I won’t be changing anything for at least another month.
My Wife and I each have a good home office space, and are getting work done. Internet is slow, but days are long so it evens out the productivity. Though I’m trying to avoid new projects and just keep things humming along as is.
I suspect that work may open on a sort of voluntary basis with a half staff limit. There are between 2-6 people in our office space at any one time. I suppose they may ask me to be in the office one or two days a week. It will probably be ‘If you want to’ for another month. I work for County Government, and they aren’t going to try to kill us. I just assume work from home anyway.
My job is well suited to work from home. GIS programmer. I’ve been wanting to for years. Although, in a weird tug of war with my self, I don’t want to lose my office space at work.
Now my Wife and I are pretty much home bodies anyway, so we don’t really miss restaurants and such. I don’t go ‘shopping’, so that’s fine too. I fully intend to have a pony tail by the time I go back to work.
Reading through this, I think it’s interesting how people in general seem to want to make their own risk/reward calculations universal truths–I share the impulse. I don’t like movies, rarely go see them, so they are a ridiculous risk. I don’t have any gray yet (thanks, mom) and wear my hair long, so hair salons seem like a silly risk. I avoid the mall under any circumstances, so it’s a preposterous idea. I do, on the other hand, really value a home maintained to a higher standard than I am really capable of keeping it at, so housekeeper? Reasonable risk. I suspect in the end, it doesn’t really matter what you limit, as long as you limit a lot: your total contact with people outside your household should be very, very low, but it doesn’t have to be zero. You can go to the movies once a month and browse the grocery store: I will keep the housekeeper twice a month but do grocery store delivery. That guy over there can wander through a mostly deserted mall and get a haircut, but forgo the things we do.
I haven’t been in a movie theater in years, preferring to stream at home where I can read captions, so it’s likely I’ll never be inside a movie theater again.
I miss going to bars/breweries. Still, I don’t know when I’ll return. Drinking in a bar is all about relaxation, and that won’t be happening in public spaces for awhile.
Agree guys. Different stuff is important to different people. I dislike getting my hair cut anyway. So that’s right out. Shopping? Hah. There really isn’t anything I miss right now. Going out to a restaurant with my Wife once in a while would be nice.
I have hearing problems to Kayaker, so a lot of social interaction in public places can be very hard. If its a loud bar or restaurant, I miss half of what is being said anyway.
I live outside of Detroit and I am working from home. I will not be going back to work on May 18th as my company is planning because I am in a high risk group and my company understands this. I will be studying data and expect if things get better will consider going back into work around June 15th. I do not plan on going to any restaurants or bars for quite some time.
Ah, Montgomery County. They were among the last of the Houston area suburban counties to put up restrictions, so this isn’t surprising.
Not that I was ever likely to move up there, but another reason I despise the Woodlands and everything it represents.
Though I’m guessing ExxonMobil and the other oil companies up there will probably not be ending their work from home policy for at least another few weeks, if not longer, on top of any of the other difficulties they’re all having nw. It’ll be interesting to see when the major corporations (vs local businesses) open their campuses instead of their current work from home setup. That’ll be the true gauge for when things are actually improving or at least at a breaking point economically.
That underlined part, yes. It’s a bit like putting yourself on a “risk budget.”
We aren’t big on movie theaters or malls either, so no sacrifice to give those up. Shopping, though? I think we buy the same amount but in fewer trips, and hopefully that keeps contact down—I’ve been tempted to try Instacart or home delivery but haven’t. We’ve had some carryout, trying to support locals while getting our fix.
Since both of us are working from home, our dry cleaning drop off/pick up has gone to zero. Since we aren’t commuting, we go through a lot less gas, too, which means no poking your head inside to get a snack or whatever.
And I trimmed my own beard yesterday. We have one of those cheapo $20 groomsman type of trimmers with plastic attachments. Kinda cheesy as tools go and I really thought, ‘This won’t go well but I’m willing to go clean shaven if need be, so what do I have to lose?’ Wow, it did a good job! I tipped myself $5.
But cutting my own hair, hmm, let’s don’t get carried away.
I hate the movie theater. As others have said, I need to have the captions on. Also, it’s nice to pause if you need to, or rewind.
I used to walk at the local mall at 7:30 and see (and wave to) the other <ahem> senior citizens. I listen to audiobooks. No one else there at that hour except the cleaners, as stores didn’t open til 10. On Sunday mornings, even the cleaners weren’t there that early-- it was like walking in 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was great-- totally climate controlled. No sidewalks, traffic, mosquitoes, tree branches, stray dogs. Around here, in about a month, it will be almost 80 @ 7 am, and 90% humidity, just tolerable. Walking later in the day is out of the question-- it will be 90+.
I suggest you try it. I’ve had three home deliveries of groceries and it was great.
No kidding. I filled up right before I withdrew from the world, and at this rate, that tank of gas will last me til Christmas.
I can’t remember the last time I went to a movie where I was sitting six feet away from someone else. Perhaps it will be different NOW, in that you couldn’t get me into a theater with wild horses, tow chains, and automatic weapons.
But even assuming I decided I really needed to see whatever comes out next week, let us assume a scenario in which I am sitting at the far left of the theater, and our good pal Thudlow Boink is waaaay over on the right.
Even assuming the theater is mostly empty? We’re going to be in there together for a good couple of hours, possibly with a number of strangers. Since movie theaters are not known for their windows, I am guessing we’re going to be subject to central air ventilation, for heating or cooling or whatever is needed wherever we happen to be.
So for two hours, Thudlow and I are going to be breathing the same air. What’s even more interesting, I don’t know if that system is recycling the air from our theater (probably not) or cycling the air from outdoors, THROUGH SEVERAL OTHER THEATERS, and then venting outside, probably off the roof. Seems unlikely every room has its own inflow and outflow, but I could be wrong. But if air is being vented from theater to theater, the number of folks in MY theater is irrelevant; all it takes is one coughing fool between the inflow point and ME to compromise my safety.
Now, while I mean no disrespect to the esteemed Thudlow Boink, who is, to my knowledge, a good, responsible, and cleanly person, I will say right now that I just don’t wanna see “Trolls World Tour” that bad.
IMHO, quite a few people are idiots and jerks who don’t think the rules apply to them. The only way to stop people from sitting where ever they want is to remove enough seats to physically enforce separation. I think that would be an expense theaters aren’t willing to bear, so they will just cover the seats with signs that nobody will read or even notice.
Yeah, hanging out with friends for a few after work. We really miss that. We are now going into charity ride season, we used to do at least 1 run a month.
This is why I probably won’t return to the gym. I’ll at least wait an extra month and then see (assuming new rules on cleaning and gym behavior) if they’re being followed. If not, I’m doing alright with bodyweight and resistance band work.
I was due for a haircut and coloring when every shut down; I’m going to the salon as soon as it opens up regardless of the risks. If I’m being honest I don’t see myself avoiding any businesses I usually frequent once they reopen. Maybe I’ll skip the gym if they keep the pools and locker-room closed.
I’ve never gone to a gym. A woman I know who is a personal trainer, and is out of work, was telling me (via text) about how claustrophobic her mask makes her feel. She said that’s why she could never wear an O2 deprivation mask as part of her workout. WTF? People deprive themselves of oxygen artificially to work out?
It’s an attempt to simulate altitude training. It doesn’t work, it’s the living at altitude that produces the adaptations. Hence the current “live high, train low”. There are a few athletes that actually have low pressure houses.
I’m torn on when to go back to my local game store. On one hand, sitting a couple of feet across from someone in a room with like thirty people in it. On the other hand, it’s an independent place that I’ve gone to for a long time, and they need my money.
I think the big mistake we’re making - citizens, media, policymakers alike - is looking at the calendar. It’s not the calendar that dictates whether we should feel confident about a gradual reopening. We can’t say “We’re going to open by June 1.”
What matters is what restaurants, employers, and others intend to do once they open. COVID isn’t going to disappear in June, or July, or August. It’s out there, and probably less than 5% of the population has been exposed to it, and it’s not clear even if there’s widespread immunity among those who’ve been exposed.
I know people want to work again and get back to normal. I personally do intend to start going out more, taking occasional walks in a park, and going to the supermarkets more often. In fact, I think supermarkets in my area actually seem to be getting it and I’d feel pretty confident shopping relatively soon - even now. Restaurants, barber shops, and other businesses - my own employer included - give me doubts. I miss my routine of going to one of several local bars on Friday afternoon. I don’t miss it enough to end up on a ventilator. Ditto my job. If my employer wants to shit can me for refusing to come back, free to do so. I won’t like it and I’ll miss it, but I won’t miss it enough to end up eating through a tube.
I imagine I’ll actually go to restaurants once they open back up. No one in my household is in a high risk category and we literally don’t interact with anyone outside the house. I don’t want to catch the virus, of course, but I expect we’d have no issue with it and I’m sure the local restaurant owners would appreciate the business.
I live in Texas and the 25% rule goes into effect tomorrow (50% in some counties). I doubt many restaurants will open their tables at that small a ratio, but some probably will.
Even though I don’t see it reflected on Twitter or most internet boards, I’ve seen quite a bit of change of opinion on my social media and from my work colleagues in just the last week. With the virus not going away anytime soon, vaccines likely years away, and antibody tests of dubious value, folks who aren’t in a high risk group or interact with a high risk group seem to be ready to bite the bullet.
