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Post by katina2nd on May 6, 2020 0:00:36 GMT -6
I looked up about that shooting after seeing your post, absolutely tragic, a father of nine killed for simply doing his job.
I'm a bit surprised there haven't been more incidents like this quite honestly, with so many unstable people with access to guns, being encouraged by Trump to "liberate" their states.
Horrific to think that at a time like this, when strong leadership is more important then ever, your country is stuck with arguably the worst, most incompetent President in it's history.
How are things at work, any better, or still getting a fair share of crazies?
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Post by Phalon on May 6, 2020 5:26:34 GMT -6
Hopefully no one else will get hurt over something so simple as asking someone to wear a mask, but this past weekend I read that a mayor of an Oklahoma city rescinded an order that required that masks be worn in stores because store employees were being physically threatened.
Ya read or see stuff like that, and you have to tell yourself that these people are a small minority - they're just very visible because their actions are so...so...what's the word I want?...vile, is what's coming to mind. If anyone can explain to me what a protest with rifles, Nazi symbols, and Confederate flags (Michigan was part of the Union, for gods-sake!) has to do with reopening the economy, please do so, because I'm just not getting it.
The vast majority of people I've encountered though, are being especially kind.
We are way too busy, especially since we're so short staffed. Generally everyone is getting used to social distancing and wearing masks; we haven't had any of argumentative people in the past few days to my knowledge (I was off work Sunday and Monday). Full moon tomorrow which always brings out the crazies even during normal times, so I'm not holding my breath...
Speaking of which...
It's very hard to wear a mask for 8-plus hours a day. The bridges of our noses are sore, I've got spots right above my ears where the skin is rubbed raw, and sometimes you just want to rip it off and breathe fresh air. We have to keep reminding ourselves that it's nothing in comparison to what the medical workers are experiencing...and there are some unforeseen bonuses...
1.) The masks keep out the pollen. My springtime allergies are actually bearable this year!
2.) You finally get a moment to sit down and eat lunch. You take a bite, and suddenly you get a call that they need help at the counter. You put your mask back on, finish chewing on your way to wait on the next person in line, and don't have to worry about the spinach on your teeth.
3.) It gives you an excuse for those moments of ditziness that normally occur when you're frantically busy trying to do ten things at once...such as charging a customer's credit card $4,000 when you meant to charge $400, which takes two seconds to correct, but is still an embarrassing mistake. "Oh, I am so very sorry. It's not that I pressed the keys on the credit card machine too hard...it's because my mask is preventing the oxygen flow to my brain. If I turn blue and fall to the ground right now, don't worry, it's not Covid-19...it's because I can't breathe." The customer laughed and said it was the best thing she's heard all day.
4.) You can mouth all the expletives you want and no one can see. (My co-worker and I tested this first just to make sure.)
5.) When you finally get to take it off, and take your first breath of fresh air, you get an instant little head-rush...no wacky-tobacky required (do they still call it that?).
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Post by Phalon on May 8, 2020 5:26:53 GMT -6
Oh, and regarding the unintended benefits of the masks, here's another one: Working outside all day wearing a mask, we are going to all have some helluva interesting tan lines when this is over!
Finally made it to the grocery store. My idea of going more often with a much shorter list didn't pan out - I was just too tired in the evenings last week after work, showering (I feel an urgent need to cleanse thoroughly the instant I get home!), and dinner, to go out and shop. BP and I went the other night though, around 8pm, and it was waaaay less crowded and less stressful than it has been going the first thing in the morning.
Almost everything was well-stocked, though I had to make a few brand substitutions here and there. Two things on my list though were completely gone - fresh chicken of any kind, and d@mnit, no toilet paper. They had facial tissue though, and I bought some of that just in case I can't find toilet paper somewhere in the next week. Hoping I can find it, because clogged pipes from facial tissue is just something I don't need to deal with right now...or ever!
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Post by moonglum on May 8, 2020 9:21:52 GMT -6
We are still isolating in our caravan. The insurance assessor came on Tuesday and we've got to have a complete new roof. The timbers are badly charred. Also the water the fire brigade sprayed through the roof, after smashing a great hole in it, has meant at least one bedroom ceiling has to be replaced. Bearing in mind my hobby is model railways, guess which room that is? On a brighter note, we are all well thank you. Had a scare yesterday, youngest daughter had severe pains in her chest and had trouble breathing. An ambulance whisked her into hospital and after tests it turns out she has severe arthritis in her spine, back and shoulders.
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Post by Mini Mia on May 9, 2020 3:51:35 GMT -6
Sorry to hear of your daughters problems, but glad it wasn't the virus.
My niece texted that she was going to the store and ask what I needed. So, I'm not going to have to get out for another few weeks. Although, I did forget a few things. She had to go in search of toilet paper. All they had was a one-ply, but it's better than nothing. I do think the toilet paper I still have will last me this month, but I plan on getting one package every trip ... unless I have more than two packages at home. One per bathroom.
Who'd think we'd be discussing toilet paper and such now? I'd have laughed at that prediction.
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Post by Phalon on May 10, 2020 7:44:18 GMT -6
Moonglum, on top of everything else going on with the virus, your family certainly sounds like its had more than a fair share of problems. Hope your daughter's arthritis is manageable and that she's not in pain, that the house repairs go smoothly and that your trains weren't ruined by water damage.
I know, right? Both the man boss and lady boss were on the hunt for me Friday, as they ran separate errands for store supplies; neither of them scored any toilet paper though. A friend texted me that she was going to the store, and asked if I needed anything - I found a 4-pack of the coveted stuff waiting on the front porch from her when I got home from work yesterday.
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Post by Phalon on May 12, 2020 4:47:33 GMT -6
One small headache that's been nagging me in the back of my mind is now out of the way - the $1,200 stimulus money that BP received in error. I was able to contact our tax accountant; her office opened last week with limited hours. Just as I suspected the money has to be returned to the IRS, and although the IRS gives no specific guidelines about how to do so, the accountant gave me some direction at least. Everything is documented to the hilt on our end, the check is in the mail - certified mail, so I get a receipt of who signs for it - and copies of everything in BP's tax file.
Hope everyone is still doing well.
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Post by Mini Mia on May 13, 2020 0:12:03 GMT -6
We have one new case in my county, and 8 recovered. Total of 9. My county will start to open some things up next week.
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Post by Phalon on May 15, 2020 5:21:52 GMT -6
Our county hit 100 cases yesterday with 5 dead. Also concerning to me are the surrounding counties: the county south of us - 470 cases, 29 dead, the county where I work - 168 cases, 2 dead (last week there were 49 cases); the Kalamazoo area - 669 cases, 49 dead; the county right on the border of where I work - 483 cases, 23 dead; and most alarming is the Grand Rapids area - 2,600 cases, 42 dead (that's more than double the cases of two weeks ago).
I come in contact with customers from all these counties daily - not to mention the ones with second homes here that come from the Detroit and Chicago areas.
Sigh.
Monday, the Michigan Republican led legislature met to vote on banning firearms inside the capitol building...and decided against it, instead forming a subcommittee to "study the issue". In other words, ignore it.
Another sigh.
At least the big protest at the Capitol yesterday was largely rained out - the protest that was billed by a couple of fringe groups as a "Call to Arms" in which members where going to be "armed to the hilt" with the "plain and simple" idea that "she (Whitmer) needs to eat lead and send a statement to the rest of the democrats that they are next".
A sigh with a tinge of WTF.
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Post by Phalon on May 15, 2020 19:35:18 GMT -6
Scored!!!
Toilet paper and chicken breasts at the store tonight!
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Post by Mini Mia on May 20, 2020 14:54:50 GMT -6
My Church is opening back up, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. They’re giving it a major cleaning, but we haven’t been in it since the middle of March, so not sure it is needed. Oh well. Maybe people with keys have been visiting for personal time that I’m not aware of.
I have to get out tomorrow to get bloodwork done for next week’s doctor visit. I’ll be doing it over Zoom. Wish I could do the bloodwork over Zoom. If doctors aren’t opening back up for a waiting room full of people, shouldn’t that mean we should avoid groups as much as possible? Well, we only have 10 to 20 show up most of the time anyways. But my Aunt has a bad heart, and she intends to go, so that makes me feel like I should be there too.
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Post by katina2nd on May 20, 2020 19:58:40 GMT -6
Scored!!! Toilet paper and chicken breasts at the store tonight! Are you still having trouble getting dunny paper over there, been widely available here for some time after the frenzied buying stopped. On another note, did you know that Vegemite is sold in America, not sure how widely but it is available; thought you'd be elated to know.
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Post by Mini Mia on May 20, 2020 23:11:26 GMT -6
Kat: My niece had to go to several stores, and found one package of toilet paper. It's one-ply, but when you're running out you'll take what you can find. I think what I have left from what I bought a month or two before we were quarantined will last me the rest of this month ... and possibly into the beginning of next month, but it isn't going to last forever. I'm just glad she found what she found, and hopefully it will last until I manage to get another package of the stuff.
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Post by katina2nd on May 20, 2020 23:54:10 GMT -6
Surprised by that Jox, been widely available here for several weeks, matter of fact there don't seem to be shortages of many products at present (fingers crossed)
Flour and Pasta were in short supply but they seem to be getting back on the shelves now as well, not in great quantity but improving.
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Post by Mini Mia on May 21, 2020 16:16:33 GMT -6
My sister dropped by the vet so I could get the dog her heart worm pills after my bloodwork, and they had opened up the top part of a window and put in a plastic shield that bowed out at the bottom to be able to talk and pass things through. No one else on the front porch then. Next she took me to the local grocery store, to pick up crackers mostly. Only 15 people, one person per household allowed inside at one time. I went down the toilet paper aisle first and saw lots of empty space, and one brand of toilet paper and paper towels. Got one package per bathroom, and that should last me for several months. I’ll save the one-ply for last, just in case it takes a while to get more toilet paper when this runs out. I saw “strong and soft” and “double rolls” and was thrilled. Fiora 2-ply to the rescue. So I scored TP too! Plus crackers, eggs, milk, canned peaches, stir fry veggies, and ground chuck. I found it wasn’t so bad to get out in my area. I’d heard so many horror stories from other places. Other than Church and the dog’s haircut, I don’t plan on getting out much over the next few weeks. And I won’t be as afraid to go the the local stores and bank now. Really hoping this is over within the year ... before Summer is over.
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Post by Phalon on May 24, 2020 8:10:41 GMT -6
I got an e-mail from Stepper recently wondering the same thing - it seems it's readily available where he lives also. Maybe it's because Joxie and I both live in smaller communities that the supply isn't getting to our areas as fast as in larger metropolitan areas?
The grocery store I go to has an entire aisle that used to be toilet paper, paper towels, facial tissues and the like. Three-quarters of the aisle now stocked to the brim with paper towels of all brands - facial tissues, you take what you can get; they never have the brand I prefer. One tiny section is reserved for toilet paper, and if they even have it, there's a limit on two packages per family.
That's the way to do it safely. A free-for-all reopening of things with no precautions in place isn't going to work, in my opinion. Some places here (surprisingly WalMart, according to Xena Sis) are very adamant about people following restrictions. Other places, like the grocery store, have the precautions posted, but don't enforce them. Never thought I'd say it, but I might be shopping at WalMart, which I hate, instead of the grocery store.
We are still completely slammed at work (it's crazy - none of us have ever seen it so busy), and still getting a handful of people who refuse to wear a mask or abide by the limited number of people in the store at work...and very vocal about their displeasure at having restrictions in place. I'm growing very weary of getting yelled at by selfish people who care nothing about those around them.
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Post by Mini Mia on May 25, 2020 2:30:42 GMT -6
Maybe more rural areas are just now starting to get back to normal? We’re usually way behind large cities anyways, so perhaps this is no different.
I hope Stepper and Steppet are doing well.
I’m a bit fed up with all of the BS being flung around due to this virus. I don’t like conflict, and I tend to try and fix it. But it isn’t my place to fix it, so I’m gonna stay out of it and try to not get covered in flying poo.
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Post by Phalon on May 26, 2020 7:29:46 GMT -6
I forgot about this the other day when I was posting...yes, I've seen it at times in the International section of the grocery store. LMAO - I've got a British co-worker, who extols marmite, which I understand is much like Vegemite, which he eats spread on toast. I am as elated to know marmite is available here as much as I'm elated that Vegemite is sold in the US!
I went to the grocery store Sunday night about an hour before they closed. There was plenty of toilet paper (although I prefer Northern which they did not have; Charmin was plentiful). The refrigerated meat cases are stocked too....with weird refrigerated processed meat products that I'd never buy - packaged premade meatloaf, giant swishy bags of chicken legs, salted cured pork, and the like. Eeewwww.
Aside from that, everything else was fully stocked, but there was still some weirdness going on. I noticed this also last week when I was at the store at night, but didn't think much of it until I saw the same thing on Sunday; I don't know if it's just at night, or if it goes on during daytime hours too: it seems to be a "thing" now that groups of 5 to 10 people go to to the store to just hang out. They don't wear masks, they don't social distance, they have no carts, hand baskets, and are not carrying any grocery items. They are very loud and boisterous while just walking around the store with seemingly no purpose for being there. They're not teenagers or young twenty-somethings - I'd judge them to maybe be late-twenties to early-to-mid-thirties. It's not like they are harassing other shoppers, or even interacting with them to my knowledge - although when I left the store, there was a very loud yelling match on the opposite end of the parking lot from where I was parked.
I thought to myself at the time that maybe this is the bar crowd, and because the bars are closed and they've got nowhere to hang out, they're at the store to buy alcohol and I just happened to see them before they got to the liquor section. It was weird enough that I mentioned it to Xena Sis - she heard the same thing from her neighbor whose son works at the store stocking at night; he thinks the only reason these groups are there is to intimidate people. If so, that is so f***ed up.
I'm sooooo over the bullsh!t. I read yesterday that your governor was hanged in effigy at a Second Amendment rally at your capitol building to protest the governor's lockdown measures. What the hell does that Second Amendment have to do with any of this??
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Post by Mini Mia on May 26, 2020 15:46:49 GMT -6
I don’t watch the news, and I stopped checking every few days to see what is going on. I see it on my personal Facebook news feed though. Friends on both sides posting their opinions. My Aunt, who has a bad heart, told me that there were people inside the pharmacy without masks, even though a sign clearly stated to put one one before entering. I told her the employees were probably afraid to confront them. It is a scary world out there. I fear for my Aunt and many other people with weakened immune systems. I would rather be wrong in wearing a mask, than wrong not wearing one. I have made the choice I can live without regret doing. Churches have people wearing and not wearing masks, mingling and social distancing. I’m getting out as little as possible still, while this is going on. I’m waiting to see what comes from it. I so dread the consequences. And I don’t want to contribute to the next wave. Last check there are 10 cases in my county. 8 were recovered a couple of weeks ago, but the 10 count didn’t say how many have recovered, so I’m guessing the 9th person is still quarantined. Buckle up, I think we’re in for a bumpy ride over the next couple of months.
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Post by Phalon on May 28, 2020 5:13:23 GMT -6
Michigan's numbers are bleak, and West Michigan's numbers continue to climb (both confirmed cases and deaths). The state now has 54,881 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 5,240 deaths; more than 33,000 recoveries from COVID-19 have been reported. That was Tuesday, the last time I checked.
Agreed. And I've got a ton of sh!t I'd love to say to people who choose not to wear one.
Oh, how I wish you were wrong! But I'm afraid you're right.
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Post by Mini Mia on May 28, 2020 22:57:50 GMT -6
I really and truly hope I'm wrong too. My gut is very cynical. I think the people who have had enough and who are fed up are going to show the world just how ugly they can be. It ain't going to be pretty. And I plan on keeping as far away from the uproar as I possibly can. Someone had better come up with a way to stop this virus soon.
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Post by moonglum on Jun 4, 2020 7:47:52 GMT -6
We are all still alive and kicking. I've given up following the daily briefings or looking at the news. After the debacle with Dominic Cummings I've lost all faith in this government. Work still hasn't started on the house yet. We have got to meet with two more contractors tomorrow, that's four so far. With four adults and two dogs living in it, the caravan is getting smaller with each passing week. Hope you are all well over there.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jun 5, 2020 0:50:16 GMT -6
Glad to hear ... The only info I get is off of social media. I think it's best to stay in the dark as much as possible. It's easier on the stress levels. I hope you can get back into your home before next month. I'm doing well.
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Post by Phalon on Jun 7, 2020 9:05:11 GMT -6
Glad to hear you're both doing well, and Moonglum, I hope you can get back to living in your house very soon! The caravan sounds like a nice "getaway" place, but with four people and your pets living there for an extended period of time, it must seem very cramped!
We're doing well. Had a little bit of a scare last week. The Boyfriend's grandma had to be taken to the emergency room at the hospital on Friday. LX works closest to her, and rushed over to her house; Grandma was complaining of headache, nausea, and shortness of breath, and felt feverish - all symptoms of coronavirus. At the hospital, she was tested for it, and she and LX self-quarantined until Tuesday, when the results came back - it was confirmed she did not have the virus. Apparently, she got confused about some of the medications she takes for various things like blood pressure, heart problems, and other ailments; she over-medicated because she didn't remember what she had already taken that day. Once she got back on her regular medication schedule, she felt fine.
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Post by katina2nd on Jun 8, 2020 1:14:08 GMT -6
Victoria had it's first day without any new cases last week (Friday I think) then on the weekend thousands turned out for a "black lives matter" rally, so fingers crossed there's not another spike in cases later this week or early next.
Eight days into winter and sick of it already, gonna be a long few months coming up, at least the footy starts on Thursday, with the mighty Cats in action Friday night.
Stay safe all.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jun 9, 2020 1:04:43 GMT -6
With all the protesting and such, we should know by the end of this month how well people were protecting themselves. I saw a lot of people in the crowds not wearing face masks, and they certainly weren't distancing themselves. I've seen some people complaining about how low the numbers are, and that it is proof we didn't need to stay home and shut down most everything ... and I'm fearing that the next wave could blow their theories out of the water. I really hope it isn't that big of a spike, but time will tell how bad it is going to get.
Stay safe, y'all.
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Post by Phalon on Jun 9, 2020 5:03:38 GMT -6
Michigan had 129 new reported cases yesterday, and 17 deaths, with a 7 day average of 200 cases per day, and 22 deaths. That's down from a week prior when the 7 day average was 379 cases and 39 deaths per day.
I'm concerned too that the virus is spreading through all the protests, and we're going to see another spike, especially with everything opening up again.
Stay safe, stay well...
...And Go Cats!
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Post by Mini Mia on Jun 9, 2020 14:49:47 GMT -6
Just saw a story on Instagram that states that blood type has something to do with why some are less/more susceptible to COVID-19. I haven’t drilled to see how true that is, but that has been a thought I’ve had on why some never have to go to the hospital, and why some get hit much harder, and why some die so quickly.
I took a screenshot Of the Insta-Story:
http://instagram.com/p/CBOmcpSAnDS
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Post by Mini Mia on Jun 9, 2020 20:31:13 GMT -6
Got a comment from someone on Instagram who said they were type A+, and that blood types A+ were 50% more likely to end up on a ventilator. So, those of you who are A+ need to be even more careful out there.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jun 10, 2020 17:41:40 GMT -6
Facebook is getting as crazy and scary as the rest of the world. People don’t seem to have the right to their freedom of speech without getting attacked and threatened. And not just them, but their children and family members as well. How anyone can advocate the raping of someone’s young children is beyond me. I don’t care who is in the right, and who is in the wrong, threats don’t get either side in the position to listen and work out their differences. Such hatred on all sides. I hope good rises to the surface, that love triumphs over the hate. I guess it just has to get really dark and ugly before the light can shine and expose the beauty to come.
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