Editing this post to put this at the very top, got the link from my brother...its holy shit scary!
Link to Corona virus info from physicians
Wow. Just wow. Its like a sci-fi movie right now. I cant recall seeing anything like this in my lifetime. The world is shutting down.
I'm still in Florida, its Sunday afternoon, and its a beautiful day out. Life here still appears completely normal except for the lack of total madness due to Spring Break (which isn't really happening), a bunch of cruise ships sitting at piers not going anywhere, and the inability to buy even a single roll of toilet paper at the stores. Oh, and the complete lack of any sports going on. Forgot about that.
Here in his area I heard today that Disney World is closed, along with pretty much all the touristy places. I did a self-guided tour of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) and its conjoined twin Kennedy Space Center (KSC) today. It was a super quiet day driving around the ginormous tracts of land they both occupy. As I got close to the old Shuttle pads (39A and 39B) I started seeing the KSC Tour buses rolling by. That at least seemed normal. Then as I briefly exited KSC at its northern terminus the road crossing mine was backed up as far as I could see to the west. I U-turned back into KSC and asked the guard (you have to have an ID to get on either KSC or CCAFS) what was going on. He said it was people going to the beach. He mentioned that pretty much everything that was touristy was closed down, and likely the KSC tours will stop very soon too...seems people just want something to do and the beaches aren't yet closed to the public. Unbelievable. I guess I have had my head in the sand this last 6 weeks, barely getting any news.
Friday I had the day off with pay (my first day off in a while), and we were planning on loading our container into the aircraft on Saturday and then flying home on Sunday (an AWESOME PLAN), all of which was nixed Saturday morning when the back doors to our aircraft wouldn't open due to a hydraulic fitting failure). So with my unexpected day off I went into town (Cocoa Beach/Cape Canaveral) and rented a beach cruiser bike, and rode the crap out of it (32 miles, 4 hours). Yeah...turns out that isn't really a good idea...that tractor seat isn't really suitable for something like that..but I am kind of stubborn apparently, and also can somewhat ignore pain (something all cyclists can do) so I just kept going and going and going. It was a wonderful day, not too hot, not too cool, a light breeze blowing...so I just kept riding. I would have done it again today except that my thighs are still pretty sore where they interfaced with the enormous tractor seat for thousands of pedal strokes. I don't think there is any permanent damage, but yeah...it still hurts now 2 days later.
Here are a few shots from my epic cruiser bike masochistic ride on Friday. Here my rental steel-steed is looking down the Cocoa Beach pier.
This was a pretty cool little section of covered sandy-trail as I was at the north end of the City of Cape Canaveral.
Here my trusty steel beastie and I are back into Cocoa Beach (heading south).
This picture is at least 15 miles south of the last one, at the northern part of Patrick Air Force Base.
In this final shot of my 4 hour death-ride my steed and I are looking longingly at the beach.
And here are a few pics from today's tour of CCAS and KSC. It got me out of the room for a few hours, hooray!
The CCAFS Space and Missile museum, complex 26 (the launch site of the USAs first satellite).
A Redstone rocket that is part of the museum. I am standing at the blockhouse (about 300 yards away from the rocket). Back in those days they didn't understand the explosive power of a fueled rocket. Blockhouses (where all the launch controlers are) were moved much further back.
A tortise on the side of the road. They are protected here. His shell is well over a foot long (I didnt want to get too close and spook him getting my foot into the picture for a size reference). His mouth if full of grass and he seemed pretty calm.
Now I am way north and onto KSC property. This is the Space X pad (39B, which used to be one of the Space Shuttle pads). The Falcon 9 rocket is on the pad, kind of obscured by teh water tower. Its not supposed to be there, had planned on launching yesterday morning and then again this morning.
I haven't looked yet but its likely rescheduled to tomorrow morning and will affect our convoy to load our aircraft (just delays us a bit until after its gone so we can have the base security for our road convoy to the airfield).
I am standing on the graveled crawler track that goes from the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) to pad 39B (you can see the Falcon 9 on the pad off in the distance). Before Space X and before them the Space Shuttles this was an Apollo pad. Yep...the enormous Saturn V rockets sitting on the huge launcg-crawlers drove right over this same gravel mission after mission (they added gravel each time as the crawler/rocket combo weight so much it pulverized a lot of it...still I think its pretty cool a bunch of Apollos and Shuttles drove over this...and I have a rock I picked up from the track in my pocket too).
Looking back east (towards the VAB which isnt visible in this picture as the track curves). I took this shot as you can still see the tracks from the last crawler to go here.
Here the crawler tracks to 39A and 39B converge and you can now see the VAB off in the distance.
Here is the VAB up close. They assembled Saturn Vs on both sides on top of the crawlers, and then all those gray doors slid up to the top and the entire thing rolled right out towards its pad for launch.
Here is one of the crawlers sitting outside. That thing is absolutely HUGE...the picture doesn't show any scale. Sitting on top of the crawler WOULD be a Mobile Launch Platform, and on top of that was the Apollo rocket or Shuttle.
Here is a picture I copied from Wikipedia showing a Shuttle rolling along the track from the VAB heading towards its launch pad. You can clearly see the Mobile Launch Platform the orbiter is sitting on, with the crawler below it. Also you can see the VAB doors still open where the entire assembly rolled out. You can also see the paved road just to the left of the gravel track (left side)..that road is still there and is what I followed going from the pads to the VAB on my journey today.
The more often seen side of the VAB with the NASA logo and the US Flag. A LONG time ago (my first trip to the Cape) back when shuttles were still launching I drove here and there was no fence around the building. I parked my rental and walked right up to a door, expecting at any moment someone to yell at me (or arrest me). No one did, and I just opened the door and walked in. The inside of that building is so big I cant even begin to describe it (they claim it creates its own atmosphere inside its so big). There were no shuttles inside at the time (why no one stopped me). They would come in horizontal, and then lifted vertical and attached to the External Tank inside this building, and finally attach the 2 huge solid rocket boosters to the tank, all sitting on top of the crawler/mobile launch platform to take the entire beast to its pad. I was parked somewhere close to here a few years later on another of my trips here where I got to finally see a shuttle launch (and landing just a few days later). The launch was fantastic, the landing not so much (didn't see it till the very end...but did get the twin sonic booms as it finally drops down under the speed of sound).
Here is a panorama of the VAB and way off in the distance are pads 39A and B (its tiny but if you look close you can see the Falcon 9 on pad 39B, which is to the left of 39A). I forget the distance but its a couple of miles.
Snapped a few shots out the window of my car as I was leaving CCAFS heading back into the city of Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach of the cruise ships sitting in port. Normally they are in for less than a day, disembarking their thousands of passengers, loading food and such and their new gaggle of passengers and heading back out. I think these 2 are Carnival ships...there are at least 2 Norwegian Cruise lines ships sitting too.
These would be the Norwegian Cruise lines ships.
This one is Royal Caribbean...so that makes FIVE ships sitting here in port. Crazy stuff!
Anyway, that's about all I have for today. I did the paid-KSC tour many years ago (when I was here for work and then Jeannie flew out for a long weekend). I would have done it again today, but the cost is now $60 per person! Wow...that is a bit pricey for stuff I have already seen. Had I never done the tour before then I would have certainly done it, as its really something (and now they have a space shuttle, when I did it we were still launching them). There is a Saturn V lying on its side at one place, so you can see how HUGE it was. All that, along with the movies, displays, guides and info you get throughout, and then taking you all over the KSC complex in the buses. If you are ever down here its a must-do item.
OK. Thats a wrap from KSC/Cape Canaveral. Have a great NO-CORONA-VIRUS day! And if you see any TP for sale, you'd best grab it! That stuff will be like gold in another week or 2!
So Susie, are you still working at the office? It seems most places are starting to shut down. I am still in Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach, and its starting to change...had breakfast at an IHOP (I need to eat somewhere...I am living in a hotel)...after that stopped by Starbucks...the doors are locked, drivethru only. And inside the IHOP the tables are bare empty...they bring you tiny packets of salt/pepper and whatever else you need...nothing is left on the tables. AND the place was almost empty at 9am...counting me there were 5 customers inside. Crazy...and likely we still have our heads in the sand as to how bad this is going to be (did you read that link I included at the top of this post?) Man, we REALLY need to get our airplanes fixed and get HOME! If things are about to go absolute bat-shit-crazy then I need to be HOME!
ReplyDeleteI like KevinMD's site - I've visited it before. If you really want to be horrified, find and read some of the social media posts from doctors and nurses inside the "red zone" in Italy. The hospitals there - including large facilities every bit as good and well equipped as any of our own - completely overwhelmed. It is heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteI really do hope you get on the way home tomorrow! I didn't notice if that rocket was able to launch today.
So California went into lockdown/shelter in place last night. Yet here I am at work, cuz I'm "Essential". Seems pretty short-sighted of my company too have an entire plethora of workers who have been on travel at a resort/tourist destination, living in hotels, eating in restaurants still come to work every day like nothing is going on. If anybody is going to bring this thing to our area, it's us. But they (the company) won't do anything unless someone makes them or pays them to. Again, short sighted. When they finally do something it will likely be too late. Once the horse is out of the barn closing the door is dumb. Just my thoughts...I need to go be essential some more.
ReplyDeleteLots of late barn door closings going on nationwide - why some governors still haven't made "lockdown" orders is beyond me. Waiting until they have a certain number of confirmed cases in their state is beyond just not understanding the situation. So much for leadership.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your pictures of the space center - I still can't comprehend how large that equipment is.
Hope you and SusieB are well. If you should feel the desire to have a mask, and can't buy one, you can make one (not as effective as a commercial product, but better than nothing) using HEPA filter material from a vacuum cleaner or furnace filter. IMO. I have some because I would save leftover ones from work to use when shoveling leaves or mulch that I had delivered. I have been wearing one when I need to go to the grocery.
Hey Rae...I see SO MANY just right here who aren't really taking this serious (I was in that camp just a few weeks ago while in Florida...wasn't seeing any difference in how people were acting, other than wiping out the TP aisle WEEKS ago. I have two N95 masks (have had them for a while now)...just in case. Likely they will be used before this is over. I've been listening/reading a lot about this, and here is something that really got my attention (and makes a ton of sense): ANYBODY who thinks we will go 'back to normal' (ie, end of social distancing, restaurant and business closures, etc)is in complete denial. We can't go back to 'normal' until we either get a vaccine (which the experts still say is likely at least a year away), the entire country is in complete economic collapse and the gov finally totally gives up and decides that a few million dead are better than the country going down in flames (I don't ever see the gov doing that, but I'm very afraid that we have no idea how bad this will be), OR enough people have had it and lived that the "herd immunity" theory starts to take over. Before this is over likely we will go into a REAL lockdown...no going driving around, to the beach, or the trails to walk the dog...only crucial travel: food and medical. How our supply system will function for that food and medical is beyond me. This is a world crisis of unprecedented proportion...the economic cost (not even counting the loss of life) will be staggering beyond imagination. We have a hotel in Munich late Sept for Oktoberfest...I just can't see any way they will hold that festival this year...it's less than 6 months away...can you imagine MILLIONS Of visitors from all over the world congregating in tents every day for 3 weeks? I don't see any way that Europe will be done with this by then. The "flattening of the curve" is the best the world can pray for, hoping to keep the rate of infection down to a rate that our medical system (and the worlds) can keep up with, long enough for the vaccine to be created. Being as this is a new disease to people we have zero immunity to it, pretty much everybody on the planet is in danger of catching it...and even tho the percentage of infected people who need critical care (ventilators, etc) is very low, when you think tens of millions of patients (and possibly WAY MORE) when you think globally, and especially in less developed countries) this is truly on the scope of a world Judgement day scenario. This is seriously scary stuff. I'm sure glad we don't live in a big city (such as NYC). OK...I've gone on a rant...sheesh.
DeleteRae and Susie, hope you and your families are all safe so far...Susie, was wondering if you have started working from home (tho you'd need internet..maybe your company would provide that? I'd think they'd have to if they expect you to work from home and you don't have it).
OK...well...Jeannie are doing what we can..I still have to work (yep...we are "essential"...aerospace/gov/military)...and Jeannie has been going into her office (only 1 or 2 others go in...so they are quite isolated...and she shuts her door and LOVES the quiet as the rest are all working from home!) Stay safe...the Zombie Apocalypse is looking more real by the day!
Hey Matt! Rae messaged me yesterday in FB so I know she's ok right now too. I'm so glad you & Jeannie are ok! This disaster gets worse by the day! I wasn't overly worried until after the 1st week in March, but my fear has been growing along with the "numbers" since. I worked at the office thru last Monday, but then our governor said all but "essential" workers are to stay at home. This past Monday, he officially declared the 'Stay at Home' order. My state has about 2000 cases & for some reason, my county has the highest. We are one of the most populous but not THE highest, so don't quite know why we have so many cases. Perhaps because it's the wealthiest county & "money talks" & more have access to the tests. Disgusting.
ReplyDeleteAnyhoo, my company gave me a laptop & a MIFI (cellular version of WIFI) & I "remote" into my work computer. I'm not used to a 'tracking pad" & everything takes me much longer because of accidental errors. I can do a lot from home with this set-up but the bills that come in the mail & those that I usually print off from online are going to make the next month difficult. Still, I am SO THANKFUL to still be able to work & get paid!
Are you wearing masks at work? Other protective gear? It's outrageous if they force you to work unprotected. I'm not happy with Amazon that they aren't protecting their warehouse workers better.
ReplyDeleteFor over a month, I'd only gone to work (where I work by myself in my own office & only saw a few others in the bathroom/hall), home & then the grocery store once/week. Except on 3/19, I met with my tax preparer & had my taxes filed. I owe a TON as I converted an old non-deductible IRA to ROTH the last week of December. The day AFTER I filed & paid, the govt extended the deadline till July! I was NOT HAPPY as the taxes took almost half of my emergency fund. Plus, the taxes owed were much higher than they would be now because the mutual funds in my IRA have plummeted in value along with the rest of the market. Geeze! In other words, timing has NOT been my forte so far this year! However, since taxes will definitely be going up over the next decade, at least I paid at what will probably be my lowest rate for the rest of my life.
I haven't looked at my 401-k or ROTH in 3 weeks. I know it must be down over 30-40% & just can't bare to actually see it. One good thing is I had saved up last year's ROTH money but hadn't invested it yet so put it all in between 3/1 & 3/16 last month. So, in this case, my "timing" was ok. :)
However, did I mention to ya'll that I had planned to move a percentage of my three biggest 401-k funds to bonds or cash once my 401-k reached a self-designated goal-level? And that it reached that level in mid-Dec but I decided to wait & so re-set the goal target which kept being surpassed so I kept re-upping? Finally, at the close of 2/19, I said "enough is enough I have to do this!" & was all ready to move 19% of my 4 biggest funds to cash BUT on 2/20, the market was down a bit so I decided to wait till the next day. BUT that Friday was even lower so I decided to wait till Monday & that Monday is when the BOTTOM STARTED TO FALL OUT SO I NEVER MOVED THE DAMN MONEY! I am SO furious with myself! Excuse me while I sob into my pillow. ARGH!
I still have the paper that shows the exact amount of money I was going to move in each of the 4 funds. I'll probably keep it indefinitely to both torture & remind myself of my error. :(
Hey Susie, glad you are ok. We are working without masks of course...our official advice was to "maintain social distance except when you can't" (we are considered " touch labor" and many of our jobs require us to work with others in close proximity). Just a bit ago we got word we are going to 2 shifts (days and swings) in order to cut down the # of workers on each shift by 50%. The next step will likely be total shut-down...I fear it's coming as I don't see any way out of it. There are already cases on base...and it's just a matter of time before there is no safe haven. The news last night was really terrifying, really bringing it home. Basically, this disease doesn't care how healthy you are, anybody who catches it has about a 5% chance of dying. Obviously people with health issues already have a much higher chance, but in general the 5% thing is pretty freaking scary! Think about it...gather 100 people who catch it and 5 of them are going to die. It's so surreal...like a horror movie just beginning...Jeannie and I are doing what we can, but like everybody else, a lot depends on everybody else, and them taking this seriously. I think the big takeaway is that just because you come in contact w/ somebody who has it doesn't mean you automatically catch it...the virus has to get inside you...so masks, gloves, NOT touching your face (that's a tough one as we don't even realize we are doing it), washing/sanitizing your hands often...we all are just trying to survive until a vaccine comes out. another super scary thing from last nights news was that about 25% of the people who have it get NO symptoms at all, they are just carriers spreading it around. That won't end until we have a quick test and everybody would need to be tested every few weeks. Otherwise it's a crapshoot when you go get groceries.
DeleteSuper scary times for sure! Like nothing we've ever faced as far as I know...sill hard to believe.
Gotta get back to work...stay safe!
I've decided to hold off on this week's grocery run & wait till next Monday or Tuesday & go at 6AM in hopes of finally finding some TP. Besides ALL the paper products, SO many items are sold out in my store that it's shocking : NO tuna, NO pasta, NO spaghetti sauce except the weird unknown brand that no one will touch. ;)
ReplyDeleteMy younger sister is an RN but is not working because she just had knee surgery 3 weeks ago. It had been scheduled since mid-Jan & she'd been in pain for 3 years. They had originally told her it was "arthritis" in her knee but when they FINALLY gave her an MRI, they saw that she also had 2 tears in her meniscus. I was worried about her surgery & that she'd be out of work for 2 months but now I'm selfishly glad she's at home on the farm! She also has developed asthma in recent years so I'm relieved she won't be exposed to the virus. Her youngest daughter was a senior in college & was to graduate in May & of course, no graduation. I feel for her & all the high school & college seniors in the country. I would imagine the big universities can invite them to participate in their December graduation but my niece's school is tiny so I don't know if they even have Dec graduations. My other niece was in grad school at Johns Hopkins, but she just started last semester.
I am TRYING to stay positive but this is SO SCARY! Not only is the world economy going to hell & there are & will be MILLIONS of unemployed in the USA alone, you have to worry about getting this virus & ending up in a hospital dying without a freakin ventilator! The federal govt has FAILED IN ALMOST EVERY WAY! I am even angrier at the god damn SOCIOPATH in the WH & his Nazi administration. Not only should the son of a bitch be IMPEACHED AGAIN, he (& his collaborators) should be arrested, tried, convicted & thrown in PRISON not just for criminal malfeasance but MURDER!
90% of what comes out of the WH are LIES, but I'm also furious at most if the scientific/medical "experts" for telling us NOT to wear masks & that this virus was really only dangerous for the elderly & ill/compromised. Yes, the majority (so far) that die seem to be older &/or already sick but you read/see evert day that HEALTHY folks between 20-50 are also getting it & dying! Is it genetic differences that determine this? They have no idea! Can you get it again once you've had it & survived? They don't know!
Sure, China shares the blame for their secretiveness & blatant lies about the virus (my guess is that at LEAST a million were infected there & 200K or more died) but our govt has & continues to FAIL US! Over & over & over again!
My hope is to come here at least once/week to check-in/update/rant/worry & maybe even share some good stuff so please continue to post & be careful out there!
ReplyDeleteGotta go do some work stuff now. :)
Hey Matt, hope you & Jeannie are still doing well. I'm ok but getting more worried every day. I put off my planned Mon/Tues grocery run till tomorrow (Thurs) & PLAN to be there at 6AM. The "Task Force" stated we're all NOT to go to the store this week but I'm out of all food except soups, cereal (but no milk) & cookies so I HAVE to go! I normally don't eat a lot of cookies but thought on a previous visit that I needed to buy some things that have "shelf life" & thus bought 4 packs of Pepperidge Farm cookies. I normally only buy food for a week & one pack of things like cookies. Who knew that to destroy ALL desire for something was to have an overabundance of it in my house?! Since I ate the 1st pack, I've had no appetite for the others! What I really want (besides the ever elusive TP!) is steak or chicken & a potato or SOMETHING non-soup! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm actually petrified to go to the store, but I need the items. I HOPE to buy 2-3 weeks worth of groceries (& TP!) & then not go again till end of April. If there is STILL no TP or paper towels, I will probably start crying in the aisle as I CANNOT go to other stores & have been trying to buy another pack FOR THE PAST MONTH! How stores in my area have handled things like this has been as pathetic as to how the GOP NAZI party has DOOMED US ALL due to their horrific moves the past 3 YEARS & inaction the past 3 months. A NATIONAL COORDINATOR of all PPE should have been the 1ST thing set in place no later than end of Jan & these jackasses don't think it's "their job" at all! The MASSIVE SHORTAGE of tests & testing also put us behind from the beginning & is STILL a problem in many areas.
I watch the scenes from NYC hospitals & to say it "scares me" is an understatement. I imagine not being able to breathe on some makeshift "hospital" bed surrounded by no one or a masked/gloved stranger.
And speaking of "masks" - NOW they say we should wear them! The OPPOSITE of what the god damn medical "experts" said on TV in Feb & March! Where can you buy them NOW?! Plus, it is apparent to me that since JANUARY, we ALL should have been wearing masks when outside our homes! If that had been the "law", our number of cases would be a tenth of what it is now & will become! Honestly, when I think about this, I start shaking in anger.
Anyhoo (breathe in, breathe out...), on a happier note, I loved all your photos of KSC & Cocoa Beach! I've never been but have always wanted to! It's "on my list". When I was a kid, I, along with millions of other kids, wanted to be an astronaut. They were the ROCKSTARS of the 60s! :) Plus, since I was born on an anniversary of Sputnik, I "felt a connection". :)
ReplyDeleteAre you still working? I'm glad they at least split the number of workers per shift. Are you still allowed to go out on your bike? If not on the road, in the mts? PLEASE be careful & take any precautions!
How are you doing, Rae?
I keep HOPING this will all "end" as surprising as its "beginning". Did any of us think at the end of Feb that the COUNTRY/WORLD would basically be SHUT DOWN for weeks?!
Stay safe everyone & may all of us one day be awash in a sea of TP! ;)
Hey Susie...yep, still working. And Jeannie is working from home now (starting Monday)...so even tho she's working, when I get up (around 8 to 9am, going to bed around 2am) I at least get to see her...if she was in the office I'd only see her sleeping all week.
ReplyDeleteSo...it's only a matter of time before somebody I work with has it/brings it inside our building. My counterpart on my 2nd shift came in Monday like we all did, and he had just gone thru the turnstile (the 1st security layer of our building...the secure fence-line) and got a call on his cell..his brother has been in the hospital (for kidney issues) and was just diagnosed with IT. So he turned around and went back outside the turnstile and started notifying people...I came in as he was standing there...we talked (from a distance) and he was then sent home for 14 days (paid). He hadn't been with his brother in the hospital but his wife had. So bam...it's very close now.
Anyway...the base has required everybody to wear a mask just to come on base since Monday...and as of today we are required to wear them the entire time we are at work. It's a strange new world.
Sure hope you can get your groceries and ESPECIALLY the TP! I was ecstatic last Saturday when I was able to buy a multi-pack at the base commissary (thus my FB post about being RICH!. I need to go to Costco but am waiting until Friday when all of CA will be required to wear masks when outside their home.
So far I've been able to ride my bike(s)...took the road bike out yesterday, it was a nice day and the traffic is non-existent (BONUS)! I only did 42 miles, just starting my 2002-2 comeback (after not riding at all in over 2 months). I'm pretty slow...pretty slow..but it's great to be on the bike again. We will see how long I am able to go out...I'm riding alone so can't be much more apart from EVERYBODY than that. But last night we got more rain, and more scheduled today...so that keeps my mt bike hanging on the garage wall (I JUST cleaned it up on Sunday, it was kind of icky after months of neglect before my work-travel).
OK...gotta go. Stay safe and sane!
OH! You have to watch this...brings a smile to your face for sure! (I'm still chuckling):
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlCH22QIUlI
And how are you doing Rae? Haven't heard from you in a bit...how are things in your neck of the woods?
ReplyDeleteEUREKA! I left the house at 5:45 AM in the pitch black & the POURING RAIN but I was 3rd in line (10 ft apart) waiting for the store to open at 6. Starting today, this chain is instituting a "limited number of shoppers in the store at a time" AND declared all aisles to be ONE DIRECTION ONLY. Since there appeared to be less than 10-12 shoppers in the store with me, I admit I didn't 100% abide by this new rule - if an item you want is only 5-10 ft into the aisle from your end & there's no one else in the aisle, it seems silly to walk all the way down the aisle next door & all the way back up! Anyhoo, I made a beeline to the paper aisle 1st thing & it was once again TOTALLY EMPTY. I teared up but decided to go ahead & get everything else I could & then talk to a manager. Well, at the back of the store, when I was about 3/4 thru, at the end of the paper aisle (but not in it), was a pile of boxes. And I saw a woman with a package of Charmin in her cart! I almost broke a leg trying to get over there & scoop up a pack out of those boxes! So, I'm the ecstatic "owner" of an 18 count Mega-roll pack of Charmin Ultra Strong! Whoo-hoo! PLUS, a 6-pack of paper towels!
ReplyDeleteI was able to purchase most things on my list but no lettuce & no envelopes. And only ONE STEAK LEFT which is now in my frig. :) I did get a 4-pack of chicken breasts & all but one are now wrapped & in my freezer for later.
I was SO worried about this shopping expedition that I barely slept last night! The worst thing is that my scarf was a complete bust, it kept slipping down & my captured breath kept fogging up my glasses (used for driving but I keep them on in the store & raise them up to read stuff that close). It dawned on me that the constant positioning of my scarf & glasses was making me touch my face a ton & not safe! I ordered some masks from Amazon this morning but they won't come till mid-May. And that was the EARLIEST shipment date I could find! I HOPE not to go on any other shopping 'trips' for 3 weeks but I have to come up with something between then & the delivery date in the form of a face covering & I haven't sewn on anything more than a button in 40 years.
Anyhoo, happy to hear you & Jeannie are still ok & still working AND that you have some kind of protection on the job. I feel SO FORTUNATE that I can keep working & keep getting paid. When I read & see all the MILIONS of folks laid off/furloughed, it makes me nauseous & panicked for them. However, for the past 12 years, I've told/commented/emailed any luckless individual who comes in my path the necessity of having an Emergency Fund & so many times I was told "they want what they want NOW", that they "work hard & deserve it" & the "future will take care of itself". Yeah, well HOW's THAT FUTURE WORKIN'NOW?! I feel for all these people but that they can't even pay bills for a single MONTH (heck, many not even for a week!) in an emergency is the fault of NOBODY BUT THEMSELVES!
ReplyDeleteSorry if I sound harsh but listening to the excuses about why "they can't save" has ticked me off for years & now, here we are & they get various forms of bailouts. AGAIN. Which WE will all pay for in higher taxes & health insurance. And don't get me started on the assinine way we do health care in this country! For-profit hospitals laying off Drs & nurses in the middle of a PANDEMIC because elective surgeries have ceased. WTF?! More than ever, our entire health care system needs replaced with universal healthcare. And the next person who tells me "we can't afford it", I will LAUGH in their face & wave the bill for what is happening now!
Ok, enough ranting for the day. :)
Hope you can keep riding & pleeeeeeaze be safe!
BTW, is the TDF still scheduled? I've read/heard pretty much every other sporting event postponed or cancelled but haven't heard about the TDF.
Well, have to do some work now. Take care! :)
Glad you were finally able to score some TP...I just can't figure out where it's all going. Pre-Corona there was plenty for everyone...and suddenly it's all gone. Just how much does anybody need?
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what will be happening in the next few months, but I don't see any way the TDF will go off a scheduled...how could it? Summer Olympics moved a year...and wasn't that AFTER le Tour? We are currently STILL scheduled to travel to Boulder CO late June, and then back to the Cape in July...don't possibly see how that will happen, but next week we start mission preparations as everybody is playing "Range Chicken" (that's what we call it when there's a scheduled launch here on base...all the different entities involved in a launch have problems of some sort, but NOBODY wants to be the first to fess up and say they have a launch-delaying issue...everybody is waiting for someone else to admit their problem and that way they don't take the "blame" for the delay). So we march on with the last best plan until SOMEONE finally calls a spade a spade and admits we can't travel in June (or not). This two shift thing isn't really very fun...we split our forces and have a day shift and a swing shift...I got stuck on swings (4pm to 1:30am)...still trying to get a grip on things...sleep, eating, riding...(well, the stupid weather has killed most of that...rain rain go away, come again NO OTHER day). I hate rain...and cold. Cuz it's all about me. I'm a big fan of drought...but I'm rather selfish.
OK...gotta go find some work. My shift has been super-busy all week, and tonight half way thru we hit the brakes HARD and suddenly I'm out of work. Abd boy, nothing makes a night-shift go SLOW like not having anything to do.
Hi Matt and Susie, glad to hear that you are still hanging in there and doing okay. And still working!
ReplyDeleteAbout the paper goods, shelves just as empty here (also any disinfectant products, vitamins/supplements reputed to boost immunity, beans (I don't believe that everybody is suddenly cooking dried beans!), pasta, tuna, ramen, taco shells...
Seems to me that about 20 years ago when there was a big controversy about logging restrictions in WA state, there were ads about how the toilet paper mills would be shut down if logging was restricted (and so people put out of work). But then it came out that in fact those mills had mostly been shut already, and most of the wood pulp was going overseas - to be made into TP. I have no idea if that was accurate then, or is the case now...
Debate over the TdF is ongoing the last I heard. There is talk of rescheduling nearly all of the major spring and summer races (like the classics that have already been cancelled and the TdF) to late August, Sept and Oct. There is also major concern about teams folding as/if sponsors hold back the $$ because they aren't getting the expected exposure when there is no racing.
Susie, if you want a decent mask - it is a long shot but you might find N-95 masks still at a paint, hardware, or lumber store - like Lowes or Harbor Freight. I believe that Home Depot has stopped selling them. IMO, the best way to make your own is to find non-woven microfiber/polypropylene cloth - like those dust cloths - and layer that with a piece of HEPA filter (furnace or vacuum filter) in between. If you can find a washable HEPA that is even better. But if all you can come up with is an old piece of clothing, the denser the weave like denim, and 3 layers is best.
I've got masks that I had already for house/yard chores so I feel very lucky. Still, I am buying groceries only every two weeks or so.
I've said it before & I'll keep saying it -- single payer health care is the only logical system to best benefit everyone. Perhaps this crisis will be the thing that convinces a critical mass of citizens to consider it. But we do need more ants and fewer grasshoppers - you have no idea how many many many times I have heard the "I deserve" and "I can't afford" this or that from patients or their families crying poor - asking the staff to give them stuff - as they reek of cigarettes and pot, chug their bottles of Mountain Dew, stuff their mouths with cookies, chips and candy (Your mother's diabetes is out of control! Why did you bring her this stuff!!!) and so on.
Matt, I am glad you are getting out. I am in a complete sloth funk right now -- it has been so gray, and so rainy -- we had hailstorms (not severe) the past three days -- I COULD work out in my family room, really I SHOULD but the days slip by and I just don't feel like it! Can't go to the running track even when the weather is good - they chained the gates shut because large groups of teens were congregating there. They've also taped off the playground equipment, tennis and B-Ball courts, but we still see parents taking their kids to play on them. Oppositional Defiant Disorder is a real thing.