Except for my wallet (which was getting an extra $600/wk from the government), I'm thankful to have been called back to work last week. (I work in retail, and while our store's not open to the public, we have five weeks of stock to process and are doing a lot of ship-from-store both to manage our own inventory and to cut the load of our distribution centers). I'm in the group that is more concerned about the economic fallout and the likelihood of political coups (and maintenance of the political-social-economic stranglehold of "social distancing" restrictions) than about the virus, as bad as it may be.
The first week off, my Other Half and my sister were still working, so it was supporting them while doing Passover prep. Second week was major Passover prep, leading into an attempt at a virtual seder. Third week was Passover. Fourth week was finishing changing my kitchen back after Passover. In between we caught up on the backlog on our TiVo. Fifth week was prep for my sister going back to work (same company, different job - she's now working from home) and using CBS All Access's one-month-free to binge watch STAR TREK: Discovery. Meanwhile, I've also done a lot of work on the sweater I've been knitting for The Other Half. (BTW my Ravelry ID is "tmana".) My biggest issue with supply availability is that I've not been able to get nitrile gloves for over a month (I use these for general cleaning so I don't have to wash my dry-and-slightly-neuropathic hands as frequently, also for applying topical medications), and I've not been able to get Lysol wipes (also used for normal cleaning) in the same time frame, and it's been hard to find facial tissues (especially as I have reactions to all but a few brands). So, basically, my ability to clean (especially our common laundry room) and take care of my normal health issues has been decimated. I'm in the strongly anti-mask group and the gloves-if-you-have-issues-with-frequent-handwashing group (see above). Between eyeglasses, sinus issues, and seasonal allergies (which I never had before working at my current job - go figure!), I avoid masks wherever possible, and stick to bandanas where covering is required. (I've been considering the idea of niqab instead of a mask, just to be contrary.) I'll keep my distance as required, but I'm not going to wig out if you don't. That said, I'm glad I don't have to commute via sardine-packed public transportation. Also, I'm among the group of people who believe the virus came to the US much earlier than the news suggest. Based on the symptoms, the first run of it through our area may have been as early as this past fall (and I may have had the mild version as early as November). Of course, with antibodies disappearing within three months after exposure, there's no way to test for that (unless you can test memory T cells? https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/04/27/1000569/how-long-are-people-immune-to-covid-19/) Brenda [email protected] _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] https://indra.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
