JCC Coronavirus Escape Pod (Vent/Emotional Support/Share/Homeschool Help!))

^yeah, it took me a number of years before I started trying to post more in the JCC (rather than just lurking and liking posts in my fave Senate threads), but slowly but surely I think I've been making at least a bit of headway around here!

lovely song you posted too, Jedi Ben. Kindness is definitely key. For ex, I was thinking of putting out a thank you card to our postal carrier on the mail box for Monday; a small gesture but maybe it would help to brighten his day! It's all too easy to take people like postal carriers, delivery people, grocery store workers, etc. for granted--but really, how could social distancing possibly work without those individuals doing their jobs day in and day out?! I wish they could all get extra "hazard" or "national service" pay during this period.

Edit: and @Runjedirun -- I can't imagine the difficulties of trying to get any of this to "make sense" to a young child. But you are obviously a very caring and loving mother, and I'm sure part that comes through to him loud and clear every day, and maybe that's the most important thing

 

It's raining all here this weekend @Pensivia which in one way is good since it got everyone inside but also bad because some areas are getting hard. One town in Arkansas just got flattened by a tornado. So on top of dodging germs as @heels1785 put it in the weather thread, some people are also dodging tornados too. I think someone is trying to tell us something. Whatever you want to call "it", I think the message is being sent loud and clear that we all got too big for our britches.

And I understand what you are saying @Princess_Tina, totally. I have that same fear or being a burden on my family or leaving my kids orphans. Worrying though constantly does us no good since when you are depressed or overstressed, you are more likely to get sick whether it's this or anything out. It's hard not to think six months down the road too but I think its best to think of it in a 1-2 week period since the world is changing so rapidly that how things are IMHO going to be much different in two weeks and nobody knows how that will look let alone 1-2 months from now. I just try and enjoy each good moment before moving on to the next one. I dont mean sound to philosophical or anything like that but it's best to enjoy the time we have rather then worrying about how much time we have left. I could go on but I think that would be too depressing and try to keep this more positive.

One thing I found to be good in this? Nothing puts me better to sleep then rain hitting glass at night. I slept better last night with a white noise sound of rain hitting glass then I have in a month. I'm trying to talk my wife into letting me leave YouTube on TV as there is ten hours of that sound/video on a few channels but not sure she will go with it.
I also going to try and cut my own hair in a few weeks. I got clippers and sort done it before but like a touch up then anything else. This could get interesting.

 

Last year when I had to travel for work and had a hotel room to myself I started listening to youtube videos to help me sleep. A few weeks ago when all this was coming and we really didn't know what it was I couldn't sleep. Ever since I started up again. I listen to this British guy, I think he's British. It's a series called Business Blaze. His stories aren't even really boring, but because they take my mind off what's going on they allow me to drift off.

 

Borrowed this from one of my old AF buddies on FB:

For most civilians. This whole "Stay at Home" Order that a lot of States and Cities have in place (with some exceptions) can be hard getting used to. For me and a lot of my military friends----most would probably say 'Yup, been there--done that."

How Serving on multiple deployments Prepared Me For This Pandemic:

1. You're used to seeing the SAME thing EVERY day for months on end. The same colors, the same people, the same tents.

2. You're used to being in a specific, defined area and not being able to leave.

3. Being told you can't go to certain places, because it might harm you, doesn't bother you.

4. Eating the same food, at the same place, every day, every week, every month is no big deal.

5. AAFES BX/PX sells out of stuff, restocks once in awhile, and you just roll with it.

6. Unless you're seriously injured, or sick enough to be in danger of dying, you're used to medical personnel telling you there's nothing they can do for you. Drink more water, and take the Motrin or whatever you have in your personal stash.

7. You get a respiratory infection every time you get to a new location.

8. You can’t always have the best personal hygiene at all times.

9. Using bathrooms and showers that are shared by hundreds of people a day, and get nasty beyond description...is routine. Not to mention Porta-Johns that would scare Satan himself.

10. You live and work in parts of the world where Tuberculosis and Malaria is something the military takes very seriously.

11. You learn to get along with Individuals you desperately want to throat punch. Every. Single. Day. For months.

12. Being "Bored" takes on a whole new meaning. We can deal.

13. The idea of dying is a little more real to you every hour of every day than it is to most people back home. It isn't a joke.

All the while, the enemy is trying to kill you.

Welcome to a taste of deployment people! Hang in there, y'all. This too will pass.


Just remember, lots of people have been through a lot worse that lasted a lot longer and can laugh about it now. Even if we can't see it yet, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

Lockdown, 3 months later. ... There are many home cut mullets.

 

No haircuts in my house. One of my son's already had hair to his shoulders and the other can just follow if necessary. People don't get it either, I actually like long hair on men/boys so when my son decided he wanted long hair I was happy about it. Of course when haircuts are safe again anyone can get one, I don't dictate to my kids or husband how to keep their hair.

Stressed today. The only thing I know to do now is clean my house and I hate cleaning. Already spent 90ish minutes exercising. I'm actually surprised I made it a week + before the depression and stress set in. Usually I have to leave my house/neighborhood everyday just to stay sane. Of course, I'll be okay. It's just not easy.

 

My hair is kept short and I do it with clippers - have for years. Trimmed it this morning as it was getting longish. Worst you can do is screw it up but these days a) we're supposed to stay home and b) hair grows. Those working from home and doing video conferencing might rather not but I'm retired so I really don't care if I trim a bit too much off. If you get clippers make sure they have different length guards unless you really want to do a military cut.

 

You lasted @Runjedirun lomger then I did as I honestly was in a maniac episode two weeks like I said earlier in the thread. Last week was better and I am hoping this week with school starting again it will help me have better tunnel vision as other then some prep stuff I haven't worked since March 15th. So it will be nice to be occupied with something though I fully expect to it be a complete mess this week from online issues to my fear a lot of kids just following thru the cracks. I have a specific list in my head of kids I am worried will just ghost and are most vulnerable students for a whole variety of reasons. My goal this week besides have the "virtual classroom" up and running by the end of the week is to try and get a hold of as many at risks students I can. Just to make sure they are safe, have what they need and are getting the support they need. I shutter what we might find this week. Hope for the best but prep for the worst. That is all we can do in life period.

The comedian Sebastian Maniscalco @Obi Anne said if everyone should learn a skill they never had over this time. He also said any couple who is thinking about getting married should spend time in quarantine together.

 

You know the difference between a good haircut and a bad haircut? About two or three days.

 

From what I get out of my 12 yr old son most of his friends are not doing any school while it's optional. We are making him and luckily he's a decent kid. I'm a train wreck with the younger one cause I don't want to give up my time for school. But also he is highly aware school takes place when I am at work. So on evenings and weekends when I try to make the time he just tells me "school is over.". I feel like most kids are going to be behind when this is over, but that's just me.

Feeling kinda better now that I got some cleaning over with and ate lunch. I get frustrated with art since I suck at it. Now if I had a jigsaw puzzle, that would be nice. Problem is I don't have one.

 

Congrats on making it to March 30, Rew

As for me, I have also reached my own calendar marker today and have ended the self-imposed "marital distancing" [] I decided to put into place since for the past several weeks in relationship to some possible exposures I felt I wanted to be extra-cautious about...

 

Do you have someone else there that could at least give you a trim?

 

Our stylist of 30 years is coming to my mom's house to give her a haircut and color. I might have to see if that's available to me as well. It's been 8 weeks since my hair was cut short, and it's getting very shaggy....

 

Offer the stylist a 4-pack of toilet paper on top of the price in exchange for the service..

 

That would definitely do it! I have more TP arriving here Thursday, and some more has finally just shipped and will likely be here next week. So I'm FINALLY going to be set for TP (right now I have about 6 rolls left).

 

Let's face it, how many of us thought we'd end up using the sink to clean up if we ever completely ran out of TP/paper towels?

 

I've been doing laundry in the bathtub and drying stuff on a drying frame (outside in the garden if the weather is OK, inside if not). I usually use the local launderette up the street but it's been closed since the lockdown started. So far it's been OK for stuff that dries fairly quickly (underwear, handkerchiefs - that kind of thing) but heavier stuff has been a challenge to dry.

 

Surprised to hear, over here laundromats are considered essential services.

 

Yeah, they are allowed to be open here as well. However the manager lives up in London and had been taking a train to their other store and then driving down with shirts and other stuff to do at this shop. He has a family with young kids and he might have been afraid of passing something to them. So I don't know if it was his choice or the owner's choice to close.

 

This is how I had to wash my laundry for the majority of my semester in Europe. I was only near a laundromat a couple times and used it then. But they do actually make special laundry soap that's designed to be used in bathtubs I believe. At least that's my recollection of how I washed my jeans on Europe Semester!

 

I've been using regular laundry detergent.

 

I mean I think that works too. I just remember little packets of powdered stuff. Maybe it was just measured out for bathtubs. But thank God all the hotels I stayed at had that clothesline in the bathtub.