Notes from a Self-Quarantine …
- There’s a scene from the 1989 Batman movie with Michael Keaton where the Joker has poisoned the nation’s makeup and personal product supply and TV news anchors suddenly look all pale, disheveled and baggy-eyed, in other words ordinary. That’s where we’re at today in Lockdown Nation. I don’t wear makeup, but I’m right there with the hair thing. I look like Teen Wolf , the middle-age version.
- I’d hate to be a barber or hairdresser when this thing is over.
- I have time now to contemplate such things, so after much deliberation, I have decided that Michael Keaton was the worst Batman ever. The best, in order,
Adam West, Christian Bale and … nope, I was wrong. There are only two. Why are Batman movies so bad? - Oh, like you’re doing anything more productive in your quarantine. C’mon. I know someone who is organizing her sheet closet.
- There are upsides to self-quarantining. The lovely yet formidable Marcia and I have been empty nesters for several years now, but now, suddenly, we have four college students living with us – two ours (Annie and Henry) and two of their friends. It’s wonderful to have a full house again. It really is. But, whoa, the grocery bills! Plus, I think I can hear my wifi router from the other room begging for mercy. We have, at last count, seven cell phones, one iPad, seven laptops, and two TVs all sucking bandwidth at the same time. If you need to get hold of me, the fastest way is probably by sending me a letter.
- For you Gen Zers: A letter is a piece of paper that you write on – with a pen – then put in an envelope and “mail” to someone via that aluminum or plastic box on the post in front of your house. (You always wondered what that was for, didn’t you.) That thing is called a “mailbox.” And the person who comes by in a truck every day to check it is called a “mail person.” What they do is take the letter and physically deliver it to the address you’ve written on the envelope. It’s like texting, except slower.
- With six people in the house, the main topic of conversation is about who finished what food product, as in, “Dammit, who put the yogurt container back in the fridge with one spoonful left in it?” or about who flushed while someone else was taking a shower.
- We should all be helping local restaurants survive this thing by getting takeout. That said, I’ve never had a take-home restaurant meal that was nearly as good as it is on-site. I miss restaurants more than anything.
- Working from home isn’t half as bad as I thought it would be. Pros: Pants are optional for Zoom meetings, and the refrigerator (of course.) Cons: You end up working more because you’re not commuting, and when you goof off you somehow feel guiltier than when you goof off in the office.
- I’ve heard dozens of people explain to me the reason they’re hoarding toilet paper, and it still makes no sense. If I’m hoarding anything, it’s contact lens solution. There’s a lot stronger survivalist mentality running through this country than I’m comfortable admitting.
- I asked a grocery store manager why so many food shelves are empty, assuming he’d say hoarders. But it’s really about the supply chain, he said. “We’re ordering the same amount of food but only getting 10-20 percent of it.” So, now you know.
- I notice on Netflix that pandemic movies are suddenly popular. Seriously? That’s the last thing I want to see right now. What’s with you people?
- If you need a laugh, check out American singer Chris Mann’s video on self-quarantining, to the tune of Adele’s hit “Hello.”
- Yes, this is going to be a bad week. Take care of each other. And of yourself. We’ll get through this.
- “We become wiser by adversity; prosperity destroys our appreciation of the right.”– Seneca
If you want something to take your mind off what’s going on, check out Tiger King on Netflix. More bizarre than what is going on right now! At least it will take you away from reality for a while because these characters sure are unreal.
Jims,
I totally agree about Tiger King, We binge watched it over the course of two days.
It is hard to believe that there are actually people out there like that.
It is hard to believe that there are actually people out there that would pay $15.00 general admission and then fork out who knows how much cash for a selfie with the various exotic animals.
We are watching Netflix more now during this time of “Stay at Home”.
We just finished a very good show on there called “What If”, check it out, it is good.
If you want a good/ outdated end of the world movie watch The Last man on Earth. Starring Vincent Price. 1963. I just watched it today. It was great. Old movie, creepy old music.
I lost my job, but i will sleep better tonight knowing that $25,000,000 of COVID19 went to fund PBS. $25,000,000 went to the Kennedy Center, which then announced plans to lay off the musicians.
$25,000,000 went to fund congressional salaries and expenses. $350,000,000 went to fund refugee resettlement. They are more pork items like this in the “stimulus plan”. Here is one idea that never see the light of day: someone suggested that that congress go without their pay for the time being. It will never happen.
Agree totally with jimiii. Not one penny of that bill should have went to nothing but relief for people affected by the pandemic. Shame on all of them.
Andy – Just wanted you to know that I’m reading Jon Karl’s fascinating book “FRONT ROW SEAT TO THE TRUMP SHOW”. Never have I followed politics, but do watch David Muir most evenings and have come to appreciate Jon’s presentations. Only halfway through the book and I am truly astounded by what he has gone through with Mr. Cheetos. So much chaos, but it’s certainly taken my mind off this pandemic for awhile! You are probably aware of what he’s written, but I expect you would appreciate how he’s presented it.
Smiles, Sal
Went to Kroger to pick up a couple of things. As I was walking around I noticed a sign pasted to the floor. It was red in color. It said “stop. this Aisle is a one way aisle. ” The other end of the aisle, printed in green “One way aisle, enter here. Of course as usual nobody was paying attention to the posted floor notice. Well, Kroger employees were mainly following the edict. I have to wonder what is Kroger going to do about all the customers that do not follow instructions? Are they going to call the police and have you arrested? Ban you from the store for life? Or will there be some other type of punishment.
Walmart is doing something similar. You can only enter the store via the Grocery entrance. They have team members standing at that location. When someone leaves the store, they then let someone else enter. Should be interesting when a parent shows up with children in tow and wants the go in the store. Only to be told the parent can enter the store, but, not he children.
Love the idea of a one way aisles in the store – that way people aren’t coughing directly at you
I love the person that made this statement today at the grocery store. I was so bored staying at home I thought I would get out and buy this one item and some lottery tickets. She said it felt great to get out. Another 80 something year old man that continues to go in and buy his 50 bucks worth of lottery tickets a day, a bottle of Mountain Dew and two chicken tenders. His daily routine. People are complete idiots. These are very true story’s first hand from an employee I am very dear to. Why do these people want to endanger their lives much less the employees?
Nothing is going to happen to me. It will happen to someone else.
That is the attitude of a lot of people.
I only go out when I have to. Every 3 days or so I go out for some groceries. Things like fresh vegetables and short life items. I try to keep the 6 foot rule by not getting too close to someone.
Today I had go out and go to the bank to get money. Needed to make car insurance
payment, car payment and some other bank business. All transactions by remote
teller. Not very interesting.
Here Jims, here is a timeline that might help demonstrate the point.
– March 3: Boris Johnson “I shook hands with everybody you’ll be pleased to know, and I continue to shake hands.”
– March 27: Boris Johnson tests Positive for Covid19.
– April 5: Boris Johnson is hospitalized.
– April 6: Boris Johnson put into intensive care.
People over there listen and take their lead from this guy, because for decades in Western politics we’ve had people, almost exclusively from one party over on this side of pond, saying that the experts in a field, whatever it is, medical, economics, meteorology, psychology, education, don’t know what they’re talking about if they said something that interfered with whatever the political agenda of the leader was trying to do at the time. “Ivory towers” they said then. Now they say they know more than the experts because they’re “like really smart”, and that they have a “hunch”.
Meanwhile, we come to find out that smoking is actually bad for you, banning CFC’s and lead actually were extremely good things to do, there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, anthropogenic global warning is actually a thing that will harm us (as endorsed by no less than Exxon…) and etc, etc.
So much so that nowadays (with the current dwindling exception of global warming) people say of the issues “Well yeah, of course that’s true, everybody knows that…”
No, people at the time didn’t know that. Because they were told by people they trusted that the information they were being told by experts was fake, and that the situation was no big deal.
Sound familiar? Boris bought his own hype, and now he’s paying for it. Imagine how many others across this country are as well.
Nailed it.
Adam, well said.
Experts recommend disinfecting your TV after Trump appears on it.
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/experts-recommend-disinfecting-television-after-trump-has-been-on?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Humor_040820&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5bea11bd24c17c6adf1cbbfe&cndid=27158324&hasha=858d81e6e42ce4f1f070632cbcfc2ad4&hashb=3808ef112ce614346356d4a451ba08e9ea01d2b9&hashc=c07c83252224909af08e08760880a7ad30d8856bd457139198a5a2e4ab3f7547&esrc=auto_captionentrants&utm_term=TNY_Humor
Experts recommend sanitizing you TV after Trump appears on it.
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/experts-recommend-disinfecting-television-after-trump-has-been-on?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Humor_040820&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5bea11bd24c17c6adf1cbbfe&cndid=27158324&hasha=858d81e6e42ce4f1f070632cbcfc2ad4&hashb=3808ef112ce614346356d4a451ba08e9ea01d2b9&hashc=c07c83252224909af08e08760880a7ad30d8856bd457139198a5a2e4ab3f7547&esrc=auto_captionentrants&utm_term=TNY_Humor
Trump really seems to have gone off his rocker now. If anybody who likes him would bother to sit through his Corona briefings, even his supporters might begin to doubt him. Utterly nuts today!
If I see his face I turn the channel. Even the local news cuts him off.
When Trump is speaking on TV at a coronavirus briefing, I immediately press the mute button or change the channel because…
1) Listening to his lies makes me ill,
2) He has blood on his hands and is wasting time while people are dying,
3) Every time I hear his voice and see his putrid face, it makes me want to puke.
So… A priest, a rabbi, and an imam walk into a bar with parrots on their shoulders. But there is no bartender, no waitresses, no other customers.
A cop comes in, and gives them tickets for not wearing masks or keeping six feet of separation, but the parrots get to fly free.
So… A President, a Vice President, and an Infectious Disease Doctor walk into the White House, for a TV news conference. The President lies, the Vice President backs him up, and the Doctor tries to tell the truth. Then, they all die from standing too close together for the TV camera.
2020 is a unique year.
It has 29 days in February,
300 days in March,
and 5 years in April.
As far as these stay a home directives, some go too far.
6 foot rule is a good idea even without the virus.
Some dictator edicts have gone too far.
“So you are telling me if I violate the stay at home order, I can
go to jail…. But you are letting people out of jail so they don’t
get the China virus.”
We cannot get garden supplies, lawn care items, paint, other
home repair maintenance items, but the liquor stores are still open,
lottery tickets are still on sale, and abortions are considered an
essential need. Meanwhile, those who need certain medical
procedures cannot not get them.
Procedures like colon exams, or stomach exams, and I think
mammograms might be in the not really needed column.
Dr. Fauci caved big time. Had it right when he said earlier social distancing and some immediate action from king trump would have saved lives. But after a trump whipping and threat of firing him he whussed out.
I see that there at 4 possibly 5 sheriffs in northern Michigan understand the Constitution of the state ofMichigan and the United States.
Yes, COVID19 can be dangerous. When I read of health departments calling as many deaths as possible, even if the person did not show signs the virus. Someone dies a an automobile accident, they will label it as caused by the virus. Old age? The virus did them in. The government bureauRATSs have to justify there draconian measures.
When they grab power like they have, they will not want to give it up.
Give a man or woman some power over someone else and their true nature shows up.
It does not matter if they are a republican or a democrat/socialist/liberal or whatever.