So I don't want to get into discussions of merit or politics or anything of that sort here, and I want to firmly state this is NOT an invitation for anyone else to talk about what's going on (We have social media, other websites, and rl to discuss such issues, this site is *not* appropriate for that discussion) I just... With everything happening in the us at the moment, the violence, the carnage... I just want to make sure everyone here is doing ok and is safe.
So far so good.
The Greys are safe and sound for the nonce. Our little town in Arkansas has been a veritable oasis during the pandemic, with very few cases, but now that things have opened back up, the state has the highest growth rate of cases in the country. So, lovely. Still, we're being cautious and careful, so I'm hopeful we'll be alright.
Do we have any members in Minneapolis?
We've been fairly low on cases in our area, and no threats to physical safety that I've heard of. Not that my opinion of my fellow man wasn't already low enough. So, yes, we're fine.
Quote from: BentonGrey on May 31, 2020, 03:47:14 AMDo we have any members in Minneapolis?
At one time, back in the day, there was an online map of where members had pinned themselves. I wouldn't even know where to start looking in the archives for that link. I'm not sure if anyone that still stops by regularly would even still remember it.
Good on you. I am on both counts. I moved to an isolated home in the desert mainly to get away from the violence in a big city so I'm more than safe. I did live in Minneapolis at one point however and have a few good friends there, they went online and streamed everything. So pretty heartbroken about what they're going through and of course throwing myself into some 3d model projects in the meantime to keep myself from dwelling. And you Tomato? How are you holding up?
I'm good. I live out in Las Vegas, so the closest big time stuff is happening in LA... not that I'm not sure there's stuff going on here too if I were to look it up, but with everything I've been staying indoors anyway.
Fortunately, I live in an isolated area. We have very few (<10) cases here, and I work with less than 5 people in an isolated area. So hopefully I will be okay. I hope all of you stay safe as well.
I live in NYC, so really the epicenter in the US. But we are doing fine. Just being sensible about only going out as needed and taking precautions. We are currently on the downside of the curve now, hopefully it keeps going that way.
@Tomato I agree with the safety first and avoid a dangerous place method. I saw the Vegas bit and was a little jarred, well this whole thing is emotional but I'm pretty close, right next to Lake Havasu actually so that was too close to home.
Glad to hear y'all are all okay!
Alex, man, NY must have been pretty crazy these last few months. I don't envy y'all.
Just bumping this to check in and on everyone given the circumstances. Still not infected or something here but in Arizona and things have totally hit the fan. My little town hasn't been hit yet but's it's a matter of a short time at this rate. Ordered some cost up COVID mask and goggles gear to try and get ahead of the curve. Really scary stuff, praying things level off here. Chatting with nurses online and just the stories they have. Statewide the hospital system itself is facing a full infrastructure collapse scheduled within a one to two week span. I hope everyone else's HQ is fairing better and you're all safe and sickness free.
The board of health says we are 8th in infections and deaths (we were #1). I also live in the zip code with the highest occurrence of cases in the county. And my brother told me he tested positive yesterday, and he was over here 11 days ago. So I get tested tomorrow.
However, other than stuff already mentioned in "Good/Bad/Ugly", everything is fine... for a given value of fine.
I thought about you there for sure, my stepdads brother as well is out there. Man it's something ain't it. I am sorry about your brother. I pray you come back negative.
And we're hit, major break out on Sat. one town over. I guess it's time. Glad I got the gear when I did and glad I have a couple pounds bags of rice and frozen veggies because I officially on lockdown. Plus side more time for FF stuff.
The Greys are fine, but Arkansas is really exploding in infections because everybody is being stupid. We're being safe though and I'm not too worried. Glad y'all are okay.
I ran into stupid when I did that lockdown supply run to the store for groceries and what not. Guy was loudly on about myself and the cashier wearing masks and how dumb we were, touching himself a lot I might add and his wife was picker her nose. He never finished that ramble though, he started coughing and choking profoundly. His wife ran away from him to the other side of the store. I just nodded and sighed and finished my purchase, told the cashier she should bail out and did so myself. My motto is if you think you something is crackpot it might be, who knows, but if it represents a real threat it is worth is to er on the side of caution. Wouldn't be the first time in my life I had been through an event that did actually turn out to be a false alarm yet no one was actually worse for wear by being cautious and life went on then like it never happened. Imo it's just a mask and no different than wearing a scarf in the wind. If it has a deep sea diver helmet or something difficult I'd get it, probably wear one anyways just for the fun of getting to wear one in public but else I guess I don't understand the resistance in this case over a floppy mask.
Yeah, as with so many other things in the last few years, I'm just completely baffled that we've somehow made this an issue. Since when did abiding by CDC guidelines become controversial?
For real though. I mean I get fear and how it springs denial and how that causes people to run to old bad habits. That's basic psyche there, add stress and we can say the stress is sky high in this sure. It gives reason to a lot of the behavior of people right now especially overall aggression. That said though how many times has anyone say ran in the basement because of a weather warning and then the tornado or whatever skipped out. And did they get upset or feel like they got jipped or something? No, course not. People's reaction is phew, that was a close one and now I smell like the basement, no big deal. And I mean life is the line. Maybe I just don't want to see more good people go, might be what drives me in this but some are my kin so...well so be it.
Well then speaking of I don't know if any of our members live in the Northern Plains section the United States but if so urge you to consider spending the evening in your basement or equivalent as a derecho threat has been issued, and like above if it misses consider the least then that you'd have to deal with is smelling like basement which isn't that big of a deal.
I'm alive and well, even if I have been MIA from my online life dealing with kidney stone removals in the middle of the pandemic mess and dealing with moving my 105 year old grandma into assisted living because of Dementia. The worst blow has been the passing of my wife (of 25 years) due to a pulmonary embolism in her sleep just a few months ago and pretty much have been running on autopilot for awhile.
The good news is recently I have been finally catching up on all my shows and movies that I usually barely have time to keep up with. The bad news is that I also discovered that the Marvel Cinematic Universe Figuarts figures were a long slippery slope to discovering that figure collecting leads to Mezco and then Marvel Legends and now I have 3 glass display cabinets in my studio space. What have I unleashed upon myself?
- CrimsonQuill
Hi everyone! I've been good (my fam too)..just my Migraines and back/neck pain, the usual...LOL! I've been trying to be careful not to expose myself to the 'Rona, because I have Asthma (I also take care of my parents, in their 70s, and my grandmother, She's 96...they're all vulnerable, so I have to be wary, wear a mask, be very clean, etc...). I hope everyone is doing well here. I'll check the thread to see. It's been a while, since I checked in.
Dana
CQ, I'm so sorry for your loss, man. I can understand what a blow that would be. I will pray for comfort and healing for you. It's good to see you here, though. I'm glad that you are, otherwise, safe and sound. Yeah, dealing with kidney stones isn't fun in general, and I can imagine it was extra challenging right now!
Dana! Great to see you, man! I'm glad that you and yours are doing alright!
It's good to see old friends still around. Take care guys!
My condolences. As always and to everyone for the current events and just for living through this mess.
Mom did get hit by derecho, probably going to be sinister what I'm about to say but no less true. They leave deep in the woods right on a lake so the trees just got obliterated. By sheer luck not a single one hit the house. Mom, stepdad and cat are fine as can be. Stepdad is frustrated, considering putting me in a train to come saw wood but with the virus, well. Anyways both stepsisters were visiting with their boyfriends in tow. I guess the elder ones boyfriend came in stumbling drunk and started calling her names I can't type here and said he was through her more names I can't type here and then that's right when it hit and the trees took out his jeep, which she sent me a photo of with him standing next to it throwing a fit. Anyways I don't really appreciate abusive people, so yeah. I guess Mother Nature just didn't care for the cut of his jib.
So sorry to ehar about your loss CQ. Be good to yourself .
Wow SA, that's impressively bad timing on that guy's part, to burn every bridge there, only to then be trapped by the storm. I'm sorry that your family had to deal with all of that, but yeah, there's a little karmic justice there.
Tomato, I appreciate this topic. First of all, condolences to CQ and his family. Definitely will pray for you.
Things are pretty low key where I am in California, even with all that is going on in the state. Because I had a kidney transplant back in 2018 and I take medication that suppresses my immune system, I have also had to be careful. My transplant actually led to other health issues where I had three extended stays in the hospital and ended up having bowel obstruction surgery and fighting a slew of infections. Thank God that my health actually took a turn for the better this past winter and I haven't had to be in a hospital at all this year. Perfect timing too with the coronavirus. Funny thing is because of all the health issues I've had, I had already been on a mask wearing, hand washing and surface cleaning protocol since the spring of 2019. So it was like I was already being prepared for this.
It is amazing reading through the different posts and seeing that we all are either going through something ourselves or have a loved one who is. I appreciate this topic that allows us to share what we are experiencing.
Glad you're doing okay, VGA. Yeah, with extra health issues, you've definitely got to be extra careful these days, but I suppose you've already got good habits to fall back on. Stay safe!
Same here in a manner of speaking VGA. I have a chronic condition, genetic, part of the symptom is a compromised immune system. So I practice these things on the reg. anyways, have a cabinet full of different masks, solutions that cancel various pathogens, pay attention to the situation concerning the commonly known illnesses like the flu and bronchitis and such. So it sort of was no change for me and likewise part of the reason I don't understand the resistance to it. In fact I have asthma and I wear a mask and work around it so double that confusion.
My sincere condolences on your loss, CQ. (Lost my best friend a few months ago, but this doesn't even begin to compare to losing your life partner.)
Best of luck and good health to everyone in these, ahem, interesting times (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_you_live_in_interesting_times).
I'm so sorry to hear of your wife's passing, CQ...you have my sincere conlences. I lost the love of my life in 2013 and it's been rough, but time heals the pain...slowly.
Dana
Quote from: BentonGrey on July 20, 2020, 03:43:22 PM
Dana! Great to see you, man! I'm glad that you and yours are doing alright!
It's good to see old friends still around. Take care guys!
Hey, good to see you around and that you're doing okay too, BG! As well as 🍅 and Sick Alice and others who are checking in. I just wish I had been more active with FF stuff, but I've had too many health issues. I even had a kidney stone myself, recently...it took 4 weeks to rid myself of it (even went to the ER)...ow! It was horrible...LOL!
Best,
Dana
Condolences CQ, may God give you all the strength you need in this terrible moments.
Don't know whose in Texas but sending out the love, best I got for that.
Death's Jester is in Texas, but I don't think he is in the direct path. However, hurricanes are large things. we are getting feeder bands, with a little wind and periodic rain.
Well scratch all that then I guess. Stay safe buddy and anyone else. Praying you get a hail mary and that blows way East all the sudden. Actually stood in my back yard while feeding the birds and blew, ridiculous I know but it's all I got.
Kind of don't like posting because I feel like I'm hogging the thread but feel compelled to more than that to say unfortunately lots of love given in one too many directions to many places right now. The events over the past days in the world have been soul crushing to bare witness to and I pray the momentum shifts for people sooner than not.
I agree SickAlice. This has been a terrible year and season for a lot of people. Keeping you all in my prayers.
Yeah 2020 is relentless. So many good souls lost for no good reasons.
Small update, still safe in this little isolated community, better off than most. I'm in the desert right on the border of SoCal. I haven't seen the sky in awhile and miss it, miss clouds. I'm susceptible to allergies and have breathing problems, big reason I moved to the desert in the first place. Now my lungs, sinuses and eyesight are totally buggered from the bad air. Else there's a concerning uprising in extreme and violent people here acting out whatever political based thing, mostly out of towners who are activists in some sort of anti-mask movement threatening and getting physical with the elderly who are masked. Taking Fauci's advice and hunkering down. Again this is minimal as far as I'm concerned but does make me concerned for other places as well for the rest of you here. Would love to see a raise of hands and updates to make sure everyone is hanging in as best as they can.
Here! Maine, "The Way Life Should Be", or something like that...LOL! I'm alive...I really hope everyone else is doing well. Sending out love! :wub:
Sorry to hear about ur loss CQ I lost my wife in 2015
My once a year post.... I'm doing ok here in the pacific northwest -- though much like California, the fires have recently been a "thing". And while I haven't been an active poster in several years, I do pop on occasionally, and just wanted to let everyone know that this place is like a warm blanket for me.
To those that have experienced tragedy in this dumpster fire of a year, my heartfelt condolences go out.
To those that are doing their best to power through, we are all there with you.
This going to be half baked sorry. No need to worry about me. I'm joining my family, that is my mother and stepfather at the end of the month finally. They're both afflicted with cancer among other things, stepfather is terminal and I'm going full in as their caretaker, proudly I'll add as I think it's an honorable calling, I'm old fashioned I guess.
That said I have COVID and am autoimmune. I was real careful, wore mask, avoided people in fact I avoid people in general and have gone all but two places since the start of this but, well I can't control other people and have them be careful and this thing is just really virulent as it is protean so here I am. I'm alive so it's all good, lucky given the autoimmune factor of course, and I mean I'm typing this. So no worries and I'm over the hump at this point. What I will say from personal experience now is take this seriously and be afraid of it. When you see people play it down on the news and such playing it down is all they are doing when it's anything but. Note those people also more than likely have access to resources you do not nor ever will when it comes to coping with this thing. The best I can put it is I found myself struggling to live for awhile there. Mainly it falls to breathing or the sudden inability to do that very thing. Now I'm getting "better" but still afflicted. That struggle to breathe among other things of course makes any other life tasks very difficult. So my advice as a person that cares about and has a lot of faith in all the members of this community is take it seriously, research hard data and facts as opposed to what the media may spin and condense, practice whatever safety measures regardless of how silly or what a hindrance they seem. The trade-off really, really sucks and is a bad gig and you will be better off and happier without it.
Be well friends and the best to all of you and those you adore in these difficult times.
Its very kind of you Sa to think to the members of this community in your current health state, i hope you could have an improvement soon, as always here maybe you could find a little vacation from the bad toughts for a moment. Take care my friend.
Thanks. I'll pull through but more a heads up to anyone this thing is a real pain in the end-o. Also it's a part of why I paused with making stuff for Freedom Force. Immersing myself in anything for lengthy times is difficult, my body keeps getting in the way of that. My breathing is easier as of today though which is a great sign. Else I'm tough, I've lived through a lot of things and will live through this though it does make me think more about other people and concern for them. My parents of course whom are in Wisconsin right now and will be travelling across the country from there, that place is a hot mess currently.
Oh man, SA, I'm so sorry to hear that! I'm glad that you're pulling through, a blessing indeed! We'll keep you in our prayers, my friend. Your warning is well-taken. You take care of yourself and focus on getting better.