Author: broderic

My RSS feed for this blog gets posted to my twitter account. I’ve seen a few clicks from there. I wonder who’s clicking through and why. And I wonder if they think that I’ve got the virus.

Let me clear the air. I don’t exhibit any of the symptoms of COVID-19. I can not be sure if I am a carrier though. I would assume that I am and why it’s better to stay holed up at home. Don’t infect others if you can’t help it.

But if you are clicking through from your twitter timeline, I guess I owe you some information for some entertainment purposes and to help you get through this:

• Vox has a guide on how to prepare yourself and home for the long seclusion
• Andong from Germany has a YouTube video on what to stock up on for social distancing
• More stocking advice this time from Serious Eats
• You could try the instant coffee craze sweeping through the South Korean shut-ins: dalgona coffee

Should I go out shopping for groceries if I run out of things in my cupboard? How about if I need something like coffee or eggs? Should I be out and about?

I’ve done those things. I’ve keep up my normal grocery shopping schedule. I’ve run out of coffee, and I’ve gone to get some. And I’ve seen plenty of others out and about. I wonder if they feel the same way? I wonder if we’re taking this seriously?

Anyhow, I spent all day grinding on a particular problem. Doing actual work. Something I said I couldn’t do. I do miss socializing. I also miss the compartmentalization of a place of work versus a place of home. It sucks that now they’re both the same. One things for sure I can never be late for work! I can also never be away from it either!

I’m pretty sure we’re going to go mandatory pretty soon. Like they did in Italy.

I just don’t like working from home. For one, you can’t surf the internet on your work laptop. Not that I need to watch YouTube videos, but I need to look up examples of code. It’s awkward to switch to my own personal laptop. I just can’t.

And it’s boring. No co-worker interaction? It’s like hell. I just can’t pull up to the dude in the cube next door and chat 20 minutes away. There’s no one but me. I think programming is a social activity especially in the ‘agile’ framework. Not being able to share it with co-workers kind of sucks. The fun isn’t there as much.

And I also take long lunches and start my day later. Just weird. When is normal returning?

Oh, damn. Doesn’t it seem that we’re heading towards trouble?

Packing up my work laptop. Going to start from sitting on my couch. This isn’t happening. And yet it is.

Do I have enough in the cupboard? Drive up and drive through? Delivery? I guess so.

It looks like it will be a long time.

What are you doing?

Went to work. Around noon we had the all hands meeting. It was strongly suggested that we work from home. They weren’t going to shut down the plant, but they wanted us to heed the call to social distance ourselves from each other to mitigate the spread of the virus. I think in another week or so as more cases are reported, then it will be mandatory.

I choose not to work from home. I say it’s because I can’t. That I can’t get work done. Yet, I have done it before, and I’m quite sure I can do it for this, but I’m quite non-committed to it. I’m wondering if I’m selfish? If my nonchalant attitude will be the death of me? Or the death of family, friends, or colleagues? I wonder if I should stay home? But the office will be quiet and maybe, just maybe, free from the virus…

Went to the grocery store to buy my usual weeks supply. I know I had stocked up last week, but I needed some greens.

It was strange to see lots of things empty. The meat section, beef, chicken, and pork was decimated. Pasta and canned vegetables mostly gone. Some fresh vegetables were missing. Beans and rice gone. At this grocer, they hung signs that limited hoarding — 2 bread, 2 pastas, 4 sauces, etc., which seems to be working as there were not many people with too much in their shopping cart. Perhaps the madness occurred already?

“Social distancing” is a great euphemism. It’s going to be the word of the year. Stay one meter away from everyone. Don’t go to large gatherings. Stay home.

Today, I went to celebrate a birthday of an aunt. Before this the host, a cousin, had been advocating all week on Messages that this party should be cancelled. Yet, we couldn’t stand up to our other aunt who wanted to do it anyway. That being said as of this morning most almost everyone was going.

The Messages were still coming. First, one drops out, because of illness unrelated to this current crisis (or so we think). The next one thinks they can show up after being on a train to NYC. She was quickly told that that wasn’t a good idea. My brother was told to stay home as he was in contact with someone who was in contact with the virus.

Yet, I was still went. It wasn’t bad. We FaceTimed to bring those who missed out there. The internet. We’ll use technology to bring us together during these times. The social distance is still far, but now near with computers.

Parties and gatherings will still happen. We’ll just be on the internet. (Maybe.)