Today at noon–the first day of spring (and a glorious early spring day it was)– I went to Save On Foods and found the toilet paper aisle empty, as usual. But at the end of the aisle there was a small pallet with a partly opened cardboard box…filled with Western Family toilet paper!
I’m pretty sure if I hadn’t been working from home and able to check over lunch they would have been out again after dinner, even with the new 1-per customer limit (down from 2-per just yesterday). I consider this acquisition a minor miracle, given the awesome panic and hoarding that is gripping the general public.
I am hoping this is the last time I feel a need to blog about toilet paper.
I went out on my TPQ (Toilet Paper Quest) again, since I had time at noon (today is the first day my department is working from home, which I will talk about in some other post). My TPQ ended with me once more empty-handed, left only with sadness. And jam. They had jam and it was on sale, so I bought some jam.
The empty toilet paper shelves have a new sign, though, so there is some small hope I might get some before the last three rolls get used:
Unless the sign means they only had two packages in total, which is also possible.
Those chili-style baked beans I posted about a few days ago were also gone. Desperate times, indeed.
And the meat section was nearly barren. Fittingly, a single, mask-clad woman was picking over what little was left.
Meatless in New West
I’m not really concerned yet, just annoyed and a little depressed at all the needless hoarding going on that is preventing others from getting anything at all. If the zombie apocalypse starts, I’m pointing the brain-eaters to the houses with all the toilet paper.
As of tomorrow, I am working from home until [no date specified]
Things I can’t do because they are closed:
Buy a book at Indigo
Buy an iPad at an Apple store
Buy a Surface Pro at a Microsoft store
See a movie at Landmark Cinemas
Have a stiff drink at any bar to try to forget about the pandemic
Exercise, go for a swim or play a sport at any indoor public facility
Things I can’t do because they are no longer allowed:
Gather with more than 50 people
Things that are still allowed:
Fretting
Worrying
Pacing back and forth
Checking your temperature
Did I mention fretting and worrying?
The whole thing still seems surreal, but the new wrinkle of working from home (which in a way is a relief as it allows me to avoid the long commute on public transit where I could be exposed to the virus or unwittingly expose it to others) has added a more tangible sense of yep, things have changed.
The question now is, for how long? Optimists say weeks, pessimists say months and I haven’t checked with the nihilists yet. I’m expecting that we will at least be edging into summer before anything resembling a sense of normalcy returns, and I consider that leaning toward the optimist side of things.
If the last week’s worth of posts haven’t tipped you off, the coronavirus is officially a big thing. This morning Prime Minster Trudeau announced fairly drastic restrictions on air travel and literally asked Canadians who are abroad to “come home.” He also urged everyone who can stay at home to do.
I write this while on my lunch break at work. 😛
The commute on the Expo Line of late has been less than ideal. With trains getting ever-more crowded I often find I can’t get a seat when I board at Sapperton (there are 15 more stations after Sapperton before I get out). It varies, but I usually get a seat anywhere from one to six stops later.
But not this morning! Instead I was able to get a seat entirely to myself. Luxury! Many other people also had seats to themselves. This not only never happens during the morning rush hour, it never happens on the morning rush hour ever. I mean, I have never seen it happen since I started riding the SkyTrain in 1986.
I finally got someone sitting beside me at Commercial-Broadway. Why I am not sure, as there was an empty seat across from me. This person began rooting around in her purse, digging through the many layers before finally finding what she was looking for: a surgical mask, which she then put on.
I would have facepalmed, but we’re not supposed to touch our faces now.
She switched seats at Main Street and I rode solo again for the rest of the trip.
The Canada Line was different with its itty-bitty under-capacity two-car trains, but even there I had a seat to myself for about half the trip.
I made it clear this morning that getting everyone working from home should be a top priority, as public transit is an excellent vector for spreading COVID-19 far and wide. I neither want to unwittingly spread it, nor catch it from someone who is similarly unaware they have it.
Also, some toilet paper would be nice. (Trudeau also told people to only buy what they need. He was very polite but the subtext was clear: Don’t be a greedy, hoarding a-hole.)
I went shopping at the local grocer today and sure enough, no toilet paper to be had. This is not a surprise as they have likely not gotten a new shipment in yet, but it is irksome when you want to buy (not hoard) it. I expect there will be plenty of toilet paper for the first day after the shipment, then the shelves will be stripped bare again.
This will probably go on for a few more weeks. By then all the panic-buyers will be well-stocked, though irrational behavior may compel them to buy even more. Who knows.
I noticed that other stuff was disappearing, too. Hand sanitizer, of course, but also an entire section of fresh meat, boxed pasta and a large variety of canned goods.
Admittedly, the baked beans were on sale, so it was a good time to buy, anyway. The whole shelf was picked clean except for this:
In the coming zombie apocalypse no one wants to eat Chili Style beans.
Including me, actually.
There was also a single forlorn can of British Style beans that may have been missed because it was pushed back from the front of the shelf. It is probably gone now, after I moved it forward. Hail Britannia.
I saw one woman buying paper towels and just something about it made me think she was getting it as toilet paper substitute. I guess in desperate times you take desperate choose-your-own-size-sheets measures.
I am hoping this temporary madness ends soon, but it is a flickering sort of hope.
In just a single day since my last post, a lot has happened regarding the pandemic. After saying it has had minimal impact on me, I read tonight that UBC will “transition” to online classes as of Monday, March 16:
Effective Monday March 16, UBC classes will transition to online for the remainder of the term. UBC’s campuses will remain open and all university operations will continue as normal, as we transition. More info: https://t.co/IkwxYEYphdpic.twitter.com/JFl7tExjfR
Hours later, Langara tweeted a message that it was “working on plans to transition to online learning where possible”. Copycats! No date yet, though.
Langara is working on plans to transition to online learning where possible. Campus remains open and college operations continue as usual. More information will be provided as it comes available. We always post the latest on our website. https://t.co/8zYTgyzw14pic.twitter.com/c4hlNGsJMz
I have no idea how my job would be handled during any period where classes are virtual, but agree that if there are to be temporary closures, they should happen now when some mitigation is at least possible.
Today, Apple announced that the annual WWDC in June would be online-only, which was expected. They also announced that all stores outside China will be closed until March 27. I guess I won’t go window shopping for an iPad mini this weekend. Well, not at an Apple store, anyway. Although closing hundreds of stores seems surprising, most Apple stores tend to be jammed full of people, so they are kind of like cruise ships in terms of germ and virus transmission: easy and fast!
This whole situation is getting more and more surreal. But I’ll be brought back to reality tomorrow when I try to purchase toilet paper.
Relatively fine, anyway. It’s hardly been a day, but it’s time for another post on this whole pandemic thing. Mostly because it’s hard to avoid.
Everything is shutting down, basically. People are holing up in their homes, surrounded by the mountains of toilet paper they’ve hoarded from Costco.
Multiple cruise lines have shut down for 60 days. The NBA is suspending its season after a player tested positive. The NHL, just about to start the playoffs, is also suspending the rest of its season. Major league baseball is on hold. NASCAR? Nope! The Juno Awards, E3, major events by Google and Microsoft have been cancelled. It’s assumed that soon Apple will announce its annual WWDC event will be set aside this year.
There are travel bans all over, bans against large gatherings, restrictions on visiting elderly relatives in assisted living homes.
The stock markets are melting down, but they are silly and irrational at the best of times, so no real surprise there.
Even Prime Minister Trudeau is self-isolating for 14 days as he awaits his wife’s test results.
Trump has been in contact with lots of people who could easily have transmitted the virus to him, but claims he is fine. He made an address to the American people last night, which some teenager edited down to 36 seconds of heavy breathing and the clip is both awesome and terrifying.
my teenage daughter edited together a version of trump's address with only heavy breathing moments and I honestly don't think I've ever been prouder of her
Oddly, the only real impact on me directly so far is the postponement of our semi-annual all-hands IT meeting (roughly 50-60 people in one room, with a buffet-style lunch). I’m wondering what will happen when it’s inevitably discovered that an employee or student at the college has COVID-19.
Fun times.
Note to self: I’m setting up a calendar reminder to update this post one year from now, on March 12, 2021, assuming civilization is still standing. Let’s see what happens over the next 12 months!
UPDATE, March 14, 2022: Yes, I missed updating this post a year later, but here's a link to the post of March 12, 2021, which is a pair of drawing prompts featuring ANGRY and FURIOUS. It kind of works anyway.
It's not just the flu Worldwide and spreading fast Grab toilet paper
Okay, I couldn’t resist making another crack about the toilet paper hoarding, because really, what is up with people? Do they think toilet paper is some glorious all-purpose thing that will help families make it through global catastrophes? Do they know something about toilet paper that I don’t? I’m pretty sure the answer to that is no.
Not that I can go out and buy some to find out, since they’ve already bought the entire world’s supply in the last week.
Next: Going out and trying to buy toilet paper for real (we’re down to four rolls).
Italy has been quarantined. Yes, the entire country of 60 million people.
The U.S. response is being handled about as well as you’d expect with an orange-skinned narcissist sociopath leading the country.
But perhaps the most interesting aspect of all isn’t the cancellation of large events like car shows, professional sports matches and the like (which is logical if you are trying to slow the spread of the virus), but the one thing the general public is fixating on above all else.
Toilet paper.
Yes, for reasons still unclear to me, people are panicking over toilet paper running out. I mean, sure, it’s nice to not have to find toilet paper substitute if you do run out, but what is the actual train of thought here? Do people think toilet paper factories (TPFs) will suddenly close? Do they think trees harvested for paper, including toilet paper, will be placed under quarantine and no longer cut? Do they think the manufacture of everything else–except maybe hand sanitizer–will be unaffected somehow and that only toilet paper has the unique qualities that will see it go scarce?
Of course, due to panic buying, it is now scarce. Here’s a shot I took at the local Save On Foods this afternoon (March 11). Not a single roll of toilet paper to be had:
Good thing we still have a few rolls in the condo. We’ll have to ration them for the next six months, I guess.
This month started out with a fizzle, but is ending on a mostly better note, or series of notes:
My weight is down. Yay.
I am exercising again. Also yay.
I think I’m sleeping better in general.
My writing is…well, more on that below.
Work is [redacted]
On the poop side of things, my writing has gained no traction at all, whether it be fiction or this blog. I fell way behind on my usual one-post-per-day average, just as I did last month, and despite a few posts today, I will still come up short, unless I post ten haikus or something. I’m pretty sure I won’t do that.
I have also fallen behind on my modest reading goal this year. To meet it, I need to read a book every two weeks. To date I have read three this year, so I’m one behind. This is due to a combination of wanting to veg out during my commute and often not getting a seat because the [redacted for adult language] SkyTrain car will be standing room only at 6:30 in the [redacted] morning. It’s insane. I get on at the fourth stop on the Expo line. After my stop, Sapperton, there are 16 more. I’m pretty sure it’s SRO by the second station, Lougheed. It’s silly. Does everyone work in downtown Vancouver? Yes. Yes, they do.
For the writing, I’m not sure what to say. I think about it, sometimes I start, but nothing much happens. The latest book on writing (I’ve read oodles of them now) has the author assert there is no such thing as writer’s block and technically that’s true. Unless you are in a coma or otherwise physically incapable, you can always write if you have some time. So it’s not that I can’t write, I just don’t. And I’m not entirely sure why, because I’ve read some of my stuff recently and while I’m not trying to toot my horn (heh heh), I quite like some of it and think I should write more.
And maybe I will. Soon. I do actually have some additional thoughts on this and will spill them out of my head in another post.
(I’m not talking about work on a public blog. You’ll need the key to my heart diary to find out more about that.)
The good news is that I am indeed down 0.9 pounds for the month vs. where I was at the end of January, and I did it with two fewer days in the month, too. Not only that, it also means I’m 2-2 for the year to date, which is pretty good for the winter “eat everything you can get your hands on” months.
There are a few caveats, though. The main one is that I weighed myself around 9:30 in the morning, about fours later than normal and this typically means I will weight less, due to the way my body processes food. Now, it’s true I might have weighed more anyway if I’d eaten a box of donuts before stepping on the scales, but fortunately I did not do that (I did break my donut rule, though–see below).
The other caveat–though that’s not precisely the right word here–is that my body fat has been climbing of late. In part this is expected, as you can shed weight faster than the overall body fat of your body, meaning that you can go down in weight, but the overall percentage of your now-thinner body that is fat actually increases (temporarily) and that’s where I’m at now.
Anyway, I ate a giant jelly donut yesterday (they were a special end of month treat at work), was trending up in weight for the last three days and still went down, so I’m sticking to Christmas miracle in February.
February 1: 171.5 pounds February 29: 169.6 pounds (down 0.9 pounds)
Year to date: From 171.8 to 169.6 pounds (down 2.2 pounds)
And the body fat:
February 1: 21.6% (36.7 pounds of fat) February 29: 21.9% (37.2 pounds of fat) (up 0.5 pounds)
Last Sunday I got on the treadmill and had a good ol’ workout for the first time in weeks, finally recovered from The Great Flu of 2020.
The next day at work I was feeling a little phlegmy and at first dismissed it as some lingering effect from the flu. I felt fine otherwise. That night I went to bed thinking that this was something. I woke up in the night, my throat raw and inflamed, my sinuses itchy and annoyed. It was something. Something bad.
I missed a day but seemed to bounce back quickly, so returned to work on Wednesday. Thursday I realized that I had not actually recovered, but was simply entering a different phase of what now seemed to be a cold. The most delightful part was getting to experience a whole different set of symptoms compared to the flu.
Thursday was the “running nose” day and when I say running, I’m talking Olympic-caliber sprinting here. It was awful. Also my sinuses began this back and forth of being clogged and unclogged, like a dam that was constantly releasing water, the shut back up, over and over.
I missed another day on Friday. It was now the long weekend and I was sick again.
By Friday night the first of the coughing began. The nose ceased its running and choose instead to just clog up permanently. I tried drinking some water while it was in this state and the experience was weird and unpleasant. Go ahead, try drinking something while holding your nose shut. Do this over a sink or outside, though, because you’re bound to spill. Turns out that breathing is important.
I kept waking up Friday night with my mouth bone dry, because I was breathing through it rather than not breathing at all. Saturday the stuffiness seemed to wax and wane again, but the coughing continued. My voice began to grow hoarse. The cough medicine did nothing or produced an effect that I could not measure with my working senses.
Speaking of senses, the last few days I have lost both my sense of smell and taste. I lifted a garbage bag with a day-old fresh chicken wrapper in it that had to stink to the hills, but smelled not a thing. That was kind of nice. But eating food without tasting it kind of sucks.
By tonight–Sunday–my nose is now officially only half-plugged, a major breakthrough. The coughing is worse when I sit or lay down, so my voice has also gotten worse. I don’t talk right now so much as croak. My voice cracks like I’m revisiting puberty. Once was enough, thanks.
But my sense of smell has returned a tiny bit. I had some mango passionfruit tea tonight and if I smushed the dry teabag right into my nose I could faintly detect a pleasant aroma of fruit.
Tonight I will take NyQuil and hope that my nose stays partly-functional through the night. Tomorrow I hope I “turn the corner” on the coughing because it wears me out, almost as much as getting sick with a cold right after recovering from the flu. It’s silly and wrong and I wonder what karmic payback this is for. Or maybe it’s just riding public transit every day.
Anyway, I thought about complaining about being sick and how it wouldn’t really change anything or make me feel better, but it got me writing, so there’s that. Here’s to better health for the rest of 2020 (pretty pretty please).
