Days have not yet started running in to each other, as I read of around the web, because I am in the interesting situation of having almost more work than I can deal with, while unemployment has passed 25%. The three large projects I am involved in editing have all reached their almost final stage at the same time, probably because the people doing the writing have had nothing to distract them (or have been using writing to distract themselves) for the past few weeks. One of the the projects is a book on fragility, or how easily human civilisation can be affected by external, non-human sources. The focus of the book is climate changes and their influence on history, but it is ironic that the final stages of writing should be taking place during a global pandemic.
On Tuesday the group meeting discussed the hidden scripts of infrapolitics and invisible resistance by subalterns to the elite. As we discussed this, I thought of the ways people are resisting the corona-related limitations that seem to them to be ridiculous (like the 100m limit). Most people are very law-abiding, though—to the extent that I'm a bit worried about S. Since the new restrictions, he has barely been outside, and he hasn't seen his friends. More than that, he hasn't even been exercising in the lounge. He's kind of turning in on himself, and I'm glad he's still watching movies with us. On Saturday night we watched the 1922 silent film Nosferatu—deservedly a classic of the vampire genre, but that I hadn't realised also involved plague, making it much more topical than expected.
The most exciting event of the past week for ADC was actually leaving Jerusalem and spending almost a full day travelling throughout the countryside. A's gap year volunteer work has sent him and the rest of the group home for the Passover break, and E, ADC's sister, suggested that instead of joining us in a small flat, he join her in a large house with a garden. Since up to now A has been living on a campus and still been able to walk around freely, although not to leave, on the one hand, and ADC is using his bedroom at home as a study/classroom, this suited us very well - although we are sorry not to see A in the flash for a while yet, this is probably the best solution for everyone. E will not be alone at the Seder, and our lives will be a little less cramped with three rather than four residents.
This past week we experienced the first heatwave of the spring. It was lovely sitting and working on the balcony until my laptop gave out and demanded more electricity. Unfortunately another cold spell begins tonight, so I probably won't be able to so this again for a while. ADC can still enjoy watching a family of jays that has settled in a tree across the road, though. According to him, the bird life of the neighbourhood has changed since the lockdown began, and the invasive parakeets are far fewer. Watching from the balcony today, he actually saw three cats identify a car as belonging to lady who feeds feral cats and line up on the pavement to greet her. One of the cats tried to attack a bird while waiting for food—which is precisely why feral cats should not be fed, in my opinion. Either adopt a cat, or bring it to be humanely killed, rather than let it wander free to kill other wildlife that it doesn't need for food (not blaming the cat, of course, but the people).
The family Zoom meetings of the weekend reiterated the generation gap—it was quite amazing how we had the same conversation about connecting both video and audio with my mother at six p.m. and with my BIL's MIL at seven. Despite the irritation in the moment, it's worth it, though (although not enough to sit through an entire meal together, as my BIL apparently does). We will see how the Seder goes on Wednesday.
Happy Passover and Easter to those celebrating, until I write again.
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