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

Trying to figure out how to move forward in Houston. My wife can work from home for the most part but not while taking care of the kids. We work at the same museum. Preschool opens in June which feels sketchy. Summer camps pushed back to July. Not sure how long our jobs will allow us to stay home with kids and sending them out into the world is madness. Because I’m recovering from an injury, I may be able to get some extra time at home. Which is good but hurts because I like my job and coworkers.

Preschool promises precautionary measures and hygiene, but I have a five year old. I know. There is nothing hygienic about them.

Can't hold a revolution whole retaining social distancing. I mean seems like several places kind of need one right now.
Ireland voted certain people out of power and they've just hung onto it cos they're chances. UK and US have complete idiots running things and recovering under either will be a chore.
Anywhere else need to overthrow it's government under exactly the wrong circumstances?

I'm starting to think, given endless "Xth wave" scenarios, I'll never be able to resume a 'normal life' in NYC, certainly in NYC. Not w/out gambling with my health every day. Same goes with everyone over 60 or w/ an underlying condition.

― brooklyn suicide cult (Dr Morbius), Saturday, 2 May 2020 06:38 (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

I think about this a lot and it's getting me down.

It's early days yet and there's 90 or something potential vaccines/cures bring looked at all over the world but I just keep coming back to how difficult it will be to develop, how long it will take and how I can't live in a (privileged and relatively well off*) cocoon for months or years.

At some point I'm going to have to face the virus and see where I end up.

* I'm super aware of how lucky I am here. I have a job that lets me work from home, that pays well and that will likely survive a recession. I have a wife who is prepared to take all the risks of shopping to feed the family. I have fast Internet and all the games and streaming entertainment I can eat. I see my children every day. I have a garden!
I've got the easiest "shield" going and it's still tough - my heart goes out to those who are isolated alone and struggling for cash.

the neighborhood children have been let outside and are just . . . screaming. almost constantly

yep

they scream inside too

I've got the easiest "shield" going and it's still tough

Same here. Reminding myself that I'm a million times luckier than most has kept me on an even keel to this point, but almost two months along, my thoughts are starting to turn to things like "I'm 58--what percentage of the rest of my life is going to be like this?" If it's two years, a reasonable estimate might be 15-20%. Knowing how minor such concerns are doesn't make them disappear.

yes, I’m so lucky but I feel like I’m really starting to drift, being completely alone for almost 7 weeks now

A sort of x-post to Koogs from a few days ago. I've realised that I have been telling shop staff to look after themselves and have been feeling a strange, horrible bleakness ... because they just seem so at risk (particularly when you factor in the idea of viral loading).

Anyway, I've shopped in two local Sainsbury's, one a small branch, the other a proper supermarket. The latter seems to be doing things well, including perspex screens on tills, limited numbers in stores etc. The former just felt scary - narrow aisles, no one being strict about social distancing, not one way around the store.

There's a small branch of Tescos near me and they usually have a security guard outside letting people in and out - though they didn't today - but once inside any idea that social distancing is even possible is ludicrous.

None of the staff wear masks, some wear gloves. It's the same in Morrisons.

I keep hearing the birds chirp at sunrise and sunset, it saves me

the parrots and crows are a little annoying, but I still love them

I've read enough stories about people doing it that now I'm starting to consider trying to train/establish a relationship with a crow.

I grew up listening to thrushes, and in my family their song was always considered the most beautiful. Living in a city now I haven’t heard them in a while

Probably more pleasant than grackles

i know one thing about grackles and its to do with "that* scene in IT

Grackles are just store brand crows IMO

I am always thrilled to see the parrots in my cotoneaster tree, I think they are getting drunk on the berries. sometimes they line up on my railing

as loud as they are I can’t hate them

I like the idea of wildlife taking over

YouTube channel Falconry And Me has some great videos with her talking raven. I had no idea they could learn to speak like parrots.

Yeah heard birdsong last week sound much different in volume to previous.
Good sign I hope.
& more bees around than before so hope their own virus doesn't wipe them out.

There's a directive that seems to be nationwide about letting grass grow and not cutting back dandelions and daisies. So they can be pollinators.
Also seems to be allowing corners of parks and fields and things to rewild. Would be good if some of that was allowed to continue after the pandemic.
Oh well I'm sure there'll be another one soon.

Upstairs has been feeding the birds, which is good in theory. The actuality is pigeon noises outside my window from about 6am.

Interesting about the bigger supermarkets too. I've been avoiding them, thinking there'd be crowds but now I think I might try the bigger tescos on Wednesday, even if there are at least 10 metros that are closer.

Upstairs has been feeding the birds, which is good in theory. The actuality is pigeon noises outside my window from about 6am.

I live on the top floor so pigeon noises are a way of life for me. There's also a big tree just outside so I hear lots of birds anyway - especially now that you never hear an ambulance siren anymore.

I've been avoiding them, thinking there'd be crowds crows

All the Chinese restaurants in my town closed in mid-March, but I've been calling every few days, and one of them has finally reopened.

God I actually cannot wait for a Chinese takeaway. Tell me what you're gonna have.

I got fried pork DUMPLINGS!, steamed vegetables, and spring rolls. I am not joking - when I called and someone picked up I literally yelped "You're back!"

my favorite local hunan restaurant has been delivering and I’ve been ordering frequently. If they close it will kill me, but I don’t think they will

I love the predictability of Australia. Lockdown rules eased in Queensland on Friday = new reports of a man being attacked by a crocodile* on Monday.

*circumstances undisclosed but it lay a small bet on it being a standup paddle boarder.

New = news

was the crocodile wearing a mask?

"is that another paddle boarder? My god, it's tiresome. i've muffins in the oven. shit. well, i guess i'll play the role." - crocodile wearing a mask

my roommate works at starbucks and her location is reopening tomorrow... idk, i hope they have some kind of takeout/curbside operation planned because otherwise i'm scared for everyone?

but also she has to take the subway to get there. lol

DUMPLINGS!!

I noticed that the local chinese was open yesterday when i went out to see if i could check the sale taht I had heard was going on in a section of one of the local supermarket/dept storesthat the queue had been too long to check the day before.
UNfortunately found out that sale was only in the women's dept. But did get a pair of slippers and some socks.

BUt Chinese was open earlier than I'd noticed pre pandemic. & was a table across the door so nobody actually entered the premises.
I guess it's all you need but not comfortable in bad weather.

Oh yeah thinking of ASian places. I'd been in to my noraml Asian goods supply place on Friday and they'd moved from somebody standing at a door filling requests to actually allowing you into the shop to pick things out for yourself. I don't know their goods well enough to run off a list easily. Tend to pick up somethings i don't really know the name of. Need to coook with it now which hasn't happened since I've been making other stuff.
Got another shirt I'm in th emiddle of right now. Finished a dashiki cowboy shirt apart from the buttons and topstitching last week. Now in the middle of a cossack shirt.

A Dollar Store security guard was murdered because he asked someone to put on a mask before entering his store.

He leaves behind 8 kids.

He will not be the last to die from this horseshit. https://t.co/gzLfO6Aipx

— Robert Evans (The Only Robert Evans) (@IwriteOK) May 4, 2020

stay safe out there folks

Just found out a friend I hadn't heard from in about a month has been laid up with covid most of this time. She either got it from her girlfriend or the hotel she works at. Doesn't sound like she had severe respiratory problems, but mostly just persistently high fever and very bad aches and pains. Luckily recovered now.

glad she didn't have severe respiratory problems. my bestie thinks she may have some long term impacts, not major, but she still says she doesn't feel completely whole. and now I have another friend who likely has it.

caring for my dad with my mother has unexpectedly calmed me a bit because now I'm not alone, and this is more time than I've spent with the folks in like 13 years. he's steadily improving.

Psycho Las Vegas is officially bumped so now that this is finally official, now I don't have to worry about that anymore. I miss my friends a lot though. thinking of setting up a Zoom.

want to record some more music, but there's no way I can do it in their place. may stop home just for purposes of recording a tune.

i kept thinking that the new normal of distancing and masks and all that would be hellish for me to accept, but on rethinking it, when things actually get to where we can relax distancing (i.e. NOT right now, even though we're doing it anyway), I'll accept socializing in any way I can get it.

I miss hugs. a lot.

<3 can’t wait to actually be able to hug someone again

at the point where I wish I'd gotten it, because the rest of life just seems like it has atrophied permanently on a global scale

I would be fine dying from it but otherwise nah

Kind of odd to see a basketball game taking place on a court in the park this morning. Mainly because unless those ~eight people all live together they must have made a collective decision to go against physical distancing mores and specifically to play basketball (?). And if they do live together what kind of household is that? Are they like a cross between the Monkees and the Harlem Globetrotters? That would be bad and annoying even as a TV show.

well i mean everything is reopening, it must be fine

Every week this just gets harder and more stressful. Some days it feels like the country is on the verge of massive nervous breakdown, I don't know anyone that is thriving right now, even without directly with friends and family being sick. Even family members and friends that are still fortunate enough to have work are stretched so thin with even longer working hours, added responsibilities and bosses being completely unforgiving about children. It's like the "novelty" has worn off and leadership and owners have collectively decided, "Okay, hope you enjoyed your slow period, back to work, here's more responsibility. What's that? Distance learning? Your kids aren't my fucking problem, BACK TO WORK".

Yeah if dads go back to work without school or childcare in place, ALL the work falls on moms (like usual) and that is a nonstarter in my view.