We got the shelter-in-place order from the San Mateo County Board of Health:
“Effective midnight tonight, the Health Officer of San Mateo County is requiring people to stay home except for essential needs. The intent of this order is to ensure the maximum number of people self-isolate in their places of residence to the maximum extent feasible. … This order is in effect until April 7. It may be extended depending on recommendations from public health officials.”
We’re allowed to go to the grocery store or the pharmacy, and we can go for walks outdoors if we stay away from other people, but that’s about it.
So Carol and I went up to the local grocery store at 5 p.m. We usually go shopping every day, but now we’d rather minimize our trips to the store, so we thought we’d pick up a few things. The store showed all the signs of panic buying — I call it panic buying because while there were no bags of rice on the shelves, there was plenty of bulk rice available. I also noticed that the only canned beans left on the shelf were good old B&M Baked Beans; Californians don’t really like New England style baked beans, not even when they’re panic-buying. In any case, we found plenty of food for our needs.
Then we went off so I could do my own panic buying. You see, the libraries closed a couple of days ago, and I’ve already finished the books I had taken out. I hate ebooks because they make my eyes tired. I hate Amazon. And if I don’t feed my reading addiction, things get ugly. So we went to our local Barnes and Noble, and I bought some books:
Yes, most of the books I got are junk — pulp fiction and cozy mysteries and science fiction magazines — but I got some serious books too. The book by Thomas Piketty should be dense enough to last me a while.
But … I don’t know … this may not be enough books … maybe I better rush down and buy more books before the bookstore closes….
Update, Friday, March 20: The Seminary Coop Bookstore in Chicago is offering free shipping to its book-deprived customers. Amazon doesn’t need your business right now! Feed your book addiction, and help keep one of the last independent coop bookstores in the U.S. alive. I just place an order with them, why don’t you? Below is an excerpt from the email they sent out:
Hmm. I’m clearing out some books here. Would you like me to mail them to you?
Sure, if you want. And I can mail you some back!
Will do! I’ve got some old Sci-Fi somewhere around here, and because I get desk copies for my job, lots of duplicates. Watch your mailbox!
Locally, Kepler’s will also fill web orders, though its brick-and-mortar store is closed until the all-clear. So Peninsula folks can support their local bookstore and sustain their own mental health while sheltering in place!
If you ship books, remember to use Media Mail at the U.S.P.O. Sooo much less costly than First Class and even Priority Mail flat rate.