Fuck this fucking virus with a fucking farm implement.
Fuck.
I went to church yesterday - playing guitar for this Lent worship cycle. I had a deeply disturbing thought as I looked out over the (much smaller than usual) congregation of largely older folks and listened to Pastor Bonnie tell us we are suspending services indefinitely -there is every possibility, nay probability, I will never see some of those folks again.
Fuck this fucking virus.
I went to church yesterday - playing guitar for this Lent worship cycle. I had a deeply disturbing thought as I looked out over the (much smaller than usual) congregation of largely older folks and listened to Pastor Bonnie tell us we are suspending services indefinitely -there is every possibility, nay probability, I will never see some of those folks again.
Fuck this fucking virus.
Comments
As has been said elsewhere, whatever the virus may, or may not, do in respect of the individuals presently in a congregation, the complete closure of churches will be very difficult to reverse when the crisis is over.
Meanwhile, to prayers...all's not lost yet.
I do recall one of our neighbours (the chap would have been his 20s at the time) dying of influenza somewhere around 1960...
We're all on this planet together, assholes.
All of this.
Rook would suggest we know what 'divoc' is going on.
Yikes.
Definitely agree with thread title.
So much this. The gaps in healthcare and the social safety net are unconscionable.
Now for the latest news from our Covid-19 desk:
I’m fucked.
You’re fucked.
It’s a complete fucking disaster and we’re all absolutely fucked.
Even now, after Washington state's governor, Jay Inslee announced some huge amount of money to help feed the homeless, the selfish and nasty shitheads are oozing out from the slime to complain that "homeless people ALREADY get free food and healthcare! I work hard to feed my family, why am I not entitled to the big Socialist hand-out?!" Boo hoo. If the poorest people in Washington state are FINALLY getting some (long overdue) help with basic necessities, why do people who have homes, have money saved up, have healthcare have to bitch and moan?! God, these jerks piss me off no end.
At my workplace, we rely on home delivery for our groceries. Our order, placed a week ago, got cancelled yesterday, so I did a couple of runs to the supermarket to get a few things we really needed. No chicken or minced meat was available, but there was steak and also fish. Steak is no good for two of our clients,and fish can be dicey if not heavily processed. Anyway, I got some Frankfurters and the butchers had some mince left. The chicken shop had sold out and was closed.
Fortunately, the Supermarkets in Melbourne are going to open between 7am and 8am for elderly folks and people with disabilities. They will get first bite at the re-stocked shelves without having to negotiate crowds.
Though from reports I've seen elsewhere, the elderly are perfectly capable of stripping the shelves and starting fist fights all by themselves.
One of them was a Big Brother scenario where the contestants were deliberately not told of the pandemic outside. They then spend the remaining time inside not realising that no one was watching them.
1) An old friend, who I see very rarely, is in the area. I was going to see him, with his wife and kids this afternoon, but I cancelled due to Corona. I didn't want to do this, but at least it would have given me a day completely indoors.
2) I'm down to half a loaf of bread to eat, but that didn't matter as I had a Sainsbury's delivery booked to arrive between 11 and 12. It's now 1.30, and nothing has come. I've checked and no delivery is recorded - I must have ordered all the stuff but forgotten to press the final button to complete.
3) I've tried to reorder. but there are no delivery slots for days. So I will need to go out this afternoon, and there won't be much stuff to buy anyway.
4) Today I heard that Probate is complete and the money from my mother's estate has come through. However, all the things I wanted to do (theatre visits, cruises) are ruled out due to Corona.
5) I'm playing a computer game to cheer myself up, but there's no sound. The computer says "no audio device is installed" - well there was yesterday!
There is nothing anyone can do, and the most frustrating thing (2) is my own fault. However, if I can make everyone else miserable as well I'll feel a little bit better. No advice is needed, but if you weep into your keyboards I will feel a bit better.
Are you able to eat biscuits, such as digestives, cream crackers, water biscuits, bread sticks, and so on? Useful alternatives, especially if there is CHEESE.
True. I think the goal was to give them first access to the newly stocked shelves, as well as get them in during a time with the least possible germ accumulation (presumably places are cleaned at night).
Us, we just moved over to rice for the duration.
The virus?
Currently trying to restore my PC to a point where it worked. In addition I made a supermarket run (that is my local store, sadly) and was amazed how easy it was to pay. When I commented on this, the chap at the till said, "That's because there's nothing left to buy," and he wasn't far wrong. Certainly there was no bread, but I'm not too worried as I don't eat much of it. My earlier comment was meant to show that was all the food I had left. Now I'm well stocked with chocolate, so I should be all right.
Good to see you back!
Also, it gives customers using a walker a bit of space to navigate safely. The other day there were about 50 in line when we opened the doors. In less than half an hour there were lines to the back of the store in every aisle.
We've started limiting the number of customers we admit to relieve the crowding.
Of course, if there's no fucking flour left on the fucking shelves, what kind of cheese you use is moot.
Senior moment. I blame Trump.
I read an article in the New Yorker about a group of folks who have been rafting on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon for a few weeks. The world is completely different now, and some of them at first thought the person who told them was putting them on.
I've got a bit of lab work that can be done (though, very little that needs to be done in the next few weeks). I've been prioritising that at the end of last week building up a stack of data to be processed and written up on my OneDrive in the expectation of home working. There's also a backlog of papers that need to be finished off. Current instructions are that we don't need to go home, our director has passed that buck downwards and told individual line managers to manage their groups including identifying work that can be done at home. As my boss doesn't want to change how he does things, we've been told that we can't work at home and should come in. I might say I've got a cough just to give me a week at home.
One week for the symptomatic person, 2 weeks for anyone sharing a house with them.
Last night's news said the virus can live on surfaces for two days. Then the Surgeon General stepped out to give us some advice -- wash your hands and clean your counter tops. Duh. When do we get something else?
What good does it do to bring in your groceries and spread all that stuff out on your clean counters and leave it there? Why not tell people to wipe all the cans and containers with a Clorox wipe as you take it out of the bag? It's what I do, it's what everyone should do. Clean hands are not enough to keep us safe.
Of course you can always use a dishrag dipped in a solution of bleach and water and wrung out well. I usually fix a mug of water and bleach (a sinkful is too much and wasteful) and use it to clean the whole kitchen, light switches, phones, remotes and anything else around the house that wont be harmed by the bleach. I've used this on the outside of library books, DVD's, just about everything that enters the house. Then I walk around behind my husband and go over the phones and things he touches.
I realize that if you don't have bleach or alcohol or hydrogen peroxide (which I use on my ceramic floors which can't handle bleach) then you can't make any of those solutions.
Don't forget your throw pillows and afghans. We all three nap on those things along with the dog.
I knew the ten years I spent in Pentonville would come in handy one day.
And if you can't find bleach, you might be able to go under the radar and score some distilled vinegar. While the bleach and disinfectants aisle was bare, I scored a gallon of vinegar in the salad dressing section.
(Plus the Ship's programming won't let me edit! Grrr! Something about "You need the Vanilla.Comments.Edit permission to do that" Yet it still said I had six minutes. I'll have to check it out in the Styx later.
That being said - alcohol also works well.
On a slightly less light-hearted level, I'm wondering what alternative arrangements I should set up for who could take care of my rather large dog, should I be stricken. And should I pack a little hospital bag and put it somewhere obvious in the house, to be picked up if I'm detained on medical reasons! I've always looked after myself, come good or ill, but suddenly I feel a bit vulnerable.
This has been a concern of mine as well, except I have a rather small dog. She's elderly with some health problems. Luckily my Vet is a friend from church, so I know I could call on her if needed. I pray it doesn't come to that.