By Ken Boone
The news was great. The results came back negative. However, judging by our reactions, it seemed like we received a different outcome. Don't get me wrong, not having a potentially life-threatening virus should make anyone's day. It just wasn't the scenario we gamed out. Celia and I have been through a lot medically over the past few years. Let me rephrase that - we've overcome a lot during over the past few years. So we weren't in the mood to have to deal with COVID-19. Just tell us how we can keep ourselves safe and we'll go from there. In fact, take your time in finding a cure. Like just about everyone who doesn't think that this is a hoax, we've watched every news program and scoured the internet to get the latest information. The main thing we wanted to find out is "how do you catch the damn thing"? It seemed that no two sources brought the same expert opinion to the fore. Initially, they were in agreement about who was most susceptible to acquiring the virus. And lucky me made the list due to age and underlying medical conditions. What gave me comfort was that my heart guy, Dr. V., said I was well enough to postpone my April 7th doctor's appointment. I was proud to "donate" that slot to someone with a greater need! While watching a stream of medical and science experts on more Skype connections than I care to remember, I noticed one early symptom they could all agreed upon - that nagging cough. Like the one I've had since March. Like the one I've had every Spring for the past forty plus years. While my brother suffered from hay fever since he was a child, I developed allergies in my early 20s. The first thing that made me sneeze uncontrollably was toner from copy machines, going downhill from there. The cough was both a leading and lagging indicator that I was in the midst of an allergic flare-up. I also was able to glean from all of coverage was that it was a grand idea to frequently take my temperature, which fortunately stayed within the normal range. But that damn tickle in my throat didn't go away. Okay, it's six in one hand, half dozen in the other! When I noticed that these networks had created bumpers and stingers consisting of heavily cinematic music and scary graphics, that I saw the entertainment underpinnings of there coverage. You see, it comes down to ratings for these people. But what about the little tickle in my throat? Although Celia and I dutifully adhered to the shelter-in-place and social-distancing recommendations, we were exhausted by the hype. I started watching the local news from our cable carrier (Spectrum). They seemed to be able to give us the same pandemic-related news while covering a lot of other human interest stories. The meteorologists were kind enough to provide pollen count information along with temperature and precipitation forecasts. That bit of information reminded me that I suffered from allergies that mostly consisted of sneezing and coughing. We also increased our intake of Hallmark movies, although they have always been a guilty pleasure of mine. In addition to their ever-popular Christmas movie marathons, they are wrapping up their block of "Spring Fling" movies. These movies used flowering fields as a visual backdrop for their standard "Boy Meets Girl, Boy Loses Girl..." storylines. While I typically enjoyed the romance piece, looking at the flowers seems to make my nose itch. After I publish this blog post and before I publish my latest podcast episode, I will begin to compile my grocery list for my weekly foray into the germ-infested environs. I'm currently virus free and with the help of masks, rubber gloves, and the Good Lord, I'll be protected. You see, the masks and gloves keep the germs from spreading, while the Good Lord reminds me that the tickle in my throat most likely is attributable to the allergies I've dealt with for decades!
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About the AuthorAs owner of the Descant Music & Media Group, Ken is a creator and producer of several podcast shows. He is also a music producer, as well as a writer and an accountant for small businesses and nonprofits. Archives
June 2020
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