Spring Banter

[PhineasC]

2 minutes ago, Wmsptwx said:

I work two jobs one my career one to help pay off college so not a lot of time to being doing a lot of that, but I’ve seen full high school baseball games well attended, local theater has been open for community orchestra, restaurants have been booming and local bars and wineries having live music. Seems like we’re coming out of it pretty good. 

Cool, glad to hear things are going well. I hope everyone else “comes out of it” as well and as quickly as you did. Sincerely, I do. Clearly, everyone is going to have wildly different viewpoints on when “normal” has returned based on their own lives. For some people, normal has always been 7 days at home and never eating out or socializing. 

[Brian5671]

CT is 100% open, but there are still things that are suffering.   Take the local ice cream joint.  It's open, but there's no concerts at local schools so you don't have 30 families hitting the place at once after their 5th grade concert.    Catering for large parties?  Technically open but who is throwing a large indoor party right now?    Concert/lecture halls?   Not really open if there's no events scheduled.  It's not always a matter of what's "officially open"

[PhineasC]

4 minutes ago, Brian5671 said:

CT is 100% open, but there are still things that are suffering.   Take the local ice cream joint.  It's open, but there's no concerts at local schools so you don't have 30 families hitting the place at once after their 5th grade concert.    Catering for large parties?  Technically open but who is throwing a large indoor party right now?    Concert/lecture halls?   Not really open if there's no events scheduled.  It's not always a matter of what's "officially open"

Second and third-order effects are hard for people to understand, I guess. 

[PhineasC]

When I canceled my company Christmas party this past December, the venue company was flipping out and begging me to reconsider. Clearly they have been getting hammered. They also made many legal threats towards the end to try to compel me to have the party. It was pretty sad and I felt bad for them. 

[tamarack]

1 minute ago, PhineasC said:

When I canceled my company Christmas party this past December, the venue company was flipping out and begging me to reconsider. Clearly they have been getting hammered. They also made many legal threats towards the end to try to compel me to have the party. It was pretty sad and I felt bad for them. 

I hear you.  We had booked almost all the places at a northern Maine sporting camp as part of our annual 2-day "silvicultural advisory committee" (basically an expert review group) field trip last August, but COVID led us to bail out about 2 months beforehand - lot of folks from all over bunking together was a no go.  Had to be a big blow to the camp owner, as August is a down month with just prepping for September bear hunters on the table.  We're rescheduling the same itinerary for this August under the assumption/hope that all/most attendees will have been vaccinated by then.

[WhitinsvilleWX]

1 hour ago, Lava Rock said:

Restaurants are 100% capacity in mass?

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Not exactly. There is no percent capacity limit, but there’s a 6 feet distance requirement. That constrains some tables that can’t be used. So the reality is there is a limit. But as someone’s who eats out a lot, it depends on the layout of the restaurant how constrained it is. 
Office capacity is still at 50%. That’s starting to effect some places of business, including mine.

[WhitinsvilleWX]

1 hour ago, fujiwara79 said:

okay, boomer.  

He’s not a boomer. And we really need that?? It’s pretty offensive. 
We can keep stuff civil here if we try. I think we’re all adults.

[WhitinsvilleWX]

My son just finished up indoor flag football season. Where he played is a huge indoor facility. It’s like a big, 50,000 sq foot warehouse with fields. Capacity restrictions limited it to one parent. My daughter didn’t get to go watch him play all season.  My wife went to one game and I had to wait in the car. So yea, capacity limits suck and make no sense sometimes.

[Ginx snewx]

Just now, WhitinsvilleWX said:

My son just finished up indoor flag football season. Where he played is a huge indoor facility. It’s like a big, 50,000 sq foot warehouse with fields. Capacity restrictions limited it to one parent. My daughter didn’t get to go watch him play all season.  My wife went to one game and I had to wait in the car. So yea, capacity limits suck and make no sense sometimes.

I couldn't and still can't attend any of my grandaughters games in high school but 100% open? Why is unemployment so high? PPP loans obviously didn't save the thousands of restaurants across the country permanently closed. Yes its great we are getting back but we are not there yet.

[PhineasC]

6 minutes ago, WhitinsvilleWX said:

He’s not a boomer. And we really need that?? It’s pretty offensive. 
We can keep stuff civil here if we try. I think we’re all adults.

I’m probably younger than 65% of the forum, but I get that a lot for whatever reason. I guess I sound like someone’s dad. I take it as a badge of honor really, means I must have some sense in my head. 

[WhitinsvilleWX]

1 minute ago, PhineasC said:

I’m probably younger than 65% of the forum, but I get that a lot for whatever reason. I guess I sound like someone’s dad. I take it as a badge of honor really, means I must have some sense in my head. 

I’m not butt hurt over it, and I’ve got a thick skin, but the ones who use it are generally the offended crowd anyway. I just don’t like it. It’s kind of like bitching about the milleniels as a blanket statement. I have 3 working for me and all 3 are really good employees.

[BuffaloWeather]

I'm ready for the roaring 20s take 2.

[WhitinsvilleWX]

6 minutes ago, BuffaloWeather said:

I'm ready for the roaring 20s take 2.

Me too, but without the prohibition!

[NorEastermass128]

17 hours ago, Bostonseminole said:

India and Brazil’s numbers are crazy. As for India they did well for a long time, not sure why they are spiking so high.


.

Taking off well now. 

[Lava Rock]

I work two jobs one my career one to help pay off college so not a lot of time to being doing a lot of that, but I’ve seen full high school baseball games well attended, local theater has been open for community orchestra, restaurants have been booming and local bars and wineries having live music. Seems like we’re coming out of it pretty good. 

It's amazing how different the restrictions are between states. No live music allowed here yet, playhouses still closed I believe. Heck, I don't think the libraries are even open yet but could be wrong on that

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[PhineasC]

28 minutes ago, Lava Rock said:

It's amazing how different the restrictions are between states. No live music allowed here yet, playhouses still closed I believe. Heck, I don't think the libraries are even open yet but could be wrong on that

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk
 

There are still restrictions everywhere. Many people are not going anywhere and just reporting anecdotes or they are attending unregulated minor events like backwater middle school baseball games where there were never capacity issues (and people in attendance may actually be breaking the rules) and reporting that as “wide open.”

We literally still have major public and media freak outs over things such as spring break and open schools. 

[HoarfrostHubb]

One positive is that we just now purchased a Keurig K Cafe machine and I’m happy to report is it makes decent cappuccinos. Got a good deal on it

[Santa Clause]

11 minutes ago, PhineasC said:

There are still restrictions everywhere. Many people are not going anywhere and just reporting anecdotes or they are attending unregulated minor events like backwater middle school baseball games where there were never capacity issues (and people in attendance may actually be breaking the rules) and reporting that as “wide open.”

We literally still have major public and media freak outs over things such as spring break and open schools. 

You signed up for your vaccine yet chief?

[Bostonseminole]

In Salem, packed even with the cold weather. Eating at the tavern, pretty lively here, is not all doom like folks are portraying. Yes, there are some industries still hurting but folks are out and about.


.

[Typhoon Tip]

I think the story about Texas new case count plummeting to COVID-19 relative era record lows  after  they've relaxed their mask and distancing/ sheltering aspects is intriguing.

It seems there are other claims surfacing ... all of which are beginning to evince that many measures being 'mandated' if not imposed by force of anathema/'shade' if one doesn't, were not well- foundationed if perhaps ever necessary.   

I remember wondering months ago ... it seems almost paradoxical:  how is encouraging family's to hunker down and swap air in median household tech ventilation, in and around typical rural pathogenicity ... consistent with spreading out and social distancing? that seems to be a contradiction in terms..  

Meanwhile, we have seen case spikes at holidays and week's aft as though doing that 'helped' the spread, not hindered it as intended - or thought and imposed... etc.  

I mean I think I get it - ...if it sweeps through household than maybe 5 to 6 people get it, then it stops there...but if those infected were spreading it outside the home... that means 50 to 60,000 in viral propagation/dispersion modeling and all that.. . I guess, but Texas seems to dispel that very convincing logic - suggesting it's not true some how for some way.

Then, recently CDC/ .. science states that it is actually hard to catch C-19 off a door knob and so forth. .. People were Lysol spraying their produce ... probably at expense of their own sperm count doing that - lol.. heh.  These contact surface transmissions are extremely poor and inefficient, and one individual has like a  1::10,000 chance of getting a dose sufficient enough to make them ill.. 

It seems there are a lot of aspect about this that 'novel' - as in new and unknown ... - were guess work?   I can't say I blame - until we know ...we don't.  But I just find it all intriguing. And of course hindsight is 20/20

[HoarfrostHubb]

One issue in my area at least is restaurants are having difficulty finding staff.   I’ve spoken to owners of three separate businesses who have said this.  They are busy.

Wachusett had a pretty successful season $$$ wise talking to someone we know in their accounting. 

[PhineasC]

2 minutes ago, HoarfrostHubb said:

One issue in my area at least is restaurants are having difficulty finding staff.   I’ve spoken to owners of three separate businesses who have said this.  They are busy.

Wachusett had a pretty successful season $$$ wise talking to someone we know in their accounting. 

Some of the shortage in staff has been caused by it still being a better deal to remain on unemployment than accept a lower-paying job.

[mreaves]

On a different note, just sat down and am catching the last half hour of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. For us Gen X’ers, this is one of the touchstone movies of our youth. Even if not everything was exactly the same as where you were going to high school, there are enough things that you can identify with that are hilarious. 

[PhineasC]

5 minutes ago, Typhoon Tip said:

I think the story about Texas new case count plummeting to COVID-19 relative era record lows  after  they've relaxed their mask and distancing/ sheltering aspects is intriguing.

It seems there are other claims surfacing ... all of which are beginning to evince that many measures being 'mandated' if not imposed by force of anathema/'shade' if one doesn't, were not well- foundationed if perhaps ever necessary.   

I remember wondering months ago ... it seems almost paradoxical:  how is encouraging family's to hunker down and swap air in median household tech ventilation, in and around typical rural pathogenicity ... consistent with spreading out and social distancing? that seems to be a contradiction in terms..  

Meanwhile, we have seen case spikes at holidays and week's aft as though doing that 'helped' the spread, not hindered it as intended - or thought and imposed... etc.  

I mean I think I get it - ...if it sweeps through household than maybe 5 to 6 people get it, then it stops there...but if those infected were spreading it outside the home... that means 50 to 60,000 in viral propagation/dispersion modeling and all that.. . I guess, but Texas seems to dispel that very convincing logic - suggesting it's not true some how for some way.

Then, recently CDC/ .. science states that it is actually hard to catch C-19 off a door knob and so forth. .. People were Lysol spraying their produce ... probably at expense of their own sperm count doing that - lol.. heh.  These contact surface transmissions are extremely poor and inefficient, and one individual has like a  1::10,000 chance of getting a dose sufficient enough to make them ill.. 

It seems there are a lot of aspect about this that 'novel' - as in new and unknown ... - were guess work?   I can't say I blame - until we know ...we don't.  But I just find it all intriguing. And of course hindsight is 20/20

My wife and I often wonder where the cases are coming from. It's hard to find evidence they are being driven by restaurants, schools, bars, airplanes, trains, workplaces, spring break parties, beaches, playgrounds, cruise ships, vacation destinations, or really anywhere people gather in large groups. What is driving the incessant case counts that have people worried at this point?

[PhineasC]

23 minutes ago, Wmsptwx said:

You signed up for your vaccine yet chief?

No. As stated here several times, we are waiting for the second generation of vaccines, when more information is available on the frequency of required boosters and how variants will be handled, along with full-use auth. I am not interested in a lifetime treadmill of emergency use auth boosters every six months for weaker and weaker variants of a disease that is very low risk to my family.

[PhineasC]

If you work for the Federal govt (and surely most state and local govts), you can't even sit in an office by yourself with the door locked without a mask on. You can't roam outside at any Federal installation or facility without a mask on, even if you are the only person for 50 miles in any direction. 

[powderfreak]

Just now, PhineasC said:

If you work for the Federal govt (and surely most state and local govts), you can't even sit in an office by yourself with the door locked without a mask on. You can't roam outside at any Federal installation or facility without a mask on, even if you are the only person for 50 miles in any direction. 

But can you take your pants off, that’s the real question?

[Lava Rock]

My wife and I often wonder where the cases are coming from. It's hard to find evidence they are being driven by restaurants, schools, bars, airplanes, trains, workplaces, spring break parties, beaches, playgrounds, cruise ships, vacation destinations, or really anywhere people gather in large groups. What is driving the incessant case counts that have people worried at this point?

I'm pretty surprised where I work only one guy got covid at this point. Quite a few anti maskers including him and they work close to one another doing manual labor. In the labs where I work we're masked up but it took several months before anyone other than me would wear one. Our ceo doesn't enforce them so it's odd and annoying at times to work with some who wear them and some who don't.

 

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[WhitinsvilleWX]

6 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

But can you take your pants off, that’s the real question?

Jeffrey Toobin did

[HIPPYVALLEY]

26 minutes ago, HoarfrostHubb said:

One issue in my area at least is restaurants are having difficulty finding staff.   I’ve spoken to owners of three separate businesses who have said this.  They are busy.

Wachusett had a pretty successful season $$$ wise talking to someone we know in their accounting. 

 

22 minutes ago, PhineasC said:

Some of the shortage in staff has been caused by it still being a better deal to remain on unemployment than accept a lower-paying job.

I know a lot of people in the restaurant industry and it is impossible to find help right now.

Cape Cod is absolutely screwed because of travel restrictions. They rely on lots of Eastern European college kids in the summer.