How are you dealing with life now with the Covid-19 virus situation? (2 Viewers)

[Nelson Au]

Hey Dave- I appreciate the post. I realize that I am on the extreme side of cleaning my groceries and placing meat and other items in new clean containers. For now, I’ll just say that it gives me emotional security. (To quote Captain Kirk) it’s really psychological I‘m sure. If I cleaned it, I don’t worry about touching the containers later and washing my hands. I had written a longer explanation about this, but decided to keep it short. I‘ll probably keep doing this a little longer and ease up as I feel more comfortable. But I suspect from now on, I’ll be a little more careful with groceries after I bring it home.

From what I’ve read, if there is any virus on the surface of a metal door knob or handle, plastic container or paper and mail, it’s likely a very small concentration. Not a high enough concentration to infect someone even if it did come into contact with the face and nose. I still have some doubt. It’s a flaw in my character. (To quote JFK from PT-109).

I rarely catch the flu. I think it’s because I do keep my hands clean and keep my distance. There was one time I was playing a flight simulator game at a place where you get into a cockpit flight simulator and fly against others. You wear a headset with a boom mic and can talk to your friends. I caught a really bad flu for that experience. Obviously the last person who used the headset had the flu. Never again.

Reminds me of the olden days of telephones on our desks where colds and flu could be transmitted. Now we have our own cellphones and I never share it with others to make a call unless I’m forced to.

Yes, I wear my mask in the car. This saves me the trouble of putting it back on when I get to my destination. I know that if my hands are bare or gloved has touched something, I’m not touching the mask afterwards and contaminating it. I’m not back at work yet, so I’m not sure what my plan will be at lunch time if we wear masks all day. Maybe I use two masks a day, one in the morning and one after lunch.

I have not had a haircut since late February. Partly because I’d rather not be up close to the lady that cuts my hair. And partly because the salons have all been closed. I feel bad for the lady I go to because I think she’s hurting. She’s been cutting my hair for years. I don’t know if she’s back open again. I hope to get my hair cut soon.

 

[Nelson Au]

Hey Travis, Clinton, I noticed the poor fitting masks too. Too many people I see, the mask is not covering their nose. Mostly I think it’s due to the fit and design of the mask. My mask stays over my nose. It’s a good design so I think that’s a big factor.

Or I see people who take a drink of water and not put the mask back.

 

[jcroy]

Or I see people who take a drink of water and not put the mask back.

(On a tangent).

I have noticed at the nearby retailers with large square footage (ie. wallyworld, grocery stores, indoor malls, etc ...), they closed off the water fountains. Either they don't work at all, or several layers of plastic wrap was wrapped around the fountain.

 

[jayembee]

I will also be getting the flu vaccine, as I do every year. I usually wait until October so if flu season comes late it's still effective. So probably this week.

My wife and I got ours on Friday. We thought about getting it about a month ago, but decided to wait to October to stretch out the effectiveness in the spring. I get the "senior dose", and last year, it laid me out for a day or two. And my wife (who didn't get the senior dose) wasn't feeling a hunnert, either. So we figured we'd get this year's on Friday, so we'd have the weekend as down time if necessary.

We didn't have any serious effects from it, but we both were lower energy than typical.

 

[Clinton McClure]

Hey Travis, Clinton, I noticed the poor fitting masks too. Too many people I see, the mask is not covering their nose. Mostly I think it’s due to the fit and design of the mask. My mask stays over my nose. It’s a good design so I think that’s a big factor.

Or I see people who take a drink of water and not put the mask back.

It’s not a fit or design issue. It’s an asshole issue where people intentionally pull the mask down below their face and wear it as a chin strap or only cover their mouth because the safety of others just isn’t important to them. I know someone who was an anti-masker, caught COVID and was sick with it for two months. After finally getting over it, they are still a staunch anti-masker. I have also been in line at Kroger behind a guy who only had his nose covered. When the cashier questioned only covering his nose, the guy replied that you only breathe through your nose so covering your mouth isn’t important. It blows my mind how someone can be so daft.

 

[jayembee]

Back a bit...

Are we still cleaning everything before taking it into the house?

I’m having fatigue with this activity.

We do and don't. Since the known science suggests that the virus doesn't tend to hang around on surfaces, we don't bother washing non-food items, whether we buy them in store (Home Depot, the bookstore, that sort of thing), or they are delivered via USPS, UPS, Amazon, whoever.

Since food is something we're putting into our bodies, groceries we bring into the kitchen and stack them on the counter. We wipe down the containers (cans, boxes, etc.), and stage the cleaned ones on the kitchen table for putting away. Unwrapped produce we wash in the sink before putting away (we were doing this even in the Before Times).

We've been doing this for six months now, and it hasn't made us any more susceptible to the virus. My wife and I each got a Covid test several months back "just cuz", and I've had two other tests done prior to procedures. All tests were negative. We're both been homebodies for the most part through this (I'm retired; she works from home) though we do go out shopping together regularly.

 

[jayembee]

I have also been in line at Kroger behind a guy who only had his nose covered. When the cashier questioned only covering his nose, the guy replied that you only breathe through your nose so covering your mouth isn’t important. It blows my mind how someone can be so daft.

You should've casually mentioned that talking causes him to breathe out through his mouth.

 

[Mark Booth]

One of my wife's friends has tested positive for COVID. Prior to the pandemic my wife played Rummikub with this friend (and several other ladies) weekly. Once a month they also met to play Bunko. Around the end of July, a couple of those ladies started sending emails about getting together in groups of less than 10 with a plan to wear masks while playing. My wife immediately rejected the idea (because, common sense). The ladies eventually dropped the idea (too little participation). But the friend that now has COVID is one of the ones that was proposing the renewed get-togethers. She got it from one of her other friends (not in the Rummikub/Bunko group). She has been regularly hanging out with that friend, without a mask. That friend was also careless and regularly got together with some of her friends. My understanding is that other friend was not forthcoming about her risky behavior, yet continued to meet with my wife's friend.

My wife's friend is in her late 70s. So far, her symptoms are mild but she just found out she was positive less than 24 hours ago.

The virus is creeping ever closer to our lives. This is the first person that my wife or I regularly spend (spent) time with to test positive. We knew it was only a matter of time. Just as we know it is only a matter of time before a family member gets it.

Mark

 

[Sam Posten]

Make sure you guys see this note here:

https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/threads/is-it-time-to-talk-about-coronavirus.365730/post-4915770

THIS thread has been super positive. Please let's keep going in that direction.

 

[jayembee]

I'm rather amazed that (as far as I know) my wife and I don't know a single soul who has come down with Covid (that is, no one we have any social connections with). Well, maybe. Fairly early on in the pandemic, one of my sisters-in-law in the midwest was sick for a while, and one of her sons as well. Everything my S-I-L said about it sounded like Covid, but we never found out for sure if that was it. Both did get better after a week or two.

 

[Mark Booth]

Multiple states and some countries are reporting spikes in the number of daily new infections and, worse, spikes in hospitalizations for severe COVID symptoms. Some health officials fear we may be at the start of the “second wave”.

Our car club hosted a driving event today (my wife and I did not attend). The run instructions were sent out by email in advance so nobody would have to be passing out paperwork. The instructions said to remain in your cars and the driver’s meeting would be held by radio (handhelds). I saw a couple of photos taken at the meeting point and the subsequent lunch at the end of the run. Lots of people out of their cars, several without masks and not socially distancing. The second wave is predictable and inevitable.

Mark

 

[DaveF]

I've deleted a post that would have been in the other thread that is now locked. This thread is not that thread. That thread is locked. This one is not. I hope the pattern is clear.

I'll also quote the OP's thread-starting first paragraph for the context of this thread that is not locked, unlock the other one that is.:

Hey guys, As an adjunct to the Coronavirus thread, this is a separate thread to talk about how are we coping with living in this new reality. What’s your situation like? Are you shut-in and working at home? Do you have to go to work as an essential worker? How are you dealing with avoiding potentially contracting the virus? How are you dealing with cooking, getting and food? It must be challenging too helping the kids and elder family members, etc.
[...]

And I'll quote Sam:

Make sure you guys see this note here:

https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/threads/is-it-time-to-talk-about-coronavirus.365730/post-4915770

THIS thread has been super positive. Please let's keep going in that direction.

 

[JackieT]

I've been busy working full time at the office, doing our normal shopping and errand running, revamping our living room and back patio. Basically living life and not letting Covid control my life.

 

[PMF]

Why, at this time, do people continue to go on non-essential vacations that involves the risks of air travel?

 

[TJPC]

We still go out to shop for groceries etc. My wife found a pattern for masks and is making them with appropriate seasonal material. So far I have a handlebar moustache one for everyday use, but also a spider web one for Halloween and a poppy one for Remembrance Day.

 

[PMF]

[Moderator note: deleted quote from deleted post]
Covid doesn’t scare me, per se; but it is a virus that must be better understood and cautiously respected by all.

As it is, I fear that HTF has lost a friend and member to Covid; as he had been diagnosed, bounced back and weeks later cryptically alluded to a relapse via a single-sentenced email. That was well over 3 months, ago; and he has not been heard from since, not even through HTF postings.

I am still holding out hope to be wrong and in error.

 

[JackieT]

I take my precautions. Mask when required, wash hands, and so on, but I no longer shelter in place like in March. I don't fear being around people or places.

 

[DaveF]

To reiterate: There was a thread for discussing all things COVID-19, such as what's safe and not safe or why people do or don't do things during the pandemic. That thread is locked.

This thread is not about discussing all things COVID-19. This thread is specifically oriented towards our own individual experiences and how we're coping with it.

I am aggressively moderating this thread because I want it to stay open.(I’ve restored posts. It was pointed out that it was not clear what’s out of bounds with the deletions.)

It seems people believe that with that thread gone, this is the place to bring all those other topics. That is not so. This is not the dumping ground for all things COVID.

No, this is not a rigorously defined set of topics. We're doing the best we can here to have a positive, useful thread as we're coping with a literally historic global pandemic. Help us out by supporting each other and honoring what this thread is about.

And from here on out, I'm just going to do thread bans without further warning.

 

[Carlo Medina]

With my prolonged Pandemic Time-Out From Normal Life, I have learned several new songs on acoustic guitar: Elliott Smith's Say Yes and Between the Bars, and Neil Young's Cowgirl in the Sand are two recent highlights. I'm also re-learning a bunch of songs I'd forgotten.

While I'd much rather have normal (or heck, even semi-normal) life back, I'm getting pretty danged decent at acoustic guitar. Silver linings and all...

 

[PMF]

I am gearing up for a long-awaited emersion into Criterion’s boxed set of “Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema”. It was purchased about a year ago with the future hope of having an extended period of uninterrupted weeks, in order to properly journey and marinate myself within his world. It now appears that my pre-Covid investment was provident towards these cooler and now shorter sunlit days of staying-at-home.