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Surely you are not getting your news from my blog and you are aware of the death of George Floyd at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers and the civil unrest that followed. Yesterday there was a peaceful protest at the capitol attended by thousands including the Mayor. After the planned protest, things got ugly. Violence erupted in several areas of downtown. Buildings were spray painted and vandalized and several people set small fires at the court house. I left before any of this happened so I don't have any pictures of the jerks that came downtown to cause trouble, just peaceful protesters. Unfortunately the reason I left early is because my camera was malfunctioning and I wanted to try to repair it. A day later and I still have no camera, Nikon is not taking repairs during the pandemic and I have heard that the local repair place has not been returning calls. Until I can get it fixed, I guess I'll be taking a break from the blog. Thanks for reading and hopefully I'll be up and running again soon. I'm going to post the pictures from the "We Will Breathe" rally without commentary.   uber blog-5480 uber blog-5362 uber blog-5364 uber blog-5367 uber blog-5369 uber blog-5373 uber blog-5374 uber blog-5376 uber blog-5377 uber blog-5379 uber blog-5380 uber blog-5382 uber blog-5384 uber blog-5385 uber blog-5387 uber blog-5391 uber blog-5393 uber blog-5394 uber blog-5395 uber blog-5397 uber blog-5399 uber blog-5402 uber blog-5406 uber blog-5407 uber blog-5408 uber blog-5411 uber blog-5412 uber blog-5413 uber blog-5418 uber blog-5421 uber blog-5425 uber blog-5426 uber blog-5429 uber blog-5431 uber blog-5432 uber blog-5433 uber blog-5434 uber blog-5436 uber blog-5437 uber blog-5438 uber blog-5440 uber blog-5441 uber blog-5444 uber blog-5446 uber blog-5454 uber blog-5457 uber blog-5458 uber blog-5459 uber blog-5461 uber blog-5463 uber blog-5466 uber blog-5479

I had a delivery to St. Thomas hospital today. I went to the roundabout where the valets usually are. The doors were locked and there were signs saying no visitors. I couldn’t get in. I was supposed to meet the customer inside. I called to let her know that I couldn’t get in. She said she would meet me outside. While I was waiting, two workers came out with a patient in a wheelchair and her bags. They helped her load in to a waiting van and then realized they were now locked outside as well.  They just waited until my customer came to get her order and they got back in. Apparently they have screening stations at most of the entrances where they take your temp and give you a mask but not at this door. 

May 19 

I got my temperature taken today for the first time at Hooter’s. uber blog-5291 Duchess asked me to lean forward so she could point the touchless thermometer at my forehead. She said 96.6 or so I thought. I might have misheard as that seemed low but better than high. uber blog-5299 I also found this car on a delivery. I’m not really sure I follow but I would steer clear if I saw this guy coming my way. He’s gotta fix that flat first though. uber blog-5302 The newest blight on the land, discarded ppe. uber blog-5304 May 20 

M Street was a mess tonight. That’s several restaurants on McGavock between 11th and 12th. There are about three restaurants that all use the same outdoor area and it was crowded with no one giving a damn about social distancing. No masks either. uber blog-5309 I didn’t feel like hanging around there for long and thankfully, I didn’t have to. 

May 21 

Today was new car day. I drove to Chattanooga and picked up a new-to-me 2015 Subaru Forester and it’s loaded. It’s going to be better mileage. I’m pretty excited about it. Pictures to come.  

May 22 

Dury’s announced a couple of days ago that they would not be reopening.  uber blog-5315 They have been closed for a month or more. They were the only independent camera store in all of Nashville. They will be severely missed. I’m sure they had been fighting internet sales for years. Being closed for a couple of months was the blind side upper cut that did them in, I guess. 

May 23 

Sometimes you just have to stop and shoot the horses.  uber blog-5335 uber blog-5338 The scene at Church's drive through. The chicken is fresh tonight.   uber blog-5348 uber blog-5349 May 29 

It’s been almost a week since I’ve added to my journal, which goes on to be my blog. I haven’t taken many pictures lately either. I keep going to the same restaurants and seeing the same things. A lot has happened this week and I feel like I am having trouble finding new visuals to show. Virus wise, the biggest news is that the United States has passed 100,00 deaths from covid-19 and that’s over one third of all the deaths in the world. It boggles the mind how this could have hit the US worse than any other country. Davidson County has had 5,210 cases and 59 deaths. They have the testing centers open five days a week now. I still need to get some more pictures of those. The city announced today that the emergency makeshift hospital at the Music City Center would be dismantled and had not been needed. That’s 1600 beds that never got used so that’s a good thing. 

My car died on Monday and had to be towed to the shop.  That gave me 2 days off as I waited for repairs. Yesterday I had to take an Uber to pick up my car. I wasn’t really very excited to climb into a car with a stranger. I haven’t been wearing a mask, just keeping my distance. When I used the Uber app to get a ride it advised wearing a mask, and since I would be in a small space with a driver that has presumably been picking up other riders, I figured I’d make an effort.  I made a mask from a bandana.  It was almost too small to tie around my big head but I made it work. Well the driver wasn’t wearing a mask or gloves.  I have no way of knowing when he last disinfected his car. On top of that, he told me that he had just finished a shift at his other job, Food Lion.  So I am riding in a car with an Uber driver that works in a grocery store for eight hours with the public before he gets in to his car and picks up strangers.  There is no knowing how thoroughly he cleaned his car or when or if his last riders took precautions.  Wonderful. uber blog-5204 I got a phone call from a good friend today.  He lives in New York, possibly the epicenter of the virus in the world.  He and his family have tested negative and are staying safe. Good to hear. 

May 8 

We found out today that there is a quarantine camp at the fairgrounds for homeless people that have tested positive for the virus. We found out because Randle Kirkley jumped the fence and was arrested two miles away was charged with escaping a penal institution and is being held in lieu $5,000 bond. He escaped a penal institution where he was being held for an indeterminant amount of time without due process of law.  

It was also reported today that anyone tests positive for covid-19 in Davidson County would have their names given to the police. uber blog-5213 People are howling at 8pm all over town.  It has not really reached my neighborhood but it is all over East Nashville.  uber blog-5215 May 12 

More bad luck with my car. The transmission is out and I am not going to have it fixed. 

May 13 

I have not done any deliveries because my car is dead and I am now in the market for a new vehicle.  My sister and my nephew drove my Dad’s truck up today for me to drive until I can find something to buy. They are on their way to Tuscaloosa to get Brad’s stuff out of his dorm room.  He hasn’t been able to get in to the dorms since he left for spring break.  They got here about 7 and we tried to find a restaurant to eat at.  We tried Red Headed Stranger and The Pharmacy, both closed for inside dining. We found a place to eat at Las Maracas. They had limited seating but we got a table. They seemed to be doing a good job with only five parties in the dining room spaced well apart. The staff were all wearing masks. 

May 14 

uber blog-5218 uber blog-5222 uber blog-5226 uber blog-5231 uber blog-5236 uber blog-5243 I did one delivery today in my dad’s truck.  It’s a little bigger than what I was driving so I need to get used to it.  It was actually a little slow around dinner time so I turned the app off and headed downtown.   

It was my first night downtown since the city has allowed partial openings and, although it was not back to normal, it was definitely more active. Scooters, a couple on fat tire e-bikes, lots of pedestrians, and this was at 6ish on a Thursday.  

I saw a bunch of police arrive at a scene at 4th and Broadway. There was a big crowd around and not much social distancing going on. uber blog-5252 uber blog-5255 uber blog-5257 When I got over there I saw a guy on the ground that was not in a good way. He was face down but I could see a lot of blood from his head. He was unresponsive as they rolled him over and put the neck brace on. uber blog-5263 uber blog-5266

Then he was strapped to the backboard as the ambulance arrived. I do hope he is alright. I didn’t get the full story but from what I gathered he came up to the bar looking for trouble and he found it. Someone punched him completely out. It also looks like he was on a bike so I’m not really sure how it all played out.  Hope he was okay.  I have more graphic pictures but I really don’t feel like sharing them. I think these tell the story. Lower Broad is open for business y’all !!!!!! 
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May 5

Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday that we celebrate in the US as Mexican Independence Day when in fact it is simply the celebration of a Mexican victory over the French in a battle in 1862, the real Mexican Independence Day being September 16. I didn’t do any deliveries today but did get out to see how a couple of Mexican restaurants were preparing for the holiday take-out demand.  uber blog-5130 uber blog-5136 uber blog-5145 uber blog-5146 uber blog-5169

The new Cinco de May (the restaurant) had a mariachi band. I feel really bad because I had zero dollars in my wallet to tip them after taking these pictures. I live in Nashville, I should know better. Hopefully they will be a regular fixture and I’ll make it right in the near future.  uber blog-5172 uber blog-5173 uber blog-5175 uber blog-5178 uber blog-5183 uber blog-5186 uber blog-5197 uber blog-5201

Rose Pepper was preparing for a full-on assault.  I was there a little before 5 so it was pretty empty but they were prepared for lots of people and seemed to be on top of the spacing. 

I drove by Las Maracas, El Fuego, and Mos Tacos as well.  They all had lines of people picking up food but I didn’t stop for pictures at any of them. 

uber blog-5027 uber blog-5030 uber blog-5052 Another busy day.  The weather was beautiful.  77 degrees and partly cloudy. Chik-Fil-A on 8th Ave was nuts.  uber blog-5059 They seemed to have it pretty much under control though.  Some of the best mask discipline from employees that I have seen.  Most people at other restaurants just wear them as neck warmers. uber blog-5067 uber blog-5062 I just walked up to the window and didn't go to the drive through.  It looked like they had people taking orders on an iPad and they had an iPhone on a stick that they could put in through the car window. I’m assuming there was some sort of card reader on them letting people pay.  uber blog-5073 I’ve been noticing a lot of school signs that still have the spring break dates on them.  The end dates now just seem to mock our current situation.  uber blog-5076 Some restaurants seem to be allowing outside dining now. 

Two weekends ago the family across the street from me came down with a cough.  They tried to get tested on Saturday the 18th but it was a four hour wait and they gave up.  They got tested the following Monday at the drive through site at Nissan Stadium.  Thay said there was no wait at all but the results wouldn’t be back for 7 to 10 days. I talked to them today and the test came back negative. Good news, good news indeed. 

May 4 

States are starting to open up.  Tennessee partially lifted the lock down on May 1st but Nashville is waiting until May 8. Nashville has 3191 confirmed cases and 27 deaths.  Early models had the nationial death toll estimated to between 100,000 and 200,000, then it was adjusted down to 60,000 but we passed that and have reached 67,000.  Now the newest model says 134,000 with the death rate getting as high as 3000 a day. 

Trousdale Turner Prison had 1299 inmates and 50 staff test positive three days ago.  That’s about half of the tests they did.  98% of the positives were asymptimatic.   

A recurring theme, police with their lights on.

uber blog-5081 Pretty cool Ford pick-up. It's like they are just showing off all the undercover vehicles. uber blog-5090

We had a bad storm come through yesterday. Lots of trees down and 240,000 homes and businesses without power. I heard it was twice as big an outage as after the tornado and some with be without power for two weeks.  And there is another big storm on the radar heading our way in a couple of hours.   

And yesterday it was announced that Giant Murder Hornets from Asia have made their way to America. Great. 

I saw a bunch of turkeys yesterday in East Nashville.  They were fat and I don’t think they were wild.  I’ve heard of free-range chickens of course, but I don’t think they are allowed in the city.  And especially free-range turkeys. I didn’t bother calling Codes on them though.  uber blog-5009 uber blog-5014 uber blog-5016 I also saw a small group of our local on-road off-road vehicle club.  Only eight in this group.  They usually roll in much bigger numbers.  The cops don’t even bother to chase them because these guys can split up and be gone in no time.   uber blog-5019

Today was the first day that Tennessee was allowing partial openings.  I think Nashville starts to follow on Friday.  I may be a little off on that.  I definitely felt that the roads were a little busier.  I went downtown and even though the bars are still closed, I saw a lot more people walking around and a lot more cars as well.  I even saw what had to be a bachelorette party taking some pictures.  By the time I got parked and walked a half block back to Broadway with my camera, they were loading up in to several vehicles and taking off. I missed pictures of them but I did see an unmarked white cargo van with its lights flashing.  Who knew Metro had unmarked white cargo vans. You do now.  uber blog-5039

The governor spoke yesterday and we are going to reopen Tennessee on April 27.  It will be incremental.  There will still be a recommendation for no gatherings of more than 10.  Nashville had 152 new cases yesterday but only 33 today.  I think we might be jumping the gun just a bit but we will see. 

Georgia is starting to open on Friday.  They have a lot more cases than Tennessee, a lot more deaths also.    uber blog-4979 Jonathon's in Hendersonville. uber blog-4982 uber blog-4984 April 22 

So, as we grow more eager to reopen everything and get back to normal, how people feel about this has split down the same predictable political divide.  It seems as if most of the scientific community says we should wait a little bit and the folks on the left want to do that.  The economic community says we need to reopen now to avoid even worse economic damage and the folks on the right want to do that.  I’m starting to lean towards reopening.  I think we need to do it reasonably and more slowly in more population dense areas.  In the end it is the public that will decide.  You could open everything up tomorrow and I doubt Taylor Swift would sell out Bridgestone Arena.  People aren’t going to be ready for that.  But at the same time, I bet some people got tattoos in Georgia today, I bet a lot more wait a little bit.  In the end, what really gets me is the partisanship of it all.  How quickly we want to pick sides and label something or someone as red or blue.  I’m so sick of it. 

“Good afternoon. Don’t let anyone steal you joy. This storm is about to be over,” words from a cashier at Kroger today.  I sure hope so cashier lady. 

April 24 

For the last week Blackhawk helicopters from Fort Campbell, KY just north of here have been flying over the neighborhood at night with their lights off.  This is not a new thing; they use the closed Cornelia Fort airport in Shelby Park for night training.  But this is usually once in a while.  It is strange to hear them so often and so many nights in a row.  I would love to get some pictures of them landing in the park but I might have to camp out a while to get those shots. 

Hospitals are furloughing people.  That’s something you don’t expect during a pandemic.  With no elective surgery hospitals are losing money.  People that might have gone to the emergency room in the past for something are now thinking twice about it because they don’t want to be around people with the disease.   

China One on Lebanon Pike was particularly well draped tonight.  I believe they have been closed and just recently reopened. uber blog-4998 uber blog-5000 uber blog-5002 uber blog-5005 uber blog-5008  

83 new cases today.  That’s up from, I think, 37 new cases yesterday.  It looked like it was turning down but more bad news again.  The Tyson chicken plant in Goodlettsville just had 90 workers test positive.  60 from Davidson county.  I guess that will be in the numbers tomorrow.   

On a lighter note, I saw some cool folks on Riverside Drive having a good time when they might have rather been in a bar.  I don’t know though, this might be a way to party that we keep after this is all over.   

uber blog-4936 uber blog-4937 That's Sandra, Courtney, Asher and Holland. uber blog-4939 uber blog-4941 uber blog-4953 uber blog-4957 uber blog-4960 Sandra was keeping a tally of the cool cars versus the not so cool cars. uber blog-4961 Several years ago, a friend of mine had a bicycle shop in the bottom floor of a building.  The top floor had a skate shop.  In March, it got hit by the tornado.  The top floor was a total loss.  I’m not sure what was in the bottom floor where the bike shop was but I’m glad Dan isn’t dealing with this. 
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April 19 

Mom told me Dad is planning on going to Coffee Club tomorrow. My dad belongs to a group that have a small clubhouse off of the main drag in Union City. There are several senior members of Union City’s elite that meet here every morning to trade news of what is going on, nationally as well as locally.  It’s a rather small space where social distancing would be impossible.  I’m not crazy about the idea, he’s 79 and has Parkinson’s disease so he is high risk.  But he would rather be with friends than be at home all day long and he hasn’t been out of the house in about a month.    I get it.  And he’s not in a high-risk area.  Obion County has only had 9 cases.  They haven’t met for several weeks but tomorrow will be the first time since all this happened.   

I still worry though.  And I’m not normally a worrier.  The people that die with this disease die alone.  Family members aren’t allowed in to be with them because the disease is so contagious.  I know I will lose my dad sometime in the not so distant future.  I don’t want either of my parents to die alone, surrounded by plastic curtains. 

There was a #reopenTN rally at the capital today.  I wanted to go photograph it.  I also thought it wiser to avoid a gathering of several hundred people.  uber blog-4971

I went in to the Dickerson Rd Wal-Mart today because I needed dog and cat food.  It was pretty empty.  Most of the employees were wearing masks.  I wore gloves.  I have mostly been relying on hand sanitizer because I don’t have many gloves and can’t find them anywhere.  But I wore gloves for Wal-Mart.  I got in, got what I needed, got a few pictures, and got out.  Didn’t find any gloves, rubbing alcohol, or hand sanitizer, no surprise.  uber blog-4861 uber blog-4863 uber blog-4876 uber blog-4887

My next stop today was my bank.  I was informed that a government relief program was opened up to 1099 workers on this past Friday.  I do a lot of photography work as a 1099 worker and all of that work is gone until at least June.  Without getting in to details, my bank is being absolutely no help at all.  We’ll see where this goes. 

At lunch today I went to Chipotle at Vanderbilt on 21st Ave.  I went in the door and couldn’t believe how many people were crowded around the rack that they put the orders on.  There were probably a dozen drivers squeezing in to look for their bag on the shelves.  I didn’t find mine so I went back outside where there were 6 or 7 people waiting.  The problem was, the Chipotle staff wasn’t letting anyone outside know if their order had been put on the rack.  I went in a second time to look for mine and didn’t find it so I cancelled the order.  That location is in the zip code with the highest concentration of cases in the city.  It is about two blocks from Vanderbilt Medical Center.    uber blog-4892 Suddenly today there is a lot of talk of numbers starting to go down, that we may be over the curve.  At the same time, the governor said public schools should be closed for the rest of the year.  Conflicting information everywhere you turn. 

April 17 

In South Nashville I saw about 5 cars parked in one driveway and at least 8 or 9 kids playing together in the front yard whale at least 6 adults were on the front porch.  This is not the norm but I still occasionally see groups in neighborhoods.  

I talked to friend in Union City today.  He asked me if people were taking it seriously in Nashville.  I said that I feel that about 75% were and about 25% weren’t.  He said he thought it was the opposite in Union City.  But I think population density makes a lot of difference and we have to be more proactive in bigger cities.  

uber blog-4908 O'Charley's at Rivergate.

uber blog-4909 uber blog-4910 uber blog-4911 How I deliver most orders. uber blog-4913 Empty dog park at the Fairgrounds. uber blog-4914 Most McDonalds have already started looking like a scene from the future with all the high-def displays.  Add in a few plastic curtains and it looks like a scene out of Blade Runner. uber blog-4917 uber blog-4918 uber blog-4920 uber blog-4928

Still the police are everywhere.

I did not drive yesterday.  I stayed home.  I actually ordered my dinner from Uber Eats.  I got fajitas from El Metate on Dickerson Rd.  I deliver from there quite a bit.  It was fantastic.   

Today I only drove 2 orders at lunch.  All my camera batteries were dead and I couldn’t find my charger so that took up some of my lunch business.  I found it though and got the camera back in working order.  I picked up an order at Frothy Monkey on the East side and asked to take a picture of the girl that brought my order.  She asked if I would mind shooting Robert instead.  I think she thought it was an odd request.   

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Dinner was busy.  Ran a lot of stuff to West Nashville.  I took my camera in to Lucky Bamboo on Charolette Pike because a couple of days ago they had a set-up where you went in and grabbed your food out of a little industrial cooler type thing that kept it warm.  Well today they had tables lined up blocking all the coolers and they would bring the food out and set it on the tables and call the names.  Amazing how fast things change. 

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April 14 

uber blog-4834 uber blog-4835 uber blog-4836 Hand sanitizer everywhere but none to buy. uber blog-4839 Corsair is a local distillery that is now making hand sanitizer.  I saw this outside of Von Elrod's. uber blog-4842 uber blog-4845

I delivered a clam pizza from Folk to a guy named Norwin today.  (eye roll)  It was on the 20 something floor of SkyHouse in Midtown.  It’s a really somber feeling going in to those buildings.  There are barriers around the concierge desk so you can’t get too close.  I came in behind a resident.  The elevator opened and I let her get in and waited for the next one.  Another resident came in behind me and she had on an N95 mask.  She stopped to check her mail.  Then she let me get on the next elevator by myself.  Inside the elevator they had four boxes marked off with tape that you were supposed to stand in if there were other people in the elevator.  They were almost six feet apart, good try.  Norwin requested that I leave the order outside his door which was right next to the elevator.  I never saw him come out and get it before the elevator opened but I was glad to get rid of that clam pizza. 

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What it looks like when I get off the elevator on the 20 something floor of a high rise condo:

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What I see:

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Governors and the president are arguing over who has authority to end the shut down and when.  Without turning too political, while I feel like the shutdown has been a good effort in combating the spread of this virus, I’m not sure the constitution gives either the president or state’s governors the authority to require businesses to shut down. 

I logged on to the Covid-19 dashboard from John Hopskins.  It looks like the West coast is pretty much under control.  In the East, it looks like a mess from New Orleans to Atlanta to all of the East coast from Washington to New York to Boston.  Detroit, Chicago and Indianapolis have Nashville pinned in to the North.    uber blog-4853 uber blog-4855 uber blog-4856 uber blog-4857 uber blog-4860

I got a care package from my sister today.  She found me some hand sanitizer and some disinfecting wipes.  She also sent little finger tip condoms that I can use for elevator buttons and things.  Who would have thought that in 2020 in a city like Nashville, my sister would be sending me things I need? 

I got gas at Kroger on Clarksville Pike today for $1.49 a gallon.  I’ve seen prices all over the place the past couple of days depending on what part of town I’m in.  $2.47 or higher down to $1.31 at a rather shady station.  Anyway, while I was at Kroger, a redneck with a big white truck blaring bad hip-hop started yelling to no one in particular that the virus was fake and everyone was stupid while pumping his gas and smoking a cigarette.  Wish I had asked him for a picture. 

uber blog-4781 I think I’ve mentioned how all the restaurants are handling precautions a little differently but one tonight was my favorite so far.  Sushi O Sushi on Nolensville Pike was taking no chances.  They had two doors clearly marked, one for delivery drivers and one for customer pick-up.  When you walk in there was a table on each side and behind that a paper folding wall with one section cut out and replaced with a clear plastic curtain.  When your food was ready, a gloved hand would reach through the plastic and set the food on the counter.  It seemed effective for keeping any contamination out of the kitchen and away from the workers. 

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uber blog-4782 uber blog-4784 uber blog-4788 Eastern Peak on Thompson Lane. uber blog-4791 April 11 

A lot of people had donuts for lunch today.  My first delivery was from Status Dough, a new upscale donut shop on Gallatin Rd.  This bakery was staffed by the super awesome Ecacia.  She insisted I try a donut so I chose an apple fritter and she even threw in a milk.  Alter I put the order in my car I came back in and asked for a picture.  I’m glad I did.  It turned out great.  I then had an order from Five Daughters Bakery and then another one from Status Dough.  Ecacia probably would have given me another donut but I said I wasn’t back for another free one before she could offer. 

uber blog-4794 I had an order from Slim and Husky’s.  They have the social distancing thing pretty well figured out.  They have two lines marked off, one for delivery and one for call in.  They have tape marking the spots to stand in to maintain a six-foot distance.  No one there when I showed up today but sometimes both lines are crazy long. 

uber blog-4798 uber blog-4799 uber blog-4800 uber blog-4801 uber blog-4803 I pulled up at a red light behind a guy and noticed he was wearing surgical gloves, and he was smoking a cigarette.  Now I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but if I’m wearing gloves to keep the crud off my hands, why would I want to hold a cigarette right up to my mouth with the same cruddy glove with said crud all over it?  On the same note I see a heck of a lot of people wearing masks but keeping them just below their nose.  That’s not how those work either. 

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John Prine died last night.  He was 73.  I’ve been a fan of his since college. I dated a girl my senior year that could play guitar and sing like an angel.  She sang John Prine songs on my porch.  I fell in love with John and her Fall of '92.  She got away but John never left me.  He was easily one of the most loved men in Nashville.  13 deaths from the virus in Nashville so far and John Prine was one of them.   

1140 cases in Nashville this morning.  We’re being told that we are nearing the peak, that what we are doing is working.  I sure hope so.  It’s a surreal feeling out there.  I’m thinking about adding photos to this journal and I might start to publish it as a blog on my website.  Hopefully in the next day or two I’ll figure out how to get that going. 

April 9 

I took a bunch of photos tonight.  I shot a couple inside of restaurants and a bunch more of deserted Lower Broad.   It really is a ghost town compared to what it was before.  The Louis Armstrong impersonator was plugged in and belting out the only verse he knows of “What a Wonderful World,” over and over and over and over.  It was seriously me, two girls walking their dogs, a few cops sitting in their cars, and a couple of homeless people.  But Louis was plugged in and singing like it was CMA Fest.  I really wish I had shot some video of that.   

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I hear a lot more sources saying we are nearing the peak of this.  Estimates just a week ago foretold of 100,00 to 240,00 dead in the US.  Most in the coming week.  Estimates today say we might have reduced it to 60,000 because of the efforts we have made.  I had thought I was going to quit doing deliveries when it got too bad but if we are about to be on the better side of this, I may not have to quit.  Supposedly there is a new SBA loan for 1099 contract workers that will be available tomorrow.  I will be looking in to that.  I still think we are a long way from getting back to normal.   

Back to the cops for a second.  I have seen police parked after dark with their lights on.  Sometimes they are flashing and sometimes they are just on.  I have seen regular patrol cars doing this and I have seen unmarked cars sitting with blue light on in their grills.  I’ve seen them in all parts of town but not so much in residential areas.  Maybe they are trying to show a presence during the crisis.  But since the civilian traffic has been so reduced, it seems like there are police everywhere. 

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uber blog-4676 uber blog-4677 March 24 

184 to 253 cases in the county.  Up 69 from yesterday.  And they still haven’t opened up the testing stations. 

March 26 

Still driving for Uber Eats.  I made a delivery to the Batman building at lunch today.  It was the location of one of the very first infections in the city.  The day it was announced (I’d have to look it up, maybe March 13 or 14) was the first time I noticed down town was becoming empty during the day.  The delivery was a pizza from Slim and Husky’s.  All I had to do was go in and drop it off at the security desk.  I was in the building for maybe 20 seconds.  On my way in there was a custodian wiping all the surfaces of the doors.  She wiped the handles before and after I grabbed them.  Seems like they are taking this pretty seriously.   

My second delivery today was to the roommate of a guy I work with at my other job.  I’ve been keeping an eye on the Google calendar and have seen that all the work through mid-April was cancelled or postponed.  Michael said he doesn't expect any work to happen before the end of May.  I guess Uber Eats is my full-time job for the foreseeable future.   

Almost 300 cases in Nashville today.  US also became the country with the most cases, 82,000. 

March 30 

The manager at the Metro Center Jimmy Johns was open carrying on his hip today.  I guess that’s where we are now.  Personally I haven’t felt the need to carry a firearm yet.  I hope it doesn’t get like that.  They opened two of the 3 mobile testing centers today.  I drove by the one at Nissan Stadium twice today and only saw one car in the tents.  They will be open three days a week. 

Reading back over this journal I see that I was wrong on two counts about toilet paper.  I said on March 20 that I thought that the stores would be restocked by now, well maybe if you get to the right store at the right time.  I have not.  Fortunately my estimate of only having a week’s worth on hand was an under-estimate.  I should be good for one more week.  I even drove to Goodlettsville yesterday.  I found ground beef at Kroger but, alas, no toilet paper. 

March 31 

Listening to the mayor right now.  Property taxes are going up and they are going to be “substantial.”  Pretty uplifting speech until that. 

April 1 

Nothing new to report really.  Streets were still empty.  Even driving in Green Hills is a breeze.  Speaking of Green Hills, I saw a bobcat in condo complex.  It walked right across the parking lot in broad daylight like it owned the place.  I got a very bad picture on my phone.  It wasn’t huge, but about the size of my Australian shepherd, but lighter and more athletic.   

132 new cases in Davidson County as of the report this morning.  That’s the biggest jump yet.  673 total cases.  4 deaths.  90 recovered.   

April 2 

I delivered to two doctor’s offices today.  One was a women’s clinic and one was an oncology center.  Everyone in that one had masks on.  There was a nurse at the door that took my delivery so I didn’t have to go in to the actual office.  It was on the second floor of the building though.  I also delivered to the 20th floor of a condo today.  I wore gloves for all of those but I feel like all three of those were high-risk deliveries.   

I have a friend in Jackson that is an anesthesiologist who did 7 intubations today.     

April 4 

1224 deaths from the virus reported today nationwide.  The most so far.  Nashville reported 856 cases and 6 deaths this morning.  Definitely seeing a lot more people wearing masks.  I still have not been able to find the four items I have been looking for, masks, gloves, alcohol, and toilet paper. 

April 5 

Nothing new to report, really.  924 cases in the county this morning.  I suppose we will hit 1000 tomorrow.  I did find some toilet paper.  Kroger had two kinds available.  You could get 6 double rolls of the Kroger brand of you could get 4 double rolls of the Angel Soft.  I squeezed them both and went with the Angel Soft.  Since I live alone, I figure I could afford comfort over quantity, for today at least. 

April 6 

1034 cases in Davidson county as of this morning.  That’s up 110 from yesterday.  Still only 6 deaths but that will surely rise for a while.  Nothing new on the streets.  I did 14 deliveries today.  Probably half I left outside the door and the rest I passed them to a person.  Uber added a feature to the app today where I could drop the order off at the door and take a picture and send it to the person that ordered it.  It didn’t work one time and I had to call support but we got it taken care of.  It seems like that was only an option if the customer asked for it.  It would be nice if we could use that option as drivers.  I’m not so crazy about delivering to the 27th floor of a condo.  It would be nice if I could leave it at the front desk and send a picture from there. 

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I was on my way back to Nashville after spending my birthday with family in Union City.  I stopped at the store in Kutawa, Kentucky to get a 6-pack of Deschutes Pale Ale.  It's one of my favorite Oregon beers and you still can't get it in Tennessee.It was there that I got my first, ”Be Safe.”  The cashier said it to me after I bought the beer and was headed out the door. I knew she wasn’t talking about my drive.  That was when I decided to document these times. 

I turned 50 years old the day before.  I had driven to Union City from Nashville on March 15th.  I didn’t have any birthday plans so I thought I would spend it with family.  But that weekend the seriousness of the virus seemed to accelerate at an exponential rate.  Bars and restaurants were being closed down across the country.  The president had gone from calling it a hoax a month before, to giving daily updates by this weekend.  My photography jobs for the spring were cancelling and at a crazy pace.  My niece and nephew would be finishing their college semesters remotely, my youngest niece would not be going back to high school until at least April. 

I returned to Nashville today and tried to buy some things I needed.  Things I failed to find at Kroger and Walgreens were surgical gloves, rubbing alcohol, and toilet paper. 

March 18 

I spent most of the day inside.  For the past year I have been delivering food for Uber Eats on days that I did not have photography work.  All reports are that delivery services are going to be extra busy.  I picked up a pizza and some booze and spent the day drinking in place.  I turned on the Uber Eats app even though I had no intention of taking anything today.  It seemed really busy.  I found a box of latex gloves in my first aid supplies.  I guess I will try delivery tomorrow.  No sense in not making money if I can.  Currently 58 cases in Davidson County at 9:45pm, 24 in Williamson County, next one over.  Definitely the biggest concentration in TN. 

I just saw a report of tents going up at Nissan Stadium, possibly for drive through testing.  I might have to start documenting with my camera tomorrow.  I didn’t take many photos during the aftermath of the tornado, I felt like enough people were doing that and I didn’t need to be in the way.  But I took a lot during the flood.  I now wish I had taken more tornado pictures.  I think I will from here out.   

March 20 

 Yesterday I drove for Uber Eats, one delivery at lunch and then didn’t turn the app on until 5.  I stayed on until 8:30 and made as much as I would in about 8 hours normally.  I’ve got some hand sanitizer in the car and most of the restaurants have it available as well.  I guess I’ll keep doing Uber Eats until it doesn’t feel safe anymore.  I'll probably start wearing the gloves soon.  Still looking for gloves, masks, rubbing alcohol, and toilet paper. 

I saw the tents at Nissan Stadium for the drive-thru testing.  They’ve been set up for 2 days now but no testing being done yet.  They are just waiting.  I think it was 110 cases in the county today.  It was.  I just read about the first death in the county, a 73-year-old man. 

March 21 

My mom messaged me today and it is apparent that she is pretty worried about my being in Nashville right now.  We are the epicenter of the state with 140 cases this morning.  I drove for Uber Eats again today.  The amazing thing about this is how empty the streets and interstates are.  It’s like driving in the eighties.   

March 23 

I did a few deliveries yesterday.  Mostly people are requesting to have it left at the door.  I’m cool with that.  I went down to Lower Broadway and took a few pictures.  Pretty barren.  There were a few others out taking pictures and videos.  I saw some musicians playing to an empty room, live-streaming a show from the Tin Roof.

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uber blog-4615 broadway-4619 broadway-4620 uber blog-4622 uber blog-4623 uber blog-4643 broadway-4633 The tourists are gone, though the homeless that depend on their handouts are still here. 
 

Nashville only jumped by 5 cases overnight.  From 179 to 184 this morning.  They have 3 drive thru testing centers set up but none of them are open yet.  It will be interesting to see what the numbers are when they start city-wide testing.  I’ve seen health workers say the virus has already spread here but we just haven’t seen it yet.  Some have said to expect a spike this week. 

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Did a few more deliveries today.  The president thanked delivery drivers in his virus update today.  Ha.  He thanked healthcare workers and first responders, then he went on to truck drivers and then to restaurant workers and delivery drivers.  I never imagined that Uber Eats would elevate me to Rosy the Riveter status.  But it's not my camera that’s keeping what’s left of the economy going.  There are a lot of restaurants out there that are really thankful for delivery services right now.  Happy to keep helping out as long as I can. 

Be Safe.

Well if there are no events or sports, what's a event/sports photographer supposed to do?  This one is driving for Uber Eats.  I've been doing it occasionally for the past year when I didn't have photo work and I figured I'd keep doing it to have a cash flow.  I started keeping a somewhat daily journal on the 17th of March of things I'm seeing and doing and thinking while out there driving around.  I recently decided to turn it in to a photo blog.  I'm going to be using some excepts from my journal over the next few days and some of the pictures I have taken to try and get caught up to date.  Then I'm going to try to have something to post about from every day that I do deliveries.  Hopefully I can keep it interesting.

But first I'm going to share some pictures taken on February 19, before we knew what life would soon be like.  This was a typical Wednesday night.  I was shooting a corporate event at Honky Tonk Central and my contact asked me to get some atmosphere shots of Broadway while I waited for her to get here.  This is what I saw.

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