fandom_checkin | Daily Check-In

mecurtin posting in

This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time on Tuesday) to midnight (8pm Wednesday Eastern Time).

Poll #23686 Daily poll

This poll is closed.
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 84

How are you doing?

I am OK
70 (83.3%)

I am not OK, but don't need help right now
14 (16.7%)

I could use some help
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans live with you?

I am living single
36 (42.9%)

One other person
25 (29.8%)

More than one other person
23 (27.4%)

Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

kindkit

My US state has ordered all non-essential businesses to close as of today. I work in a grocery store, which is considered essential, so I still have a job. Yay?

I'm glad to know I'll be able to pay rent and buy food, but it's also stressful and exhausting and I feel like it's inevitable that I'll contract the virus. I'm wearing gloves at work, but I'm in proximity to hundreds of people every day. I don't want to get sick. Even colds often give me bronchitis, and at 50, with diabetes (well controlled when I follow the meal plan, but frankly the world feels so fucked up that all I want to do is stress-eat carbs), I'm at some risk for a more severe reaction if I get infected.

I'm not asking for advice (particularly not about diabetes and eating, thanks, I have a perfectly good meal plan). I just wanted to vent a bit.

From:

melannen

Thank you for your service.

From:

kathmandu

Seconded.

From:

kindkit

Much appreciated. It's been tough, and sometimes customers who are stressed and worried themselves (or just jerks) are not nice.

From:

darkemeralds

I am so very grateful to you and your front-line colleagues everywhere. Without you, I would be very short of food. Thank you for what you do, and I'm so sorry that you have to do it in such a risk environment.

Let me ask you" from your perspective, is it better (overall, for society including you and your job) if I--and lots of other people--order grocery delivery, or do our own shopping?

From:

kindkit

Well, my store doesn't currently do delivery, so I don't know from my own experience. But from what I understand of how the virus spreads, delivery is likely to be better than shopping oneself because it greatly reduces the number of people in contact with one another.

It's also probably going to be easier on grocery workers, because delivery orders can probably be filled from backstock, reducing how often the shelves have to be restocked. And it reduces the number of people the workers are coming in contact with, as well.

From:

darkemeralds

Thank you for your professional insight. I might start doing that.

From:

egret

You are a hero. Take care of yourself.

From:

kindkit

Thanks. I'll try. And you too.

From:

jesse_the_k

Thank you so much for doing this essential work!

Sending you virtual insoles.

From:

serafina20

Talked to more of my kids today and FaceTimed with one, which left me feeling a little melancholy. Actually, the whole day has me feeling a little down. Serves me right for thinking I could sleep in. But I'm okay, just a little down.

From:

mific

*Sends you hugs*

From:

torncurtain

Cleaned under my bed then my cupboard, threw out years of written journals (I haven't done any of that crap since 2013, just lost interest). Feel better now but doubt that will last.

From:

darkemeralds

There's a lot to be said for clearing!

From:

torncurtain

haha yes :)

From:

egret

I love your icon.

From:

torncurtain

Thank you, love your icon too :)

From:

darkemeralds

Though one friend is sick and had to cancel our Zoom coffee-date this morning, and though I'm quite worried about her, another thing made my day so much better than yesterday: I used Netflix Party with a fandom friend who wanted to put her toe into the treacherous waters of CQL/The Untamed.

We watched the first episode "together" and she liked it so much we watched the next two as well. It was almost three hours of me explaining things to her and enjoying her reactions, and absolutely zero thought of the real world.

Recommended, if you can do it.

From:

minim_calibre

Went for a walk with the kiddo as my usual noon meeting was rescheduled for earlier in the day. She's holding up better today than yesterday. I had her pick a crapload of violets in the backyard so we can candy them later. Missing human contact other than my household, boy howdy.

From:

kathmandu

Oh, yum, candied violets, what a creative idea!

From:

twistedchick

Mainly tired and discouraged, because as a result of the infusion treatment yesterday I had indigestion that kept me awake till after the first bird sang in the morning. And ended up with maybe 5 hours of sleep before I became fully awake. But I'm doing better. Just tired.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, I'm one of the people who is a region admin in Second Life (it's not that much of a distinction when there are 28,000 regions...) but where I am is a newbie center, and we try to keep it friendly, non-political, non-religious, non-controversial. I have a staff of tutors to help newcomers -- and I had to tell some of the oldest of them in strong (yet still polite) language that discussing COVID publicly was not allowed. Talk about it in instant messages, but not in public nearby chat. I got flak from two of the oldest, who have been in SL far longer than I have, but today they agreed I had been right.

And then there was the guy who came in with the username COVID, whom I had to ban and report, because a pandemic is not a cute PG -level name to have in a virtual world.

So I feel like whoever it was that was trying to sweep the ocean out of the house with a broom. The waves keep coming. (and now I'm going to try to get some sleep.)

From:

mific

Whoa! Managing a virtual reality...virtually. Fun times!

From:

tamsin

I guess it was bound to happen that the situation also spills over into virtual spaces. Thanks for looking out for your part of it.

How anyone can think it's cute to name oneself after a pandemic is beyond me.

From:

libitina

I don't want to mop my floors. I normally pay people to do the scrubbing part of cleaning my house, but because I've been renovating a room there has been to much chaos to do that for a couple months.

And now I'm cooking more, so I can't really put it off.

But I haaate it. I'm not good at it. When I use a mop, it just feels like pushing dirt around. So it means getting down and doing it in sections by hand.

But I bought scented ammonia today (they were out of white vinegar, if you're going to suggest that. And more floor cleaning options. And this is what my mother would use). I will do it, but I'm going to whine and complain the entire time.

From:

mific

Yeah I realised today I'll have to do my own cleaning now we're in lockdown, which is tricky with my bum knee at present so there'll be dust bunnies under the furniture for a while. I'll whine along with you!

From:

feng_shui_house

Dust bunnies are a protective covering! It's only when they grow enough to hide the pets that you have to be concerned. :^)

From:

mecurtin

Are you able to keep paying your regular cleaning person? I'm using my bank's app to keep sending mine money as though she's still working for me--unless the hospital where she works part-time takes her on full-time.

From:

mific

That's my plan, yes. Her husband was still working a few days ago but he fixes large earthmoving machinery and I'm not sure that'll count as an essential service. So I suspect they'll need any income they can get, and they have 2 grown sons at home.

From:

feng_shui_house

Did a bit more mask sewing- was I too ambitious cutting out so many at once? Possibly. Got tired of standing at the ironing board and wound up writing a couple little ficlets in between.

Happy endings only, maybe will cheer up a fan or two, at least for a moment.

From:

mific

Good to vary things. I can't stand for very long these days. Sitting though, I'm expert at!

From:

feng_shui_house

Getting up and moving around, even just a little bit, is good for you. And you can wash your hands every time to get up, just to get in the habit. :^)

From:

tamsin

I'm sure your ficlets cheered some people up.

From:

feng_shui_house

I think so. :^) I've been writing about various fandom heroes fighting the coronavirus. It's what my muse wants to say, apparently. Only happy endings! I am not adding fictional angst to the all too real events.

So far, there are 3 of them.
https://archiveofourown.org/series/1676572

From:

tamsin

Well, your X-men fic certainly made me smile. Thank you for writing it! My favorite bit is the discussion about venous blood.

From:

feng_shui_house

Charles was fun. ;^) I just added another one. Spiderman. Time to get back to sewing.

From:

egret

I am doing remote-teaching and while I am grateful to be busy and have a paycheck, I find it draining to be positive and encouraging on Zoom for extended periods. Teaching is draining, water is wet. Otherwise, all is well.

From:

mific

I Zoomed with friends tonight, which was nice. But yeah, teaching's more draining.

From:

jb_slasher

Went by the grocery store yesterday for some small supplies in order to make some food. Proceeded to make food in the evening so now I have lunch for today, tomorrow, maybe even Friday. There should be no need to leave my apartment until then, I think, unless I need to make a literal milk run.

Ben Gibbard's daily streams are helping keep me sane. I love Death Cab For Cutie so they are a comfort of sorts. Today's set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25OCP0qBD_A

I am re-watching favourite movies which bring their own kind of comfort. I have also been reading comfort fic for the past week already so I'm going to continue this habit. Trying to avoid angsty stuff because the world at this point is full of angst already so fluff and happy things are indeed in order.

From:

mific

Mmm, nice music. I have several comfort watches on YT, mostly art vids, and British reality TV shows.

From:

daegaer

I think the cat is getting tired of me being around 0.o She heaved herself wearily off a chair a while ago and stalked out into the back yard. Normally she glues herself to me, but I think two weeks of self-isolation is getting to her.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, cat!

(She's actually my big worry right now - I ordered cat food which the site said would be dispatched the next working day and then at checkout said in 3-5 business days. She'll be eating my stockpile by then. I can't go out to get more as I'm in the queue for a test and need to wait until I come back clear. Everyone who could go for me is also self isolating. My cat's days of tinned salmon are coming closer!).