Mostly Apolitical Thread for Discussing/Venting our Rational/Irrational COVID-19 Fears and Experiences in 2020

Jealous of all y'all who can manage a week or more without going out. I have a tiny apartment and no car, so I have to go out at least every 2 days to re-stock on things, do laundry, etc. Every time I go out I put on gloves and tie a shirt around my face and it still feels insanely risky. And then I see people in the neighborhood strolling around more or less normal-like and I have to wonder what they're thinking.

I suppose I can use delivery services more, but they make me feel icky, like some entitled jerk. I reckon this has been discussed already.

Finally did it.

Got Trapt to get angry and clapback at me on Twitter.

Posted by a journalist friend of mine:

Today I spent four hours inside Rush Hospital's ER and ICU units for a story that'll run next week in the Wash Post. I won't go into what the story is about, but I thought I'd post a handful of snaps I took to give friends a sense of what it looks like on the inside. Rush was very impressive; the facility is one of a few in the U.S. built post-9/11 for a biohazard attack. The technology is amazing. I walked away sobered by the nurses and doctors who are now working 12-hour shifts. Such a cliche, but they really are modest heroes. One nurse told me she now has little time to see her three-year-old; many start their day meditating together on-site to face a day that is inevitably full of hardship. I also spent time with the city's public health commissioner, which gave me context into this current, and pointless, struggle between cities like Chicago and the federal government. A Post videographer joined me, so lots to share next week. But in the meantime, I'll fill in some captions to help give context to what I witnessed.

I don't know how to link his post, but his name is Mark Guarino.

signs that people are losing their minds: helen zaltzman, host of ‘the allusionist’ podcast, has spent the entirety of the newest episode reading the names of every winner of a dog show since 1907

xp to get a permalink to a facebook post, click on the timestamp

My friend's elevated temp is back and sore throat, 3 weeks later. Wtf.

Can't get tested to know if she had it unless she gets tested at a non-Virginia Department of Health facility, which makes it not free.

And supposed to be moving back like...in a few days.

Friend DOES sometimes imagine psychosomatic symptoms but temps don't lie.

Could also be something bacterial that needs like a ZPAK to finish it off and she'll never know cos they'll try to dump her to the ER if she goes to regular doc.

Completely different friend in FL had flu-like symptoms and very elevated blood pressure. Wanted to be seen, esp for the blood pressure and aches, doctor refused, advised him they couldn't see people with COVID symptoms, and referred him to go to the ER. He didn't want to because of fear of transmitting COVID or if he didn't have it, catching it at the hospital. Took him several calls of begging to be prescribed Blood Pressure meds.

This is so stupid

5 yr old's stomach was crampy again tonight but no more puking.

10 yr old has an elevated temp but not quite a fever.

Normal kid stuff, really. They're probably fine! But it's hard not to get panicky about these things now. Sometimes I think about how much we can restrict contact with a 5 year old. You can't. We don't kiss on the face, but I know she's going to forget and come at me. And it seems that we're going to get it if the kids have it no matter what.

Tonight I dreamt that as I was sleeping, our boston-terrier who died a year ago jumped up into the bed and I started petting her while half asleep. This is all hyper realistic, the perspective of my dream is exactly what I would be looking at as I woke up. I'm touching her a few seconds when I remember that she had died and I realize it's not her. I become more alert and try to look at what it is but it's dark and there's a shifting black and white shape that I'm petting. I get a feeling of dread and it becomes more cat-like but blurred. It's something that doesn't belong and I was getting really scared but couldn't pull my hand away.

After awaking I had to check that there was nothing there. A phrase from Twin Peaks, "It's in our house," ran through my head. Started thinking about kids and family and what-if stuff and now i'm drinking wine and eating cheez-its at 2am.

I’m quite certain now I didn’t contract covid-19 before I stopped making non-grocery-store excursions (been four weeks), and my own appraisal of the risk of contracting it at the grocery store is seems unlikely unless I’m actually coughed on. Not that there’s zero risk but it’s substantially lower than it is for anyone who has to work at the grocery store.

The trouble with sunbathing is the way it involves approaching people rapidly from behind while exhaling forcefully.

Sorry (mostly n00b) run and jog fans but you're in motion so fucking do some lateral movement if someone is strolling ahead of you.

Also people saying they have no trouble staying in for weeks and only have a "small garden" can fuck entirely off.

#parklife #discourse

If a government spokesperson mentioned in passing that herding sheep across London Bridge was permitted as a from of exercise hundreds of cunts would be unironically trying to buy live sheep.

If I were in charge I would require the police to determine whether sheep drivers were doing it ironically / sarcastically (acceptable) or not.

ironic sheep herding

Sorry (mostly n00b) run and jog fans but you're in motion so fucking do some lateral movement if someone is strolling ahead of you.

Been out for a walk once and almost got trampled to death by stupid fucking joggers.

Thankfully not getting groups of women pushing prams any more. Wow can walk down the path around the park without having somebody deciding my right to use the path was contingent on how dozy they felt that morning.

Realised also that the path which is about 4 foot wide was the canvas taht people had used to mark up the 2m signs on.As in there are now large scale images of 2 people with a <-> 2m sign between them but it's scaled down to fit the width of teh path so is probably less than a metre apart. & Wondered if anybody is going to see taht and have taht distance down as their mental measure of what the distance is supposed to be.Would be counterproductive, like.

did we ever really clarify whether walking past some gave them it

I think an awful lot of people are hearing "2 meters" and assuming this is a generous margin of safety, like drug or food use-by dates or something.

Exhaled particles are microscopic so my "common sense" tells me they're going to be light enough to float about in air. Just as it was obvious that masks are a very good idea even while health professionals were saying they were "not necessary".

2 meters should be a suggested *minimum*.

Deems dr m posted something upthread (or in another thread) from the American cdc saying that yes normal breathing can transmit the virus, not just coughing and sneezing. Anyway the more forceful expulsion of air during exercise is much closer to coughing or sneezing than normal breathing so everyone otm that joggers should be mindful. It’s not rocket science

As with so much else though, this seems like common sense but it really wouldn’t have taken much to foresee this problem and issue clear advice. You could whip up a cutesy infographic or poster in half an hour saying “joggers, skirt around ppl ffs”

People walking dogs on those elastic telescopic leads should be forced to control the length the dog can move around on at a time like thsi,or wise up to other people wanting that standard social distancing. had to deal with a family group and a dog together nearly totally blocking the path yesterday. Bad enough without the current possibilities.

Are people just going around saying, oh no I could never have it and it impugns my character to suggest I might have.
Has crossed my mind to cough in the direction of people walking too close when they have more space so really don't have to . Or are part of a group that is blocking my alternatives. Fear it might just be counterproductive though. Wonder what other people do when somebody is bearing down on them, bark, growl?

It's not solely about social distancing it's about being rude and entitled too.

I've been walking down pavements where there is only one other person around. I'm walking in a way that doesn't give me space to move further away in the other direction from somebody who is looking at me as they walk directly towards me. Which i would think of as being pretty entitled which is the circumstance i was referring to in case taht wasn't clear.
I have a wall down one side and various bits of bushes.

I was talking about joggers running over people btw

on segways?

walking past people isnt sneezing within two metres nor sweating/exhaling heavily at them

thats not rocket science

i'm totally avoiding the Prospect Park area on my walk to chemo, due almost entirely to joggers, occasionally getting slightly lost in the process.

xpost true, but now they're saying simply exhaling or talking leaves COVID in the air (not long, but...maybe long enough)?

probably not going to get it that way but who knows.

I had a Godzilla suit made and I'm going to trapse through downtown safely now

what if the national guard try to take you down tho?

a friend has a Mothra costume

i get 2 more friends, that's....well that's 10 people right there, try taking us all down!

i'm just wondering whether "blown up by lars rocket" will qualify you for the victims of rona thread

inclusivity or death imo

yay! I found a litre of skimmed milk hiding in my stores, can make a lasagne now without having to brave the local shops which I've not been into for over a week now.

i've been twice this weekend, i could only carry food yesterday

I've noticed overstocking with booze is not good for me. Rather than making it last longer I drink to excess!

I've just notice loads of online recipes vouch for skimmed over full fat milk for white sauce anyway. I don't know why I was thinking it wouldn't be good.

i'm opting to have groceries delivered today. probably going to do that ongoing rather than going to the place myself. not as much out of fear, cos i have a mask, but mostly laziness.

gonna need more in a week or so food wise. thankful I got TP a month ago as I've actually see friends asking people where they can get some as they're out. there's gonna be bartering stations soon

xpost I've realized me drinking and amplifying my already heightened distress is a bad mix so I think I'm done for a bit.

i'm on it today, managing about one in five days on the lash at the moment, so about normal tbh. i think it might be hitting me harder when i do tho

probably not going to get it that way but who knows.

walking past people isnt sneezing within two metres nor sweating/exhaling heavily at them

My understanding is that walking past people is not exempt from the 2m rule because why would it be

The pooch and I have an elastic lead, but we're staying well off the sidewalks, hiking up the levee and down to the lakeshore 50 m away from any stray breaths.

I am finding difficulty finding a single bandana that doesn't smell of dog. I thought I washed these...

I’m so glad I’m on the wagon atm; procuring a supply of alcohol isn’t ab issue now.

I am “tapering off” today hopefully. Got some nice beers in my m&s haul today. The new rules for living are a bastard for impulse purchasing as you’re not allowed put anything back

Also I know takeaway food is fine but I’d be shitting it if I went into a tiny hot kebab shop rn, as I just saw someone (unmasked) queueing to do

I can hear a bird chirping incessantly outside, for the first time since I moved to the city, but fuck, I moved to the city in part to get away from nature. nature is annoying, shut up dumb bird

https://a1cf74336522e87f135f-2f21ace9a6cf0052456644b80fa06d4f.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/images/characters_opt/p-its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-kaitlin-olson.jpg

Must say it's nice that even people with reasons that they can't get outside much generally get to be self-righteous pricks on social media. My name is Kaspar Houser and if I can manage to be locked in a windowless cell for years you selfish bastards can manage a couple of weeks!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EU2LdD6XkAI5SoP?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

thank you for emptying our bins

thank you delivering our post

you see that is much better than all this false-hearted "everything is going to be ok" bollox.

Yeah I’ve seen some with those kinds of things on too, much better obv. I hope I haven’t given you the impression I’m a huge fan of twee bromides in general calz - I’m not and I have the posts to prove it honest guv