As in the title, what happened in your life or part of the world that renewed your hope/optimism/positive feelings?
I started a two phase move yesterday for an elderly couple who can no longer maintain their large home. In the course of events for the day it came out that they are ardently opposed to (their words) “that scum who occupies the oval office right now”
Ain’t gonna lie. I knew the state I live in is conservative, but the past few years and 2020 especially has opened my eyes to how bad this place truly is. It’s been rather, disheartening. These folks helped me to realize that not everybody is dumber than shit in this state and lifted my spirits a bit.
I haven’t had a nursing home gig since the first week in March. I was starting to wonder if I would ever play one again, and even if I did, which of the familiar faces would be missing.
Yesterday I got an email from one of the homes, inviting me to play outside in their courtyard. And, informing me that they haven’t had a single case of COVID since Day One! Boy, did that bring a smile.
A local grocery chain packs their scratch and dent dry grocery items into banana boxes which they then wrap and sell for $10. Unlabeled or dented cans, the sauce jar with the label half off, the opened cases of bottled water, whatever can’t be sold as is. Unsure if the damaged packaging is unsuitable for food pantries. Typical value is around $25-30. We buy them when available and what we can see is of interest. Usually they lay a cereal box or two across the top so it is hard to see what is underneath. The food we can’t, or won’t timely use is given to the daycare run by a friend. There haven’t been any of these boxes available since the start of the year.
TBH, and no offense to anyone in this thread already, I’d suggest that those who can’t answer the OP seriously refrain from popping in just to say “nothing, all is doom and despair.” It’s not threadshitting, not really, but it actively works against the thread’s entire purpose.
Thelma, Gato et al, sometimes it’s hard, I know. I have roots and commitments and responsibilities that keep me here. I’ve seriously considered just sayin farg it and moving anyway. But sometimes there is a light in the dim. However feeble and flickering it may be.
Maybe I can help. Y’all are above ground and healthy enough to post here.
Thelma, you have wisdom, experience, and I’ve always been impressed with you.
Gatopescado, Dude! Great name and you’re one of the ones I watch, you always have something interesting to say.
Panache, any photos? Great astronomical observations? Photos of great astronomical observations? You’re another of those I take interest in what you say.
Baker, job or just screen name? I know I should know this, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen you explain it in one of those “whats yer name mean” threads but damn if it hasn’t been a while since we’ve had one of those. So, no waking up early, realizing it’s your day off work and just lazily drifting back to sleep? No surprise savings at the grocery store? No killer cup of coffee/tea/chocolate from the place down at the corner? Nothing at all no matter how small?
So tptb discovered TCE in the water table under my building, good news is the cement slab has protected us from the vapors. NTL a vapor extraction system is being installed. I feel so much better that they’ve been monitoring this situation for decades but now it’s time to act.
Other good news- Kelly Stafford wife of Lions QB admits she was wrong about Colin Kaepernick kneeling.
Aye, I had my roof done a few years ago. Called five different roofers, only one bothered calling back. Said he could have it done in a day for $1200.00(we didn’t have the old roof removed) showed up at 800 am, left at 500 pm easy peasy pretty and clean, not so much as a stray anything left laying about. Cut him a check for $1200.00. it is indeed a happy thing when a project like that goes as planned
So, to understand the following link, you need to know:
This is from the middle of the recent covid spike in Victoria
Dan Andrews is the current Premier of the state(US equivalent - Governor, more or less) and is of the Labor party. He’s faced significant criticism for the fact there was a covid spike at all.
Mike Baird is a former President of NSW and is of the Liberal party - ie, the opposite mob, the party of the right
He wrote a Facebook post about the situation that has warmed a lot of people’s hearts
To the immune system, not all germs are equally memorable. But our body’s cells seem to be seriously studying up on the coronavirus.
Scientists who have been monitoring immune responses to the virus are now starting to see encouraging signs of strong, lasting immunity, even in people who developed only mild symptoms of Covid-19, a flurry of newstudiessuggests. Disease-fighting antibodies, as well as immune cells called B cells and T cells that are capable of recognizing the virus, appear to persist months after infections have resolved — an encouraging echo of the body’s enduring response to other viruses.
“Things are really working as they’re supposed to,” said Deepta Bhattacharya, an immunologist at the University of Arizona and an author on one of the new studies, which has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Although researchers cannot forecast how long these immune responses will last, many experts consider the data a welcome indication that the body’s most studious cells are doing their job — and will have a good chance of fending off the coronavirus, faster and more fervently than before, if exposed to it again.
“This is exactly what you would hope for,” said Marion Pepper, an immunologist at the University of Washington and an author on another of the new studies, which is currently under review at the journal Nature. “All the pieces are there to have a totally protective immune response.”
…
Not riotously great news, but cause for some hope…
… … … 
