This series of
posts will be about the coronavirus situation, how it is impacting me
here in Scotland and interesting gossip and opinions I'm hearing through
our media. I'll be posting as and when I have something to share but I
take no responsibility for the accuracy of the news I share or the
medical advice and opinion that I mention.
A few of my US friends have commented on Donald Trump's latest gem, declaring that he hoped to have things open again by Easter. I saw that for the first time this morning. It beggars belief that he is saying that when New York is is a terrible crisis. I take my duty seriously when it comes to voting but if I had to choose between Trump and Pelosi, I think I'd stay home and read! I can't stand either of them. Maybe Trump needs to do a two metre social distancing from his podium! I get annoyed by our politicians at time but they are at least trying to cooperate and work together, although there is critical comment on the government, but they are passing legislation and complying with rules. Well, other than Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Opposition, who is 70 and refusing to stay home and isolate, which is silly, especially when he instructs us to do what Boris tells us to do!
On the US election side of thing, I found a few news articles that were interesting. I can't vouch for the accuracy of these stories as I'm not a constitutional expert. The first article states that if the election is cancelled by the virus, Trump and Pence cannot stay as President and VP beyond January 20th 2021 as they have no mandate from the people so the new acting President in the crisis becomes the Speaker of the House. How would you feel about that? A second says the Constitution does not require states to assign their electors on the
basis of the statewide vote. It does not even require a statewide vote. A state legislature can scrap statewide elections for president and
appoint electors itself. It would also be constitutional for a state
legislature to disregard the winner of the statewide vote and assign
electors to the loser. Interesting, when Republicans control 28 states.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/03/trump-cancel-election-day-constitution-state-electors-coronavirus.html
Today UK news are focusing on travellers stranded abroad. I have sympathy for some of them-the family in New York since December for cancer treatment for their child struggling to get home, a couple who were on a three month holiday since the start of January...they were out of the country when the disaster happened and are stranded by circumstances. Those working with charities and working abroad for companies I feel the same about. They travelled before we had even heard of the virus. I hope help comes for them because it was circumstances that overtook them and they did nothing wrong. A group of British young people have been in Honduras in remote villages for eight months-I have sympathy for them but the idiots who run the Project Trust only decided to remove them a week ago and they are stranded. They should have been pulled out weeks ago FFS but they blame the British government for not acting!!!
But I get really mad at the whining idiots who chose to go on their holiday in March and are now begging for help. The outbreak on the Diamond Princess became known around February 1st-4th, and British people were rescued from it weeks later. More cruise ships were quarantined, people struggling to get home. At the start of March cases were rising fast in South Korea (5621), China was in lockdown (80409), by March 6th the UK had 164 cases, Italy was in crisis (3089). Everyone knew the virus was taking hold when they travelled in March but decided to do it anyway! Those who travelled in the last two weeks knew that the people in the UK were urging this lockdown to be brought in and panic buying began, but still decided to go on their jolly holiday instead. I can't feel much sympathy to hear their stories of hotels and embassies closing down around them, and flights being cancelled or prices inflated.
250000 people have volunteered to help in the UK during the crisis since an appeal was launched by the government yesterday. While it is great, that does also mean all of these people out on the transport network and not self isolating. It's a tough one isn't it. We need them for vital tasks like food delivery but everyone outdoors could be at risk. India is now in a three week lockdown for 1.3 billion people. I do wish them every success.
Today I'll be doing a bit of housework and then working offline on my news scrapbook to keep myself busy. I am no longer buying newspapers but I'll be noting anything vital in the news on bits of paper and sticking it into the scrapbook myself. Lunch will be a tomato cup-a-soup with chocolate swiss roll, and dinner will be braised steak with two different rubs-New York rib and Carolina BBQ. Tonight I'll endulge in an Easter Egg and get some reading done. Though NOT at the same time obviously!
Stay safe everyone.
This series of
posts will be about the coronavirus situation, how it is impacting me
here in Scotland and interesting gossip and opinions I'm hearing through
our media. I'll be posting as and when I have something to share but I
take no responsibility for the accuracy of the news I share or the
medical advice and opinion that I mention.
Last night Prime Minister Boris Johnson took the necessary step and put Britain into a lockdown situation. All non essential shops and businesses to close. No gatherings of more than two people unless you live in one house. Leave the house only for food, medicine, one bit of exercise a day or to go to essential work. It had to be done as pubs are flouting the request to close down and people are flocking to popular places. Now everyone has to comply or be arrested and fined. That should change things. I knew it was coming but it was still sobering to watch Boris give that solemn TV address, the way Presidents do in the US. This morning at 7.30 it was quiet on our street-one jogger, then one dog walker.
However, the crowds continue on public transport, outside supermarkets and in public places. People are stopping NHS workers getting to the front of the queue for their special shopping hour, bleating about how they deserve to get in to shop too. Selfish creatures. Schools are only open for the kids of essential workers at the moment ie NHS staff, emergency workers etc but parents who aren't in these categories are turning up at schools to try and dump their kids and abusing staff who won't take them. Doctors are being spat at by patients. Yobs are out on the street breaking windows and abusing people. I never realised there were so many total kermits in this country. And two food delivery trucks were set on fire in Bristol. What the bloody hell is WRONG with some people???!!!
It's the same online. Photos of queues and crowded transport. A man in Pakistan who is infected posing at the place he is meant to be isolated at, having a photo taken with all his friends. An American man dead and his wife seriously ill after taking something they thought was that possible cure Trump was going on about last week. Texas Lt Gov thinks older Americans should sacrifice their lives to let grandkids do normal things like go to school, and for the economy to recover. The mind boggles! I was amused by the authorities disinfecting the sticks they might use to beat those not following rules on social distancing!
https://twitter.com/RallyRajinder/status/1242070564480544769
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-attempt-prevent-coronavirus-n1167166
https://theweek.com/speedreads/904320/texas-lt-gov-dan-patrick-thinks-grandparents-should-willing-sacrifice-lives-save-economy
https://twitter.com/SinghPramod2784/status/1242391714398003205
When this virus started to take hold, I quickly realised that self isolation was the safest thing to do for my family and we came to terms quickly with what we thought it meant. I mean, I don't like going out, preferring to stay in my nice safe house, so not going shopping or to medical appointments, didn't sound like a hardship. Staying home, keeping in touch with online friends, watching films and dvd boxsets, listening to music and reading sounded ok really. However there were other things about the situation that I didn't quite grasp and that is what this post is about. The things I didn't expect to happen and things I would have to miss.
For this post I am putting aside my thoughts on the horrific death toll and infection rate, which is of course the most important thing going on. I just wanted to do a slightly more upbeat and lighthearted post about what we are going to miss.
1) Newspapers
None of our local shops offer a newspaper delivery service. I know that I can get my news from news channels and online. That isn't a problem. However my dad doesn't use the computer and he likes to browse a few newspapers each day. I also need a physical newspaper because since 1994 I have been keeping scrapbooks of the news stories and I need the papers to cut out the stories! I am going to be without any cuttings for the biggest story we are facing, for three whole months at least. We'll miss the papers! I have visions of me out at midnight nicking the neighbour's discarded papers from their bins, hoping to find a Daily Mail or Times!
2) Fresh milk
I have bought my last fresh milk yesterday. I usually have a cup every morning to look after the old bones and I love hot chocolate made with milk rather than water. I did order in three months supply of iced coffee to bridge the gap and I do have tins of Nido powdered stuff, but it's not the same. I will just get on with it of course and I can live without it. I can't be asking neighbours to risk their health for my milk, y'know?
3) American Ninja Warrior
This is one of my favourite TV shows which has a live audience and everyone competes over the same obstacle course. Can you imagine if they had to wipe down the course after every person competes? Empty the water pits every time someone falls in? Social distancing amongst the crowd? Travel restrictions on crew and contestants? It doesn't seem logical. I fear a postponement of one of my favourites. Then I thought about all the things I love watching-SAS Who Dares Wins, Coronation Street, Sasuke, Masterchef-UK, US, Australia...there could be lots of TV disruption. I never really thought of that during a pandemic.
4) The Winds of Winter
I was expecting word of yet more delay on the publication and I was also worried that George was keeping safe but this reassuring update has come through.
“For those of you who may be concerned for me personally … yes, I am
aware that I am very much in the most vulnerable population, given my age and physical condition. But I feel fine at the moment, and we are taking all sensible precautions,”
“Truth be told, I am spending more time in Westeros than in the real
world, writing every day. Things are pretty grim in the Seven Kingdoms …
but maybe not as grim as they may become here.”
5) Olympics 2020
I always love the summer and winter Olympics, where I spend lots of time in front of the TV, recording multiple channels. I think all of us were pretty much resigned when the outbreak began that the Olympics would be cancelled or postponed. Finally light seems to be dawning on Japan and the IOC that it needs to be looked at!
6) Bread
I like my toasted cheese, a boiled egg with soldiers, a nice sandwich-but now that I'm indoors for three months, there will be no bread every week and I don't have the ingrediants to try and make my own yet. We might get a few supplies delived to us once the Scottish government starts sending basics out to those self isolating but I don't know when that will be! Funny, I don't eat a ton of it but I will miss it!
7) McDonalds milkshakes
I love their strawberry milkshakes and now that I know I can't get one, I really want it! Or a fillet burger from KFC...
8) Day trip
My dad and I always loved a trip down to the west coach beach resorts of Ayrshire, where we'd stop for something to eat and a walk on the beach. My dad would get a big fish supper and I'd get a cheese and ham toastie and portion of onion rings. Yum!
9) Blackpool
We had hoped to get down to our favourite holiday resort in May but it quickly became obvious that the pandemic was going to ruin that plan. I hope the couple who run the B&B we go to stay safe and that we can visit them next year.
What I'm NOT going to miss...
1) Supermarket shopping
I hate having to go and do a big supermarket shop. I hate the crowds, finding a parking space near the entrance, packing the stuff into bags, heaving heavy bags out the car and unpacking it in the kitchen. I won't miss that and it'll be three or four months before I even need to think about it again!
This series of
posts will be about the coronavirus situation, how it is impacting me
here in Scotland and interesting gossip and opinions I'm hearing through
our media. I'll be posting as and when I have something to share but I
take no responsibility for the accuracy of the news I share or the
medical advice and opinion that I mention.
I swear that common sense and decency is deserting people in the UK as the crisis develops. In Kent, it has been reported that six ambulances had holes drilled into their tyres during the night. Now those vehicles cannot attend emergencies. Who does shit like that? What kind of human filth thinks this is funny? It's a disgusting thing and if caught, they should be locked up for the duration of the pandemic and be housed in a jail cell where they are forced to become someone's bitch. Some people online are suggesting that scum like this should be volunteered for human trials of a virus vaccine. In Dundee and Middlesbrough, medics leaving their shifts found their car windows and windscreens shattered. Nice.
In Greater Manchester, a family out for a walk in the park on Sunday afternoon had their seven year old daughter stabbed to death by a stranger with mental health issues. Words just fail me. How can your life just be ended like that on a walk in a park??? An NHS worker has been evicted by his landlady because she fears he might come into contact with the virus. Nice. This paramedic is out saving lives and that is the thanks he gets-evicted by text message. It gets hard not to feel dispirited by some of what I'm hearing. There was a bus driver in London who thinks he has the virus but refuses to stay home to isolate, instead continuing to go to work because he 'needs the money'. He needs to be arrested and locked up, like the idiot tourist who went to Ise of Man and refused to comply with their 14 day isolation rule and got lifted by police. Serves him right.
People continue to flock to areas popular with tourists-Snowdonia in Wales, the Scottish Highlands, the Cornish coast and Lake Distict in England. They are treating it like an extended Bank Holiday weekend instead of following advice to stay home unless the trip is necessary. It is making my blood boil to see rules that could save lives being flouted by selfish asshats. And it isn't just the young snowflake generation. Some pubs are refusing to shut basically until the government gets legislation through to stop them. Ban them from ever opening again! Arrest the flouters and lock them in the inner cabins of cruise ships until the pandemic is over, served three meals a day and no contact with the outside world. That'll teach them.
Feeling pretty grumpy today as I didn't sleep great last night. Not worrying about anything, just restless and a bit sore. It's amazing how tiring it can be to unpack Amazon packages and rip up cardboard boxes for recycling! Our house looks like a chaotic storeroom at the moment though almost everything has arrived now. Just waiting on a box of crisps and some cheesy crackers which are due tomorrow!
Stay safe everyone.
This is a book I wrote.
Because I wrote it, I had to figure out what to put on the back cover to
explain what it is. I tried to write a long, third-person summary that
would imply how great the book is and also sound vaguely
authoritative--like maybe someone who isn’t me wrote it--but I soon
discovered that I’m not sneaky enough to pull it off convincingly. So I
decided to just make a list of things that are in the book:
Pictures
Words
Stories about things that happened to me
Stories about things that happened to other people because of me
Eight billion dollars*
Stories about dogs
The secret to eternal happiness*
*These are lies. Perhaps I have underestimated my sneakiness!
My Review:
My main reason for deciding to read the book, other than the great reviews, was the cover. I had seen Allie's artwork appearing on memes all across the internet-that Read All The Books thing-and I had just finished a book by Jenny Lawson and was in the mood for something similar. I picked this up and I'm glad I did.
Allie gives her account of living with her mental health issues but shares them in a funny and endearing way, along with brilliant cartoon illustrations. She begins with a section on sending letters to her younger selves, which was amusing. I can imagine some of the things I'd tell my younger selves if it was at all possible though I think that my adult selves could do with the same warnings about life choices! It's a whole new way to look at the issue 'if I knew then what I know now'... It was a bit scary to read about the things Allie's younger selves did. Mistaking face cream for frosting is a mistake we could all make at the age of two, but the running around naked at school when seven could have been an issue for her school!
Dead imaginary friends for a five year old could have been a bit of a worry for her parents. I think her mother might have been concerned at her ten year old wanting to be timed doing agility courses pretending to be a dog and woofing at everyone. It feels so wrong to be laughing at some of these things but the whole point of these books is to put a more human face on mental health issues, and I think telling all these stories is pretty brave. How easy is it to tell strangers about embarrassing things in your life or moments when you lost control in a big way? I admire people who do this.
It was impossible not to laugh at the funny floor banana mother****** story but one of my favourite bits was the wonderfully illustrated God of Cake. I loved that but it does have a serious point about how hard it can be to deal with that kind of obsessive compulsion. I mean, I love cake but I don't go to those lengths to get it. Equally the story about finding herself unable to return a dvd to a rental store for 35 straight days is a pretty horrific example of what Allie was going through. I also liked the story about the invading goose. I'm not sure I'd have wanted to deal with that!
I could relate to a lot of the points that Allie talked about when it came to dealing with depression. I'm sure anyone who has suffered it remembers the endless crying, the dark void in your chest that makes you feel empty, not having the concentration to do anything...I think Allie described and drew it perfectly. I understood the moods, every little thing seeming to go wrong in a day, and the inability to deal with the slightest thing going wrong. I mean I get unhinged when someone blocks our driveway! It can totally screw up my entire day when I brood on things like that.
If you liked Jenny Lawson's books and have an interest in people writing humour about mental health issue, then you might enjoy this book.
Read February 2020
4 star.
