Semi-Thoughtful Musings

June 17, 2020. 100 Days of Solitude.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Yep, the guy who wrote One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera. So why not rip off his titles for my blog and this iteration? Not that I have any connection with him (other than those are two of Barbs favorite books). But they sound cool and somewhat ominous. Unlike GGM, however, these little droplets are destined to remain in obscurity for way longer than a hundred years. But, who cares? It’s fun for me.

Imagine: Imagine there’s no virus. It’s easy if you try. Sorry, Mr. Lennon, but is our little Orange Baby, singing your song right now? Seems like it. Other than requiring a signed disclaimer for every attendee, he and his cowboy minions shall not utter the word-not-spoken as they round up some 19,000 pliant cow-like followers into a Tulsa Oklahoma stockade to participate in a Coronavirus social experiment. While the mooing and braying will be prevalent, the real show will happen a couple of weeks later when we find out if Orange Baby had actually conducted a televised slaughterhouse event. It seems OB may have decided on a pre-election reality TV campaign format where he gets to preen and puff while simultaneously risking the health and lives of a few hundred (as in tear-gassed protesters) or thousand (as in droplet-inhaling cattle) American lives. Sure it’s risky, but hey, who the heck knows if it’ll work. Personally, I’m not betting against it.

Saddest of Sad: I don’t often mention it, but one of the most difficult things Barb (and sometimes me) have to deal with is that, as a Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) patient and research advocate, she has gotten to know many strong women who eventually succumb to that dreaded disease. When she walked the runway in New York Fashion Week for Ana Ono just 18 months ago, she was one 24 MBC participants. Since that time, four of those participants have passed away. While it is wholly inappropriate to compare one life to the next, it is the passing of the most recent woman that has affected us most intensely. Erin Remme, a beautiful soul, a youthful, vibrant mother of three, passed away this week. She was a shining light to everyone who knew her and her advocacy for MBC research resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars for Metavivor, her chosen research support organization. Erin’s loss has been devastating. Certainly for her beautiful family and friends. But also for Barb, who wept uncontrollably when she heard. Our hearts go out to her wonderful, loving family and to her friends, who loved her with a ferocity that that was immeasurable.

Peace and Love.