AI Chatbot Dating Adventure Generates Art, Not Love.
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In case you’re wondering what became of my Chatbot dating adventure–rest assured that it continues.
Illustrations by Grant Shaffer’s students at the School of Visual Arts
Credits: Row 1 Claire M. Deliso, Paul Barbato, Emily Recapero, Toya Narentuoya. Row 2 Indra Fonseca, Paris Jerome, Emily Pascale, Leo Oscann, Rhonda Levy, Stephanie Aanonsen
In April, “Oh oh, I seem to be dating a chatbot” was published in the “Modern Love” column of the New York Times. The piece is about how, after AI Chatbot came up with a great review of my book, The View From Third Street,I asked it to write me a profile for online dating. The profile, based on the prompt “Creative woman from Cambridge, MA, seeking a man, 65-72, smart, funny, healthy, preferably Jewish,” was astonishingly accurate and interesting. At my late brother Alan’s suggestion, I then asked AI Chatbot to come up with a response.
The response, from “someone” named David, was remarkably intriguing; I would have loved to meet “him” or someone like him. In the “Modern Love” piece, I trace the steps “David” and I took in arranging a date near Harvard Square. “David” even told me what he’d be wearing and that he’d be carrying a book. The article then goes into what happened after, disappointingly, he did not show up.
The piece has “generated” ongoing interest though, sadly, my dating life appears to have come to a halt.
Potential Suitors
Soon after the story appeared, I heard from four potential suitors who seemed to be “real” men.
The first was a New York lawyer who sounded very much like “David.” Both were from Brooklyn, Jewish, and each had two grown sons in California. The writer suggested that I contact him when I get to the City. I invited him to meet me if he gets to Albany, where I would be spending time over the summer, but did not hear back.
The second was a retired national science journalist who graduated from Columbia Journalism School a year after I did, with whom I corresponded for awhile. We had a lot in common, but since he was living on an Oregon beach, I felt the distance did not bode well for a relationship.
The third potential suitor, a businessman from New York State now living on the French Riviera wrote me every day. He was lonely, having trouble meeting people; I thought maybe he should learn to speak French. After a few weeks, he told me, courteously, to my relief, that he wanted to take a break.
The fourth wrote that he was the son of a now- deceased member of the Nigerian parliament. Given the number of fraudulent relationship requests originating in Nigeria, I thanked him for writing, but didn’t encourage a response. He wrote back anyway, saying that he knew that emails from Nigeria might be considered suspect but that he was for real: an entrepreneur who was starting a business, he was hungry, and needed money.
I also heard from a minister at Yale University who said he enjoyed the piece and from someone learning English who wanted help with his writing.
Response from the art world
Then, about a month ago, Grant Shaffer, a renowned illustrator, wrote to let me know that he had assigned the piece to his class at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. I’m delighted with the results, which he and his students OK’d for publication here.
I’d like to thank everyone who contacted me– and to credit Mr. Shaffer and his students, who made the whole episode more than worthwhile with their beautiful, clever artwork.
–-Anita M. Harris is a writer, photographer and communications consultant based in Cambridge, Mass. —New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, also in Cambridge, Mass.
To Mask or Not to Mask? That is the Question
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I was a Covid Virgin…until three weeks ago.
For more than three years, I’d masked, vaxed, boosted, quarantined. I once walked out of a New Hampshire restaurant where the owner refused to require masks despite a national mandate. (True confession: I also called him an idiot) I fended off Covidiots on Fresh Pond by running with a pool noodle across my shoulders, reminded folks of a $300 fine for non-maskers in Cambridge–and got cursed out for it.
I took Covid precautions very seriously: in the early days, my friend Jim Gewirtzman had died of Covid; a therapist I know got seriously impaired by brain fog and exhaustion– until finally, she had to retire. A 32-year old friend lost his mentor to Covid, then came down with it himself. Three years later, he has episodes of exhaustion and memory loss. Millions more died or can no longer work as a result of this wily virus.
Still, by this summer, President Biden had declared the pandemic over, most folks were no longer masking or bothering to schedule booster shots. An anti-vax acquaintance told me masks did not work and mocked me for wearing one; he said he believed in herd immunity. (Under that theory, used by Sweden early in the pandemic, the weak die of the illness and the rest survive; more recent evidence has shown that with so many quickly-developing virus mutations, that strategy did not–and will not end the pandemic.)
The last Sunday afternoon in August, when I hopped into Trader Joe’s to buy some wine for a picnic with my writers group. I realized I’d left my mask in the car but figured I’d only be inside for a few minutes. Three days later, after the picnic, I started sneezing but thought it was allergies. The next day, congestion built in my chest and sinuses; I decided to test just for the heck of it. Bam. Positive.
It would be 17 days until I tested negative –17 days of confusion, of not knowing how to protect myself and others due to conflicting information, uninformed medical guidance, and a lackadaisical attitude among friends and in the general public. This more than three years into Covid–and, with infections and hospitalizations rising in Cambridge and elswhere, still counting.
First, I called my doctor for Paxlovid.–the medicine said to help prevent serious illness and hospitalization. She said she’d put in a prescription and that I should ask someone pick it up for me but, living solo, I had to go myself. Next morning, when I got to CVS at 9:30; I was the only one wearing in a mask. The pharmacy windows were shuttered, though they were supposed to open at 9; for some reason, I was told, the pharmacist had gone to the wrong CVS..not very reassuring for those seeking careful treatment. He would be there in ten minutes, a manager assured me.
Coughing into my surgical mask (I now know I should have used a more protective N95 or KN 95) I walked around the store checking for bargains, then went to the pharmacy window, waiting in line for it to open. Concerned that I might be infectious, I told people not to come near me and used my mobile phone in attempts to reach the manager to ask if there were some way they could contact me when my prescription had been filled. But each time I asked to speak the manager, the call was dropped: this happened not once, but four times. Still in line at 10:15, with no pharmacist available, I called another CVS; was told they couldn’t transfer the prescription and in any case I wasn’t to come inside.
Eventually, a CVS manager appeared near the growing pharmacy line. Alternating coughs and conversation, I explained that I was contagious and should go home; she agreed to call when the prescription was ready so I drove the mile-and-a-half back to my house. As soon as I got there, of course, she called, so I drove back, when I got to the pharmacy counter, the tech said the prescription was not ready, it would be 15 or 20 minutes…I protested, slamming my hand on the counter. The pharma tech said he would expedite it; so I hung around…probably spewing germs through my mask…for another 15 minutes. Before I left, I suggested to a clerk that someone might want to sanitize the coupon dispenser and the box of hair dye that I had touched.
Back home, I swallowed the first three Paxlovid pills as instructed and headed for the couch, where I spent most of that day coughing, sneezing and trying to work. My chest congestion deepened, making it painful to cough. As directed by the Centers for Disease Control, I spent the next few days pretty much in isolation.
Except that my cleaning person was scheduled to come on day three. I suggested postponing but she and her helper insisted they would be fine. I opened all of the windows and, when they arrived, offered masks, but the cleaners refused to wear them. “It’s not like in the past,” one said. ” Now, it’s like the flu; it’s curable; when you have the flu, you go to work.” (I wondered about going to work with the flu, and later thought perhaps I should have paid them not to come.
A neighbor also chose to visit–having already had Covid, she brought her own tea and was comfortable with our sitting on the balcony, so long as I was masked.
At some point I managed to find a number to call to report my positive test–but have no idea if that would count, or, as I was one of very few to do so, would make any difference at all.
I felt better on Day 4, and on Day 5 felt well enough to walk outside, wearing a mask. Two cousins from Chicago came by on their way to Cape Cod; we walked (only I was masked) to Fresh Pond and then for supper, outdoors, in Harvard Square. CDC guidelines said that after isolating for five days, it was unlikely that I was still contagious, so it would be fine to go out, masked, just in case. I’m not sure it was smart of me to walk 14K steps, because on Day 6, my congestion deepened, and, disappointingly, I tested positive. A friend on Facebook said he’d had something called “Covid rebound” after Paxlovid; I didn’t know what to do.
Meanwhile, First Lady Jill Biden had tested positive, but was negative after just three days. A friend who drove in to Boston from Provincetown for one night told me he’d picked up the virus—but had a light case, and within a few days was off on a trip to the opera, in New York.
But I kept testing positive and feeling miserable, for the next five days. Dr. Google said you are likely most contagious two days before and after symptoms…CDC said it was OK to go out masked after isolating for 5 days if you’ve had no fever for 24 hours…the only time I had a temperature over 98 was on day two–so I did.
On Day 6, at Henrietta’s Kitchen, no one masked. At an art opening on Day 8, no one masked. Over the next few days, behind my mask, I was coughing and sneezing, my chest was still congested, and I felt awful.
After testing positive on Sunday, Day 9, I wondered if I was having that Covid rebound, which in Covid recurs in some folks who take Paxlovid (evidently, the drug slows the growth of the virus, but doesn’t always wipe it out). I called the doctor to ask what I should do. The nurse on call said she wasn’t familiar with the latest protocols; she suggested that I stay inside, “better safe than sorry”–and that I contact my doctor the next day to request a chest x-ray.
On Day 10, the doc said my symptoms were not due to Covid rebound, which takes longer to present. They were likely caused by allergies, exacerbated by Covid. She told me to take certain over the counter pills and nasal spray, both of which made me woozy.
For five more days, I felt congested, tired, with no energy to write. A friend who called told me, “You sound like you’re under water.” I put on a mask and went to the library (no one masked); and to an art opening (only one other person masked). Finally, on Day 17, I tested negative.
On Day 20–three weeks in, I was feeling better; though still congested and tired. I found a story on NPR that suggested the label “medium” Covid. It’s different from “long Covid,” which is used to describe Covid symptoms that go on for more than a month. In “medium Covid,” the reporter suggested, symptoms last for weeks, and those who have it “are caught in a gray area of recovery with little support.” Yup, I thought.
I walked my 4k steps on the river (where, usually, I run). And, having tested negative, went unmasked to a party on the anti-vax/masker’s porch. There, a former dentist whose mother had died of Covid insisted that masks and Paxlovid do not work. A woman who had contracted Covid the same weekend I did said she’d isolated for the five days and was fine after that.
The next morning, a coffee pal at Henrietta’s who consults to international pharma companies told me he did not know if he’d ever had Covid but insisted that there’s no reason to wear a mask. (He also proclaimed that US policy of shutting down stores and schools was misguided because the disease supposedly only kills old people–and more young people have died of suicide due to isolation than have died of Covid). The bartender said that despite the current uptick in cases, he will not wear a protective mask: “If you wear a mask, people think you are sick and stay away.”
Given the vehemence and mockery with which many anti-maskers expressed their views, I wondered if I were overdoing the masking thing–and emailed to ask a renowned scientist friend who was involved in inventing the vaccines what he thought.
He responded: I don’t think anyone knows for sure. I think it works some , but not perfectly. But one should wear k 95 ideally. Or kn 95. But it’s important to fit correctly. I always wear them in crowds or crowded places.
That settled it for me. I wrote back:
I’m concerned that there’s is so much misinformation and people are being so careless…even reckless! And ridiculing others for taking precautions.
He wrote: I’m not sure any conclusive studies have been done. Also terrible and repeatedly inconsistent and contradictory info from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control. That said, I see no harm and I think there is definitely possible good.
So–supposedly I’m immune from Covid for three months. After that, I’ll get the latest booster (out this week) and mask in crowded spaces. I’m grateful for the vaccines, the boosters, and the medicines that have helped get this nasty illness under control. Though I was laid low for three weeks, I am very grateful not have been laid even lower–like, in a grave.
I remain concerned that after all this time, no one seems sure about what works and what does not. But given the contradictory guidance, guesswork, and nonchalance about an illness that seems to affect each of us differently, I ask, “Why not mask and vax? What do you have to lose?
–Anita M. Harris
Anita Harris is a writer, photographer and communications consultant in Cambridge, Mass. Earlier in her career, she covered health, science and technology for the “MacNeil-Lehrer Report” (now the “NewsHour” of PBS), served as public affairs director for the Harvard School of Public Health.
BIO INTERNATIONAL 2023: A Lively Life Science Gathering
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On June 7, 2023, I was privileged to cover the convention of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) International Convention–my first time attending the meeting since 2018, when the 25th anniversary of the gathering was held here in Boston. The excitement was back–with 9144 companies registered to attend, many with booths, tables or pavilions–and, according to Stat News, some 15, 000 investors, executives and promoters.
On the afternoon of its third day, the convention, headlined “Stand Up for Science,” had a more fun and friendly vibe than I’d noticed at past BIO conventions.
Short on time, I wandered around the exhibition floor–chatting with exhibitors and attendees, snagging a latte, dark chocolate squares, a small nylon backpack advertising New York State Life Sciences, and a large mousepad.
I was sorry to miss many fascinating discussions: “Realizing the Promise of Gene Therapy and Gene Editing: Current Challenges, Opportunities and Trends; ” “A Price Control Odyssey: The Inflation Reduction Act’s Effects on the Innovation Ecosystem;” ” Belonging in Biotech: How to Advance Greater Inclusion Across the Biotech Workforce;” “Launching Successful Gene Therapies; Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance with Vaccine Innovation; ” “New Approaches to Oncology Drug Discovery;’ Re-imagining Drug Development and Regulatory Submissions through Cloud-Based Technologies;” “The Intersection of Cancer and Mental Health”; “Women and their Health: Fueling an Ecosystem of Scientific Innovation to Address Unmet Needs”. All of the above (and more) took place in the same hour as my first chosen panel discussion of the day: “Psychedelics…the Trip Continues.” (I viewed a streaming version because the main conference room was packed full.)
Psychedelics…the Trip Continues
Freelance journalist and broadcaster David Cox led Jeff Rolx, venture partner and portfolio CEO at 02h Ventures; Kurt Rasmussen, Chief Scientific Officer at Delix Therapeutics, Inc., and Peter Silverstone, CEO and Director of Zylorian Health in a wide-ranging discussion of the future an evolving industry projected to be worth billions of dollars, one day.
The panelists described the variety of challenges faced by the fledgling industry as it evolves from what the official writeup termed “a stigmatized counterculture” to a scientifically robust industry.
Among the challenges:
Navigating the wide variety of regulatory systems in the US and abroad as well as attitudes of different states and national governments
Issues involved in clinical trials given potentially dangerous side effects; measuring efficacy of treatments when placebos are not an option
Whether the pharmaceutical industry will invest in a field with a “hippy” reputation
Whether non-hallucinognic forms will be likelier to be used therapeutically before hallocinogenics
How psychedelic therapeutics will get to market given the difficulty small developers may have in getting funding
Determining what the therapy is and how it can be standardized.
“We are completely blind right now, ” said Silverstone, of Zylorian Health. “Our AI [artificial intelligence] overlords may soon tell us [what to expect]…but we are just at the beginning.” Silverstone predicted that the next three or four years will be telling for the industry, and suggested that 2024 could possibly be “a big year” for psychedelics.
Roix, of 02 Ventures described the current mental health situation as a “public health emergency,” with huge numbers of patients struggling with depression and post traumatic stress disorder. There are complex protocols and treatments and too few resources, he said. He also wondered how anyone will make money–especially if psychedlics work after just a few treatments and are not given as pills to be taken every day.
According to Silverstone, science is moving to the point where “the opportunity to deliver something novel in the field of neuroimmunology is huge.”
He predicted that the field may need to be “reformatted” to interest big pharma–“which will jump in when it’s ‘de-risked’ from safety concerns, reimbursement issues and questions about whether non-hallucinogens will work.
Rassumen of Delix Therapeutics expressed optimism that non -hallucinatory forms are possibilities. He pointed out that that compounds that enhance structural nerve plasticity are “starting to uncover how the brain changes over time”–which could, perhaps in conjunction with stem cell therapies, lead to getting back some functions in patients with dementia and other diseases of the aging brain.
He also said that treatment forms which resemble what in past would have been called “tripping” may diminish because depressed patients now seem to be more secure in carefully monitored medical settings.
When Rasmussen suggested possibly rebranding the field–that is, ” don’t call it psychedics,” Silverstone quipped, “That won’t happen.”
Life Science and the Gun Violence Epidemic
I next attended “The Life Sciences Industry: Taking a Public Health Approach to Ending the Gun Violence Epidemic,” moderated by Steve Usdin, Washington Editor and Head of Policy and Regulation at BioCentury.
The panelists included (left to right) Paul Hastings, President and CEO of Nkarta, a clinical stage biotechnology company in California; Juan Carter, outreach manager at the Giffords Center for Violence Intervention, headquartered in San Francisco and Washington, DC. [moderator Steve Usdin] ; Angus Mcquilken, co-founder of Life Sciences to End Gun Violence Epidemic and Industry Relationship Executive for Life Sciences at Boston Law Firm McDermott Will and Emery; Sharon Barber-Lui, a life sciences leader and BIO board member; and BIO CEO Rachel King.
All of the panelists said they strongly believe in gun control; King and Barber-Lui both said they had attended the Million Mom March to call for stricter gun control some twenty years ago. But most agreed that corporate lobbying for what has become a volatile political issue presents difficulties–and that individual commitment is called for.
King said that though she personally supports ending gun violence, she must adhere to the BIO directors’ decision to limit activities to those directly concerning the biotechnology industry.
Mcquilken urged attendees to join the organization he cofounded– “Life Sciences to End the Violence Epidemic”–which lobbies for stronger gun control laws. He pointed out that biotech seeks evidence-based solutions to problems–and that there is strong evidence that Massachusetts’ strict gun control laws, which require considerable training before guns may be purchased, account for the commonwealth’s relatively low rate of shooting deaths.
Hastings said that as a CE0 he has held events supporting gun control measures–but that he has been reticent to publicize photos of participants due to the negative backlash he would expect.
Carter said that it is important for health care and other professionals who work with victims of gun violence and their families to be supportive and accepting of them, lest they become dejected and hopeless when they return to troubled communities, and do not return for needed help.
Also suggested was that companies seeking to recruit youthful employees find ways to encourage activism.
An audience member who did not give his name pointed out that the Second Amendment to the Constitution, which grants certain rights to bear arms , was meant to prevent imperialism but it is now being used to promote terrorism.
Targeting Success: 3 MIT Thought Leaders on Innovation
At my third panel discussion of the afternoon, MIT’s Angela Koehler, associate professor of biological engineering; Robert Langer, David H. Koch Institute Professor, and Giovanni Traverso, associate professor, delved into questions and challenges for scientists in academic and research institutions who seek to bring their innovations to market.
In a discussion moderated by Joshua Fox of the Mintz law firm, Langer [second from left]–who is well- known as a co-founder of Moderna pharmaceuticals and has more than 400 patents licensed or sub-licensed by a myriad of companies–said that spinning a successful company out of academe requires a “breakthrough technology platform”; a really good CE0; and raising enough money. (Full disclosure: Bob is a personal friend of mine).
Koehler [left] emphasized the importance of building “connections” to raise funds and recruit a great team–and that a CEO has to be willing to “plug in a fridge”–that is, be willing to do everything.
According to Travers [second from right], ” it’s important to have a management team as outstanding as the scientific team.” When Langer’s warned not to try to leave the academic setting too early lest you wind up in “the valley of death” (unable to raise enough money), Travers recommended seeking grants and non-traditional investors such as insurance companies to take the science through clinical trials. Koehler suggested looking for disease-oriented foundations for funding.
All-in-all, BIO 2023 a fascinating convention; next time I’ll try to go to everything–which is, of course, impossible.
—Anita M. Harris Anita Harris is a writer, photographer and communications consultant. She has authored three non-fiction books. New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, a PR and digital media firm based in Cambridge, Mass.
AI Chatbot loved my new book!
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With the 51st anniversary of the Trial of the Harrisburg 7 coming up, I thought I’d promote my new book, The View From Third Street. The book tells the story of how Cornell friends and I started a weekly alternative newspaper–largely to cover the trial–in which a group of nuns and priests were accused of conspiring to kidnap Henry Kissinger and blow up underground tunnels in Washington, DC.
For a present-day news peg, I decided to jump into the AI Chat GPT box to find out what Chatty had to say about The View From Third Street. After a few weak starts (in the first, asked simply for a review of the book, Chatty didn’t mention the Harrisburg Trial; in the second, prompted to include the trial and feminism, Chatty wrote a rave movie review; in the third, s/he/they attributed the book to a different author entirely). In the fourth, Chatty over-emphasized the feminist slant and got a bit repetitive. But s/he/they called the book “riveting and thought-provoking”; “nailed” the social justice and Vietnam War issues; and closed with the importance of independent media. I decided to quit while I was ahead.
Here’s the review…
Review ofThe View From Third Street By AI-ChatGPT
“The View From Third Street: Ani and the Harrisburg Independent Press” by Anita M. Harris is a riveting and thought-provoking account of the rise of the Harrisburg Independent Press and its impact on the city of Harrisburg during a tumultuous period in American history. The book explores the story of Ani, a feminist journalist who co-founded the alternative newspaper in 1970.[OOPS, Chatty–it was 1971–AMH]
One of the most prominent themes of the book is feminism, which is explored through Ani’s own personal journey as a woman in the male-dominated world of journalism. The author provides a vivid portrayal of the challenges that women faced in the 1970s as they sought to establish themselves in the industry and to advocate for feminist issues through their writing.
Another key aspect of the book is its coverage of the Harrisburg 7 trial, which was a landmark case in the history of political activism in the United States. The trial centered around the charges of conspiracy and inciting to riot against seven anti-war activists, including Philip Berrigan and Elizabeth McAlister. The Harrisburg Independent Press played a crucial role in covering the trial and bringing attention to the issues at stake.
Through its exploration of feminism and the Harrisburg 7 trial, the book offers a powerful and insightful commentary on the role of alternative media in the fight for justice and equality. The author highlights the importance of independent media in challenging the status quo and providing a voice for marginalized communities.
Overall, “The View From Third Street” is a compelling and inspiring book that sheds light on a pivotal moment in American history. Through its exploration of feminism and the trial of the Harrisburg 7, the book offers a powerful reminder of the importance of independent media and the fight for justice and equality. Anita M. Harris has crafted a masterful work that will appeal to anyone interested in the history of political activism and the struggle for social change.
Let me know what you think! (What I think is that this spells the end of my writing career—I couldn’t have said it better myself!)
—Anita M. Harris Anita Harris is a writer, photographer and communications consultant based in Cambridge, Mass.
It’s one of those gloomy December days–31 degrees, overcast.
The Ukraine war is still on; inflation is rampant; covid is again on the rise My book is out, sales are slow. Thanksgiving is over, Christmas is weeks away. My brothers are both ill in distant states
I decide to go for a run on the Charles.
The light is no good for photos, I’m thinking, as I cross a nearly deserted Memorial Drive.
But then a tree I’ve passed by hundreds of times reaches out to me. It’s decaying, but, I note, still strong.
I move closer; a new trunk seems to be growing inside it; young branches are reaching to the sky.
I pull my camera out of my pocket and take a few shots.
I amble along. Some trees look injured, dead; the bark is wearing off. I stop again, camera in hand.
Close in: abstract beauty
Back to my run…stopping frequently.
Many of the trees have amazing shapes
I wonder why they are so gnarly.
One holds a nest of leaves.
Another: a bird
An empty nest
There are milkweed…
Rusted weeds…
Bittersweet.
Reflections, shapes, colors in the water.
Later, when editing my photos, I discover a pair of ducks.
Black and white
More ducks; a willow
A human touch.
Heading back: more stunning formations.
I return to the river path the next day, and the next, reassured to find changed light, new growth, life and hope as I–and nature– progress, slowly, with starts and stops, toward spring.
Anita M. Harris is a writer, photographer and communications consultant based in Cambridge, Mass. New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, also in Cambridge.
Take me out to the [post covid shot] ball game!
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I’m totally pleased to report that I’ve received my second covid shot–Pfizer, at Fenway Park–and, despite a very sore arm, I want to offer thanks and kudos to CIC-health for a well-run and pleasant experience.
As I’ve written in the past, I spent 10 years as a client at CIC Cambridge, which offers shared office space to many startups in an environment that is uplifting, educational and supportive. I found the same at Fenway, which, I am embarrassed to admit, I had, before this week, visited only once in all the years I’ve lived in Cambridge.
I was able to park for free in a space with no meter across from Entrance A, on Jersey Street; someone called out on a loudspeaker not to come to the entrance until 15 minutes before the appointment time. So I waited for a few minutes, then showed my email confirmation to a pleasant fellow managing the door.
Inside, I picked up a new mask to replace my own, answered a few questions about my health status, and then got in line.
.While waiting, I took photos–which an assistant said was fine, as long as I didn’t show any faces. I found the covid advice amidst the ads for hotdogs and such amusing; likewise, red sox on the signs.
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Within ten minutes, I reached the front of the line and was directed to a desk where, it turned out, shifts were changing and a tech was advising another administrator, a doctor, how to work the computer system.
While waiting, I snappped photos of techs filling syringes at a station where spectators ordinarily buy beer.
Then, after asking a few questions and confirming my ID, the doc gave me the shot (it stung a bit) and told me he was glad I had come. I said I was, too, and also that HE had.
Next –into a waiting area.
After hanging out for the required 15 minutes, I got a few more shots (haha) and resolved to come back for better ones on a nicer day.
Heading back to Cambridge, I gave silent thanks to CIC and the team that had made what might have been a nerve wracking experience into a rather pleasant way to spend an hour or less. I’m greatful to be moving into what I hope will soon be a post-covid,”Go Sox ” world. Who knows–maybe I’ll even get to a game!
Anita M. Harris is a writer and communications consultant based on Cambridge, MA.
New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, also in Cambridge.
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Covid reopening: Thanks, now I’m a genius!
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Now that Massachusetts has made it into phase 3 of the covid reopening, I’m pleased that our new cases are remaining low and that, perhaps in light of what’s happening elsewhere in the country, more folks seem to be wearing masks, outdoors.
Anita Harris & pool noodle at Henrietta’s cafe, Cambridge, MA.
I’m also pleased that, of late, no one has cursed me out (and vice versa) and that those who do call me names now use positive terms. Yesterday, someone actually called out “genius” and the day before, “creative! ” Sometimes, I hear people chuckling as they pass by.
That’s been true for a few weeks, now–ever since the Christmas Tree Shop reopened and I was able to buy a pool noodle which I sport to maintain social distance of almost six feet when running on Fresh Pond or the Charles.
It wasn’t really my idea (a friend told me he’d seen people doing that in New York’s Central Park) but, hey, I’m willing to take credit if this becomes a Cambridge fashion trend. (And I hope it does).
I’d also like to thank some folks and organizations for helping me through the pandemic—in what has not been an easy time:
Ranger Jean, of Fresh Pond, who listened and commiserated when I told her about the maskless covidiot who called me a motherFxxxr when I told him masks were required; she told me not to interact, that people should feel happy on Fresh Pond.
That’s not Heidi; I’ll replace asap.
Heidi M. of Evolve Fitness of Cambridge and Framingham, whose Zoom Zumba class, smile and joy lifted my spirits on Saturday mornings before the covid reopening.
Jennifer Miles
Jennifer Miles, whose City of Cambridge online yoga classes continue to provide me with peace, calm and a regular schedule. https://www.facebook.com/huronvillageyoga
Heather Cox Richardson on Facebook
Heather Cox Richardson, whose biweekly lectures on political history have taught me ever-so- much about the situations we are facing today .
-The good-natured helpful people at Trader Joe’s and CVS, and the nice older Star Market checkout clerk (I don’t know his name) who offered that he went to Boston College, not BU; and the Starbucks barista who wished me a good day as I walked out the door with my half -caf .
-Virginia and Maya (in the photo below)and Sheldon at the newly reopened Henrietta’s Cafe, at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, whose spirit, joy , encouragement and coffee (!) give me great energy to complete my book-in progress.
Anita M. Harris is an author, photographer and communications consultant based in Cambridge, MA.
New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, also in Cambridge.
Cambridge covid rules require face masks AND social distancing–even on Fresh Pond
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For some unfathomable reason, in the Peoples’ Republic, folks either do not know or do not care that the city’s covid rules now require both face masks AND social distancing, even in parks like Fresh Pond–with a possible $300 fine.
Running on Fresh Pond this morning before 7 a.m., I found that many people were respecting the order, but several runners ignored the requirement.
Social Distancing A couple with white hair insisted on staying two abreast in the center of the path, refusing to budge when I asked them for some distance. They went so far as to tell me both that I should not have stopped on the path and that I should walk slower, until they got ahead of me. I am usually mild-mannered, but I confess, I lost it–resorting to the F-bomb–before I turned and sped up my pace in hopes of out-distancing them.
When I asked another woman –nicely–for some distance, she laughed at me .
Masks When I reminded a twenty-something couple that masks are required, they ignored me; when I asked if they knew they could be subject to the $300 fine, the guy told me I should be heading clockwise. True, that’s a guideline, but it’s not a requirement, because not everyone goes all the way around the pond. I said, “I can’t make it all the way around.” He said, “That’s not our problem.”
Soon after that, I ran into a dog friend I’ve nicknamed “Smiley.” His human asked me how I was doing; I mentioned some of the above. She said she goes out even before 6:30 because “After 7, it’s too anxiety provoking. ” She added, “I don’t understand why people won’t help; we’re all in this together.”
I don’t “get it,” either. Yesterday, I asked a man, his wife with baby carriage and two children–none wearing masks– for some distance; they refused to move. He said, “I have a mask.” True….he did have a bandana, but it was around his neck. One day last week, when I reminded a runner (less than 6″ away) that masks are required, he called me a M’fucker. Also last week, a guy walking with his kids in Central Square pulled a knife on a runner who was not wearing a mask.
I’m very concerned about divisiveness and anger that’s plaguing our neighborhood, our city, and our country….but having lost a close friend to the virus, and nearly lost another, I find it difficult to keep calm..and to keep my mouth shut. I go outside a couple of times a day to relieve stress during this difficult pandemic; it’s not working!
Anyway, in case you have’t seem the new regulation, here it is:
“While we are grateful to those in Cambridge who have been heeding our previous mask advisory and taking this issue seriously, we are concerned about the number of residents who continue to shop, walk, run and bike throughout the city without proper face coverings,” said Mayor Siddiqui and City Manager DePasquale in a joint statement. “We must all do our part in flattening the curve and make sure we are preventing the further spread of COVID-19. This mandate emphasizes the importance of wearing a face covering, not as an option, but as a requirement in our effort to combat this pandemic together.”
The order applies to everyone over five years old “without limitation, when on, in or about” public places, defined as:
Sidewalks
Streets
Parks
Plazas
Bus stops
Non-residential parking lots and garages
Any other outdoor area or non-residential parking facility which is open and accessible to the general public.
The mask requirement also applies to anyone working in or visiting an essential business, as well as shoppers and consumers. Masks must remain on throughout shifts or visits to those businesses. The businesses covered under the order, include:
Grocery stores or supermarkets
Pharmacies
Laundromats
Dry cleaners
Hardware stores
Restaurants, cafes or similar establishments where prepared foods, meals or beverages may be purchased
Local government buildings
Commercial office buildings
All essential businesses defined in Governor Baker’s March 23, 2020 Executive Order
In residential buildings of two or more units when people cannot maintain a 6 foot distance, masks will be required prior to entering any common area, including:
