UC Recap – July 6th – July 11th

July 6 – July 11

Uptown Love in the Time of Coronavirus: Things I Miss II

 Almost 2 months ago, when we were knee deep in that quarantine life, I penned a missive entitled Things I Miss. Well, since we are now in like Phase 2.5 of the re-opening, I think the time is ripe for a sequel. One that provides both an iota of closure, that is as much as can be expected in a pandemic, as well as outlining some of the things I miss now. So here it goes, familia.

First and foremost, the things I missed the most back in late May was seeing my mom who lives less than a mile away from me, in the same small apartment that I grew up in on Wadsworth Ave. I am pleased to report that after nearly 4 months we are back to seeing mom every week. I could not be happier to be once again spending quality time with my mom and dad on a regular basis, but I can’t help the feeling that we were robbed of precious moments together because of the gross ineptitude of Tyrant Trump.

And that right there is the inescapable problem. Trump is still President. November seems so far away that it is but a mere abstraction. Florida had a world record-breaking 15K cases in one day recently. Texas, Georgia, Arizona, and California are seeing explosive growths in their respective caseloads. We are a nation in the midst of a great unraveling. It is not pretty. So while the rest of the first world is opening up their societies, we are mired in a coronavirus nightmare without end.

Trump and his feckless administration have so dropped the ball on their response to the pandemic that the United States and poorer nations are behind the surge in cases globally according to The Washington Post.

The world has changed. After much soul searching, I realized that the thing I really miss the most is peace of mind. That is a severely limited commodity that is not to be had at any cost. Worse than the mania-driven toilet paper shortage of the early quarantine, peace of mind has become a distant memory. If we are being honest, and I totally get that not truly confronting our dire situation is a coping mechanism of sorts, we are just at the beginning of this pandemic.

We have not hit rock bottom yet. We still haven’t really faced that dreaded second wave.  We are stuck in a perpetual first wave of the coronavirus. Never mind that we are living through a quasi-depression with astronomical unemployment and local and state and federal budgets creaking under the strain. This once mighty country has fallen so low in such a short time. And yes, Trump is still President. God help us all. Peace of mind may just be another casualty of the Trump regime.

Pa’lante, Siempre Pa’lante!

Keep checking us out at www.uptowncollective.com. 

Led Black

Editor-in-Chief

The Uptown Collective

The UC’s mission is to become “the” definitive, transformative and community-based force impacting the arts, culture, business and New York City’s overall perception of Upper Manhattan. Its objective is to reset, reboot and positively redefine Uptown’s artistic, political, cultural and business spheres via the online space as well the collective’s initiatives and functions.