Corona virus, what's different for you.

Well, I hope they told her to grab some extra sanitizer and get her ass to work. America isn't going to reopen for business if we keep taking this shit seriously, you know.

Speaking of hand sanitizer, we don't have enough at our building. I've pointed this out to several managers and nothing changed.

Finally last week they sent a survey to those of us critical (expendable) enough to have to come to the office during the covid shutdown (now scheduled to continue through 1st quarter 2021). The survey asked in 5 questions if we were comfortable or not. I replied "uncomfortable" and wrote the person who sent it as he had left out any comment box.


TLDR:
They put some rubbery shit on elevator buttons and pads (Self Cleaning!) and are applying disinfectant "good for a year" to other touch surfaces. I called them on their bullshit and got slapped for suggesting the company would commit fraud. Still waiting to be escorted out by security.

Here's the email chain with links and names redacted (hopefully). Let me know if I left some in:

Oh, man. Brian from HR wants to skin you alive.

Meanwhile Pam is like, wtf bro?

Good for you. Fuck that bullshit.

Have to be tested Monday. Spent the week in Switzerland, and we all learned Thursday that there has been a confirmed case where I was. Friday we learned about another possible case, though the results of the test haven't come back.

So I'm home now, but in self-quarantine. Can't even spend time with my wife until the results come back, and even then I won't be able to if it turns out to be positive. (Though for now I'm feeling just fine. Probably not more than a 10% chance or so that I'm infected.)

Still, it's not fun having to be an exile in my own house.

We're doing pretty good up here in Vermont, although we've been spiking comparatively of late. We haven't had a death in the state since july (58 total) and we're still under 2,000 new infections. The only real changes are making sure I get up early enough to do senior hour at the supermarket (7am) and that I have enough coffee, sliced meat, 1/2 and 1/2 and TP in the house. There's a Thai takeout next door and a butchery and a nice restaurant next to that that serves the best ribs, so take out sometimes, otherwise we spend the day planning and cooking. I have a mask collection that's almost as large as my sock collection, including a couple made from a friends panties.

Yes, she washed them first. At least I think she did?

Other than that, my agoraphobia and hermit like behaviour has served me well. I wash my hands constantly and don't let people near me. I walk the dogs in the woods (we have a lot of protected hiking trails in the town I live in) or put 40 minutes on the spin bike to try to keep my metabolism up. I also make the best CBD tincture which I use regularly to keep the anxiety levels down.

Obligatory

That's the nice thing about where you are: You have good options to go outside on the quick and easy.

Was leaving work today when I saw someone who may have been an ex, a crazy one at that. One that I had to get a restraining order against, she was that crazy. But not sure, her eyes and eyebrows looked like it could be her, but her hips and ass were too wide. So maybe not. If it wasn't for the face mask I would be sure if it was or wasn't her.

Hoping I might be able to see some Victorian friends before the end of the year. They've gone through a 100+ days of strict lockdown from a second wave outbreak and this weekend are down to a couple of new cases a day. Amazing work on their part, especially considering that many places who were at a similar place in July like the UK are now seeing 10,000+ cases a day.

Now the extended family is discussing Thanksgiving. Scares me to death to consider it.

Time travel?

vampires.

Victoria is the second most populous Australian state.

^ Something tells me he knew that, and was just pulling your leg...

Nevertheless, I still picture them in big skirts, corsets and bodices now.

...and fangs.

I've learned to never overestimate what Americans know about the world beyond their borders.

Oh, come on. Americans know about the whole world:

1) There's America, though the "left coasts" or "flyover states" don't really count, depending on which way you lean politically.
2) There's Canada, with snow, polar bears, hockey, and maple syrup. Canadians are nice but kind of quaint. They're almost like real people, if only they'd been born a few miles south.
3) Then there's the third world. Drugs, religious madness, wannabee dictators, and poverty. No need to go into details here, because those countries are all pretty much the same. Fortunately we don't have any of that in the US of A!

See? Americans know all about it. It's normal, when you're from the best (by far...) country in the world!

You forgot the best health care in the world!

Well, duh! Some things are so obvious they don't even need to be mentioned!

So, I didn't get tested. It turns out that unless you are showing symptoms, you should wait 7 days after the last contact with someone who was infected to be tested, or there is a real chance of a false negative.

The good news is that I am not showing any symptoms whatsoever. (Of Covid, that is. Dementia is another story... )

The bad news is that I have to stay in isolation for another week.

My wife likes koalas, so I'm aware that Australia exists, somewhere out there.

Dave Barry, in one of his columns, talked about coming to France to visit the leaning tower of Pisa. One woman got in touch with him to say she had checked it out and the leaning tower of Pisa isn't in France. She added that he probably didn't even know where France was.

Instead of coming up with some variation of "Humor, it's a difficult concept", he just played along and told her: "I do too know where France is. It's overseas!"

That works for Australia, too. It's where they walk around upside-down, and ride kangaroos.

Also the toilets swirl counter clockwise.

Especially the kangaroos.

So the toddler has had a hacky cough, so KJ took him to the doctor and he got tested. So we're self-quarantining until results come back. 98% it's just allergies.

Fortunately I made an essentials run Saturday, so I have enough cereal, toast, apples, and sandwich fixings to ride this out. Not sure what everyone else is going to do. And now I have several days to work on Doctor Who reviews progress in my game saves argue on Wordforge? help clean the house during the eight hours a day I'm not holding the baby.

I hope you stocked up on booze.

Hope your little one is ok.

Pretty confident it's just allergies or a mild cold and the phlegm went into his chest. At any rate he's as chipper as ever when he isn't coughing.

But someone has burnt two of my bread slices and then used two more as toast. I may have to consider going on emergency rationing.

Back on lockdown for 2 weeks. Though face-to-face university teaching continues so won't actually change my life much - I hardly see anyone outside of teaching or visits to the local food store.

Peripherally related: 24 HOUR NOTICE TO ENTER DWELLING from the apartment management company stuck on my door this afternoon. They "need to inspect smoke alarms, check for leaks," bullshit and etcetera.

I'm supposed to make the apartment available to them either tomorrow or Friday anytime between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

I've been here for six months. Everything's functional. Okay, the hot-water faucet in the kitchen drips occasionally, but I guarantee it won't drip when the inspectors are here.

I am strongly tempted to stick a sign on the door saying "Exposed to COVID. Quarantined. Can't let you in. Sorry!"

(A) I hate to lie, (B) if I do that, it means I'll be a prisoner in my house until I'm sure these clowns are off the premises.

Thoughts, WF?
I've been here for six months. Everything's functional. Okay, the hot-water faucet in the kitchen drips occasionally, but I guarantee it won't drip when the inspectors are here.