The struggle of Zoom meetings is real, Americans are learning after coronavirus stay-at-home orders moved their workplaces and classrooms to their living rooms kitchen tables more than six weeks ago.
An 11-year-old kid in Maryland is singing Zoom blues for all of us with a parody of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”:
“I wonder if there’s secret code for us to reach the tech support. But you don’t really have that info, do ya?” he sang while strumming a guitar.
Have a listen; we think you’ll agree the whole thing is perfectly delightful. By Alessia Grunberger on Germantown Patch.
Here are more stories illustrating how Americans are coping with the changes in their lives and the effect the virus is having on their neighbors.
Quarantine Like It’s 1950
If you loved that video, you may swoon over this, too. A real estate agent in Florida and some of her friends put together a 1950s-style spoof to add levity during trying times. By D’Ann Lawrence White on Tampa Patch.
Coronavirus Love Song
For some of us, stay-at-home orders have been nothing to fret about. For others, it has felt like cruel and unusual punishment. No one knows that better than a couple separated by international borders. She’s stuck in the United States, unable to join her new husband in Canada. But their shared loved for music is making the miles disappear. By Nikki Gaskins on Barnegat-Manahawkin Patch.
“A Modern Day Kiss”
The marriage of Andrea Dello Russo, a physician assistant at a New Jersey hospital emergency department, and Robert Tretola, who serves on his local fire department, was more than three months away when the pandemic hit. The couple (top photo), who stole a kiss during their shift, are hoping their wedding can still happen. By Eric Kiefer on Livingston Patch.
‘Hello In There’
One of the most beloved songs penned by American storyteller and songwriter John Prine, who died from the coronavirus last month, was “Hello In There,” in which he poignantly captured the loneliness of the elderly and prodded those around them to do just what a New Jersey teen would eventually do. Haunted by the thought of her grandparents and others at their retirement home unable to receive visitors, she rallied her classmates to change that. By Alexis Tarrazi on Warren Patch.
Vets Donate Stimulus Checks
“Ten percent of life is what happens to you, 90 percent of life is how you respond,” an American Legion finance officer wrote in a letter to other veterans. How the post is responding to the coronavirus pandemic is by taking the idea of paying it forward to the next level. By Ellyn Santiago on Guilford Patch.
When A Simple Thank-You Won’t Do
An iconic landmark in the Hudson Valley was lit up with more than 1,300 luminaries in a large display of gratitude to those whose jobs put them on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus. By Michael Woyton on Mid Hudson Valley Patch.
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“I Felt We Could Do More”
Their goal was modest when Angelina Lue and a handful of her friends came up with the notion five weeks ago to raise $5,000 for personal protective equipment for front-line workers in their California community. “I felt we could do more,” she said. And have they ever. By Gideon Rubin on Los Gatos Patch.
A (Brush) Stroke Of Genius
A 12-year-old Virginia girl wanted to do something to help out the medical workers on the front lines of the fight against coronavirus. Her first thought was to make face masks, but the health care workers needed something more substantial — meals they had buying for takeout. She’s turning her art into cash to buy the meals from local businesses. By Emily Leayman on Vienna Patch.
Nourishing Bodies And Souls
A Virginia kitchen, 100 Bowls of Soup, has always been in the business of providing nourishment and, as an essential food business, didn’t shut down for the coronavirus. But the owner said it was “heartbreaking to see the number of businesses who have had to shut their doors,” and she’s doing what she can to nourish her neighbors’ bodies and also their souls. By Michael O’Connell on Herndon Patch.
With Quarantine, They’re Getting Oprah
The nation’s 2020 high school graduates are getting the short shrift with the cancellation of their commencement ceremonies and other important events. In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot cooked up an idea for a virtual commencement for the city’s 2020 graduates and booked a guest, Oprah Winfrey. By Mark Konkol on Chicago Patch.
A Bat, A Bear, A Hawk, An Owl And Ringo
Athletes and sports fans are in withdrawal from a lack of action, and so are the mascots. Watch what happened when several got together: R.B. the Riverbat from Austin Community College; Scrappy the Owl from Kennesaw State University, Rocky the Red Hawk from Montclair State University, Monte Bear from Montana University and Ringo from the Texas Stars. By Tony Cantu on Austin Patch
Drive-By Voting
Sure, people are shuttered in their homes, but essential government business still has to go on and officials are becoming increasingly creative. When it came time to approve a Connecticut town’s budget, voters drove up, kept their car windows closed, showed their IDs and then turned thumbs up or down to signal their preference. Turnout actually increased. By Chris Dehnel on Vernon Patch.