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Day 246 of Lockdown/Corona Virus Diaries
According to the Governor's email it is Day 260, but I went under lockdown two weeks later - on March 17, around the same time as elisi, actually.
The news in the US is not good. In NY it's somewhat better - we have a 2.68% infection rate.
From the Governor's newsletter:
The positivity rate in the micro-cluster focus areas dropped slightly to 4.11 percent. Excluding these areas, it was 2.38 percent. Of the 195,239 tests reported yesterday, 5,310, or 2.72 percent, were positive. Total hospitalizations rose to 2,276. Sadly, we lost 31 New Yorkers to the virus.
95%-98% of New Yorkers are wearing masks. And in my area and building, most are. I don't really see many people without, and there's less people wandering around. I did laundry at 4pm today. It takes about two hours - so was between 4-6pm, and I don't stay down there. I go down, put it in, go up, and then bring down recyclables, and switch stuff into the dryer, and take up the delicates that have to be air-dried. Then I come down one last time to take the items out of the dryer, fold, put in my cart. Costs me about $15 for four loads. Not bad. If I were to send it out - it would cost $30. And I tend to do it every two weeks or so.
There wasn't really anyone down there. I didn't see a soul until I took items out of the dryer at 5:45pm. Prior to that - no one. Did however smell the curry and garlic dinner that the Bengali family was cooking in the basement apartment. It kind of stunk up the entire basement. The garlic came rather close to overwhelming the curry.
It doesn't bother me that much. I had a mask on - even though I didn't see a soul. (I wear one whenever I leave the apartment and am in a space that is public or someone can enter without warning. So even though I was technically in the basement by myself, anyone could leave that apartment at any moment (and they don't tend to wear masks) or the super or someone could come down. I don't take chances. The only time I take my mask off outside my apartment is when I am walking by myself around Greenwood Cemetery and no one is in sight or nearby for miles. I remember taking the mask off in my cubicle at work and it making me edgy, that was back in September - when we thought we had to return to work, only to find out five days later that we didn't have to.
Anyhow, New York for the most part is behaving itself. We have clusters, and we have cases, and we have deaths - far more than a lot of countries, but less than various outlying states. Right now, they are trying not to shut down their economy again - ie. keeping the salons, bars, restaurants, and gyms open. Instead they shut down schools - which as mother put it is problematic - since half the NY schools are charter or private, and the mayor has no control.
The difficulty in the US - is no one has control. If a governor dictates things shut down and people wear masks - it is kind of meaningless if local officials and the police refuse to enforce it. And with a federal government that refuses to do anything - we're kind of dead in the water. (Next time some nitwit tells me they want to make america great again by voting for a narcissitic reality star - I'm going to tell them to ingest arsenic or better yet shoot themselves in the head.) Although I haven't run into any idiotic MAGAs at work in some time. Workplace has been hit hard by the virus, we are broke. Worse - 16 billion in debt, and facing all sorts of cost reductive measures that aren't pretty.
The other difficulty is the people in charge care more about their personal freedoms them human lives - which is why the US has 250,000 dead and others don't.
It could be worse - I could work for the health department or be a nurse or doctor - god. What is happening in the midwest and northwest is painful.
1. It's time for New York vs. The Corona Virus
New York updated the COVID-19 micro-cluster focus zones. Rockland County's Yellow Zone will be expanded, and parts of Orange and Westchester counties will become Yellow Zones due to increased cases, positivity, and hospital admissions from these areas. All the maps of the current micro-cluster focus zones are available here. [The maps are difficult to manipulate - but I figured out that I'm in the yellow zone now. Foodtown is in the clear, as is Greenwood Cemetery and everything north of me. Everything South not so much - Ditmas and Courtelyou is in yellow, and below Avenue C is yellow. CJL's neighborhood is in the clear. It's mainly the idiotic conservatives en route to Coney Island. (ie. the nitwits who voted for Trump - I know because I checked out the electoral map.)
The Governor met with President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and fellow governors to discuss the ongoing COVID response. We look forward to a strong federal-state partnership and to working hand-in-hand in the months ahead. Topics of discussion included how to achieve a fast and equitable vaccine distribution, how to help our communities recover economically and more. [I wish we could kick the current administration out, install them and fix things now - I have a feeling waiting until January will result in 100,000 more deaths.]
Round two of the successful Nourish NY program is underway. So far, 1.7 million pounds of raw milk has been turned into dairy products and distributed by food banks, in addition to 210,000 pounds of produce. Over 940,000 households have received products sourced from New York farms through this initiative, which is helping keep businesses and families afloat.
2. New York wants everyone to stay home for the holidays. The folks on FB, basically my family and friends are complying without any argument whatsoever.
"A smaller Thanksgiving celebration doesn't mean you have to skip out on the great food. To help New Yorkers plan for smaller holiday gatherings, I Love NY created a list of scaled-down recipes that are great for smaller Thanksgiving celebrations - HERE. " - they are so desperate for us to do this - they've come up with recipes.
Okay this has some good recipes. I want the Acorn Squash With New York Pears & Apples.
3. I read the NY Times Corona Virus report, and wanted to scream. God. The United States is Stupid. Decided not to share why with you all.
4. It's a cold November Day - all of which I've spent inside. Apartment is so warm - I have the window open in my bedroom and living room. Heat is not a problem in NYC apartments. My right thumb hurts due to a torn hangnail. Making it hard to use it.
If I ignore the news? I'm in a good mood. The news breaks my heart and makes me furious at the same time.
And Social Media is as always a mixed bag of various connections and disconnects.
5. I got inspired finally to buy Christmas Decorations - I bought two small table top Christmas trees that can be lit by battery operated lights. I have another one in my closet. Mother said I could do an arranged. I might on the old coffee table. I also bought some snowflake lights - that are waterproof and heat resistant, and battery operated. Along with snowflake window decals.
Am considering getting a fairy lighted tree for the bedroom - but may pass.
I am also debating getting a sound buffer for my TCL Roku Television Set.
But am on the fence. I'm in an apartment, I don't require that loud a sound.
And it's not cheap. Nor are stand-up mixers - unless you get a cheap one. Tempting, but. Then again, it's not like I'm a baker or anything. I've not owned a stand-up mixer in over twenty years.
6. Speaking of buying stuff and the holidays...
Found an ad on FB that made me laugh..
Buy 1 Get 1 Free on all digital Lordship and Ladyship title packs.
What do you get a person who already has everything?
Make them a Lord or a Lady."
Here's the LINK - maybe the UK is broke from breaking with Brexit and well COVID, and is giving away titles?
The news in the US is not good. In NY it's somewhat better - we have a 2.68% infection rate.
From the Governor's newsletter:
The positivity rate in the micro-cluster focus areas dropped slightly to 4.11 percent. Excluding these areas, it was 2.38 percent. Of the 195,239 tests reported yesterday, 5,310, or 2.72 percent, were positive. Total hospitalizations rose to 2,276. Sadly, we lost 31 New Yorkers to the virus.
95%-98% of New Yorkers are wearing masks. And in my area and building, most are. I don't really see many people without, and there's less people wandering around. I did laundry at 4pm today. It takes about two hours - so was between 4-6pm, and I don't stay down there. I go down, put it in, go up, and then bring down recyclables, and switch stuff into the dryer, and take up the delicates that have to be air-dried. Then I come down one last time to take the items out of the dryer, fold, put in my cart. Costs me about $15 for four loads. Not bad. If I were to send it out - it would cost $30. And I tend to do it every two weeks or so.
There wasn't really anyone down there. I didn't see a soul until I took items out of the dryer at 5:45pm. Prior to that - no one. Did however smell the curry and garlic dinner that the Bengali family was cooking in the basement apartment. It kind of stunk up the entire basement. The garlic came rather close to overwhelming the curry.
It doesn't bother me that much. I had a mask on - even though I didn't see a soul. (I wear one whenever I leave the apartment and am in a space that is public or someone can enter without warning. So even though I was technically in the basement by myself, anyone could leave that apartment at any moment (and they don't tend to wear masks) or the super or someone could come down. I don't take chances. The only time I take my mask off outside my apartment is when I am walking by myself around Greenwood Cemetery and no one is in sight or nearby for miles. I remember taking the mask off in my cubicle at work and it making me edgy, that was back in September - when we thought we had to return to work, only to find out five days later that we didn't have to.
Anyhow, New York for the most part is behaving itself. We have clusters, and we have cases, and we have deaths - far more than a lot of countries, but less than various outlying states. Right now, they are trying not to shut down their economy again - ie. keeping the salons, bars, restaurants, and gyms open. Instead they shut down schools - which as mother put it is problematic - since half the NY schools are charter or private, and the mayor has no control.
The difficulty in the US - is no one has control. If a governor dictates things shut down and people wear masks - it is kind of meaningless if local officials and the police refuse to enforce it. And with a federal government that refuses to do anything - we're kind of dead in the water. (Next time some nitwit tells me they want to make america great again by voting for a narcissitic reality star - I'm going to tell them to ingest arsenic or better yet shoot themselves in the head.) Although I haven't run into any idiotic MAGAs at work in some time. Workplace has been hit hard by the virus, we are broke. Worse - 16 billion in debt, and facing all sorts of cost reductive measures that aren't pretty.
The other difficulty is the people in charge care more about their personal freedoms them human lives - which is why the US has 250,000 dead and others don't.
It could be worse - I could work for the health department or be a nurse or doctor - god. What is happening in the midwest and northwest is painful.
1. It's time for New York vs. The Corona Virus
New York updated the COVID-19 micro-cluster focus zones. Rockland County's Yellow Zone will be expanded, and parts of Orange and Westchester counties will become Yellow Zones due to increased cases, positivity, and hospital admissions from these areas. All the maps of the current micro-cluster focus zones are available here. [The maps are difficult to manipulate - but I figured out that I'm in the yellow zone now. Foodtown is in the clear, as is Greenwood Cemetery and everything north of me. Everything South not so much - Ditmas and Courtelyou is in yellow, and below Avenue C is yellow. CJL's neighborhood is in the clear. It's mainly the idiotic conservatives en route to Coney Island. (ie. the nitwits who voted for Trump - I know because I checked out the electoral map.)
The Governor met with President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and fellow governors to discuss the ongoing COVID response. We look forward to a strong federal-state partnership and to working hand-in-hand in the months ahead. Topics of discussion included how to achieve a fast and equitable vaccine distribution, how to help our communities recover economically and more. [I wish we could kick the current administration out, install them and fix things now - I have a feeling waiting until January will result in 100,000 more deaths.]
Round two of the successful Nourish NY program is underway. So far, 1.7 million pounds of raw milk has been turned into dairy products and distributed by food banks, in addition to 210,000 pounds of produce. Over 940,000 households have received products sourced from New York farms through this initiative, which is helping keep businesses and families afloat.
2. New York wants everyone to stay home for the holidays. The folks on FB, basically my family and friends are complying without any argument whatsoever.
"A smaller Thanksgiving celebration doesn't mean you have to skip out on the great food. To help New Yorkers plan for smaller holiday gatherings, I Love NY created a list of scaled-down recipes that are great for smaller Thanksgiving celebrations - HERE. " - they are so desperate for us to do this - they've come up with recipes.
Okay this has some good recipes. I want the Acorn Squash With New York Pears & Apples.
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 apple
1 pear
⅔ cup apple cider
½ cup raisins
Acorn squash, unpeeled
Salt and pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wash and prep all produce. Cut squash into 1-inch thick rings; remove seeds and pulp from the center of rings. De-core apple and pear, then ½-inch dice. Chop the onion into a ½- inch dice.
Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Add onions and sauté until just tender.
Add the curry powder and stir. Add the apple, pears, cider, and raisins. Simmer until all liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes.
Arrange acorn squash rings on a sheet tray, coat with oil, salt, and pepper
Scoop the curried fruit filling into the center of the rings. Drizzle with a little oil, cover with foil, and bake until squash is tender, about 25 minutes.
3. I read the NY Times Corona Virus report, and wanted to scream. God. The United States is Stupid. Decided not to share why with you all.
4. It's a cold November Day - all of which I've spent inside. Apartment is so warm - I have the window open in my bedroom and living room. Heat is not a problem in NYC apartments. My right thumb hurts due to a torn hangnail. Making it hard to use it.
If I ignore the news? I'm in a good mood. The news breaks my heart and makes me furious at the same time.
And Social Media is as always a mixed bag of various connections and disconnects.
5. I got inspired finally to buy Christmas Decorations - I bought two small table top Christmas trees that can be lit by battery operated lights. I have another one in my closet. Mother said I could do an arranged. I might on the old coffee table. I also bought some snowflake lights - that are waterproof and heat resistant, and battery operated. Along with snowflake window decals.
Am considering getting a fairy lighted tree for the bedroom - but may pass.
I am also debating getting a sound buffer for my TCL Roku Television Set.
But am on the fence. I'm in an apartment, I don't require that loud a sound.
And it's not cheap. Nor are stand-up mixers - unless you get a cheap one. Tempting, but. Then again, it's not like I'm a baker or anything. I've not owned a stand-up mixer in over twenty years.
6. Speaking of buying stuff and the holidays...
Found an ad on FB that made me laugh..
Buy 1 Get 1 Free on all digital Lordship and Ladyship title packs.
What do you get a person who already has everything?
Make them a Lord or a Lady."
Here's the LINK - maybe the UK is broke from breaking with Brexit and well COVID, and is giving away titles?
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Note the publication date on this one. Yep, uh-huh. We did warn ya, ya know, people.
*******
Posted this before, but just as a reminder-- it's not about loud, it's about quality. Flat panel TVs have very poor sound because there simply isn't enough room inside them to build decent speakers in. If you decide to buy a soundbar, get a good brand-- never cheap out on speakers. Back when I was still in the retail trade, if a customer cam in with, say, a $2000.00 budget for a stereo system, I'd recommend they put half of that into the speaker pair.
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https://theproductanalyst.com/soundbar/best-for-tcl-roku-tv/
Three main issues:
1. Don't want loud, want quality sound - although the sound on the TV isn't that bad, and I don't have the ear to really notice that much. But I would like cleaner sound, the bass is off slightly.
2. Size matters - smaller the better. I've a small apartment - don't want anything unweildy.
3. Cost - I don't want to spend very much, it is a factor. I do not have 2000 to spend, more like a 100.
4. I am not techy, so user friendly.
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Note - the brand does not have to be the same as the TV, it should still connect to it the same way, usually a single cable from the TV to the soundbar, and then you plug the bar into the wall outlet for power (the amp is in the speaker, it isn't powered by the TV, or shouldn't be.
Give me a day or two, I'll post what I find. :-)
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It pushed them over the edge. They began to equate immigration with terrorism, and the Democrates were responsible for all of it - in their heads. You couldn't have an adult conversation with the Neo-Conservatives. I tried. Repeatedly. It felt like talking to Archie Bunker or a rock. I gave up finally for my own sanity.
And of course their hate got fuel from Fox News, social media outlets, and the progressive media, who kept riling them up.
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Am reminded of that guy on Ask a Manager I posted about a while ago who wanted his colleagues to address him by his Lordly title - I bet he acquired it thusly.
*My very first job after graduating was at The College of Arms. Not to mention, several decades as an archivist, anyone would pick up this kind of thing.
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It had a picture of someone posing as "Lord of Scotland" and I burst out laughing. I mean even I know you can't get a title that way.
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Aren't British Titles - either "inherited" or "bestowed" by the Queen or King? (At least that's what all the historical dramas seem to convey. Also the history I've read.)
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Your description fits with what I remember history courses and historical fiction. (American romance authors - are not reliable, half the time I can't tell which period they are in - the Regency Period is deceptively similar to the Victorian period in a lot of these novels. Also, they apparently have a million Dukes in Britain per the romance novelists. Plus, a Duke can be anyone really - of any race, creed, class, etc - doesn't matter. Courtney Milan has a book out about a half-Chinese Duke in love with a Chinese Sauce Cook in Britain during the 18th Century, which, uhm, I don't think the Chinese made it to Britain in the 18th Century - they kind of stayed in China. Britain didn't get to Hong Kong until the 19th - I think. )