Health and Sanity Check-Ins

[sprocketta]

Things are crazy now. I think we are all trying to stay healthy and maintain sanity as well. I thought I would start this thread so folks can check in and discuss how they're doing. I want all my BIC friends to be okay. I will kick this off with a first post. Take care of yourself lovelies.

[curlychiquita]

That's a lot, @divaknits 😞 I'll be thinking of you and your family.

[heartsmyface]

@divaknits how stressful that you’re all being  affected.  I hope you’re able to defer some payments or lower them.   I foresee a lot of families moving in together to make ends meet 😞  Not exactly idéal in the current environment but It seems like it’s going to be necessary to stay afloat for many.   

I’m going to be unable to see my dad for the next little while and I just pray he remains stable for two more weeks so I can visit him knowing I’m not going to infect him with anything.  I know it’s necessary but it is hard knowing he’s got so little time left and I can’t see him.  

[MissPuff]

@heartsmyface  Oh my heart goes out to you! The not being able to check up on your loved ones is the worst, it feels so helpless to just call and talk and not be able to physically check on them or hug them. I dropped off groceries to my parents last week and literally just waved to them through the glass screen door 😞 Sending healthy thoughts your way to your dad!

[tsavorite]

@heartsmyface ,

I relate so much to your worries and feelings about being separated from your elderly Dad at this time.  It's stressful.  I'm sure that many of us are worried about our parents who even may be far away.  I'm wishing you the best.

[eshoe]

@divaknits I am so sorry, this must be incredibly stressful for both you and your daughter. Hugs to you and your family 😞🤗💗

[ather]

@divaknits  Wishing this will all be over soon. I’ve been missing your beautiful face on the lipstick thread!! Hope your family and you are safe. 

[WinglessOne]

I honestly don’t know how crazy Chicago is right now because I haven’t left my building in about 2 weeks (voluntary self-quarantine). Well, except one day this week when I went out for a walk. It was both incredibly strange and extremely refreshing to not see mobs of “Chirish“ t-shirts on the streets. 😄 

My anxiety’s having the time of its life as I fear for many other people’s well-being—not so much for health (though I do worry about folks with compromised immune systems) as financial and living situations. I spent much of last month with the flu and don’t want to catch it a second time, or catch some other crud, or risk spreading viral cooties, so I’ve been in hermit mode. It’s a good time to use up everything in the freezer and pantry. But I’m also ordering delivery from local restaurants to help keep them afloat. Restaurants are hurting badly in Chicago, trying to keep employees paid by shifting to solely delivery/carry-out mode.  

But I’m not in panic response mode and, frankly, don’t understand why anyone is. I’m not panicking about the number of confirmed infections here because I rationally expect it to climb—because so many folks have been unwitting carriers for a while and apparently no one knew how to wash their bleepin’ hands and not cough/sneeze on other people til a week ago. 🤷‍♀️ I especially don’t get the panic response of toilet paper and milk hoarding. Last time I visited a store (a Target), shelves were still fully stocked with cold, sinus, and pain meds. I guess all the hoarders will somehow ease their illness symptoms with milk and tp. 

Anyway, let’s see... last I heard, Chicago public schools are closed through April 20. Chicago has no shelter in-place mandate yet, but Oak Park’s under one as of tonight. Many retailers and other businesses are closed for at least the rest of March. I desperately want to walk down to my local Trader Joe’s because I’m out of cookie butter (now there’s a valid hoardable item, people) and I feel weird about ordering it online. I do think I’ll do a BOPIS order for my nearest Target, though, so I won’t have to wander the store touching surfaces and potentially spreading whatever I might be carrying. 

Here’s hoping we start seeing fewer cases reported soon. Drink plenty of fluids, eat your veggies, wash your hands, sanitize frequently touched surfaces at home, don’t touch your face while out in public... carry sanitizing wipes for touch screen consoles if you must use self checkouts, ATMs, or gas pump handles, or douse your hands in sanitizer afterward... don’t cough or sneeze without covering your mouth or nose (and not with your hands).

Do take this opportunity to do any projects you’ve put off around home. This is also a good time to research stuff, start learning (or relearning) a foreign language, learn new recipes and cooking techniques (if you happen to have all the ingredients and, I guess, don’t need milk for recipes :D), etc. 

Y’all stay sane out there! 

[Titian06]

@WinglessOne -  Absolutely love the third paragraph of your post!  💖💖💖

[WinglessOne]

@Titian06  I can’t wait to see what all the hoarders do with their multiple cartons/jugs of milk once they all hit expiration dates in about, oh, 1-2 weeks. 😄 

Really though, panic hoarders pick the oddest products. Not that folks should selfishly clear shelves of any product during a natural disaster, pandemic, snow-ins, etc., but c’mon man. 

[itscarin]

@WinglessOne I love going to the grocery store right now. I call it “playing Soviet Russia grocery store” and I cruise the aisles and make note of what’s missing. Ketchup. Ramen noodles. Pasta. Baby wipes. Toilet paper. Salad. Chicken breasts. Etc. 

[CookieGirl1]

Lol, I've played the same "game", @itscarin!  I almost squealed when I found an employee putting out hand wipes earlier today, lol.

[WinglessOne]

@CookieGirl1  @itscarin  Ha, I call it the “what have people suddenly learned how to cook or clean” game. 2 weeks ago, very few people knew what smoked paprika and allspice are for. I guess now they’re randomly sweeping spices into their carts, because that Target’s spice racks were completely empty. 😄 I’m kind of disturbed by the sudden disappearance of hand soap; was no one ever washing their hands before? Do people not realize they can also use ANY body wash or hair shampoo that contains sulfates to wash their hands? Are people going to use hand soap to wash their hair and bodies? 

I might have to go foraging on Monday or Tuesday. Can’t wait to see what’s been restocked vs. hoarded. 

[itscarin]

@WinglessOne Honestly I’m worried about the overuse of antibacterial products creating super strains of bacteria. It was a problem before covid19 and I shudder to think what the situation will be afterwards.  

[curlychiquita]

I'm glad you're over the flu, @WinglessOne! I worry about a lot of my friends jobs and well-being, too.

[WinglessOne]

Thank you @curlychiquita ! This season’s flu is especially terrible. I feel for anyone who catches it (especially without having gotten a flu shot; my case was supposedly mild because I’d had the shot) and hope no one catches or re-catches it. 

I hate that people are losing jobs right now. I realize some businesses (travel, restaurant, etc.) can’t get around that now. But there’s no valid reason for industries like tech, communications, banks, etc. to let good employees go right now. Certain companies, like my former employer, will probably add this pandemic to their list of excuses for laying off another huge wave of employees later this year. 😡 I guess we’ll see which industries are begging for new hires by summer. Hopefully enough to support everyone. 

[sprocketta]

Glad to hear you are doing okay @WinglessOne but that stinks about already having the flu last month. I was just thinking I should PM as I've been worried about my Chicago peeps. Stay sane and safe. You've got the right attitude.

[WinglessOne]

Thanks @sprocketta ! Gov. JB finally put Illinois on official lockdown yesterday through April 7, so we’re all under a “stay at home” mandate now. I hope this reduces viral spread—not just of covid-19 but also of flu viruses and pneumonia. 

[eshoe]

@WinglessOne sorry you’ve been cooped up with the flu, happy that it sounds like you’re better now. 

We’ve been under self-quarantine for a little while now and as an introvert, I have no complaints 😂 Living with a family of extroverts however has proven to be the biggest challenge, and I feel for them. 

ok gotta go research those shirts, sounds intriguing;)

[WinglessOne]

@eshoe  @heartsmyface  Heh, I should’ve explained... “Chirish” is a Chicago St. Patrick’s Day thing. St. Pat’s Day is as big a deal in Chicago as Mardi Gras is in New Orleans. We normally have 2 big parades, the Chicago River gets dyed green, and people swarm every bar in the city. 

My Irish (born and raised in Ireland) friends and I call it “Drunk Americans Day,” and each year we gripe about the spectacle of “kiss me I’m Irish” shirts and especially the “Chirish” (Chi-rish, which is supposed to mean Chicago Irish) shirts. Call me jaded but, after decades of dodging throngs of green-shirted drunks on the streets, I’m... not a fan of the post-parade activities. Anyway, St. Pat’s was canceled this year: no parades or river dying. Lots of people still hit bars the weekend before because they didn’t care about catching or spreading viral cooties. But at least they weren’t all stumbling around the streets this year. 😄 

[heartsmyface]

@WinglessOne  Ah gotcha!  Funny it’s a holiday about Christianity coming to Ireland and everyone celebrates by getting wild drunk.  That sounds interesting turning the water green...how long does it stay green afterward?  

Ah, I’m sure they’d change their tune if they actually caught it.  It’s amazing how many people aren’t taking a state of emergency seriously.  The sea wall and the beaches were packed here today and photos are emerging online.  Not good.   The sooner everyone listens and self isolates the sooner this thing will subside. 😕   I love gatherings and themed parties but that can be done online.  We’re having an online party with DJs right now.  No cooties to be caught but lots of socializing for people who really need it.  it’s good fun (and easy on introverts who just need a small dose of social life).

[WinglessOne]

@heartsmyface  Haha, I love this! ❤️ I’ve been doing silly online chats with friends. I’m an extrovert—eh, more like a somewhat introverted extrovert. I loathe isolation. The main reason I refuse to move to the burbs is my need to be around other people. I’m doing surprisingly better than I thought I would, considering I’ve been largely self-quarantined since early February. Things like your online party definitely help.