's no way you can speed through this. Because it's written as people talking together and asking questions, then answering, akin to the way people talk. This is a very engaging way to learn philosophy. I'm more used to the more dry prose of say Hobbs or Kant.

But yeah, so I've finally read Plato. Bring on Aristotle next. I'll write a proper report on The Republic in the next couple of days. I haven't written much within the last month because my laptop broke and I usually write all my blog posts on a laptop. Just because I find the desktop computer to be too distracting. It takes away from my writing so instead, I just stopped writing for a month. In a way, I suffered a lot because writing on here has been therapeutic for me, and helps me to sustain all my thoughts and emotions in written form. Without it was a bit like going back to the dark ages. 

It's good to be back in it. I got a new laptop and its quite nice. In other news, I've been performing solo acoustic guitar at open mics at the Sugar Mill Saloon. I do a lot of improvisation and jazz there. And I also plan on going back to rock and roll open mic jams at Petie's Place. I have plans on writing more fiction, working more on my somewhat finished but unfinished memoir, and more blogs on books, music, and such. 

Lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void, it is shining. -Tomorrow Never Knows-