(no subject)

[twistedchick]

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

Poll #23710 Daily poll

This poll is closed.
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 82

How are you doing?

I am OK
70 (86.4%)

I am not OK but I don't need help right now
10 (12.3%)

I could use some help
1 (1.2%)

How many other humans live with you?

I am living single
33 (41.2%)

One other person
27 (33.8%)

More than one other person
20 (25.0%)

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

[torncurtain]

Just not doing well right now.

[darkemeralds]

I'm sorry. I've been up and down--mostly down, today--and the life-saver thought is "Yeah, it's just not going to be okay for a while, and that's okay."

I hope things look up for you.

[writerlibrarian]

It was a very long week. The adrenaline of the novelty of working from home is rapidly going down. I'm tired but okay.

[wenchpixie]

..you know, I never thought about the adrenaline aspect of that. Ho hum, that explains some things, thank you for that.

[sylvanwitch]

In the middle of yet another day doing online grading, I noticed that the quality of light in the room had changed--the sun was out! I got up, called down to the hubs, and said, "We're going outside!" And we did, and it was glorious! Now, I get in a walk every day, but usually they're purposeful thirty-minute power-walks. Today, I said, "We'll take our exercise as it comes," and we just rambled a lot. It was JUST what I needed, and it made me feel stupid for forgetting that I can't chain myself in one spot for hours at a time and days on end without my brain getting snaky.

I think my point is this: If you're able--if it's safe to, and you're mobile--get out even for just a bit someplace with a little blue sky overhead and let yourself breathe the free air.

It helps *so* much.

[smilingslightly]

For some reason, I interpreted "the sun was out" in your story to mean it was extinguished, like maybe (best case scenario) you'd lost track of time while working and it was night already? Thinking my brain needs to step awaaay from the apocalyptic thinking.

Very glad you got some good outside time; totally agree it's the best :D

[darkemeralds]

I sort of forced myself out for a walk today, too, and what a difference!

[wenchpixie]

You make an excellent point. I will head out once I've caught up here.

[chanter1944]

Wish me luck for my platelet donation appointment tomorrow? If I succeed, it'll be my 10-gallon milestone. Eeks!

Something I wrote made one of the best writers in one of my current fandoms (see icon) go Eeeeeee! I am *still* warm and fuzzy over that. :D

[elayna]

Yay for blood donation!! I gave my 100 pint donation for whole blood recently, I was thrilled.

[kathmandu]

Wow, ten gallons! Go you!

[st_aurafina]

Wow, ten gallons??? That's amazing - go you, and good luck for the donation.

[dewline]

I had a skills test this week for a good job. I'm still scared. That's all I need to say.

[kathmandu]

Crossing my fingers for you.

[lannamichaels]

Today has been really stressful and I've cried a few times. I've cut my "checking news feeds" down to about twice a day and stop several hours before bed, but I think I might need to cut that down to once a day. It's been a lot. What gets me the most are the little human moments in amongst the headlines.

[wenchpixie]

as long as you're re-hydrating afterwards, tears are a pretty healthy stress response - they take cortisol out of your system. So. There's that, but it is definitely self care to not let oneself relentlessly consume news, particularly now.

[mecurtin]

I've cut out twitter from 9am to 6pm. I might need to add other news sources, start the blackout later but make it go until bedtime.

Meanwhile, my brother went to the doctor because he was worried his cough was getting down into his chest. Doc sez: no pneumonia, but take these antibiotics. I continue to cross all the fingers for him.

[goss]

Glad to get an update on your brother's health. Continuing to send good thoughts your way. *hugs*

[smilingslightly]

Setting off big booming fireworks every ~20 minutes is not the great idea that someone in my neighbourhood thinks it is, js.

Little on edge today.

[darkemeralds]

Ugh, how nerve-racking. At the best of times. Which we're not in. I hope they run out of fireworks soon.

[adafrog]

One of the nurses in our office may have been exposed. The patient is being tested, but it will take 5-10 days to get the results back. (seriously, WTF?)

[darkemeralds]

The testing problem (assuming you're in the US) is insane.

I have a friend who, though untested because who has tests?, surely has Covid, and I'm quite concerned about her. It's a frightening time, and every day brings it closer to home.

I hope your colleague is negative for the virus, and I hope you are too.

[we_are_spc]

I'm Okay-ish. I had a D&D session (Juast got done in fact) and I've don a few small chores, but this sitting on my ass is getting old.

Like, it's been almost two weeks, and while I've done stuff like clean out a closet, help with some of the household chores, I had no idea hwo much I *wasn't* doing until I took stock.

While I'm not necessarily beating myself up, per se, I still am like...and I've been doing this for longer than I thought? WTF me. >.<

My room mat gets tested tomorrow...and I seriously hope I didn't get it from him. I have an intermitent sore throat and a cough )And also have allergies) but no fever, and none of the other reported symptoms, so I'm cautiously optemistic. I'm worried about him, though because he's in a high risk catagory, and has lready been a week in quarantine. It's insane.

-T~

[lilly_c]

Weekend off and I'm glad to be having this break from the people I look after. I now have a letter from my employer that I have to show along with my work ID badge if I get stopped by the police on my way to work or going home from work. The alternative is a £60 fine, that rises to £120 if you're out without a valid reason more than once and because Scotland are being much tougher than England on people who are out without a valid reason during lock down. My mum said the fine in England is around £30

[wenchpixie]

I suspect the higher fine is because of all those people heading up to Caithness and things? I can't say I'm unhappy that it's higher, if the police have to risk themselves to help reduce the risk overall from pillocks then the pillocks should have to pay enough that it would give them some pause. I'm glad your employer's on top of things with the letter to make your commute less stressful.

I hope you're having a relaxing weekend.

[wyomingnot]

I knew the world would be different when I eventually returned from China.

But, y'know, I'm wondering if it's ever going to be safe to leave again.

Yes yes, hyperbole. But I had to cancel my July trip home. It's probably not going to even be possible from a quarantine point-of-view, nevermind the fact that we still do not have a return date for school yet. I am envisioning no summer holiday from school at all.

To the best of my knowledge, the people I know and care about are fine, and I need to be content with that right now. (but I'm really not. I keep coming back to the numbers and I just can't look away)

[twistedchick]

I found an article that looks critically at the numbers and how they're gathered and analyzed -- I will post it on my journal.

It's always hardest to know what's going on when you're not in the same country. I am trying to keep up with how my cousins are in Canada -- half my family is scattered there from Halifax to Victoria -- and if we didn't have Facebook together I'd be going insane.

[ratcreature]

Today is my birthday, and it's not that I usually do a big celebration or anything, but this one is sure way up there on the "depressing circumstances" scale.

Also I haven't been outside in while, because I had a mild sore throat and cough last week, not Covid-19 like or even inconveniencing under normal circumstances, but of course these days you aren't supposed to go out at all if you have any respiratory symptoms. So since I don't have a private garden the nice weather seemed to just mock me all week.

[wenchpixie]

Happy birthday. I know it's not what one would have planned for today, but I hope you're still able to manage some smiles today.

[jb_slasher]

Spent part of the workday in Discord chatting with work colleagues while working. Called Mom, made a grocery run in preparation of cooking a dish tomorrow, re-watched a movie, read some, spent a while on the internet while listening to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir-tDmRS6Aw

Today has been a somewhat normal Saturday so far. I spent my morning reading a book, then ate while listening to the newest Gibbard stream (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TiCThAAcNM), then boiled some potatoes and took a shower, and now I'm here, brewing tea and going to start playing Civilization VI with a co-worker.

Usually I have anxiety at some point during the weekend (outside of this whole crisis, I mean) so I'm waiting for that to hit at some point. Sundays are the worst so it will probably hit tomorrow.

[feng_shui_house]

Taking a break from sewing masks (actually it's the ironing that gets me) I wrote another tiny ficlette in which a fandom character does something positive against the pandemic.

DUM-E is a helping bot, so he helps.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/23359354

[wenchpixie]

Weekend off, and I'm just beginning to feel like I have enough concentration to watch TV (I was stuck at work - commuting on muliple trains each way every day - until tuesday because I support a front line service and the tech wasn't in place to WFH until then, it's taken a while to come back a bit from that.)

It's been dry and cold today with a bit of a breeze, so I've aired out the flat too, and I've finally had the energy to put the laundry away and tidy round a bit. It's taken me a bit by surprise exactly how exhausted I've been, but I'm cutting myself some slack... as long as I keep on top of my dishes and laundry, and high touch area disinfection, the rest of it can get chipped away at.

[melannen]

I took the day off from the projects I've been chugging though, which was nice, and did other things instead.

Also went into town for the first time in 14 days exactly, which was... weird.