Y’all this is wild. Texas was open, now it’s closing again … I have tried to read as much as I can, do what I think is right, and continue to be more or less isolated in my house. But I just can’t hold it in any longer: this is complete fear mongering or safety theater.
Research is inconclusive at best if masks help, Texas numbers are indeed going up but are nowhere NEAR catastrophic and hospitals aren’t at capacity (we aren’t even getting accurate data on #s of ICU beds!); but very basic things like raw data and/or percentages are not being used to convey the reality of the situation such as: Travis County/Austin has A “HUGE UPTICK IN CASES” but here are the raw numbers: 124 deaths. Total. 9,527 cases of coronavirus documented with free, widespread testing. With a population of 1,273,954, meaning .75% of our population has had the virus, and .0098% of our county population has died. That is three decimal places before you get to a number.
This is the graph for Travis County, which contains but is bigger than Austin. Our peak day of fatalities was 6, on May 13, 2020. On May 13 of 2018, by contrast, 11 people died in car accidents. We have yet to shut down a road.
I am frustrated. Not by having to stay in my house—introvert—or wear a mask—whatever—but because these actions don’t make sense. They aren’t rooted in data, or medical science, or even reason. We as a society and group of humans are trading liberties for a false sense of security.
There are people for whom this virus presents a huge risk, and they should continue to quarantine. There are people for whom driving presents a huge risk, and they are not allowed to drive. Neither is a commentary on the individual’s worth to society, both are acknowledgement that what is the best for an individual is, well, individual.
And what is best for a healthy human is social interaction, however they normally get it: school, work, friends, family, parks, sports, restaurants, bars … we have got to get back to being a country that trusts its citizens to take care of themselves and others. Infringing on rights so basic as free movement is not acknowledging that responsibility.
Nonetheless. This is a lifestyle blog so here’s what’s keeping me covidtained…
Workouts
- I found a new British yoga instructor and I love her. Check out Nicole Windle’s YouTube here.
- I got back on my cinder shit, tabata exercises like cinder swings, cinder thrusters, cinder stepups, cinder lateral lunges, cinder hip thrusts …
- Amex offered me two free months of obé, so even though I’ve been using the Peloton app for cardio workouts, I’m trying obé out now. My first dance HIIT class was hilarious and very sweaty.
Werk
- I’m co-hosting a webinar on the tech stack you need to take events from IRL to virtual. Register fo free here!
Entertainment
- ON BOARD with this plan >> from Capitol Hill Style: “Summer Plans: Swimsuit + Straw Hat + Baby Pool + Cocktail“
- My friend mixed books and glassware and bottles of booze in her china cabinet and I loved it so much, it inspired me to re-style my bookshelves!
Daydream Wednesday
- The compound is going camping in Big Bend State Park (not NP) for the holiday weekend. Send me chill vibes and hope I don’t melt in the desert.
- I still want to book alllll the adventures I’ve written about over the past few weeks, but I have booked none. Am I a chicken?
Shop shoppin’ away
- Early in quarantine, I saw a beautiful Black woman who matched her headwrap to her mask (I told her how gorgeous she looked, don’t worry). Given that it seems like the mask thing is here for a bit, why not follow suit and match your mask and scrunchie?
- Nicole Trunfio just launched her Erth swim line and I LOVE it. All black, all sexy af, fabrics are eco-friendly and I really, really want this suit but then I also love the zip-up on this suit.
Week 15. Week 14. Week 14+. Week 13 skipped (it’s unlucky anyway). Week 12 (not really about Covid). Week 11. Week 10. Week 9. Week 8. Week 7. Week 6. Week 5 here. Week 4 here. Week 3’s here. Week 2’s here. There is no Week 1 because we didn’t know back then.