Isolation diaries

[SR71]

Originally Posted by lisarea

Holy shit, WTF? I hadn't heard that before, and shit.

I'm kind of struggling right now with the impulse to hoard stuff just because I don't know what's going to happen, and one of the things I have plenty of is oatmeal that I now learn is lousy with fucking Roundup.

I've done OK so far. I manage to get to grips and remind myself that it's OK and we're much better equipped for this than most people probably are. And now I'm questioning whether I should buy a bunch of safer oatmeal to replace the bad kind I have ten freaking pounds of. (That's normal. I keep a lot of oatmeal here because I make a lot of stuff out of it, and I'd just gotten a big box of it at Costco before this started.)

Well, shit.

Literally everything sucks.

I started looking into it, just one web reference, which confirmed the contamination, but then it got worse. The roundup is also on wheat, barley, etc. They use it to kill the plants just before harvest because it makes the harvest easier. I think a typical contamination ratio was like 160 ppm. I imagine it gets messy from there trying to determine if that's enough to give one cancer or not, at least partly because a lot of variables probably come into play.

Anyway, my diet for some time has been trying to hold down meat consumption to a minimum so I've been eating a lot of grain products. I'm going to start eating oats again, since I might be getting dosed with roundup anyway, and maybe start down the glyphosate residue rabbit hole to see if I can understand if and why farmers are trying to poison me.

[vremya]

Day 3 - I'm running to the deserted office to mail a letter since I have no letterhead or letterhead envelopes here. I may steal some toilet paper while I'm there. Oh, and I have to water my poor plants.

My coworker threw up on the floor and is now sulking in the hallway.

[Miisa]

Originally Posted by JoeP

Was this because parents really wanted their kids at home, but were useless about it ... or because parents couldn't stand having their kids at home and complained ...

I suspect that for the sake of future generations, it might be best if we don't entrust the education of those tender age groups to dunces who have no qualifications, and usually just spend their days sipping coffee in offices.

Also, I suspect the parents were fed up. Kids are, like, WORK!

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by ShottleBop

ate an avocado (ripe, this morning)

How can it be that we don't have any dancing or angry avocado smilies?

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by Miisa

Also, I suspect the parents were fed up. Kids are, like, WORK!

WHO KNEW.

[Miisa]

Day 4, 16.12:

I am now ON HOLIDAY!

I should be at an airport , but at least I can sleep all next week and not give myself headaches trying to help other people remote work. Probably back to the office after next week, as we always need someone there and so we have to alternate. But things can change so fast, that is AGES away in this apocalypse.

[viscousmemories]

I'm not on holiday but my co-worker and boss are and I'm WFH, so you know... I'm on holiday.

[ShottleBop]

Originally Posted by ShottleBop

Woke up at 4:30 AM. Couldn't go back to sleep; the CA governor ordered a statewide lockdown last night and I have a client who just closed a construction loan last month. I wrote to remind him that, if the lockdown halts construction on his project, he needed to send a notice to his new lender invoking force majeure.

Then I got up, ate an avocado (ripe, this morning), drove to the bank to get some cash (5:30 AM), came back and finished breakfast (brie, kale, and coffee). Called the second of my two airlines, got through without a wait, and cancelled the trip home from Hawaii (full fare credited to an account with the airline, good for travel within a year from when we booked). Now, all I have to do is cancel the hotel reservation. They open at 7.

All cancelled; no penalty, they're crediting our account with the booking fee, and we don't lose the week (timeshare). Time for a second cup of coffee.

[viscousmemories]

So I was reading about transmission yesterday, and a couple points made me think outdoor activities are okay. 1) is that transmission at this point appears to be only via droplets, it's not "airborn". I didn't fully understand the difference until I read that droplets tend to be heavier than normal air so fall pretty quickly. That's why getting coughed or sneezed on (or touching something that has been coughed or sneezed on and then touching your face) is BAD, whereas just walking by someone who has it is not. 2) the virus is killed by UV rays. So it SEEMS TO ME (ianae) that playing outside in the sun, e.g. taking a walk on the hike-n-bike trail even if you may occasionally cross paths with others, is a fairly safe activity.

What say ? Wishful thinking?

[Limoncello]

I plan to go out and play Pokemon Go.

[specious_reasons]

I'm browsing instead of starting work. I've actually worked as much if not more than normal this week, because 1) I don't have 1.5 hours of driving, 2) the other people on this project I'm supporting start and end work later than me, and 3) I've been mixing business and personal on my laptop because my personal laptop is nicer than my work laptop.

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by Miisa

I should be at an airport

x 2

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

So I was reading about transmission yesterday, and a couple points made me think outdoor activities are okay. 1) is that transmission at this point appears to be only via droplets, it's not "airborn". I didn't fully understand the difference until I read that droplets tend to be heavier than normal air so fall pretty quickly. That's why getting coughed or sneezed on (or touching something that has been coughed or sneezed on and then touching your face) is BAD, whereas just walking by someone who has it is not. 2) the virus is killed by UV rays. So it SEEMS TO ME (ianae) that playing outside in the sun, e.g. taking a walk on the hike-n-bike trail even if you may occasionally cross paths with others, is a fairly safe activity.

What say ? Wishful thinking?

I would say that thinking is expert-informed. The spread of these droplets is typically only up to 1m, which is why staying 2m/6ft away from other people is recommended, and probably as safe as staying at home without moving or blinking. Just don't touch things others have touched without then washing your hands.

[Sock Puppet]

My coworker has complained that my lap is much more precarious when I'm working at the desk than when I'm on the couch, and has formally requested a Work From Couch policy. I denied the request, as 1) trying to read/analyze contracts is sub-optimal on a laptop, and 2) the coworker did not consider adverse factors, such as the arguments that invariably ensue about what constitutes a "laptop" when I try to use one.

She is currently unavailable for comment, unless you count loud snoring.

[LarsMac]

Even in the areas where "Shelter in place" is the rule of law, going outside, and even going to the store for needed food and commodities is still acceptible.

I've noticed during my daily walks that a lot more people are getting out on the walking trails, and for the most part they are much more cordial than the folks I normally meet.

[lisarea]

I cold proofed some sourdough sandwich bread overnight and baked it this morning, and Zsa Zsa is doing that thing where she tattles on me for not immediately producing the bread when it starts to smell good. I've tried to explain to her that I have to let it finish baking and then cool it off a little first, but she seems skeptical, like I'm really just doing it to be mean.

A couple times, I've been up late baking after Matlock went to bed, and she has aggressively woken him up to come deal with me. He'll come out thinking she needs to go outside, but then she leads him into the kitchen to show him the atrocities I'm committing in there.

She is a big food hound in general, but she LOVES bread and butter especially (and is a little less enthusiastic about toast and jam). And I've been brushing the sandwich bread with butter to soften the crust up a little, so this stuff drives her especially crazy. She's running all over the house trying to find someone to help her with this right now.

[LarsMac]

Originally Posted by lisarea

I cold proofed some sourdough sandwich bread overnight and baked it this morning, and Zsa Zsa is doing that thing where she tattles on me for not immediately producing the bread when it starts to smell good. I've tried to explain to her that I have to let it finish baking and then cool it off a little first, but she seems skeptical, like I'm really just doing it to be mean.

A couple times, I've been up late baking after Matlock went to bed, and she has aggressively woken him up to come deal with me. He'll come out thinking she needs to go outside, but then she leads him into the kitchen to show him the atrocities I'm committing in there.

She is a big food hound in general, but she LOVES bread and butter especially (and is a little less enthusiastic about toast and jam). And I've been brushing the sandwich bread with butter to soften the crust up a little, so this stuff drives her especially crazy. She's running all over the house trying to find someone to help her with this right now.

Many years back, we experimented with some sourdough and baking, but being fairly transient for the last 40 some years, it never really worked out.

Once we get settled into the new digs in Damnear, Nebraska, I will talk to the daughter about getting a starter going, again.

[Miisa]

My flight lands... now!


Or, you know, not.

[Limoncello]

My new co-worker is hiding under the bed. I texted the Mor-Man that I had a surprise for him.

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

Parking lot dining at Burger King. It tastes like hand sanitizer but that’s my doing.

[lisarea]

I just took a shower and changed into fresh clean pajamas.

[Miisa]

I had a sauna. As I do on Fridays.


Almost as if there were not an apocalypse happening.

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by Miisa

My flight lands... now!


Or, you know, not.

Good thing actually, because I wasn't there to pick you up.

[Miisa]

Typical.

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by Kamilah Hauptmann

Parking lot dining at Burger King. It tastes like hand sanitizer but that’s my doing.

New product range: flavoured hand sanitiser. Salt and spices for when you're eating chips; bbq sauce or bacon flavour for eating burgers or subs.

I mean, bacon flavour anything always seems to sell.