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Post by Celestial on Sept 1, 2020 17:05:27 GMT -5
Yesterday, I had the delightful experience of using a face mask to shield other people from my germs.
Before you ask, no, it was not corona. Dormouse brought in a mild cold and I caught it.
Returning from Inverness, I was on public transport for close to five hours and the cold decided this was the time to go into the worst stage of it. It is mandatory to wear face masks on public transport here (although I saw people breaking that rule. >_>) And I did, as best as possible. But the thing is, I just do not get how people manage to do this. The coughs were fine but sneezes, and especially a runny nose...I am not proud to say I took off my mask (while holding my breath) in order to wipe my nose. Is there a trick I am missing?
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Post by Blueysicle on Sept 5, 2020 15:43:45 GMT -5
I feel like what I'm about to post is a bit too negative for what's supposed to be a support thread, considering that I have basically nothing good to say here. But just one look below will tell you that it certainly doesn't qualify as a "Mini" Rant. Either way, I really felt like I needed to say something about the matter. (And blow off some steam in the process)
I'm sure at least a few people here have heard about an incident involving the virus in my state, considering that I've seen it make national news a few times. To anyone reading this for the first time, consider this a cautionary tale.
So, I live in Maine, and we had been doing reasonably well up here. Our state government took things seriously early on, and thus case and death numbers have been relatively low compared to a lot of other states. (No joke, states like Florida have had more cases per day than Maine has had in total since the pandemic began) And what cases we did have were mostly in the bigger cities (Well, big as in Maine standards of big, I suppose) such as Portland, Lewiston, and Bangor.
All that changed about a month ago. See, in the beginning of August, a couple thought it would be a fantastic idea to have their wedding up in Millinocket, which is a small town in the rural part of the state, and at that point had zero reported cases of the virus. The wedding and reception were indoors and had about 65 people - which is over the limit of 50 people for indoor gatherings that the state put in place. No social distancing, and no masks.
I'm imagine you can see where this is going. As of this writing, there are now about 150 cases stemming just from this one wedding alone. And that includes people that were infected at the wedding, or were a close contact of someone who was. Three people have already died in connection to the wedding, and none of those three even attended.
On it's own, this whole situation could be a lesson in complacency and how you still need to be vigilant even if you live in a place that hasn't been heavily impacted by the virus. But what is just so galling about it all and makes my blood boil whenever I think about it is that the people involved in the wedding that have spoken out about the matter have shown no remorse over their actions. The pastor in particular, is a piece of work. Not only has he downplayed the severity of the situation (Claiming that, "sin is a greater pandemic than the virus"), but his own church in Sanford had an outbreak in connection with the wedding, and continued to hold indoor services immediately afterwards while refusing to follow social distancing and mask wearing guidelines.
Really, I think this is one of the most depressing things overall about the pandemic: That it's being perpetuated by selfish people that don't give a darn about the well-being of others. That even if most people are being responsible about the matter and taking proper precautions, that just a few that are devoid of empathy can ruin it for everyone. Again, Maine had the virus pretty near under control. And now all of that effort is at risk of being jettisoned out the window because a few dozen people didn't care about anyone but themselves.
There's more I want to say, but I'm just too angry at this point to put much more into words. Again, this made national news (Rachel Maddow covered it a few days ago), so there's plenty of information out there about the situation if you want to learn more. And I guess I'll repeat myself and ask everyone that reads this to take this as an example of just how quickly things can go pear-shaped in regards to this virus, even if you live somewhere that hasn't been affected much by it.
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Post by Liou on Oct 3, 2020 7:54:00 GMT -5
Yo, thread!
I'm not doing the 'tober challenges because I am a lawless rebel but this year I accidentally started doing a daily doodle thing... mid-September??
When books are returned they have to be set aside for a mini-quarantine (quatrine) and so we need a paper every day to state on which date this batch got in and on which day it can come out.
On a particularly rainy day I felt the urge to add a grumpy frog to the paper.
Following that aesthetic came a dragonfly.
Since I'd discovered that doodling on the quarantine papers was within my power, I continued.
Now it has become a Thing and my coworkers cannot do without their Daily Animal.
I try to make them animals that average non-nerds would not expect to see.
They still need to be simple enough to be drawn on a small surface with one black felt pen.
I've done whale, elephant, platypus, an interpretation of Deinonychus, nudibranch, nautilus, dumboctopus, thresher shark, bat (October time whoo) etc. but sometimes run out of ideas.
So I am taking
SUGGESTIONS. Yell animals at me.
(Posting in here to avoid quarantine mentions in the Bloids.)
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Post by Celestial on Oct 3, 2020 9:31:32 GMT -5
Liou I adore this so much, this is perfection. For my suggestions: Eagle Owl Eagle owlOstrich Peacock Orca (I know you've done whale but a) they are distint and b) technically dolphins) Horse Blobfish Anglerfish Stag beetle Squirrel Cobra Crocodile (for extra challenge, gharial) Swan Deer Moose Fox Orangutan Seal (give it spots and make it a common seal. Give it rosettes and a longer snoot and call it a grey seal) Goat Goose The GooseOtter Porcupine Pig Starfish Snail Sheep Hippo Platypus Wombat Iguana Sea turtle Axolotl Raven Chicken Jellyfish
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Post by Thorn on Oct 3, 2020 14:56:13 GMT -5
What a wonderful idea! I just have a couple to add (I am sure Tally would be very pleased with that dragonfly! xP)
Pangolin
Tuatara
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Post by Fraze on Oct 4, 2020 4:15:51 GMT -5
So who remembers The Setup Wizard? If you missed it the first time, it's a Tumblr blog written by the new muggle IT guy at Hogwarts. It's a cute, funny story and a delightful way to spend a few hours. The blog ran 2016-2019, but it started losing steam towards the end and the author finally pushed it through to a conclusion. (Language is mostly clean, with a few heavily lampshaded exceptions.) And now it's starting up again! Hogwarts has switched to distance learning due to the pandemic, and it's up to our adorkable characters to teach a bunch of magic professors how to set up a video conference. (Also the opening post of the reboot made a very brief but unmistakable show of support for nonbinary folks, so they seem to be on the right side particular bit of 2020 awfulness as well.) |
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Post by Gelquie on Oct 5, 2020 20:38:18 GMT -5
I had to go out for an important thing today, and I knew glasses fogging was gonna be a problem, so I stepped up my game.
First, I tried the soap and water trick again. But this time, I spread it on with my (clean) fingers, then let it sit, then rinsed it off, just as online sites said.
Put it on afterwards, aaaand! ...It didn't work. To the point where I could tell it was fogging up indoors. xD;
Lemme say something that did work, though.
Some years ago, I bought some athletic tape. I don't know why, it was just an impulse buy. It's basically been sitting around without me knowing any good use for it.
Anyway, I took some athletic tape and literally taped down the top of my mask, over the nose, then over the cheeks.
That worked like a charm!
(Disclaimer: It does mean that you can't really take off your mask. Well, you can, but the tape didn't necessarily re-apply so easily, and reapplying it may not be so easy, unless you find yourself in a solitary bathroom and took the tape and scissors with you. I didn't really have a problem until I took part of it off to drink something, and then I couldn't get it reapplied, so one of my lenses did end up fogging up after that.
Also, there were a couple area where I noticed some reddening after the fact, albeit mild. I'm not gonna go out much anyway, and I made sure it was over less sensitive areas. Still, may wanna use tape that's more skin-sensitive; I wouldn't do this with scotch tape.
Also, yes, it is noticeable. Whatever.)
I should proooobably also get some better fitting masks (ie., one with a nose wire or something), but until that time, this helps a lot.
(I also may or may not be considering contacts just in case I don't feel up for the whole 9 yards, especially in winter. Which is. Completely new for me. Dunno if I'll go through with it; it's been ages since an optometrist appointment so I'd need to be re-examined, and I already hated optometrist visits because they get right up in my face, and that's without fear of 'rona. We'll see, though. If I do, it'd be at a place that I vetted as very careful.)
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Post by Liou on Oct 17, 2020 13:22:17 GMT -5
Work conversations (paraphrased) - People can't get used to looking at us through the Plexiglas shields, they're still saying it looked like we were in an aquarium. - It does, though, I nearly pasted on that colouring page with the fish that came in a magazine. - We could stick things on it, but we shouldn't make it harder for people to see us. - Yeah, it's hard enough as it is - but they keep trying to lean to look at us around the Plexi, anyway :'D - Ooor instead of sticking things on it, we could use... - ?? - *darts to back room, returns with two large sets of waterproof markers* ~These~ - *o* doodle time
- *stops mid-doodling* This ink comes off, right? - *wipes corner off with one of the many alcoholic wiping fluids available* Yep? For the moment. - ... What if the guys need this Plexi for other things some day? - ... *shrug* - Eh. *resumes doodling*
Status update: today the Plexiglas has been decorated with the titles of the respective desks in a spooky font, and printed cutout witch hats that look like they're being worn by the person behind the desk, from the right angle. In progress: paper cobwebs.
Plexiglas shields. They're free real estate.
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Post by Liou on Oct 27, 2020 11:01:17 GMT -5
Sanitary measures update:
over autumn, things had got a bit easier, we'd brought out the furniture again - half of the furniture, only surfaces that can easily be wiped - and people could SIT again, everything is cleaned every morning by cleaning squad and then WE wipe the furniture again at least once a day with our little hands and the epic disinfectant spray gun, pew pew. (I want two so I can dual wield.)
Last week, about half the country got curfews again, and we're all waiting with bated breath for the next batch of hot juicy gossip from the guvment to figure out whether we get a second lockdown or a second lockdown.
Basically over the past week, kids were on their first week of school holidays so that germ trading network was shut, local guidelines about mask wear and distancing got way more specific, and events and cultural things and sport things were cancelled, which meant that everything was forbidden, but we WERE allowed to work. =o
(And it was pretty smart to try the new protocol over the school holidays by the way, since with the kids not being packed into school, there was a chance that the new measures would seem effective either way.)
So it has been a lockdown-without-a-lockdown and everyone is just counting down to lockdown at this point even though it isn't confirmed.
Decoration update:
printed cute bats, cut them out, pasted them onto the trees of the cute child-sized fence that marks the entrance of the kiddie corner.
Halloween books have been rounded up and are beautifully displayed on an... ordinary table since we're avoiding textiles, but we did indulge in paper decorations for it.
So my boss had one of her arbitrary arts and crafts mornings and printed out Halloween themed paper bunting which she made into a pretty garland to drape around the table. She did all that at the front desk, in full view of the public. Arbitrary arts and crafts mornings are nice.
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Post by Huntress on Oct 28, 2020 8:38:53 GMT -5
- *stops mid-doodling* This ink comes off, right? - *wipes corner off with one of the many alcoholic wiping fluids available* Yep? For the moment. If plexiglass works the same way as whiteboards, and I suspect it might, then it does this sneaky thing where even whiteboard marker wipes off nice and easy at first, but if the writing is left on for too long then it won't come off unless you scrub it all to hell and back with whatever deadly abrasive means available. ( Ask my sorely forgotten to-do lists how I know.)But hey, people here are saying that the plexiglass dividers are awesome and should by rights have been the norm long before any of this kicked off, because how about we don't spend every winter trading germ cocktails back and forth with all customer service personnel. I for one would like to see more doodled and company-specific plexiglass. Meanwhile Estonia has the lowest infection rate in all of Europe. Which is kind of concerning, because odds are good we're not somehow a nation of magical forest elves whose superpowered blood will eventually be used to Save the World TM when all hope seems lost. But the government (currently busy having unrelated infighting drama as governments do) and the Health Board (which keeps dropping gems to the effect of "we've officially cleared the peak of the second wave, yay!") seem to be backing the superpowered forest elf theory, meaning we won't be prepared for much of anything once the other shoe drops. |
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Post by Thorn on Nov 2, 2020 21:54:15 GMT -5
Wanted to share a cute and helpful gif with you folks! I love this so much. <3 (Some may not apply so much to folks in other countries, but some are universal!) |
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Post by Crystal on Nov 6, 2020 12:36:51 GMT -5
So who remembers The Setup Wizard? If you missed it the first time, it's a Tumblr blog written by the new muggle IT guy at Hogwarts. It's a cute, funny story and a delightful way to spend a few hours. The blog ran 2016-2019, but it started losing steam towards the end and the author finally pushed it through to a conclusion. (Language is mostly clean, with a few heavily lampshaded exceptions.) And now it's starting up again! Hogwarts has switched to distance learning due to the pandemic, and it's up to our adorkable characters to teach a bunch of magic professors how to set up a video conference. (Also the opening post of the reboot made a very brief but unmistakable show of support for nonbinary folks, so they seem to be on the right side particular bit of 2020 awfulness as well.) From a month ago, I know, but thankee kindly for this link, sir, I see my next couple hours disappearing in a haze. |
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Post by Celestial on Dec 21, 2020 11:16:50 GMT -5
New strain in the UK. South-east and London are in lockdown now. Scotland is going into preventative lockdown from the 26th, but the case rate has already risen here. Everything is shutting.
And this is where my resolve to get through this pandemic broke. I see no end to this. All the progress that has been made over months is undone. It feels no better than it was in March. Sure, there's the vaccine, but it's so utterly, miserably slow.
I'd like some help and support. I don't know where to turn to, and my depression is eating me alive.
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Post by Fraze on Dec 21, 2020 15:22:07 GMT -5
New strain in the UK. South-east and London are in lockdown now. Scotland is going into preventative lockdown from the 26th, but the case rate has already risen here. Everything is shutting. And this is where my resolve to get through this pandemic broke. I see no end to this. All the progress that has been made over months is undone. It feels no better than it was in March. Sure, there's the vaccine, but it's so utterly, miserably slow. I'd like some help and support. I don't know where to turn to, and my depression is eating me alive. Hunty and I discussed this while writing, so this comes from both of us. *Hug* It really does suck. You’ve been doing everything right and making sacrifices but then it all just… resets. So many people all over the world have just been so brave when dealing with this pandemic, soldering on and on for nine-ish months now with no clear end in sight, and people just aren’t meant to do that. And I won’t say something about “things will get better”, because that sentiment doesn’t really help in a situation like this. However, things will move forward. I don’t know what form the world might take at the end of this, whether it will be better or worse than what we had before, but this will end. One way or other, the world will get through this pandemic, and so will you personally – with or without your active involvement. So turn your focus inward on yourself and your family. (And definitely don’t forget the dudeman.) Make sure your own oxygen mask is on. That is what’s important right now. Whatever is going on with the rest of the world isn’t yours to deal with right now. |
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Post by Gelquie on Dec 21, 2020 17:55:45 GMT -5
Celestial - It's hard for me to offer words of support myself right now, because a lot of things about the pandemic (particularly the social things) have gotten to me. I won't go into it here because this is meant to reassure a few things. (I'm not going to be nearly so eloquent, bear with me. Or slap me or ignore this if I'm out of line.) First off, *hugs.* Second of all, there is a ray of hope here, as the mRNA vaccines that have rolled out are expected to still be able to work against the new strain. Yes, I know, some things are subject to study. The reason experts are so sure of that is because of how mRNA vaccines work. It technically doesn't target the whole virus, but it actually creates a harmless version of the spike protein that's on the surface of the virus so the body can learn to fight it, and thus stave off the virus. So basically, it depends on whether it would have the same spike protein, which they highly suspect the new strain still has. (Thankfully, Covid doesn't mutate much.) So the vaccines, when it's our turn, are still expected to work against the new strain. So the new strain, while bad news, isn't a hard reset, though the lockdown may make it seem that way due to its familiarity. It's a step back. But we still have our goal in sight. CDC webpage on how mRNA covid vaccines work. It's US-based but still informative.Vaccines will be slow, yes. But they're not stopped. Still, it's the type of thing that'll be a marathon to the end, rather than a sprint. So we've gotta pace ourselves, take some time for ourselves, and focus on where we are and what we can do for ourselves in the meantime. We're still moving forward.
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