in the beginning
Where do I begin? Oh yes, somewhere near the beginning of March, 2020, some buzzword going around called ‘bokonamirus’ (see ‘Notes’ below for meaning). I got it! There is a new flu bug going around, making people kind of nervous, more nervous than usual at this time of year, being in the middle of the flu season.
Well, I didn’t think much of it at first, having seen this sort of thing happen before, in 2009 (*1*1), in 2003 (mars), and every year people always so eager to line up for their annual flu shot. I never had a flu shot in my life (and at this writing I’m 71), never panicked, and rarely got sick with anything other than a mild cold. I say rarely, because I have had the flu three times in my life that I can remember, the first time as a teenager and the last about 10 years ago. Never did anything about it except stayed in bed, ate chicken soup, took aspirin (I think), and got over the unpleasant experience in about a week. Each time, though, I landed in bed after abusing my immune system by exposing myself to extreme cold (Canadian winters, eh!) without dressing appropriately.
I noticed something different this time, though. Every time I went to a coffee shop and asked for a mug for my coffee (I prefer to taste the coffee, not the cardboard or plastic), the response was invariably ‘can’t give out mugs any more, you have to settle for a paper cup’. ‘Bokonamirus’ I replied? A polite nod.
Continue reading “Bokonamirus 2020 one — the day it started for me, and the days that followed”