Cellar Scribblings

[CellarDweller]

The main branch was open today. Hours are restricted, and if you want to see a banker you need an appointment, but I was able to enter and use an indoor ATM.

Pressed the buttons with your elbows and/or gloves, i hope! 

No, but when I got home I washed my hands with hand soap and hot water while I sang "Happy Birthday" twice.    Then I used hand sanitizer.

I thought about it, though.

I'm getting pretty good at pushing elevator buttons with my elbow.

I do that too, Jeff.  If I have to go out and into a store, when I get home I wash my hands for 20 seconds, and then rinse off, and then suds up again and wash my face just for good measure.  Then, I use rubbing alcohol on my hands and face.

Regarding the bank, the bank my dad uses had the lobby closed, but their drive-up was accepting transactions.

[serious crayons]

Yesterday I covered a protest by people who want the governor to end the shutdown and open up the economy totally. They were all clustered in front of the governor's office, waving signs and flags, yelling into bullhorns, driving past honking, calling the governor a communist, a coward, a dictator.

Hardly any were wearing masks. Many stood within inches of each other.

For the most part I was able to talk to people from what seemed a healthy distance, although a couple had a way of edging forward while I backed up. But at one point I suddenly found myself surrounded by people, some just a foot or two away. I held my notebook over my face and escaped.

The photographer was wearing a mask -- one of the fancy effective kinds. All the photographers wear them because they can't do their job by phone, so they have to go out and interact with people.

I have a flimsy uncomfortable DIY scarf mask and had it in my bag but didn't wear it. It was hard enough getting people to talk to me as it was -- I've never had so many people at an event like that refuse to talk to me. Several said "I don't want my words twisted."

Almost everybody had hand-made signs. A woman who stood across the street from me for a while held one saying "Practice Media distancing." I kept a busy two-lane street between us. 

Your Lent project is really nice!

[brianr]

I admire you for covering the protest. I would have lost my temper. 
However in NZ they would have been arrested although probably only the leaders would have been charged, the rest just warned. There is a video on our news of the police waiting in Tauranga for a surfer to come ashore. It does not show what happened, probably just warned.  From tomorrow surfing is allowed but only at your local beach.
Surveys show over 80% are in favour of the lockdown. Two men took the Prime Minister to court about unlawful detention but they lost. At least they did it in a legal way. The judge said it was not detention as they could still go to the supermarket, exercise outdoors, and use the internet. However even if they could be considered detained, the government has the right to do so.

[Penthesilea]

I also like the idea of doing/giving something extra at lent instead of giving something up.

[serious crayons]

I admire you for covering the protest. I would have lost my temper.

Reporters, though nobody believes this, actually are trained to approach stories with as much neutrality as possible, and write accordingly. If there's anything reporters do wrong, it's working so hard to be neutral they report Trump's ravings as if he were a regular president.

However in NZ they would have been arrested although probably only the leaders would have been charged, the rest just warned.

Come to think of it, that's a good question about here. People gathering too closely under more normal conditions -- in a city park, for example -- have been issued tickets. And at the protest there were police officers at the corner of the block, wearing masks and watching over the proceedings. They could have ticketed probably dozens of people (people on the edges of the crowd did appear to be practicing some social distancing).

But they probably figured if people are idiotic enough to do that, it's not worth the risk of turning a mildly rowdy protest into a dangerous melee. Especially when some of the protesters are carrying guns around.

So they let be, let be.

However, I stopped to chat with the cops for a few minutes and really wish now that I'd thought to ask about that.

[CellarDweller]

Hiya BetterMost friends.

Another week in isolation is underway.   I hope that everyone is doing as well as they can.

Keeping busy with work, and doing my workouts when I can.

Other than that, it's 'business as usual', for what passes for usual now.

[CellarDweller]

Hiya BetterMost friends.

I hope that everyone is doing well.

Had a nice weekend this past weekend.  Some of the parks and golf courses in the area had their restrictions lifted, and people could go into the parks, as long as they had the required face covering/mask.

On a whim I drove through the park, and there were a lot of people there.  There were numerous ones there not wearing masks or any kind of coverings.



I opted to just drive around a bit in my vehicle, with the windows down and the radio up.



My friends' neighborhood had a 'social distancing bbq' on Saturday.  Everyone went out on their decks and had a BBQ at the same time, 4:00 in the afternoon.  I drove by thinking I may be able to stand at the curb and say "hello" to them all, but they were in their backyards, not on their front porches, so I couldn't see  them, and they couldn't see me.

I got a text message later on from one of my friends, saying that the SDBBQ went well, everyone had a good time and they plan on doing it again soon.

Work has been keeping me busy, and I have had 3 conference calls today, with one more to go this afternoon.

Saw mom and dad on Sunday, they are both doing well, and staying healthy.

How are things with you all?

[CellarDweller]

Hiya BetterMost friends.

I hope that everyone is doing well.

I've been busy this week, I have a client that is having a loan closing today, so I'm working with a lot of moving pieces at the moment, to make sure everything gets sent to where it needs to, and is done by end of day.  I'm peeking in now, as I have a quick minute to myself.  I've submitted everything I need to, and now I wait for the confirmations.

Mother's Day is Sunday.  I'll be at mom and dad's place to have a meal with them.  I'm sure it will be ordered from somewhere.

I don't have any major plans this weekend, but who does now? 

I do plan on going out a bit tonight, I need to get something for mom for her special day.  After that, I should be home to stay.

[serious crayons]

Nice! What did you get your mom?

[CellarDweller]

Hiya BetterMost friends.

I hope that everyone is doing well.

I'm sorry for being away so long!  I thought I had been here before today!

Oops!

Mother's Day was nice!  Always good to spend time with family.

Nice! What did you get your mom?

Just some candy, nothing fancy.   Today (looks at clock)....well, yesterday now, was mom's birthday, and I got her some different candy for her, and I'll be giving it to her today when I see her.

We (my brothers and I) generally no longer give my parents stuff during the year.  Mom and Dad are contemplating a move to a smaller place in an active senior facility.  Because of this, they've asked us to no longer give them gifts,  they only become more stuff they have to either pack up or sell.   What we do now, is we save up all the money we would've spent on then for various holidays (birthdays, mother's day, father's day, anniversary) and then give it to them in one lump sum on Christmas.  Then, between the three sons, they have a nice chunk of cash that they use any way they want, usually on a few weekend trips away to the Jersey Shore or a casino, the money will take care of their hotel stay, all their meals and drinks, and their 'fun' money.

Mom likes Root Beer Barrels (blech) so I wanted to get her some of them.  Unfortunately, they didn't have any.  I got her a bag of "Hostess Mix" candy.




I also got her a bag of black licorice and a bag of red licorice, both labeled as "Australian Licorice".   I've never had licorice from Australia, so I'm not sure if this is really how Australian licorice is, or if they just call it that to make it stand out on the shelves.  LOL

Our licorice looks like this, long thin ropes.





Australian licorice is shorter, and thicker, maybe the width of four of our ropes, but only about 3 or 4 inches long.