Corona - what does help you? Your fears, thoughts, everything

[Front-Ranger]

I was out and about early today because the weather was forecast to be hot. I wanted to get maintenance work done early at my rental house. There seemed to be people walking or standing around, even at noon when I went out again. The renters seemed to be hanging out at home.

I stopped for a chai and forgot to specify iced, but the hot chai still tasted good and the lady at the kiosk really appreciated my business. With tip, it was $7. Later, I bought a smoothie at the corner store. Another lady wearing a mask. Another $7.

The rental has three lawn areas, front, middle and back. We had such a wet spring and early summer that it has become very overgrown. I cleared the middle yard and only stubbins are left. I sodded the back yard early this year and it has never been mowed. I mowed it and watered. The grass seemed very appreciative. The good thing about manual labor is you can see the results. And there are no people to get in the way.

So now I feel I have done a full day's work, and it's not even 3 pm! This post was supposed to be about the corona virus, but it turned in a different direction. That happens sometimes!

[CellarDweller]

I'm starting to see more and more people without masks, which I'm baffled about, since the numbers are going up again.

I still wear my mask when I go into any type of business.

[serious crayons]

I'm starting to see more and more people without masks, which I'm baffled about, since the numbers are going up again.

I still wear my mask when I go into any type of business.

I haven't worn a mask since late May. If I go into a grocery store or something, I'll inevitably see a few people in masks and everybody else maskless, including most employees.

The vaccination rate in MN is 70%, so that might be part of the reason.

I take that back -- I just googled and saw a list that said the vaccination rate in MN is 53.5% -- lower than NJ's 57.7%. I'm not sure where I heard that 70% figure.

[Jeff Wrangler]

I don't like the way this is starting to sound.

[CellarDweller]

I don't care what others are doing, I still wear my mask when I go into places.   The only place I don't is the office, there are so few of us there, and we're so spread out, and the company tracks who is vaxxed or not.

However, when I leave the office and go into the general hallways, I wear my mask.

[serious crayons]

I don't care what others are doing, I still wear my mask when I go into places.   The only place I don't is the office, there are so few of us there, and we're so spread out, and the company tracks who is vaxxed or not.

However, when I leave the office and go into the general hallways, I wear my mask.

All I hope is that they don't go back to requiring them in my apartment building. They stopped requiring them the week I moved in.

[Jeff Wrangler]

All I hope is that they don't go back to requiring them in my apartment building. They stopped requiring them the week I moved in.

Wait. I clearly missed something. When did you move into an apartment?

Did you finally sell the house? Did the meth lab guy buy it?

[southendmd]

From April:  (plus, you congratulated her LOL)

I just sold my house. I was going to put it on the market in the next few weeks and was dreading it -- the hassle of getting it in as perfect condition as possible, keeping it constantly immaculate and having my son do the same, leaving the house with my dog during open houses and showings, etc. But my agent has been spreading the word among fellow agents that I'd be selling it soon. On Tuesday, one asked if she and a buyer could see it in an hour. I said it was totally messy and she said that's OK. So they came, spent about half an hour looking around, then called that night and offered my asking price, plus closing costs and a few other things. He put $10K down and supposedly if he backs out I get to keep the $10K. So it's a huge relief after the nightmarish previous times I tried unsuccessfully to sell it. Houses here are in such short supply and high demand that many are getting multiple offers the day they go on the market, and some are getting bid up over the asking price. I was hoping if I had listed it that might happen. But that's not guaranteed. I might get less, and now this will save me a lot of expenses, not to mention work, fixing it up.

My only slight concern is the guy who's buying it. He's this burly guy I guess in his 30s (hard to tell with masks these days) who came alone with the agent. Yesterday he had an inspection done, again came alone and followed the inspectors around. (I don't think they found anything deal-breaking, and the guy committed in advance to taking responsibility for anything they might find.) Along with their offer, the agent sent this letter he had supposedly written that went on very colorfully about everything he was going to enjoy about the house, which suspiciously parroted almost exactly what both I and my agent had emphasized was good about the house. Plus it was in all this flowery language, whereas the guy in person was kind of taciturn. I suspected the agent might have written it. Buyers sometimes include those letters, and to me it's kind of pointless because for all I care they can demolish it and rebuild. But whatever.
 
So at first I wondered if he's a pedophile. I know -- kind of a big leap, but this is an extremely family-ish neighborhood. Too much so even for me, in fact, so although the location has lots of nice things (walking distance from a lake, a creek, a library, stores, curated artisanal restaurants). I wondered what the appeal would be for a youngish single guy. Neighbors on my block have little kids. I'm three blocks from an elementary school, a middle school and a big park with a playground.

So yesterday when they did the inspection I chatted with the guy's agent while he was off with the inspector. I asked her if he was going to live here alone. She kind of hesitated and said no, he was going to have a friend with him. Whew, I thought, he's gay! That's fine, and a gay man lives alone across the street, so maybe they can be friends.

But later my son said he overheard the guy say he was going to rent out the bedrooms. There are four, and supposedly he'd have three other guys living there with him and paying enough rent to cover the mortgage payments. I guess they'd share the kitchen, dining room and living room.

So that's the weirdest scenario of all. Not as bad as a pedophile, I guess, but why would four single guys want to share a kind of ordinary house in a boring family neighborhood?

[southendmd]

Congratulations. 

I'm sure everything will go fine.

Once you're out, if the meth lab blows up, it's not your problem. 

[Jeff Wrangler]

Thanks.

You see how my memory is becoming.