i went to star market in the afternoon wearing a face mask for the very first time. it felt weird putting it on, and i tried out the mask in the mirror before i went out just to see how it looked. i discovered masks are pleated for a reason, so they can stretch out and cover your nose down to your chin. and yes, my glasses did fog up.

i felt self-conscious, but the mask gave me a sense of anonymity, so that even if someone saw me and i looked silly, they wouldn't know who i was. i haven't been to star market in more than week. surprisingly, it was kind of crowded, with about 30 customers inside. there was a sign on the door saying the maximum capacity was 70 people, though i didn't see anyone at the entrance trying to enforce this rule. about 80% of the shoppers had masks, it was like a neighborhood coronavirus masquerade. some had store-bought masks while others wore makeshift DIY masks.

i already had a list of things i wanted, one of them being ground beef so i could make a pasta sauce, but i didn't see anything, so i abandoned that idea. there was a sale on easter ham, so i bought a 6 pounder. next i went in search of doritos, which were also on sale. they were either sold out or placed elsewhere in the store. as i wasn't in the mood for a scavenger hunt, i grabbed some smartfood popcorn (theater butter and kettle corn) then went to go pay. i didn't visit any other aisles to see what they had, this was a purely tactical mission. there were new markings on the floor showing customers how far apart to stand. that's when i noticed there were other signs on the floor, ones with arrows showing you the direction you should follow since they made the aisles one way, totally missed that. all the cashiers had masks on now, something they didn't do a week ago, but they were wearing gloves back then. ever since a market basket employee died a few days ago from the coronavirus, super market workers probably take PPE more seriously now.

* sidewalk repair