Locally, things are starting to ‘re-open’. Restaurants opened last week and today, finally, barbershops. I firmly believe that every business in this town should demand the city refund a prorated amount of the business license fees. The city extorted money from you to allow you to open a business and then they said you can’t open….the reason behind it is irrelevant, you paid for something and the city withheld it…seems like a partial refund is in order.
I’m going to go ahead and keep cutting my own hair and see how long it takes before it just becomes so cocked up that only a visit to a professional will salvage my dignity.
I miss eating out every so often, and I also miss being able to do my banking face-to-face with a teller….but other than that, I haven’t been terribly inconvenienced by business shutdowns. I am, however, probably going to be indirectly affected by it as people without jobs start getting desperate. This is an excellent time to look around and determine whare are the skills that pay the bills in a crisis like this.
I can’t speak for the heavy population centers, but for here, in my quaint little 100,000 person town, it seems like people are getting a bit complacent and things are starting to have a little semblance of calm… no more panic lines at CostCo, most of the grocery shelves are restocked, etc. I think people are getting used to the ‘new normal’ and the sense of urgency and immediate need to ‘do something’ is diminishing. I also have no doubt it’ll get stirred up as soon as the media latches on to some new Kung Flu related item to flog to the public.
All in all, so far, lame apocalypse. Unless you actually catch the Kung Flu. But for me, for now, it’s mostly been a cross between a dress rehearsal for the apocalypse and a controlled experiment/drill.
Some things are back to normal some never changed. I refuse to wear a mask to go shopping. So far I can still choose places that dont require one.
I was in smart food a couple days ago and no beef or pork. Wendy’s today didnt have beef for lunch.
The new norm?
Meat processing plants are having to clean/sterilize and clusters of employees are ill. Meat is at the farms, the ability to process it (at previous capacites) is not.
Same reason you hear of herds being culled. Farms can’t store the animals till capacity comes back online. (Space and feed costs)
You did notice when the CDC said back in early Feb that there would be disruptions to daily life? And everyone said, “Why? How?”
Certainly will be interesting to note what businesses were Essential. Where did the few dollars people had get spent? And what employers were the fastest to let go employees – and did it help them survive the lack of income? In a small town this last bit can be an interesting note – either they understood economics or they were rat bastards. I find the Great Pause to have enough data sets to meet every need.
sure glad that kung flu has obey its order to isolate from people. lol…lots of people out and about, lots of trailers on the road. just like the local rag who highlight the first few kung flu victims. spring breaker, convention attendee and person who went bebopping around NYC…so yeah bebopping around is why it got to Montana. I hope we dodged the last round of double tap. we will see. gonna be awful hard getting the herd off the green grass and back into the barn.
I haven’t seen much of any difference in traffic, etc. Some stores were closed by state mandate, but the big box stores were ‘essential’. The only thing that is noteworthy is that supermarket shelves are still looking barren here in the “Live Free or Die” state. The people here are fiercely independent and self-sufficient. Most everybody is packing their pantries even deeper than ever. There is still no pasta or baking goods (yeast has been gone since February), canned goods and frozen vegetables are sparse. There is a little bit of chicken and beef, but prices are quite high. Of course it snowed all day Saturday – you can’t plant here before June 1. A lot of people here are enlarging their gardens by a substantial amount. I’m glad I got my vegetable seeds when I did; they’ve been gone about as long as the yeast and flour.
I started sprouting indoors about a week ago. I’ve got the woodstove cranking at about 750 as I write this.
we had 15 cases, 2 hospitalizations, 0 deaths. worst apocalypse ever. still locked down….yet the sheep here still in panic mode, scurrying around in masks, buying out whatever the media screams there MAY be a shortage of. this week was chicken and pork. not one pack of either in the meat isle, beef fully stocked. opposite last week when the media made up a beef shortage. like sheep being herded by the sheepdog, and he’s just screwing with them for fun.
Why “ask” for a refund of business license fees? Why not sue for damages under the state constitution eminent domain provisions? Businesses were ordered shut down–property was taken from individuals “for the public good” without the states having to pay just compensation. Stop asking. Sue them!
Wife and I had our first dine-in restaurant last night in quite a while. Nothing extravagant – a local Chilis restaurant. She wanted Baby Back Ribs, I wanted The Boss Burger. It were awesome !! $40 gone with tip, but we had a great meal. The servers / waiters wore masks, but the diners had no requirement to do so and most of us didn’t.
When diners are required to wear masks, i want to be there. Thats gonna be hilarious watching people cram food thru a N95…..
Jason, I also refuse to wear a mask unless i see a real need for one. And if the need is there, it pretty much a certainty that i’ll stay home. I also refuse to follow those idiot lines in the aisles.
This works: https://www.flowbee.com/
Still need an electric handheld to shave the back of your neck, but i’ve used one in a business work environment since the 80s and no one has ever said anything to me. Made in BYGAWDTEXAS too.
Thanks! It’s just what I need. I give myself trims all the time, but struggle when the rest starts to get too long. Too bad all models are out of stock.
Saw in the local news that Washington in general – and Spokane locally – is deploying Virus Tracers that will have the power to investigate all people that have been in contact with those who test positive. Lest you believe that cooperation with them is optional, the Governor has attached National Guard personnel to assist them. What could possibly go wrong?
“No, I’m not speaking to you.” What are they going to do then?
It’s interesting, in a morbid sort of way. My one child works IT for a medium large city, hasn’t missed a day of work, working from home at that.
My daughter works in finance for our state goobermint, and she, as well, hasn’t missed a day.
I’m in Da Sick People Bidness, and got laid the frack off the end of March. No nibbles on replacement employment, until last week.
Go figure!
Maybe there isn’t as many sick people as the powers that be claim there are. There is a major medical center near me. Many of the staff have been laid off / furloughed including some of my neighbors, and not just for elective procedures.
It’s suspicious that LA has already announced they have extended the lockdowns for three more months. It really does seem like this is really all about the coming election.
I was never really sure about the claims of a number of the school shootings being fake, but am now starting to think there may be some truth to those stories.
The virus and school shootings are like apples and oranges. School shootings,….definitely real,……virus,……up for debate. As a use of force and department firearms instructor we had many trainings after most of the shootings and viewed video that was never released to the media, as well as meeting and learning from people who where on scene. That being said, I get your point on the inflated numbers and completely ridiculous response by the powers that be.
Spoke with the owner of a local bike shop today. He said they have had as much business this year to date as they typically have in a full year. Definitely some businesses are doing well.
Seeing the same thing here. As im toying with the idea of a fat tired, electric mountain bike. A local bike shop moved to a much larger empty building and seems really, really busy.
I would imagine in a real pandemic situation, everyone who had ever attended medical school or nursing school would be drafted into service. The podiatrist may concentrate on feet, but should remember some of the basics.
The fact that so many folks were furloughed/laid off from hospitals just goes to show that it really wasn’t the crisis that they wanted it to be.
Unless you volunteered to go to NYC to help out and now find yourself in the boat of being taxed by that state even for wages you earned from your non-NY state employee paid to help you volunteer to help them out.
The only real difference between before The Time Of The Covid and The Time Of for me were fewer trips to the grocery store and no trips to the library or the coffee shop down the street from my place. Which I’m going to call a success preparedness wise.
Things are opening back up this week in Wisconsin, but I’m going to hold off until next week before going anywhere. I don’t want to be one of the first folks through the doors.