400,000

Today the US surpassed 400,000 official deaths from Covid. Tonight we had a ritual to express grief. Joe Biden began his inaugural ceremonies with lights surrounding the Reflecting Pool to remember the ones we've lost, joined by the lighting of other buildings and the ringing of bells around the country. 

My 31 year old friend who got Covid is not among the mourned. The only item currently on her "Covid symptom bingo card" is fatigue. When it is safer she can have her heart and lungs checked to see if there is lasting damage. 

In 2013 I was briefly in Pakistan for a project I was leading. I had a bodyguard. It was a fascinating trip, right before an election. I opened my hotel door to a newspaper that reported a bombing, front page, above the fold. The next day I opened my hotel room to a newspaper that reported a bombing, front page, above the fold, and I thought I had the previous day's newspaper but no, someone did it again. There were so many press that the hotels were full. I was in the hotel gym when an ad came on that included blood dripping down the screen. I stopped and stared, along with other people in the gym. Companies were required to stop using electricity for their operations for a few days before the election to make sure there was enough electricity for households so that the government would not also have to deal with a populace angry that they were experiencing yet another blackout. I was asked to leave a few days early, before the election, so in the wee hours of election day I was in the airport. 

I was in Lahore. There are some amazing things in Lahore, including an ancient Mughal fort that UNESCO was helping to restore. The government had mustered all military to the cities and had troops sleeping in the fort - so it was off-limits - but I'd made arrangements to see it - and our tour guide snuck us in. Not only did we get to see an incredible fort, we got to see it alone! There were other things we didn't get to do because I trusted my guard's concerns but I'm sure I enjoyed this more. 

I didn't know anything about photography yet and I didn't have a good camera yet. So many cool places, so many bad pictures. 

Tomorrow is a brand new day.