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

I don't watch a lot of TV, or at least not a lot of TV with commercials, but I've been impressed how quickly ads on Hulu at least have incorporated covid themes beyond that initial barrage of feel good "we love our heroes at Amazon" sort of spots. I was wondering just now how soon before covid stuff makes its way into a TV show or movie or something, and then I was further wondering whether it will the covid references will manifest first as dramatic, insufferable or skip straight to humorous. I kinda suspect ... humorous.

I think Michael Bay is already working on something

a 2 hour bowel movement on IMAX

So, both humorous.

Hey guys, so I'm back in Portugal for a few weeks.

Flight was pretty stressful - had gotten some info from others that things actually worked much faster because there's less ppl flying but that wasn't my experience at all. Airport staff is reduced (I support this), so cues are longer than usual - and no fucker in Heathrow observed social distancing. Waiting for luggage at the baggage retrieval in Porto was even worse - they had handy marks, so technically we could have all stood around the carpet and collected our luggage, but ppl are so used to hurrying through that process that everyone was just elbowing their way to their bags nonetheless, like it would kill them to wait an additional three seconds or so.

Flight was as full as social distancing guidelines permitted, too - noticed a few Spanish ppl from Galizia, one of whom was talking about staying in Porto a few days and then making his way home. Makes sense - less scheduled flights meant he probably wouldn't be able to land nearer to home and Porto's geographically closer than Madrid or Barcelona.

That being said, having survived the flight I couldn't be happier about how Portugal is dealing with the crisis - ppl in masks everywhere, separate entries and exits, outside seating where there previously wasn't any, disinfectant liquid at the entry of every shop, cafe, restaurant. Local supermarket chain advertising "stay in Portugal for the holidays!", like fuck would Sainsburys do something like that.

So apparently over 50% of people who get tested in Victoria are not isolating till they get a result. Continuing to shop, work etc.

State premier pushing financial support for people in casual or precarious occupations who can’t fall back in sick leave. Good but way too late.

Cases in Victoria are staying stubbornly high and rising. 484 today, which is higher than all of Australia at the 1st peak.

I had a nice chat wi Th the vaccine testing people. Wanted me to try out a tetanus jab for which I am ineligible due to having one too recently but the guy on the phone said they had ‘something coming next month’, which is probably the stage 3 trials for the Doherty institute. So hopefully I can participate in that.

Could not even imagine getting on a plane right now.

For a couple unsupportable, non-essential family reasons, i am being asked to fly in 3 weeks.

I am trying to steel myself for the experience of becoming quite unpopular at refusing to do it, and also to deny the trip to its adolescent beneficiary. it would be risky, irresponsible, and not defensible. “There must be a safest, most acceptable way to let this happen,” i keep imagining?

ok, how bout, i drive 15 hours there, experience tightly controlled public exposures (but tins of them) for 2 days, kiddo same, then drive 15 hours back, quarantine self, and have the teen risk being an infection vector into her (whatever school ends up being) environment on return?

talk me down peeps

No, you’re right. I think at this point travel is risky and should be avoided unless it is health related?

If it were fairy tale times and you were asked to drive a wagon for fifteen hours through full a meadow full of wolves, would you do it?

“There must be a safest, most acceptable way to let this happen,” i keep imagining?

There is not. Don't do it.

FWIW my parents, who have Parkinson's and progressive dementia, live only 40 minutes from me. I've only seen them twice since March because they won't take ANY reasonable precautions to avoid exposure. They go to the post office every day to check the mail, they go shopping every day because they don't like to leave food in the refrigerator (?), and last week they gave away a couple hundred dollars of food and toilet paper that I brought them, because the brands I chose (Kirkland) were not the same ones they usually favor. I got a call from the pharmacist at their local CVS to tell me that they come in every week to ask for help setting up their pill cases and ask why I wasn't showing up to help.

I am 'deeply unpopular' with them and I feel like a horrible person for not being more accommodating, because they are very mentally ill and could use any amount of support. However, they refuse to take basic precautions (even those they understand) and they lie to me about their activities. They aren't willing to accept the support they need, but instead try to dictate what I should be doing -- which is to support their bad choices. (E.g. help register the cars that they should *not* be driving).

ugh i am having parental issues too -- feel y'all on that.
on top of having the issues, i am wrought with guilt if i talk about it at all because i fear embarrassing my parents and have been trained since birth to not do so.

these are the roughest times! all i can do is cook and exercise and wait and try not to wig out.

being unpopular >>>>> being a vector of disease/being dead

Sorry you have to deal with that, soda. You too, LL. Over the decades, well, in recent years, I have developed some ability to talk about any similar issues I may deal with but don't feel the borad is the right place for me to do so, but don't mind if others do.

same here. my Mom has been pretty good but my stepdad isn't, he's going all over the place, seeing his family who I know (via FB) are still seeing friends, going to parks, etc....I mean I get that everyone has their own level of comfort with this, but it sucks because we're not cool with her seeing the kids unless its outside with a mask on and she's starting to get real antsy about it. and nobody in the neighborhood does that either

the mask thing is so frustrating right now, I think a lot of people would wear them but they don't wanna get dirty looks because they stand out, because nobody else is wearing them...its all so dumb

Signed up for a vaccine study that starts in a couple weeks (I think it's the Moderna one), they called and did the initial screening this morning. Not sure I'm an ideal candidate since I'm not working in a job with high exposure to COVID-19.

They go to the post office every day to check the mail,

What is this even

_They go to the post office every day to check the mail,_


What is this even

I've had a PO box for probably a dozen years, maybe more, but I only check it once or twice a week now, because the volume of mail I receive has decreased radically and because, for quarantine reasons, I've started having stuff I order sent to my apartment rather than the post office. I can't imagine two old folks needing to check their mail more often than me.

PO Box because it gives them something to do, and because somebody whomped their nice mailbox with a baseball bat in ‘86 and they are still sad about it

My bro and his girlfriend went out for outside ice cream last night and wore masks while waiting and a kid asked his mom, "Why are those people wearing masks?" and the dipshit mom said, "I don't know honey, it's not Halloween yet" and now I wish I had been there.

My mom has a PO box because PO boxes are the only way to get mail in her town, so that's a thing.

Teach
your parents well
Their children's hell will slowly go by

Yeah, it's definitely a thing. The town my mom lives in doesn't have door to door mail delivery, everyone in town has a PO Box and they go in every couple of days and pick up their mail.

We are supposed to meet my parents at their place outside this evening, and my dad mentioned that if it rains, we could meet inside...and I was like, 'we are not doing that, it's either outside or reschedule.' luckily, he didn't object.

My parents would be in their 90s now, and I'm glad they didn't become extreme elders, only to deal with / be vulnerable to this.

PO Box because it gives them something to do, and because somebody whomped their nice mailbox with a baseball bat in ‘86 and they are still sad about it

Sorry, soda, that you have to deal with these issues with your parents, but the above is cracking me up.

My wife and I are planning on visiting my parents in PA this weekend and are actually staying over. My wife and I have been extremely careful and my parents are nearly hermits, only going out for groceries every week or two and wearing masks when they do. I figure it is pretty safe. Am I being naive?

They also live in the middle of nowhere.

A lot of new suburbs here have cluster mailboxes somewhere in the subdivision and no delivery to houses except for signature required stuff.

Obviously minor irritants but I'm finding so many people in busy parts of town more than ever making no effort to cooperatively keep physical distance, either through gormlessness or aggressive deliberate ignorance. I guess this is the usual state of affairs but more inconvenient when you'd appreciate a tiny bit of mutual consideration. Can end up feeling very much surrounded by the stupid and selfish after a while nearly every time out and about. It passes but it's wearying. AITA for not playing along with pretending it's all back to normal?

I do think (not from you, by any means) there's a little bit of an over-corrective shaming going on with people doing minor, lower risk activities safely and distanced/masked (my friend who actually HAD COVID got rudely lectured by some asshole because she took a self photo without a mask on so he assumed she wasn't wearing it)....

but no, you ANTA for not playing along. we're not back to normal, and I'm wasting tons of money on SHIPT because I don't like the anxiety I get at the grocery store. No, I'm not likely to catch it while shopping, probably, but I don't want to be put in the position. and I get mad when I see no mask.

my most recent COVID test came back negative and I have no antibodies, so guess i've dodged it ok thus far. but yesterday was sad to me as I realized I hadn't even set foot outside, even to get the mail, and realized this wasn't the first day I could say that this week.

https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/07/woman-coughs-singer-clayton-gardner/

About fifteen minutes into the show, this random lady walked around all of my gear to sneak up behind me. She made a request for an artist and I asked her to please get away from me several times. She then proceeded to grab me by my bandana and cough on me.

— Clayton Gardner (@ClaytonGardner) July 19, 2020

video in link if yer curious. people are horrible.

What mainly prompted today's misanthropic episode is that I had almost the same thing happen again leaving the same shop I mentioned a few days ago. They have a strict customer limit, one way system and insist on hand sanitizer. They are making quite a song and dance about it all so I assume that means they want customers to be considerate. Which is good! But then the person on the door is again standing in the way of the exit while telling people wanting to get in that they have to wait until... someone leaves.

So I'm hovering while other people brush past and a woman absent mindedly backs a pram into me. When the person on the door finally turns and I get her attention she seems to act impatient and annoyed with me. I'm making an effort here lady, in large part out of consideration for your safety.

It blows my mind that sf is still allowing sidewalk dining on pedestrian-heavy streets and that people are participating. Praying for that Oxford vaccine because otherwise we're all catching this thing soon enough.

Thanks for the P.O.Boxplaining! Hadn't realised they were so widely used.

We are supposed to meet my parents at their place outside this evening, and my dad mentioned that if it rains, we could meet inside...and I was like, 'we are not doing that, it's either outside or reschedule.' luckily, he didn't object.

Yeah this is what I thought I had agreed with my parents 3 weeks ago but I guess they forgot when they just... came inside all the time.

Numbers are low over here, although could be lower. Ventured into the city to get my hair cut and it seemed pretty 'normal', big groups of people sitting at outside cafe tables, shopping with and without masks, but lots of shops/cafes closed as well.

It blows my mind that sf is still allowing sidewalk dining on pedestrian-heavy streets and that people are participating. Praying for that Oxford vaccine because otherwise we're all catching this thing soon enough.

Depends on the crowds. I've slowed down on outdoor dining since Florida went kablooey, but I've the advantage of outdoor dining in Florida in mid July: no one wants to sit outside, so I'd often have the terrace to myself.

Biked around this evening and found a pub under a railway arch with outside tables, and it was the chillest, best time. Tucked away in an extremely residential neighbourhood near Wansted Flats. The landlord took our details for track and trace, wiped our table and gave us a menu. A host of caterpillars on a nearby tree provoked an all-table discussion that led to lots of good-natured arguing, Googling and invective against the government. A+ would recommend.

ah sounds lovely! Pub over the road has added to the kids' outside play area and I'm tempted to take them over there...

xxxpost, i'm not opposed to outdoor dining in principle but the way these places are set up forces you to walk a gauntlet barely wide enough for two people to pass comfortably between two rows of tables (not spaced 6' apart) full of unmasked diners.

it's like that on Columbus Ave in SF for sure but if I'm just walking by I'm not too worried about that kind of momentary outdoor proximity. happy that these restaurants can find a way to stay open

So, in this thread's spirit of venting irrationally:

IMO, we should be under full shelter in place for the next month (and not that namby pamby shit we were under in the spring) but since the federal gov't hates its citizens the local gov't has no choice but to let businesses go on as (sort of) usual and any consumer who's deciding to dine at a sidewalk table on Valencia or Columbus is no better than those fucks marching around the Indiana State House protesting the mask mandate.

IMO, we should be under full shelter in place for the next month year (and not that namby pamby shit we were under in the sprin

Our K-8 school board suddenly shifted mid meeting tonight from hybrid learning to remote, joining our high school and, seemingly, most of the other public schools in the area. I'm honestly relieved. It's a burden for many, if not most, but I'd gladly take 6 more months of this over serious illness or worse. I'm hoping whatever resources (which must be significant) saved will go to helping those for whom school-at-home is most untenable.

Desantis is doubling down and insisting teachers want to return to work, despite a recent survey that suggests the opposite.

most parents want distance learning too.

Yeah, as I understand it it was the teachers here that swayed the board from hybrid to remote.

The parents in my town are mobilizing for us to teach “synchronously” online and remote, which means that we should teach into a camera and also a classroom of kids simultaneously.

The pedagogy is awful, the workflow is awful, the materials management is awful, the student experience is passive, and .... parents can achieve the goal of parking their kid in front of the computer and letting us essentially babysit.

A not insignificant concern is that students with disabilities will be forced to attend school to revive IEP services and out themselves before other parents or students who are attending from home and will DEFINITELY be talking about what they see in the classroom.