Plague Diary

[Faust]

06-04-2020
Virus benefits
Able to stay at home looking after pregnant girlfriend and the weather has been ok
Brothers internship at an IT company that supports the health service

Virus negatives
Our sales and deployments guys cant get into sites to do any work so customer stream has frozen, company has instituted a 20% pay cut cross the board for 3 months, I am now seeking other employment

[The Wizard Joseph]

Pardon my frustration, TWJ.  Please keep the airborne/technical stuff in the technical thread.

it's ok man. I'm frustrated, confused, scared, and trying to keep shit sorted while learning as much as I can and trying to write about four things at once. I'm just going to stick to the personal experiences here. Not trying to spag up the thread.

[Cramulus]

4/9/2020

So far, I've been handling all of this pretty well. I think I mentioned it elsewhere -- I actually feel a little guilty because of how privileged I am .. me and my fiance's jobs are secure, we're both working from home, we live in a town with lots of woodsy trails we walk every day.. our families are safe.. the quarantine has made us even closer and helped us get better at communicating. Things are fine.

But it's still hard. I feel the stress gradually building-up. I've been pacing my energy - I know we're not at the halfway point yet (right now, I am betting on social distancing ending in early June). The days are really starting to blend together. It's monotonous. I can see why so many people are doing weird things to their hair this week. The mind craves impressions like the body craves food.

In the first few weeks of this, there was this shared vibe, "shit is off the rails, we all have to help each other through this." I feel like that phase is ending. This is all starting to feel normal. Not in a good way.

In my everyday life, I sometimes feel trapped in a rut.. the grind starts to drain me. I recharge my batteries through creative outlets and social contact. None of that is available right now, at least, not in the same way. Batteries are low.

Today I promise to do self-care.
-I've ordered some random stuff from amazon so that I have something to look forward to.
-I'm gonna try to go for a walk in a new place, just see some different stuff.
-I'm gonna reach out to some people that may need a call.
-I'm gonna do a big cooking project, probably chili with dried peppers


then I'll be fine

[Doktor Howl]

Stolen:

Day 1 – I Can Do This!! Got enough food and wine to last a month!
Day 2 – Opening my 8th bottle of Wine. I fear wine supplies might not last!
Day 3 – Strawberries: Some have 210 seeds, some have 235 seeds. Who Knew??
Day 4 – 8:00pm. Removed my Day Pajamas and put on my Night Pajamas.
Day 5 – Today, I tried to make Hand Sanitizer. It came out as Jello Shots!!
Day 6 – I get to take the Garbage out. I’m so excited, I can’t decide what to wear.
Day 7 – Laughing way too much at my own jokes!!
Day 8 – Went to a new restaurant called “The Kitchen”. You have to gather all the ingredients and make your own meal. I have No clue how this place is still in business.
Day 9 – I put liquor bottles in every room. Tonight, I’m getting all dressed up and going Bar hopping.
Day 10 – Struck up a conversation with a Spider today. Seems nice. He’s a Web Designer.
Day 11 – Isolation is hard. I swear my fridge just said, “What the hell do you want now?”
Day 12 – I realized why dogs get so excited about something moving outside, going for walks or car rides. I think I just barked at a squirrel.
Day 13 – If you keep a glass of wine in each hand, you can’t accidentally touch your face.
Day 14 – Anybody else feel like they’ve cooked dinner about 50 times this month?

[Cain]

I find people "dying" after 3 weeks of social isolation hilarious. I've worked from home since late August. I would rarely go out before all this, maybe once a week, shopping and gym aside. Adjusting that to shopping once a week, replacing gym with outside walks in the park and not going to the pub with Cara? Easy.

You are all like little babies.

[Bruno]

I find people "dying" after 3 weeks of social isolation hilarious. I've worked from home since late August. I would rarely go out before all this, maybe once a week, shopping and gym aside. Adjusting that to shopping once a week, replacing gym with outside walks in the park and not going to the pub with Cara? Easy.

You are all like little babies.

Been thinking the same thing. Every time I've found myself with that much free time, I've always ended up happier and healthier. I eat better because I garden and eat vegetables. I walk, like, 40 miles a week. I lose 10+ lbs a month. In all aspects, I am better... faster... stronger. Then I get a job and go back to fast food cheeseburgers, frozen dinners, 3+ energy drinks a day, and constantly thinking about murdering my supervisor with a hammer. Everything I accomplished in 4 months is wiped out and then some within about a year.

All so I can save up enough money so that I can afford to get old, which will happen sooner now except it won't because I'll die first anyway.

Shit, this plague is the most excitement I've had in years, and I'm still working. If I were just a tad less "essential" I'd be having the time of my life.

[Cain]

 

[Doktor Howl]

Well, 18,500 dead in the USA so far, more than half of them in NYC.  They've got the mass grave thing going on Hart Island again (wait long enough and anything will come back in style.)

Pima County is at 543 cases, 16 dead.  Only thing is, we didn't have any available ventilators BEFORE the Boomer Doomer.

[Cain]

Just under a thousand died here today....though you wouldn't know it if you scanned the BBC headlines or the front pages of the Tory press. No, they're all focused on how Boris Johnson is slowly improving, and getting to catch up on his Netflix movie backlog. Fantastic reporting, really A+ stuff.

[Doktor Howl]

Just under a thousand died here today....though you wouldn't know it if you scanned the BBC headlines or the front pages of the Tory press. No, they're all focused on how Boris Johnson is slowly improving, and getting to catch up on his Netflix movie backlog. Fantastic reporting, really A+ stuff.

I was so busy hurling shit at Trump's image on the TV, I missed some more hot 2020 action.

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2020/04/massive-eruption-at-indonesian-volcano-krakatoa-report.html?fbclid=IwAR1FeZbnxaXq8Y8Eon7BbLvBSYgEWeDDTre7IBUd1abStQLIFFtOSzmUocg

[Cain]

There's also been a swine flu outbreak in Poland.

[Doktor Howl]

There's also been a swine flu outbreak in Poland.

OH, GOOD.

Also, on the lighter side....

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/shkrelis-plea-from-prison-free-me-and-ill-cure-covid-19/?amp=1&fbclid=IwAR2ZMR6kKu60_MCRrGW3kFNVIPn1Ag8GjDhCYrufVlXWcxN_7e2ofdtUcJM

[Cain]

 

[Junkenstein]

Just under a thousand died here today....though you wouldn't know it if you scanned the BBC headlines or the front pages of the Tory press. No, they're all focused on how Boris Johnson is slowly improving, and getting to catch up on his Netflix movie backlog. Fantastic reporting, really A+ stuff.

I'm assuming this is to put off the 4 figure death toll headlines for another 4 days or so. The toll here is already beating Spain and Italy and once 1k+ a day drop its hard to pretend that this has been handled remotely competently.

What I'm waiting for now is how quickly they shove Johnson out for an "I'm OK folks". The longer it takes him to recover, the harder it is for the dwp to sanction people for being ill for a lesser duration.

[Cain]

Oh I'm sure the hacks will find a way to argue it's being handled competently. Mostly by just completely ignoring the death toll and concentrating on "criticising the government in a time of crisis." It's already started: