Checking in

Ohai, guys!

I think we’re all trying to maintain whatever sanity and stability we can under the current circumstances, but sometimes that’s hard. Bad Things happen and some of us can probably remember a lot of times people panicked like the world was ending but it didn’t. But it’s still scary.

So let’s use this thread for checking in, venting, asking questions, whatever you need. That way anyone who doesn’t want to be faced with COVID-19 news in yet another place can avoid it, but we can stay connected and look out for each other.

Love you guys lots! Everyone take care of yourselves and your families, please! Be sensible!

43 Comments

  1. Jackie and I and the purrkids should be fine.

    Canada’s low-risk, virtually all cases have been people coming back from outside the country and in Ontario they’re nearly all right in Toronto. Zero local cases. I did a very large grocery run and cat food run on Thursday and Friday, filling up my trusty wagon with stuff we need. We should be able to just stay inside, other than maybe the odd brief trip out at quiet times to get perishable stuff like bread. (Our apartment fridge has a TINY freezer, grrr, and even the fridge is small for two adults.)

    I’m only making one more significant outing: we’re very far behind on housework, all the court crap knocked us down hard and it’s taken time to recover, so we’re doing a massive cleanup this weekend and Monday I’m taking absolutely all laundry to a place with lots of machines that considers 3-4 customers at a time “busy”.

    At this point, I figure the best thing we can do, since neither of us work, is just make sure we don’t become parrt of the problem, and maybe try to help keep spirits up online where possible. We’ve got supplies, cats, Internet, a balcony… we should be okay. I’m far more worried about others who are more vulnerable.

    How are you folks doing? Staying calm, not panicking, but being smart, I hope?

    4
  2. I work at the University of Maryland Libraries. Spring break started yesterday and has been extended by one week. Teaching faculty will use that time to learn how to give their classes online and to prepare for the rest of the semester being held only online. The libraries will remain open, which concerns me as we are very heavily visited in healthy times and will be one of the few places on campus where students can and will congregate. There are confirmed cases in the county, in D.C., and in northern Virginia.
    I habitually keep a good supply of non-perishable food on hand, and today provisioned myself with soap, cleaners, and a few rolls of paper towels (I do not usually use them, preferring cloth towels). I do not take any medicines but now have some aspirin and Tylenol to hand. That, with a few bottles of wine and I’m good to go!
    Stay calm, clean of hand and high of heart, all.

    3
  3. We’re working from home, taking walks to keep sane andxwashing our hands to the bone ?
    All cultural and sports events, are cancelled, schools and kindergartens are closed, and those who can, work from home.
    Buster doesn’t really care, as long as there are treats ?
    Wash your hands, keep your distance, take care of those who need it ❤️??

    4
  4. I’m at the epicenter of preparations at work as you know I’m an Infection Preventionist. Daily phone calls from University of Rochester Medical Center so we’re all on the same page, and things changed daily. So far we’re fine , lots and lots of TP in our Dollar General-Rochester is 45 minutes north and I hear people are coming down here to shop. No hand cleanser in any store. I was concerned because I have to use distilled water in my BiPap and the first store was out but I found some at the grocery store (limit 4) and at my dentist appointment I was talking about the distilled water and turns out all their water gets distilled before use and they said I can come down any time and get some. Mom’s assisted living place closed to visitors so that eliminated my visit to her after the dentist visit. I am eating keto-but all of the options for provisions seem to be carbs so I came out of the grocery store with a very odd assortment of items. And every store I go into I buy at least 2 litter because that is what I’m worried about running out of for my clowder. Stay safe all my dear peeps! xxxooo

    3
  5. I refuse to panic….yet
    As of yesterday (13th) The UK had 798 confirmed cases and possibly up to 10,000 mild cases out of a total population of 66.44 million. Lewisham (the part of London where I live) has 5 confirmed out of a population of303,536. Yes, it is a serious problem and can kill those with existing health problems, and everyone should take sensible precautions, but it seems that everyone has lost their sense of proportion and the doom mongers are having a field day. The majority of people will have a very mild infection and most recover fully. I’ll worry if I catch it, but I have no wish to live for ever becoming more infirm and more of a burden.

    4
  6. The government here is saying that all over 70s will be asked to isolate themselves, possibly for 12 weeks or more. I’m not sure what that is going to do for mental health. I am very lucky to be computer literate so I have contact with people I love especially Cheezfrenz. and can order all my needs online for delivery. Many people of my generation don’t have computers so will be dependent on neighbours to fetch shopping. That is fine for a few days, but for several weeks? I know it is for our own good, but it is going to hurt.

    1
  7. I gave my concert in Kentucky on the day they went full-on containment mode — closed the schools and the churches and recommended people not go out. So we had a rousing audience of 11 people in a big cathedral!

    I was lucky in my traveling in that my flights were not at all full, and I was able to get bulkhead row seats in 3 out of 4 with no one else in the whole row. So while you walk by a LOT of people in a place like the Chicago airport, I was not contained on a plane in close quarters for a long period of time with anyone.

    My work is completely shut down — no services, no rehearsals, all meetings via Skype or Zoom, no concerts. We are discussing how to do Holy Week and Easter via pre-recorded services, but now I don’t know if we’ll be able to do that with the choir, so we’ll see.

    I have about 20 days of supplies in my house, all Lili’s food and meds, and we’re just going to hunker down and keep to ourselves, for our sake, and for others’ sake as well since I’ve been travelling. But I am down to my last bottle of Scotch…

    Stay well everyone! *Virtual Cheezhugs*

    1
  8. Well… here we go. Three confirmed cases here in Kingston. All people who were out of the country. (Seriously? Was whatever reason you were in Spain and Barbados and the UK worth bringing this back to the rest of the community?) I’m honestly more angry than scared, over people panicking over the wrong things and people not taking this seriously enough. I’m expecting it to get worse locally very soon, ’cause St Patrick’s Day is notorious for the university students’ drunk parties complete with people travelling in from other universities to join in.

    We’ve got enough supplies that for the moment, I’m just locking the door and we’re staying in. Writing and reading and cuddling cats are all occurring.

  9. 8O
    Our colleges are closed, other schools closed, restaurants, bars, gyms, movie theaters, my dentist (!) all closed.
    Staying put except for work. For some reason the don’t want me to go on vacation or work from home??? :D
    Sadly for others my job security is always increased by something bad happening to someone.
    I’m going home and write my will.

    1
  10. Heya, folks! Sorry if I skip the lolspeak, I don’t think I can multi-language right now. :-)

    Still around. The writing site I’ve been sharing my stories on lately has an awful lot of very young and very frightened people in the forums there, and I’ve been spending more time on giving them cyber-hugs and trying to help them feel not-alone and reassuring them that this isn’t the world ending and helping them with facts-not-fear than I have been on writing or being here. I can’t help any more directly, but I can maybe do that much.

    Still thinking lots about all of you, though, and hoping you’re doing okay. Anyone have any words of wisdom I can use on scared teens and twenty-somethings? Some with medical professional family members? *sigh*

    I’m sorry I’m waaaay behind on replying to email and stuff. I’m a bit disorganized at that even under ideal conditions. Aargh. But I really am trying to keep an eye on news here.

    Loves! And look after yourselves and your furry kids! I would kinda sorta maybe a LOT like it if we could come out of this with all of us intact, okay? {{{{{{{{{{{{{{Cheezpeeps}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

    1. My understanding is that the majority of people who are infected will only have a very mild illness and recover completely. The ones who may possibly be more seriously affected are those who already have a serious health problem. Wash your hands and avoid crowds. We will get through this!

      1
  11. Ohai guys! I are gonna try an experiment!

    I’m going to try reading one of my stories live online. I’m going to do it on Twitch, ’cause Jackie uses that for gaming and she knows how to set it up. And I am gonna do this in a couple of hours.

    Anyone with the link can watch/listen. You need a Twitch account to leave comments in the chat box, but that’s easy and free. Also, I plan to keep Discord open (also easy and free). I can try to keep track of maybe one more chat.

    Twitch will keep the videos stored to watch on demand for a couple of weeks. I’ll grab them off there and add them to my YouTube or something.

    Idunno if I’m insane or wasting my time (probably, but then, I thought that about Cheezland), but if it helps anyone feel a bit less alone, it’s worth it, right?

    I’ll drop the link here once we get the tech side of this sorted out.

  12. o hai

    i has only just noticed this little corner

    i are surviving, but very busy at work – while a lot of shops / pubs have closed, buses are still running

    my busy at work is related to re-arranging things so we can run less buses than usual but still run some sort of service for essential workers and so on.

    as with most things in life, it’s not quite as simple as it sounds – you can’t just take buses or individual drivers out of the mix at random – you still need to run a regular service (and get the information out there about what you’re doing) and making sure that each bus has one driver at any one time, and that those drivers work within drivers’ hours rules (get a break after X hours, no more than Y hours a day work) also sounds simple if you don’t do it…

    as of a week or two back our main fear was that too many drivers would be off sick / self isolating / caring for family members, but events have moved fairly fast and we’re running out of passengers faster than drivers, so the reduced service that we decided on a week ago (and are running from tomorrow) is being replaced with a more reduced service from monday next week…

    1. Akkshully, it duzzn’t sownd simplol. Butt(!) it duz sownd liek sumthing Ai wood like to do. Teh harelines have a “flight dispatch” division taht figures owt crew/hareplane skedules, adn maeks daily adjustments az flights are delayed, cancelloled. Similar with teh buses? That awlwaze sownded interesting to me.

  13. Ohai cheezpeepz!

    I are checking in frum Germany. We’z all fine. Schools and kindergardens are closed, so I no has any wurk rite nae (I does freelance environmental education in schools and kindergardens). No money coming in either, but hubby are employd, so all ok.

    I are homeschooling big gurl bunneh and her frend, sumthing I never thot I’d ever do (normally no legal homeschooling in Germany), and it’s rather nice, actually. Baby bunneh #2 is happily at home, enjoying bein with teh family (her am 4 yeers old). Haven’t seen her this happy an balanced in quite a while, seems I has to re-think teh hole all-day-daycare thing. Mebbee we can get by wiff a half-day kindergarden.

    Hubby is doing home office, so lots of family time, which is surprisingly nice after initial adjusting period (him an I are both introverts, but so far everything is very happy). Gonna miss this once everything’s back to normal…

    Bit worried about my parents and in-laws, but seems they’z all luking after themselves and keeping a distance. Means we no can has Easter hololiday together with teh in-laws, or birthday parties for my parents and big gurl bunneh (all in April), but we has to protect the grandparents from us.

    Also bit wurried about all u peeps in teh US, we hears scary stories over here. Keeps a distance, wash ur hands an luk after urselves!

    Lots of lubs! {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{cheezpeepz}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

    1. Gud 2 heer frum u, hcr. Fingz aer much teh saem heer in TTI. Duz nawt maek a lawt uv diffruns 2 me, sept nawt goin shoppin 2 oar 3 tiemz a week, Gud nayberz wul get ennifin Ai can’t get delibberd.

      1. Ohai anni! {{{{{{{{{{{{anni}}}}}}}}}}}}}
        I is glad u has teh gud nayberz! I is srsly wurried about peepz hoo has to go shoppin, butt is under higher risk. My mom-in-law has to go, an she wus born teh same yeer as u, Ifinkso. Stay safe an stay well!

    2. Hopz ova two germany but stays 6 feat awai. Ohai,ohai hcr. Gud u checkified inn. Me an PJ an Jessica are awl duin okai. Ai haz been staying incide fore weeks nao except two walk in da evening. Ai due danze an exercise classes awn zoom an reed lotz an duze jigsawed puzzles.

      Ai gotz lotsa gud yung neighbors an dey duze mai grocery shopping four me. Ai b fortunate.
      Babbeh bunbuns dew grow fadt. Much love to u an ur fambly frum noodle an hur fur fambly.
      Hops back two Santa Monica California.

    1. {{{{{{maryqos}}}}}
      fanks, maryqos. U is a helfcare purrfesshional? Fanx for ur commitment, an stay safe!

    2. Whelp… total gains today, zero munnies, but sum peeps had lotsa fun and a cupple sed we maked their day an tehy shared to their frenz, sooo… nawt so bads. :-) We duz agen tomorrow. {{{{{mqos}}}}}

      Honeybunny – mqos be infection control officer at her hospital, tryin to keep track of everything and keep everyone safe.

  14. Ohai, awl.

    I’m checking to say hello and that I’m doing well. I live in Maryland, which is under a lockdown order. It is eerily quiet in my normally busy little city (TakomaPark, which borders northeast D. C., about 6 miles from Capitol Hill), In the past few weeks, I’ve discovered that I am terrible at working from home: I’m easily distractible, I find.

    I’ll be 70 in a few weeks, and have a compromised immune system so I’m in an at-risk group. We’ll just have to see. Stay strong!

  15. Ohai Q! Lubbly to see yoo! Glad yoo am doing well – pleeze to stay safe, eh?

    I am also finding it more difficult to work from home these days. Usually I’m fine, but it’s the “have to” that’s getting to me.

  16. Ohai, Cheezpeeps! We live in a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA. Pittsburgh has most of the cases in Allegheny County. Our suburb has 7, those around us have 5 to 17. Statewide lockdown for another month. We always keep a couple of weeks of nonperishable food (hooman adn kitteh), but that’s not enough, so we went to our local store’s 6 am “senior” shopping hour and loaded up enough to get us through to May 1. If we run out of bread, I have ingredients to make some.

    Cheezpeeps from other countries have heard, I’m sure, about some of the crazy things happening in the USA, but we’re not all out of control. Several young neighbors have offered to get us whatever we need. Very sweet, I guess we’re the elderly neighbors they’re supposed to look after. :-)

    We will get through this. As the Brits might say, Keep calm and wash your hands.

    1. We have added Stay home to the list of things we have to do!
      Crazy things happen here too – nurses mugged for their id tags (Health care peeps get propiority shopping time) idiots coughing at people toscare them. Panic buying seems to have calmed down somewhat, but some things are hard to find – have not been able to get eggs since the onset. As a ‘vulnerable elderly person’ I am allowed priority grocery delivery, which is very gratefully accepted and have a neighbour who will collect my meds refill. Puddy is working some 13 hour days re-organising his local bus service as demands and available driver numbers fall. We will survive, but it isn’t much fun.

  17. Well, our governor just mandated masks for anyone outside…so I will be doing some sewing tomorrow before it’s time for another grocery run. Lots of items are unavailable at the stores, so I often have to regroup while shopping. And Dear God don’t let me run out of kitty litter! That would be a disaster. Since my sources of additional income have all closed their doors, my “job” as a high risk person is to stay home as much as possible. But I have a full pantry, the furbabies are delighted that I am home all day, and I’m working on projects, helping others research their projects and reading a lot. Although retired, I worked remotely for a goodly percentage of my career and can live without face-to-face contact. I feel sorry for those with little kids to keep busy. My groups are brainstorming ideas so parents don’t spontaneously combust. :-)
    Stay safe everybody

    1. I hope that includes instructions for how to put on a mask, take it off safely, and make sure it’s clean before the next use, and also hammers home that they’re not total protection from either direction… otherwise that’s not going to end well… I’ve got some medical experience, and I’ve been looking into fabric masks, and the difficulty of keeping them clean enough to not make matters worse was enough to convince me that I’m better off *without* one.

      But yep, same here – about the best we can do is make every effort not add to the problem. I’m glad everyone’s being sensible and staying as safe as possible. {{{{{{{{{{{{alla Cheezpeeps, ’cause you can’t get sick from cyberhugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

  18. Yes, prysma, my hope as well is that no one thinks they are now invincible because they are wearing a mask. My understanding from friends in the medical profession is that it mostly is to keep you from sneezing/coughing on others. I donated my stash of cotton a while back when I was clearing the workshop and realized that my friends efforts to get me into quilting were not gonna work. But, I made a lovely mask out of 12 layers of tight weave silk. Washable and breathable. Won’t fog up my glasses like the higher density filters do. If nothing else, this will keep people from throwing cans at me when I go to the grocery store.

    1. I are bein a pest bout teh correct use fing, sorree.

      I hazza frustrated. I can hazza whole bunch of tight woven sturdy cotton I gottid at thrift stores an washed fur makin kitty mousietoys… an I cannawt finding it ennywhairs, arrgh. I are finkin it mite has gone to my dadcat’s garage before we moobed, to make more space fur pakkin. But that were 4 yeers ago… an he are 68 an libs ober 2 owrs drive away, so, nawt gettin hold of that even if I can get my sewing masheen to wurk! I got a bit here, an sum sordid clothing that nawt gets worn an cud get repurposed. I are bad at sewing other than eggstreme basics, but cud mebbe make sumfin fur Jackie n me.

      Haoeber… throwing cans at you? There be idjits still havin big chruch gavverings this weekend, an peeps am gettin all cranky over teh grosery store?!?!?!

  19. Advice here in the UK is that cloth masks are not really a protection for the healthy wearer and limited in preventing someone infected passing on the virus. Only real use is to remind people not to touch their faces.

    1. Peeps testing are finding that, made of the right fabric and fitted right and used right, it can be about 60-70% protection – as long as you don’t mess with the mask, touch your eyes, or touch the outer surface of the mask, and keep it clean. So, better than nothing at all. Also, advice here in Canada is to basically act as though you has an infected, coz you might be even if you think not. I think Ontario is drifting towards requiring masks, although it just recently moved from “Useless,” to “Maybe not a bad idea…” No one is claiming that they’re anywhere near as effective as proper medical masks… but those are becoming as hard to find as hand sanitizer, and health care peeps need ’em.

  20. Let me clarify. I don’t think anyone would actually throw cans, but I am sure there would be looks of disapproval, since our latest word is to wear a mask anytime you are in public. And, in my case, it can’t hurt to wear one when needed. I haven’t been out of the house since the order went in, but I have seen quite a few dog walkers and bicyclists wearing them in the neighborhood.

  21. Checking back in with you all…

    The University is closed until 22 May, with no one allowed in any buildings on campus except for emergencies. My key card is still activated, as I would be called to respond to any situation that threatens the collections. The first summer session (which goes through mid-July will be taught entirely online, and it is quite likely we will not be allowed back to physical work until after that. There is the start of discussions of keeping the campus closed through Christmas; I’m not sure how sane and positive-thinking any of us would be by then. I live alone so go days and days without direct human interaction (other than throwing open the door to say hello to the mailman when he’s safely down the sidewalk).
    I also go to the grocery once a week to restock fresh vegetables and tofu. There is talk of a meat shortage here, which would not bother me much at all. There is no toilet paper, ever, anywhere; I have stocked up on Kleenex/facial tissue just in case.
    I am fine, if going major stir-crazy.
    I kiss to you all.

    1. ai feel yur disdress Q. mai onlee hoomin kontack is mai nise nayber taht walkes Sadie teh Schnoodle evrie dai. of coarse ai still werk nawt five dais a weak sew have kontack udder dais (sum uf witch ai kould dew withawt-like mai boss hoo is acting like a too year old hoose had his passyfyer taeken awai).

    2. Ai wishes ai coulds balance dis owt for bof ob yoo…

      As a (literal) vowed hermit, my home is my monastic cell and my sanctuary. But with isolation and still having to work, it’s all “skype this!” “Zoom here!” “sign up for Teams!” “Watch this livestream!” “Let’s meet…and meet…and meet!”
      All good, I suppose, but I would love a bit less technology and a bit more silence.

      {{{{{Q and mqos}}}} I hope we each find a balance that works.

    3. I’m sorry that you feel the isolation to be a strain, Q. I have always been more solitary than sociable and have lived alone for the past 28 years since my husband died. Since lockdown started here I have only been out of the house for solitary walks. Groceries are delivered and I get to say thanks to the delivery man from the statutory 6 feet distance.The friends in Cheezland and a group associated with the old ICHC are quite enough company for me via the Internet. I don’t have any real life friends now – never had the sort of friends that one visited, anyway. Puddy phones every day, but neither of us has much to talk about! The restrictions are necessary to avoid catastrophic loss of life and should not be lifted before it is safe. Hag in there, my friend – it will pass.

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