In these final days before the pestilence wipes us all out, we bravely assembled in our usual place. We were tonight: Dean, Lindsay, Jennifer, Jeff, Alex, Ferne, Don, and myself — Tomek. Tonight’s conversation began with the impact of the corona virus on hockey, then moved on to touch on the impenetrability of Faulkner and the pendulum swings of fashion & style in writing from Victorian ornate language to Hemingway-style bluntness. We dismissed most Westerns (comparing originals to modern remakes), including trashing John Wayne (sorry, purists), discussed scattering ashes among the satellites in orbit, contemplated allergies and closed windows, then returned to the corona virus and nursing homes. There was potty mouth tonight but at least we managed to avoid politics. As always, a good time was had by all.