Lockdown Journal: Day 41 (My Airing of Grievances)
Read all my lockdown journal posts.
It’s Day 41 of the South African lockdown. Today I would like to air my grievances.
For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, the “Airing of Grievances” was made famous by Seinfeld character Frank Costanza in the 1990s. The Airing of Grievances usually takes place during the fake holiday of Festivus, on 23 December. Festivus the holiday has its own website with a page devoted to the Airing of Grievances.
We’re nowhere near Festivus season, but I think COVID-19 deserves an Airing of Grievances all its own. Here I go:
- Exercising under lockdown sucks. I can’t skip rope due to a persistently sore achilles tendon. Running – or even walking fast – while wearing a mask is impossible. Apparently running in a “buff” (I hate that word, it makes me want to barf) is easier, and while I’ve received countless “buffs” at various races and events over the years, I can no longer find any of them. Hence I am still run-walking laps around my home for cardio exercise.
- Yesterday Caxton Publishing announced it is closing its magazine business, which is terrible news for all of the people working for the ten prominent South African magazines that will now cease to be published. South African magazine publishing has been in trouble for a long time and this may have happened eventually even without COVID-19, but…ugh.
- As of Lockdown Week 6, I officially have too many gray hairs to individually count/yank out.
- My horned melons refuse to ripen.
- South Africans continue to starve. Meanwhile the government is making it harder for charities to distribute food.
- People are constantly ranting on Facebook about everything and I hate it (even though I myself also do this).
- I can’t think about my future, or the country’s future, or the world’s future. I can hardly think about anything, in fact, without feeling sad and panicky and scared. And yet I have more time to think than ever before. It’s torture.
- My house and garden are a mess and I know I need to spend a full day housecleaning and another full day gardening to solve these problems but I also know I will probably never do either of those things and I hate myself for it.
- I miss my friends but I’m tired of video calls.
- I don’t know when I’ll be able to see my family again.
- I stopped hugging my tree because it has too many ants.
- I want to go out and do things, but shopping is the only thing we’re allowed to do. I don’t like shopping. I can’t afford shopping. And also stores seem like the best place to go right now if you want to catch COVID-19.
- I feel really down most of the time, as I’m sure most everyone does, and I’m tired of it and don’t see when or how it will change.
I think 13 grievances is enough for now. And I actually do feel slightly better! If you have any grievances you’d like to air, please comment. Unlike Frank Costanza does, just try to direct your grievances at COVID-19 and not any particular person or institution.
Since I don’t want this post to be 100% negative, here are two things I’m grateful for:
- A pair of hadedas visited the garden yesterday and let me photograph them before flying away.
- Last night I ordered food from a restaurant – Thai food from Bamboo Thai – for the first time in nearly six weeks. It was incredibly exciting the food exceeded my expectations.
Sorry I didn’t address the COVID-19 statistics today, as I said I would yesterday. The grievances took precedence. I’ll catch up tomorrow.
Today’s Worthy Cause
Today I’m featuring Food Flow SA. I don’t know a ton about this organization but I saw a post about it on Find the Locals, which I encourage you all to follow.
As I understand it, Food Flow is working to support small South African farms – which normally supply food to restaurants but obviously can’t do so right now – to help the farms stay afloat and also get the food they’re growing to people facing food insecurity. You can donate by purchasing a bag of food, which will go from the farms to various food distribution programs around the country.
I love the idea of helping small farms and hungry people at the same time. Instructions for how to donate are here.
Those Hadedas are stunning.
Thank you! I’ve never seen them in that spot before, it was so fleeting.
No 8 and 11 are both really funny.
I’m waiting for a review of the best take out places in JoBurg…….can’t think of a better person to do this article…
I will work on that. It’s just that I’ve really gotten into a routine with cooking and can’t afford that much take-out! But I’ll certainly do it occasionally. Looks like I should have plenty of time to build up content, hahaha.
Hi Alison - Heather has more important things to cover like this list of grievances. The highlight of my morning! Although as a Seinfeld fan you had me seconding you at the mention of Festivus. See take out suggestions here https://bit.ly/Level4deliveries
Hahahahaha, thanks for sharing Laurice!
Today I was feeling sort of in control; a positive change as I’m also thinking about distant family. I decided to drive to Melville to buy bread at Baker Brothers (thanks Heather) and charge my car battery at the same time.
Alas, the car did not start – so my timing is out … about 2 1/2 weeks without use. :-(
Luckily I could use my one free callout from the AA; within two hours I was ready to go. Got the bread and then enjoyably drove some more, just to add more charge … The rye bread was super fresh and delicious. :-) for a late lunch.
That is a wonderful story! (Sorry about the battery though.) Glad you made it to Baker Bros :)
Oh Heather I am so sorry. Maybe just a bandana so you can run? And you know which grievance made me the saddest (and also made me laugh at the same time)? #11 no tree hugging because of ants. sigh
Hahaha. It is funny. I literally stood there staring at the tree today but there are sooooooo many ants ????
Great post today. And comforting to know I have the same grievances. Bottom line is this lockdown sucks and I have less and less trust in the government with each passing day. P. S. GREAT HADEDA SHOTS!
Haha, thanks.
I feel your horned melons deserve a blog of their own.
I would definitely devote myself to that if they would just DO something.
There’s a world of difference between “a” and “the”. Running in a/the buff? “A” must be a SA thing. “The” could get you arrested.
????????????????
Oh Heather! Thank you so much for the Seinfeld clip! Wish they would come back! Great photos -I really miss the screeching overhead. This.lockdown.will.end. The rules in Spain, Italy and France have been far more draconian.Vasbyt! Is there a way of sending you short clips/photos to amuse/inform?
Hi Rosemary, sure, you can post stuff on my 2sumners Facebook page or send messages through the Contact Me page of the blog.
Great hadidas pictures! I definitely watch the birds more than I used to. I think the fact that lockdown was supposed to give us time to ramp up testing and the manufacture of PPE and the the Trump Admin again squandered that time has me more upset than anything. Plus the white people demanding that poor folks (many of them already marginalized) go back to work and be expendable. It’s hard to see the light sometimes.
‘I hate Donald Trump’ was in my original list of grievances.
Followed by, “I hate Mitch McConnell, I hate Tim Cotton, I hate Susan Collins…”
Crimes against humanity comes to mind.
I am seriously grieved by the lack of new Seinfeld episodes, but grateful for Curb Your Enthusiasm to remind me that all of the characters live on in Larry David. Binging Curb… is a great way to put grievances in perspective and have a laugh.
loved your rant :-0 The picture of one hydeada is brilliant
Thanks!
Yes, I agree with Graham, crimes against humanity. All mainstream media is singing from the same scoresheet, Trump isn’t an orphan in his actions. Yes, I’m grieving for the losses across the globe, and I’m also angry. That’s a good motivator.
Thanks for a great share Heather. I’m also feeling very glum and unmotivated, which is unlike me. Apparently the grey hairs have something to do with less vitamin d, so more sun time could slow that down? And have you tried using a visor rather than a mask, def not for jogging, or would fall off, but good for fast walking. X
Thanks Gilda, interesting tip on the Vitamin D! I’ll start sitting outside more. HAven’t tried the visor thing yet but I’ll add it to the agenda. I ran with a scarf this morning and that worked well :)
Glad you had a rant and ranted some of the things I’d have liked to rant about. Ranting is good - as is being grateful. We can do both in the same sentence ????
Yes we totally can.
Isn’t it just great to be able to order takeaways again!! I must say lockdown is teaching me to be more creative and less wasteful with food. But it was just so nice not to have to cook for once. We ordered pizza. I think my daughters were delighted to have a break from all the veggies I have been shoving down their throats. ????????
Hahaha. Totally! Maybe I’ll order pizza this week :)