Small Talk: The Polygamous Cul-de-Sac

[suomi]

One of my favorite things is looking at homes online. 

The first link is a gallery slideshow - and I know some people don't like clicking so the second link is her blog. I could happily move into this place ASAP after selling all the things I "have" but don't "need." Serenity now!

"A family of 3 lives in a nearly 100-year-old tiny house that has a mini garden"

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/home-and-garden/a-family-of-3-lives-in-a-nearly-100-year-old-tiny-house-that-has-a-mini-garden/ss-BB14CVji?li=BBnb7Kz#image=1

https://www.tinycanalcottage.com/

[laurakaye]

Ooh, tiny houses.  ❤️

I could happily live in a tiny house.  I think they are the adult version of the blanket forts I used to hang out in as a kid.

My husband's dream is to build us a container home.  I was like - why am I gonna live in a shipping container?  Then I started looking at pictures online and now I'm all - when are we gonna move?!

[deirdra]

I love watching the Tiny House programs on HGTV, but they aren't on now in my area, so I'm watching shows about Floating Homes instead. I love geometry, so I like how inventive they are about using every cubic inch of space.  I recently downsized into an apartment half the size of my house and use the same principles.  I prefer a tiny space all on one level to climbing into lofts or down into the hold.

[Kohola3]

I admit that I would go stark raving mad in a tiny house.  The thought of sleeping in a loft with the ceiling 6 inches above my head makes me cringe.  And trying to wash dishes in a sink the size of a saucepan.  And only having room in one tiny drawer for cooking utensils.  And paring down my wardrobe (which is small already) to two tops and two bottoms and a pair of shoes.

Nope, not for me.

[xwordfanatik]

42 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

I admit that I would go stark raving mad in a tiny house.  The thought of sleeping in a loft with the ceiling 6 inches above my head makes me cringe.  And trying to wash dishes in a sink the size of a saucepan.  And only having room in one tiny drawer for cooking utensils.  And paring down my wardrobe (which is small already) to two tops and two bottoms and a pair of shoes.

Nope, not for me.

Same.  Too much downsizing for me would not work.  I don't think I could get rid of enough stuff to live in a tiny house.  Fine as a vacation home (if I could ever afford such!) but not more than that.

[Kohola3]

10 minutes ago, xwordfanatik said:

Fine as a vacation home (if I could ever afford such!) but not more than that.

Our little vacation cottage was 300 square feet and we did fine for summer days but no way in heck I'd live there.  Every single item inside had to do double duty since there was virtually no storage.  Heck, I had to use an old soup spoon to mix cement one time!

[Sandy W]

I think that climate would dictate the feasibility of the tiny house concept.  If you live in a zone that a large part of the day could be spent outdoors, it could work.  But if like me, you live in an area where even spring and summer days are prone to biting insects and humidity, it would put a damper on activities.  Entertaining friends and family would not work if everyone had to remain indoors.

[DakotaJustice]

2 hours ago, laurakaye said:

Ooh, tiny houses.  ❤️

I could happily live in a tiny house.  I think they are the adult version of the blanket forts I used to hang out in as a kid.

My husband's dream is to build us a container home.  I was like - why am I gonna live in a shipping container?  Then I started looking at pictures online and now I'm all - when are we gonna move?!

Tiny houses reminds me of the homes Laura Ingalls Wilder lived in. 

There's an entertaining book called The Wilder Life where the author tours the LIW homesites. The Plum Creek dugout was "smaller than a freight elevator" and the Surveyor's House in DeSmet is about the size of a garage. 

 Doing the tour with a culmination at Rocky Ridge Farm (I understand that they built the farmhouse with their own height in mind so everything is smaller - Laura was under 5 feet tall and Almanzo wasnt much taller) is on my bucket list.

[Yeah No]

5 hours ago, xwordfanatik said:

Same.  Too much downsizing for me would not work.  I don't think I could get rid of enough stuff to live in a tiny house.  Fine as a vacation home (if I could ever afford such!) but not more than that.

Same for me.  My bookcases alone would need more space than an entire tiny house could provide.  Same for my cooking equipment.  Nope, sorry, no can do.  We were OK in our 600 square foot apartment for a few years, but at least that was temporary and it came with a large basement storage room.  I did amazing things in a kitchen so small it had zero counter space.  I used the flat top electric stove when I needed to chop vegetables.  We live in 1500 square feet now and that's just fine other than there not being enough closet space.  But we have a huge oversized 2 car garage lined with those great heavy duty Costco shelves for storage.

Plus, both of us need our private, personal space.  In a 3 bedroom house we each use one bedroom as our own personal office.  We would probably get on each other's nerves too much if we didn't have that private space.  I don't think we would be celebrating our 40th anniversary next month if we didn't have that!

[suomi]

Has anyone else's online weather been inaccurate recently? Mine has been way off the mark for at least a couple months, I began to notice it when I was tracking the last of our snow storms. It would be snowing like hell and the "current" or "updated 7 minutes ago" temp would be 58.

The default site on my phone and my PC (weather dot com) is always off by 10-15 or even 20 degrees.

The reporting locations are various points around town, ranging from the airport to the university campus to the ranger station. I can change the stations on some sites and get temps with a 2 or 3 degree variation so that makes sense - but right now weather dot com (which belongs to the Weather Channel) has me at 61, wunderground says 74 and accuweather tells me it's 81. (There are a few more sites that are saying 80-84). 

I don't have AC so if it was 61 or even 74 I wouldn't be sittin' here with all the lights off, the fan on max and a cold towel around my neck! 

Edited May 28, 2020 by suomi

[TurtlePower]

12 hours ago, suomi said:

Has anyone else's online weather been inaccurate recently? Mine has been way off the mark for at least a couple months, I began to notice it when I was tracking the last of our snow storms. It would be snowing like hell and the "current" or "updated 7 minutes ago" temp would be 58.

The default site on my phone and my PC (weather dot com) is always off by 10-15 or even 20 degrees.

The reporting locations are various points around town, ranging from the airport to the university campus to the ranger station. I can change the stations on some sites and get temps with a 2 or 3 degree variation so that makes sense - but right now weather dot com (which belongs to the Weather Channel) has me at 61, wunderground says 74 and accuweather tells me it's 81. (There are a few more sites that are saying 80-84). 

I don't have AC so if it was 61 or even 74 I wouldn't be sittin' here with all the lights off, the fan on max and a cold towel around my neck! 

No problems with temp accuracy but I’m in southern NM. It may vary by 1 or 2 degrees of 90s or 100s. 

Biggest problem I have is the precipitation chances—the apps will say 10% and it’ll downpour.  And on the opposite end of the spectrum, they’ll say 80% and it’s blue skies. I don’t rely on the apps for rain chances. 

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

I always find it funny when the weather person says its a 80% chance of rain and then nothing, yet when they call for 10% the sky opens up. To have a job and be wrong a lot and not get fired must be nice  🙂 

[Kohola3]

The closest NOAA weather office is almost 2 hours away and the closest date collection station so almost an hour so I never expect anything accurate.  Plus I love on the Lake Huron shore and we produce our own weather!

Just now, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

I always find it funny when the weather person says its a 80% chance of rain and then nothing, yet when they call for 10% the sky opens up. 

In defense of that kind of reporting, 80% doesn't mean an 80% chance of rain for everyone. It means that 80% of their reporting area will experience rain.  My sister is a meteorologist.

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

14 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

 

In defense of that kind of reporting, 80% doesn't mean an 80% chance of rain for everyone. It means that 80% of their reporting area will experience rain.  My sister is a meteorologist.

That may be true for some areas, but when "their" reporting area is 3 miles from my house, I find it amusing.

[Kyanight]

I read that the reason the weather predictions are somewhat "iffy" right now is due to the huge reduction in commercial flights.   I just googled it - here are the results and you can choose which site you find most reputable.  Interesting stuff!

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=less+commercial+flights+means+weather+prediction+difficulties&oq=less+commercial+flights+means+weather+prediction+difficulties&aqs=chrome..69i57.22134j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[Kohola3]

11 minutes ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

That may be true for some areas, but when "their" reporting area is 3 miles from my house, I find it amusing.

If it's a local reporter they may be getting their info from a NOAA facility that covers a hundred square miles or more.  A lot of TV reporters are not meteorologists, they just report out forecasts gleaned from other sources.  The closest TV station reporting out my weather is 100 miles from me so I never expect anything useful from them. I watch the NOAA site online.

[Meowwww]

Weatherbug has been inaccurate for a year or so now.  At least for the 10 day forecast.  Accuweather (these are all apps) has been much more reliable. 
We have a backyard weather station.  Weatherbug also relies on weather stations, at least here, somewhat.  If the sun happens to hit our weather station, it shows way warmer than it actually is. 
 

[Teafortwo]

On 5/25/2020 at 11:10 PM, Yeah No said:

Anyway, if you have any kind of advice for me in my situation, do share as I really need some from someone that understands my situation right now.

I did read about your father's death and your additional struggles and I really feel for you and your husband. I also read the piece you posted about your dad and I felt you conveyed the flavor and detail of a uniquely interesting life and person. Unfortunately, I really don't have any advice about the apartment situation. My building is smaller and we have our own problems - I can relate to a bad board and sheeple residents. I know of other horror stories too like where my uncle lives, the younger owners on the board tried to defraud the older shareholders. I can't even remember the details but it was internecine and interminable. It is horrible to fight with anyone but especially one's neighbors. Sartre said "Hell is other people."

I guess if I were in your shoes I would just try to unload it and hope for the best. If you have a good realtor they can get the job done. Most likely it would appeal to a flipper who does their own work, is willing to rehab it and hold it if necessary til prices improve. There are definitely buyers out there looking for deals. I don't know if you have a mortgage to pay off but if not, it sounds like just unloading it would be the best option. Again if I were you, I wouldn't go down there myself - if I could afford it I would hire a company to pack up everything and get a Pod (driveway storage container) and that way you can sort through it. Leave the furniture behind except for any pieces with sentimental value and get 1-800-Got-Junk or similar to pick it up. Or hire someone to sell the furniture for you and pay them a bulk of the profits. Or you know, you could always pull a Kody and park two moving trucks butt to butt in front of your house. (please post a picture here if you do that lol I crack myself up!)

Edited May 29, 2020 by Teafortwo
ETA: I am not trying to make light of your situation with that joke at the end

[Teafortwo]

On 5/26/2020 at 11:45 AM, laurakaye said:

I cannot count the stupid, impulsive purchases I have made at the grocery store since March.  It's a combination of just wanting to get my stuff and get out of there, stress-eating new things because why not (this is how I ended up with a very large bag of white cheddar popcorn that my family of three could not even finish in a week so the remainder went to the squirrels), buying stupid things that cost too much like candles because gosh darn it, I like candles, and why shouldn't I treat myself, after all - it's not like I can go to Yankee Candle and smell stuff anymore! - and buying lots of fresh fruit thinking I am going to make delicious things and then being too tired/stressed/over it to bother...which is so Janelle-like, I scare myself sometimes.

Not that this is a competition, but I can top or at least match this. When I was still staying at the beach in late March, the last time I went inside the sole grocery store on the island (in South Jersey) I was able to snag the last paper towels - a 6 pack! - and some Tylenol. Had just read that Advil had had harmful effects on some people with Covid.

Well, the cashier at the check out started coughing without covering his mouth (said it was allergies). I had already paid for everything but they had a new rule where we packed our own groceries so I was still standing right near him, trying to throw everything into the bags as fast as possible. When I got home I realized that I had left the 6-pack and the Tylenol behind in my rush to get out of there. I didn't bother calling the store because I felt they were too swamped and anyway I did not want to go back in there. After that I did instacart pickups until I came home to NYC, where I get instacart delivered because I likely won't find a parking space again if I use the car. Alternate side is suspended and people have started to return to my neighborhood so there aren't too many spots. Besides, the car is now quite a distance away and I can't face the scary crowds of runners, bikers, pedestrians etc who don't wear masks, or wear them around their necks, or just around their mouths with their noses exposed.

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, Teafortwo said:

I did read about your father's death and your additional struggles and I really feel for you and your husband. I also read the piece you posted about your dad and I felt you conveyed the flavor and detail of a uniquely interesting life and person. Unfortunately, I really don't have any advice about the apartment situation. My building is smaller and we have our own problems - I can relate to a bad board and sheeple residents. I know of other horror stories too like where my uncle lives, the younger owners on the board tried to defraud the older shareholders. I can't even remember the details but it was internecine and interminable. It is horrible to fight with anyone but especially one's neighbors. Sartre said "Hell is other people."

I guess if I were in your shoes I would just try to unload it and hope for the best. If you have a good realtor they can get the job done. Most likely it would appeal to a flipper who does their own work, is willing to rehab it and hold it if necessary til prices improve. There are definitely buyers out there looking for deals. I don't know if you have a mortgage to pay off but if not, it sounds like just unloading it would be the best option. Again if I were you, I wouldn't go down there myself - if I could afford it I would hire a company to pack up everything and get a Pod (driveway storage container) and that way you can sort through it. Leave the furniture behind except for any pieces with sentimental value and get 1-800-Got-Junk or similar to pick it up. Or hire someone to sell the furniture for you and pay them a bulk of the profits. Or you know, you could always pull a Kody and park two moving trucks butt to butt in front of your house. (please post a picture here if you do that lol I crack myself up!)

Tea, actually the advice you did give here is worth more than you think it is.  I've been wanting to get rid of the place and agonizing about how to accomplish clearing it out and doing all of that now that we have a pandemic.  I'm just afraid that the management company is going to be against anything I can realistically do to unload it and I'll be stuck with the place and need a lawyer to deal with them, hopefully before I go broke.

The problem with a pod or a storage room is dealing with THAT and paying for it too.  It would take a lot out of me physically to handle all the stuff if it were all mixed up in a pod or in random boxes.  Most of what is left is junk or not worth anything to me so it's just a matter of getting the stuff I want out and leaving the rest.  Unfortunately doing that when the stuff is packed away in a pod or storage room would be 10x more difficult than going through the apartment itself because I already know what I've looked through and what I haven't looked through when the stuff is still in the apartment where it has been forever.  Taking it all out and putting it in boxes would make it infinitely more time consuming, especially because of the huge amount of books, most of which are heavy and hard to deal with.  If I were even 20 years younger it would be a lot easier to do all this.  Plus we have no room for a pod without wrecking up our lawn or blocking our driveway.  It's a dilemma.  We can't even put a shed on this property - hard to explain without seeing it.  So I am left contemplating just when and how to go down there and accomplish this without feeling unsafe.  I can't handle thinking about doing it either way, actually.  Both options present their own issues.

Fortunately I don't want any of the furniture and most of the stuff as it's not worth anything, it's just looking for little bits of treasure amid the trash.  You know, photos, books, records, tapes, mementos, etc.  Because I've already gotten most of that stuff out it would probably only take me a few trips to go through the entire apartment and then be ready to leave the rest for some organization to pick up, like the "got junk" people.  It's unbelievable to me that even doing a few trips there feels like such a big deal.  I always end up feeling like I have to risk my life to do anything.  I always said that apartment would be the death of me.  I am afraid that statement was another one of my unwitting prophecies.  I have been known to be prophetic before, and it actually scares me.

Everyone here has been very patient with me as I go on about this, and I truly appreciate it more than I can express.  I have had the most rotten luck in my life.  I've done everything everyone else has but consistently have had one piece of rotten luck and tsunami after another in the last decade - It has really done a number on my optimism about the future.  I am fully convinced at this point that my husband and I are doomed to get this virus and die from it or if not, suffer bad medical issues from it and also be destitute in our old age.  People tell me to be more optimistic but I don't see myself as being a pessimist when every single worst case scenario seems to come true for us no matter how optimistic I am.  My husband tends to be more optimistic than I am but even he is showing signs of not being able to keep that up now.  We have just been through too many disasters.  Both of us wake up every morning and share the nightmares we had the night before.  At this point he is afraid he'll never work again or feel safe to work again.  I have always been a strong person emotionally but I fear that I am getting to the end of my rope.  I don't know how much more of this I can handle.  You know it's bad when your THERAPIST tells you that you've had a very tragic life, and that was even BEFORE the pandemic hit or my father died!

Anyway, your advice is most appreciated and I will be thinking it over with my husband.  Many thanks and (((hugs)))!

[Kyanight]

10 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Tea, actually the advice you did give here is worth more than you think it is.  I've been wanting to get rid of the place and agonizing about how to accomplish clearing it out and doing all of that now that we have a pandemic.  I'm just afraid that the management company is going to be against anything I can realistically do to unload it and I'll be stuck with the place and need a lawyer to deal with them, hopefully before I go broke.

The problem with a pod or a storage room is dealing with THAT and paying for it too.  It would take a lot out of me physically to handle all the stuff if it were all mixed up in a pod or in random boxes.  Most of what is left is junk or not worth anything to me so it's just a matter of getting the stuff I want out and leaving the rest.  Unfortunately doing that when the stuff is packed away in a pod or storage room would be 10x more difficult than going through the apartment itself because I already know what I've looked through and what I haven't looked through when the stuff is still in the apartment where it has been forever.  Taking it all out and putting it in boxes would make it infinitely more time consuming, especially because of the huge amount of books, most of which are heavy and hard to deal with.  If I were even 20 years younger it would be a lot easier to do all this.  Plus we have no room for a pod without wrecking up our lawn or blocking our driveway.  It's a dilemma.  We can't even put a shed on this property - hard to explain without seeing it.  So I am left contemplating just when and how to go down there and accomplish this without feeling unsafe.  I can't handle thinking about doing it either way, actually.  Both options present their own issues.

Fortunately I don't want any of the furniture and most of the stuff as it's not worth anything, it's just looking for little bits of treasure amid the trash.  You know, photos, books, records, tapes, mementos, etc.  Because I've already gotten most of that stuff out it would probably only take me a few trips to go through the entire apartment and then be ready to leave the rest for some organization to pick up, like the "got junk" people.  It's unbelievable to me that even doing a few trips there feels like such a big deal.  I always end up feeling like I have to risk my life to do anything.  I always said that apartment would be the death of me.  I am afraid that statement was another one of my unwitting prophecies.  I have been known to be prophetic before, and it actually scares me.

Everyone here has been very patient with me as I go on about this, and I truly appreciate it more than I can express.  I have had the most rotten luck in my life.  I've done everything everyone else has but consistently have had one piece of rotten luck and tsunami after another in the last decade - It has really done a number on my optimism about the future.  I am fully convinced at this point that my husband and I are doomed to get this virus and die from it or if not, suffer bad medical issues from it and also be destitute in our old age.  People tell me to be more optimistic but I don't see myself as being a pessimist when every single worst case scenario seems to come true for us no matter how optimistic I am.  My husband tends to be more optimistic than I am but even he is showing signs of not being able to keep that up now.  We have just been through too many disasters.  Both of us wake up every morning and share the nightmares we had the night before.  At this point he is afraid he'll never work again or feel safe to work again.  I have always been a strong person emotionally but I fear that I am getting to the end of my rope.  I don't know how much more of this I can handle.  You know it's bad when your THERAPIST tells you that you've had a very tragic life, and that was even BEFORE the pandemic hit or my father died!

Anyway, your advice is most appreciated and I will be thinking it over with my husband.  Many thanks and (((hugs)))!

I want to send you a big old bear hug, but clicking on the heart at the bottom of your post just doesn't seem enough.   I'm in tears.  I never forget you in my prayers, but I honestly don't really understand how prayer works because life's shit just seems to happen regardless.  I honestly hope things will turn around for you and your husband!

Poke me with a fork.  I'm just done with this pandemic and it's effect on all of us.

[Yeah No]

13 hours ago, Meowwww said:

Weatherbug has been inaccurate for a year or so now.  At least for the 10 day forecast.  Accuweather (these are all apps) has been much more reliable. 
We have a backyard weather station.  Weatherbug also relies on weather stations, at least here, somewhat.  If the sun happens to hit our weather station, it shows way warmer than it actually is. 
 

I have noticed this myself.  I have been complaining to friends about this and so far no one has noticed it but me - finally someone gets it!  All of my weather apps, including local TV stations and Weather.com have been much less accurate for the past year or so than they used to be.  I only use Accuweather now.  It's not perfect but it's a lot more accurate than anything else, even NOAA. One would think with all the new technology they would be more accurate, not less.  What I hate is when they predict a lovely day and then after it's already started raining they change the forecast at the last minute.  Like duh, at that point I don't need them to tell me that!  I wonder what the problem is.  A friend of mine is a weather buff.  I might ask him for his take on it.  He is actually more accurate than any weather app but he's never divulged his secrets, LOL.

[Yeah No]

7 minutes ago, Kyanight said:

I want to send you a big old bear hug, but clicking on the heart at the bottom of your post just doesn't seem enough.   I'm in tears.  I never forget you in my prayers, but I honestly don't really understand how prayer works because life's shit just seems to happen regardless.  I honestly hope things will turn around for you and your husband!

Poke me with a fork.  I'm just done with this pandemic and it's effect on all of us.

Awwww, thank you Kyan, I pray for you too. 🙏  I wanted to hit the heart plus the "sad" emoticon at the same time on your post.  The older I get the more I don't understand prayer either.  I was always the most positive "God will protect us" person.  I had the answer to the problem of evil all sewn up, and it is a beautiful answer, but knowing that doesn't really help when you're overwhelmed by your problems and can't appreciate the big picture.  As the numbers go down I can only pray that the latest comments by Dr. Fauci that a second wave is not inevitable might be a cause for hope for all of us.  But I also think the news from Minneapolis lately is particularly depressing.  I am angry and sad at the way people are treating each other.  This isn't the world I once knew.  It was never a paradise by a long stretch but it's really going in the wrong direction right now.

[Teafortwo]

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

Anyway, your advice is most appreciated and I will be thinking it over with my husband.  Many thanks and (((hugs)))!

Glad if I helped. I am in a very dark place often, too. I try to stay positive but it's hard.  People who are normally strong emotionally are having a very hard time now - and even in normal times, I am not that strong. It is collective trauma. Plus, I did all this stuff to get the work from home contact tracer job, submitted voluminous paperwork/background checks etc, took a full day training course online for certification - only to be told that the jobs now available require interviewing sick people IN THEIR RESIDENCES. The hiring manager said "with the safe PPE" which for some reason really irritated me. I mean I'm scared just to go outside. I had to tell her twice that I am in a higher risk group so I can't do that. (Plus she did a video interview with me. I guess she forgot I am an older woman.)

 

[Kyanight]

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

But I also think the news from Minneapolis lately is particularly depressing.  I am angry and sad at the way people are treating each other.  This isn't the world I once knew.  It was never a paradise by a long stretch but it's really going in the wrong direction right now.

Oh yes!  I was reading more about this when I got up this morning (you are bombarded by social media) and my heart just hurts.  I think tensions were already so high with Covid and jobs lost and stress and worry that things went beyond a boiling point.  There DEFINITELY has to be changes in America - in more ways than one.

I just hope that more INNOCENT people aren't hurt or killed.  A man may commit a crime, but that doesn't mean his wife and kids need to tortured, harassed, threatened or killed.  And that goes for any man who commits ANY crime.   Children aren't responsible for their parents' choices and actions.   I also feel badly for business owners who are already reeling from the consequences of the pandemic and now face total loss from destruction, through no fault of their own.  Yes insurance might cover the losses, but chances are they will not start over again.  I don't know that I would.

Also - my dad always told me that all of the bullies when he was growing up became cops.  They wanted that feeling of power and control over others.  Don't get me wrong - my KINDEST, most THOUGHTFUL and generous, GOOD-HEARTED son wanted to become a policeman and still says he might consider that profession.   There are TONS of good apples (policemen) and I believe only a small percentage who, either through fear or anger, take things too far.  But it has to stop.  HAS.TO.STOP.

Edited May 29, 2020 by Kyanight

[Kyanight]

[Kyanight]

https://coloradotimesrecorder.com/2020/05/denver-police-use-tear-gas-rubber-bullets-in-clash-with-protesters-at-colo-capitol/24571/?fbclid=IwAR1b75JO6a279xQ4OX1fKM-tL9AT8M12o8m_ksvFz-s9nildGInns6Qbt-g

 

Meanwhile in Colorado.....  I guess I will just hole up in my basement.  

[TurtlePower]

4 hours ago, Kyanight said:

Oh yes!  I was reading more about this when I got up this morning (you are bombarded by social media) and my heart just hurts.  I think tensions were already so high with Covid and jobs lost and stress and worry that things went beyond a boiling point.  There DEFINITELY has to be changes in America - in more ways than one.

I just hope that more INNOCENT people aren't hurt or killed.  A man may commit a crime, but that doesn't mean his wife and kids need to tortured, harassed, threatened or killed.  And that goes for any man who commits ANY crime.   Children aren't responsible for their parents' choices and actions.   I also feel badly for business owners who are already reeling from the consequences of the pandemic and now face total loss from destruction, through no fault of their own.  Yes insurance might cover the losses, but chances are they will not start over again.  I don't know that I would.

Also - my dad always told me that all of the bullies when he was growing up became cops.  They wanted that feeling of power and control over others.  Don't get me wrong - my KINDEST, most THOUGHTFUL and generous, GOOD-HEARTED son wanted to become a policeman and still says he might consider that profession.   There are TONS of good apples (policemen) and I believe only a small percentage who, either through fear or anger, take things too far.  But it has to stop.  HAS.TO.STOP.

For sure. Some bullies do become cops, it makes it easier for them to have that control over others. I may have mentioned it before, but we worked with a guy like that and we all hated him. He tried to jack up one of our flight medics on a traffic stop because he wanted to get into a use of force. He didn't realize who he was jacking up and received a complaint.

He wanted to use force so badly on SOMETHING, he pepper sprayed another officer's dog. I could see him killing someone like that officer in Minneapolis and even spoke up about it. He's no longer a cop, thank goodness (he was run out of the agency). I avoided him at all costs on shifts because I did not want to have to de-escalate shit he created by being an asshole. 

[Teafortwo]

4 hours ago, Kyanight said:

https://coloradotimesrecorder.com/2020/05/denver-police-use-tear-gas-rubber-bullets-in-clash-with-protesters-at-colo-capitol/24571/?fbclid=IwAR1b75JO6a279xQ4OX1fKM-tL9AT8M12o8m_ksvFz-s9nildGInns6Qbt-g

 

Meanwhile in Colorado.....  I guess I will just hole up in my basement.  

Primetimer is going to need a broken heart emoji. 

[AZChristian]

I had to leave the house for a medical appointment earlier this afternoon.  My jaw dropped while driving down a main street - there was a realtor's sign that said "Open House."

I'm still wearing a mask and maintaining distances whenever I go anyplace other than from one room of my house to another.  I would NOT right now:

• Go into someone else's home, not knowing whether they maintained a sanitary environment.
• Allow strangers to wander through my home, not knowing who they might have been exposed to within the last couple of weeks.

Anyone else?

[Sandy W]

3 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

I had to leave the house for a medical appointment earlier this afternoon.  My jaw dropped while driving down a main street - there was a realtor's sign that said "Open House."

I'm still wearing a mask and maintaining distances whenever I go anyplace other than from one room of my house to another.  I would NOT right now:

• Go into someone else's home, not knowing whether they maintained a sanitary environment.
• Allow strangers to wander through my home, not knowing who they might have been exposed to within the last couple of weeks.

Anyone else?

If I was interested, I would go in, but only by exclusive appointment and only if the house was vacant.  Even then, I would be wearing plastic gloves in case I grabbed a doorknob or light switch without thinking.  I would also wear a mask, because unlike Janelle, some realtors actually get off their duff and show you around the house.

 

[Meowwww]

Here in the Twin Cities metro area, it’s been sad and scary.  A man lost his life to police brutality, and the protestors rioted. Target stores, looted.  It’s unbelievable.  
The Target by my work in sleepy little affluent Stillwater MN closed tonight around 4.  Kicked out all the shoppers, you should have seen the boards of cars leaving, all in a hurry.  No protests here, yet, but Target closing was a hard dose of reality. 

[Rabbit Hutch]

35 minutes ago, Sandy W said:

If I was interested, I would go in, but only by exclusive appointment and only if the house was vacant.  Even then, I would be wearing plastic gloves in case I grabbed a doorknob or light switch without thinking.  I would also wear a mask, because unlike Janelle, some realtors actually get off their duff and show you around the house.

 

Yeah, as one who is currently looking for a house I would go in wearing gloves and a mask, trying to remember not to touch anything.  I'd  rather tour vacant ones, though.  It's easier all the way round for me.

[CalicoKitty]

I have my house on the market right now.  I have told my realtor that all shoes stay outside, and the real estate rules state everyone must wear a mask and gloves.  I even leave paper masks by the door.  Then when I come back I spray the counters and disinfect all the door knobs and light switches.  According to the "rules" only the realtor and two other people at a time inside, and they must be from the same home.   I'm not sure realtors are allowed to hold open houses.

[suomi]

Spread the word if this pertains to someone you know because many people (like my sister) are still waiting for their stimulus money and this method was implemented without being announced ahead of time. 

Quote

May 28, 2020

People are mistaking stimulus payments for junk mail or a scam

Millions of taxpayers are getting their stimulus payment on a debit card. But it’s causing a lot of confusion.

The IRS has to explain, yet again, a glitch in issuing stimulus payments.

To help speed the delivery of up to $1,200 in economic impact payments to individuals made available under the $2 trillion  Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (Cares) Act, the Treasury Department last week began mailing prepaid debit cards to 4 million Americans.

The cards, issued by Treasury’s financial agent, MetaBank, were intended to speed the process of getting out the payments. Tens of millions of others have received their money by direct deposit, check or the Direct Express prepaid debit cards used to deliver Social Security payments and other federal benefits.

Here’s the problem. Like so many other glitches that have plagued the distribution of the stimulus payments, communication has been confusing and conflicting. The debit card is arriving in a plain envelope that doesn’t indicate it’s coming from the federal government.

Included in the letter is information indicating that the debit card is being sent on behalf of the Treasury Department in place of a paper check.

But some taxpayers still thought it was a scam or junk mail, which may have prompted the IRS to issue a release Wednesday explaining the prepaid debit cards.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/05/28/people-are-mistaking-stimulus-payments-junk-mail-or-scam/

What about ATM or transfer fees and ATM daily limits? Interesting. 

Edited May 30, 2020 by suomi
deleted inches of empty space

[Irate Panda]

7 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

This may be a controversial opinion but those videos of rich white women freaking out about a black man in Central Park or one entering their building even though he says he lives there are the product of the invasion and take over of NYC by rich privileged white people who come to live there from other places, usually the all white affluent suburbs.  No white person I know who grew up in NYC, whether rich or not would EVER act that way.  These freaked out women are people that have lived in a privileged "white bubble" all of their lives and don't know how to distinguish a harmless black person from one that might cause them harm.  White people that grow up in NY have the "street smarts" to be able to NOT assume that anyone is a threat just based on their skin color.  Growing up in NYC teaches you that. 

These young, rich white people grow up in a sheltered, prejudiced bubble away from the city and bring their prejudices with them to NY.  They also make it bad for all white people because social justice warriors who have no clue (like Mariah) assume that this kind of privilege and prejudice is universal among white people just based on their white skin color.  I get very upset when I am told that I have this privilege and prejudice because I know I do not, and those videos sicken me beyond belief.  If I freaked out every time a black man tried to enter any of my former apartment buildings I'd be freaking out every day of the week!  And I am not so sure that either one of those women wouldn't have freaked out if a white man that wasn't dressed so nicely and perhaps looked a little "lower class" came across their path. 

These are people that are also prejudiced against other white people based on perceived social class.  I myself have been snubbed and snooted up by these young rich white people, especially after turning 50, most of it probably because I was an OLDER person with a NY accent who wasn't wearing expensive trendy boutique clothing.  And note that this is a relatively recent phenomenon that has been getting progressively worse in the last 12-15 years as the city has become invaded by these trust fund babies who "regentrified" Brooklyn and other places.  This was NOT the case with young transplants to NYC from earlier generations.  I have been angry for years about what has been going on in big cities that have been descended on by these people and have changed the very character of them for the worse.  And now not only did they take over and ruin my city but I have to be lumped in with them and bear the price of their white privileged prejudice by rubes like Mariah too!  GREAT.

Also, some of the "privilege" is afforded to all women just based on being women.  I am SHOCKED when I hear from my husband and other white men about how many times they are routinely pulled over by the police just for driving late at night.  It has happened to my husband a lot being a limo. driver.  And the cops aren't so nice to him either - granted, they have never pulled him out of the car and arrested him for no reason, but he almost was set up last Fall by a state trooper in NJ while taking a client to the airport.  The officer claimed he was doing 90 miles an hour when he was observing the speed limit - the only thing that saved him is his client was a very rich man who vouched for him and said he was on his way to Washington DC for a government meeting (which was true).  The cop realized he couldn't get away with it and let them go.  After that hubbie had to buy a GPS device that tracked and generated speed reports to be able to prove that he wasn't speeding.

So to make a long story short, any kind of position on privilege that lumps white people together based on skin color is IMHO just as prejudiced and racist as any privileged white person who assumes that any black man in her midst is there to cause harm.  And sorry, Mariah, but you are too much of a naive rube who knows nothing about the situation to know WTF you are talking about.  So just STFU and go back to Utah to your lily-white culture.

I don’t know your life experience, so I won’t comment on it, and the points Mariah tries to make are often lost on me.  However, I’m not trying to say all white people are calling the police on every black person entering a nice apartment.  The privilege is that it is more likely that a a white person is not being judge solely on the basis of their skin color. The privilege is that the majority of white people are not going to worry that police being called on them could likely result in their death.  The privilege is in the interaction when the police are called.  IMO it is more likely the person being “harassed” or having the police called on them is a person of color usually black.  
 

There is of course a privilege to being rich as well.  Rich people judge poor people all the time, but I can honestly say in my real life experiences that I have witnessed, the people that were asserting their privilege were not rich.  Again, having white privilege does not mean that a person has never struggled or had a hard life.  It just means typically it is not because of his/her skin color.  

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, Irate Panda said:

I don’t know your life experience, so I won’t comment on it, and the points Mariah tries to make are often lost on me.  However, I’m not trying to say all white people are calling the police on every black person entering a nice apartment.  The privilege is that it is more likely that a a white person is not being judge solely on the basis of their skin color. The privilege is that the majority of white people are not going to worry that police being called on them could likely result in their death.  The privilege is in the interaction when the police are called.  IMO it is more likely the person being “harassed” or having the police called on them is a person of color usually black.  
 

There is of course a privilege to being rich as well.  Rich people judge poor people all the time, but I can honestly say in my real life experiences that I have witnessed, the people that were asserting their privilege were not rich.  Again, having white privilege does not mean that a person has never struggled or had a hard life.  It just means typically it is not because of his/her skin color.  

I don't think it's possible to make that judgment in all situations and that was my point.  The brush is too broad.  People like Mariah and other social justice warriors don't make any distinction between white people of privilege and poor white people.  The difference in privilege makes a BIG difference.  The things Mariah is claiming do not apply to the same or in some cases any to a lot of lower class or even middle class white people, especially those that grew up and live in integrated neighborhoods.  She (and a lot of them) are not even aware that such disparities exist between white people that depend on a lot of factors.  Plus it does not factor in how many people of color struggle and have a hard life for reasons NOT to do with their color.  I happen to know of POC who are their own worst enemies - were given every advantage and yet chose to go a darker route.   If you grow up in an integrated neighborhood you know this - People like Mariah make assumptions that black people, just because they are black are never to blame for their own problems - it's always because of racism.  Like anyone else, they can be responsible for their own actions.  That is all I am saying.  The brush is just way too broad.  I'm not saying that there is no such thing as white privilege, it just doesn't apply to all white people equally and that is NEVER acknowledged or admitted by the social justice warriors because truthfully they have no freaking clue.  Also, they don't even realize that some of the disadvantages are not due to racism but poverty in general.  No one wants to make that distinction but it is a factor.  We don't really know how much of a factor, but it can't be that it's ONLY because of racism that black people are poor and disadvantaged.  Otherwise if all white people had the same advantages there wouldn't be any poor white people.

Hey, I went to a school with a lot of privileged kids.  They got all the perks - their parents knew people who knew people that got them jobs and careers and they made lots of money.  There are a few BILLIONAIRES in my graduating class, plus a famous black person, Neil DeGrasse Tyson (who arguably based on what I know about him had more advantages than I ever did).  I had NO such advantages.  My parents were both poor - my mother was born and spent part of her childhood in Harlem alongside black people - she even DATED a few.  As a short dark haired Sicilian she knew more about disadvantage than most white people.  And like her and my father, I "inherited" their lack of privilege.  It didn't matter that I was the 4.0 student in Theology 40 years ago in my graduating year at a Jesuit university, I was a woman so forget it, I wasn't given the Theology award.  I was invisible, no one gave a crap.  I wasn't given the encouragement to do anything with my degree, so I didn't.  I assumed I wasn't worth it. This is what I'm talking about.  Disadvantage can be for any number of prejudicial reasons, not just white to black racism.  But the social justice warriors don't even recognize that any of that exists with white people nor do they take up the cause to defend the people affected by it.  And that just pisses me off to be honest.  If you're going to be against one kind of prejudice and disadvantage, you should be against all.

Edited May 30, 2020 by Yeah No
spelling.

[Irate Panda]

11 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I don't think it's possible to make that judgment in all situations and that was my point.  The brush is too broad.  People like Mariah and other social justice warriors don't make any distinction between white people of privilege and poor white people.  The difference in privilege makes a BIG difference.  The things Mariah is claiming do not apply to the same or in some cases any to a lot of lower class or even middle class white people, especially those that grew up and live in integrated neighborhoods.  She (and a lot of them) are not even aware that such disparities exist between white people that depend on a lot of factors.  Plus it does not factor in how many people of color struggle and have a hard life for reasons NOT to do with their color.  I happen to know of POC who are their own worst enemies - were given every advantage and yet chose to go a darker route.   If you grow up in an integrated neighborhood you know this - People like Mariah make assumptions that black people, just because they are black are never to blame for their own problems - it's always because of racism.  Like anyone else, they can be responsible for their own actions.  That is all I am saying.  The brush is just way too broad.  I'm not saying that there is no such thing as white privilege, it just doesn't apply to all white people equally and that is NEVER acknowledged or admitted by the social justice warriors because truthfully they have no freaking clue.  Also, they don't even realize that some of the disadvantages are not due to racism but poverty in general.  No one wants to make that distinction but it is a factor.  We don't really know how much of a factor, but it can't be that it's ONLY because of racism that black people are poor and disadvantaged.  Otherwise if all white people had the same advantages there wouldn't be any poor white people.

Hey, I went to a school with a lot of privileged kids.  They got all the perks - their parents knew people who knew people that got them jobs and careers and they made lots of money.  There are a few BILLIONAIRES in my graduating class, plus a famous black person, Neil DeGrasse Tyson (who arguably based on what I know about him had more advantages than I ever did).  I had NO such advantages.  My parents were both poor - my mother was born and spent part of her childhood in Harlem alongside black people - she even DATED a few.  As a short dark haired Sicilian she knew more about disadvantage than most white people.  And like her and my father, I "inherited" their lack of privilege.  It didn't matter that I was the 4.0 student in Theology 40 years ago in my graduating year at a Jesuit university, I was a woman so forget it, I wasn't given the Theology award.  I was invisible, no one gave a crap.  I wasn't given the encouragement to do anything with my degree, so I didn't.  I assumed I wasn't worth it. This is what I'm talking about.  Disadvantage can be for any number of prejudicial reasons, not just white to black racism.  But the social justice warriors don't even recognize that any of that exists with white people nor do they take up the cause to defend the people affected by it.  And that just pisses me off to be honest.  If you're going to be against one kind of prejudice and disadvantage, you should be against all.

I don’t discredit anything you went through, I think we are either speaking about two different things or maybe we are speaking of the same thing and just see it differently. I think or at least hope people would be against all forms of prejudice,racism, or bias.  I can only speak for myself, because I’ll never figure Mariah out, just because I speak of one type of bias doesn’t mean I’m saying others don’t exist.  

[Irate Panda]

13 hours ago, suomi said:

Spread the word if this pertains to someone you know because many people (like my sister) are still waiting for their stimulus money and this method was implemented without being announced ahead of time. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/05/28/people-are-mistaking-stimulus-payments-junk-mail-or-scam/

What about ATM or transfer fees and ATM daily limits? Interesting. 

I didn’t get one, so I’m not positive, but I remember hearing on the news, I think the first ATM withdrawal was free of fees, but subsequent withdrawals would incur fees. 

[TurtlePower]

53 minutes ago, Irate Panda said:

I don’t know your life experience, so I won’t comment on it, and the points Mariah tries to make are often lost on me.  However, I’m not trying to say all white people are calling the police on every black person entering a nice apartment.  The privilege is that it is more likely that a a white person is not being judge solely on the basis of their skin color. The privilege is that the majority of white people are not going to worry that police being called on them could likely result in their death.  The privilege is in the interaction when the police are called.  IMO it is more likely the person being “harassed” or having the police called on them is a person of color usually black.  
 

There is of course a privilege to being rich as well.  Rich people judge poor people all the time, but I can honestly say in my real life experiences that I have witnessed, the people that were asserting their privilege were not rich.  Again, having white privilege does not mean that a person has never struggled or had a hard life.  It just means typically it is not because of his/her skin color.  

Sometimes I get a bit ruffled with the whole black/white thing like everyone belongs in one category or the other. Where do all the Native, Hispanic, Arab and Asian descents fit into all this?  Are they afforded “white” privilege because they are not black? I know many Arabs who are like, don’t lump me in with white folks  

Not everything is so black and white (literally, pun intended). 

[Irate Panda]

19 minutes ago, TurtlePower said:

Sometimes I get a bit ruffled with the whole black/white thing like everyone belongs in one category or the other. Where do all the Native, Hispanic, Arab and Asian descents fit into all this?  Are they afforded “white” privilege because they are not black? I know many Arabs who are like, don’t lump me in with white folks  

Not everything is so black and white (literally, pun intended). 

Well I’m not black or white, and can’t speak for my whole race, but there have been times I have been discriminated against because of my race.  I would say that my particular life experiences with racism were far less severe.  Anyone can be biased or prejudiced, but systematic racism imo does affect some people more than others.  Again, just because someone is one particular race or gender doesn’t make them intrinsically good or bad.  I’m commenting on what I see happening systemically .  I’m basically saying problem A exist, but that doesn’t mean problems B and C don’t also exist, as well, so yes there are many shades of gray or everything as you say is not black and white.

Edited May 30, 2020 by Irate Panda

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, Irate Panda said:

I don’t discredit anything you went through, I think we are either speaking about two different things or maybe we are speaking of the same thing and just see it differently. I think or at least hope people would be against all forms of prejudice,racism, or bias.  I can only speak for myself, because I’ll never figure Mariah out, just because I speak of one type of bias doesn’t mean I’m saying others don’t exist.  

Thank you, perhaps you're right.  I just hope you can understand that white people, especially those that don't deserve it, get tired of being lumped together with a group of privileged people that they feel snub and ostracize them almost as badly as they snub and ostracize black people, whose privileges based on race (or any other factor) they don't get to benefit from nearly to the same degree.

I get sick all the time watching privileged white people on TV who would turn their nose up at helping me just because I'm not "one of them" (i.e., another rich, white privileged person).  And yet these are the people who because it makes them look good will fall all over themselves to appear "woke" and do all kinds of public good works to convince everyone of their lack of prejudice toward minorities, including doing good works for people of color, meanwhile they would totally ignore someone like me even if I were on my last dime and begging for help. 

The hypocrisy makes them especially repugnant.  And I think Mariah is one of them.  She would probably be the FIRST person to claim that my lack of success in life is my own fault because I had "white privilege".  No type of disadvantage felt by white people matters to her because it isn't politically correct to care about it.  I'm still waiting for the rich and entitled white people to give two figs about all the disadvantages that kept me back in life.  I don't mean to minimize the importance of caring about the prejudice felt by black people because surely they have felt that in very huge ways for a very long time by most of the greater society, but there should at least be some equal time spent on all types of disadvantage and prejudice.  For example, there has been a resurgence of anti-Semitism in this country recently but I don't see too many of these social justice warriors taking that up as their pet cause on their social media - or if they have I haven't seen much of it made in the media.  And that's just proof to me that it's all about what makes them look good and absolves them of their perceived guilt.

[suomi]

Wow, there are two protests in Utah today, in Salt Lake and in Ogden. Protesters in SLC scaled the wall around SLPD headquarters. Words cannot express how radical this behavior is in Utah.

I saw signs with the letters ACAB, which stands for All Cops Are Bad.

I'm from the '60s and went to my fair share of anti-war protests in SoCal  but this ACAB angle sets my teeth on edge.

An officer was killed (and another was wounded) in Ogden two days ago while responding to a domestic violence call.

Local boy, 24 years old, 15 months on the job, two days short of his fifth wedding anniversary, father of two, second generation LEO, his brother is a code enforcement officer, described as someone whose default expression was a big smile.

Your car is stolen, you hear a prowler, your child goes missing, you're in a traffic accident - your husband is threatening to kill you - who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters? Pffftt.

The people who made those signs might just as well go to the cemetery after the funeral and piss on Officer Nate Lyday's fresh grave.

Edited May 30, 2020 by suomi
typo

[deirdra]

I've encountered Arab people in Africa and Colombians in Canada with white privilege.  They had lighter brown skin and features that are not typically Black or Indigenous but treated people with those features rudely, like lesser beings.

[laurakaye]

On 5/29/2020 at 11:05 AM, Kyanight said:

https://coloradotimesrecorder.com/2020/05/denver-police-use-tear-gas-rubber-bullets-in-clash-with-protesters-at-colo-capitol/24571/?fbclid=IwAR1b75JO6a279xQ4OX1fKM-tL9AT8M12o8m_ksvFz-s9nildGInns6Qbt-g

 

Meanwhile in Colorado.....  I guess I will just hole up in my basement.  

Same in Michigan.  My city made the national news this morning, and definitely not in a good way.  What they missed, sadly, was the very large gathering of people who descended into our downtown as early as 7am on Sunday morning (literally three hours after the riots were finally contained) armed with brooms, buckets, plywood and tools to help clean up shattered glass and cover the multitude of broken windows.  We also had a curfew of 7pm last night and will have the same again tonight - going forward, we'll see - if there's no more destruction downtown, maybe we can all go outside after dinner.  Maybe not. 

Edited June 1, 2020 by laurakaye

[crazycatlady58]

4 hours ago, laurakaye said:

Same in Michigan.  My city made the national news this morning, and definitely not in a good way.  What they missed, sadly, was the very large gathering of people who descended into our downtown as early as 7am on Sunday morning (literally three hours after the riots were finally contained) armed with brooms, buckets, plywood and tools to help clean up shattered glass and cover the multitude of broken windows.  We also had a curfew of 7pm last night and will have the same again tonight - going forward, we'll see - if there's no more destruction downtown, maybe we can all go outside after dinner.  Maybe not. 

The picture of people cleaning up was posted on Facebook. 

[suomi]

I've been wanting to watch Kevin Costner's Yellowstone but the Paramount channel isn't part of my Xfinity package and the show isn't available on Netflix or Hulu.

Xfinity started offering the Peacock app free of charge to all subscribers and Yellowstone was the first show listed when I browsed tonight and the first two seasons are available. Yippee ki yay. 

Season 3 begins on June 21 and it's already been renewed for Season 4. 

[Kyanight]

How is everyone doing?  You all hanging in there?  I know everyone is fine (Covid19 fine) because I never forget you in my prayers, and I am believing in the power of it.

I'm sick and tired of this mess.  I really want normal to return.  And I get angry at myself if I ever go out because of how mad I get at those people who refuse to wear masks.  I KNOW that some of them might have a legit reason - but when you see entire families.. or more commonly couples where neither of them wear a mask - you know that they either don't really believe in Covid, don't believe THEY will ever get Covid, or don't give a damn if they pass it around to everyone they walk by.  And the masks are SOOO uncomfortable in the heat!

 

Ok.  I'm done whining.  For now.

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, Kyanight said:

I'm sick and tired of this mess. 

I think everyone is just so weary of this and the knowledge that not only can it come roaring back but that, without a vaccine, this will be our normal.  We will continue to wear masks like they have been doing in Asian countries for years. We will continue to be wary of strangers.  We will be afraid to be in crowds.  It's overwhelming to think about that.

I have resigned myself to admitting I have got to stop obsessing about how stupid, selfish, and inconsiderate other people are and just concentrate on taking care of myself.  I will wear a mask, I will not go out to eat except with curbside service, I will socially distance myself, I will avoid crowds. It's all on me which makes me sad but that's the reality of it. I refuse to be cannon fodder for the war against the vulnerable - kill them off and reduce the need for Medicare and Social Security.  This COL is going to stay away from Covid just to spite them!

I guess it's probably a good thing that I am a COL and only have to live like this for some number of years (hopefully) and not a lifetime like the youngsters just making their way into this world.  I fear they will never know the freedoms we had.

[laurakaye]

Am I foolish to think that the precautions we're taking now will not last forever?  Maybe my brain - which has been taxed to the point of being unable to process anything at all due to all the overthinking I've been doing the past few months - is trying to protect me in some way, but I have to believe that in the near future - not this year, perhaps not even next year - I will be able to enjoy a baseball game at a venue, or sit at a bar with friends, or browse the library shelves for as long as I want without worrying about accidentally getting within six feet of someone else.

It's possible I am being affected by the fact that next week, I can get my hair cut and the week after that, I can pick up the 14 library books I've got on hold.  It feels like my gloom is lifting slightly, but I know that it can and probably will come raging back several times over the next year or so.  The hopelessness I've felt over the past several months has been exhausting.  But I do think that this too will pass, and although nothing will ever be "normal" for those of us who've gone through it, a new and better "normal" will emerge, and we'll be able to go places and do things without fear and anxiety leading the way, and hopefully somehow all be better humans for having gone through this.

I sure hope so, anyway.