Way OT: what permanent life changes are YOU making now bc of COVID-19?
Not talking about the obvious near-term responsibilities of social distancing, etc to flatten the curve. I'm talking about stepping back and reassessing what you can do better. What selfish practice(s) should I re-think, as I try to love my neighbor rather than just myself? What can I do to be more prepared to be independent of the daily suck on the collective immediacy of our societal network for my mere existence, and thereby less of a contributor to the panic next time?
I'll start:
1) Building the garden I've long procrastinated about that can at least in part provide for my family and several others in need around us, if needed ... and if not needed, can help those generally in need. It's going to cost me about a grand, and the use of my children as conscripted labor while they're out of school. Makes healthy eating readily available, cheap and yummy ... for us and/or others around us.
2) Encouraging one small, commonsense bit of green living: investing in a Berkey water filtration system. Gravity fed, so very safe in a power crisis. Super effective in taking out pathogens, etc. Very 'green' compared to bottled water, and even compared to a Britta. A little bit of money up front ($300 or so), but incredibly cost-effective over time. Very easy to use. We've had one for ten years and it is a no-brainer, but very few people have heard about them or seriously considered them.
While it's understandable that we want to spend time blaming what part of the system broke down, etc, we can each immediately make permanent changes to impact our families and our communities. We can't all move Up North with XM, nor do I believe we should gut the workings of our largely urban/suburban civilization by wholesale changes, but we can all do this a bit smarter ... and we might share some good ideas with one another here.
So what are YOU doing?
March 17th, 2020 at 11:45 AM ^
None.
I'm buying a cabin in remote Montana. I'll be able to see wildlife and survivalists through binoculars.
March 17th, 2020 at 11:48 AM ^
Not clear on what (1) or (2) has to do with COVID-19. There are no food shortages or contaminated water. But gardens are nice. The way to not contribute to future panics is to not panic.
March 17th, 2020 at 11:58 AM ^
There aren't systemic food shortages, but there are disruptions to the food supply chain, at least in some areas. Panic buying started with TP, then hand sanitizer, then certain common meats, then rubbing alcohol....
My point of view is that this is not the worst pandemic or other catastrophic situation we could encounter. A worse bug, a bigger Katrina, etc ... you either prep in advance or you don't. My point is that prepping (particularly lifestyle choices) can be a very unselfish way to approach this.
March 17th, 2020 at 12:18 PM ^
There is nothing wrong with the food supply, it's just hoarding. People will be throwing outdated or freezer burned food away in July. People who don't typically cook, won't all of sudden start cooking because of this.
March 17th, 2020 at 12:24 PM ^
Can confirm. I work in the food distribution industry. Can attest that neither my warehouse, nor our vendors are running low on anything. Store stock is due to people buying ridiculous amounts that the stores weren’t equipped for. They’re being replenished with no shortages from the distribution level.
And who cares about hand sanitizer? Like a $3 bottle of soap will last most families 6 months.
In a real catastrophe electricity will be out and you're going to be shitting outside so TP will be the least of your worries. All your meat will go bad.
I guess alcohol makes sense to cleanse wounds. And canned goods and water, though big 5 gallon jugs over the 16 oz bottled shit.
Do you have an electric toilet?
In a way, Yes!
Our entire neighborhood (and much of the township) is on a sewer system dependent on electricity to function.
Every house has a 220v grinder/pump to move sewage along to the main system.
No power = backed up toilets.
Im a prepper so i have multiple redundant plans, but for many, the situation would quickly stink!
I used to have a sewage ejector pump too. The toilet in the basement at the previous house built in 1955 was below the sewer line.
Ok, my house now has a sewage ejector pump and was built in 1955. Did I buy your house?
it's just hoarding [...] People who don't typically cook, won't all of sudden start cooking because of this
This all day long...
I was at my local King Soopers this morning... they are kinda restocked. Kudos to them and all their hard work!
… but then I saw two fucking whales single handedly fill up a couple of carts to the brim with all the ramen the store just put back on the shelf. They just took the cases off the shelf without even looking at the individual units. When the store contrfonted them about the hoarding, they threw a fit in the aisle about being the victim of a bunch of -ists, and -isms and that the signs posted around the store limiting cleaners and such to three per person didn't apply to ramen.
Fortunately there were police in the store handle the rest of it.
Some people just kinda suck these days and make it worse for the rest of us.
sincerely laughed out loud at 'two fucking whales single handedly fill up...' Saw the same at Meijer...meat counters bare, said they just stocked and it's gone. Ironically as I walked down the aisle a kid brought out a full rack of hamburger. I was there in part to buy a couple pounds, grabbed two packs as I normally do any given shopping trip, and like vultures the rest was gone in a matter of minutes...it was unreal. Had another customer ask where lysol wipes were, said she had some in her cart, turned to pick something off the shelf and someone nabbed it out of her cart...like what the fuck is wrong with people....it's a virus...it's very contagious. The people in this country are more dangerous than the virus. It's insane.
question: were either of the corpulent women wearing pajamas?
that would make the visual complete.
March 18th, 2020 at 10:00 AM ^
One of them was wearing sweatpants that could double as PJ bottoms and slippers.
So, even though you're 1,200 miles away and weren't there, you nailed. Ha!
March 18th, 2020 at 10:00 AM ^
ooops... DP and obligatory:
Masks, Hand Sanitizer, then TP
March 17th, 2020 at 11:49 AM ^
giving serious thought to getting another dairy cow. we don't have one right now (we do beef) and we are going through milk - still available in most places. we've been 'in milk' for years but last year we stopped because of the time commitment and down to only 5 kids at home. might re-think that.
March 17th, 2020 at 12:09 PM ^
OMG...this is the only thing I thought of the other day-in this regard! Goats might be better/easier. We grow or process from bulk a significant amount of the food we consume. We can/could, pretty much, go for months without going to the grocery store.
You miscounted XM. You forgot to include me.
I thought I was the exclusion in the line, "...we can't all move Up North with XM"
funny.
i'm going to need to know your 40 time, vertical, and how fast you can muck out a hen house. please submit with a picture ID and we'll get back to you.
March 17th, 2020 at 11:49 AM ^
I am going to exercise with my kids more, and I am not going to allow myself to ever feel "burdened" again by doing any activity with them. I am going to pay more attention to my dog because I have been neglecting her. And beginning yesterday I will not watch, listen to, or click on any for-profit American news reporting media entity.
March 17th, 2020 at 11:52 AM ^
Become a contributing member of your local public radio station. NPR is one of the few places left that doesn't treat its audience like idiots.
March 17th, 2020 at 12:22 PM ^
Uh. Not sure why the negs. Do any of you actually listen to npr?
Non-profit is a tax model. It is NOT a Business model. NPR says the same things as CNN and Fox but with a calm voice that sounds erudite. If you read the transcripts they all sound lame compared to a good technical report. The other stations have way too much yelling.
Can't do it. Every time I happen to scan to NPR it always seems to be some limp-wristed sissy talking about the saxophone or the arts. They speak like such douchebags. Like the type of people that will explain to you what the artist was "thinking" when he made some painting that looks like the paint can fell on the floor. When I was a kid we called guys like this fags, but it certainly wasn't meant as an insult to one's sexual orientation.
March 17th, 2020 at 10:41 PM ^
The world calls people like you "assholes" and "bigots."
March 17th, 2020 at 12:43 PM ^
For profit news is the worst and I think it's largely responsible for the insane levels of anger and divisiveness we are currently experiencing. Good on you for not watching. Also for spending more time with your kids and dog.
What news sources exist now that aren't for-profit? Honest question. Other than NPR, are there any?
The network news programs (ABC, NBC, CBS) used to operate at a loss, and it was expected that they would. They're profitable now but not at the level of the cable news channels, and mostly from the news magazines more so than the actual news.
This statement is either really misleading or a complete non-sequitur. ABC, NBC, and CBS are owned by gigantic for-profit corporations. You could not possibly get any further from a non-profit designation than Disney, Viacom, and NBC Universal, which are the owners of ABC, CBS, and NBC respectively.
When people complain about for-profit news, they are mainly complaining about the incentives that the profit motive generates, e.g. yellow journalism, or not being willing to criticize the powerful. The network news programs are absolutely still subject to those bad incentives.
To answer the question, I can't think of any non-profit news programs off the top of my head other than NPR, PBS and foreign government programs like BBC. Pretty much all the major newspapers and news organizations (NY Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal) are run for profit.
I do alot of BBC and Economist.
I read the Economist so regularly I started using words like "scuppered" in casual conversation.
That's rubbish, love.
March 17th, 2020 at 11:50 AM ^
Yea. I don’t get the water thing. The virus is not going to infect our water supply.
March 17th, 2020 at 11:54 AM ^
This virus won't. I'm talking about stepping back from our normal course patterns and reassessing where a little preparation might help avert the next version of panic-related crisis.
I'm sorry that my post wasn't very clear.
March 17th, 2020 at 12:10 PM ^
No worries. Thanks for the clarification. Makes sense now.
With that, while I’ve never been a doomsday person, I’ve always found those doomsday bunkers really cool. I’ve told myself that if/when I have the money I’d build one underground. The C19 virus is a not a doomsday virus.
March 17th, 2020 at 11:50 AM ^
I wash my hands before I piss now, instead of after, to avoid caronapenis.
March 17th, 2020 at 11:54 AM ^
Sorry bro, that's not enough. You have to wear a condom when you piss to prevent coronapenis. It's the only way
March 17th, 2020 at 11:57 AM ^
Just practice penis distancing. Or I should say, continue practicing penis distancing.
March 17th, 2020 at 11:59 AM ^
I think Mrs. Hatter should wear the ugliest size 18 muumuu that you can find online - your productivity will thank me.
March 17th, 2020 at 12:05 PM ^
She's a size 2, I'd just get up in there with her. Like a blanket fort.
And then the Dutch oven heats up.
March 17th, 2020 at 12:38 PM ^
If you don’t piss on your hands isn’t it just random hand washing then?
March 17th, 2020 at 12:45 PM ^
I frequently wash my hands before I piss. My penis is generally cleaner than my hands.
Edit: Could have swore your post read differently
Mine too. And at my age I have both arthritis and ED, so my hands are the usually the stiffer of the two.
I hear ya, at my age I'm jealous of a stiff wind!
--- Rodney
March 17th, 2020 at 11:56 AM ^
Probably going to wash my hands more often now than I have been doing and washing them more effectively.
March 17th, 2020 at 11:58 AM ^
I'm going about life as if it were another day. If something more serious were to happen i don't think any amount of planning would be enough because it would be pure chaos.