Month: June 2020

Illinois is Moving to Phase 3

Last Friday, Illinois started to reopen. To be more specific, the whole state entered Phase 3 of the reopening plan. The state is doing surprisingly well, keeping all the numbers under control.
I called my eye doctor (not opened yet), my hair salon (got an appointment for Saturday), and my nails spa (got an appointment for Wednesday). It’s not like those are the most important things in my life, but those are small parts that started to fill the places they belong to.

It is also about human connections. I know both the hairstylist and the spa owner for quite a while, and they know me, and our conversations are usually beyond a barbershop small-talk.

In the hair salon, they reorganized the space so that each stylist has plenty of space on both sides. Everybody wears masks, and they clean thoroughly after each client. Also, they are not using blowdries anymore.

In the nail spa, everybody was ecstatic to see mom and me. I chatted at length with the owner. She told me that she applied for a small business grant, but is still waiting for approval. They are pretty busy after reopening. However, she is upset that some people do not keep appointments, and she can’t take anybody without an appointment these days.

I wish her to get through these rough times. She is doing all the right things to grow her business, offering exceptional services, working very hard, and always smiling.

I didn’t do the outdoor dining yet although I saw lots of places setting the tents outside.

Igor was able to come to Palatine for a couple of hours and visited with my mom. I suggested they would sit at the shelter on the platform, which is outdoor, but comfortable enough. I also instructed mom to wear a mask, which she did, and Igor did as well. I stopped by to give Igor a whole shopping bag of different fruits from Eurofesh. In view or the subsequent events, it was a great idea :).

The most important thing for me, however, is the fact that we are resuming clinic escorting. We have new procedures, and last week, all the experienced escorts were invited to zoom training sessions. The first day of escorting will be on Friday. I was worrying that the Loop will remain closed, but it reopened today. Metra is still running a weird schedule and will continue for the rest of the week. That means, I will be an hour late for the shift, but our team leader said it’s okay. I can’t even describe how excited I am to be back, even with our reduced powers. For the record, antis never stopped 😦

It Will Get Better

Several things happened, which made me feel more positive and reassured me that at least in the state, we could move in the right direction.

Illinois moved to phase 3 of reopening last Friday. The city was set to move to the next phase on Wednesday. And since the riots started, we were unsure whether the Mayor would proceed with the original plan.

She did. And I liked a lot how she explained her decision. She said that she traveled the city and talked with many business owners about what they think would be the right thing to do. And they all told her that the city should move on.

The Loop will still be closed, and the bridges will be up for now, but the rest of the city will start to reopen, with all precautions and reduced capacity, but still moving to phase 3. And that makes me feel really, really good. Now we need Metra to resume its services. They were shut down for the past two days, and now are cautiously reopening tomorrow.The other thing which elevated my spirits was that she said that if Trump tries to dispatch the military to the city, “she will see him in court.” And that will never happen on her watch.

Also, the governor reiterated that peaceful protests should continue because people have a right to express their frustration with injustice. I find it extremely important because if protesters were asked to stay home and not escalate the situation, it would mean that the goal of those who want to discredit the movement is achieved. I can’t even describe how I am thrilled that the fight for justice continues.

Continue reading “It Will Get Better” →

For the Historical Records

Yesterday, I looked at the new photos which appeared in Tribune and decided that I would not repost any more. Many people who saw the Saturday pictures commented that they looked like from the war zone. But the truth is that they are nothing in comparison with Sunday. I feel like reposting the photos with guns is promotes violence and decided against it.

On Sunday, the Mayor ordered a curfew from 9 PM to 6 AM. She asked the protesters to disperse peacefully, but the CTA was stopped by then, and the bridges were up. How people could peacefully disperse, God only knows.

There was a lot of looting during curfew and lots of fires, and gunshots, and wounds, and deaths. There was no CTA, and no Pace buses and the roads were blocked.

Today, the situation remained pretty much the same. No Metra today and tomorrow, no CTA in the Loop and surrounding areas, no non-essential traffic to the Loop is allowed. There is hardly any store in the Loop that is not looted, including 120 years old iconic camera shop.

Many essential activities are canceled, including COVID testing stations, Greater Chicago Food Depository, and free meals distribution for low-income students. The Illinois National Guard was brought in to guard the Loop.

After the city center was locked, the riots moved to the South and West Side and some suburbs. Most of the businesses were getting ready to open on Wednesday when the city was scheduled to move to phase 3. Now, the situation is uncertain. The governor pulled more of the National Guard troops to enforce the order in the suburbs.

Continue reading “For the Historical Records” →