ndrosen

I heard knocking Thursday afternoon, and although I didn’t think it was on my door, I looked out the peephole. A couple of men in protective gear were pounding on the door of my neighbor, in the apartment directly across from mine. I didn’t see or hear everything, and I didn’t stay behind my door looking, but I did overhear some dialogue while working at my desk, and did look out some more.

My neighbor (we’re not best friends, but I know his name, and we have interacted) has tested positive for COVID-19, and had been struggling to breathe; I saw him on some kind of stretcher in the corridor, and there was discussion of whether he needed to go to the hospital, or only I’m-not-sure-quite-what. He’s a relatively young man, and I hope he’ll recover.

In other news, I have heard that Harry Pollard, a ninety-six year old Georgist whom I’ve met, is among the fatalities of the coronavirus. Rest In Peace, Mr. Pollard; you fought for the right.

I have ordered a package of masks, but they haven’t arrived yet. I was waiting for admission to the farmers’ market this morning, which was taking place in a roped-off area to which people were only admitted if they would not cause crowding, when one of the guards kindly offered to give me a mask. I accepted it with thanks. Also, I noted that a shop in the area, Crystal Beauty, claimed to have masks, and said that it opened at noon on Sundays.

After going home wit( the cider and apples from the Twin Springs booth at the farmers’ market, I headed back after noon, and found that Crystal Beauty is now closed on Sundays, and has shorter hours in general, because of time spent sanitizing. I proceeded to the Giant Food store more or less across the street to buy groceries.

Anyway, I have a mask, so I can now dress in accordance with current social norms. I still hope to acquire multiple masks, so I can put on a new one whenever I go out, which may actually do more to slow the pandemic.

P.S. I don’t much like wearing a mask; it interferes with breathing, and keeps me from appreciating the fres( air.

This evening, I broke down and took one of the Tramadol (opiate) pills prescribed by the dentist. It didn’t make me feel notably drowsy or dizzy, and my mouth still hurt, and then hurt even more when I essayed to eat dinner. Hot foods and foods that require chewing are painful; the non-dairy frozen dessert was less painful, but did not sufficiently soothe my palate.

Tomorrow I’m planning on rice pudding, which can be cold, and should at least not be so much of a struggle to get down.

This afternoon the dentist removed some tissue from my palate, and grafted it on to my gums (around teeth 20 and 21, left of the front of my lower jaw). There’s been some bleeding, but I think I’m on the road to recovery.

My appointment was at 1:00 PM, and I got out about two hours later; then I walked about a mile to the Dunn Loring Metro station, caught an Orange Line train, waited for a good bit at the Rosslyn Station for a Blue Line train, caught a shuttle bus at Pentagon City, went to the CVS on Columbia Pike, picked up my Amoxicillin, Ibuprofen, and special mouthwash, and got home around 6:00. Since I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, I was getting hungry.

I made soup, with potatoes, mushrooms, onion, soy milk, and pumpkin concentrate. It seemed cooked at 7:00, but I’m not supposed to have hot foods, so I put one serving in the freezer to cool rapidly, and the rest in the refrigerator. Then I stayed the hunger pangs and soothed my mouth with frozen ice cream non-dairy frozen dessert. It’s been close to an hour, so I’ll see whether I can now have some cold soup.

I went to the doctor this afternoon; I've been a little worried lately about a couple of swollen lymph nodes, and bothered by patches of reddened skin and itchy scalp accompanied by dandruff turned up to eleven. The doctor didn't think the lymph nodes were anything much to worry about (although I should let her know if the swelling gets worse), and diagnosed psoriasis, for which she prescribed a couple of topical medications, an ointment and a foam for the scalp.

Let's hope for the best. I'm considering a haircut soon, so I can better work the foam into my scalp, not just my hair.