Addiction LXXVII
03-23-20, 06:46 AM
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I need some group advice as to how to structure my brain and emotions re: our COVID lockdown.
I fully understand that to contain this virus we need to lock our interactions down China style. No meeting up with friends, not having your son move from his household to his girlfriends household and then back to yours, no selfies and hugging with friends when you go out to meet up for a run, no going out for an allowed hike/bike and then getting into close proximity and continuing on anyway as if you’re powerless to do anything else once that situation arises.
Yet I literally see or hear of numerous people doing this daily- through talking with friends, or seeing their FB or Strava posts, or behaviors I observe when I go out on a solo ride or rabbiting with the dogs.
It makes me CRAZY ANGRY. To the point where some of the friends doing this, people who I know are intelligent enough to be understanding all this, are making me question whether I really want to be friends with them after all.
I see all these people doing this $hit and I know they’re going to push our healthcare system past it’s breaking point, and people are going to die. Why? Because you need to groom your FB persona to reflect that “you’re living your best life”? Because you feel like you can’t restrict your son from seeing his girlfriend for a few weeks? Because you just HAVE to ride with friends instead of your wife because that’s what you do?
Maybe it makes me angry in part because I need to go out into the world myself on a professional level. But I don’t think that’s it. I understand I could get infected, and there’s some chance I could die. That would suck but doesn’t particularly scare me.
Mostly I think it makes me angry because these are trivial pleasures people are chasing vs the huge impact this has on lives- people dying from the virus, healthcare workers pushed to their breaking point, all the terrible economic impact made worse than it needs be. I see my friends who live a relatively privledged life unable to make relatively tiny sacrifices- just stay home and don’t interact with anyone outside your household- they are unable or unwilling to do that. Damn the consequences to others and to our society.
If I could just stay home, I would. I’d turn off the information stream and just stay home and ignore it all to cope. But I can’t do that, I have to go out into the world, and at work I have to organize other people to try to keep them safe. So I find myself angry a lot, and in disbelief of what I see people doing. And when they’re people I know and formerly liked, now I find myself not liking them much.
So I need some advice as to how to see this and not be angry half of everyday. Maybe I just won’t be able to see some friends in the same light anymore, and I just need to accept that?
I fully understand that to contain this virus we need to lock our interactions down China style. No meeting up with friends, not having your son move from his household to his girlfriends household and then back to yours, no selfies and hugging with friends when you go out to meet up for a run, no going out for an allowed hike/bike and then getting into close proximity and continuing on anyway as if you’re powerless to do anything else once that situation arises.
Yet I literally see or hear of numerous people doing this daily- through talking with friends, or seeing their FB or Strava posts, or behaviors I observe when I go out on a solo ride or rabbiting with the dogs.
It makes me CRAZY ANGRY. To the point where some of the friends doing this, people who I know are intelligent enough to be understanding all this, are making me question whether I really want to be friends with them after all.
I see all these people doing this $hit and I know they’re going to push our healthcare system past it’s breaking point, and people are going to die. Why? Because you need to groom your FB persona to reflect that “you’re living your best life”? Because you feel like you can’t restrict your son from seeing his girlfriend for a few weeks? Because you just HAVE to ride with friends instead of your wife because that’s what you do?
Maybe it makes me angry in part because I need to go out into the world myself on a professional level. But I don’t think that’s it. I understand I could get infected, and there’s some chance I could die. That would suck but doesn’t particularly scare me.
Mostly I think it makes me angry because these are trivial pleasures people are chasing vs the huge impact this has on lives- people dying from the virus, healthcare workers pushed to their breaking point, all the terrible economic impact made worse than it needs be. I see my friends who live a relatively privledged life unable to make relatively tiny sacrifices- just stay home and don’t interact with anyone outside your household- they are unable or unwilling to do that. Damn the consequences to others and to our society.
If I could just stay home, I would. I’d turn off the information stream and just stay home and ignore it all to cope. But I can’t do that, I have to go out into the world, and at work I have to organize other people to try to keep them safe. So I find myself angry a lot, and in disbelief of what I see people doing. And when they’re people I know and formerly liked, now I find myself not liking them much.
So I need some advice as to how to see this and not be angry half of everyday. Maybe I just won’t be able to see some friends in the same light anymore, and I just need to accept that?
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03-23-20, 07:18 AM
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@Heathpack, I don't have any advice, because I'm just as pissed off as you are. I have one solution, and it would be strictly a "makes me feel good" thing... If my work shuts down, I will go to a local Walmart, mask on, and stand next to a clerk working in a non-essential department, and blow off steam to any ******* that gives one of those clerks any guff. I don't work there, so there will be no reporting me to a supervisor... Leash your kids, and go put em in the car, along with your husband or wife that chose to bring the whole brood in. We just need one of you in here, thank you.
We are in the middle of idiocracy, and it really pisses me off.
We are in the middle of idiocracy, and it really pisses me off.
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03-23-20, 07:25 AM
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@Heathpack, I don't have any advice, because I'm just as pissed off as you are. I have one solution, and it would be strictly a "makes me feel good" thing... If my work shuts down, I will go to a local Walmart, mask on, and stand next to a clerk working in a non-essential department, and blow off steam to any ******* that gives one of those clerks any guff. I don't work there, so there will be no reporting me to a supervisor... Leash your kids, and go put em in the car, along with your husband or wife that chose to bring the whole brood in. We just need one of you in here, thank you.
We are in the middle of idiocracy, and it really pisses me off.
We are in the middle of idiocracy, and it really pisses me off.
03-23-20, 07:26 AM
Señor Member
It isn't just irresponsible behavior like this - it is the irrational hoarding of stuff. Toilet paper? Just why of all of the things you might need would you hoard that? People are buying all sorts of food, and some of the stuff is just going to go bad before they get a chance to eat it (other stuff can be frozen, I guess). People are also hoarding masks, hand sanitizers. Any time there is a mention in the news about some medication that *might* be useful in treating symptoms, there seems to be a run on that. Either doctors are prescribing it for their own use, or there are irresponsible doctors (maybe the same ones that hand out opiates like candy) that will write you a prescription for whatever you ask for.
On the flip side there are companies that are stepping up to switch their entire production run into making something else, and sometimes they turn this around in 24 hours. Masks and gowns seem to be the #1 thing that there are shortages of right now. A few days ago, there were people at home with sewing machines making masks - some hospitals have enough supply from local suppliers that they are no longer asking for that.
A few days ago, I saw distilleries switching over to make hand sanitizer. Harbor Freight basically came out and said that they would give all of the N95 masks that they have in inventory to hospitals and health care facilities. Some companies have said they will start making ventilators - I have my doubts that something that high-tech can easily be made, but then again they could probably make a low-tech version that just performs the basic function without a lot of bells and whistles, so maybe they can make this work.
03-23-20, 07:34 AM
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6 hours on the trainer brings a new perspective on things. Seriously, they asked us not to ride on the street due to valuable hospital beds. Does that mean we are promised to be injured? Not even, but not a single one of us has gone out on a bike an thought "today is a good to to get into a swerve". Even this place can't follow a simple ask such as that.
03-23-20, 07:36 AM
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03-23-20, 07:54 AM
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Well don’t let it kill you literally. BRB
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03-23-20, 07:57 AM
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6 hours on the trainer brings a new perspective on things. Seriously, they asked us not to ride on the street due to valuable hospital beds. Does that mean we are promised to be injured? Not even, but not a single one of us has gone out on a bike an thought "today is a good to to get into a swerve". Even this place can't follow a simple ask such as that.
I really need to find a way to stop compulsively checking news sources. I can feel it raising my anxiety level.
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03-23-20, 07:57 AM
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Yes, I see some of the same frustrating things, but I'm trying to look at the bigger picture. In the bigger picture, I see very light traffic where it was recently quite heavy. I see shopping districts with very low foot traffic (primarily going to the grocers and bakers) when they were abustle two weeks ago. On the whole, I'm actually quite pleasantly surprised that so many have received the message and are listening to it.
In terms of frustrating friends via social media... I actually haven't seen it, but I've pretty much unplugged myself from facebook (which seems to be the most soapboxy platform out there). I would say, though, to take it with a grain of salt simply because these outlets are often highly curated and distilled - people are, in general, living much more boring lives than they depict, and that includes the frustrating stuff, too.
In terms of frustrating friends via social media... I actually haven't seen it, but I've pretty much unplugged myself from facebook (which seems to be the most soapboxy platform out there). I would say, though, to take it with a grain of salt simply because these outlets are often highly curated and distilled - people are, in general, living much more boring lives than they depict, and that includes the frustrating stuff, too.
03-23-20, 08:03 AM
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I fully understand that to contain this virus we need to lock our interactions down China style. No meeting up with friends, not having your son move from his household to his girlfriends household and then back to yours, no selfies and hugging with friends when you go out to meet up for a run, no going out for an allowed hike/bike and then getting into close proximity and continuing on anyway as if you’re powerless to do anything else once that situation arises.
That said, I rode (solo) outside yesterday, and would do so again. Don't @ me.
03-23-20, 08:06 AM
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Here is copy of email I just sent to my club-mates:
-------------- All,
As many of you know, I am a physician who loves riding outdoors and leading group rides. We are in uncharted territory, but I do have some further advice above/beyond the club policy of no club rides for now...
Several of us have tried riding in small groups with "social distancing" but that has not worked for a couple reasons. First of all, we are friends and used to riding together so staying away is not easy. But more importantly, the "social distance" rules do not apply when riding outside. If a rider 30 feet in front of you sneezes or coughs, you are still getting exposed to some of the droplets as you ride through.
My advice is as follows:
Ride safe!
Douglas Atlas MD
-------------- All,
As many of you know, I am a physician who loves riding outdoors and leading group rides. We are in uncharted territory, but I do have some further advice above/beyond the club policy of no club rides for now...
Several of us have tried riding in small groups with "social distancing" but that has not worked for a couple reasons. First of all, we are friends and used to riding together so staying away is not easy. But more importantly, the "social distance" rules do not apply when riding outside. If a rider 30 feet in front of you sneezes or coughs, you are still getting exposed to some of the droplets as you ride through.
My advice is as follows:
- Ride remotely on a trainer or Zwift or GreshFit, etc.
- Ride solo (but carefully with lights and high-vis clothing, and tell someone where you are going)
- If you somehow feel obligated to NOT ride solo, ride with ONE other rider and keep a couple hundred feet apart at all times.
Ride safe!
Douglas Atlas MD
03-23-20, 08:10 AM
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Yes, I see some of the same frustrating things, but I'm trying to look at the bigger picture. In the bigger picture, I see very light traffic where it was recently quite heavy. I see shopping districts with very low foot traffic (primarily going to the grocers and bakers) when they were abustle two weeks ago. On the whole, I'm actually quite pleasantly surprised that so many have received the message and are listening to it.
In terms of frustrating friends via social media... I actually haven't seen it, but I've pretty much unplugged myself from facebook (which seems to be the most soapboxy platform out there). I would say, though, to take it with a grain of salt simply because these outlets are often highly curated and distilled - people are, in general, living much more boring lives than they depict, and that includes the frustrating stuff, too.
In terms of frustrating friends via social media... I actually haven't seen it, but I've pretty much unplugged myself from facebook (which seems to be the most soapboxy platform out there). I would say, though, to take it with a grain of salt simply because these outlets are often highly curated and distilled - people are, in general, living much more boring lives than they depict, and that includes the frustrating stuff, too.
And the FB thing- I don’t care that I have a friend portraying her life to be rosier than it is. I care that she went out running with a friend who isn’t part of her household and posted multiple heads together selfies, pics of them hugging, etc. And every response to that was delight, maybe 25 of her friends piped up encouraging things. This friend owns her own engineering firm. She’s financially well off, and an educated person. So it’s not about understanding FB is fake. It’s about her posting photographic proof of her lack of self isolation and a bunch of people she knows thinking that’s great. And her not responding to my WTF? text.
03-23-20, 08:13 AM
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But the crux of this is: getting self isolation 90% right doesn’t achieve the goal, which is not collapsing our healthcare system. We need to get it 97 or 98% right. I’m not sure of the exact numbers, but you get the point. The way we’re doing is NOT enough.
And the FB thing- I don’t care that I have a friend portraying her life to be rosier than it is. I care that she went out running with a friend who isn’t part of her household and posted multiple heads together selfies, pics of them hugging, etc. And every response to that was delight, maybe 25 of her friends piped up encouraging things. This friend owns her own engineering firm. She’s financially well off, and an educated person. So it’s not about understanding FB is fake. It’s about her posting photographic proof of her lack of self isolation and a bunch of people she knows thinking that’s great. And her not responding to my WTF? text.
And the FB thing- I don’t care that I have a friend portraying her life to be rosier than it is. I care that she went out running with a friend who isn’t part of her household and posted multiple heads together selfies, pics of them hugging, etc. And every response to that was delight, maybe 25 of her friends piped up encouraging things. This friend owns her own engineering firm. She’s financially well off, and an educated person. So it’s not about understanding FB is fake. It’s about her posting photographic proof of her lack of self isolation and a bunch of people she knows thinking that’s great. And her not responding to my WTF? text.
03-23-20, 08:13 AM
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My wife and I were just talking about this shelter in place thing and reminisced about how back in 2016 we were both laid up for 5 weeks after our tandem crash. Because neither of us were allowed to drive or ride, we were essentially housebound except when someone would take us to the doctor. To be honest, we remember those 5 weeks fondly and actually enjoyed it.
Now, the difference is instead of friends bringing food and supplies to us, we can drive ourselves to the grocery store if need be which we did this AM. So far, life is good.
Saw a few empty shelves but all in all, the grocery store was calm and had enough stuff for the two of us to avoid going out for quite awhile. The only thing my wife couldn’t find was dishwasher tablets.
Now, the difference is instead of friends bringing food and supplies to us, we can drive ourselves to the grocery store if need be which we did this AM. So far, life is good.
Saw a few empty shelves but all in all, the grocery store was calm and had enough stuff for the two of us to avoid going out for quite awhile. The only thing my wife couldn’t find was dishwasher tablets.
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03-23-20, 08:21 AM
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Yes, I see some of the same frustrating things, but I'm trying to look at the bigger picture. In the bigger picture, I see very light traffic where it was recently quite heavy. I see shopping districts with very low foot traffic (primarily going to the grocers and bakers) when they were abustle two weeks ago. On the whole, I'm actually quite pleasantly surprised that so many have received the message and are listening to it.
In terms of frustrating friends via social media... I actually haven't seen it, but I've pretty much unplugged myself from facebook (which seems to be the most soapboxy platform out there). I would say, though, to take it with a grain of salt simply because these outlets are often highly curated and distilled - people are, in general, living much more boring lives than they depict, and that includes the frustrating stuff, too.
In terms of frustrating friends via social media... I actually haven't seen it, but I've pretty much unplugged myself from facebook (which seems to be the most soapboxy platform out there). I would say, though, to take it with a grain of salt simply because these outlets are often highly curated and distilled - people are, in general, living much more boring lives than they depict, and that includes the frustrating stuff, too.
One of my friends posted her regular weekly happy hour with her girlfriends night. They did it via Skype.
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03-23-20, 08:21 AM
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It's just not real until it is. Then it's too late. There are scores of examples out there. I didn't learn to practice skillsaw safety until I got bit doing something I knew better than to do. Couldn't work for weeks. I haven't attempted it since. In this case, we will all see what can happen when we think only of ourself. And nothing will change. Perhaps we will finally learn from it.
03-23-20, 08:25 AM
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Probably going to go ride solo tonight.
And in direct contradiction to what I said above, I'm still seeing a group of gravelers group riding.
03-23-20, 08:29 AM
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03-23-20, 08:37 AM
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03-23-20, 08:37 AM
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And the FB thing- I don’t care that I have a friend portraying her life to be rosier than it is. I care that she went out running with a friend who isn’t part of her household and posted multiple heads together selfies, pics of them hugging, etc. And every response to that was delight, maybe 25 of her friends piped up encouraging things. This friend owns her own engineering firm. She’s financially well off, and an educated person. So it’s not about understanding FB is fake. It’s about her posting photographic proof of her lack of self isolation and a bunch of people she knows thinking that’s great. And her not responding to my WTF? text.
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03-23-20, 08:39 AM
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Facebook is the devil. It really got to be too much, and I stepped off a few months ago. I miss the dogs and the pigs, but many of the people? Not so much.
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03-23-20, 08:41 AM
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03-23-20, 08:42 AM
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03-23-20, 08:43 AM
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03-23-20, 08:45 AM
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Seriously, we had little trouble getting what we needed, didn’t check the TP or paper products aisle. They even had ground beef if one is so inclined.
No canned soup but a lot of Ramen noodles.
No canned soup but a lot of Ramen noodles.
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