Small Talk: The Polygamous Cul-de-Sac

[deirdra]

My province is increasing restrictions (a two-week "circuit breaker") to what I've been doing since March 13th.

Edited November 13, 2020 by deirdra

[laurakaye]

14 hours ago, Meowwww said:

Incredibly.  
yet they just announced the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade will be on.  

And here I am trying to decide if I am going to cancel Thanksgiving for my family.  Spoiler - I probably am.

I will be very curious to see how dramatic the spike is about 7 - 10 days after the holiday.  I am very nervous.

[Absolom]

Given the after Halloween spikes that are showing up, Thanksgiving looks like it could be one of the worst of the year.

[HighlandWarriorGrl]

22 hours ago, Kath94 said:

My vote for sexiest line of any movie, from "Truly, Madly, Deeply:"

- What are you doing?

- Warming my lips.

I swoon . . . The line is awesome by any standards, but delivered in Alan Rickman’s sultry voice is ethereal!

 

 

[TurtlePower]

On 11/13/2020 at 8:33 AM, laurakaye said:

And here I am trying to decide if I am going to cancel Thanksgiving for my family.  Spoiler - I probably am.

I will be very curious to see how dramatic the spike is about 7 - 10 days after the holiday.  I am very nervous.

We  are not going anywhere for Thanksgiving, which is fine by me because I don't care for the holiday (or its foods) and can't eat most of it anyhow. I suspect people will have big gatherings anyways, so we'll see what happens after. 

 

[Kohola3]

Normally my goddaughter comes for Thanksgiving but we had already decided that driving the 9 hours was too risky.  Plus they just locked down Chicago which is where she is. 

I'm lucky to have a wonderful neighbor (we've known each other since childhood) and she's in my bubble so it will be the two of us.  Here brother's girlfriend's family are all Covid deniers so are having a big gathering with all ages.  My neighbor told her brother he cannot visit for 2 weeks if he decides to attend.  Our rural community has a 2 bed ICU so we're not taking any chances.

And it turns out the Macy's parade is going to be virtual so that's a comfort.  I seriously thought someone had lost their mind!

[xwordfanatik]

2 hours ago, TurtlePower said:

We  are not going anywhere for Thanksgiving, which is fine by me because I don't care for the holiday (or its foods) and can't eat most of it anyhow. I suspect people will have big gatherings anyways, so we'll see what happens after. 

 

Same.  Mr. X and I will cook some of our favorites, watch some virtual football (so weird to see empty stadiums) and do our normal hermit routine stuff.  

Next is Black Friday.  i hate crowds and lines, so haven't shopped it in years.  Now one risks getting maimed by pushy people and covid germs, no thanks!

[TurtlePower]

20 hours ago, xwordfanatik said:

Same.  Mr. X and I will cook some of our favorites, watch some virtual football (so weird to see empty stadiums) and do our normal hermit routine stuff.  

Next is Black Friday.  i hate crowds and lines, so haven't shopped it in years.  Now one risks getting maimed by pushy people and covid germs, no thanks!

Me too! A lot of places are having online black friday sales, thank goodness. I always felt "door buster" sales brought out the worst in humans. Many stores will be closed Thanksgiving, too, which is nice for a change. Give the employees a much deserved break form the jerky shoppers. 

[iwantcookies]

23 hours ago, xwordfanatik said:

Same.  Mr. X and I will cook some of our favorites, watch some virtual football (so weird to see empty stadiums) and do our normal hermit routine stuff.  

Next is Black Friday.  i hate crowds and lines, so haven't shopped it in years.  Now one risks getting maimed by pushy people and covid germs, no thanks!

Most sales are online no need to go anywhere. 

[DakotaJustice]

I think Black Friday has been replaced by Amazon Prime Days. 

Although Target has been notifying me of online Black Friday since the beginning of this month! 

[Kohola3]

7 minutes ago, DakotaJustice said:

I think Black Friday has been replaced by Amazon Prime Days. 

Although Target has been notifying me of online Black Friday since the beginning of this month! 

I've had multiple notices from Walmart as well.

I don't care if they are selling cars for $100, it's just suicide to got into a crowd right now.  Not going to do the recipient much good if the gift giver is dead by Christmas.

[suomi]

Are we watching the Int'l Space Station capture the Dragon Crew module? It's looking A-OK.

Ooh, they just said hard capture complete!

And the female commander of the ISS will be welcoming her new crew members aboard. Woot!

[Yeah No]

On 11/15/2020 at 11:25 AM, xwordfanatik said:

Same.  Mr. X and I will cook some of our favorites, watch some virtual football (so weird to see empty stadiums) and do our normal hermit routine stuff.  

Next is Black Friday.  i hate crowds and lines, so haven't shopped it in years.  Now one risks getting maimed by pushy people and covid germs, no thanks!

I bought a bone-in turkey breast, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, stuffing mix, broccoli and cranberry sauce so I'm all set for a small Thanksgiving at home with Mr. Yeah No.  My SIL is arranging a zoom for the family to have a virtual get together on Thanksgiving, which is nice.  She is unable to see us, her sons and her brother in law and his family due to Covid.  Thankfully she has seen the light about not doing anything risky given that her husband is undergoing chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer (which they say they caught early enough for excellent chances of survival).

What I worry about are my two single best friends who might have to spend Thanksgiving alone.  I know that would have to be rough, especially under the present circumstances.  Although I know very well what it's like to spend New Year's Eve alone since that was often the case when Mr. Yeah No was still getting work as a limo. driver.  That sucks bad enough, but Thanksgiving is a time when you expect to be around loved ones.  It's hard enough that we all have to scale back on that this year but it's even harder IMO if you live alone.

I don't worry so much about my friend in Long Island as I do about my friend in the Bronx.  She engaged in what I thought was some arguably risky behavior this past summer and early Fall, traveling with and staying over at a friend's house who is a voice teacher doing in-person classes at a high school for the arts in Queens (yeah, I know, singing, ugh).  I haven't even seen her myself since February because of Covid.  Even when I was going down to the Bronx to sort through my father's apartment I didn't see her - I was so busy/tired/stressed/under pressure of time that we never did it.  It's one of those things that's hard to explain but let's put it this way - If we didn't get out of NY by about 2:30 in the afternoon it would take us an extra half hour to an hour to get home because of traffic, and when you're dealing with a trip that takes 2 hours under the best of circumstances, that's significant.  So we would get down there at like 10:30 a.m., power through it for 4 hours and leave by 2:30 p.m. exhausted.  So there wasn't any time to arrange to see her even outdoors.  She understood that but I feel for her living alone and not being able to be with anyone, I just worry about some of her choices given the way things are going lately with case numbers rising.  So far NY is doing better than CT, but I know that shut downs are coming and it's going to be a long lonely winter.  I know the governors of NY, NJ and CT are all meeting this week to discuss that subject.  I'm depressed about it myself.  I've had an easier time this summer and early Fall because case numbers were low around here, but even so I was still being extra-careful and only staying very local (except for trips to NY to the apartment).  Now with case numbers rising I'm once again staying home a lot more and being even more careful if I do have to go out.  It sucks, but the vaccine news is at least some encouragement for the future.

[suomi]

@Yeah No

What is the status of your father's apartment? Real estate sales are booming everywhere, which seems entirely odd during this plague.

Your menu sounds like you have it all covered. I bought a turkey breast also, for my sister and me, and decided to go with carrots instead of a green veggie this year. I enjoy baking pies but saw a recipe for apple pie bars and will try that.

I have decided that I need to move from northern Utah to central Michigan. We have cousins there (and in the Upper Peninsula) and no one here to take possession of my home when I die or become incapacitated. (My daughter, my only child, lives five minutes away but has not spoken to me since 2012).

The cousin who has agreed to step up was my dad's favorite nephew and he has been the fire chief in his county for almost 30 years. His mom was my dad's favorite sister. Not looking forward to relocating nearly 2000 miles at my age but the decision feels like a good one. This cousin and his wife will oversee my sister's placement in a group home after I'm gone and hover to ensure that she is treated as well as can be expected. I wish, wish, wish I could be the one to make that happen so she could adjust while I'm alive but I lack the courage to take that step.

My secret hope is that, after getting to know her, they will decide to take her into their home. She receives a Social Security Survivor Benefit from our dad's account so she wouldn't be a financial burden but que sera, sera. I am 70 and she is 67 and I can only do so much.

I will put my home here on the market in the spring, after purging unnecessaries that would be unfair to lay on my cousin and his wife. They have three grown daughters so the home I buy there will eventually go to one of their girls or provide rental income, or he can sell it to supplement his retirement. 

I met this cousin once in my life during a family reunion in da U.P. during the '80s, which is also the only time beyond my toddler years I saw any of my dad's family. So we are doing all of this via email and phone. Ay, mi vida loca! 

With my emphysema, going from 4500 to 1000 feet in elevation will be a bonus and the winters are the same. I am trying to look forward to leaving everything familiar and not yet succeeding. But I remain the eternal optimist because otherwise...

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, suomi said:

I have decided that I need to move from northern Utah to central Michigan.

On behalf of the Michiganders on the board, we welcome you!  I love the UP but medical services there are scarce and mid-state is your best bet for getting services you might need.  Central MI does tend to be pretty snowy but living in Utah that shouldn't bother you.

How wonderful that you have a cousin willing to help.  I am childless so my cousin's daughter (who is my goddaughter) has agreed to be the decision maker.  She lives in Chicago but we'll  be on Zoom for Thanksgiving - she and her mom normally come here but we all know that we have to totally give up on anything in 2020.

But two vaccines and both are sounding promising and I will take that.  We all need something positive after all of these long months.  I thank heavens for all of the scientists who worked so hard to make this happen!

[Absolom]

8 hours ago, Yeah No said:

It's hard enough that we all have to scale back on that this year but it's even harder IMO if you live alone.

Not necessarily I'm finding.  I'll be alone and at first it was a bit upsetting, but now as it's actually approaching I'm glad I won't be around 30 people and won't have to be "on" and dealing with all the personalities.  I can do exactly as I want.  I'll miss the grandchildren and that's about it.  I'll see them the next week in the backyard without all the extra people.

[suomi]

I got into song reaction videos and after awhile I narrowed it down to just two reactors. I kept this one because she is a vocal coach and I enjoy her critiques. Most of her song selections are beyond my taste but I like a few here and there.

Unchained Melody by Bobby Hatfield of the Righteous Brothers, 1965 live performance when he was 25. Trivia: The name of the song never made sense, right? It was written in 1955 for a movie called Unchained.

 

Edited November 17, 2020 by suomi
typo

[crazycatlady58]

@suomi I will have to check her out. I like reaction videos also especially young women discovering this song.

[iwantcookies]

I’m definitely spending thanksgiving alone. 3 years alone. It’s really really frustrating to try to make friends and being rejected all my life.

 

I am going to make turkey meatloaf, stuffing, and either mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes. 
 

edidible cookie dough for dessert 

[deirdra]

22 minutes ago, iwantcookies said:

edible cookie dough for dessert 

Yum.  I mix melted butter with almond flour, truvia, vanilla & a dash of salt to make a shortbread or spritz-like edible raw cookie dough.

Edited November 18, 2020 by deirdra

[Gramto6]

@suomi that is one of my all time favorite songs! When I was in the 6th grade my teacher died unexpectedly. It was traumatic as to be expected. That Summer we went by train back to WI from CA for my grandmother's funeral, for some reason Unchained Melody was going through my mind the whole time. These are all intertwined in my memory with the song being the key.

[Sandy W]

53 minutes ago, iwantcookies said:

 It’s really really frustrating to try to make friends and being rejected all my life.

You have friends here iwantcookies.  Never forget that.  We Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving a few weeks ago, so a few of us will be around here if you want company.

(((Huge Hugs))) to you my friend. xo

[Kohola3]

This forum is definitely a virtual family for many of us.  I, too, will be alone this holiday but know many of my virtual friends will be as well.  So, saluting all with a bite of turkey!

[suomi]

15 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

On behalf of the Michiganders on the board, we welcome you!  I love the UP but medical services there are scarce and mid-state is your best bet for getting services you might need.

How wonderful that you have a cousin willing to help. 

Thank you very much!

My Finnish grandparents first settled in Eben Junction-Rumely and over the years the family lived in National Mine, Ishpeming and Negaunee. My dad graduated from Gwinn HS in 1939.

My last auntie, the youngest of the 12 kids who survived to adulthood, lives in Negaunee. Another cousin lives in the Soo, I would love to see the locks and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and the  Maritime Museum. I will be a Michigander better late then never, eh?

The plan is to end up w/in 20 minutes of the medical center in West Branch. I'm hunting in that area.

Good to know that your goddaughter will step up for you. It's a horrible feeling when you have no one who can take over after "the event."

Our lives twist and turn and much of it is the luck of the draw. I was born because a baby died on the other side of the world.

My grandparents came from rival families who did not approve of their marriage which followed a secret courtship. Their first child died in infancy and both families said OK, no baby, no marriage, this is ended. My grampa said the hell with that and left Finland and sailed for the US and saved enough to bring my gramma a year later. Then they had 14 children including my dad, their first son.

I think lots of families have stories similar to that, if you know where to dig.

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. My cousin who lives in the Soo saw the Big Fitz in the locks many, many times.

 

[Yeah No]

20 hours ago, suomi said:

@Yeah No

What is the status of your father's apartment? Real estate sales are booming everywhere, which seems entirely odd during this plague.

Your menu sounds like you have it all covered. I bought a turkey breast also, for my sister and me, and decided to go with carrots instead of a green veggie this year. I enjoy baking pies but saw a recipe for apple pie bars and will try that.

I have decided that I need to move from northern Utah to central Michigan. We have cousins there (and in the Upper Peninsula) and no one here to take possession of my home when I die or become incapacitated. (My daughter, my only child, lives five minutes away but has not spoken to me since 2012).

Hi, thank you for asking!  The apartment has been completely cleaned out, including the appliances.  The next step is painting and fixing up the walls, which are in real need of repair.  I am also considering having the floors done, but am waiting for an estimate on that before asking the realtor for his opinion as he wants to figure out whether it's worth my while from a sales standpoint first.  The floors unfortunately are not salvageable since they were never real hardwood but "wood composite tile".  The contractor says that new vinyl plank flooring that looks like wood is very popular right now.  I took a look at it on the Home Depot site and it does look nice and reasonably priced.  My realtor told me that he has been very busy, which is a good sign, so that is optimistic news.  He is also having a floor plan created plus virtual staging as well.  It's amazing what they can do with a camera and some software these days.  We don't even need to wait for the painting to be done to list it once the computer generated stuff is ready.  We just have to be sure we've priced it right relative to the amount of renovation I decide to do.  It's been an emotional couple of weeks for me while this has been done but at the moment I'm holding up OK, so I'll take it.  It didn't help that the first day of the cleanout happened on election day - ugh.  It took several days to get it completely cleaned out but that was to be expected under the circumstances.  Right now I can't think about it too much....I am avoiding looking at old photos, etc.  I'll let you all know when it finally "goes live".

One thing I am happy about is that on one of my last trips there I found the folder with all of my father's military separation papers in it.  He was a career army soldier and served a few times over the years, first in WWII, then in post WWII active duty overseas, then Korea, then in a few capacities in the Army Reserve as a full time Captain and teacher of Signal Corps.  So his folder is full of citations, awards and official documents.  In his final years he was very concerned that we find that folder as it was proof of all of his service when we eventually buried him in a military cemetery.  He kept mentioning how he wished he could remember where it was, and I assured him that we would make sure we eventually found it.  I guess he forgot that it was right in his bedroom closet.  Each page was meticulously sheathed in a plastic loose leaf sheet and the folder clearly labeled.  Yeah, that was my Dad.  I am sure he is resting more at peace knowing that I found it.  I knew that even if we didn't most of the important information is likely available online with a little searching, but given how much is in that folder I am very glad I found it.  I am still thinking over where to eventually bury my parents' ashes.  There is one big well known military cemetery out on Long Island but that is very far from here so I might consider one here in CT.  I am not sure yet but there is no rush.

I don't know about you or anyone else on this board, but I am FREAKING OUT at the surge in cases over the past few weeks.  I am definitely going back to Instacart starting tomorrow and avoiding going anywhere where people are around.  I will have to go down to physically inspect the apartment when it's done being renovated and even that is frightening despite not really having to encounter anyone when we do it.  Just the idea of a trip down and back is enough to get me worried.  Right now NY is still doing better than most of the country but it still frightens me.

Thank you SO much for your support and best of luck with your move - that's no small undertaking at any age but even at my age I shudder to think about moving, especially such a long distance, and especially in the middle of a pandemic, but if it helps your peace of mind then it's a good thing.  Keep us in the loop on the developments.  You have our support here if and when you need it!  (((Many hugs)))

 

 

[Kohola3]

8 hours ago, suomi said:

The plan is to end up w/in 20 minutes of the medical center in West Branch. I'm hunting in that area.

Love your family history!  Sounds like you are a natural Michigander.  The med center in WB has a great reputation. I'm just over an hour from there but unfortunately the little (29 bed) local hospital sends everyone to Saginaw.

And you are correct about family stories.  My dad had a mysterious uncle that was born with the dad came to the US to make money and send for his wife who stayed behind in Bohemia.  The dad had already been here for over a year when the baby was born.  

5 hours ago, Yeah No said:

The contractor says that new vinyl plank flooring that looks like wood is very popular right now. 

That's what I have in my kitchen and most people think it's wood.  Easy to clean and no refinishing needed like you might need when spilling things on a wood floor.  Also quieter.  One thing I did learn is not to use Swifters (or the equivalent) to wash it, that leaves a sticky residue.  Either wash and rinse or wash with a vinegar and water mix.

[suomi]

This link is available to everyone because the WaPo doesn't hide Covid updates  behind a pay wall. Scary map!

_ _ _

Drawing on public data sets, the Covid-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool produces daily county-level estimates of the odds of encountering at least one coronavirus-positive person at a gathering of 10 or more people.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/11/18/map-covid-risk-thanksgiving/

[suomi]

I don't understand this because my eyes glaze over when I hear "bluetooth" but here ya go. 

(It was a red letter day a few years ago when I found out that atoms are everywhere. I thought they were only in "certain places").

Again, this link is not behind a pay wall. (The fonts and spacing revolted during the copy/paste).

Millions of Americans have access to free, anonymous coronavirus notifications. Too bad so few people use them.

The alerts use software built by Apple and Google into iPhones and Android devices to detect when people (or the phones they’re holding) get into close contact with each other. That might sound like a privacy invasion, but they figured out how to track encounters between people in a way that’s anonymous — and doesn’t store your location — by using the Bluetooth wireless technology in phones.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/11/18/coronavirus-app-exposure-alerts/

[Kohola3]

Our local paper does a “how do you cook a turkey” every year for our local paper.  They ask school kids to write it up and it’s published.  I think it’s second and third grades from the pictures although it never says.  I must tell you, I weep for education when I see the spelling but I do enjoy the odd things they come up with.  I have faithfully transcribed it!

First of all, the temp and times are a hoot.  Anywhere from 80 degrees for 10 minutes to 100,000 degrees for 15 hours to 2 degrees for 100 hours to 9 degrees for one hour and 20 minutes and 22 seconds. You can tell the turkey is done when it’s 800 degrees.  And the temps are in “farin hight”.

They have to write a full paragraph and you every year there seems to be a theme in each classroom where somebody comes up with one ingredient and they all copy it.  This year for one class it was lemon.  They ALL put lemon in or on the turkey in some fashion.  In another classroom it was garlic salt. In another, everyone used hot sauce.

Just a few excepts:

My arms are tired from cooking the turkey cause I worked hard on the turkey. (Yeah, it’s a tough job.)

I will make some rice, green beans, corned beef, and corn. (Interesting sides.)

I wake up early because I am so excited about Thanksgiving.  We go to Walmart and get everything.  We get SO much we need 5 carts. (This is the one that said the turkey cooks for 100 hours so with a family that big, I guess that’s possible.)

Put the turkey in the refrigerator for 2 days.  After 2 days of it resting it is retty for cooking.  We get one stik of buter and wild tree seasoning and some Love.  (Is Love a sauce or a spice?)

I smelt the dlishes aroma coming from the turkey. (Yes, it does smell dlishes.)

First grab your crossbow and go to where there are wild turkey.  Once you’ve found your turkey (if it’s a 20 pounder) pull the trigger and shoot the turkey!  (I left out the salient points on prepping it.)

Buy a 50 pound turkey.  Take off the wrapper.  Put in the oven for 1 hour and a half.  Once time is done, use oven mitts.  It hurts a lot if you don’t. (Yep, don’t forget those oven mitts.)

Set the table with forks, spoons, and plates, fancy napkins are a must. (My mother would agree, have to use the fancy napkins.)

We have mac in cheese, French fries. (More interesting sides.)

The dogs always’s want some thurky and they allway’s get some. (Cats like it, too.)

You can add pineapple and some chaireys. (I’m thinking….ham?)

We eat with my cosins and we have mastbotodor with gravy and with my ant.  (They eat the ant with gravy?)

After it is done I serve it with corn and hot sauce and cake. (Well, sure, cake and turkey go well together.)

We don’t like turkey.   Well I don’t but my mom makes me chicken.  But I always say I want sandwiches but she says no. (For all of you who don’t like turkey, here is an alternative.)

Next my grandma comes over and then Rudi needs to go outside. Because she is jumping on the counter. OK now that Rudi is outside we can finally relax until our whole family gets here.  Now that our family is here we can eat now Rudi can come inside. If there is left over turkey  my dad lets me give Rudi a little bit of turkey.  Then our family goes home. Then I take a nap and Rudi lays on my stomach and stomps on my face and sits on my face now it is time for bed I can’t wait for next year.  (I sure hope Rudi isn’t a Great Dane.)

And now some showstoppers that make me want to volunteer to teach spelling in the worst way.

When the turky is allmost done get a turky paster and stick in the turky paster into the turky and get some juise out of the turky and squirt it on top of the turky. (Gotta go look for my paster.)

You go to the store and buy a turkey and you strat the ovin you put it on for 3h. 3h latr you get it and it HOT you almost drop it, it is so Hot!! You yelld, you put it on the tadll, latr you strat to cut it, wons you are done cutting it you are going to put sesning on now, you come back you put it on and your rety to eat. (Gotta get this kid some oven mitts.)

And finally, some total headscratchers.  Anybody up for the challenge of translating?

Frst you must put it in the upin frst thin sehint.  Must put the sishig srhint thin you hafto stuf it up with meet.  Kukit for 5 to 8 or to 30 to 80 or mor.  I lik to put it in the uvin for 3 to 30. I lik to hav it to worm it up for 30 + 100.  I love trkes thay are bast. I love tim somuch. Do you lik cikin.

Take the wrapr.  Cot it and cot it and cot it! Then you gut it in the uvin and wait for it to cook.  After take them cut café. Put it no the taldo. Eat it.

Bay a turke from fameie refby. Then un pargit from the raping. Then un freese the turke.  Then cuver it in the duter. The cuver it in sesening.  The pat the tepecher to 355.  Then pot it in the over Then we wait a lit bit.  Then we tac it owit.  Then we bastit. The we cut it up. The we get evrethng pis rede. The we eat at my grams.

[deirdra]

Kohola3, very interesting.  The sad thing is that the world is moving toward using the "wisdom of the crowd" rather than scientific facts to make decisions and this is how turkey will be partially cooked and 'pasted' in the future. Salmonella, here we come.

Edited November 19, 2020 by deirdra

[Yeah No]

11 hours ago, suomi said:

Drawing on public data sets, the Covid-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool produces daily county-level estimates of the odds of encountering at least one coronavirus-positive person at a gathering of 10 or more people.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/11/18/map-covid-risk-thanksgiving/

Thanks for that, only in my county things are skewed by a few towns that are in the "red zone" for cases.  I'm sure the actual risk near me is less.  Although even with those towns it still places my risk at a 10 person gathering at about 15%.  That sounds low but you won't catch me at any multi person gatherings no matter what the estimated risk is.  Heck, I'm not even going near supermarkets either.

11 hours ago, suomi said:

Millions of Americans have access to free, anonymous coronavirus notifications. Too bad so few people use them.

The alerts use software built by Apple and Google into iPhones and Android devices to detect when people (or the phones they’re holding) get into close contact with each other. That might sound like a privacy invasion, but they figured out how to track encounters between people in a way that’s anonymous — and doesn’t store your location — by using the Bluetooth wireless technology in phones.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/11/18/coronavirus-app-exposure-alerts/

This seems like a great idea, but then when you read a little further in you find out that it only alerts you to people who actually have the app installed on their phones.  While this is available in my state, I seriously doubt that the vast majority of people have this on their phones.  Plus it looks like it relies on the individual person letting the app know that they've tested positive, because I see no other way the app would "just know" you've tested positive.  How many people are going to do that even if they swear the info. they provide is "anonymous"?  I think this is the kind of thing that only works when everyone in a certain place gets together and does it, like in business, government and medical organizations where people work together and want to share that information.  But for the average person, this is probably not worth much.

[suomi]

I learned more after reading the WaPo comments and some other articles. The 15 states cited in the WaPo article use the network mentioned but there are many other networks and numerous states use their own stand-alone programs. There were mentions of some health departments logging positive status when cell numbers were provided, relieving the individual of that responsibility (while ensuring that it gets done). Some states and countries have been using these systems for as long as 6 months already because of the early realization that contact tracing is too costly, time consuming and unreliable. 

No matter the source or type all systems depend on widespread cooperation so you are right about that, Yeah No.

Australia's system is highly regarded. One facet: when entering a restaurant or bar you take a photo of its official Covid sign to register your phone's presence. If the need arises your phone is notified of another phone's positive status if its contagious period coincides with your phone's visit to the restaurant.

The largest draw for widespread cooperation is clear reinforcement of the point that phones are registered and people are not.

What seems to be consistent is the use of an exposure period of at least 15 minutes and a contagious period of 14 days. Distance is an important factor as well but I read so much at so many sources that now I can't recall how that is determined. 

I had forgotten that providers track phone locations at 15 minute intervals because that's how incoming calls are routed, i.e.: where is the closest tower? I should have remembered this from the Casey Anthony case. There are retail apps that not only track when you enter a store but which aisles you visit, and for how long. (OK, somehow that must play into how the Covid notification apps verify social distance, or lack thereof).

It was quite the rabbit hole and my head was spinning when I surfaced. It reminded me of when I first heard about RFID chips many years ago. (Radio Frequency Identification). Almost everything we buy has a chip embedded in the product or the packaging. They were initiated as a large scale inventory and shipping and receiving tool. Hand-held readers scan all the chips on loaded pallets or inside cartons or crates in an instant. Manufacturers love RFID chips, along with warehouses, grocery stores, hospitals, etc.

RFIDs have been embedded in tires since 1993. EZ Pass systems use RFIDs. Commercial truckers are monitored using RFIDs. Pavements and freeway ramps have RFID readers. The day isn't too far off when speeding tickets will be issued by mail because the tires on your vehicle got from point A to point B too quickly. We used to watch The Jetsons and think "yeah, right." But that's a different rabbit hole.

Interesting case: a defendant was acquitted because his grocery shopper card was scanned, in his wallet, by the store's stationary reader when he entered and exited at the time of the crime. He paid with cash, didn't have the receipt and didn't buy anything that was on sale so he didn't use his shopper card. Circumstantial evidence, but enough for reasonable doubt. Dang smart defense attorney to think of looking into that, right?

 

[deirdra]

I'm still waiting for a Jetson's jetpack for daily use.

Edited November 19, 2020 by deirdra

[Yeah No]

5 hours ago, suomi said:

I had forgotten that providers track phone locations at 15 minute intervals because that's how incoming calls are routed, i.e.: where is the closest tower? I should have remembered this from the Casey Anthony case. There are retail apps that not only track when you enter a store but which aisles you visit, and for how long. (OK, somehow that must play into how the Covid notification apps verify social distance, or lack thereof).

It was quite the rabbit hole and my head was spinning when I surfaced. It reminded me of when I first heard about RFID chips many years ago. (Radio Frequency Identification). Almost everything we buy has a chip embedded in the product or the packaging. They were initiated as a large scale inventory and shipping and receiving tool. Hand-held readers scan all the chips on loaded pallets or inside cartons or crates in an instant. Manufacturers love RFID chips, along with warehouses, grocery stores, hospitals, etc.

RFIDs have been embedded in tires since 1993.  EZ Pass systems use RFIDs.  Commercial truckers are monitored using RFIDs.  Pavements and freeway ramps have RFID readers.  The day isn't too far off when speeding tickets will be issued by mail because the tires on your vehicle got from point A to point B too quickly.  We used to watch the Jetsons and think "yeah, right."  But that's a different rabbit hole.

Interesting case: a defendant was acquitted because his grocery shopper card was scanned, in his wallet, by the store's stationary reader when he entered and exited at the time of the crime. He paid with cash, didn't have the receipt and didn't buy anything that was on sale so he didn't use his shopper card. Circumstantial evidence, but enough for reasonable doubt. Dang smart defense attorney to think of looking into that, right?

This brings up an interesting subject for me.  I first learned about RFIDs almost 20 years ago when I worked at a Fortune 100 Aerospace company and sat in on staff meetings for my department.  They were using them to track inventory, something then newish but now everywhere.  But we now also use QR code tracking like the Post Office and big package carriers use to track pretty much every item of mail.  

I think speeding tickets now would be issued because of GPS tracking.  Whether we like it or not our newfangled cars have GPS in them and that's potentially traceable.  Plus of course there's our cell phones, which even if we have GPS turned off still send our positioning to our carriers.  And if we use navigation apps they know how fast we're going.  Geesh, even Google maps and Waze tell me how fast I'm going.  So there's really no privacy.

Which brings me to something I've wanted to mention for a while:

Google Timeline.

I stumbled on Google Timeline a few months ago while using Google Maps on my desktop computer.  I have location services turned on in Google on my Android phone because I have no reason to hide anything, plus it would make it easier to find me in an emergency situation.  What that does is pretty much track everywhere you go and when, and how long you were there, pretty much.  What I didn't realize is that you can look at it as a kind of record and "diary" of everywhere you have been, in map form.  That's creepy enough, but the even creepier part is when it titles the day for you based on where you spent the majority of your time, like "Afternoon at Walmart Supercenter", LOL.

I decided to look back in time to when it first started for me.  I realized it started in 2013 when I got my first phone with that capability.  And it has recorded pretty much every day since then in astonishing detail.  I started at the beginning, and for the better part of a few weeks went through every single day of my life, one by one.  I am currently somewhere in early 2018 and have stopped there for now because I know that the next couple of years are going to be especially hard for me to relive, like those months in 2018 when my Dad lived with me when his elevator was being renovated, and when I had my gallbladder operation and subsequent related endoscopies.  I have looked at the timeline with kind of morbid curiosity about some periods in my life, too.  Given all that I have been through in the past few years, it has been a very emotional reliving of my life.

Even creepier and more emotionally gut wrenching is the fact that on every day's page it not only shows you the map with everywhere you went traced on it, but on the timeline to the left of it, it lists when you were there in chronological order, and also reproduces a thumbnail of every photo and video you took with your Google enabled cell phone camera, sitting exactly at the time when you took them - some photos I had long forgotten.  Many days I had a vague memory of, but this brought them back with amazing clarity.  It's a very spooky and emotional experience to see your entire life mapped out from a very high vantage point in the future.  And in light of the current pandemic situation, it has also felt very, very sad.  Like in retrospect, I had a good life, you know?  As if it's all in the past.  I know it's going to have an emotional impact to see how many days I've spent at home since the pandemic began.  I did skip ahead to the last few months of my father's life to see when the last date was I ever saw him, the last photo I took of him, etc.  Very, very sad stuff.  But in other ways, seeing them was very necessary and meaningful, too.  I think it has given me a perspective on things I wouldn't have had if I didn't do it.  Like I never realized how boring and predictable I was, you know?  LOL.  And yet there were always the trips to NY to visit Dad, my husband's family and my friends that were my highlights, plus the road trips and vacations we took.  It's amazing how important those little things are and how much you miss them when they're not a possibility.  I may have only done those things a few times a year, but they were oh-so important to me.  I have been prompted to remind Mr. Yeah No of certain days we spent that we might have otherwise forgotten.  It all comes flooding back to you when you have something that jogs your memory.  I really look forward to the time when we can all get our lives back and go back to doing those things.

The other day my friend reminded me of what we did last Thanksgiving - we went to an Italian restaurant in the Bronx with my other girlfriend, my husband, and my Dad.  Every year I always would wonder if it was the last holiday I'd spend with my Dad.  I am dreading looking at those photos on the timeline.  When I'm ready, I will, maybe after the holidays.

[Rabbit Hutch]

Heh, me and trucker hubby sometimes go through multiple weigh stations every day.  By the time we get up to the actual building they can tell me how many fillings I have and what I had for lunch.  🙃

Edited November 20, 2020 by Rabbit Hutch

[suomi]

We all know about the Butterball Turkey hotline but we can't hear the callers. You could consider this if you are looking for background noise and maybe a few laughs on Thanksgiving morning.

A guy named Neil Saavedra does a call-in show in El Lay every year from 6-10am pacific time for those who are new to roasting turkeys or whose meals are otherwise in jeopardy. He hands out emergency recipes and fixes and instructions like nobody's business. You can listen via KFI 640 if you are within reach of their 50,000 watt signal or by using the I Heart Radio app. (Alexa finds KFI for me). 

Neil is a foodie and a jack-of-all-trades old school radio guy. He does The Jesus Christ Show as "your holy host" every Sunday morning (since 2004). The show actually is quite serious and respectable. He replaced a previous host who got a tad too impatient with a caller but, dang, it was realistic. I nearly drove off the road! Leave it to SoCal, amirite? 

[suomi]

"Oh, goodness me. Look at THAT."

 

 

[Rabbit Hutch]

2 hours ago, suomi said:

"Oh, goodness me. Look at THAT."

 

 

She's one of my favorite voice coach reaction you tubers.

[CalicoKitty]

3 hours ago, suomi said:

We all know about the Butterball Turkey hotline but we can't hear the callers. You could consider this if you are looking for background noise and maybe a few laughs on Thanksgiving morning.

 

My favorite turkey hot-line call was from a woman who said they finally cleaned out their freezer after 22 years.  They found a frozen turkey in there.  She wanted to know if it was OK to eat it.  That just made me shake my head and laugh.  And be thankful that I was not invited to Thanksgiving dinner at their house.

[suomi]

Or the ones who think a turkey thaws in a few hours. Set the alarm for 3am, take it out of the freezer, go back to bed and expect to start stuffing it at 8am. I mean, come ON. And these people drive, and are responsible for children and pets! Their voices are shaky when they call in, LOL. 

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, suomi said:

Or the ones who think a turkey thaws in a few hours. Set the alarm for 3am, take it out of the freezer, go back to bed and expect to start stuffing it at 8am. I mean, come ON. And these people drive, and are responsible for children and pets! Their voices are shaky when they call in, LOL. 

I bought a 4.5 lb. Butterball turkey breast.  The package and the entire internet said it would defrost in 1-2 days in the refrigerator.  Well, my gut and past experience said it would take 3 days or more so I put it in the fridge Monday and it's still as hard as a rock despite the fridge thermometer reading 38 degrees.  So now tomorrow I'm going to have to dedicate my life to doing the standard safe sink defrost with changing out the water every 30 minutes.  I'm basically back in a semi-quarantine state anyway so at least I have the time for it.  I normally buy fresh turkey just because I HATE defrosting them, but this year it just wasn't possible.

[laurakaye]

Last night I looked at the amount of food we are preparing for our Thanksgiving feast, where the only people in attendance will be me and my husband, and laughed and laughed.  Clearly I do not know how to downsize.  Good thing I love leftover turkey, potatoes, and green bean casserole.  I will not have to cook again for at least three days.

Hope you all have a nice Thanksgiving, whatever you're doing or not doing, going or not going.  I don't have it in me to judge anyone, but I will be staying off social media for awhile as it hurts that I will not see my family when I know so many others will be doing just that (was that judgey?  I didn't mean it to be).  I am trusting my gut on this one.

Now go dig those empty gray Costco corn cans out of the recycle bin and get to painting them gray!  They aren't going to paint themselves! 

 

[Sandy W]

1 hour ago, laurakaye said:

 

Now go dig those empty gray Costco corn cans out of the recycle bin and get to painting them gray!  They aren't going to paint themselves! 

 

Painting corn cans is a 2 person job.  One person plays the part of Meri and impatiently starts ahead of time, the other playing Janelle, arrives, looks bewildered, and claims, "you started already,  thought this was a meeting to discuss what colors and embellishments we should plan on".

[laurakaye]

48 minutes ago, Sandy W said:

Painting corn cans is a 2 person job.  One person plays the part of Meri and impatiently starts ahead of time, the other playing Janelle, arrives, looks bewildered, and claims, "you started already,  thought this was a meeting to discuss what colors and embellishments we should plan on".

Just for some laughs, I went and re-read the SW Thanksgiving Day Great Corn Can Extravaganza of '16 thread.  There was quite the lively debate: was Janelle lazy?  Or was Meri an unreasonable witch?

Spoiler: Yes.

Edited November 25, 2020 by laurakaye

[Yeah No]

I just wanted to wish everyone as happy a Thanksgiving as they can have this year.  I'm staying home with Mr. Yeah No and making my now defrosted turkey breast.  

In other news, my father's apartment has finally been listed for sale, but my realtor is having flu-like symptoms and is still waiting for his results from a Covid test.  I am saying my prayers for him.  He's in his early 40s and in good health but I am concerned anyway.

[Kohola3]

Giving thanks for my virtual family on this forum.  Also sending thanks to the scientists who worked so hard and relentlessly to produce a vaccine that will (hopefully) ensure that we never have to get through another totally weird holiday season like this will be.

Off to follow the instructions from the third grader who says to cook my turkey for 14 hours at 90 degrees. Will let you know how it turns out.

[iwantcookies]

2 thanksgivings in a row  I am sick as a dog. 
 

Happy thanksgiving everyone!

Wish someone brought me a plate of food. I am just going to drink tea/coffee. 
 

 

[Absolom]

Happy Thanksgiving all!  Waiting until later to cook the turkey pieces I bought.  It should only take an hour.  Other than that it should be a nice quiet day of watching murder mysteries and reading.  I think I'll take a nice walk this morning after it warms a bit.

[Teafortwo]

Happy Thanksgiving to all. For a number of reasons, I could not do appropriate food shopping this week. I felt liberated when i realized last night that there us no earthly reason why I have to eat certain things today. So I will be happily having organic pasta with a meat sauce and a side of frozen veggies later today, followed by thawed frozen strawberries over ice cream. 

I'll buy fresh produce tomorrow if the stores aren't  crowded. I'm looking forward to sweet potato!

[Kohola3]

Detroit's Thanksgiving Parade, one of the oldest in the nation, went on in a sort of virtual way today.  The pulled out some of the favorite floats and pulled them across a vacant lot with everyone masked.  They interspersed it with footage from past year.  But Santa showed up in person!  I bet a lot of work went into doing it safely.  The credits included two infectious disease specialists as part of the crew.  Different but very enjoyable.  And Santa sent a great message to the kiddies.