The virus. It has already impacted me in ways I did not anticipate, especially now with an impending job loss. I was notified that my job would be going away but, so far, no firm date. I have been interviewing like gangbusters, but the process lags and some jobs have been frozen or pulled at this time. That is understandable but for those of us looking it is stressful. So far, all interviews are happening using the phone or via some form of video conferencing. I am okay with that. My years of ham radio experience makes me very comfortable with the phone. I have 9 hours of booked interviews next week with more hours coming. One company mentioned the reality of a virtual start date.
We are told to social distance, so most of the folks in high tech have been asked to work from home, churches are closed, events are cancelled. I was supposed to work hospitality for the Dell Match Play Golf event, but that was cancelled. I am not going to turn my jacket, shirt or visor in for the 50 percent refund. We paid for them. That was my fun volunteer event for the year. Wally is now working from home. The world has changed and working from home has now come of age. It is the teenager with the car keys that is now allowed to drive off alone for the first time. The teenager you have to trust so they can grow up and take responsibility.
"The world has changed and working from home has now come of age. It is the teenager with the car keys that is now allowed to drive off alone for the first time. The teenager you have to trust so they can grow up and take responsibility."
This has an impact and the forced working from home will end up changing how we work, in a good way. I have been working from home more and more lately, I get on the computer often well before 8 and after 5 pm. Hours spent driving I spend working. Sometimes, I am so engrossed I do not move from my chair even for lunch. I know, this is excessive, but for those of us with focus, it is commonplace.
Social distancing is a new to me. It really is asking us to mainly stay at home., avoid crowds, be cautious, and wash your hands. The grocery stores are crazy town. Shelves are empty. Basic grocery items are missing from the shelves. The prevailing joke is toilet paper. Also missing are ground beef, chicken, dried beans and rice, most pasta, flats of water and of course disinfectants and hand cleaners. I have been to the store a few times this last week. Saturday was normal, Wednesday I went to score dog food and a few other items. Friday was bedlam. Saturday, at Costco, was okay but really long lines and still no ground beef. I did score some corned beef so St. Paddy's Day will be celebrated.
I am already bored. We are lucky today to have cable TV and the internet, books online, and so on, but just the mention of isolation makes me stir crazy. Wally is my entertainment as I watch him engrossed in his new found gardening hobby. I watch him from the comfort of my butt-sucking couch. He has been working non-stop building wicking buckets and other types of hydroponic systems to see how they work and to compare. It is his newest savant type focus. Way to go, Wally!
I still remain a tad neutral on the virus. Is this really all that much worse than other flus? Time will tell. I have always been good to stay home when I was sick or feverish, but others have come to work as long as they felt "good enough" and I would watch the flu spread through the office. There are rules for sickness that I observe but others are either ignorant or selfish. If you experience vomiting, you need to isolate yourself at least 24 hours without a fever or vomiting. If you have a fever you need to be without fever for 24 hours. That means not spreading your germs at the office and not sending a sick kid into school.
I remember one mom telling me of her kid vomiting all night but seemed better in the morning so here she was with the kid off to class, hello...and she was educated and a teacher herself but currently not working. I have had the flu in the past with fevers north of 102 and stayed at home. People die every year from the flu, thousands of them, and we typically look the other way and accept the flu as a necessary evil. It is a virus. I do not think this is 1918 and today we do have antibiotics should the flu turn into a bacterial infection. This is an election year and I have to wonder if some aspects of this are political? The social distancing will curb the onslaught of demand for hospital beds and respiratory machines. That is a true impact.
I suppose there is greater impact on those with preexisting conditions but no more so than the flu usually has. I worry for my 90 year old parents and they are too far away for me to help. We filled the hospitals in 2008. I think our country does need to ramp up on preparation, testing, and generally sourcing our own medicine and supplies on our own soil. I think our economy needs to have enough product on our own soil so that any crisis be it illness, political or natural disaster does not send us reeling.
I am not panicking. I know there are folks at risk but for the majority of people this will be a non event, except for the economic impact of closing everything down. I remember my mother-in-law telling me about the polio scare of her generation. She got it, she survived, but suffered some lasting effects. She told me of the closing of movie theaters and summer pools, and of the social distancing of the day. It was hard to believe and I never thought I would see it, but here we are.
I think being prepared is a good thing. I do not think fear is a good thing. Hopefully, we can all help each other if the need arises. I think I will be reading a lot of books. I am already caught up for my book club but it too was cancelled this month. Stay healthy and well everyone.