UPDATE: After a lot of back and forth (with myself), I just now decided not to go into the thrift store today.
Even though it's closed, there'll be several staff members working there, and I don't trust our workplace leaders to really shepherd the situation. (To begin with, I don't think they trust the science.)
I'd be working in my separate space listing books on eBay, but do I want to use the restroom (filthy at the best of times)? Or go into the breakroom (ditto), where we sign in and out on the computer?
And how would I mail the books once the store's closed next week anyway?
Even if I biked books home, or got someone with a car to drive all the listed books to my house, I'd have to bike a couple miles to the post office--
where I'd have more social contact, even at a distance.
I don't want to get sick, but maybe more importantly, from a public health pov, I don't want be a disease vector.
What I Posted on My FB:
I know some of the guys at work think the whole thing is hooey. As disenfranchised people, they have good reason to distrust politicians & their ilk, who never looked out for their good.
I get that, but I see it from a different pov:
I don't think it's hooey––but even if it were, I still see this whole thing as an Exercise in Good Public Health Practices--
the sort of response we should already be doing for the climate crisis.
Or, like bink said, it's a Pre-Zombie Trial Run. Let's get this right, so when the worst comes (this is bad, but it's not the worst), we're prepared.
What I Wrote to Big Boss Just Now:
WHAT I WROTE EARLIER THIS MORNING
Good morning!
In the yard yesterday, the first green shoots I've seen of spring:
I want to write a bit about mundane things here this morning, to get my bearings.
Today, Monday, March 23, it's been two weeks since I returned from my birthday weekend in Milwaukee. Can that be?! It's like another world, looking back--we went out to eat, and everyone hugged each another.
One week ago, Monday, March 16, the Minnesota governor's announced mandatory closures of restaurants & other non-essential businesses, to start the next day--St. Patrick's Day. (Schools were already scheduled to close.)
Keeping My Social Distance
If things were normal, HouseMate would be in Liberia now with a woman visiting her deported Liberian husband, and I'd be house- & cat sitting for a family going to Cuba for a drum workshop. Both trips were cancelled––by the destination countries themselves!
I biked over to bink's the other day and we took her dog Astro for a a long walk--facing forward, naturally. No hugs. Maybe the weirdest social changes, not to hug a best friend.
bink is an artist at home, so her work hasn't changed much. She's been working on a graphic novel about a girl who is a relic thief in 1348, the Plague Year in England. bink's partner Maura works in tech and can work from home.
Penny Cooper came to visit yesterday!
She biked over (about 5 miles) and stood outside my window for an hour, talking with me on the phone.
It was surprisingly nice to see her so close (and yet so far).
Yesterday I went to the lake, where the ice is receding from the shore:
Bud Duquette spied a lifelike fishing lure (can you see it, just to the left, below her). She tried to fish it out, but the wind was so strong, it blew her into the water! We left the lure there.
Work
I worked St. Patrick's Day and haven't been back to work since, or anywhere except the grocery store and for walks.
A skeleton crew is going into the store this week, starting today, to do some much-needed work. It'd be a good idea if the store closed once a year anyway, to clean and catch up.
The thrift store stayed open through Thursday (3/19), then closed "until further notice".
I'm going into the store today to start listing books on eBay.
I can keep well away from the other workers, but I'm a little uncertain the job is worth doing, since I'll only have access to the store for a week...
After that, how will I mail books out?
Should I take them home?
This is where leadership matters. I wish I could trust my bosses to help me think this through, but I don't, really.
I'll go in and get the lay of the land. Maybe I'll just load up my bike panniers and bring books home to list and mail--that might be best.
UPDATE: OK, nope. I just decided there are a million good reasons not to go into work, and basically no reasonable good ones.
("Getting out of the house" is a need but can be better met with long walks and bikes.)
I just wrote up top how I came to this decision.
More later!
Love ya'll! Stay safe & sound!
Even though it's closed, there'll be several staff members working there, and I don't trust our workplace leaders to really shepherd the situation. (To begin with, I don't think they trust the science.)
I'd be working in my separate space listing books on eBay, but do I want to use the restroom (filthy at the best of times)? Or go into the breakroom (ditto), where we sign in and out on the computer?
And how would I mail the books once the store's closed next week anyway?
Even if I biked books home, or got someone with a car to drive all the listed books to my house, I'd have to bike a couple miles to the post office--
where I'd have more social contact, even at a distance.
I don't want to get sick, but maybe more importantly, from a public health pov, I don't want be a disease vector.
What I Posted on My FB:
I know some of the guys at work think the whole thing is hooey. As disenfranchised people, they have good reason to distrust politicians & their ilk, who never looked out for their good.
I get that, but I see it from a different pov:
I don't think it's hooey––but even if it were, I still see this whole thing as an Exercise in Good Public Health Practices--
the sort of response we should already be doing for the climate crisis.
Or, like bink said, it's a Pre-Zombie Trial Run. Let's get this right, so when the worst comes (this is bad, but it's not the worst), we're prepared.
What I Wrote to Big Boss Just Now:
"Hi! After a lot of thought, I decided not to come to the store this week. I saw this from Isaiah on Facebook and thought--huh! That matches what the US surgeon general said this morning.
Isaiah 26:20-21 New King James Version (NKJV)
Come, my people, enter your chambers,US surgeon-general Dr. Jerome Adams appearing on NBC Today, warning:
And shut your doors behind you;
Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment,
Until the indignation is past.
“We really really need everyone to stay at home. . . . This week it’s going to get bad.
We really need to come together as a nation....”
WHAT I WROTE EARLIER THIS MORNING
Good morning!
In the yard yesterday, the first green shoots I've seen of spring:
I want to write a bit about mundane things here this morning, to get my bearings.
Today, Monday, March 23, it's been two weeks since I returned from my birthday weekend in Milwaukee. Can that be?! It's like another world, looking back--we went out to eat, and everyone hugged each another.
One week ago, Monday, March 16, the Minnesota governor's announced mandatory closures of restaurants & other non-essential businesses, to start the next day--St. Patrick's Day. (Schools were already scheduled to close.)
Keeping My Social Distance
If things were normal, HouseMate would be in Liberia now with a woman visiting her deported Liberian husband, and I'd be house- & cat sitting for a family going to Cuba for a drum workshop. Both trips were cancelled––by the destination countries themselves!
I biked over to bink's the other day and we took her dog Astro for a a long walk--facing forward, naturally. No hugs. Maybe the weirdest social changes, not to hug a best friend.
bink is an artist at home, so her work hasn't changed much. She's been working on a graphic novel about a girl who is a relic thief in 1348, the Plague Year in England. bink's partner Maura works in tech and can work from home.
Penny Cooper came to visit yesterday!
She biked over (about 5 miles) and stood outside my window for an hour, talking with me on the phone.
It was surprisingly nice to see her so close (and yet so far).
Yesterday I went to the lake, where the ice is receding from the shore:
Bud Duquette spied a lifelike fishing lure (can you see it, just to the left, below her). She tried to fish it out, but the wind was so strong, it blew her into the water! We left the lure there.
Work
I worked St. Patrick's Day and haven't been back to work since, or anywhere except the grocery store and for walks.
A skeleton crew is going into the store this week, starting today, to do some much-needed work. It'd be a good idea if the store closed once a year anyway, to clean and catch up.
The thrift store stayed open through Thursday (3/19), then closed "until further notice".
I'm going into the store today to start listing books on eBay.
I can keep well away from the other workers, but I'm a little uncertain the job is worth doing, since I'll only have access to the store for a week...
After that, how will I mail books out?
Should I take them home?
This is where leadership matters. I wish I could trust my bosses to help me think this through, but I don't, really.
I'll go in and get the lay of the land. Maybe I'll just load up my bike panniers and bring books home to list and mail--that might be best.
UPDATE: OK, nope. I just decided there are a million good reasons not to go into work, and basically no reasonable good ones.
("Getting out of the house" is a need but can be better met with long walks and bikes.)
I just wrote up top how I came to this decision.
More later!
Love ya'll! Stay safe & sound!
Fresca, I am happy and relieved to know that you decided not to go in today.
ReplyDeleteThanks, MICHAEL-- yeah, me too. Yours was one of the voices I heard saying, "Stay home, stay home!"
ReplyDeleteLike Michael, I also think you made a good decision. We need more people to do this! I walked the dog this afternoon for my allotted exercise outing and I was dismayed at how many people seem to still be hanging around outdoors, or in shops that don't sell essential stuff.
ReplyDelete