Quiet times

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by shalym

Some dance studios and martial arts schools are doing live streaming virtual classes for their students. It keeps the income flowing and gives bored kids (and adults) something to do.

Shari

My studio is doing a bit of that. Daily videos for the kids, live streaming fitness workouts, videos of forms and the like for older kids and adults.

Most karate schools in this area switched to a monthly membership model that you have to give notice to cancel, time period of notice depending on the membership. The hope is that most people will think this is just going to last for a couple of weeks and not cancel. But at least there isn't the immediate cash flow issues that many independent businesses have.

I've been considering retiring from teaching karate for a couple of years. I've cut back quite a bit over the last couple of years and I'm a bit long in tooth for it. I've been putting it off since I keep wanting to see one more student get their black belt, but this might be the thing that makes me pull the plug. The longer it goes on, the more likely that is to happen.

[Mims]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

I don't understand why all the states didn't postpone the primaries. I expect a lot of people who wanted to vote didn't get to because they were afraid to go to the polls. I'm fortunate that my state had already voted before all these closures started happening.

I had received a mail-in ballot almost a month ago but the list of candidates was 20+. I didn’t want to waste my vote on someone who dropped out before the election. The closer it got to Election Day the more concerned I became, not just about their political viability, but their actual viability. I didn’t want my vote to go to someone who was no longer with us or looking towards the light. Ah yes, we do live in interesting times.

Election Day was also St. Patrick’s Day and usually my son hosts the family and friends for Guinness, corn beef and cabbage,etc. But my son is a district fire chief and he has been working lots of extra hours so no party, besides I had already told him that as much as I love him and his family the closest I will get to them for at least the next couple of weeks, is to go outside my house and wave as they drive by. I was very pleasantly surprised when my granddaughters (home on spring break) called to say they were driving by to bring me some corned beef and accompaniments that my daughter in law had made since she didn’t have to go to work (Orthodontics Office limiting hours due to virus). Unfortunately, they didn’t bring the Guinness. And yes, they rolled down the window and handed it to me at a safe distance.

I feel awful about distancing from them but the last thing they need is to have to worry about me. I know how much I am worrying about them.

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by Mims

I had received a mail-in ballot almost a month ago but the list of candidates was 20+. I didn’t want to waste my vote on someone who dropped out before the election. The closer it got to Election Day the more concerned I became, not just about their political viability, but their actual viability. I didn’t want my vote to go to someone who was no longer with us or looking towards the light. Ah yes, we do live in interesting times.

Election Day was also St. Patrick’s Day and usually my son hosts the family and friends for Guinness, corn beef and cabbage,etc. But my son is a district fire chief and he has been working lots of extra hours so no party, besides I had already told him that as much as I love him and his family the closest I will get to them for at least the next couple of weeks, is to go outside my house and wave as they drive by. I was very pleasantly surprised when my granddaughters (home on spring break) called to say they were driving by to bring me some corned beef and accompaniments that my daughter in law had made since she didn’t have to go to work (Orthodontics Office limiting hours due to virus). Unfortunately, they didn’t bring the Guinness. And yes, they rolled down the window and handed it to me at a safe distance.

I feel awful about distancing from them but the last thing they need is to have to worry about me. I know how much I am worrying about them.

My state was part of Super Tuesday. I intentionally did not vote early in case people dropped out, and sure enough, some of them did.

That's nice that your family is looking after you as best they can.

[BookCat]

I've been self-isolating for a couple of weeks, only going out for medical issues, for example taking my ill cat to the vet and going to the fracture clinic about my broken arm.

I'm in a moderately highish risk group. I'm only 61 but have moderate neutropenia (low white blood cells, caused by meds I take for another illness) which makes me more susceptible to infection. I'm normally reclusive anyway, so this has made little difference to me. The main source of stress has been caring for my cat, especially with my arm in a cast.

Things have really moved on in the UK. Pubs, clubs and restaurants have been closed, hospitals are cancelling non-urgent appointments (I want to get this cast off my arm!) and it's beginning to seem like an apocalyptic novel or film.

I'm keeping in touch with friends by phone; one of them is also self isolating, he has a heart condition. I just hope the panic buying stops so that I can get a food delivery when all the pasta etc run out. If I wasn't veggie I might even start eating the massive tower of cat food I have in the hall (this is normal, I always buy tins in bulk, but the ill cat is having high calorie, expensive vet food).

Keep well.

[cromag]

I don't mean to make light of the current problems, but I've been practicing "social distancing" for my entire life. The biggest problem is that my state has imposed a "voluntary" curfew from 8PM until 5AM. I am very definitely a night owl, and the early closures mean I have to dash to get to the stores before they close.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by BookCat

If I wasn't veggie I might even start eating the massive tower of cat food I have in the hall (this is normal, I always buy tins in bulk, but the ill cat is having high calorie, expensive vet food).

Keep well.

And they eat it? You're lucky. I can't buy any wet food in bulk for mine. They're only willing to eat the same kind of food 2-3 days in a row, no more. So I have to buy many different kinds of wet food in smallish amounts. (Strangely enough they can eat the same dry food for years...).

[crich70]

Things have slowed down here (Monroe Wisconsin) over the last few days. The library closed at 5 pm Monday and either Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning the governor decided all churches should close. Also the dine in areas of restaurants are closed as are bank lobbies, and I imagine the movie theater is also closed. Monroe has never been a very active community as far as big entertainments though. The biggest thing planned for this year is our Cheese Days weekend (in late September) though I would bet it may not come off since they are planning it til almost the start of the weekend usually and it's likely the planning committee isn't meeting at present either. The timing was good in only one thing. My church is starting to live stream sermons so anyone who wants to will be able to 'attend' via the internet. Other than that I'll be doing some more reading and watching a lot of movies on DVD. I just got the complete run of Columbo on DVD the other day so I'll have that to go through for a while too. I'm staying in as much as possible because I have Diabetes and I want to avoid the problem of the Coronavirus if I can.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

And they eat it? You're lucky. I can't buy any wet food in bulk for mine. They're only willing to eat the same kind of food 2-3 days in a row, no more. So I have to buy many different kinds of wet food in smallish amounts. (Strangely enough they can eat the same dry food for years...).

They aren't related to Morris are they?

[BookCat]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

And they eat it? You're lucky. I can't buy any wet food in bulk for mine. They're only willing to eat the same kind of food 2-3 days in a row, no more. So I have to buy many different kinds of wet food in smallish amounts. (Strangely enough they can eat the same dry food for years...).

I buy several different makes and styles. Some are tinned, some are pouches. They also come as poultry and game, or fish varieties, or dark meat. When they're well, the only thing they won't eat is Tesco own brand.

I still have one piglet and one who is having to be coaxed to eat with food that costs almost £3 for a small can.

[BookCat]

Originally Posted by crich70

They aren't related to Morris are they?

I had to google Morris the cat. I don't think Nine Lives was a brand in the UK. But we did have Arthur, who ate with his paw.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v55d3L4T3Iw

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by crich70

They aren't related to Morris are they?

I doubt it. They're much fussier (and they're not even related to one another, so possibly it's something in the kitchen decor or their human's bad influence, as I'm a pretty fussy eater too).

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by BookCat

I had to google Morris the cat. I don't think Nine Lives was a brand in the UK. But we did have Arthur, who ate with his paw.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v55d3L4T3Iw

I had to google Morris too.

One of my cats (the youngest, blind one) likes to drink with his paw.

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by BookCat

I had to google Morris the cat. I don't think Nine Lives was a brand in the UK. But we did have Arthur, who ate with his paw.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v55d3L4T3Iw

Oh, I once had a white cat that did eat with his paw. I do miss him. He died when there was this other pandemic, H1N1 in 2010. I had catched it and was under quarantine at home, so I couldn't take him to the vet. He had to endure a whole day of agonie until one of my friends, who is at an extremely high-risk himself, was able to swing by after work and take him to be put down. It was a nightmare.

This time I am a lot at home. I have asthma, some autoimmune disease and get all the fancy stuff at once. I still need to walk my borrowed dog two days a week and do my own grocery shopping. Deliverys are impossible to get, the next free time slot would be in 16 days and being a veggie I need to get my food every couple of days.

Here in Berlin, Germany, all the schools, kindergardens, restaurants, bars, gyms, baths, cinemas, libraries, shops but the food stores, drugstores and brothels , yeah, that's right, them, are closed. People arent't allowed to visit their next of kin in the hospital or retirement home, only parents of small kids are allowed to visit.

We are still able to go on a walk, bike or care for our dogs and livestock.

Acutallly this isn't much of a change for me, bar the lack of toiletpaper, I am next to never at the movies, much too expensive for me. Same is true for restaurants etc.

The only thing that makes this curfew a new kind of torture are my neighbours. They have two extremly unruly and loud pre-teens, who love to shout at their parents, slam doors and throw temper tantrums for up to four hours without taking a breath. Oh, and they do have a stereo, a piano and a cello, too. And this is just their everyday behaviour. Multiply this by a factor of 24/7 and there you are: In my personal hell. So I am stuck in a constant shouting match between four people who don't give a damn that I can hear them loud and clear. I've taken to wearing earplugs all the time, which means even if I would like to watch tv from time to time, I can't.

I am not so sure this Corona thingy is the worst hazard to my health

[BookCat]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

Oh, I once had a white cat that did eat with his paw. I do miss him. He died when there was this other pandemic, H1N1 in 2010. I had catched it and was under quarantine at home, so I couldn't take him to the vet. He had to endure a whole day of agonie until one of my friends, who is at an extremely high-risk himself, was able to swing by after work and take him to be put down. It was a nightmare.

This time I am a lot at home. I have asthma, some autoimmune disease and get all the fancy stuff at once. I still need to walk my borrowed dog two days a week and do my own grocery shopping. Deliverys are impossible to get, the next free time slot would be in 16 days and being a veggie I need to get my food every couple of days.

Here in Berlin, Germany, all the schools, kindergardens, restaurants, bars, gyms, baths, cinemas, libraries, shops but the food stores, drugstores and brothels , yeah, that's right, them, are closed. People arent't allowed to visit their next of kin in the hospital or retirement home, only parents of small kids are allowed to visit.

We are still able to go on a walk, bike or care for our dogs and livestock.

Acutallly this isn't much of a change for me, bar the lack of toiletpaper, I am next to never at the movies, much too expensive for me. Same is true for restaurants etc.

The only thing that makes this curfew a new kind of torture are my neighbours. They have two extremly unruly and loud pre-teens, who love to shout at their parents, slam doors and throw temper tantrums for up to four hours without taking a breath. Oh, and they do have a stereo, a piano and a cello, too. And this is just their everyday behaviour. Multiply this by a factor of 24/7 and there you are: In my personal hell. So I am stuck in a constant shouting match between four people who don't give a damn that I can hear them loud and clear. I've taken to wearing earplugs all the time, which means even if I would like to watch tv from time to time, I can't.

I am not so sure this Corona thingy is the worst hazard to my health

Losing a cat is always tragic; I'm nursing one who probably doesn't have much longer.

Your description of the neighbours reminds me of my previous house. The area was a reasonably nice one of Victorian terraces when I bought it, but later, when the gov decided that 50% of school leavers should go to university, it became a student area - most of the owner-occupiers moved out. Each October I had a new batch of neighbours, some of whom slammed doors, played loud music and were abusive if I complained to them. Thankfully, the uni housing dept had words with them. There were always shouts in the street of people returning from pubs and clubs late at night. The summer didn't offer much respite: landlords would do work to the houses and I'd have the banging of hammers and drills all day.

I moved when property developers started overdeveloping the area - they also wanted to buy my house for a good price, regardless of condition.

It was a culture shock to live in a quiet neighbourhood.

I'm also a veggie, not vegan, and my staple diet at the moment is muesli, and lots of vitamin pills!

[maddz]

All I can say is thank goodness we moved out of Cambridge nearly 5 years ago. We're now in a market town, in a semi-detached and the neighbours are pretty quiet. We back onto the local primary school - which closed for the duration yesterday. We're both working at home now, and we have sufficient space we can work several feet apart in the same room.

Our only worry is Paul's mother; she's on her own about 30 miles away. We're taking her some shopping tomorrow but we're being volunteered to take Paul's brother back home - the bus company is running a reduced timetable. Really he shouldn't be visiting if he's going to be going backwards and forwards; he should get a laptop from his company and stay there. I'm not happy because I am diabetic and hence should not be swanning around the place...