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

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.

I mean, any partner left at home to handle all of that full-time is a non-starter, but yeah. It just feels like even the companies that started this thing out being really flexible and helpful have changed their tunes. Several friends have shared emails that are variations on the theme between the lines of, "yes we are giving more work for you to do, but be happy you even have a job".

covid is a bummer

trickle down covidnomics

With multiple disclaimers along the lines of "So glad I don't work on a ward/in a care home etc", I'm a bit sick of this idea that "We need to return to work" (I haven't stopped working, albeit from home, but in a way that is more knackering than ever) and I really just want to *touch people*.

Well, still waiting for unemployment to go through.

My friend, who is younger than me (I'm 39), has stage 4 inoperable colon cancer.

Last week, a beloved member of the theatre community, my brother's friend, died of heart issues. Mid 30s.

Another theatre acquaintance with substance abuse issues killed himself last month. Also 30s.

My friend's 19 year old son died in a one car crash two months ago.

FUCK THIS MOTHERFUCKING YEAR. people are dropping like flies. And this one is one I finally can't hide from. He's a good friend I've known about 10 years. Started crying at work.

He has days, years, months, I don't know.

In typical me fashion, trying to pretend nothing's wrong. I don't like crying in front of people.

fuck man, I'm sorry

I'm so sorry Neanderthal.

Thx :(

These are rough times for all. Stay safe and healthy please everyone.

good vibes to you mister.