Pandemic Diary — April 12 to 18, 2021

Monday, April 12   Deaths  2,441 (+1)   New cases  294

Another grocery shopping day. E walked to the Co-op (4,500 steps!) and then called M to come and pick her up. E did Yoga later, and also got some new socks via Fedex. E’s feet are very particular about socks. These socks appear to be just right. They came from Walmart online and turned out to be made in Turkey. Güzel! 

For TV we watched an episode of 20 Minutes (Yermi Dakika). A startling development! It’s about Raven and no, it’s not her new white leather coat. Her dad, Cat the burglar, has given her a car, and not just any car, a vintage Mustang convertible! It’s shiny red and has dual exhausts. The top is a little ragged but otherwise it looks good. And either it still sounds really great or else the producers cared enough to find a great soundtrack for it. 

Tuesday, April 13   Deaths  2,446 (+5)   New cases  567

Speaking of red vehicles, M got his truck today. We went up to the CarMax Superstore in Salem and there it was, looking very pretty, all freshly detailed in the bright sunshine. M took a long look, figuring it looked better today than it ever would again. And sure enough, when he got it home, there were bug splatters all over the windshield and the front grill. CarMax has a seven-day free return policy, so he was thinking maybe he should take this one back and demand a truck that will stay clean. 

CarMax also has a 30-day money-back guarantee, which would seem to make the seven-day return policy somewhat redundant, but never mind. They also give a fix-it-for-free warranty for 90 days or 4,000 miles. But the factory warranty from Nissan is good until September of 2022, so never mind that either. Anyway, it took a long time to go through all this stuff, so M had to spend about an hour at the superstore even though he had already chosen the vehicle and agreed to the no-haggle price. E went on the test drive with him, but later drove off to get us some lunch from a Thai restaurant whilst M dealt with the paperwork. 

So what do we think of the CarMax buying experience? The whole process was pleasant and painless. Having a good Thai place nearby was a plus.

How was the price? M’s research suggests that the no-haggle prices charged by CarMax, Vroom and Carvana are generally lower than the asking prices at traditional dealerships. But traditional dealerships are often willing to come down from their asking prices and a good negotiator will be able to match the price of the no-haggle stores. But who wants to spend time negotiating? Not M. Knowledge is power and in the old days car dealers had extensive knowledge and buyers had very little. Nowadays the balance of information is roughly equal. Besides, says E, the CarMax Superstore had a really nice restroom with a special foot pedal attached to the door for no-touch opening.

Why didn’t M get a Toyota Tacoma instead of a Nissan Frontier? Don’t Toyotas have a better reputation? Yes they do. And the result is that used Tacomas cost many thousands of dollars more that comparable Frontiers. A Nissan will suffice for M. 

If a used vehicle spent its first years of life as a rental vehicle, does that affect its current price? Oh yeah. If the vehicle is a Nissan Frontier, it seems to knock off between $5,000 and $8,000 of value. Is it easy to find out if a vehicle was once a rental? Yes! Or if it has ever been in an accident? Yes, that too! And it’s very easy to find out how much  other dealers are asking for a virtually identical vehicles. M says this is a golden age for car buying.

Wednesday, April 14   Deaths  2,449 (+3)   New cases  816

The CDC has announced a “pause” in the approval of the Johnson and Johnson one-dose COVID vaccine. The reason for the pause is that after 6.8 million J&J shots, blood clots have been found in six women, one of whom died. Fine, you say, they’re being careful. Okay, but it’s still a little strange. If they applied this standard to other medicines, we wouldn’t have very many medicines left. Birth control pills, for example, are associated with blood clots in one out of every thousand users, making birth control pills 1,000 times more dangerous than J&J’s vaccine. Will we be seeing a pause there? Probably not. 

Thursday, April 15   Deaths  2,455 (+6)   New cases  733

Tertulia today, again live and in person! J and R are almost ready for their trip to St. George, Utah. Andrea and Andy have already bought their tickets for the East coast in August. J is on her way to New York City next week to see her daughter who is about to have a baby. Life goes on.

M got a long needed haircut today and then took the truck out for a spin in the Coast Range, going out Highway 20 and returning via Siletz, Logdsen, and Summit. Part of the route parallels the old railroad line that runs between Corvallis and the coast.

Friday, April 16   Deaths  2,457 (+2   New cases  704

We took E to Salem for an MRI of her foot this morning. She survived the experience but she does not recommend it. In the middle of the day we had lunch on the patio and did a little watering. M also took some pictures.

 

Later she turned around and baked a pie. Soon after that, M went to the store to get ice cream and then turned around and microwaved two Amy’s frozen dinners. And the party began. The pie was very good, but E was not satisfied. Our garden rhubarb, she believes, is just not up to snuff.

On TV we watched Episode 13 of 45 RPM. Good ending. Next we’ll have to get back to Melek. 

Saturday, April 17  Deaths  2,460 (+3)   New cases  888

Albert Bourla, the CEO of Pfizer, said today that people will “likely” need a third dose of their vaccine within twelve months. After that, it might possibly be required every year. In recent weeks it has become clear that a sizable percentage of Americans do not intend to get vaccinated. We might think that would be bad news for Pfizer, since this will lower demand for vaccines. But that would be simplistic thinking. There is no scenario in which Pfizer does not come out golden.

Around here it was hot today, somewhere in the eighties. M started up one segment of sprinklers and found two big leaks in the feed line. (We don’t much like watering in April. Should be raining more.) Apparently, someone has been messing around poking shovels and sticks and things into the ground and puncturing things. Does M think he knows who that someone was? Of course he does. It was him. Making the repairs required a visit to Home Depot for fittings. Man, was it crowded. While M was there experiencing a Home Depot Saturday in all its glory, E was at Stonybrook visiting her friend S and dog Pepper. After lunch she had a visit with her seamstress to pick up some alterations. A young woman was there trying on a wedding dress, which E says was very lovely with pearls everywhere. Also very low necked and with a slit up one side almost as high as Denver. 

Dinner was take-out from Ba’s followed by rhubarb pie. Delicious. TV was two episodes of 20 Minutes. Lovesick Ozan has told Melek that Ali is having an affair with Raven. He showed her a picture of the two of them lying on a bed. They were fully clothed in winter jackets and not touching, but still. Melek is worried sick. The prison break is scheduled for nine days from now.

Sunday, April 18   Deaths  2,460 (0)   New cases  628

For breakfast M made Fanny Farmer biscuits and E produced a treasured jar of maple butter. A wonderful beginning to another hot day. In the morning M worked in the yard while E went for a walk on campus and said hello to the horses at the Vet School pasture. In the afternoon we made plans for a trip to the coast next week. We’re getting a kitchenette unit at the Best Western in Bandon and planning a hike to some falls on the Illinois River.  Yes, the Illinois River is in Oregon. One wonders if Illinois has an Oregon River?

We checked in again with Melek and Ali. Seems to be lots of confusion going around. Trust no one! Ali has shot a would be blackmailer, but not in any vital spot. The prison doctor who has been helping Melek has been taken in for interrogation. The prison break has been moved up to tomorrow. From Melek in Turkey we passed on to Princess Martha of Norway in Atlantic Crossing. Today was the episode in which she completes the eponymous journey, arriving in New York and then going off to stay for a while in the White House at the invitation of FDR. Missy LeHand does not seem pleased with this arrangement.