Items
Creator is exactly
Gavin McCormick
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May 6, 2020
Plague Journal, Day 54: Jumping down a right-wing rabbit hole
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. In the latest entry, as the bodies pile up I explore a Trumpian disinformation rabbit hole involving a Wuhan lab, a New York-based research group, and an NIH grant. Also, a potential job goes up in smoke. -
May 5, 2020
Plague Journal, Day 53: CoronaWorld oral history, charter high school teacher
I'm keeping a daily Covid-19 journal. In the latest entry, I interview an English teacher at a Washington, D.C., charter high school. -
May 4, 2020
Plague Journal, Day 52: Tale of the tip
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. In the latest entry, I forget to tip a delivery man, try to rectify my error, fail. Or not: -
May 3, 2020
Plague Journal, Day 51: CoronaWorld oral history, 3rd-grade teacher
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. In the latest entry, I interview a third-grade teacher at a bilingual third-grade class at a public grammar school (K-6) in the Bronx. -
May 2, 2020
Plague Journal, Day 50: Feeling very Brooklyn
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. The most recent entry discusses Brooklyn's motto; the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake; the uncertainty that forms the foundation of CoronaWorld; and our latest and best edition of NYC's nightly 7 p.m. cheer for front-line workers. -
April 26, 2020
Plague Journal, Day 44: Shouldering CoronaStress
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, in which The Girlfriend, my sisters, brother, and mother discuss the challenges and exhaustion of doing normal things -- moving supplies from an art studio, shopping at Target, leaving a parking garage -- in an abnormal time. -
2020-05-01
Plague Journal, Day 49: The Kid writes a play
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. In the latest entry, I interview The Kid about her experience watching her play performed by professional actors -- an experience moved from the stage to a podcast by CoronaWorld. -
April 29, 2020
Plague Journal, Day 48: Zoom party, Zoom shiva
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. In the latest entry, The Girlfriend and I describe two events we attend by videoconference: a birthday party and a shiva. -
April 28, 2020
Plague Journal, Day 47: "Needs improvement"
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. The latest entry, which sees me in a lousy mood, thinking about life's now routine uncertainties, and taking a typical walk made new by CoronaWorld. -
April 27, 2020
Plague Journal, Day 46: Regret, guilt, shame
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. In the latest edition, The Kid, The Girlfriend, St. Paul, St. Augustine, three rabbis, Bill Wilson, a couple of therapists and I discuss notions of guilt, shame, sin, and apology. -
2020-04-27
Plague Journal, Day 45: CoronaWorld oral history, high school teacher
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, in which I interview an NYC public high school teacher about the struggles she and her students are facing in CoronaWorld: -
April 25, 2020
Plague Journal, Day 43: CoronaWorld oral history, college dean
I'm keeping a Covid-19 blog. In the latest entry, I interview a private university dean about his work helping students manage the transition of a semester uprooted by CoronaWorld. -
April 24, 2020
Plague Journal, Day 42: Co-op co-operating
I'm keeping a Covid-19 blog. The latest entry, discussing my move into a gentrifying Brooklyn historic district and my co-op's CoronaWorld aid system for ailing neighbors. -
April 23, 2020
Plague Journal, Day 41: Grieving Joe Montana
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. In the latest entry, I discuss following my life's greatest sports story from half a world away; the emptiness reminds me of CoronaWorld. -
2020-04-22
Plague Journal, Day 40: CoronaWorld oral history, The Kid
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Today, I interview The Kid about her 7th-grade school experience, which has been interrupted by CoronaWorld. -
2020-04-21
Plague Journal, Day 39: Dreaming in CoronaWorld
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, describing our family's new routines; weird dreams; my laundromat reopening; presidential flailing; and the death of a friend's mother. -
2020-04-20
Plague Journal, Day 38: CoronaWorld oral history, The Girlfriend
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. In the latest entry, I talk to The Girlfriend, a college professor, about her struggle to shift her semester class to the digital realm in CoronaWorld. -
2020-04-19
Plague Journal, Day 37: No-fault recipe
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. The latest entry, with notes on my father's cooking style; my own culinary education; and my desire to impart wisdom to The Kid. -
2020-04-18
Plague Journal, Day 36: The Girlfriend and I fight
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, detailing the first CoronaWorld fight with The Girlfriend and the long-awaited arrival of The Kid. -
2020-04-16
Plague Journal, Day 35: Shuttered on Waverly
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, pondering the fate of workers from eight shuttered businesses on a single block across the street, plus detailing my further adventures in Unemployment Insurance applications. -
2020-04-16
Plague Journal, Day 34: Learning with Montaigne
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, in which I battle depression by reading a few Montaigne essays, taking a walk: -
2020-04-15
Plague Journal, Day 33: Fighting depression
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, in which depression gets the better of me: -
2020-04-14
Plague Journal, Day 32: Learning to love auto repair
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. The latest entry discusses The Kid, a roller skating accident, Pringles, and my fear of auto-repair shops. -
2020-04-13
Plague Journal, Day 31: Whitman: "Beat! Beat! Drums!"
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, filled with obituaries, Walt Whitman's tales of Civil War hospitals, and a poem. -
2020-04-12
Plague Journal, Day 30: Pilers and filers
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, discussing the difference between pilers and filers and the power of scrubbing. -
2020-04-11
Plague Journal, Day 29: Listening in the CoronaHush
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, from a decent day in CoronaWorld (including receipt of new masks), all things considered. -
2020-04-10
Plague Journal, Day 28: Sirens, corpses, seder
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, featuring sirens, 1,000 dead New Yorkers, real estate concerns, and a videoconference Passover seder. -
2020-04-09
Plague Journal, Day 27: Battling CoronaBody
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, discussing depression, Robert Caro, my closed tennis court, baking, and CoronaBody. -
2020-04-08
Plague Journal, Day 26: Everything enrages
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, in which I battle unwarranted rage, stoke warranted rage, and allow my mom's exercise regime to crack my armor. -
2020-04-07
Plague Journal, Day 25: Neon pink bonds
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, including observations on the bonds between New Yorkers sparked by the thoughts of Daniel Kahneman, fast and slow. "I head to my windows for the city’s 7 p.m. ritual cheer for the health care workers, first responders, laborers making the city function, saving our lives. It's a modest gesture, but the bonds radiate, neon pink." -
2020-04-06
Plague Journal, Day 24: Using the 12-step toolkit
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Today's entry, with updates on The Girlfriend, face masks, the family, and a few 12-step kernels I'm finding useful in CoronaWorld. -
2020-04-05
Plague Journal, Day 23: A Sumatran bus story
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Today's entry, with more thoughts about my time in Indonesia, its parallels with New York City in CoronaWorld, and a bit about baking: -
2020-03-17
Plague Journal
Gavin McCormick is a reporter, writer, and professor who lives in Brooklyn. Since early March 2020, when his family entered quarantine, he has been keeping a daily COVID-19 journal. Created with no plan beyond tracking the world, his life, and his mind at an unusual moment, journal entries encompass daily life with his family, including his 12-year-old daughter and his girlfriend; family history; reportage of pandemic life in Brooklyn, including of quarantine, economic collapse, and #BLM protests; observations on education, journalism, and politics; discussions of cooking and music; and reflections on connection and loss, all during a time of intense social unease. -
2020-04-01
Plague Journal, Day 20: Grieving Fountains of Wayne
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. The latest entry discusses our amateur diagnosis of The Girlfriend; ambiguous grief; and a rash of death, including that of a top tunesmith. -
2020-04-01
Plague Journal, Day 19: Kumbaya-dot-com!
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. The latest entry discusses the vagaries of digital communication, including a sour school-parent social media thread and sweeter chats with various loved ones. -
2020-03-31
Plague Journal, Day 18: What if the war comes?
I've been keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's my latest entry, discussing my father, parsimony, war, and toilet paper. -
2020-03-30
Plague Journal, Day 17:Authoritarianism 101 (Suharto style)
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, with updates on my upstate friend (better!), further turns in The Girlfriend's condition, and thoughts on life under President Suharto. -
2020-03-29
Plague Journal, Day 16: The Girlfriend and I swap symptoms
I'm a New York City journalist keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest, including our inability to make sound decisions because we lack solid information: -
2020-03-28
Plague Journal, Day 15: Rank competence
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, including our applause for New York City's health workers and first responders: -
2020-03-27
Plague Journal, Day 14: Grieving Ambiguously
I'm keeping a Covid-19 Journal. Here's the latest entry, as The Girlfriend and The Kid stay on the mend and north Brooklyn fills with the sound of ambulance sirens. -
2020-03-26
Plague Journal, Day 13: Sick Girlfriend, Sick Kid
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, with updates on the health of The Kid, The Girlfriend, and a St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake. -
2020-03-25
Plague Journal, Day 12: The Four Ts
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, with updates on the health of The Kid and The Girlfriend: -
2020-03-24
Plague Journal, Day 11: Devolution: Thermometer Edition
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, including discussion on the devolution of the household thermometer: -
2020-03-23
Plague Journal, Day 10: Found Poem, Patti Smith's "12"
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, featuring a found poem based on the songs of Twelve, a cover album by Patti Smith. -
2020-04-04
Plague Journal, Day 22: BCW (Before CoronaWorld)
Here's the latest entry, demarcating the Before and After of CoronaWorld, and grieving some of what's lost -
2020-04-03
Plague Journal, Day 21: Kid fight
Here's the latest entry, which discusses the time sludge of Corona-World, along with my atrophying parenting skills -
2020-03-22
Plague Journal, Day 9: Great Brownie debate
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry: -
2020-03-21
Plague Journal, Day 8: The Circle of disease tightens
The Girlfriend's friend enters the hospital with lung problems, awaits test results; also, her colleague is a possible Covid-19 vector. The Girlfriend experiences tension with her mother in a nursing home, her children at her apartment. Meanwhile, my mother adjusts to her new isolation. -
2020-03-20
Plague Journal, Day 7: "Power to the Little Creatures"
Keeping up with the news enrages me, so The Kid and I climb on bikes to ride through Prospect Park; Brooklynites seem withdrawn, more dour. The Kid gets her first online middle-school assignments; The Girlfriend packs up her son's New Jersey dorm room; and as the city empties out, we begin to hear birdsong and sirens. -
2020-03-19
Plague Journal, Day 6: "This one is a disease vector"
I'm keeping a Plague Journal, here is today's entry: I struggle to file my unemployment claim in an overwhelmed system; Trumpians trot out a racist description of Covid-19; I work to grasp the virus's severity with everything from face touching to pants buying; and The Girlfriend and I walk and jog through Bed-Stuy.