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shadowkat1. So, since it was an absolutely beautiful day outside, I decided to take my life in my hands and to FINALLY do LAUNDRY!
It's been approximately thirty-five days since the last time I did laundry. Basically the last time I had a period. This could work - just do laundry every 35 days. Laundry has become oddly anxiety inducing.
Laundry is located in the basement of a 77 unit apartment building. I waited until the new elevator was finished - it's lovely and requires less touching to get in and out of. No levers to pull. Just a button on the outside and inside. Also it has air circulation and wood paneling.
Anyhow, the basement is not necessarily tiny, you leave the elevators, which have trash cans near them - for people to just drop off recycling and jump back in. There's a narrow passage and then you enter a big room where the recycling is stored, and the new electrical grid, meander past the junk people have gotten rid of - an old dishwasher, various plates, and shoes. And into the laundry room. There's a basement apartment at the end of it. There's also a whole other section of the basement that houses storage units. Anyhow, there's four washers and three gas dryers. Three of the washers are one or small load, and the fourth is large load. They cost between $1.25 to $2.50, with the dryers costing 25 cents for 8 minutes, so if you want to do thirty - fifty-six minutes, you have to put in whatever that equivalent would be (I'm tired I don't want to do math problems right now - you can do that on your own.).
You pay with a card - which you get one time from the machine - it costs a one-time fee of $10, and if you need to replace it - also $10, or you can send it to the company. You put the card in the machine, and refill it by inserting either a $5, $10 or $20 dollar bill. It doesn't take anything else. And the bill has to be in somewhat good condition or it won't go in.
A Bengali family lives in the apartment in the basement. And there are book cases, about thigh-high lining the walls, with the discarded books of everyone who lives here, along with DVD's and CDs. Also four folding tables, four laundry baskets (metal with wheels) and four plastic laundry baskets to put laundry in that has been left by someone in the machines. There's a sink. Two trash cans, and brooms to clean the dryers of lint. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak - they had a play area for children with all sorts of toys. This has been removed. As has most of the pictures. It's clean and well maintained.
I went down there, praying no one was in the basement. No one was at !:20 PM in the afternoon and gorgeous outside. People were in the park or out for a drive. Or running errands. With shaking fingers I sprayed the handles with lysol and inserted the laundry into the four machines. Towels, sheets, clothes, bath mat. Then lugged my cart and laundry bag upstairs. I swapped out the laundry bag - cloth, for the sturdier one - a kind of plastic/cloth hybrid and put it in the cart. Normally I don't use the cart - but I had a lot of laundry, and it was safer. Plus I could lug the detergent down the elevator in it. After cleaning up a bit. I put my mask back on, and went back downstairs to retrieve the laundry from the washing machines and put it in the dryers. This round, I almost ran into someone - one of my neighbors who was taking down recyclables, and of course not wearing a mask. I decided to avoid him by going down another hallway to the laundry room. [ I can't line dry everything. It's not possible. But I did pull out my yoga pants, one of the t-shirts, which must be line dried, the pj bottoms, bra, and a top. Used all three dryers.] Then went back upstairs. This round I chose to leave behind the plastic/cloth laundry bag and cart in front of the dryers - and just took up the clothes to be hung dry in the green laundry bag - I'd taken down for that purpose.
I washed my hands, took off the mask. Hung up the clothes and cleaned my floor, and windows, and television screen. Then went back down again, and ran into people. The Bengali couple who lives in the basement apartment were sitting at the back of the laundry area or near the wall closest to the sinks and washers, with a basket full of laundry, and all the washers were full. She had gloves on. He was playing with his phone. Neither wore masks. And I thought, "Really? Really?" We looked at each other. He went back to his phone, and she had a nervous expression, with a half smile and held up her hands as if in a shrug. I just stared at the machines, and decided to see if anything was done - even though the dryers were still running. The first one was done - I yanked out the sheets directly into my bag and cart. Did the same with the clothes. Had to wait on the bath mat. While I was waiting someone else came down without a mask - this guy had a ton of laundry, he pulled it out of the machine, and into a basket, and kind of to the side of the entrance. I was still a good six feet away from him and about ten from the couple, standing as I was at the very far end of the room, next to the dryer. They were near the entrance. I would have to pass them. I was the only person with a mask. No one appeared to be sick at least. So there's that.
Nervous, I kept pulling the bath mat out of the dryer, and of course it was still damp. When it finally completed, and was still slightly damp, I gave up and shoved it in the cloth grocery bag I'd brought for that purpose. Then darted around the guy at the entrance and past the Bengali couple, to the elevators, waited for the new one to arrive, praying no one was in it - no one was, jumped inside, and darted out on the third floor and to my apartment. Then proceeded to wipe down the cart, the bag, clean my hands, remove the mask and my head covering (my hair gets in my face so I've taken to wearing head coverings) and transfer the laundry bag and laundry to my bedroom. Folded the laundry on my bed, and put it away.
Whew. Now, that's what I call ripping off an anxiety band-aid.
2. Since I managed that, and it was now past 4PM, I thought, I know, I'll go grocery shopping. No one will be there - they will be at the park. (I really don't why I keep thinking this? I mean I've gone on Saturday, after 4 PM previously, and there were people in the grocery store - a lot of people. You'd think I would learn? You'd think wrong.)
Grocery shopping involves walking down various blocks to the store - it's about a half mile away? Ten blocks maybe? There wasn't much car traffic to speak of, or people traffic. Most people were at the park still. There were a few out and about. I've been noticing a pattern though with the mask wearing. People under the age of 35, appears to think they don't need a mask and they are immune. Not everyone, just a few inconsiderate souls. The people in the laundry room - were in their twenties and early thirties. It's not racial - it's age specific. That said, I have seen a few older adults without masks - a couple of women out walking dogs, and a few old guys. Maybe people just can't get them? I've been thinking this might be the case. Or they have asma or something that makes it hard to breath with it on? Or they are idiots? I kind of try to give them the benefit of the doubt and be mindful, just keeping my distance.
And of course, I have to avoid the ever present line in front of the Wallgreens Pharmacy and Taco Truck, it kind of meanders around the Taco Truck now. (I have to brave that hurdle sometime next week or the week after. Oh joy.) Everyone is in masks in the line, and they all look annoyed, and playing on their phones. Those are some really dirty phones - just saying.
I considered going to Carnival - which is mainly a big fruit and vegetable stand, with a lot of Eastern European Specialities, but I looked inside and thought, eh, social distancing in there is going to be a nightmare. No. (Grocery shopping in a urban environment is not exactly conducive to social distancing, actually anything in an urban or pseudo-urban environment is not conducive to social distancing.)
So, I thought, okay, Food Town. Food Town to be fair has gotten slightly better since the last time I went to it. It changes each time, adding one more layer of protection. It's kind of fascinating in its own way. We still don't have to wait outside the store - although I did wonder for a minute or two, because there was a woman with a mask who was staring at the doors as if she was waiting on someone.
Also there's a parking lot at Food Town - so people park and get their food inside. I think FoodTown should do curbside deliveries for the cars and only let the pedesterians who have no car inside - although that would be impossible to manage, so never mind.
Inside, it didn't seem that crowded at first. My mother wondered why I didn't turn around and go home once inside. I didn't because - well, I was kind of already there and it wasn't that bad. There were arrows on how we were supposed to go through the store and a strict edict to stay six feet apart. (Which didn't quite happen. But we tried. Also, people apparently are incapable of going grocery shopping by themselves, there were couples. Folks? Grocery shopping is a SOLITARY sport, you do NOT need to go with someone to do it. I wish they could enforce that - Whole Foods is, they have a limit. So too is Wallgreens. Come on Food Town get with the program.
Also they had people shelving at the same time as people were shopping. Really?
I kept having to find ways around a grocery store clerk standing in the middle of the produce section refilling, the already full, potato and onion section.
Mother: What did you get?
Me: Fruit, Green beans -
Mother: OH! I want green beans. I really wish I could have green beans again. Haven't been able to get them in forever!
ME: Why do you think I went? I wanted fresh fruit, green beans, spinach greens, and stuff for a salad. Imperfect Foods is horrible in this regard. And I'm out.
I can order chocolate and treats online.
Will state there were less traffic jams, and the little arrows helped. Also less people in the store wandering about than last time. I was able to avoid people more easily. And the fresh fish section was completely closed. So too was the deli for the most part.
I tried to get Ripples Potato Chips or some type of ripple potato chip - but they were cleaned out. The junk food was gone. So were all the canned goods, and brand name toilet paper or in bulk toilet paper. You could however get the single toilet paper rolls without any problem.
Anyhow I gave up on the potato chips, and didn't even try for disinfectant or dishwashing soap - I do have enough for the time being. Also had no room in the basket. The basket was so full, stuff was falling out of it. When I got in line, and it was a long ass line, all the way down the aisle and halfway to the frozen food section. About ten to fifteen people, all three to six feet apart. I was going for six feet, the people ahead of me weren't. The woman behind me was using her cart, so that helped. Next time I'm bringing my own cart - because using the basket is not working. I had to grab kitchen trash bags, and aluminum foil (I use it to bake and broil stuff). So I try to cram this in the basket. It does not fit. Why? Because I have a bag of apples, two things of salad greens, several containers of berries, pinnapple, and mangoes...that are taking up all the room, plus a four pack of sparkling wine coolers, a water bottle, and a vitamin water bottle - zero sugar. Actually nothing has added sugar. I didn't buy anything that wasn't fresh or natural. (I'm diabetic, ceiliac with high blood pressure and high cholesterol in the middle of a frigging pandemic - with a virus that loves a high blood sugar environment, I'm trying to stay off sugar. I cheated today with almond flour pancakes and maple syrup. Oh, shoot, I forgot to buy the maple syrup. It's impossible to get everything you need any longer. You can't just stroll around it - you have to get in and get out. Oh well, I can always order it off Amazon, or just do without. I don't really need it for pancakes.
The woman behind me in line took pity on me and offered to clean a portion of her cart and I could set my stuff there - but I just didn't see how that would work with the whole social distancing thing. So I thanked her profusely but turned her down, carrying the items under my arm, while I either scooted the basket along the floor with my foot. (Don't say it. Also honestly, I'm not sure it matters at this point. I'm going to get home and sanitize the hell out of everything anyhow.) We did have a nice little conversation in the line. She was wearing a surgical mask, and I was wearing the cloth mask with the filter and breathing nozzle that a friend sent me.
Everyone was wearing some type of mask - nothing fancy, mostly surgical masks, some had N-95, but they were grocery store folks or personnel shoppers. No one in the store did not have a mask one - that was a change from the last time I was there. Apparently now, you must have a mask to be in the store.
The lady in line behind me told me that she was from New Jersey.
Me: What are you doing here?
Lady: Taking care of my parents.
Me: You'd be better off in Jersey.
Lady: Yeah well, they are better off here - and there's not that much difference.
I've been out since 2PM, running errands. I'm exhausted. This is exhausting. Also I'm working remotely - and on so many different systems I can't keep them straight.
We commiserated over the difficulty of working remotely from home on computers that had not been set up for this task. I'm actually very proud of how I've managed it, and how my little MacBook has handled it. Probably helps that I've been using it to write on and have done work on it in the past..also I already had Windows 365.
By the time I got to the cashiers, we'd had a nice little conversation. She's the first person that I've had an actual conversation with face to face or rather back to cart to face - there was a cart and two feet between us, and my back was kind of to her for the most part - I was in front of her in line. Anyhow, she's the first person I've talked to in person - since..March 17 or thereabouts. No wait, I did have a conversation with the Super's wife about three weeks ago regarding the elevator.
With shaking fingers, I plugged in my number and paid for the groceries, after unloading them, and packing them into my own bags myself. The cashier asked for my birthdate - for the alcohol, but no longer asked for the ID. She did ask for the FoodTown Club Card Number - but it's not my phone number and the card is on my keychain, and it's not worth it.
After the bags were packed, I hand sanitized with purell. Then hand sanitized again on the way out, and somehow got past the people and onto the street then lugged them home. The way home was fraught with obstacles - a guy without a mask talking on his cellphone on the sidewalk, another guy coming towards me, mask down as he slurped on a drink. Then crossing the street - little to no traffic. Three guys with masks talking on the street corner. Got around them and crossed against the light, there was no traffic. I can do never before seen feats of jay-walking in this environment.
I avoided the Wallgreens line and darted around the sparse group of Carnival Foods shoppers. Made a few blocks down, and a guy with a motorcycle was yelling in his cellphone in the street, mask down. Three girls in formal black and white dresses and long hair came towards me, varying ages, no masks, had to slide to the side. A group of people were chatting without masks next to their car. A woman was walking on the opposite of the street with a faux black fur coat, nice pants, long flowing black hair, and no mask, big smile on her face, swinging her arms, not a care in the world. An old couple carrying groceries had surgical masks on. One biker had a surgical mask on, while trying to get into a building, while the young woman behind him did not. I turned the corner, three people were chatting on the bike lane and by the benches across the delivery street in front of my buidling - six feet away from me, some wore masks, the one's on the bikes did not, while the bikers behind them did. I turned, got into the building there were people ahead of me going up the elevator, I got into my building and hurried down the hallway, up the two flights of steps to my apartment and then inside.
I put the groceries on the floor. Washed my hands. Removed the mask. Kept the hair covering in place. And proceeded to disinfect the groceries, my keys, my wallet, and the bags. This is a long-involved process involving lysol anti-bacterial spray, dishwashing soap and hand soap and hot and cold water. Everything wrapped in plastic is sprayed with the lysol. If it isn't, it's washed with soap and water. Everything is rinsed. And then put away. The keys are sprayed and wiped. The wallet wiped with a Clorox wipe. My hands washed after.
3. After that I called my mother, who managed to give me an anxiety attack. Admittedly, I was kind of shaky to begin with.
Mother: So, I talked to your brother today, and he wanted to know if your building has any COVID-19 protocols in place.
ME: What?
Mother: Well, he has a lot of friends who live in Brooklyn and their buildings have all these protocols in place - if you get sick, you inform the management, and they will pick up deliveries for you and take them to your door, bring pharmaceuticals, and ensure you get medical attention. Do you have anything like that?
ME: Fucking hell. No, I do not.
I freak out on my poor mother and burst into tears. It's not a proud moment. I will not bore you with the embarrassing details. I basically lost it, folks. And had a full-blown panic attack.
Apparently my brother was concerned about me and wondered if I had any of this. My mother told him she didn't think so. Also according to my mother, my brother knows a lot of people who had this thing and recovered. She tells him that I think I had it in November, but he thinks that's too early.
I manage to finally convey to my mother, who doesn't always hear me, that I am not interested in learning about my brother's friends, and could she stop, please.
See, I'm coping with this thing by not focusing on those things that I have no control over, as I explain to my mother.
Mother: I'm surprised you decided to go grocery shopping after doing laundry or did either.
Me: I wanted to take control of the anxiety and not let it rule me any longer.
Mother: I think you are fine. You weren't in any of these places for very long, and you took precautions.
Me: I didn't wear gloves, because I watched a video with a nurse who did a demonstration with gloves and paint showing how gloves don't really protect you. What people are doing is they put on the gloves and mask to go shopping, then pull them off and throw them on the street prior to getting in the car. Or they get home, get out of the car, remove the gloves and throw them in the street. That's why there's all these gloves and masks in the street. They don't have a trash bin, so they just drop them, thinking someone else will clean them up after them.
Mother is horrified. And informs me that she realizes that I have a pressure on me that neither my brother, his family or my parents have - in a way I'm kind of happy about that. I'd rather worry about myself than them. Also, I'd rather die than have my family die. I know they don't agree with me on this score - but hey, you have to see the silver lining.
She tells me that my brother has realized that his daughter's school most likely won't re-open in the fall. And he's trying to figure out how to deal with that going forward, and how to break the news to his daughter - who loves school and has big dreams of going to Columbia or Bard. Yale has already informed people that it is not opening up in the fall.
Mother also told me about a friend of theirs daughter who was at a film school in London, UK - that had an amazing cinematography program - that was doing all these new and advanced and innovative things. Apparently the school didn't shut down immediately. The Professors all walked out. And then it shut down. And then, it shut down the dorms - and the students had to figure out where to go. The daughter decided to move with her boyfriend - just to have a place to live. And they aren't certain if the school will re-open in the fall or the program will continue.
Then she told me about my brother's friend who works as a public defender. He had walked out of the NY Court System - in protest, long before they got shut down, because so many of the people operating the system were Trump supporters - the police, the court reporters, the probation and parole officers, the prison guards, etc - and they weren't taking the proper protocols or taking this seriously at all.
As a result they were getting sick in droves.
BTW - the NY Court System went tech at the beginning of March - everything is being handled via video conferencing, they aren't doing anything in person - except with one or two people and social distancing protocols in place.
4. After said conversation, I decided to burn off the anxiety and take a walk. It was after 6PM. I've been taking my walks in the evening, when most people are inside or in their back or front yards chatting, eating dinner, etc. There's maybe ten to fifteen people out at this time, maybe less. And they are easier to avoid. Also most of them have masks on.
What hits me about this crisis - is the people who aren't wealthy are struggling. I'm actually doing okay, I have a job, and enough money in the bank. The people at the Food Town were the ones who can't do the delivery services or take out. Many are taking care of other people.
My heart went out to them. They were all doing their best like myself. The walk was good for me. I took pictures during it. Of all matter of things. Flowering trees, the soft waning sunlight filtering through trees and city streets, flowers and rocks decoratively placed in a tiny sidewalk garden, a mural on a wall - with a POC caregiver holding up a sign stating "Respect" in big red letters. The side of a Muslim Salon, that is on the opposite side of the street from a Hebrew Temple, with a NYC Express bus touting the logo "I Love New York" across its side. Soft feathering green and red leaves from trees, while others bloom in an array of bright pink blossoms. Tulips in reds, pinks, purples, and yellows decorate tiny yards, and small violets sit beside them, almost hidden in their shadows.
The air is crisp and clean through the mask, and I can breath easier - it's a thinner one than the ones I used doing laundry or grocery shopping. A blue and white surgical mask. Most wear them. Across the street in front of the house with all the signs pushing to stay the course - are three Asians with masks on, a tall woman, a girl, and a small boy, walking in a row, with bags hanging from their arms. While on the sidewalk that I'm walking upon, I pass a house with two couples chatting a space of three feet between them, no masks to hide their faces. In front of an assisted care facility, a tired woman sits playing with her phone, no mask, and randomly touches her hair. I'm far enough away for it not to matter.
The air feels good. The sky has a layer of clouds, with sun and bits of blue still filtering through - not as crisp and clean with narly a cloud to be seen - like earlier today. No in the evening hours, the city is quiet. The cars whisper by, and people pass silently, even those chatting talk in whispers or halt when someone passes by and looks at them, face half hidden except for the eyes.
It's been approximately thirty-five days since the last time I did laundry. Basically the last time I had a period. This could work - just do laundry every 35 days. Laundry has become oddly anxiety inducing.
Laundry is located in the basement of a 77 unit apartment building. I waited until the new elevator was finished - it's lovely and requires less touching to get in and out of. No levers to pull. Just a button on the outside and inside. Also it has air circulation and wood paneling.
Anyhow, the basement is not necessarily tiny, you leave the elevators, which have trash cans near them - for people to just drop off recycling and jump back in. There's a narrow passage and then you enter a big room where the recycling is stored, and the new electrical grid, meander past the junk people have gotten rid of - an old dishwasher, various plates, and shoes. And into the laundry room. There's a basement apartment at the end of it. There's also a whole other section of the basement that houses storage units. Anyhow, there's four washers and three gas dryers. Three of the washers are one or small load, and the fourth is large load. They cost between $1.25 to $2.50, with the dryers costing 25 cents for 8 minutes, so if you want to do thirty - fifty-six minutes, you have to put in whatever that equivalent would be (I'm tired I don't want to do math problems right now - you can do that on your own.).
You pay with a card - which you get one time from the machine - it costs a one-time fee of $10, and if you need to replace it - also $10, or you can send it to the company. You put the card in the machine, and refill it by inserting either a $5, $10 or $20 dollar bill. It doesn't take anything else. And the bill has to be in somewhat good condition or it won't go in.
A Bengali family lives in the apartment in the basement. And there are book cases, about thigh-high lining the walls, with the discarded books of everyone who lives here, along with DVD's and CDs. Also four folding tables, four laundry baskets (metal with wheels) and four plastic laundry baskets to put laundry in that has been left by someone in the machines. There's a sink. Two trash cans, and brooms to clean the dryers of lint. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak - they had a play area for children with all sorts of toys. This has been removed. As has most of the pictures. It's clean and well maintained.
I went down there, praying no one was in the basement. No one was at !:20 PM in the afternoon and gorgeous outside. People were in the park or out for a drive. Or running errands. With shaking fingers I sprayed the handles with lysol and inserted the laundry into the four machines. Towels, sheets, clothes, bath mat. Then lugged my cart and laundry bag upstairs. I swapped out the laundry bag - cloth, for the sturdier one - a kind of plastic/cloth hybrid and put it in the cart. Normally I don't use the cart - but I had a lot of laundry, and it was safer. Plus I could lug the detergent down the elevator in it. After cleaning up a bit. I put my mask back on, and went back downstairs to retrieve the laundry from the washing machines and put it in the dryers. This round, I almost ran into someone - one of my neighbors who was taking down recyclables, and of course not wearing a mask. I decided to avoid him by going down another hallway to the laundry room. [ I can't line dry everything. It's not possible. But I did pull out my yoga pants, one of the t-shirts, which must be line dried, the pj bottoms, bra, and a top. Used all three dryers.] Then went back upstairs. This round I chose to leave behind the plastic/cloth laundry bag and cart in front of the dryers - and just took up the clothes to be hung dry in the green laundry bag - I'd taken down for that purpose.
I washed my hands, took off the mask. Hung up the clothes and cleaned my floor, and windows, and television screen. Then went back down again, and ran into people. The Bengali couple who lives in the basement apartment were sitting at the back of the laundry area or near the wall closest to the sinks and washers, with a basket full of laundry, and all the washers were full. She had gloves on. He was playing with his phone. Neither wore masks. And I thought, "Really? Really?" We looked at each other. He went back to his phone, and she had a nervous expression, with a half smile and held up her hands as if in a shrug. I just stared at the machines, and decided to see if anything was done - even though the dryers were still running. The first one was done - I yanked out the sheets directly into my bag and cart. Did the same with the clothes. Had to wait on the bath mat. While I was waiting someone else came down without a mask - this guy had a ton of laundry, he pulled it out of the machine, and into a basket, and kind of to the side of the entrance. I was still a good six feet away from him and about ten from the couple, standing as I was at the very far end of the room, next to the dryer. They were near the entrance. I would have to pass them. I was the only person with a mask. No one appeared to be sick at least. So there's that.
Nervous, I kept pulling the bath mat out of the dryer, and of course it was still damp. When it finally completed, and was still slightly damp, I gave up and shoved it in the cloth grocery bag I'd brought for that purpose. Then darted around the guy at the entrance and past the Bengali couple, to the elevators, waited for the new one to arrive, praying no one was in it - no one was, jumped inside, and darted out on the third floor and to my apartment. Then proceeded to wipe down the cart, the bag, clean my hands, remove the mask and my head covering (my hair gets in my face so I've taken to wearing head coverings) and transfer the laundry bag and laundry to my bedroom. Folded the laundry on my bed, and put it away.
Whew. Now, that's what I call ripping off an anxiety band-aid.
2. Since I managed that, and it was now past 4PM, I thought, I know, I'll go grocery shopping. No one will be there - they will be at the park. (I really don't why I keep thinking this? I mean I've gone on Saturday, after 4 PM previously, and there were people in the grocery store - a lot of people. You'd think I would learn? You'd think wrong.)
Grocery shopping involves walking down various blocks to the store - it's about a half mile away? Ten blocks maybe? There wasn't much car traffic to speak of, or people traffic. Most people were at the park still. There were a few out and about. I've been noticing a pattern though with the mask wearing. People under the age of 35, appears to think they don't need a mask and they are immune. Not everyone, just a few inconsiderate souls. The people in the laundry room - were in their twenties and early thirties. It's not racial - it's age specific. That said, I have seen a few older adults without masks - a couple of women out walking dogs, and a few old guys. Maybe people just can't get them? I've been thinking this might be the case. Or they have asma or something that makes it hard to breath with it on? Or they are idiots? I kind of try to give them the benefit of the doubt and be mindful, just keeping my distance.
And of course, I have to avoid the ever present line in front of the Wallgreens Pharmacy and Taco Truck, it kind of meanders around the Taco Truck now. (I have to brave that hurdle sometime next week or the week after. Oh joy.) Everyone is in masks in the line, and they all look annoyed, and playing on their phones. Those are some really dirty phones - just saying.
I considered going to Carnival - which is mainly a big fruit and vegetable stand, with a lot of Eastern European Specialities, but I looked inside and thought, eh, social distancing in there is going to be a nightmare. No. (Grocery shopping in a urban environment is not exactly conducive to social distancing, actually anything in an urban or pseudo-urban environment is not conducive to social distancing.)
So, I thought, okay, Food Town. Food Town to be fair has gotten slightly better since the last time I went to it. It changes each time, adding one more layer of protection. It's kind of fascinating in its own way. We still don't have to wait outside the store - although I did wonder for a minute or two, because there was a woman with a mask who was staring at the doors as if she was waiting on someone.
Also there's a parking lot at Food Town - so people park and get their food inside. I think FoodTown should do curbside deliveries for the cars and only let the pedesterians who have no car inside - although that would be impossible to manage, so never mind.
Inside, it didn't seem that crowded at first. My mother wondered why I didn't turn around and go home once inside. I didn't because - well, I was kind of already there and it wasn't that bad. There were arrows on how we were supposed to go through the store and a strict edict to stay six feet apart. (Which didn't quite happen. But we tried. Also, people apparently are incapable of going grocery shopping by themselves, there were couples. Folks? Grocery shopping is a SOLITARY sport, you do NOT need to go with someone to do it. I wish they could enforce that - Whole Foods is, they have a limit. So too is Wallgreens. Come on Food Town get with the program.
Also they had people shelving at the same time as people were shopping. Really?
I kept having to find ways around a grocery store clerk standing in the middle of the produce section refilling, the already full, potato and onion section.
Mother: What did you get?
Me: Fruit, Green beans -
Mother: OH! I want green beans. I really wish I could have green beans again. Haven't been able to get them in forever!
ME: Why do you think I went? I wanted fresh fruit, green beans, spinach greens, and stuff for a salad. Imperfect Foods is horrible in this regard. And I'm out.
I can order chocolate and treats online.
Will state there were less traffic jams, and the little arrows helped. Also less people in the store wandering about than last time. I was able to avoid people more easily. And the fresh fish section was completely closed. So too was the deli for the most part.
I tried to get Ripples Potato Chips or some type of ripple potato chip - but they were cleaned out. The junk food was gone. So were all the canned goods, and brand name toilet paper or in bulk toilet paper. You could however get the single toilet paper rolls without any problem.
Anyhow I gave up on the potato chips, and didn't even try for disinfectant or dishwashing soap - I do have enough for the time being. Also had no room in the basket. The basket was so full, stuff was falling out of it. When I got in line, and it was a long ass line, all the way down the aisle and halfway to the frozen food section. About ten to fifteen people, all three to six feet apart. I was going for six feet, the people ahead of me weren't. The woman behind me was using her cart, so that helped. Next time I'm bringing my own cart - because using the basket is not working. I had to grab kitchen trash bags, and aluminum foil (I use it to bake and broil stuff). So I try to cram this in the basket. It does not fit. Why? Because I have a bag of apples, two things of salad greens, several containers of berries, pinnapple, and mangoes...that are taking up all the room, plus a four pack of sparkling wine coolers, a water bottle, and a vitamin water bottle - zero sugar. Actually nothing has added sugar. I didn't buy anything that wasn't fresh or natural. (I'm diabetic, ceiliac with high blood pressure and high cholesterol in the middle of a frigging pandemic - with a virus that loves a high blood sugar environment, I'm trying to stay off sugar. I cheated today with almond flour pancakes and maple syrup. Oh, shoot, I forgot to buy the maple syrup. It's impossible to get everything you need any longer. You can't just stroll around it - you have to get in and get out. Oh well, I can always order it off Amazon, or just do without. I don't really need it for pancakes.
The woman behind me in line took pity on me and offered to clean a portion of her cart and I could set my stuff there - but I just didn't see how that would work with the whole social distancing thing. So I thanked her profusely but turned her down, carrying the items under my arm, while I either scooted the basket along the floor with my foot. (Don't say it. Also honestly, I'm not sure it matters at this point. I'm going to get home and sanitize the hell out of everything anyhow.) We did have a nice little conversation in the line. She was wearing a surgical mask, and I was wearing the cloth mask with the filter and breathing nozzle that a friend sent me.
Everyone was wearing some type of mask - nothing fancy, mostly surgical masks, some had N-95, but they were grocery store folks or personnel shoppers. No one in the store did not have a mask one - that was a change from the last time I was there. Apparently now, you must have a mask to be in the store.
The lady in line behind me told me that she was from New Jersey.
Me: What are you doing here?
Lady: Taking care of my parents.
Me: You'd be better off in Jersey.
Lady: Yeah well, they are better off here - and there's not that much difference.
I've been out since 2PM, running errands. I'm exhausted. This is exhausting. Also I'm working remotely - and on so many different systems I can't keep them straight.
We commiserated over the difficulty of working remotely from home on computers that had not been set up for this task. I'm actually very proud of how I've managed it, and how my little MacBook has handled it. Probably helps that I've been using it to write on and have done work on it in the past..also I already had Windows 365.
By the time I got to the cashiers, we'd had a nice little conversation. She's the first person that I've had an actual conversation with face to face or rather back to cart to face - there was a cart and two feet between us, and my back was kind of to her for the most part - I was in front of her in line. Anyhow, she's the first person I've talked to in person - since..March 17 or thereabouts. No wait, I did have a conversation with the Super's wife about three weeks ago regarding the elevator.
With shaking fingers, I plugged in my number and paid for the groceries, after unloading them, and packing them into my own bags myself. The cashier asked for my birthdate - for the alcohol, but no longer asked for the ID. She did ask for the FoodTown Club Card Number - but it's not my phone number and the card is on my keychain, and it's not worth it.
After the bags were packed, I hand sanitized with purell. Then hand sanitized again on the way out, and somehow got past the people and onto the street then lugged them home. The way home was fraught with obstacles - a guy without a mask talking on his cellphone on the sidewalk, another guy coming towards me, mask down as he slurped on a drink. Then crossing the street - little to no traffic. Three guys with masks talking on the street corner. Got around them and crossed against the light, there was no traffic. I can do never before seen feats of jay-walking in this environment.
I avoided the Wallgreens line and darted around the sparse group of Carnival Foods shoppers. Made a few blocks down, and a guy with a motorcycle was yelling in his cellphone in the street, mask down. Three girls in formal black and white dresses and long hair came towards me, varying ages, no masks, had to slide to the side. A group of people were chatting without masks next to their car. A woman was walking on the opposite of the street with a faux black fur coat, nice pants, long flowing black hair, and no mask, big smile on her face, swinging her arms, not a care in the world. An old couple carrying groceries had surgical masks on. One biker had a surgical mask on, while trying to get into a building, while the young woman behind him did not. I turned the corner, three people were chatting on the bike lane and by the benches across the delivery street in front of my buidling - six feet away from me, some wore masks, the one's on the bikes did not, while the bikers behind them did. I turned, got into the building there were people ahead of me going up the elevator, I got into my building and hurried down the hallway, up the two flights of steps to my apartment and then inside.
I put the groceries on the floor. Washed my hands. Removed the mask. Kept the hair covering in place. And proceeded to disinfect the groceries, my keys, my wallet, and the bags. This is a long-involved process involving lysol anti-bacterial spray, dishwashing soap and hand soap and hot and cold water. Everything wrapped in plastic is sprayed with the lysol. If it isn't, it's washed with soap and water. Everything is rinsed. And then put away. The keys are sprayed and wiped. The wallet wiped with a Clorox wipe. My hands washed after.
3. After that I called my mother, who managed to give me an anxiety attack. Admittedly, I was kind of shaky to begin with.
Mother: So, I talked to your brother today, and he wanted to know if your building has any COVID-19 protocols in place.
ME: What?
Mother: Well, he has a lot of friends who live in Brooklyn and their buildings have all these protocols in place - if you get sick, you inform the management, and they will pick up deliveries for you and take them to your door, bring pharmaceuticals, and ensure you get medical attention. Do you have anything like that?
ME: Fucking hell. No, I do not.
I freak out on my poor mother and burst into tears. It's not a proud moment. I will not bore you with the embarrassing details. I basically lost it, folks. And had a full-blown panic attack.
Apparently my brother was concerned about me and wondered if I had any of this. My mother told him she didn't think so. Also according to my mother, my brother knows a lot of people who had this thing and recovered. She tells him that I think I had it in November, but he thinks that's too early.
I manage to finally convey to my mother, who doesn't always hear me, that I am not interested in learning about my brother's friends, and could she stop, please.
See, I'm coping with this thing by not focusing on those things that I have no control over, as I explain to my mother.
Mother: I'm surprised you decided to go grocery shopping after doing laundry or did either.
Me: I wanted to take control of the anxiety and not let it rule me any longer.
Mother: I think you are fine. You weren't in any of these places for very long, and you took precautions.
Me: I didn't wear gloves, because I watched a video with a nurse who did a demonstration with gloves and paint showing how gloves don't really protect you. What people are doing is they put on the gloves and mask to go shopping, then pull them off and throw them on the street prior to getting in the car. Or they get home, get out of the car, remove the gloves and throw them in the street. That's why there's all these gloves and masks in the street. They don't have a trash bin, so they just drop them, thinking someone else will clean them up after them.
Mother is horrified. And informs me that she realizes that I have a pressure on me that neither my brother, his family or my parents have - in a way I'm kind of happy about that. I'd rather worry about myself than them. Also, I'd rather die than have my family die. I know they don't agree with me on this score - but hey, you have to see the silver lining.
She tells me that my brother has realized that his daughter's school most likely won't re-open in the fall. And he's trying to figure out how to deal with that going forward, and how to break the news to his daughter - who loves school and has big dreams of going to Columbia or Bard. Yale has already informed people that it is not opening up in the fall.
Mother also told me about a friend of theirs daughter who was at a film school in London, UK - that had an amazing cinematography program - that was doing all these new and advanced and innovative things. Apparently the school didn't shut down immediately. The Professors all walked out. And then it shut down. And then, it shut down the dorms - and the students had to figure out where to go. The daughter decided to move with her boyfriend - just to have a place to live. And they aren't certain if the school will re-open in the fall or the program will continue.
Then she told me about my brother's friend who works as a public defender. He had walked out of the NY Court System - in protest, long before they got shut down, because so many of the people operating the system were Trump supporters - the police, the court reporters, the probation and parole officers, the prison guards, etc - and they weren't taking the proper protocols or taking this seriously at all.
As a result they were getting sick in droves.
BTW - the NY Court System went tech at the beginning of March - everything is being handled via video conferencing, they aren't doing anything in person - except with one or two people and social distancing protocols in place.
4. After said conversation, I decided to burn off the anxiety and take a walk. It was after 6PM. I've been taking my walks in the evening, when most people are inside or in their back or front yards chatting, eating dinner, etc. There's maybe ten to fifteen people out at this time, maybe less. And they are easier to avoid. Also most of them have masks on.
What hits me about this crisis - is the people who aren't wealthy are struggling. I'm actually doing okay, I have a job, and enough money in the bank. The people at the Food Town were the ones who can't do the delivery services or take out. Many are taking care of other people.
My heart went out to them. They were all doing their best like myself. The walk was good for me. I took pictures during it. Of all matter of things. Flowering trees, the soft waning sunlight filtering through trees and city streets, flowers and rocks decoratively placed in a tiny sidewalk garden, a mural on a wall - with a POC caregiver holding up a sign stating "Respect" in big red letters. The side of a Muslim Salon, that is on the opposite side of the street from a Hebrew Temple, with a NYC Express bus touting the logo "I Love New York" across its side. Soft feathering green and red leaves from trees, while others bloom in an array of bright pink blossoms. Tulips in reds, pinks, purples, and yellows decorate tiny yards, and small violets sit beside them, almost hidden in their shadows.
The air is crisp and clean through the mask, and I can breath easier - it's a thinner one than the ones I used doing laundry or grocery shopping. A blue and white surgical mask. Most wear them. Across the street in front of the house with all the signs pushing to stay the course - are three Asians with masks on, a tall woman, a girl, and a small boy, walking in a row, with bags hanging from their arms. While on the sidewalk that I'm walking upon, I pass a house with two couples chatting a space of three feet between them, no masks to hide their faces. In front of an assisted care facility, a tired woman sits playing with her phone, no mask, and randomly touches her hair. I'm far enough away for it not to matter.
The air feels good. The sky has a layer of clouds, with sun and bits of blue still filtering through - not as crisp and clean with narly a cloud to be seen - like earlier today. No in the evening hours, the city is quiet. The cars whisper by, and people pass silently, even those chatting talk in whispers or halt when someone passes by and looks at them, face half hidden except for the eyes.
no subject
Date: 2020-04-26 03:39 am (UTC)I worry about people whom I know are struggling without income. I don't know what I can do. I still have a job, I'm getting regular checks. Granted I am having to go into an office each day, but at least it's a place that's incredibly aware and being as safe as possible.
I wore a mask while I was donating platelets because there was no way to social distance from the people setting me up for the donation. Just a fact.
But I did donate, and I'm still doing fine, and I will continue to take my temperature daily (as is required for my job), so that I can keep working.
no subject
Date: 2020-04-26 03:55 am (UTC)I'm guessing they were probably wearing masks and gloves and very protected while taking the platelets though? The healthcare providers are usually pretty good about it.
I just donated money to food banks, and to my church's Ministry Fund for members in dire need. I may do it again soon. I was giving to environmental causes - but I think Nature kind of stepped up and took care of the problem with the virus. So I'm going back to donating to the hungry and disadvantaged. It's not a lot of money, but at least its something. We all do what we can or what is within our control. (shrugs)
Giving platelets is something - I can't give platelets - one there's no place available or near me to do so, and two, I don't handle needles well.
no subject
Date: 2020-04-26 03:57 am (UTC)I donate to local food banks. But I worry about being becoming homeless, and I don't have the financial wherewithal to help with that. It makes me sad.
I am not a fan of needles at all, but I have adapted. I know it's important, and I want to help however I can.
no subject
Date: 2020-04-26 05:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-04-26 06:28 pm (UTC)I feel for those who don't. They've been the hardest hit by this.