Elizabeth Weir/John Sheppard Appreciation/Ship/Discussion Thread

[Scary Kitty]

Good morning, Sparkies! Happy Lazy Sunday and Happy Mother's Day!

We did end up having a few snow showers. Nothing that stuck, but enough to get us into the record books.

Wow! At least it didn't stick around. I bet it looked pretty coming down though.

The heat wasn't too bad yesterday, we got into the mid-70s. Today Seattle is supposedly going to hit the mid-80s, so we'll see where we end up.

I see your state is going to reopen. Congrats. We've still got at least a week before anything changes. I'm going to miss my dentist appointment and my hair is beyond repair at this point.

And our county still hasn't applied to go to Phase 2. Are they waiting for an invitation or something? So. Frustrating. Haircuts are one thing (but really, both the stylist and the customer can wear masks, so why not?), but routine dental care IS essential. Heck, even California is being more proactive about this, and that's saying something.

[JT-2]

I heard last night that one of my former co-worker's mother died due to covid-19. She was early 70s and was overall healthy. So sad.

I see your state is going to reopen. Congrats. We've still got at least a week before anything changes. I'm going to miss my dentist appointment and my hair is beyond repair at this point.

I heard that even though we had Phase 1 reopen yesterday, very few places had actually reopened.

My back is starting to get out of whack, so I'd really like it if my physical therapist could open. Who knows what phase that will be. My sister-in-law is upset that hair dressers didn't make phase 1.

Wow! At least it didn't stick around. I bet it looked pretty coming down though.

The heat wasn't too bad yesterday, we got into the mid-70s. Today Seattle is supposedly going to hit the mid-80s, so we'll see where we end up.

It was freaky to see the snow!!

Mid-80s? Yuck! No thank you. I'll keep my chance of snow any day.

And our county still hasn't applied to go to Phase 2. Are they waiting for an invitation or something? So. Frustrating. Haircuts are one thing (but really, both the stylist and the customer can wear masks, so why not?), but routine dental care IS essential. Heck, even California is being more proactive about this, and that's saying something.

Yeah, the dental thing is kinda crazy. There's going to be a lot of people with messed up teeth by the end of this.

[Falcon Horus]

Oh, and FH, your teamlead is a jerkface!!

I'm doing everything in my power to avoid her at all cost at the moment, which is easier to do working from home.

She send me an "after-thought" email Friday asking me if I was alright, considering me and that colleague have been a packaged deal since I started working for the company. I bet you anything, someone had to point that out to her, hence why the mail's like 3 days too late.

Anywho... the less I hear from her anyway, the better.

Thank the goddesses, we're still working from home for the foreseeable future.
Which is no longer from the confinements of my bedroom, as I got my gaming chair yesterday so I'm now sitting at my improvised desk. Luckily the weather isn't excellent this week cause eating outside on the balcony is going to be hard as I confiscated the table.

[Southern Red]

And our county still hasn't applied to go to Phase 2. Are they waiting for an invitation or something? So. Frustrating. Haircuts are one thing (but really, both the stylist and the customer can wear masks, so why not?), but routine dental care IS essential. Heck, even California is being more proactive about this, and that's saying something.

Our dentist is very active on social media and has been keeping patients updated. I had an appointment on May 28 but they aren't opening until June 1. Drat. But I have another one in September because I go every 4 months, so I guess I'll wait it out. They sent an email with an elaborate description of their new plan for safety when open. You have to wait in your car and call them when you arrive. Then they sound like they will all be wearing space suits or something. It's bizarre and I hate it but I guess they are among the most vulnerable when dealing with people.

I heard that even though we had Phase 1 reopen yesterday, very few places had actually reopened.

My back is starting to get out of whack, so I'd really like it if my physical therapist could open. Who knows what phase that will be. My sister-in-law is upset that hair dressers didn't make phase 1.

Luckily salons are in our phase 1. I'm expecting a call from my hairdresser soon. I have bad news for her though because I like my natural color and think I am going to keep it.

Yeah, the dental thing is kinda crazy. There's going to be a lot of people with messed up teeth by the end of this.

And just think of all the pain involved in that first cleaning. I tend to get tartar buildup so it's never fun anyway.

[Scary Kitty]

Good morning, Sparkies! Happy Canon Monday!

I heard last night that one of my former co-worker's mother died due to covid-19. She was early 70s and was overall healthy. So sad.

It was freaky to see the snow!!

Mid-80s? Yuck! No thank you. I'll keep my chance of snow any day.

Heh, I guess my body's still attuned to SoCal weather, because I'm rather liking the heat.

Yeah, the dental thing is kinda crazy. There's going to be a lot of people with messed up teeth by the end of this.

Messed up teeth and more. There are doctors out there sounding the alarm about all the preventative care that's being put off. Supposedly "routine" tests, so they're shut down along with everything else, but it's stuff that can catch things like cancer early. They're worried (and rightly so) about what kind of impact this is going to have on patients' treatment 6-12 months down the line. Certainly a case of the cure being worse than the disease, and it's very worrying.

Our dentist is very active on social media and has been keeping patients updated. I had an appointment on May 28 but they aren't opening until June 1. Drat. But I have another one in September because I go every 4 months, so I guess I'll wait it out. They sent an email with an elaborate description of their new plan for safety when open. You have to wait in your car and call them when you arrive. Then they sound like they will all be wearing space suits or something. It's bizarre and I hate it but I guess they are among the most vulnerable when dealing with people.

Hazmat suits? OMG.

Luckily salons are in our phase 1. I'm expecting a call from my hairdresser soon. I have bad news for her though because I like my natural color and think I am going to keep it.

And just think of all the pain involved in that first cleaning. I tend to get tartar buildup so it's never fun anyway.

Ugh, you and me both. Scrape scrape scrape scrape....

I'm doing everything in my power to avoid her at all cost at the moment, which is easier to do working from home.

She send me an "after-thought" email Friday asking me if I was alright, considering me and that colleague have been a packaged deal since I started working for the company. I bet you anything, someone had to point that out to her, hence why the mail's like 3 days too late.

Anywho... the less I hear from her anyway, the better.

Thank the goddesses, we're still working from home for the foreseeable future.
Which is no longer from the confinements of my bedroom, as I got my gaming chair yesterday so I'm now sitting at my improvised desk. Luckily the weather isn't excellent this week cause eating outside on the balcony is going to be hard as I confiscated the table.

Sounds like your company should've fired her instead of your colleague.

[Falcon Horus]

Sounds like your company should've fired her instead of your colleague.

They should never have made her teamlead. She lacks the skills to be a good one, and I've seen my fair share of teamleads.
They come in all shapes and sizes, but she just lacks the basic skills so I can't wrap my head around how she ever got that position in the first place.

Apparently, there are rumors about her lack of talent for leadership, and it's a public secret that she has issues with me and my geek-buddy (which I now lost). Unfortunately for my friend, she got that burn out which gave the TL the opportunity she needed to end that relationship. Last year, she tried to give me a bad review, but unfortunately the people who I work for as template designer only had raving reviews so she couldn't give me that bad score cause it wouldn't have made sense. She pretty much told me then that if it had been her alone, she would have flunked me.

Anywho, spoke to my now-fired-colleague today and she confirmed that our TL was the one who blocked her return, much to the surprise of her doctor, and the doctor attached to our company. They just couldn't wrap their heads around why she would block the return.

***

Anyways... today was an interesting day... I first had to fight my cat (and every time I got up really) for my chair. I bought a gaming chair and OH BOY DO I LOVE IT and so does Faro. Tried to write a new manual but couldn't get past page 1 -- so hopefully tomorrow I'll make it page 2. Then entertained my best friend who also happens to be a colleague. She calls me at odd hours, and we video call, pretending to be hard at work.

[Zandra's Ashes]

I hope all the mother's of humans and/or furbabbies had a great weekend!

It is getting strange out there. People are EVERYWHERE in my county (460k), mostly without masks. I ran to the grocery store at lunch to find heavy traffic like I'd normally see only on a Friday. The more I talk with extended family (most of them in small towns) the more I hear "it is a hoax." Most of them don't know anyone who's been sick. I only know one family, a corporate colleague that lives in NYC. I can't wait until the whole picture emerges once the dust settles (please let it be soon, I waved fondly to my old friend the airport this weekend). The history of this will be an interesting read.

[Falcon Horus]

The more I talk with extended family (most of them in small towns) the more I hear "it is a hoax." Most of them don't know anyone who's been sick.

Which is why people don't think it's that serious to begin with.

I said this exact thing to my sister last week, or the week before... can't remember when... but most people don't know anyone who's had it so it doesn't immediately affect them, so it's harder to convince people to stay home or keep their distance.

Whenever the flu season hits, everyone knows at least one person who's been out cold with it (no pun intended) but Covid-19 is much sneakier than that. It literally tricks us into thinking it's not as dangerous as it's made out to be, and that's our undoing. Or some of us, anyway.

I don't know anyone who tested positive, but I have a friend who's an ER nurse so I don't have to question the legitimacy of the virus. It's not a hoax.

My sister's CEO revealed two weeks ago that there had been colleagues who had been severely ill with Covid, and spend time at the hospital. He didn't reveal who but they did have a couple unfortunate souls.

[JT-2]

Well, I just got offered a job. It's not in my intended field. It's for a processor for life insurance policies. I'm quite ambivalent about the whole thing:

1. It's not medical coding.
2. It's in the same building as my old job, so I'd be running into my former coworkers all the time.
3. The pay is not as good as a medical coding job.

On the other hand

1. It's a 5 minute drive.
2. It's a job.
3. It has dental insurance.

[Scary Kitty]

Good morning, Sparkies! Happy Smutty Tuesday!

Which is why people don't think it's that serious to begin with.

I said this exact thing to my sister last week, or the week before... can't remember when... but most people don't know anyone who's had it so it doesn't immediately affect them, so it's harder to convince people to stay home or keep their distance.

Whenever the flu season hits, everyone knows at least one person who's been out cold with it (no pun intended) but Covid-19 is much sneakier than that. It literally tricks us into thinking it's not as dangerous as it's made out to be, and that's our undoing. Or some of us, anyway.

I don't know anyone who tested positive, but I have a friend who's an ER nurse so I don't have to question the legitimacy of the virus. It's not a hoax.

My sister's CEO revealed two weeks ago that there had been colleagues who had been severely ill with Covid, and spend time at the hospital. He didn't reveal who but they did have a couple unfortunate souls.

Not only that, but in a typical flu season, we all still go about our normal everyday routine. No lockdowns, the kids still go to school, businesses are still open, all of that.

I think everyone's just so tired of it all, and going stir crazy, and we're all in dire need psychologically for a return to some kind of normalcy. It's certainly not a hoax, but human beings just aren't wired for this, and that frustration is understandably boiling over.

[Southern Red]

Well, I just got offered a job. It's not in my intended field. It's for a processor for life insurance policies. I'm quite ambivalent about the whole thing:

1. It's not medical coding.
2. It's in the same building as my old job, so I'd be running into my former coworkers all the time.
3. The pay is not as good as a medical coding job.

On the other hand

1. It's a 5 minute drive.
2. It's a job.
3. It has dental insurance.

Quite a conundrum but as you said it is a job.

For some reason I can't multi-quote but I have a few thoughts on the lockdown situation. The virus is definitely not a hoax per se but neither is the flu or any other wide spread disease. The thing with Covid is that the models were wrong so the scientists were basing their plans on false info. However we never will know what would have happened if we had not quarantined. Most people also don't understand what it means to flatten the curve. That doesn't mean fewer cases. It just means you stretch it out longer to keep from overwhelming the hospitals. Meanwhile because of all the non-emergency surgeries being cancelled, a lot of hospitals are nearly empty and they are laying off personnel. Then there is the fact that 52% of all US counties have had zero deaths. Why can't we open those places? Georgia has had no increase in deaths since opening. People are starting to wonder why we were first told 2 weeks, then a month and now some states are planning to keep us at home for even longer. There's a lot going on most of it political to the extent that some people don't want to be confused with facts. So no wonder people are making a run for it.

Speaking of which, we got together with SR Jr. and his family on Sunday. The twins were in rare form.

1. Thing 1 is wearing a man bun because he can't get a haircut right now and the hair is out of control. Thing 2 likes to bonk it until Thing 1 strong arms him and he falls down which makes him cry. Then Dad yells "Stop crying you're not hurt. Leave your brother's hair alone. Don't push your brother."

2. They're learning to use a fork but most of the food ends up in their hair. With Thing 1 this can be a huge problem.

3. Thing 2 fell off the coffee table and banged his knee and needed much comfort. Thing 1 fell down on the sidewalk and scraped his face but never made a sound.

4. They both like to run into the street.

5. Mr. SR seems to have acquired the nickname "Pop Pop". I may be either "Gammy" or "Gabby" we're not sure which.

6. If you say "One", Thing 1 says "Two Three" but Thing 2 says "Elmo."

7. Sesame Street has been a lifesaver and they are learning a lot.

[Zandra's Ashes]

Which is why people don't think it's that serious to begin with.

I said this exact thing to my sister last week, or the week before... can't remember when... but most people don't know anyone who's had it so it doesn't immediately affect them, so it's harder to convince people to stay home or keep their distance.

Whenever the flu season hits, everyone knows at least one person who's been out cold with it (no pun intended) but Covid-19 is much sneakier than that. It literally tricks us into thinking it's not as dangerous as it's made out to be, and that's our undoing. Or some of us, anyway.

I don't know anyone who tested positive, but I have a friend who's an ER nurse so I don't have to question the legitimacy of the virus. It's not a hoax.

My sister's CEO revealed two weeks ago that there had been colleagues who had been severely ill with Covid, and spend time at the hospital. He didn't reveal who but they did have a couple unfortunate souls.

Wow. Good thing she's been working from home. Hope they are recovering nicely.

Well, I just got offered a job. It's not in my intended field. It's for a processor for life insurance policies. I'm quite ambivalent about the whole thing:

1. It's not medical coding.
2. It's in the same building as my old job, so I'd be running into my former coworkers all the time.
3. The pay is not as good as a medical coding job.

On the other hand

1. It's a 5 minute drive.
2. It's a job.
3. It has dental insurance.

Sorry it's not the desired position/industry. What is that old saying- it's easier to find a job when you have a job? Seems to hold true a lot of the time. But first- can you work from home to start until we all have a better handle on covid? Or do they have a plan for working onsite that you are comfortable with? If so, there is so much to be said for insurance and an easy commute. Score two for quality of life.

Good morning, Sparkies! Happy Smutty Tuesday!



Not only that, but in a typical flu season, we all still go about our normal everyday routine. No lockdowns, the kids still go to school, businesses are still open, all of that.

I think everyone's just so tired of it all, and going stir crazy, and we're all in dire need psychologically for a return to some kind of normalcy. It's certainly not a hoax, but human beings just aren't wired for this, and that frustration is understandably boiling over.

Yep to all of the above.

Speaking of which, we got together with SR Jr. and his family on Sunday. The twins were in rare form.

1. Thing 1 is wearing a man bun because he can't get a haircut right now and the hair is out of control. Thing 2 likes to bonk it until Thing 1 strong arms him and he falls down which makes him cry. Then Dad yells "Stop crying you're not hurt. Leave your brother's hair alone. Don't push your brother."

2. They're learning to use a fork but most of the food ends up in their hair. With Thing 1 this can be a huge problem.

3. Thing 2 fell off the coffee table and banged his knee and needed much comfort. Thing 1 fell down on the sidewalk and scraped his face but never made a sound.

4. They both like to run into the street.

5. Mr. SR seems to have acquired the nickname "Pop Pop". I may be either "Gammy" or "Gabby" we're not sure which.

6. If you say "One", Thing 1 says "Two Three" but Thing 2 says "Elmo."

7. Sesame Street has been a lifesaver and they are learning a lot.

I love twin tales! And oh no- you've got TWO runners on your hand. The only thing worse than a puppy off a leash are toddlers.

[Falcon Horus]

Not only that, but in a typical flu season, we all still go about our normal everyday routine. No lockdowns, the kids still go to school, businesses are still open, all of that.

Flu season has approx. 60,000 deaths per season which typically runs from October to April.
Also, there's a shot you can have against the flu which you do not have (yet) against C19.

Covid-19 managed to surpass that number in just 2 months, and it's still rising for many places.
Our numbers have been down but with the re-opening happening, it might go up again in a week or two from now.

Corona vs the flu (by John's Hopkins Medical Center)

I think we should be careful how to handle this pandemic and people need to be more responsible in their ways (which is wishful thinking to begin with, I know and bothers me to no end sometimes).

I think everyone's just so tired of it all, and going stir crazy, and we're all in dire need psychologically for a return to some kind of normalcy. It's certainly not a hoax, but human beings just aren't wired for this, and that frustration is understandably boiling over.

You can forget about "normal" -- there's going to be a new normal after this, but the old one is gone.

The only thing worse than a puppy off a leash are toddlers.

One puppy vs two toddlers... mmm...

[Southern Red]

Flu season has approx. 60,000 deaths per season which typically runs from October to April.
Also, there's a shot you can have against the flu which you do not have (yet) against C19.

The flu shot is seldom effective against the strain of flu that actually occurs. It's a gamble. And when they do develop a Covid vaccine, we will start a whole new round of political nonsense. Meanwhile people can't pay their bills or feed their families. I'm old enough to remember the polio outbreak. I even knew several people affected by it. But nothing closed, they developed a vaccine and we lined up to take it. Problem solved. No screaming matches on TV.

[Falcon Horus]

And when they do develop a Covid vaccine, we will start a whole new round of political nonsense.

I can't wrap my head around that.
It should be quite straight forward, like with the fl shot. Pretty much mandatory for the vulnerable -- everyone else can choose to get it or not.

I have a colleague who swears by it ever since she had it bad. She swore never again to be that sick.

***

Our next phase is a go... from the 18th of May forward, pretty much everthing opens up again, except for bars, cafes and restaurants. Museums, zoo's, markets... obviously keeping the social distancing (of one sheep, 1,5m) in place, facemasks covering nose and mouth. Sports can restart with a maximum of 20 people. Ceremonies, like weddings and funerals, may have up to 30 people gathering but no reception afterwards.

Schools will open partially for 6-7 year olds, 12 year olds and 18 year olds.
People can go back to the office.

For us it will mean, 2 days at the office, 3 days at home... there can't be more than 50% occupation.

The next phase is scheduled after the 8th of June, so for now we still can't go on any tourist outing... but maybe we'll try the zoo next week. I have a week off -- I really need to get away from work.