Checking In

[twistedchick]

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

Poll #23702 Daily poll

This poll is closed.
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 87

How are you doing?

I am OK
76 (88.4%)

I am not OK but I don't need help right now
9 (10.5%)

I could use some help
1 (1.2%)

How many other humans live with you?

I am living single
40 (46.0%)

One other person
25 (28.7%)

More than one other person
22 (25.3%)

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.

Comments

[sylvanwitch]

I'm okay, but man am I tired. I've had to convert from classroom teaching to online courses, and the frontload of prep work to make that happen was immense. I've only just finished today, so now I'm staring down a backlog of grading. And this is only for the two and a half weeks we had left before break begins. Ugh. Anyway, tired. But managing.

[goss]

Oh man, I feel you! I too have a backlog of marking to finish still. /o\ And am dreading having to start from scratch with restructuring lessons for online teaching.

[egret]

I have been dealing with the same process and yes, it is EXHAUSTING!

this might be whiny...

[velvetglovefic]

My birthday is tomorrow, and obviously it will not be a typical celebration. I planned to make myself a cake, and I'm still going to do that, but I was wanting to dress up and go to our favorite restaurant, where they treat me like a celebrity and do me special favors, and I'm just not gonna get that this year.

I've scaled my expectations for birthdays back to a celebratory bare minimum over the last few years thanks to myriad friendship fails, and it's childish, but it just feels unfair that I can't even have the simple, unadorned dinner out B and I would have liked to enjoy together.

I'm sure I will have a good time with B tomorrow anyway. I'm not sick, I'm not in a hospital, for the time being we're getting a paycheck, and by the time you're my age, you're not supposed to care about birthdays anyway, I guess. I do though. I want my day to be magic.

Re: this might be whiny...

[mecurtin]

Can you get takeout from Favorite Restaurant?

Re: this might be whiny...

[we_are_spc]

I feel you. I got lucky on mine, but I was still upset that my friend's finances werent flexible enough to let us go out on the 13th. Like...we're both blind; he's in Cuyahoga county, and I'm in Lake County (Ohio)...and we don't get to see each other much anyway, so I was really looking forward to that. Then the 'Stay at Home" order came and even the first week of April plan we had hit the floor with a resounding thud.

Here are lots of hugs. Happy early birthday, too.

-T~

Re: this might be whiny...

[kathmandu]

Happy Birthday!

Sympathies on the blocked plans. We are all having to do without so many things we didn't expect to, and it is totally legitimate to grieve a bit.

Re: this might be whiny...

[torncurtain]

Happy Birthday for tomorrow!

Re: this might be whiny...

[egret]

Happy Birthday!
(I think I posted a comment in the wrong place before, please disregard! Sorry!)

Re: this might be whiny...

[wenchpixie]

You're allowed to be whiny, it sucks.

I have a few people in a similar position and we're declaring them all rulers of their domains, and are therefore allowed an official birthday, too, date to be confirmed once we know that things are stable again. Could you do similar?

...wtf?

[we_are_spc]

I went from being OK this morning, to now wanting to cry. And I kinda did a lot today, comparatively speaking.

I mopped the kitchen floor; made two cups of coffee; cleaned and reorganized one of my two closets and in the process found some clothes I wanted to donate. ... Oh, and I'll probably clean the cat box before I go to bed tonight.

But one of my housemates is not getting better, and I had to go out in a face mask today...and it/s just all starting to hit me.

I'm an extravert. I'm touch deprived, and...as much as I love books, I need a variety of voices right now.

Having headmates helps. Hoo boy howdy does it!) and is probably the only reason I'm not even more stir crazy, but I still need physical closeness, y'know?

-T~

Re: ...wtf?

[longmagpieroads]

I get you. I wish virtual hugs could feel like physical ones do.

[feng_shui_house]

Still sewing masks and writing crackfic against Coronavirus. Today I only managed a very short silly fic in which Captain Underpants uses his secret power against the virus, but I sewed more masks.

I got tired and had to nap, lost good sewing light time. My eyes don't like sewing at night, I mess up.

[kathmandu]

I read some of your fics today. Nice and cheering.

[rhi]

Well, I have to say: my green line (rail line converted for pedestrians and bikes) has gotten much more scenic. A lot of gym rats who can't gym were out today as I biked past them. Usually, if I see guys with six packs and hip cuts, they're on Tumblr. I will take my silver linings where I can get them.

[mific]

Heh, the scenic route indeed!

Zoom

[mecurtin]

I thought Zoom had expanded their free-ness for the epidemic? But they still won't let me schedule a group hangout for 4 (devices; 7 people) that lasts more than 40 minutes without upgrading. What is the best way to "drink with the gang"?

Re: Zoom

[libitina]

I've had decent luck with Google Meet

[wyomingnot]

Things have improved here, but they're so awful everywhere else. Damn Cheeto is talking about getting back to business in a couple weeks, while we still haven't got a date for school to resume. So I despair for all my friends and family back home.

I didn't answer question one on the poll because honestly, what help can I get? And due to my bipolarness, I might be fine later anyway and feel stupid for feeling this way now.

[mific]

Sending you hugs anyway!

[jb_slasher]

I spent all of yesterday indoors, oops.

Last night we were supposed to have our biweekly D&D Discord session but we skipped the D&D and just talked for two hours. I had not realized I needed that but I did. The group is formed of work colleagues so we decided why not just call each other during the workday (pending there are no meetings), even if just to hear someone else's voice for those of us living alone.

I also committed to playing Civilization VI (finally!) with a co-worker on Saturday so that's something to look forward to.

I ordered a bunch of movies, some of which mean re-watching something else before watching said movies but that's all right, they'll mostly be comfort anyway.

I re-watched a movie, read some fic, made a plan for the weekend. Just a general plan of what I'd like to get done. This is typical for me: I usually make a general to-do list every day and what gets done gets done. My to-do list on workdays includes work so that's always one thing accomplished. You know, mostly easy stuff, like "read fic."

Today I'm going for a grocery run. I should also get a head start on my taxes. Easy does it...

And the sun is shining so that's nice.

[mific]

Yeah, I have a group of close work friends and we're Zooming weekly to chat, and messaging at odd times between. It's really nice to see and hear people, I found.

[nafs]

Working from home today involved Windows refusing to boot, the linux version of what I needed to access the work VPN not working, doing what work I could for the rest of the day while downloading a new install of Windows 10.

After work the new install of Windows killed the linux bootloader, and the easiest way to fix it ended up being to reinstall Fedora completely (which, fortunately, I had backed up during the day). I am supposed to be trying to deal with recently diagnosed high blood pressure... I'm not sure today was good for that.

[mific]

Gah, poor you - tech hassles in the middle of all this!

[egret]

I am fine but checking in after 2 am because I gave up fighting my insomnia and got up again. I haven't been outside in a week and my body clock is completely out of whack now. At least there is not much I have to do at a specific time tomorrow, so if I sleep in it's not a big deal.

[mific]

Yeah, my body clock's been whacky for ages - I have circadian rhythm disorder so this is early for me (11.45 pm in NZ). Also, hi!

[minim_calibre]

It hit me today that one of my oldest friends is still probably moving across the state and our plan to make the best of the time we have here before they move is just not happening. I am busy as hell at work, which would normally be fine, but now is just taking what little energy I have and leaving me cranky and vaguely resentful that this is all happening while we don't even have time to breathe between projects.

So I have the blues today, boy howdy.

[mific]

That's rough. Hopefully you can still keep in touch virtually.

[lilly_c]

I'm working today (late shift) and then I'm off for the weekend for a much needed break. I'm not sure how much longer weekends off and days off will be honoured with how many of our staff are now not coming in to do their shifts.

[mific]

Sounds tiring. I hope you get some rest at the weekend.

Attn Knitters

[mecurtin]

My homeSprog wants to take up knitting again. She has various needles but no yarn. She had a kit all picked out at knitpicks.com, but they've suspended shipping until April 8 (at least) due to the epidemic.

Please recommend your favorite pushers yarn vendors that are not Amazon. Also recommend yarns that are easy for beginners and feel nice on the hands. Jewel colors preferred.

Re: Attn Knitters

[twistedchick]

Carodan Farm -- http://www.carodanfarm.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/index.html -- is friendly and you might be able to phone them or email for help.

The Woolery -- https://woolery.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8-mIr_a66AIVEYrICh2_DwSwEAAYASAAEgINEPD_BwE

All else lacking, here is the list of vendors from the canceled Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival -- I have yet to meet any who weren't helpful:
https://sheepandwool.org/partners/vendors/?fbclid=IwAR353gmH23MszOv4cHIxz56fZG5uMXp18SYTSkNGiOdPHg_r8EHcn69uu9Q

I can't recommend specific yarns -- though I will recommend *against* the Brown Sheep brand yarn that is supposed to be cotton with a core of wool, because I made a sweater of it and the wool inside worked its way outside and pilled up everywhere.

If you come up with something more specific, I might be able to talk about it. I spin a lot of my own wool yarn -- I have a reasonable sense of touch for the fibers I've worked with, but I can't just out of the air say this one or that one.

[wenchpixie]

My work team (we support front line work) are finally all able to work from home now. The last few got their kit last night, and probably not unrelatedly last night was the first time I got a reasonable night's sleep in a while, and it's amazing the difference it made to how I feel.

We're still working the kinks out of being 100% remote, lots of skype calls and messages, and I've set up a regular chat for my whole team just to check in with each other as well as telling them that I absolutely encourage them to call each other just to shoot the breeze right now. I'm not sure how the weekend will go, without the structure of work, but maybe I'll finally have enough attention span to watch some tv or read for longer than 10 minutes.

[feng_shui_house]

Wow, I'm tired from sewing and I just read that you set up a regular cat for your whole team.

And I was thinking that's nice, but for a whole team, I'd have thought an extra large cat would be better....

I think I need a cup of tea.

[melannen]

I lost the notebook I've been using as a plague journal/to-do list while I'm home and it's left me surprisingly scattered today. Can't do anything, lost the to-do list, sorry! Oh well, it can't have gone far, it's not like I've left the house.

[jesse_the_k]

The appliance repair guy fixed our oven, which means we can cook and bake and broil and that sounds tasty to me.

I’ve just discovered a little hack that can make it easier to participate in busy threads like this. I defined a keyboard text expansion (iOS/macOS) for the characters

?style=light&posted=1

I can plop that at the end of the current URL to expand all comments and display light style, which loads faster and is easier to read in mobile.

[daegaer]

The cat food arrived, thank heavens. And now the country has gone into a tighter lockdown, so I suspect I'll have to cancel an appointment (non-medical). We're to stay home with a very small set of exceptions.