Saturday, March 28, 2020

Splendid Isolation


…You know, I expected 2020 to bring all sorts of new challenges for me to face.  I expected to grow in brand new ways and to launch my career in the face of social strife.  Still, I have to say: “being quarantined at home due to a global pandemic” was not exactly the kind of challenge I had in mind.
For those living under a rock (or those reading from the future), the entire world is currently in the grip of COVID-19, a coronavirus pandemic that started in December 2019 and accelerated rapidly over 3 months.  Over the last few weeks, almost everywhere and everyone seems to be in fear of this new disease, which currently has no cure or vaccine.  Because this disease is particularly dangerous to those with compromised immune systems and those over 60, health authorities everywhere are encouraging people everywhere to minimize social gatherings, work from home, and keep a distance of 6 feet from others while traveling outdoors.  Unfortunately, a lot of people in Oregon have not gotten the memo about this and have been packing beaches and hiking trails over the past few weekends.  Because we apparently can’t have nice things, the Governor has thereby signed an executive order mandating staying at home except for grocery/medical/other necessary purposes and attaching criminal penalties for noncompliance.  While I am a little uncomfortable about this heavy-handed use of criminal law (and concerned about how this order can be enforced without seriously violating privacy), I hope this order will convince people in this state to start taking the pandemic seriously.  As of writing this, Tillamook County has only 2 confirmed cases of COVID-19—on behalf of my clients and colleagues, I hope it stays that way.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all walks of life, and I am not exempt.  Initially, my work was mostly unaffected by the pandemic, but the county authorities soon started to put measures into effect.  First, hand sanitizer stations were placed at all courtroom entrances and jail visits were strictly limited.  Next, the DA’s office put measures into place so that I could only check my discovery box once a day.  Then, the court closed 1 of the courtrooms and started setting over cases.  Now, the courthouse has completely shut down except for necessary hearings (usually involving cases with jailed defendants).  The courts and Sheriff's Office have taken steps to limit the jail population, releasing inmates early and granting conditional release to all but the most risky defendants (as of now, only 1 of my active clients is detained; the rest are on conditional release or bail).  Some of my clients have benefited, as jail sentences are now usually kept low and probation with few conditions is the norm.  Meanwhile, my work has mostly ground to a halt.  Almost every court appointment I had scheduled in the next 2 weeks has now been set over to July, and I hardly ever go to my office anymore.  Most of my “work” these days consists of calling clients to tell them their court dates have been moved back while I sit quarantined in my room.  I haven’t worn a suit in several days, and I sometimes have to remind myself that I’m still a lawyer.  Until health authorities are able to get COVID-19 under control, this will likely remain my existence for the foreseeable future.
For now, I’m doing my part to help matters and avoid spreading infection.  I’ve been staying indoors (mostly in my room) all day for the past few days, and I only ever leave the house to get groceries or take care of something pressing at the office.  I’ve been doing my best to get by; mostly, I sleep a lot (a luxury I haven’t had in quite a while).  I can’t eat out, and I’m hesitant to cook in the communal kitchen, so I’ve mostly been living off of cheese, crackers, dried fruit, and protein bars for the last week or so.  With relatively little work to do and many places in town off limits, I’m taking various steps to keep myself occupied: I’ve been watching/re-watching various movies on my Netflix queue, catching up on Castlevania on Netflix, reading a self-help book, Facetiming Cthulhu (my sweetheart, not The Sleeper of R’lyeh), playing video games (mostly bouncing between Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Super Mario Bros., Kitty Powers’ Matchmaker, and Plague Inc.: Evolved so far), searching the Internet for possible new suit accessories,  and working on this blog.  With a lot at stake, I hope for a return to normalcy soon.  Until then, I’ll keep washing my hands, get plenty of rest, and try to enjoy my alone time.

My "getting through quarantine" starter pack.



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