Tuesday, November 12, 2019

It's only a little quieter than usual at work today. In towns where the rocket sirens have blared, schools and some businesses are closed. Several of my coworkers with kids are staying home with them. At the House of a Hundred Grandmothers, the Arab workers were delayed but eventually arrived. I see that the dance center has canceled tonight's performance. I'm at work, but a window on my computer is tracking a liveblog of relevant news. Text message chains go around with information, misinformation, fact checking, and jokes. We wait to see who might be called for reserve duty. People ask me if this is the first of these situations I've been through. It is. They tell me not to worry. My family tells me that we are only halfway to an emergency. Everyone tries to shrug it off. But there are more people than usual at the afternoon prayers.