len_mullen

Just saw a commercial that advised me to sneeze or cough into my inner elbow. Naturally, this caused me to try to cough into my outer elbow. (Now you're trying, right?) It can't be done. Going forward, I think it would be more efficient to simply advise people to sneeze into their elbow. Gross, but efficient. (I'm going to carry a couple tissues in my pocket -- not my inner pocket, btw...just my pocket. My inner pocket is just for change.) A couple hours ago, the governor of Massachusetts MANDATED that people who go into public must wear a mask whenever social distancing could not be maintained -- without defining exactly what social distancing is or telling people where to get masks. Earlier today the surgeon general warned that healthy people wearing face masks to protect themselves from coronavirus can actually increase your risk of getting the disease... "What the World Health Organization and the CDC have reaffirmed in the last few days is that they do not recommend the general public wear masks," Adams told Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "There was a study in 2015 looking at medical students. And medical students wearing surgical masks touch their faces on average 23 times. We know a major way that you can get respiratory diseases like coronavirus is by touching a surface and then touching your face." Still with me? That's OK. Here is a summary of everything you need to know to keep yourself and others safe during this epidemic... https://www.facebook.com/Kasey.Lewis12890/videos/10157784004845804/

^^^^^ You can pull a t-shirt over your mouth and nose.

T-shirts, please. Loved the reusable bags, but...

How is there a shortage of all purpose flour? Seriously, is every nonessential person watching the Food Network all day? Apparently. My oldest called me a week ago and told me that he had plenty of toilet paper but would kill for a bag of flour. Asked if I could pick one up in my travels. I tried. No luck. No place. Last night, I had to pick up this very cool knife set at Target... I saw the ad in the middle of the night and decided to see if it was all that and a bag of chips. Apparently it is... In my research, I saw Amazon and Walmart had it for less than the ad price and Target had it for less than half of the ad price with free store pickup. I drive by a Target on my commute, they had just sent me a code for my birthday, and I had some cash back on account, so I bit and ordered the set for $13.90 using a credit card that pays 2% cash back on everything. Gottadeal, right? While I was there, I figured I grab a bag of overpriced flour. None in stock. On my way home, I stopped in to McKinnon's to see if they had anything to hoard. They had one bag of flour in the store... A little googling assured me that all purpose flour could be stored in a freezer indefinitely (or at least two years). I don't expect even 50 pounds to last two years, but I found the news comforting and bought it. Maybe I can sell some off... While you ponder all of this, enjoy...

Walked to the grocery store this morning. The round trip is about six miles. It was nice...well, the walk to the store was nice. I tried to get in the wrong door because I walked behind the sign that said the door was closed and that I should use the other entrance. The sign was on the back of a sign that said 'did you remember your reusable bag?' Irony, no? No shortage of anything -- including customers. I had been avoiding this store because they had trouble replenishing after the hoarders retreated. Their deli is closed until further notice and their baked goods are all pre-packaged. YET, produce is just laying there being handled by the walking dead and sneezed on and all such things. IMHO, fresh produce is the biggest risk in grocery stores. No one else seems to care. They had lots of good stuff. I ended up getting about ten pounds of ribeye and a couple pounds of broccoli. Could not resist the corn on the cob and a couple perfect baking potatoes. Anyway, I ended up doing the return trip with about 20# of food. 20# gets heavy after the first mile. It's a burden for three miles. I think there might be an Olympic event in this. I'm thinking Pandemic Games I. Bottom line? Needed a nap when I got home. I heard from a lot of people last week (it was my birthday). Almost every single person believes they and/or their family contracted the Coronavirus. I call one hypochondriac (apparently misdiagnosed as bronchitis) at work Covid Kevin and another Germy George. The other interesting commonality is that everyone, while concerned for others, is enjoying their vacation from the rat race. My oldest works for a startup in Boston. He is out of flour and concerned about the availability of TP, but has been working out of his home nearly two months. The CEO of the startup was very proactive because he was concerned a widespread sickness could severely impact success. The company is very pleased with the change is considering closing or downsizing their Boston office. From a couple emails... "We have all been doing well so far during the crisis. Five adults in the house and our toilet paper supply remains solid. My daughter became unemployed last week, but is finding between regular unemployment and the $600 supplement she may be better off at least through July. The two boys are still able to work with some reduction to their earnings, but the impact is minimal. My wife will collect her first social security check next month and is quickly moving toward full retirement. All considered, we have nothing to complain about and I’ve been feeling very fortunate with our current situation.""My work insisted I be in the office (Irvine CA). Now I'm WFH in San Diego meaning I save $100 per week, plus much easier to walk to my home office. So I'm enjoying it some ways also."Must suck being isolated in San Diego. One consequence of business downturn for my company is that long service employees were offered a VRIP (voluntary reduction in personnel, I think). I know three guys who were planning to retire this summer who were just handed a year's pay. And two others who had been pondering retirement who jumped on the opportunity. In addition to the severance package, they qualify for 'enhanced unemployment benefits' and a supplement to their pension. All smiles. My sister is getting checks from every direction. Her daughter got a refund from her college. Her husband's small business got a chunk of that trillion dollars. I'm sure some people are suffering and God knows my 401k had suffered, but it seems like a lot of people are making lemonade. I am hoping a SERO (Special Early Retirement Option -- I know that one by heart) is in my future. Two years from pension eligibility, I am a prime target for such an offer. Start collecting full pension immediately, unemployment too, and that supplement. And maybe take a job somewhere else. One can dream. Meanwhile, my allergies are right on schedule. Symptoms I worked through for ten years might see me denied access to work. I am lying at the check point and working hard to get everything done that requires my presence, but, at some point, I have been warned that I will be denied access. Crazy, huh? I don't have a primary care physician. I have used our infirmary for healthcare for decades. They diagnosed my allergies. Yet, I may be denied access just because I sneeze, cough, and blow my nose due to allergies.

Thank you!

I went to work today. On the way in, I got a call from a guy who needed my help as soon as I got in. I spent four hours solving problems not related to my job. You guys are probably not aware of the fact that I am a social butterfly, but I had well wishers crowding my office for another two hours. In the end, I got about an hour of work in. Tomorrow is another day.

Well, Pam, you are looking pretty hot. Don't beat yourself up.

Hope your furbaby does not subscribe to this forum...

Happy birthday! Taurus? My 58th is Friday. I'm working. I guess that is something of a celebration. Got up late today , made eggs benedict and a bloody mary . Cleaned up and took a five hour nap . (Practicing for Friday )

We got a dusting last night. Looks nice.

Let's hope the people who did not show up did not need the meals. Sometimes people just sign up for all the free stuff. I am a strong supporter of farmers, but I am also saddened by the possibility that people would spoil food rather than sell it below the asking price. If it sounds like I am union bashing, I cannot defend myself against the charge.

^^^^^ Pam, coming from anyone but you, this would be offensive. I could not supress a smile. Happy Easter!

I lump those into #1.

Black Friday 2020 WILL be the same. It will be the same as the many we have all enjoyed together in the sense that... Some people will complain that it isn't the same Online sales will continue to eat away at B&M sales The best deals will be gotten by some seriously deranged individuals (I have been in these ranks from time to time) Some of the best deals will be had before BF Some of the best deals will be had after BF A lot of people will discuss merchandise, stores, and deals on these forums Some people (guilty) will discuss totally off topic stuff The giveaway will not be reusable bags I will get a new t-shirt I am already compiling my list. Some stuff will be bought before BF. Other stuff after. I will probably go out on BF, but maybe not until after the crowds have abated . Unless something makes me crazy or the weather is nice. I still enjoy waiting in line on BF. Got some good deals last year. Looking forward to some more this year. Last year, I went out to do some shopping midmorning. While I was shooting the breeze with the staff at Staples, I heard a familiar voice. It was this guy who I used to wait in line with when Staples had all the free-after-rebate stuff. He was 'just out' as well. We shopped at Staples and Home Depot. His phone rang. It was his wife. "Guess who I'm with?" "How did you guess?!?" Some things never change. See you in November!

This article sounds like nonsense to me. It talks about the rise in demand at a time when restaurants and cafeterias are not selling very much at all. The article blames transportation costs when fuel prices have plunged >30%. Certainly, hoarding has contributed to a momentary price increase, but it sounds like the Egg Cartel is gouging a bit too. from https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-04-08/egg-prices-rising-coronavirus At the same time, dairy farmers are dumping milk on the ground rather than suffer market rates... https://vtdigger.org/2020/04/09/vermont-farms-dump-60000-gallons-of-milk-since-beginning-of-april/ https://nypost.com/2020/04/06/dairy-farms-dump-milk-as-coronavirus-crisis-spoils-demand/ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-02/farmers-are-dumping-milk-in-latest-blow-to-battered-u-s-dairy https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-breaking/2020/04/07/dairy-farms-dumping-milk-due-decrease-sales-during-coronavirus/2961876001/ https://modernfarmer.com/2020/04/dairy-farmers-are-dumping-huge-amounts-of-milk/ from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-dairy-insight/u-s-dairy-farmers-dump-milk-as-pandemic-upends-food-markets-idUSKBN21L1DW

No gouging here either. I did notice eggs were going up (still $1.19 at Aldi's). Reusable bags are gross . In New Hampshire, there has been no effort to ban plastic bags and stores provide paper bags as an alternative -- all free. My plastic bags are re-used to line the small trash cans in bathrooms and bedrooms. Keeps the cans clean without the need to ship a new bag from China every time I dump the trash. I also use them to bag kitchen waste so that I do not have to dump that can as often (more bags not shipped from China). Of course the ecological impact of washing a reusable bag after each use is greater than the impact of using the (recycled) plastic bags.

The first is a local chain -- Market Basket. The second is an Albertsons/Safeway store -- Shaws. The fourth store (the one I can walk to) is another local chain -- Hannaford. Trader Joe's and Aldi's are owned by separate companies, but have an interesting connection... from https://www.thekitchn.com/aldi-trader-joes-parent-company-rumor-260999 Aldi began as a single grocery store in Germany in the early 1900s. Decades later, the owner’s two sons expanded the one family owned and operated store into a chain of hundreds. As with many family companies, the brothers eventually had a business disagreement and decided to split the company geographically into Aldi Nord (north) and Aldi Süd (South). The two companies both own and operate various Aldi’s across Europe and the United States, but do so separately. Meanwhile, Trader Joe’s began as a convenience store in California in 1958. A decade later, more locations opened across the state. In 1979 Aldi Nord acquired all Trader Joe’s in the United States, but continued to let them “operate independently.” On the other hand, Aldi Süd is the parent company of Trader Joe’s in Europe and Aldi locations in the United States. (Bear with me: I had to map this out Beautiful Mind-style on a Post-It note and am still doing mental gymnastics.) In short, these two (or is it three?) grocery chains aren’t technically in cahoots. Aldi Nord owns Trader Joe’s in the States, but the Aldi stores that you see in the States are run by Aldi Süd, which is separate from Trader Joe’s. The chains are kind of like estranged cousins. Step-brothers? In-laws? We don’t know! But it doesn’t matter because the stores are run entirely independently with no joint ownership. All great retailers. I have no desire to shop at a Warehouse or Club. I get as good prices on better products in reasonable quantities.

I ventured into the marketplace today. We have four grocers within ten miles of my home. I visited all but the closest (I can walk there when the sun comes out). At the first store, they had people lined up outside and only permitted people to enter as others left. The girl who was managing the entrance stood between the doors so that she was never more than three feet from any person entering or exiting. She had no mask or gloves. While I was in line, a woman (dressed like a surgeon) walked right passed this girl into the store to grab a cart then walked to the back of the line walking within a foot of every person waiting in line. Another guy walked right past the line -- just as close and completely uncovered -- and into the store. The line moved quickly and people were in good spirits. Someone was cleaning carts and offering them to entering patrons. The store was well stocked. While there were signs limiting most things, I saw one guy leave with a cart FULL of toilet paper. I guess the limits were more of a suggestion. The aisles were one way and traffic moved well. I completed my list and moved on to the second store. That store did not manage entrance. They focused on managing separation at the registers. They had put plexiglass sneeze shields between the customer and cashier and plastic sheets over the controls on the kiosk customers use to manage payment. Again, very well stocked. The third store was an Aldis. Aldis is ALWAYS different. Aldis has a system which requires customers to pay a quarter to release a cart then returns the quarter when the cart is returned. Today, they had a guy cleaning and disengaging carts. The store was well stocked. There were no controls until you got to the register. Some of the fresh items were out of stock, but eggs were still $1.19 and milk was still $2.59. Almost business as usual. It took a LONG time to complete my shopping, but I got almost everything on my list and the experience was very pleasant. A lot of people are covering up. I had an extended conversation with a man in what appeared to be a WWI vintage gas mask. People entertain the crap out of me. I am very proud of the behavior of people in my community.

Happy April! Halfway to Black Friday 2020...looking forward to the Staples ad ;-) I'd like to share my impressions of a purchase I made last November. One of my BF goals was to replace my desktop computer. When I purchased the old box, I was shopping for something which would be endlessly upgradable with plenty of room in the case for storage. In the beginning, that PC was mostly powered off and storage was for files and backups of files. By the end, it was an on-all-day PC hosting a Plex server and other household functions. My gaming had become so pedestrian that it was hard to rationalize a Radeon HD 7950 and 750w PSU. When its disk started to fail, I decided to replace the PC with a computer better suited to my current situation -- still upgradable, much faster, more energy efficient, and CHEAP (like me). While I was shopping for parts for this perfect computer, Black Friday happened. Staples was selling the HP Pavilion 590-p0066 for much less than it would cost me to piece together a comparable computer. Just two weeks before Black Friday, they ran a promotion on the HP Pavilion 590-p0050. I bought one. What I liked about the p0050... 2.8GHz Intel i5-8400 6-core processor (65w) upgradable to (at least) an i7 in the same family8GB DDR4 SDRAM1TB 7200 rpm mechanical drive + 16GB Intel Optane Memory802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.2 technologiesDVD-WriterUse 2 x USB 2.0, 6 x USB 3.1, and 1 x USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 portsPCIe x16 socket, PCIe x1 socket, M.2 socket 1 2230 type for WLAN, M.2 socket 3 2280 type for SSDIntel UHD Graphics 630Built-in HDMI and VGA out portsDimensions: 13.3"H x 6.69"W x 10.9"D310w Power SupplyH370 System BoardI did not have to wait in line on BF!I added RAM so that the system had 16GB of RAM plus 16GB of Intel Optane Memory. This PC starts quickly, loads apps fast, and does not bog down when I have (leave) many apps open. I added a GTX 1650 OC 4GB video accelerator for games and added video outputs. Very easy upgrades since the 1650 is powered by the PCI slot only. If you are looking for an inexpensive, powerful, and expandible desktop, I give these Pavillions two thumbs up. Happy shopping!

My youngest and I have been walking the last two days. With the good weather and the unexpected break from the rat race, a lot of people have had the same idea. Everyone is very cordial and relaxed. Maybe put one of those masks on and take a walk despite the pollen count?

My birthday is April 24th. Enjoy!

I fiind it helps a lot to not follow this too closely on television and the world wide web.

Just five days since my previous post. I have to say that I have been impressed with some of the measures taken to manage this virus. I feel like some people (Homeland Security?) have been preparing for some kind of pandemic and that the federal response has been a 'live fire' test of these plans. Many feel that the China travel ban dramatically limited the spread of COVID19. Count me among them. I would also expect that border security has helped a lot. I can't find a story online, but I heard on the radio that recently retired doctors are being reinstated to help combat the virus. I thought that was brilliant. Today I heard that the president will use idled cruise ships as floating hospitals. Beyond brilliant. Lots of businesses (including mine) are encouraging people to work from home as much as possible. My company has been working tirelessly to reduce human density and mobility while continuously washing EVERYTHING. I am hearing this is common. A lot of businesses have communicated their response to me. Very sensible. A lot of restaurants are providing curbside pickup services. Retailers are prioritizing goods which have been hoarded to date. My local grocers are, for the most part, business as usual. At the same time, I have had no problem engaging essential services. One retail change has facilitated self-isolation -- delivery of groceries. It started with fast food and took off with Amazon. Now nearly every restaurant and grocer delivers. No need to go out at all. On the healthcare front, telemedicine is getting its first trials. Curious if either industry has seen a dramatic surge in use. I am concerned about some local actions which seem to be making things worse. Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville Massachusetts are sanctuary cities and have loudly announced a long list of crimes they will not respond to. Among these are home invasions. I've heard that this has led to a surge in home invasions. Some have called for release of prisoners. I don't understand this. If the prisons are rife with COVID19, then I am against releasing exposed people into the community. If they are not, then what is the motivation to expose prisoners to the virus? And what is this thing where we tap elbows instead of shaking hands? First, has anyone noticed the difference between mouths when touching elbows vs shaking hands? And haven't they been telling us to cough into our elbows? Some guy offered me his elbow so I hugged him. Seriously, the protocol says that you are probably exposed if you are within ten feet for more than ten minutes. So, I'm working from home a lot. Spending time with my college student who is also working from home. It's kind of fun. When I go to work, the traffic is lite and my ride is twenty minutes shorter -- each way. When I work from home, I save gas, time, and Massachusetts income tax. I'm a little concerned for my oldest. He is just a few miles from Slummerville, but he's immortal and I should not worry so much. Still wish they would wrap this up and let me get back to my normal life.

Everyone tells me that. Maybe when I retire.