Cate Blanchett in the Time of Plague

We interrupt this epidemic for an important announcement… Life still goes on. Our little old bunker has a floor show, right out front. The water company is destroying the block in its attempt to try to save it. First off, they dumped a mountain of gravel across the street from our house. This was thankfully after I had made my morning run to the Corona virus and beer store. Through the day, the workers trenched out the far side of the street, totally blocking all of the driveways there and trapping any cars still in them. It is suppose to be a wet week, so their exuberance in tearing up the street may result in a situation that some get to savor for quite a while. When you’re digging a ditch, you’ll never get rich, but the Corona virus and everyone else will pay you no mind, unless you can’t get out of your driveway. Full employment in the trenches.

Dan’s LA gig was postponed as I expected it would be. There is no work in NYC either. He is turning his attention to his Glow-Forge. It has not been as lucrative as his union or Macy’s jobs, but if there are no jobs left, then make art.

As the market tumbles down and I feel like I’m falling, I keep reaching for the pin on my reserve chute, Social Security. Later this year, both Anne and I will reach “full retirement” from a Social Security standpoint. This was always my failsafe in the event of the inevitable #TrumpApocalypse. Drawing on Social Security now, will lessen the pressure on our savings and give the markets time to recoup their losses. Not a necessity right now, but maybe pretty soon.

The image of Cate Blanchett wearing a bunny suit is from the art installation, Manifesto: Art x Agency that is exhibiting now at the Hirshhorn. This is a video artwork that features Blanchett, in thirteen guises, in thirteen separate films. This work explores how artists use manifestos to engage with the political and social issues of their time and how contemporary practices still employ art as a tool in the making of history.