Mar. 11, Decoding The I’m Possible (A Canadian’s Diary Inside Chongqing During the COVID-19 Home Quarantine)

Wednesday, March 11: Decoding The I'm Possible

Day 47. I'm going to let you know three impossible things before lunch. We never really die, we just change, and time is only an idea — it couldn't hold a bucket of muck. 

Today I finally slept decently and am striking a balance between trying to save the world and enjoy a hearty brunch. Have I mentioned I'm a big fan of coffee? It's worth saying again.

I watch some Pathoma. I'm still trying to demystify the human body and how we get sick. I take a beautiful, hardcover edition of Dante's Inferno off the shelf and spend some time relaxing in hell. 

I send out a couple of letters. One is to share around to hopefully strengthen governmental policies based on the proven stringent methods employed in Chongqing, and the rest of mainland China, replicated in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and South Korea. It really is a gold standard. If enough people in Canada and the West can take heed and push their leaders for more control, it can make a big difference. The second letter is for people who don't want to get sick.

I teach Lil' Kim for an hour; that's hilarious and fun.

The sink is leaking! I fix it.

WOW the WHO finally declared a the pandemic a Pandemic! Fashionably late to the party!

Then, timelessly, I spin back into a video and music project. My goal is to scrub a 55-minute video for awkward, nauseating camera pans and try to trim it to 15 minutes. I end up at about 30 minutes, well, we can live with that maybe. Let's get it online before midnight!

And before I know it, I'm digging through crates labeled "Shambhala," "Evolve," and "Burning Man." The Root Sellers well, we've forgotten more fun than some people have ever had. I can't believe I was only going to lay some tracks on when I could at least do a 30-minute mini-mix, so I go to town.

You better believe I danced.

I think that this weekend, I'm going to go back and revisit one of my best gigs from the '90s or the noughties and supercharge my vibes by being there twice. The secret is finally out of the bag. It's one of those things I've always felt, but I had to grow into. I hope for the same for you: a place without fear, a place full of love, and a never-ending merry go round. Today I'm vibing too hard on the music to write much, I think I accidentally caught a bit of a wayward gurn, a rascally curveball from the past, and my jaw hurts. Waves are like that, they recede, and they come back. I'm dancing in my bedroom while I mix. I have proof. Today is just a super colorful creative day.

 With the anxiety gone today, this whole thing is one giant solo music festival or Burn event. Introvertapalooza 2020: 50 days by yourself.

 Today the LEVEL 1 emergency status in Chongqing was reduced to LEVEL 2 because we haven't had a new COVID-19 infection in 14, now 15 days. We are going to go to the parent's house tomorrow! Amazing. This is big news for me. 

We're trying to register me for the "Antivirus App" that will grade me a green, orange or red depending on where I've been, how long I've been in CQ for. Since I've been at home 45 days hopefully I get green. I sort of wanted to avoid being registered at all and live off the grid as some kind of a Luddite hermit. Still, if I want to see the family, it's the only way to get inside their area.

I got a couple of packages today, now that's no sweat for me. One of them was my full face mask. I originally bought it in case I had to teach, now, I guess I'll keep it for my trip back to Canada. Who knows, good to have. It took so long to arrive, I wanted to get a refund, but decided to hold out. Leap of faith. Maybe one day I'll need it.

I'll include both the letters I sent out today for posteriority. I made a loaf of really tight banana bread. Super grandma feels.

The first case of COVID-19 is in Ottawa. That hits home for me. I rush to call my parents, check their preps and vitamins and see how my family is doing.

 I think my video Drive-By Jorah Kai X Root Sellers is done. It won't be the last one.

I got green! I can travel freely inside Chongqing now.

Letter 1:

To those that feel as I do, please share or copy/paste.

It's incredible to see South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and China get a handle on the COVID-19 Outbreak by using proactive, aggressive methods and putting the health of their people above economic considerations and their stock market.

My heart goes out to Italy, Iran, and 100 other countries that are soon going to be swamped, and I hope your leaders have the guts to follow the gold star example the Asian countries have provided.

If you feel how I do, please share, or copy/paste.

How can you get this under control?

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How you can get this under control:

1a- Halt inbound infections, self-quarantine arrivals from hotbed countries for 14 days

1b- Face masks for everyone (tight-fitting surgical masks to stop spreading, people can use N95 on top if they want, but you have to stop this from spreading first and foremost

2a- Aggressive testing program (China, South Korea, Singapore each do more tests in 1 day than the USA has done in two months).

2b- Make it easy and fast; local tests, same day. Fast, cheap, and plentiful tests. Test everyone with symptoms and their contacts. 

3a- Rigorous contact tracing

3b- Pay for the tests

3c- Pay for quarantine, offer rent/mortgage rebates, subsidies to help

3d- Pay for treatment

3e- quarantine all exposed contacts for 14 days

4a- Treat and collect the data and share it

Call your MP, MPP, and ask for some real measures before this sweeps your area - while there's time. <3

 Be well, be safe, be prepared. 

JK

Letter 2:

How to avoid being infected:

• Avoid all gatherings, large or small. Just avoid gatherings. Once everyone is wearing a mask when out and about, this can be relaxed a bit.
• Treat sick people as if they are shedding aerosolized droplets of the virus. Why? Because they are.
• All sick people MUST wear a mask at all times. No excuses, no exceptions.
• Decontaminate all surfaces that might be touched before anyone can touch them!
• Trust yourself. Are your "spidey senses" tingling? Then heed them.
• Wash Your Hands! (Soap and water for at least twenty seconds, sing a song)
• Hate to say it, but many public officials are giving out (inexcusably) lousy information. Try to correct them if you can, when you see it, call them/people on it.
• Many thanks to Dr. Chris Martensen, Ph.D. Duke U, for his expertise.