What have you done as a result of the Corona Virus?
5a. Stopped watching TV
b. Bought more toilet paper (although I can’t figure our why)
c. Nothing-I believe its all a hoax like the Orange
Skidmark says
d. Hiding under my bed until it is over
e. Stopped drinking Corona Beer
f. Stopped going to Chinese restaurants
g. Other (please explain)
- 82 comments, 222 replies
- Comment
Changed my drinking habits.
Ebola tastes great.
And yes, too soon. But you asked.
@mehcuda67
Nope, definitely not.
I’ve changed my mind about the “panic”.
A week ago I thought it was silly.
But, as the number of cases begins to rise, I think it’s a good thing that people are reacting, even if possibly overreacting.
It will help slow the spread of the virus and that’s got to be a good thing regardless of whether or not it’s being blown out of proportion.
I’m not afraid of getting it myself, as I’m relatively healthy and a flu-like respiratory infection is not likely to kill me or even seriously harm me.
However - my mother is 80 with heart disease, I have a friend whose daughter is immunosuppressed, another living with lung disease and I know plenty of other people who fall under the category of “vulnerable”.
So, I’m being just a tiny bit more careful for the sake of those who are at risk.
If you are anti-anti-vaccine but scoff at taking some extra precautions against an uncontrolled virus, you’re being a hypocrite.
@DennisG2014 Coronavirus: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO):
You don’t know why to buy all the toilet paper?
It stops the Coronas!
Here’s proof.
@daveinwarsh
@daveinwarsh @Kidsandliz I love both of these!
@PhysAssist Mine came from a science humor forum. Some of the stuff posted there is absolutely brilliant. There is a good laugh on there pretty frequently.
@Kidsandliz “science humor forum” – link…?
@phendrick
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2332427903704805/
@Kidsandliz
@mike808 So sad. My computer won’t open the image.
@Kidsandliz
@mike808 Thanks for reposting.
I purchased an extra pack of lysol wipes and toilet paper only because they are both getting hard to find. I didn’t really want to do it but I guess it is better to have a back up pack and not run out.
@tinamarie1974 Did you buy this at Costco?
@Barney haha, I did NOT. I thought it would be awkward to run into @mike808 in the parking lot.
It was actually my friendly neighborhood Wal-Mart
@tinamarie1974
My local Target and Costco had absolutely zero toilet paper left the last time I went to each, so it’s a good thing I bought a big pack last week. The only thing left at Target the last time in either of the two big aisles was a few packs of supposedly flushable wipes.
@tinamarie1974 my problem is that we’re actually running low, but it’s all out locally
I’m not planning on sticking up a crazy amount or anything…
@luvche21 yeah I didn’t want to buy extra and feed into the frenzy, but I decided two nine roll packs instead of one was not too crazy when I was only seeing a few packs left in an isle that is usually bursting at the seams.
@tinamarie1974 Oh don’t worry that’s not what I was thinking. I’m not wanting to feed into the frenzy either. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a store with sold out shelves like that. It’s weird
@luvche21 agree, only maybe Black Friday or before a really big storm, but never to this extent. It is like people think the “end tomes” are coming
/giphy eye roll
@luvche21 or end times, damn tiny phone keyboard
@tinamarie1974 I actually thought “end tomes” was the new hip way of saying it until you corrected yourself, because it could be the final volumes of humanity or something?
/giphy end tomes
@luvche21 yeah nothing hip over here.
@tinamarie1974 A run on a commodity brings along its own reason for joining in, sadly enough. Just in time inventory, distribution centers that stock enough (maybe a little bit more) than they normally expect to ship to stores over a given period selling out in 2 weeks what might normally take 2-3 months.
So where is the backing store for that sold out TP? For a temporary situation like this the manufacturers are not going to pay tons of money to ramp up production. How long to refill the supply chain from manufacturer to main distribution to regional distribution to store? It may take weeks, or a month or two before there’s a consistent supply if people keep snatching up every pack they see. Did you buy enough to last at least a few weeks?
If you don’t have one, consider a bidet; it will save on TP for certain.
Otherwise, poop at work.
I stopped at Aldi today for food. They still had paper towel and toilet paper in stock but it was pretty meager compared to normal. The Costco here last weekend still had TP and PT in stock, limiting sales to two packs per customer (I bought one, that’s enough).
Hand sanitizer on the other hand… but I bought 3-4 weeks ago so we’re set at home and at work.
@duodec I sense a fellow Supply Chain professional in my midst!
Taking your blurb a step further, I am not seeing any real distribution issues domestically, which is how TP should be moving. Internationally is a bit more difficult, a/f rates to/from APAC are inflated and capacity is restricted, but freight is moving with a small delay. Ocean freight is another issue, with blank sailings.
BTW, I should have plenty, I have four fully stocked bathrooms, which means three or four rolls in each. In addition I have enough to restock each roughly twice. As far as the bidet, I won one on an Irk/fuko/fuku that is begging to be installed, this might motivate me to hook it up!
@tinamarie1974 you should! I save so much TP it’s ridiculous.
@duodec @tinamarie1974 Oh gawd. I used to do purchasing for a factory. What nobody there seemed to realize is that JIT only works if (1) everybody in the supply chain is competent, and (2) we can rely on our own numbers and forecasts. Life would have been a lot easier - and our customers a lot happier - if we’d been allowed some inventory.
@luvche21 @tinamarie1974 It’s pretty bad at our rural state college-town Wally World every Sunday through Wednesday, but today was especially bad- I didn’t see ANY hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, rubbing alcohol, or toilet paper.
As it was, every early week they are sold out of every bit of Wally World’s grape crystal lite mix.
Luckily, we tend to buy disinfectant wipes and TP in case-lots at BJ’s whenever there is a coupon for our brand, and all the other things on our late week forays to WW.
@guyfromhawthorn @tinamarie1974
guys, just order it from Amazon, and they will bring it right to your door by the case.
@guyfromhawthorn @tinamarie1974
My Costco was out of toilet paper, paper towel, water and gloves two weeks ago when I went.
@tinamarie1974 “four fully stocked bathrooms”
At least, when you gotta go, you aint gotta go far.
I traveled from WA to OR to look after my elderly, sick mom. I’m honestly a bit freaked out about infecting her, so I’m being extra cautious about cleaning my grubby paws. No serious sign of COVID-19 in either of us, but it can be dormant for 2 weeks, so we’ll see.
I’ve bought a crapload of extra food.
We need to go into the hospital/doctor several times in the next weeks, and I’m nervous as hell about the risk of either her catching it there, or them being swamped with patients. The good news is that the disease seems to have barely a foothold in Oregon.
I’m doing my part with social distancing, hoping beyond hope that the US can gradually ease into the numbers of patients, so that the medical system can absorb and treat them in an orderly way. My nightmare is that hospitals get swamped here like they are in Italy.
Please wash your hands and read up on the CDC site, folks. If not for yourself, then for your vulnerable family and neighbors.
The essential info is here about “flattening the curve”:
Oops, and I was wrong. There’s absolutely COVID-19 in Oregon: https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/03/7-new-coronavirus-cases-in-oregon-officials-say-gov-kate-brown-declaring-state-of-emergency.html
@UncleVinny Best wishes and prayers for your Mom.
@UncleVinny
FYFI*:
COVID-19 Incubation period from the CDC By Denise Baez
NEW YORK – March 11, 2020 – The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation, with new information pouring in daily. What are some of the most recent discoveries and updates?
First, researchers have found that the incubation period for COVID-19 is approximately 5 days.
Stephen A. Lauer, MS, PhD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, and colleagues pooled data of confirmed COVID-19 cases reported between January 4, 2020, and February 24, 2020 from 50 provinces, regions, and countries outside Wuhan, China. They analysed demographic characteristics and dates and times of possible exposure, symptom onset, fever onset, and hospitalization.
Their results, as published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, showed that the median incubation period is estimated to be 5.1 days and 97.5% of those who develop symptoms will do so within 11.5 days of infection.
These estimates imply that, under conservative assumptions, 101 out of every 10,000 cases will develop symptoms after 14 days of active monitoring or quarantine.
*For Your Further Information.
@PhysAssist thanks! Sounds like people still haven’t figured out when it’s contagious, but assuming it’s similar to other respiratory illnesses (flu/cold) it’s only when a person is symptomatic. I sure hope so.
@UncleVinny de Nada, and from what I could gather, even though it’s not clear if you are/can be contagious when asymptomatic, you are clearly more likely to be spreading it if you’re sneezing and/or coughing.
@JnKL
/giphy NICE!
Cancelled my trip to Seattle that I’ve been planning for 4 months. (Parents weren’t keen on going out while we were up visiting.) Rescheduled it out a month though.
@riskybryzness oh, that sucks, Bryz! What were you all planning on doing while in town? The nice thing right now is the busses and trains are so roomy, love it. And parking at the park and rides to come downtown for work is wonderful. Lots of spaces!! You’d have super light traffic getting around…
@moonhat I was actually excited to go because of that. Really wanted to visit Pike when it was empty, I don’t think I’ve seen it that vacant before. My folks who are older didn’t want to risk any of it so we just moved it out to early April. Hopefully it’ll still be mellow by that time.
@moonhat @riskybryzness
For over year the wife and I have been planning a week long trip to Vegas in April; a trade show for my work. Since the expected attendance is 20,000 from all around the world, I assume it will end up being cancelled. At any rate, my wife works for a large regional medical center, and her employer has forbidden any one to attend gatherings of more than 50 people; if they do they have to self quarantine at home for 2 weeks without pay. I guess the more churchy employees were quite displeased to hear that. She told me as of today they are now on lockdown; the general public can no longer just walk in the door, you have to prove you are an employee, have an appointment, or be on a list of relatives of inpatients to be allowed entry, and then are required to be masked. This is a facility with 3500+ employees on just one campus.
They have announced that when coronavirus patients start coming in, all non emergency surgery in their 40 or so OR’s is going to be cancelled indefinitely and many non medical staff are going to be laid off, so employees should prepare financially for that. N95 masks are now restricted to ER and ICU employees only.
And we are in a rural area in a state with only about 10 confirmed cases so far. Obviously the administration is of the opinion that it is more widespread right now than the reported figures in the media reflect.
I am not one to panic or overreact, but watching what the health system around here is doing, and reading the news out of Italy, I thought it prudent to fill the freezer with a couple weeks worth of groceries in case what you see happening with toilet paper starts happening with food in a few weeks. At worst, I don’t have to buy any groceries next month, right? We are also sitting on our tax refund in case one or both of use can’t work for a few weeks, so we can keep the bills paid.
@moonhat @riskybryzness @Steve7654 Holy Shit… thankfully we are not at that point in my little community hospital. So far not TOO much panic, but every day it’s a teleconference with the ADPH for an update. We have some procedures in place, but I have no doubt we will see some cases before it is all over. Thankfully, if things hold true to form, this should wind down as the temps go up.
Personally my life hasnt changed much. I was my hands, I try not to touch my face. I work at a university, I am around students all day, students from different countries, there are numerous virus’ that could be worse. In my mind we need to be vigilant, not racist, and continue on with our lives.
@bleedmichigan Thank you. I married into an Asian (not Chinese) family and the thought that they’ve witnessed or been affected by this type of ignorance enrages me.
I live in the Northeast, presumably the progressive thinking part of the country. However, one of my wife’s cousins who’s paying for college by delivering for the local Chinese food restaurant has seen their business slow down because people are afraid to buy Chinese food THAT’S MADE IN THE UNITED STATES!!! My wife’s uncle has had some people on the subway say not so nice things to him as he goes into the Boston. And the list goes on…
I know these aren’t terrible acts of hate or anything like that, but I want to look at these people in the face and just say, “Seriously? You can’t seriously be this stupid? Do you vote? Please say you haven’t, because I don’t want you influencing things that affect me.”
@zinimusprime and we are a City on a Hill. Not always and not everyone
My wife works in an ER in Boston so she’s the first line of defense for people getting checked out for this stuff. Ya know what I’m doing?
NOTHING.
Unless you’re elderly and/or have serious respiratory problems it’s like, but not exactly the same as, the flu. Life will suck for a week or so, you’ll have to alternate Advil & Tylenol to keep your fever down, you’ll be immune to it when it’s done, and then you’ll be able to walk around like that sick kid in World War Z.
The virus isn’t the problem, the panic about it is.
@zinimusprime Except, like the flu, it’s not just people with chronic respiratory disease, it’s more like any chronic disease process, and/or immune suppression [like all those folks on the newest, and very heavily advertised, drugs for psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, or multiple sclerosis], or immune deficiency.
My S-I-L is one, having been on immuno-suppressant drugs for at least a decade to treat her RA, and as a result she has had to be very careful re: avoiding illness.
Her daughter [our niece] is in the same boat due to ongoing chemotherapy for a GYN cancer. As she is a bartender at a really busy downtown bar/restaurant, when she was first started on it late last year, we bought her a ton of emoji-themed surgical masks to wear at work, as protection from catching something from her customers.
Stopped hanging out with Tom Hanks.
@Ignorant way too soon …
@Ignorant what’s wrong with Tom hanks?
Never mind. Googled it.
I am washing my hands more using the lengthy method i learnt years ago for clean rooms, using hand sanitizer, wiping down at work with bleavh wipes, using a wave or the vulcan live long and prosper not shaking hands or cheek kiss.
I am cautiously concerned but not panicked.
I am trusting only 4 sources
2.CDC
Woke up with a cough, runny nose and a sore throat. I supervise 40 operators and technicians.
Decided to stay home and not spread sick germs so that everyone else can stay healthy.
Pretty sure I DONT have Covid-19, just trying to be responsible and not stress other people’s immune system.
And I have been washing my hands more, as I interact with 40 people on a daily basis.
@JnKL smart move. You are right most likely a cold but stay home and get better
@JnKL That is definitely the right move. Even if the panic is ridiculous, staying home when you are feeling those symptoms is always a good idea.
@JnKL @zinimusprime But then you wind up blowing a year’s worth of sick leave on one cold…
@JnKL
Great idea to stay home, that keeps it from spreading (whatever you have), and keeps the hospital beds open for the people who have COVID-19.
Runny nose is not a symptom of COVID-19.
CDC Source
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/symptoms.html
Hope you feel better soon!
@CaptAmehrican @JnKL Above re: your personal risk of having C-19 is generally true with this caveat: Depending on your location and the number of infections in your immediate surroundings.
Regardless, staying home is wise- not only will you be less likely to stress your own, and other’s immune systems, you will also avoid possible negative emotional reactions from random passersby, etc.
I have been somewhat hoarse for the past several days without ANY other symptoms, but nonetheless, people look at me like I’m a plague-rat, and I have never been asked so many times what I am “sick” with.
I have had a wheezy cough a few times in the AM’s when I first get up, so I think it’s some seasonal allergies on top of my perennial ones- leaf mold in particular has always seemed to give me a dry tight cough with mild laryngitis, and since by all accounts we have not had proper winter weather for the past 1-1.5 weeks, the rain wetting the leaves which I see collected everywhere I look [outside], makes leaf mold a likely culprit.
Since everyone ran on the grocery stores and I wanted a grilled cheese sandwich, today I tried my hand at baking bread, then made said sandwich (two, actually, since I did all the work and couldn’t decide which cheese I wanted). Delicious.
While bread is, in fact, a purpose I would consider under the umbrella of “all-purpose”, my further endeavors will include trying with single purpose bread flour, and proofing in a warmer environment to try to get a better rise. But I think my efforts qualify me for receipt of the “grilled cheese sandwich during the zombie apocalypse” merit badge.
I also finally let the Kai Luna bread knife a kind Mehrican bestowed upon me in an exchange bite me. On like the next to last slice of the second loaf, I got too careless and felt its sting. Damn, that thing is sharp.
@djslack enjoy that sandwich, it was days in the making.
Hope you didn’t get your golf finger.
@djslack @Ignorant I bought stuff to make bread- I have a machine but haven’t used it in years. Maybe this afternoon.
@djslack Dang, those look good!
Q: What will I do if I run out of toilet paper?!?
A: Depends…
(sorry, but it’s still better than those awful t-shirt jokes)
Haven’t done a damn thing. Am prepared for a tornado or ice storm to take out water and heat for a week or so, so this isn’t anything additional.
Self-quarantine seems to be really effective protection if people continue to lose their effing minds over this.
With Hair Furiosa tweeting and Faux News hyperbloviating about Covid-19 being just another libtard hoax to rig the election, what could go wrong?
@mike808 well and if you consider the awesome Creve Coeur dad who ignored the quarantine requirement to attend a father-daughter dance.
I am sure we will have no issues keeping it under control
POPSOCKETS! SPA KITS! POLLY POCKETS! AWESOME!
@mike808 @tinamarie1974 but people in Creve Coeur have money, so they are above it all… they can have their nanny be sick for them…
My company has always had an option for me to work from home. I do that now. I wash my hands a lot. I use hand sanitizer after using payment terminals and touchscreens in public. While you suckers were buying distilled water, I bought a case of vodka. I user grocery pickup, sure the employee picking my order might cough on my banana, but I think it’s a lower risk than going in a store wandering around a bunch of possible carriers, and touching the payment terminals. I was already pretty much a homebody, I hate going to the theater, I’ve seen all the bands I wanted to when I was younger. I’ve been preparing for a quarantine for a long time I guess.
@j37hr0 I don’t know what brand vodka you bought, but if you were planning to use it for hand sanitizer the % alcohol might not be/probably won’t be high enough. Tito’s has already made a public statement about their vodka only being 40% alcohol. Sanitizer needs to be at least 60% alcohol.
@msklzannie I bought it to raise by blood alcohol level to a degree where my body is an inhospitable host to any foreign bodies. I wouldn’t waste alcohol by pouring it on my hands. But I won’t have to go to the liquor store for like, 2 months. I can have groceries delivered, but my state isn’t forward thinking enough to allow alcohol delivery. I live with someone who has a weakened immune system and don’t want to feel guilty about getting them sick.
@j37hr0 You’re not the only one with that idea.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-updates-iran-dozens-killed-alcohol-poisoning-trying-to-ward-off-virus/
@dannybeans oh sweet baby Jesus! I was kidding. Your liver is an important part of your immune system. Be kind to it!
@j37hr0 @msklzannie OTOH, Everclear [95% ethanol], i.e., grain alcohol would be a great dual purpose purchase.
Mixed somewhere between 0.25-33% with aloe gel or food-grade glycerine will give you an end product somewhere between 60+ to 70+ % alcohol by volume.
@j37hr0 @msklzannie @PhysAssist I’d bought a huge jug of Everclear awhile back. I must be psychic, not just psychotic.
@msklzannie @OldCatLady @PhysAssist work from home is mandatory now. I bought a big thing of Barbicide to disinfect things from Amazon.
@j37hr0 @msklzannie @OldCatLady It’s only psychotic if you bought a 55-gallon drum, or plan to drink your huge jug in one sitting…
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/03/10/44-dead-iran-drinking-toxic-alcohol-fake-coronavirus-cure/5009761002/
Updated: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/iran-73-people-died-after-consuming-toxic-alcohol/1763209
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/03/10/44-dead-iran-drinking-toxic-alcohol-fake-coronavirus-cure/5009761002/
I read this: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/03/dont-panic-the-comprehensive-ars-technica-guide-to-the-coronavirus/
Beyond that, as far as I can see, there is nothing for me to do. Supposed to save the masks for the medical people, wouldn’t be too keen on wearing one anyways. Probably won’t catch it.
@InnocuousFarmer Thanks for that link; I just now saw it and passed it along to my alumni group (hadn’t seen any of them discuss it).
For payback, I got this from their newsletter:
[I have no idea of WHOm the original author is…]
I’ve started being more deliberate about how I describe the disease. We all say “my state does / does not have coronavirus cases.” But this gives a false sense of safety. It’s not states that have the virus. It’s people. And people are so damn MOVABLE. Someone from Washington can be in Georgia in five hours. And that happens hundreds of times a day.
@melonscoop plus, it should really be “diagnosed” cases…
Also started singing more. Helps clear up the congestion.
My Corona
I have been sanitizing my desk every morning. I already wash my hands a ton because I work retail. Now I feel like it’s turning into an obsessive amount. I touch my face often. I have allergies so my eyes and nose are very itchy. I’m hyper aware of it now.
@RiotDemon I’ve got three, maybe four weeks until allergy season is in full swing here. Trying to figure out what I’ll do then.
@RiotDemon Remember that the telephone, mouse, and keyboards are also some of the most likely contaminated articles.
@PhysAssist thanks. When I said desk, I really meant all the stuff sitting on it as well. I hate when I come back from lunch and I can tell someone has been sitting at my desk. Biggest con of working retail where I have to share my desk when I’m not at it.
@RiotDemon de Nada, I figured as much. but included the PSA for anyone who didn’t already know that.
Ciao!
I’m feeling suddenly justified, now that my misanthropic nature is now de rigueur.
@macromeh Same here…
“Social distancing”?
Sounds better than social anxiety or agoraphobia, I guess.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@DennisG2014 @macromeh …or being a curmudgeon- which is what my da called me from the age of 4-5 onward, for unclear reasons, except that he liked the way it sounded.
I live in San Francisco. There are quite a few cases in the Bay Area. My mother is healthy but she turns 90 next week so I’m taking some precautions. We cancelled the birthday brunch we were going to have at a restaurant. I’ve made sure I have enough food so I can just stay inside for a week if I get sick. I’ve stocked up on cleaning supplies. I also bought a 12-pack of those white cotton gloves jewlers and coin dealers wear. I figure I can wash them between uses. I’ve worn gloves the last couple of times I’ve gone to the supermarket.
I usually don’t keep much food in the house and I had a small supply of cleaning stuff so I think all I’ve done is move into the normal people zone.
I don’t understand why with all of the emphasis on hand washing and touching things no one is recommending gloves.
My sister and sister-in-law who are also in San Francisco have been told to work from home for the next three weeks by Salesforce and Google respectively.
@Pamela We’re in the Bay Area also (SMCo) and there are cases popping up all around us. The CDC recommends using a “barrier”, like a disposable cloth or tissue, when touching door knobs, shopping cart handles, and such until sanitized - gloves work for that, but …
That cloth is permeable may be a problem - virus and spores will get in and migrate through, which is why I think they recommend disposing of the barrier after use. I’ve noticed people at the grocery store wearing the standard latex or nitrile examination gloves which they can drop in the trash on the way out.
@Pamela @stolicat I don’t know how much the gloves will help, but for me it is an indirect thing. If I am wearing a pair of latex gloves it is a terrific reminder not to touch my face. It is one takeaway from working in food service I guess.
@Pamela @stolicat @zachdecker
Sorry Pamela, but @Stolicat is quite correct, but I do think I get the same benefit as @ZachDecker.
Per:
https://www.citylab.com/life/2015/03/pretty-much-all-of-your-weird-germ-avoidance-behaviors-are-pointless/386015/
https://www.today.com/health/stop-flu-wash-your-gross-winter-gloves-people-2D80452546
[see the last paragraph].
https://lifehacker.com/the-common-germ-avoiding-tricks-that-arent-doing-you-an-174663294
@Pamela @PhysAssist @zachdecker That Lifehacker link is a big 404, but I think we get the idea.
@Pamela @stolicat @zachdecker Sorry- it was live when I posted it, but also they don’t seem to like having their links copied.
Well, I’d say G, but not because I believe don the con, not for a second.
But we had already bought toilet paper (costco), the freezer is stocked, pantry is stocked (I buy those Knorr’s noodle or rice packages when they’re on sale), I have bread flour and bags of rice and beans.
Plenty of cat and dog food. And there are always gophers and lizards if they get too hungry.
I don’t leave the house much, I haven’t in a couple of years (the bad hip attributed to that, then I just got used to staying home, I like it here).
@lisaviolet Ditto, except BJ’s instead of Costco, and canned chili, extra kidney beans, and some big-azz bags of rice.
We had an ice storm in 1991, and a microburst storm in 1996, both of which put nearly everything out of service around here for 3-4 weeks d/t downed trees and power lines, so we learned from those to be more prepared.
This will no doubt be a polarizing opinion, but I am thrilled about the cancelation of March Madness.
I absolutely hate this time of year, when I can’t turn on the TV without being inundated with college basketball games on every channel.
I do feel a little bad for all the college sports fans who’ll have nothing to watch on TV while they’re stuck at home in self-quarantine. Only a little, though.
I’m going to go work on my coronavirus brackets now…
@DennisG2014 We’re not sports fans at all. Can’t say we’ll miss any of them.
@DennisG2014 @lisaviolet WHAT ABOUT THE TVs??? HOW ARE THEY GOING TO SELL ALL THE TVs NOW??
/and cars, and “official” products…
@DennisG2014 @therealjrn
Well, they could just run a couple of hours of commercials.
Or maybe have the players out in their own driveways making baskets on the hoops that hang over the garage door.
Use their iPhones to do live video.
@lisaviolet
Nopers, they’ve all got to remain indoors with all the windows closed.
@PhysAssist Well, then, move the furniture and nail a trashcan to the wall.
If there’s carpet, it needs to be ripped up.
@lisaviolet Fine, I guess there’s no stopping Dr. Naismith’s creation…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_basketball
@DennisG2014 I’m on the other side of the fence – I am missing the heck out of sports, and especially March Madness (even thought my teams wasn’t in it / wasn’t going to go far). We were expected to do well in track championships. Was just starting to get used to XFL. Usually my urge to watch a little baseball gets stirred up about now.
Warfare remnants in my DNA?
But this year, only reruns – even if I don’t know how it is going to turn out because I didn’t pay attention before, it’s still just not the same.
Only sport I have now is watching college students running stop signs and red lights and wondering if they will survive (one motorcyclist didn’t the other night, but it wasn’t his fault).
I guess sports bookies will be hurting about as much as airlines, cruise ships, and theme parks. (Sympathy, anyone?)
I’m doing a lot more crossword puzzles and other online games now.
@phendrick I get it. I know I’m in the minority as an American (especially a male) who’s not interested in sports.
Personally, I think everyone who’s missing sports should fill that time by learning a musical instrument, but that’s just me.
@DennisG2014 @phendrick With NASCAR not racing, I was planning on taking kazoo lessons. I wonder if the kazoo schools are shut down also?
@daveinwarsh
Here’s some inspiration:
@DennisG2014 Sigh… I can only dream of being that good. Sadly, I have the wrong equipment to duplicate this wonderful music.
@daveinwarsh @DennisG2014 where exactly do you think that kazoo went?
@daveinwarsh @DennisG2014 @RiotDemon Don’t sell yourself short Dave, I think you’ll find you have an exhaust hole down there.
@daveinwarsh I mean, the 3 part harmony might be a bit of a… stretch, but you could pull of the duet, no problem.
@DennisG2014 I’ve done both sports & music. Football & track in hs. Liked playing soccer and competitive volley ball into my 40’s, but then my knees gave out (love watching (American) football, but not much on watching soccer – it’s a game that’s better when participated in, IMHO). Took many years of piano lessons. Taught myself clarinet. Played guitar some in college until a car accident messed up bones in my left hand and I couldn’t change chords with any speed worth a flip.
Funny more schools require phys ed than music! At least in my day.
@DennisG2014
@daveinwarsh
@DennisG2014 OOPS. I forgot the rules…
Once I become a famous kazooist, I was hoping for a world tour. This Corona put an end to that dream!
Karma is real. Today I’m paying the price for my schadenfreude over the canceling of sporting events.
ALL local programming has been preempted by non-stop coverage of the terrible tragedy, the unthinkable, that which we feared the most and thought could never happen. How will we survive this great loss?
Never mind this silly pandemic stuff - TOM BRADY HAS LEFT THE PATRIOTS!!!
@DennisG2014 The elderly, like Tom Brady, need to be extra careful nowadays.
Started exercising…sort of. I bought a VR headset last Thursday with the mindset of getting more immersion into flight simulations. However an event my niece and nephew were looking forward to over the weekend was unsurprisingly canceled at the last minute due to the escalating concerns, so they came over instead and we tried Beat Saber. Now I’m hooked and can even play it with the excuse that it gives me some of the exercise the doctor has kept telling me to get. It’s definitely more enjoyable than just jogging on a treadmill or an elliptical.
Now I just have to keep the blinds permanently closed so I don’t look like a crazy person flailing my arms around wildly while half dressed. On the other hand, maybe I should keep them open and exercise in just my underwear? I think it might help with the social distancing that they keep saying we should all be maintaining.
KuoH
Some co-workers had a conference cancelled which means I may not get to go to the conference next year in the city I wanted to visit.
@medz
@medz @tinamarie1974
That’s not the least bit fair, unless you’re the bioengineer who created the gene-spliced chimera Covid-19. [if that were really a thing…]
Seriously though, your employer should let them carry over their conference benefit to use after the crisis is clearly over, but should not penalize you for something you didn’t create.
@PhysAssist @tinamarie1974
As far as we know, unused travel/conference budget won’t carry over to next fiscal year. (so we can’t just send twice as many people next year) It’ll probably be “their turn” next year, so I’ll get bumped to following year when it’s back in a different city.
Luckily, I don’t have any certifications that have to be renewed (at training conferences) every two years any more.
@medz @tinamarie1974 Well, as it’s clear that it’s an exceptional case, special allowances should be made.
You can tell them I said so [FWIW].
@medz Are trading with someone (and bribery) not options?
@phendrick I guess I could gigalo myself for trade …
@medz Oh? How badly do you want to go?
[Actually, the “trade” I meant was to trade which conference you went to with some other employee; might be one that wants to go to the next city down the line.]
@medz @phendrick WHO DO I HAVE TO BLOW AROUND HERE TO GET TO MY CONFERENCE?
@medz @phendrick @therealjrn Your conference has been cancelled anyway. Get a good webcam.
Nothing, I’m gonna die of congestive heart failure eventually anyway. Right now you stand a greater chance of getting run over by a truck. If it indeed turns into more than the horror story of the month, I’ll get out my tin foil hat.
What’s the deal with TP anyway. I could see stockpiling chicken noodle soup, but TP?
@cranky1950 The TP thing is cuz no matter how evolved or enlightened we think we are, the second a panic ensues, most people revert.
At work, we have to sanitize high-traffic surfaces every 2 hours and everything else every 4 hours.
What have I done as a result of the annual election year pandemic that’s sure to wipe out all of mankind (or, you know, do no more damage than the typical flu season)?
Posting more memes about covid-19
You’re like 19 times more likely to get the measles from an anti-vax kid than you are covid-19
And why haven’t you been washing your hands before now?? FFS…
@Pufferfishy
/giphy gag
@Pufferfishy Ebola is the legitimate one to be afraid of.
@Pufferfishy
@cranky1950 @Pufferfishy Gets hands clean, right down to the bone!
@Pufferfishy @zinimusprime Yeah, except who in the US or Canada has Ebola, Marsburg, or Lassa fever, that you know of?
I know that I could prolly find likely a couple of C-19 infected people within 10 miles of my home, thanks to SUNY Brockport becoming the quarantine site for a bunch of college kids who just returned from ITALY.
Yeah, I know that they are supposed to be quarantined, but do you think they’re scrupulously avoiding contact [w/ BF’s/GF’s, drug dealers, etc.]?
College-age kids are still mostly not really aware of their own mortality, and strongly motivated to socialize, etc., so if anyone might cheat on their quarantine, I’d think they would.
…And Italy is clearly a hot-bed of C-19 presently, with the 2nd highest number of people infected.
[PER WHO numbers: Italy: 10,149; 631 deaths (977 new cases and 168 deaths since 0600 3/10/20).]
/image Italy quarantine map
@PhysAssist And?
Compare that with infection & mortality in the typical flu season.
@Pufferfishy The comparison to which I was responding was being made with Ebola, not the seasonal flu.
If you want this year’s seasonal flu stats, I can certainly provide them, and so far in the US it has certainly been much worse than C-19, but depending on people’s compliance to avoidance recommendations, so far, may not describe the situation for very much longer.
@PhysAssist @Pufferfishy mortality rate flu is 0.1 to 0.2 % covid 19 is 1 to 3% that is 10 times worse.
We are about to max out our health system which means the mortality rate will go up.
Also this 10 times worse mortality is in addition to flu so really think how would you feel if flu was 11 times as deadly. Add in there is a flu vaccine that sadly people don’t always get but there is no covid-19 vaccine mot treatments.
@CaptAmehrican @Pufferfishy
Praise Jesus, you are too right.
But, look on the bright side, it’s still better than Ebola!
@PhysAssist @Pufferfishy not really . Covid-19 is much more transmissible then Ebola
@CaptAmehrican @Pufferfishy
What you say about virus transmission rates is true because:
“Ebola spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with:
Blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola
Objects that have been contaminated with body fluids (like blood, feces, vomit) from a person sick with Ebola or the body of a person who died from Ebola.
Health-care workers have frequently been infected while treating patients with suspected or confirmed EVD. This occurs through close contact with patients when infection control precautions are not strictly practiced.”
However, then there is this little further difference:
“The average EVD case fatality rate is around 50%. Case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks.”
Quotes are from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ebola-virus-disease
E.G.: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Total EVD cases: 3,444=
Confirmed EVD cases: 3,310/Probable cases: 134
Total Deaths: 2,264=
Confirmed deaths: 2,130 /Probable deaths: 134
From: https://www.afro.who.int/health-topics/ebola-virus-disease
Mostly moved up our existing disaster preparedness plans. We’ve laid in a few weeks’ worth of nonperishables in case of a quarantine (which actually is starting to seem plausible, as the fourth case in my state just happened one county over) and started planting the victory garden. I’m also working on plans to tap a small spring on our property, 'cause while we have our own well, its pump is electric. Which kinda seems like crazy prepper stuff, I know, but it was on the to-do list anyway. I’d rather have it and not need it, as the saying goes.
Other than that, pretty much all we can do is let our immune systems handle it. My wife works at the local library, so we’re pretty much guaranteed to be exposed eventually. I’m not too worried, at least for our own health.
I’m spending way too much time mocking the panicked hoarders.
Possible shirt purchase:
Over all I am feeling pretty meh about the whole thing. Sort of like not flying after 9/11. If it is my time it will hunt me down. I don’t plan to french kiss anybody I see that is Covid-19 positive, but I also don’t plan to get too crazy either.
At almost 65 I am generally pretty healthy so don’t have too much to worry about personally. Likelihood I will be exposed to someone with a positive test before it is all over is extremely good. Likelihood it will be a major issue for me personally is pretty low.
@chienfou but would it be a major issue to anyone you might pass it to? This is part of the problem, getting those with little or no reaction to it (all you young’n whippersnappers out there) picking it up to not be handing it off to unsuspecting and trusting feeble doddering old folk like myself. Or your parents. Or that nice older couple next door. Or younger folks with serious heart or respiratory issues. It’s not just about how it’s going to affect the individual.
@stolicat Since I work in an ER I am painfully aware of that!
I guess I’ve now stopped grocery shopping.
We took the kids over to the neighborhood school playground today to play. We were the only ones there.
Someone was working at the school, and threw out a bunch of food from the cafeteria. I suppose they figure it will spoil before school opens again. Loaves of bread have no best by/expiration dates on them at all, but no mold and feel fine.
I took a bunch of loaves.
I am not too proud to eat some free dumpster bread.
@zachdecker Free bread!
@djslack you should’ve been dumpster diving schools.
@zachdecker Score!! I worry about the kids who get free (or reduced price) breakfast and lunch from school. Now what will they do?
/image eating garbage animated
We had french toast today, and no one is sick.
Tomorrow we’re having a strata!
@Kidsandliz @zachdecker In this county, any kid can go to any DCFP office (most schools included) and get a free grab and go lunch. It does not have to be their normal school. Starts today, it’s just temporary until more locations can be set up.
@Kidsandliz Our district is creating weekly meals that will be delivered to families with students. It sounds like all families with students are eligible, not just free/reduced lunch families, unless they opt out. Bus drivers will be delivering the meals.
@OldCatLady @msklzannie The county I live in has just set that up in one location (needs to be more than just one location) but the other two counties that are also part of this city haven’t. Unfortunately. Hopefully they will soon.
@Kidsandliz @msklzannie @OldCatLady here they are setting up in each of the schools where they have enough demand, which is handy. Parents can just swing by and grab their kids’ breakfast and lunch. Although classes are canceled, many of the school services, like nutritional needs, ESL and translation services, and counseling are still available at the sites.
Brought Lysol wipes to the movie theater and wiped those pleather seats down. Washing and sanitize hands more often.
Honestly, this makes me want to drink more Corona beer. I don’t mean it as a trolling move; I just like the taste and would like to enjoy it more often.
@JT954 Yeah, I ordered one with dinner at our local bar the other night. The bartender said it was the first one she served all week. The general public is a lot more stupid than most people realize.
Our Washington State Governor (who ran for President for about 45 minutes) was issued an edict.
It is now illegal for citizens to meet in groups of 250 or more.
249 is legal for now.
This is for anything including Sports, Churches and actually everything.
I haven’t heard exactly what they will do to those 250+ groups of people…
Arrest? Just grab out those exceeding the limit? Kool Aid Party?
Anyway, things sure can get wacky in Left Coast Washington…
@daveinwarsh Triumph Of The Whine!
@daveinwarsh SF has outlawed gatherings of 1000 or more - it was a recommendation for the past two weeks but all the event promoters were ignoring it, so they made it a law.
I’m assuming the organizers would be fined, but it’s more of a goose to stop fucking around and take this shit seriously!
@daveinwarsh Did you mean has issued an edict, because if he was issued one, it means something quite different.
@PhysAssist oops. Yes, ‘has’.
The ‘press’ is eating all this up.
I suppose you could say they like to make ANYTHING a life-threatening emergency.
Everyone in full freak-out mode.
Time to huddle in the corner and hug your toilet paper.
Good Luck everyone…
I still have over a mile and a half of TP, so I should be set for a while now.
(I have one of those commercial dispensers at home. Just don’t ask where I get the rolls from, okay?
)
@narfcake clearly not at my local Target tonight
@tinamarie1974 Whoa, that looks emptier than the shelves at a Kmart. Or what’s left of them, at least. They’ll be down to under 50 stores across the US after the current round of closures.
@narfcake @tinamarie1974
@Kidsandliz @narfcake
this
I’m not watching any sports or going to Disneyland.
@Ignorant or going on any cruises to Italy…
Please, someone, explain why, since COVID-19 is a respiratory virus, people are buying TP, not Kleenex .
/giphy sneezing
@OldCatLady Many are confused by anything medical. They want paper that takes care of a hole. They are just caring for the wrong hole.
@OldCatLady Suckers. Look at what I just happened to buy last month.
https://sellout.woot.com/offers/kleenex-anti-viral-facial-tissues-1
Quite serendipitous even if I do say myself. I still have 2 or3 boxes of Aldi kleenex too!
@daveinwarsh @OldCatLady It’s important to make sure you’re caring for the right hole.
The CDC needs to make this a slogan!
@daveinwarsh @OldCatLady @therealjrn I bought toilet paper AND Kleenex!
@OldCatLady tp can be used as Kleenex better then Kleenex can be used as tp. Also majority of cases not nasal but lungs and throat. Most covid-19 cases don’t present with a runny nose
I made an appointment with a doctor for an annual physical, which I have not had in about 25 years. It’s in three months! That’s enough time to, well, not get in shape, but become slightly less embarrassing!
All i’ve done is start washing my hands better and more often…
grocery cashier isn’t a job you can do from home, so…
dang it…AB got tired of people complaining about the gorey bits with the cleaver @ the end, and deleted the original from youtube…
@earlyre that sucks. Loved that ending.
Ended up taking some of the sanitizer concentrate home from work. I know technically it’s stealing but the fact that I have to work is starting to really bother me. At first I was ok but now I’m starting to be really bothered by the lack of awareness of the customers that are coming in. They are bored. Bringing their children… Babies in strollers. Touching EVERYTHING. I cannot sanitize everything. I thought I was going to have a panic attack at work the other day. Luckily I managed to talk myself down.
I took a whopping 80¢ worth of sanitizer. I’m trying to stay safe.
@RiotDemon I was at Food Lion a few days ago and the checkout person said a customer stole the hand sanitizer at his register. Stay safe.
@sammydog01 that doesn’t surprise me. I have been stashing away my wipes and sanitizer when they are not in use. I’m glad I took wipes off the shelf weeks ago before everyone lost their minds. I was the one that started making the spray disinfectant for associates to use around the store. I have no idea if anyone even realized we had it in supplies. It does not give me hope for other stores. I had said something to a manager when I made the first batch and he basically said, “it’s not a big deal, don’t worry about it.”
Cool.
Houston, we have a problem.
@mike808 Too bad that’s not real. We need a water one too.
@mike808 @therealjrn My brother-in-law works at Costco. He said people were starting to shove and push for bottled water, so he yelled out: “That guy you’re pushing may have the virus!”
@blaineg Ha ha! That’s some quick thinking!
First there was the Zima Virus but didn’t nobody care 'cuz who drinks Zima? Now there’s the Corona virus and I’m upset 'cuz I had to pour out nine of a 12-pack and I got this bag of limes ain’t nothing I can do with ‘em. If they come for my Bud Light, I’m gonna be hoppin’ mad!!!
@PocketBrain do you mean Zika?
@PocketBrain @RiotDemon
/giphy DOH!
@chienfou @PocketBrain @RiotDemon coming soon, the AR-15 virus …
Going to the grocery store tonight was surreal. The salad section, carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes were almost empty. No white bread at the bakery. Water almost gone.
It was busy and reminded me of an impending hurricane.
If I have to self quarantine, I’ll be eating my freezer that is so full I can’t put anything else in it. I guess I’m just so used to hurricane season that this doesn’t really phase me. I left the store with $70 worth of groceries and that was it.
@RiotDemon I got a flu shot last month (super late, but a friend of my mom’s got REALLY BAD flu and basically demanded that I get the shot because her experience was so miserable). I got it at the grocery store pharmacy, which was the only place that still had free shots and a one-time coupon for 10% off groceries, good until the end of March. I’ve been saving it, and now I’m wondering if that was a bad idea and nothing’s going to be left except cereal I don’t eat and one dented box of house-brand Ritz crackers, if that.
@mossygreen @RiotDemon Use it in the deli. Corned beef and coleslaw and pickles and bakery goodies. Carpe diem!
@OldCatLady @RiotDemon I like the way you think!
I’ve started running around in circles waving my hands above my head while screaming “We’re All Gonna Die”. Frankly, I need the exercise.
Interesting watching the progression of this thread from no big deal to holy S! I’m in a state that is almost totally shut down retail wise. Just the essentials. Non essential businesses have to close
My son was studying abroad in Switzerland came back on a wide-body this week with 15 passengers on board. Is in self quarantine for ~14 days!
Life is very different.
Stay safe and sane Meh’rs!
@readnj What comes after ‘holy s’? We need to arrange things properly.
@Kidsandliz This one is going to require a low level reformat first.
KuoH
@kuoh Well I guess I should have posted this one on the computer help thread. Oops.
I’m not understanding the run on bottled water? What, do people think someone is going to purposely spit, sneeze, cough, shit and die in our drinking water and we’ll all get infected and turn into zombies?
@star2236 I’m assuming that people are so afraid that everybody at the plant will get sick and nobody can clean the water.
@star2236 I think people think it might turn into a nightmare-scenario post-apocalyptic wasteland where no public utilities are available and the streets are full of roving, covid-19-positive looters. And the only thing that will stand between us and the complete breakdown of society is an unscalable wall of toilet paper and water bottles. And maybe everything is on fire for some reason?
@RiotDemon
Doesn’t the water kinda clean itself when it runs through the machines at the water plant? I know people work there and stuff but it’s not like their psychically adding stuff to the water aren’t they pressing buttons and machines do it all?
@star2236 yeah, a lot of it is automated. Eventually something would break or a filter needs cleaning or something.
People are being a bit irrational. I don’t think they realize that people can get covid and also get better.
I guess I’m glad that I’m still on well water and I have a bidet. I also have probably a years worth of toilet paper on hand from a Sam’s trip last year. I can probably use it as currency.
@RiotDemon
Last year I gave my sister (that works at a nursing home) so many bottles of hand sanitizer bc I needed to get rid of shit. Little did I know I could put up a stand at the side of the road and sell out in couple hours today and made a nice profit.
@RiotDemon @star2236 DAMN! Why did I have to put in toilets with such small tanks!! BBL got to go fill the bathtub.
@RiotDemon @star2236 While we do have a genny that will run our well pump, and some gas put away, [see above for rationale], I’ve wanted for some time to get a hand pump to use in case of extended power outages, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.
Money has also been an obstacle, as these are expensive.
https://www.bisonpumps.com/deep-well-hand-pump/
https://www.simplepump.com/our-pumps/hand-operated/
@PhysAssist @RiotDemon
Gosh I haven’t seen one of those things in my area since I was a little kid, I remember our neighbors having one. Those are like rotary phones for kids around here in the sense that they don’t even know what they are.
@PhysAssist @star2236 can fill a well tank… Interesting!
@RiotDemon @star2236 That’s why the simple pump looked like the most interesting and efficient possibility.
@PhysAssist Would a windmill work? I’ve seen smallish versions. You’d need that tank, and of course a solar powered floating aerator. Then you could add some fish. And water lilies. Yeah, sounds like a plan!
@OldCatLady I’d think you’d want a sealed, pre-pressurized tank like we have in our basement, if you want fish, waterlilies, etc., you wouldn’t want to drink it- we have a koi pond and that water is clearly not potable.
The governor of Florida said he’s closing all bars and nightclubs for 30 days. So I went to Black Rock for some pretzels and a Basil Hayden smoked Old Fashioned. Also stocked up on medicine at the dispensary in case they also get shuttered
@llangley Suddenly they all decided to offer delivery, mostly free. And specials.
I started working from home in Thursday and started a WordPress blog today. It made me miss my time on the meh forum, so I’m back (for a little while at least).
My buddy figured out why toilet paper is selling out… It’s because when somebody coughs, fifty people crap themselves.
@Kidsandliz Yeah we wish! If it takes the threat of imminent death to get them to wash their hands, you’d probably have to make a tire blow if they try to turn without using the signal and stop signs would probably require blowing up the engine.
KuoH
Nothing at all. When my friend comes from CA on April 1 maybe we will infect this state since there is none here yet.
I did have the flu that wasn’t covered with the flu shot and am still coughing a bit more than 5 weeks later. Does that count? I am figuring I already have had my “flu” for the year (actually this is only the 3rd time in my life I have had the flu) so will be safe from this. Maybe. Ignoring the laws of science. I mean if the Orange skidmark can so can I. Right? (snicker)
BLAME
Here we finally have the first (confirmed) corona virus in the state (guy just came back from FL and had contact with someone who had it from what the news said).
They shut down the local university (the guy with it lives about 2-2.5 hours south of the university) along with all the state colleges and universities. Technically they are extending spring break by a week or two depending on the school.
Where I live they put up a sign we no longer can be in any of the common areas except to check our mail and do laundry (but we have to leave the laundry room as soon as we turn the machine on), they will no longer serve us the cheap lunches, we can no longer sit outside of the building and need to stay in only our apartment while we are in the building, not allowed go to anyone else’s. We are not allowed have any visitors. Umm several people have aides that come daily to help them. What the heck are those folks supposed to do? Can we say overreaction? Sigh.
@Kidsandliz A lot of that sounds pretty arbitrary, like it’s some control freak’s BS, especially with home health aides still coming in.
Ummm, unless you’all were having parties and sleep-overs in the common areas…
/giphy sleep-over
@PhysAssist Place was just bought and they certainly are control freaks - inspections 4x a year telling us what we can and can’t have in the apt, at the meeting "you will be evicted if your apt xyz…). For example they yapped at me because I keep cat litter up against the open bathroom door (only me so no need to be able to close the door and we live in 525sf so not exactly like a lot of space to keep things and told I can’t keep it there; the door needs to be able to shut). My neighbor was told she had dust on the top of her fridge (I looked - it was an incredibly tiny amount).
I was told yesterday, as I was bringing a shopping cart (we have a bunch of thieves who live here although I am glad we have shopping carts) of things, in from the storage unit to tag for the consignment sale that I am not allowed to do that in my apt. Huh? Fortunately I discovered can pick up internet (online database we have to put the stuff in) from the university’s morgue (so free guest internet) and can do this on the ground at my parking spot (hopefully it won’t rain) instead of having to haul things to their parking lot to do it there. Well hopefully can do it there unless they tell me I can’t do that either. Another resident here says we are being treated like 5 year old inmates (this is hud so not easy to quickly vote with our feet - waiting lists prevent that - and I am on a bunch of them now). Sigh.
Oh and parties and sleep overs ROTFLMAO. About 8 people play cards and dominos in the dining area a few evenings a week, the men’s gossip club sits in the common area for much of the day (6 chairs, we are not allowed to sit on the floor or pull the bench over so get to stand if all the chairs are taken while waiting for the mail woman to finish putting mail in the boxes - so now not allowed now to even be in that room until she is done) and it goes on and on and on.
@Kidsandliz Well GOD bless you and give you the infinite patience to continue coping with those assmunches.
So I finally ventured in the grocery store today as I was almost out of milk. Not much of that left. Mind you no cases in this county or the contiguous ones. I think we are up to 6 in the entire state, all south of here and all in one county.
I can state with certainty there is plenty of easter candy. Russel Stover bunnies on sale for $1. Bought two. Ate one on the way home. That shouldn’t sell out until right before easter. If the apocalypse comes I can alive on chocolate and ice cream (popsicle pickings were slim but ice cream was well stocked). People apparently aren’t stocking up on frozen veggies either. Veggies and ice cream. That’s almost a balanced meal. Right? The rest of the grocery store though - oh my.
@Kidsandliz Give it a few days, assuming they don’t go pick-up only. Some things may take a while to catch up (thinking TP and flushable wipes) but normal produce, milk, groceries… I bet by next week things will settle quite a bit.
But: try to get shopping done before April 1st. That’s when the EBT cards start getting refilled and a lot of people are afraid that the stores will start getting stripped again even if inventories have recovered somewhat.
@duodec In this state food stamp loading is staggered I have no idea about TNAF.
I was figuring with all the stuff people have already bought they won’t need things for a while and likely then the grocery stores will be over flowing. Between the freezer and stuff I already have I won’t starve. I basically needed milk, fruit and frozen veggies. And more spaghetti sauce (already had the rest of the fixings for that.
Seeing as cat food is mostly made in China with the supply chain semi gap for the 6-8 weeks in China I am figuring that might be in short supply for a brief time in the future so plan to buy enough to put aside for 8 weeks of feeding the monsters just in case. Cat litter is made here. At least I think so. If we get like China was I might stock up on that a bit too. Or finally see how it is that people toilet train their cats LOL. Considering 2 drink from the toilet if the lid is up that may not work so well. Otherwise no sense in hoarding.
@duodec @Kidsandliz I don’t think Charles Mingus ever trained his to flush.
https://www.charlesmingus.com/mingus/cat-traning-program
@duodec @mossygreen Well I will take them using the toilet and I have to flush vs buying and scooping cat litter.
Quarantine is a great time for misanthropes, you’re sitting at home alone, coding, you don’t need to go to the office …
Terrible, unspeakable things.
Compare this, and the media, corporate, and .gov response to that for the swine flu outbreak in 2009-2010
Wikipedia link
There’s a fair amount of interesting info in there, including the cautions about early reporting, drawing conclusions about the likely severity of the disease and its spread from early data likely to be inaccurate, etc.
It is too early to tell how this one is going to proceed.
@duodec I had a student come to class sick with what turned out to be swine flu. Fortunately none of us got sick and she recovered.
@duodec If you want to get a good idea of what is coming, you can read the discussions between physicians and other medical professionals here:
Despite what our very smart genious leader keeps saying, this is not the flu. The medical community seems to be pretty unanimous in the opinion that we are woefully underprepared for this, and that the infection is pretty widespread in the US by now.
I’ve stopped washing hands, started using second-hand masks and thinking about moving to China.
Stopped watching TV
I’m about to venture out to the supermarket to stock up on non-perishables, just in case.
I have plenty of TP but almost no shelf-stable or frozen food.
Kind of dreading what kind of scene I might encounter there; people on FB have been posting pics of long lines and crowds at the local markets.
Well, that sucked.
I got the very last 6 pack of Top Ramen, and that was the best luck I had.
All of the canned soup was gone, all of the frozen, cooked chicken, in any form, was gone - 12 feet of empty cooler shelves.
I managed to get some frozen dinners and burritos and, luckily the canned tuna I like is more expensive and less popular than the rest, so I stocked up on that.
Stood in the check-out line for 20 minutes and probably now have the virus.
Oh, and I went to the TP aisle just to look, just out of curiosity, and they had it roped off!
Craziness.
@DennisG2014 roped off?!?!?! Very exclusive.
@DennisG2014 Top Ramen and frozen burritos?
I think I’d just go find a Corona-person & get it over with.
@daveinwarsh Yeah, for some reason my idea of emergency rations is the stuff I ate in college.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@daveinwarsh Honestly, just very little palatable frozen, canned and/or shelf-stable foods left on the shelves.
If all goes well, I won’t have to eat any of it.
@daveinwarsh @DennisG2014 but if you do you will definitely need the TP!
OK so did my good deed today for several old folks in this HUD who have no cars. Was running around shopping for them. Found TV, klenex and clorox style wipes in the dollar tree. They only had one container of wipes left and despite being tempted (have a blood cancer) I didn’t keep it for myself - let the guy who had lung cancer have it since he is way older than I am and already has a damaged lung.
The TP thing was entertaining though. Local big grocery store was out of those plus paper towels (about half of the back wall was full of TP, klenex and paper towels - klenex atually was in shortest supply there). A guy was having a meltdown about none of that at the grocery store. I told him about the dollar tree down the street. He decided what he had in his cart was less important that getting that stuff and left the cart right there, tearing out of the store to get there.
Meant to say that Dollar Tree was the one with about half the back wall with this stuff in stock, not imply the big box store.
Well, I was screened today since I had a fever over 100…yea me!!
They decided it was sinusitis and sent me on my way with penicillin.
@tinamarie1974 So you dodged the bullet, but got hit by the ricochet. I guess you can consider that lucky?
KuoH
@kuoh definately feeling lucky after a pretty scary day! Just holding my breath and keeping my eye on my symptoms for a few days
@kuoh @tinamarie1974 Fingers crossed!!
@tinamarie1974 You any better today?
@RiotDemon
Wash your hands do do do do do do
I need to figure out how many make 20 seconds because that is a perfect timer.
@sammydog01 somebody linked the baby shark version. I was upset the ending contained baby shark, but what are you gonna do?
/youtube pink Fong wash hands
I didn’t listen to it. Ask @Barney if it has twenty seconds.
@Barney @RiotDemon I set a stopwatch. Looks like about twice. Pick your shark family member. Who, me, bored?
/giphy c
This.
@RedOak Too bad shoes are super dirty. People walking around in who knows what… Ever use a public bathroom? Yuck. You just traded germs will all those people who stepped in all kinds of crap and you’re bringing that all back to your home. Nice job.
/giphy downer
@medz @RedOak yesterday my co-worker was spraying the bottom of his shoes so I had him do mine too
@medz if you believe the pile of germs on your shoes is materially different vs your buddies, you might be living in a dream world.
@RedOak I could say the same about your hands.
@medz @RedOak The guy spraying is a total germaphone and I am the opposite, so I think he is extra hating a cubicle with me lately… I only had him spray the bottom of my shoes too because it seemed fun. Plus if you worked in the neighborhood I do you might wonder what gets tracked around too, pretty gross.
@medz except I know for a fact I’m regularly washing my hands and can refrain from touching things.
There is no way to avoid touching things with your shoes if you go out in public so there’s little difference between “shoes”.
And the video was kinda funny, so lighten up.
@RedOak I heard 2 of those guys are in intensive care now. Wow. Really “fun” video.
/giphy not serious
/image not serious gif
More memes and less sick. It is not clear why everyone is so noisy. This is not so scary. But the general rules are worth following.
The local factories sent home all non-essential contractors today.
Statewide, places that sell canned/bottled beverages that have deposits no longer have to accept returned empties until the emergency ends. I understand the reasoning, but we have customers who rely on empties for some of their spending money. (Also I’m glad I turned in mine last week.)
COVID-19 has become an excellent opportunity for us to spend more time with family. This brought us together. It’s a great time, if you don’t look at the fact that our life began to be isolated.
WTF-first it was toilet paper and now it is eggs. Our local grocery store was out except for painted Easter eggs. Finally found a couple of dozen at 7-11 right next to the day old hot dogs.
@Felton10 What? People are thinking with no TP they can now wipe with omelets?
G:
Extended my visa exemption status for a month here in Thailand.
Was part of a multiple-webcam video chat dance-party of people self-isolating yesterday.
@RumpusParable
Haha. So you just joined meh.com to talk about the 'rona? Seems there have been a few of you lately.
@therealjrn Actually, found here as part of trying to remind myself of the story of my friend’s Schrodinger’s Toothbrush t-shirt I asked her before but couldn’t recall details of. Ended up finding here and then the community… and still not the full story anywhere!
@RumpusParable @therealjrn welcome to meh!
Here’s some info:
Click the photo for a story and more links to get more info.
@RiotDemon @RumpusParable @therealjrn Wow, I just read the entire thread (no, I don’t have a life
) and I’m so envious and wish I’d been a part of that weird cool experience!
The coins and shirt/bag design are incredible.
Interesting read
https://www.wired.com/story/coronavirus-interview-larry-brilliant-smallpox-epidemiologist/?fbclid=IwAR0ityfm9bSylRxH8ZZHdSISJh8TLRhfxSI_5iLeFTJx1T8wiqbyPTa0EiQ
Toilet paper song over this current hoarding
OK so this is seriously cool. Look what the Rotterdam Symphony Orchestra just did while being trapped at home!!! No idea how complicated it was to accomplish this but seriously cool. I hope they do more!
It is spreading. Here is the Colorado Symphony’s version
It is spreading - how much better this than the virus!!
And this from the Bamberger Symphony
And orchestras are doing other online choirs
And a video on how to do this
https://delraestudios.lpages.co/i-can-virtual-choir-and-so-can-you/
Mostly I’m researching rabbit holes. This is a good one.
I’m thinking when I hear some D-list or wanna-be activity (XFL season, golf pro-am tournament, Riverdance “revival”, etc) is canceling their event, it is just the promoters bailing on the whole thing to cash out and “do their best” to get people refunds.
Interesting about what to take or not take with a fever if you get this… (in the popular press and I have not fact checked it).
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/14/anti-inflammatory-drugs-may-aggravate-coronavirus-infection
@Kidsandliz “Paracetamol” is acetominophen aka Tylenol in the US.
Basically, they’re saying take acetominophen/Tylenol over ibuprofen/Midol for symptoms. That’s what I’ve been doing for this seasonal cold I picked up somewhere (probably work).
For me, Tylenol works on the fever/headache and Ibuprofen works on the aches and inflammation (including bronchia from coughing). So I alternate them for the fastest recovery if the symptoms are severe.
In San Francisco (and many other counties in the area) a three week shelter in place at home starts at midnight. Everyone is supposed to stay home except to get food, care for a relative or friend, get necessary healthcare or go to an essential job.
@Pamela We are part of the SF Bay Area six-county shelter-in-place order (it’s not just a suggestion, it’s a punishable offense to be out and about without good reason). Our little company has been designated an “essential services” provider, which is good because our crew can keep working.
But, oh shit, you should’ve seen the panic at the stores and gas stations when that order first came out this morning. None of the news reports, and even the County departments, bothered to mention at first that most stores will remain open and that going out for gas, food and family supplies is considered “essential travel” and okay. So once again the local Safeways were stripped bare …
I stopped drinking beer and spend my free time in isolation.
@dark_lord At least you have @Bookmann, @mark_elliot, @lilit_miras, @dark_lord, moon_man & @Vaudeville to keep you company?
@Bookmann @dark_lord @lilit_miras @mark_elliot @therealjrn Yeah we are here to company you.
@Bookmann @dark_lord @mark_elliot @therealjrn @Vaudeville Do you invite me to drink beer with you ?