Covid-19

An essay by Sharon Astyk — First published on May 22, 2023. Today’s reminder is that COVID SCARED THE CRAP out of people in power. At first, like everyone else, they were scared of getting sick and dying, which is why we got to find out what we did. But pretty damned quick they were scared…

It never really got back to the way things were. Yes, there were still the things we liked, places, activities, friends. Long ago assassinations murdered our innocence. Then the wars, wars that could not be won. So we ran away, but biology infected our escapes. Still though, ease, comfort and…

With my boy — Like so many people the Reign of Covid drove me crazy. Not just a turn-of-phrase-kinda-frustrated-crazy, but actually crazy resulting in time off work and prescribed medication. I’ve struggled on and off throughout my life with depression and low mood. That story’s not for now, but at the advent of the…

Introduction In these tumultuous times, the world was gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented global health crisis that turned our lives upside down. As the virus spread like wildfire, we scrambled to adapt, implementing stringent hygiene practices and social distancing measures. But as the months passed, a dangerous complacency settled…

Life, travel, reading…a bit of blarney — Hello, friends. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been here posting my “weekly” update. I doubt anyone noticed much, but I felt the need to write scratch insistently at the back of my brain while I took a much-needed break. This “column” has become, in my mind, an old-school…

On January 19, 2020, I was boarding a long awaited flight to visit my family in Nova Scotia over the Chinese New Year holiday. A high school principal at an international school, it was my fourth year living and working in China. I loved living in China. The people, my…

Can an 80-Year-Old Do Covid? A Cautionary Look Back at the Latest Pandemic By W Goodwin Like a high tide or a storm surge, the viral flood of Covid-19 and the thrashing it gave Lynn and me finally receded. …

What the heck is Friday doing here already? Sheesh. I didn’t ask for this. So… let’s see… Mom is still here and doing fine. We have been out a couple of times now, but not to the big, touristy sites. Yesterday’s stop was the main branch of the Vancouver Public…

Something’s happened. I’ve become aware of it gradually, since the unknown and imminent danger of the pandemic has decreased, since more…