Look how young and happy I was before the world shut down.
Four years ago today I went to Target and bought two pairs of pants in the smallest size I had been in fifteen years, then I went to my novel-writing class, then I got the text blast that told me I shouldn't go in to work tomorrow.
Then I went to buy toilet paper and catalogued the larder, which I felt would sustain us for what I speculated would be the next "two months."
Now it's four years in. I am sick of it. I just can't do it anymore.
Stress does a lot to us.
Do you think you would be more sick of it if more people were doing Anything At All about the continuing viral problems, or less sick of it?
I'm disenheartened that people did not even get the "if you're actively sick with something respiratory and contagious, wearing a mask in public will reduce how much of it you give to others!" lesson out of it, at least to the degree of, y'know, most people [even just "liberals"] wearing a mask while sick. But. So it goes.
I am okay with wearing the n95 (except pictures are frustrating, and not being able to eat/drink indoors with people is very frustrating) and using corsi-rosenthal cubes when we have people over, but am nervous about an upcoming dentist visit. But also I am a tired introvert, whereas I think you are probably... not... quite so introverted...
Posted by: KC | March 13, 2024 at 11:06 AM
KC - I don't think other people need to look out for me. I need to take care of myself. I confess I am loosening up on eating and drinking indoors. I fear not for myself, but I am afraid I'llgive something to Gary. He's making every sortie outside into proof I don't love him.
Posted by: theQueen | March 13, 2024 at 07:11 PM
When our first stay-home recommendation in our state arrived on March 16th, my brother said, The governor had better not issue that order too soon. People will only do that for so long. I thought my brother didn't know what he was saying, but he was so right. I too thought it would be a few weeks or months at most.
Last December, shortly after Thanksgiving, I decided I couldn't take precautions any more. I had been pretty careful - masking up in groups when nobody else was, even in 2023. The first week of December 2023 I went to 4 evening events without wearing a mask. That was fun! Then that Saturday I came down with a truly horrid non-covid virus (my husband suspects RSV) that had me sick for about a month.
My dentist impressed upon me that the dentist's office is probably the safest place to go, to avoid getting communicable diseases.
Posted by: Common Household Mom | March 14, 2024 at 05:20 PM
Common Household Mom - Ooooh. RSV turns you into what one friend called a snot factory. I got that from co-workers. I do feel like I caught the parainfluenza from the dentist's office though. I was just talking about lifting some of my self-imposed restrictions. An immune-compromised friend did just get sick and made it through with the Paxlovid. And I am glad to see that you were able to post a comment!
Posted by: theQueen | March 14, 2024 at 10:17 PM
Eh, there are a lot of places/cases where we can't actually fully protect ourselves; if you need medical care while vomiting, for instance, you can't keep a mask on continually; on long flights when you need to drink *something* in the middle of the flight. So I'd strongly prefer it if people who know they're sick or likely about to be sick wore masks in the places that many people can't avoid being, and who may need to have mask gaps either for oxygen administration or vomiting or hydration: hospital settings, public transportation that doesn't have windows or the ability to easily get off/on, some legal/DMV-ish settings if there isn't easy access to outdoors.
We collectively have *some* responsibility to attempt to not infect/kill the people around us (see also: if you have measles, STAY HOME if possible) and now we know masks work well for airborne diseases. In addition to the "high risk" folks, mask wearing would also reduce the disease burden on the general population/economy, because fewer people in general would get sick if people who were sick wore masks. (plus reduced long covid in total population! and less snot!)
(dentist office is another place where you can't entirely protect yourself, other than by not getting dental care, but just not getting dental care is not necessarily sustainable. I'm probably going to use tegaderm and part of a kn-95 to make a nose mask for my dental visit, but realistically: if most people who *could* reschedule their cleaning if they had a bug did, or if parents-with-virus of a kid who needs dental work wore masks, that would help reduce chances?)
Posted by: KC | March 16, 2024 at 12:20 PM
KC - I am certainly with you on sick people staying home. I like the idea of a nose mask, too. I’d like to see more of that.
Posted by: theQueen | March 16, 2024 at 05:12 PM
As much as I hate to link to Twitter, I think this is where I got the nose mask idea from: https://twitter.com/findmeabluebird/status/1517896018188197891
Mine will likely not look less ridiculous, just differently ridiculous. But 1. with an adhesive I know I'm not allergic to, vs. the readimask adhesive and 2. without needing to order readimasks and 3. possibly fitting better under my n95, which I will be wearing into the waiting room, etc.
Posted by: KC | March 18, 2024 at 10:15 AM
KC - cute little mask for just a nose!
Posted by: theQueen | March 18, 2024 at 06:59 PM