One
The worrying started earlier, but The Circumstances really happened one year ago this month. So many things have changed.
Dinner with Friends: Since, I think, 2002, pretty much every Thursday, I'd go over to Margaret, Gerald, and William's house and have dinner and chat and then go off to some art event or something similar. The last time that happened was on March 19.
Going to the Office: March 19 was also the last time I went to the office to work. That was one day earlier than most of the staff, but I was pretty insistent that it made no sense for me to be there. (I was either going to work from home or call in sick.) I've popped in a couple of times in the evening to deal with mail, but never when other staff might be around. That's also likely the last time I had a Henderson granola bar or chatted with the student who worked in their convenience store. I wonder whether Henderson's will still exist after this and who knows if I'll ever run into that student again. I'm sure I've said it before, but I don't really miss going to the office, so I'm going to put off going back as long as possible.
Lunch with my Parents: Essentially every Friday since I started working at the University, I would have lunch with my parents. They'd pick me up and buy me lunch. The last time we did that was on March 13 and we went to Beak's. I didn't normally take pictures of my Friday lunches, but for some reason, that day I did:
It is a pretty delicious looking sandwich and I remember their food fondly. For other reasons, I'm avoiding deep fried food so I won't be eating that chicken sandwich anytime soon. That wasn't actually the last time I ate in a restaurant though. In the summer and early fall, when the case counts were particularly low, I went out a few times, but stuck to places that weren't busy. I'm looking forward to sitting at the bar in a bustling restaurant and just listening to the noise of the place.
Events: The last fun night out was a film screening at the Mackenzie Art Gallery on March 12 and my last concert was the Slocan Ramblers the night before at the Artesian. I miss going out. My evening walks are nice, but it has been too long since I've been able to share an experience with a bunch of strangers.
Travel: Going further back, my last flight was coming back from New York in October of 2019. Travel still feels far away. Maybe this fall, but it will take a while for places to reopen and flights to get back to normal, so I suspect I probably won't go anywhere too exciting until next year.
Most of these feel like they were just put on pause and that eventually they'll return. I wonder what will be different. When the news stories have nothing to do with this anymore, what remnants will remain. I suppose, at least, I will never again see someone walking through an airport wearing a mask and think that it makes no sense.
