What are you up to? Hope you’re all safe

what a weird old world it is right now, hey?

How is everyone? What are you up to?

I’m working from home and have for two weeks, but we’ll see what happens next week. This does mean that I get to play other guitars through amps on my lunch break instead of just one through headphones, so not much has changed. We’ve had some concerts cancelled and the acoustic jam I was just beginning to attend won’t be there now. Thankfully the concert band my wife plays in had their last concert for a while about three weeks ago.
Frankly, I’m trying not to lose it as the anxiety is a bit much, but otherwise I’m playing lots of music.

How about you?
Hope you’re all safe.

Comments

  • JockoJocko Posts: 7,107Member, Moderator
    Wife and I are just trying to get by. Shouldn't be out but I have to to get food. Other half is still undergoing treatment for cancer and I am sh*teing myself one of us goes sick.
  • nicholaspaulnicholaspaul Posts: 1,005Member
    Jocko, I’m sorry to hear. That’s really rough. We go out for food too, and deliver to our aging parents, so I wouldn’t feel bad that you have to do that. The stress of it all is the worst of it, I think. And I’m sure hospitals and doctors looking after you were busy enough beforehand. I really hope you can get some respite soon.
  • JockoJocko Posts: 7,107Member, Moderator
    My wife got a letter from NHS Scotland confirming her "Vulnerability" status and they are going to send us food (free of charge) which should start in the next couple of weeks, so that should make things a bit less stressful. She starts her Radiotherapy on Monday, so at least her treatment is continuing. We just try to be as sensible and keep as safe as possible. Plenty handwashing, anti-bac wipes and not touching anything we don't have to
  • LesterLester Posts: 1,730Member, Moderator
    Coronaviruses are respiratory diseases which means droplets (we are guitar players, we hopefully understand humitidy and that bthe air contains a level of moisture) from an infected person travel through the air and another person either breathes in the infected droplets or gets them on their hand and then their hand touches their mouth, nose or an eye.

    That is why the two most basic requirements are to wash our hands before touching our face and to remain distant from others - and more so indoors where shared air can be breathed by everyone, more so than outdoors where the wind will disperse bad air.

    The other important thing to understand is that we (the world's population) now know that this is an asymptomatic virus. That means you will have the virus for 5-14 days before you show symptoms. That is why some people need to be quarantined (isolated) for 14 days if they are suspected of possibly having the virus. This is a tough one as how can anone know for sure they are clean unless they wait 2 weeks to find out. This is why isolation - only being in close proximity with the people you live with - is vital until the outbreak has diminished.

    Keep safe, keep your distance.
  • JockoJocko Posts: 7,107Member, Moderator
    My wife and I are supposed to keep 2 metres apart even though we live together. It is part of the advice for "Vulnerables". My wife says no. We are not sleeping apart. I just have to go along with her wishes.
  • LesterLester Posts: 1,730Member, Moderator
    I could have phrased, "remain distant from others," better: "remain distant from others that you do not live with." There are circumstances when someone has Covid-19 and the rest of the family are told to keep their distance for their own safety but in general the wisest advice seems to be to keep our distance in household size groups.

    I hope you two will be fine, Jocko, as well as everyone else.
  • JockoJocko Posts: 7,107Member, Moderator
    The official advice for my wife and I, though we live together, is, because she is vulnerable, to stay 2 metres apart.
    My brother and his wife live 40 miles apart. He has a house near here and she has a house on the other side of the country where she cares for her grandchildren. They normally live together at weekends but that has been knocked on the head for the meantime!
  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member
    My apologies, it has been some time since I last posted on the forum - mostly because I felt I had nothing particularly useful or interesting to say really. Anyhow, currently I'm doing my best to get through this situation, along with 2 elderly parents, who I suppose I am, to an extent, a carer for. Like Jocko, trying to isolate as much as possible, but do have to go out for food or medical reasons occasionally. Do hope everyone here is at least ok and keeping safe.

    All my gigs have now stopped completely, and I can only hope that at some point in the future, at least some of them will be able to start again. On a lighter note, I've now got time to finish all the guitar projects and modification jobs I had left hanging. First up has been my walnut strat - I got a solid rosewood neck for it some time ago, but was never quite happy with the look of the guitar, or how it functioned. So it has now had gold hardware fitted, and new pickups going in (Q pickups on ebay, alnico 2/5 hybrids), a "black" (i.e. grey) pearl scratchplate, and just a general spruce up really. Still have work to do, but the photo gives an idea what the result will be.

    I've also ordered some fancy flame maple wood-topped alnico 3 strat pickups for my ash body strat, from Ben Fletcher - probably a few weeks before those arrive though. And I've got my thinline tele project to complete - all the drilling and fitting done on that one, but still have to do a finish on the body, and the wiring of course.

    image
  • JockoJocko Posts: 7,107Member, Moderator
    Looks great. The maple ones we got for the Funkmaster look great and sound even better.

    image
  • ESBlondeESBlonde Posts: 980Member
    I've been working from home for a couple of weeks, the tech is a bit slow and the days end up being intense just sitting watching a screen. The evenings are now lighter, we have an allotment that we can walk to and use that as our exercise while we prepare for planting or whatever.
    As part of my retirement preparations I've converted the garage to a workshop and while it eveolves as and when, I've got the bench under the end window and lots of hanging cupboards for storage. There is never enough storage though and I continue to work on that. This weekend I installed a small woodworking vice, fixed the lawnmower by making a new height adjustment lever, sorted through some tools my father left me and some others my son in law had as triplicates in his professional tool box. These I can give to the oldest boy so he stops nicking mine. I also rewerbised a rusty hand saw with a flapper disc and roary wire brush, this will go to the younges boy who is locked down round his inlaws trying to make pallet planters etc.
    Herself mentioned last weekend that she'd like to learn guitar... We are working through the early stages, but we'll see.
    Back to work this morning, business is of course floundering and we are putting plans in place for the staff. The whole business will take a weeks unplanned holiday next week so I can get on with something else for a few days. I have a vintage miniture/garden tractor that is fun but a pig to start in the cold. I've ordered a set of rings and valves for it that should arrive this week. Thats next weeks project in the shed sorted. I'm not short of something to occupy me, I collected a car trailer full of scrap metal three weeks ago when I helped someone clear thier back garden. I cant redeem it now so I'm breaking it down to it's elements so I can get better returns for copper/aluminium/clean iron when I finally get rid of it. Kindly some neighbours have been making other contributions to it.
    We take it in turns to shop once a week and also get provisions for our little old lady on the end of the row. Other than that, nothing much to report.
  • Kevin PeatKevin Peat Posts: 3,232Member
    edited April 2020
    A bit of a s*** situation isn't it.

    I do feel for Jocko, is there any way you could get on a delivery list ? I'm part of a group delivering to the vulnerable in my area and keeping in telephone contact.

    I take solace in the statistics. Yes. It's unsafe but the odds are heavily in your favour that you will survive. Mum is in total lockdown and has been since my brother started catching wind of what was happening in Wuhan - as soon as it hit Italy he locked her down. I haven't seen her since Christmas. I live in Devon, she in Lincolnshire. Very sad.

    The boys are with us back from university. They've both completed enough of their courses to get their degrees thankfully.

    I'm a 'key' worker and I'm out there and glad of it. Some normality in my routine but it is most eerie.

    It annoys me that key workers are getting praised but they still have jobs. The ones making the true sacrifices here - excepting exposed NHS staff and til operators- are the small business owners who now have no income and no way of feeding themselves.

    Easy for someone on state pay who can still afford the mortgage to say "Stay at home."

    I am extremely concerned about the people who are falling through the gaps at the moment and Paula and I are still paying those that we can even though we are not getting service. This until we get furloughed. I urge others to do the same if they can.

    As for me I'm kicking myself that I bought Chinese guitars now that I know what they've really cost me. I can barely look at them, much less play them anymore.

    I know it's not the Chinese workers' fault but their government lied about the nature of this virus and failed to isolate their country until they had it under control. So did the WHO it seems.

    To those who are worried and who are not religious (or even if you are) I highly recommend Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now for settling the nerves. Available on Kindle on which you can make flash cards and read and read and read. it is rooted in zen Buddhism it really does bring peace and tranquility.

    Here's a little thing that helps me when I'm anxious:

    Make yourself comfortable. Take four deep breaths - in through the nose, then out through the mouth. Then ask yourself this question "What is my next thought ?" I guarantee your mind will clear for a little while.

    Or

    Take the breaths then ask "What is lacking this very moment ?"

    If it works for you then you need to read the book for an explanation as to why.

    I hope what I've written helps and I'm sorry for the morbidity of my earlier post (Fear Nought - Tank Regiment motto) but I really think the situation warrants it for various reasons.

    Here I go. Rambling again. Too many words but bless all of you and it's not until you've lost something that you truly value it - in this case liberty and peace of mind, the right to stroll around a shop and buy something, even just a coffee... hug a mate.

    I just really really want to be down the pub right now, with you lot and our guitars.

    Wouldn't that be good ???



  • ESBlondeESBlonde Posts: 980Member
    It would indeed be very good KP. I was given a couple of crates of beer by a polish neighbour who works for a brewery but is locked down. I cut hgis grass and he showed me his porch full of crates. So I will raise a can or bottle to each of you this evening, until we get to meet in a pub.

  • Kevin PeatKevin Peat Posts: 3,232Member
    Cheers !
  • LesterLester Posts: 1,730Member, Moderator
    I am finding this stay at home stuff rather puzzling - mostly crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles.
  • JockoJocko Posts: 7,107Member, Moderator


    I do feel for Jocko, is there any way you could get on a delivery list ? I'm part of a group delivering to the vulnerable in my area and keeping in telephone contact.

    My wife has been put on the NHS Scotland "Vulnerable" list so the Scottish government will deliver food for the two of us, and it's free!

  • Derek_RDerek_R Posts: 1,721Member
    Another one working from home, here. We've been asked to use a day's annual leave each week for the forthcoming weeks so as not to build up masses of untaken leave which we'd all want to take off when the lockdown is over and just when business ramps up. So it's four day weeks for the foreseeable.

    I'm walking the dog for my, and his, exercise and once a week taking food over to my elderly parents who are in lock-down four miles away. It's horrible not to be able to go in and properly "see" them.

    Managed a gig on the Sunday before the lock-down but all else has been cancelled, or will be.

    On the plus side, I'm taking the enforced opportunity of evenings and weekends in lockdown to have another bash at learning jazz guitar. I've tried many times, and failed many times. But one of the issues has always been the need to learn and rehearse and practice other styles in preparation for gigs. Thus, this is an opportunity, to forget everything else and focus. It's very early days but progress is being made.

    I'm now starting to wonder what the future holds for us all. There's talk of the country being bankrupt. What does that mean in practice? I gather much higher taxes and lower pensions, uber-austerity (possibly for decades), no investment in infrastructure projects. It's all very scary - almost more scary than the virus itself - and this is being discussed on line in various places: it's not out of the question that the effects of the virus on the economy will end up causing more deaths than the virus itself.

    I need to go and read The Power of Now - which I do actually have on my shelf!

    Take care, stay safe, and sane.
    Derek
  • nicholaspaulnicholaspaul Posts: 1,005Member
    Funny you should mention The Power of Now. I started reading it a few days ago and it’s really helped my anxiety.
  • nicholaspaulnicholaspaul Posts: 1,005Member
    I won’t get to see my daughter this year.
    My chronic pain is flaring up regularly.
    My employer is making us take pay cuts - no furloughing - and work from home.
    I go for walks for my sanity and end up in more pain.
    Sometimes I feel like playing guitar.
    I don’t watch the news much.
    The other kids irritate me no end.

    And my poor wife has to put up with me!
  • LesterLester Posts: 1,730Member, Moderator
    Hang in there, Nick, we are in this together and for the long ride.

    I do follow what the scientists are saying and discovering: they are saying that a town or country will be safe to open up when the new infection rate is down to 1 new case per day per 1 million residents, so for the UK as a whole we need to be seeing the rate drop from its current 5,700 new cases (average per day over the last 3 days) to just 68. With no vaccine yet Covid-19 will just flare up again if countries open up too soon.

    The population spread and, not surprisingly, the rates of newly infected cases are higher in more densely populated areas, so the major cities are likely to be in need of maintaining disciplined measures later than remote areas.

    As I said, hang in there. I really miss having any time alone so finding ways to keep yourself sane for the long haul will be important.
  • Kevin PeatKevin Peat Posts: 3,232Member
    edited April 2020
    I'm hoping that - as all nations go broke together - there is some kind of debt cancellation. It seems that the Chinese government did hide this virus and the human-to-human nature of it (for at least three weeks - perhaps even six) they arrested doctors and whistle blowers instead of telling us and they failed to isolate themselves and shut their airports until it was under control. Is it a coincidence that they signed a trade deal with the US (with a get out clause for pandemics in it) and then announced the problem a couple of days afterwards ?

    The bad news is that investors are piling into Chinese bonds and the west is having to spend a lot of money on the PPE they produce. Ironic, or what ?

    The West seems to be beating itself up a lot about response times and PPE but we really must remember whose fault this is. They could go easy on our debt in compensation.

    ---

    Jocko - Good to hear it ! Enjoy your food. Buy another guitar with the money you save, just not a Chinese one, eh ? Mine don't seem such good value now. I wish I'd bought American.
  • Kevin PeatKevin Peat Posts: 3,232Member
    edited April 2020
    I quite like the social distancing aspect, not being much of a socialiser.
  • nicholaspaulnicholaspaul Posts: 1,005Member
    Lester said:

    Hang in there, Nick, we are in this together and for the long ride.

    Thanks Lester. I can only take it one week at a time. Looking forward to the weekend,
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