Take another deep breath. It will be ok. We're going to beat this thing. We knew it would be a bad week. It's time to get more serious about the social distancing. No really it is. Like seriously. Suck it up for a few weeks. I know it's hard. We're not used to it. Could be worse. Could be raining. Oh wait...
Can I offer a different perspective on the quarantine and social distancing and working from home? Someone asked me the other day how I was doing. I said I haven't been this relaxed in years. I'm not kidding. I have thoroughly enjoyed this week. I have not enjoyed the deaths and the spreading virus. I have not enjoyed the hysteria from one segment of the population or the complete disregard for others from another segment of the population. I have not enjoyed the ridiculous fighting that our government has done and is doing. I have not enjoyed seeing friends be laid off because of all this and struggling.
Here's the thing about all of that. All I can do is control what I do to help slow this virus. I can work from home. I can wash my hands often. I can keep my home clean and sanitize each day. I can practice social distancing. I can have my family do all of those things as well. I can not panic buy. I can support local businesses as much as I can and within reason always keeping in mind the issue of social distancing. I can and am doing those things. I'm doing that because it's the right and responsible thing to do. I can choose not to be afraid of the coronavirus but to be wise about the way I handle things.
The numbers we're seeing can be scary but the CDC warned us this would be a bad week. It will get better. It takes time. Stop listening to every news story that comes out to be honest. You absolutely need to be informed, but there is a tremendous amount of ridiculous and false information out there. I think a lot of it is analyzing where the information is coming from. If it's from CNN they have an obvious and open bias leaning to the left. If it's from Fox News they have an obvious and open bias to the right. Find the truth in each story and critically analyze it before sharing it. Cause holy crap people. Quit being so scared about every piece of information that comes across, but also quit being so flippant about each of our responsibilities. Just stop. If each of us would do what we've been asked to do we would see this thing drop off rapidly.
With all of this I said I haven't been this relaxed in years. I really mean that. The reason is I have time. I haven't had time in a long time. I have time to do the things I really love to do without feeling guilty that I'm not spending enough time with my kids. I've spent all day every day with them and it's freaking amazing. I'm working out twice a day now. I've had time to use my smoker more. I've had time to research new recipes for things I want to try. I've had time.
I fully realize we're all in different situations. I can only speak to my situation. Because there's not much I can do about what is happening in the world other then do my part, I'm choosing not to be scared. I'm choosing to take this time that's been given and improve myself and my family.
Maybe there's a hobby that you used to do and you just don't have time for it anymore. Start it again. Discover the love for it again. Maybe there is something you've always wanted to get into and just haven't had the time. Now is the time because you have time. Maybe you've always wanted to really get into exercising. Now is the time. It would be a shame to not take this time to improve ourselves. It really would. With limited access we might need to get creative with what we do. That's OK. Do it anyway. Figure out what it is you have always wanted to do but felt you were too busy and start. You've got to be home anyway. You can be at home bored and miserable or you can figure out how to use the time effectively. You can come away from this a better person or more jaded.
That's all I'm saying. Redefine what this time means for you. Do what you can to help others and do your part. We'll get through this. The time will pass either way. It can pass with us as a better person, or it can pass with us the same. The choice is yours.
The girls started exercising every morning. Some mornings they do yoga. This morning we found old episodes of Mickey Mousekercize on YouTube and the girls absolutely loved it. They did it for like 20 minutes and wanted to keep it up. Those kids amaze me. We had all these plans for this time of year. Priya's birthday party, Lagoon opening, and Disneyworld next month. All of those things aren't happening right now but they never complain. They're just happy to be here. I'm trying to be more like them. Deal with the large problems and the small conveniences and just live.
This week on Snooty and Slackjaw we did an episode on take out places. Please go listen and patronize some of these places. I went to R&R BBQ today. They have a great drive through system available and they were extremely grateful. Go check out the episode and go to one of those places this weekend. Hopefully we'll get the LLC approved so we can start the ice cream company. What better way to be quarantined then with some excellent ice cream?
Friday, March 27, 2020
Friday, March 20, 2020
Come to the Middle. It's Warm Here and We Have Cookies.
I didn't write last week because I was too annoyed. I'm still annoyed but I figured I'd write this week. Here's what I'm saying. Come to the middle. It's warm here and we have cookies. I still hold that the coronavirus is not a maniacal serial killer that is coming to kill you and your entire family. I also hold that if you are not doing your part to help stop the curve then you are not being responsible and you are putting others at risk.
Here's what I think is at the heart of it. We started hearing from the media about this virus and much of it was about getting clicks because it's a business and it's a big news story. From this you had two different groups arise. One of the groups bought into the hype and we had dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria. This is the group that rushed to the Costco to buy up ridiculous amounts of water and toilet paper and baby wipes for some reason. This is the breakdown of that segment of the population. The stats were released for panic buying by state. New York has been hit extremely hard by all this and their panic buying was about 20%. Utah? 266%. I'm not kidding. We spent 266% in panic buying over the last few weeks. That is incredibly ridiculous! And guess what? That's not being prepared. If you are out panic buying when the crisis is already occurring you are NOT prepared.
When the earthquake happened the other morning I started to go through in my head all the things that we had prepared for. I realized I was pretty good. We have food, shelter and water with the ability to clean water if we needed it. The one thing I was worried about was fuel to cook with. We have some, but I was worried we didn't have enough if the big one actually came. I went to Sportsman's Warehouse to get some fuel. I got some canisters but not a ridiculous amount because you can actually use those for a long time. When I went to check out the lady in front of me spent $500 on supplies. Then after she bought all that she asked if they had any propane tanks. They said they did and she ordered three. I really thought about telling her how ridiculous she was being and how she needed to calm down. I chose not to because everyone was on edge and I didn't want to be on the news for having this lady fight with me. But seriously. 3? Now maybe she was buying them for multiple people so maybe I should give her the benefit of the doubt, but if we are panic buying at a rate of 266% the chances are that's not the case.
If you are one that bought a ridiculous amount of stuff as a knee jerk reaction here's my suggestion. Look around your neighborhood and family and see if there is anyone lacking. Then share the ridiculous amount you bought with them. Don't take any money. Just share. Now is the time we get to show our quality as human beings. Yes you should protect your family and make sure they have enough. If you have more then you need show your quality and serve others. This can either be the breakdown of society or our finest moment.
The other end of the spectrum are the ones who hate the media and who believe this isn't a real problem. I'll admit in my last post I was a little too cavalier about the issue and have since rethought my position. There are still many who are going about their lives as if nothing was wrong. Please don't. Wash your hands often. Go to youtube and check out Alton Brown's tutorial on hand washing. It's funny and also really informative. Disinfect your house. Each night I'm now taking a clorox wipe and wiping down high use areas of the home. Doorknobs, light switches, fridge handles, sink handles, counters, remotes. Basically anything that gets touched a lot. This is not being over reactive. This is being safe. If you run out of clorox wipes don't panic. If you have bleach you're going to be OK. Mix 1/3 cup bleach with a gallon of water in a spray bottle. Clean the area with soapy water, rinse. Then spray on the bleach solution and allow it to air dry. That will sanitize effectively.
But really do your part to help stop this thing quickly. That's what I'm saying. Come to the middle. Don't freak out but don't act as if nothing is wrong. We've got idiots down at spring break that are not helping the situation. Don't be that person.
Initially it's two weeks but of course it's going to be longer. It just is. It takes time. Here's the good news:
There is a Utah company that can now produce 50,000 tests per day. The test results come in about 2 hours which is much better then what we have been able to do. They are distributing them and I'm sure more companies will start doing the same. As we have the ability to test more we can quarantine more quickly which will help stop the spread of the disease. This is great news! It's not being talked about.
Here's more good news. They are finding that anti-viral medications are working on the virus. The malaria medication choloroquine has been working on eliminating the virus. More study and work needs to be done but FDA has approved it to be used in treatment. Cases are starting to show that those that were given the drug with mild to moderate cases are being able to get better. This is great news! More studies will be done. As we can test more effectively and find drugs that will kill the virus we will see cases go down over time and get a handle on this. Other drugs are being experimented on as well.
This will all end. It will take some time but it will get better. Shipping has not stopped. If we stop the panic buying more of the items we need will be coming in and we'll be OK. We may need to get a little creative with the food options for a little while but suck it up. This will get better. Focus on the positive and do your part. Show your quality.
Another thing when the check from the government comes in. I have a few suggestions. If you need it to pay bills because your job has been effected by this then absolutely pay the bills. If you're doing OK financially I have two suggestions. One is to patronize local restaurants. So many of them are doing take out options. Use them. You're still doing your part but at the same time helping the economy. The other suggestion is to put the money in the bank. Recessions are a normal part of the economy. Don't waste this money. Save it for when times are a little tight. You'll be glad you did.
Sorry this was a little ranty today but I'm tired of the doom and gloom. It will get better.
As for me, today is Priya's birthday and I'm excited to celebrate it with her. I can't believe that little weirdo is 5 years old. Her first birthday here she didn't really know what was going on, but now she definitely does. She's highly anticipating getting Elsa powers for her birthday and I think she'll be pleasantly surprised. The problem is now Mirinda wants Ana powers for her birthday. In the book Elsa is the winter witch and Ana is the summer witch. Maybe Mirinda will be getting a flame thrower for her birthday. We'll see.
Thanks for reading! We've got a new podcast episode coming out today so please give that a listen and share it! Also the ice cream business is almost ready to go. What better way to quarantine yourself then with home delivery ice cream?
Here's what I think is at the heart of it. We started hearing from the media about this virus and much of it was about getting clicks because it's a business and it's a big news story. From this you had two different groups arise. One of the groups bought into the hype and we had dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria. This is the group that rushed to the Costco to buy up ridiculous amounts of water and toilet paper and baby wipes for some reason. This is the breakdown of that segment of the population. The stats were released for panic buying by state. New York has been hit extremely hard by all this and their panic buying was about 20%. Utah? 266%. I'm not kidding. We spent 266% in panic buying over the last few weeks. That is incredibly ridiculous! And guess what? That's not being prepared. If you are out panic buying when the crisis is already occurring you are NOT prepared.
When the earthquake happened the other morning I started to go through in my head all the things that we had prepared for. I realized I was pretty good. We have food, shelter and water with the ability to clean water if we needed it. The one thing I was worried about was fuel to cook with. We have some, but I was worried we didn't have enough if the big one actually came. I went to Sportsman's Warehouse to get some fuel. I got some canisters but not a ridiculous amount because you can actually use those for a long time. When I went to check out the lady in front of me spent $500 on supplies. Then after she bought all that she asked if they had any propane tanks. They said they did and she ordered three. I really thought about telling her how ridiculous she was being and how she needed to calm down. I chose not to because everyone was on edge and I didn't want to be on the news for having this lady fight with me. But seriously. 3? Now maybe she was buying them for multiple people so maybe I should give her the benefit of the doubt, but if we are panic buying at a rate of 266% the chances are that's not the case.
If you are one that bought a ridiculous amount of stuff as a knee jerk reaction here's my suggestion. Look around your neighborhood and family and see if there is anyone lacking. Then share the ridiculous amount you bought with them. Don't take any money. Just share. Now is the time we get to show our quality as human beings. Yes you should protect your family and make sure they have enough. If you have more then you need show your quality and serve others. This can either be the breakdown of society or our finest moment.
The other end of the spectrum are the ones who hate the media and who believe this isn't a real problem. I'll admit in my last post I was a little too cavalier about the issue and have since rethought my position. There are still many who are going about their lives as if nothing was wrong. Please don't. Wash your hands often. Go to youtube and check out Alton Brown's tutorial on hand washing. It's funny and also really informative. Disinfect your house. Each night I'm now taking a clorox wipe and wiping down high use areas of the home. Doorknobs, light switches, fridge handles, sink handles, counters, remotes. Basically anything that gets touched a lot. This is not being over reactive. This is being safe. If you run out of clorox wipes don't panic. If you have bleach you're going to be OK. Mix 1/3 cup bleach with a gallon of water in a spray bottle. Clean the area with soapy water, rinse. Then spray on the bleach solution and allow it to air dry. That will sanitize effectively.
But really do your part to help stop this thing quickly. That's what I'm saying. Come to the middle. Don't freak out but don't act as if nothing is wrong. We've got idiots down at spring break that are not helping the situation. Don't be that person.
Initially it's two weeks but of course it's going to be longer. It just is. It takes time. Here's the good news:
There is a Utah company that can now produce 50,000 tests per day. The test results come in about 2 hours which is much better then what we have been able to do. They are distributing them and I'm sure more companies will start doing the same. As we have the ability to test more we can quarantine more quickly which will help stop the spread of the disease. This is great news! It's not being talked about.
Here's more good news. They are finding that anti-viral medications are working on the virus. The malaria medication choloroquine has been working on eliminating the virus. More study and work needs to be done but FDA has approved it to be used in treatment. Cases are starting to show that those that were given the drug with mild to moderate cases are being able to get better. This is great news! More studies will be done. As we can test more effectively and find drugs that will kill the virus we will see cases go down over time and get a handle on this. Other drugs are being experimented on as well.
This will all end. It will take some time but it will get better. Shipping has not stopped. If we stop the panic buying more of the items we need will be coming in and we'll be OK. We may need to get a little creative with the food options for a little while but suck it up. This will get better. Focus on the positive and do your part. Show your quality.
Another thing when the check from the government comes in. I have a few suggestions. If you need it to pay bills because your job has been effected by this then absolutely pay the bills. If you're doing OK financially I have two suggestions. One is to patronize local restaurants. So many of them are doing take out options. Use them. You're still doing your part but at the same time helping the economy. The other suggestion is to put the money in the bank. Recessions are a normal part of the economy. Don't waste this money. Save it for when times are a little tight. You'll be glad you did.
Sorry this was a little ranty today but I'm tired of the doom and gloom. It will get better.
As for me, today is Priya's birthday and I'm excited to celebrate it with her. I can't believe that little weirdo is 5 years old. Her first birthday here she didn't really know what was going on, but now she definitely does. She's highly anticipating getting Elsa powers for her birthday and I think she'll be pleasantly surprised. The problem is now Mirinda wants Ana powers for her birthday. In the book Elsa is the winter witch and Ana is the summer witch. Maybe Mirinda will be getting a flame thrower for her birthday. We'll see.
Thanks for reading! We've got a new podcast episode coming out today so please give that a listen and share it! Also the ice cream business is almost ready to go. What better way to quarantine yourself then with home delivery ice cream?
Friday, March 6, 2020
Take a Deep Breath and Relax. It Will Be OK.
Everybody take a deep breath. Good. Now calm down. The coronavirus is not a mad serial killer intent on slaughtering you and your entire family. It is something to be concerned about and you should take necessary precautions. Buying toilet paper and water at the Costco are not those precautions you should be taking.
I had no idea this was a thing until I went to the Costco on Wednesday. People are insane. I knew one of the employees there and she said one guy came in to buy an entire flat of bottled water. Seriously everyone just calm down. And why toilet paper? I really don't get it. At all. It's knee jerk reaction but it's not really being prepared.
I firmly believe in emergency preparedness. I've got a large supply of toilet paper. I just didn't buy it the other day because somehow the coronavirus is going to effect the toilet paper supply. I've got a 6 month supply of food, along with a supply of water and the ability to make clean water any time I need to. Both of my vehicles have a 72 hour kit in them. I am an advocate for emergency preparedness.
Here's the thing about this virus. Since it has come out 20,000 people have died from the common flu. Yes it is contagious but it is not the rampant killer that we are fearing it to be. News organizations are businesses and the coronavirus gets traffic to their business so of course they are going to talk about it a lot. About a month ago I had a talk with my girls about this flu and we make it a point to wash our hands frequently. When we come home from anything I have them wash their hands. We don't go to see anyone who is sick. We don't have any plans to go to China anytime soon. Chances are we'll never come into contact with someone who has the coronavirus but if we do we'll take the necessary precautions so it doesn't effect us. That means if your kid is sick don't take them to Primary on Sunday. Stay home. You won't be smitten if you do that. You might be.
What this has done is made me review how prepared I am. I realized we needed 72 hour kits at work because if something does happen there's a good chance it will happen while I'm at work. As a result we purchase 72 hour kits for everyone in the office. I hope we never need them but if we do we'll be glad we have them. So just calm down and be wise. If you feel you aren't as prepared as you should be, make a plan to get more prepared. Start now. End of rant.
Very little can dampen my spirits right now anyway. The sun has decided to stop cursing us with winter and things are starting to move towards spring. I don't mind cold weather in March as much because I know even if it snows it won't last long.
Last weekend we had a staycation in downtown Salt Lake. We stayed at the Radisson and had a fantastic time. The girls love going on adventures as we call it. We got to swim twice which made them happy. I also promised them they could go to the Disney store and pick out something they want. They both got a Minnie hiking backpack and are so happy about it. It has a compass, flashlight, bug holder, plastic apple, and canteen. They are adorable walking around with them on. We went for Priya's 2 year anniversary of being a part of our family. It's amazing how much fun those two weirdos can make anything.
We're going to Disney World next month and the girls can hardly contain their excitement. Disney World is a lot different and it's overwhelming just how much stuff there is to do there. And to eat. If anyone has a suggestion I'd gladly take it. Unless it involves Frozen. The second movie came out on DVD and holy crap it's been our lives lately. At least I don't despise this one as much. I'm indifferent to it.
Update on the ice cream: we've decided on a name. It's going to be called JJ's Ice Cream (Jeff and Jim Bob). Our website will be up next week and we'll start taking orders hopefully next week. If you'd like to pre-order let me know on Facebook Messenger or text me if you have my number. We'll gladly take pre-orders. I'm really excited about this because I love to make ice cream. Don't ask me to make lite ice cream though. Ice cream shouldn't be lite. Just don't eat it every day. Unless you buy it from me. Then feel free to eat it every day.
As always thanks for reading! If you want to pre-order hit me up.
I had no idea this was a thing until I went to the Costco on Wednesday. People are insane. I knew one of the employees there and she said one guy came in to buy an entire flat of bottled water. Seriously everyone just calm down. And why toilet paper? I really don't get it. At all. It's knee jerk reaction but it's not really being prepared.
I firmly believe in emergency preparedness. I've got a large supply of toilet paper. I just didn't buy it the other day because somehow the coronavirus is going to effect the toilet paper supply. I've got a 6 month supply of food, along with a supply of water and the ability to make clean water any time I need to. Both of my vehicles have a 72 hour kit in them. I am an advocate for emergency preparedness.
Here's the thing about this virus. Since it has come out 20,000 people have died from the common flu. Yes it is contagious but it is not the rampant killer that we are fearing it to be. News organizations are businesses and the coronavirus gets traffic to their business so of course they are going to talk about it a lot. About a month ago I had a talk with my girls about this flu and we make it a point to wash our hands frequently. When we come home from anything I have them wash their hands. We don't go to see anyone who is sick. We don't have any plans to go to China anytime soon. Chances are we'll never come into contact with someone who has the coronavirus but if we do we'll take the necessary precautions so it doesn't effect us. That means if your kid is sick don't take them to Primary on Sunday. Stay home. You won't be smitten if you do that. You might be.
What this has done is made me review how prepared I am. I realized we needed 72 hour kits at work because if something does happen there's a good chance it will happen while I'm at work. As a result we purchase 72 hour kits for everyone in the office. I hope we never need them but if we do we'll be glad we have them. So just calm down and be wise. If you feel you aren't as prepared as you should be, make a plan to get more prepared. Start now. End of rant.
Very little can dampen my spirits right now anyway. The sun has decided to stop cursing us with winter and things are starting to move towards spring. I don't mind cold weather in March as much because I know even if it snows it won't last long.
Last weekend we had a staycation in downtown Salt Lake. We stayed at the Radisson and had a fantastic time. The girls love going on adventures as we call it. We got to swim twice which made them happy. I also promised them they could go to the Disney store and pick out something they want. They both got a Minnie hiking backpack and are so happy about it. It has a compass, flashlight, bug holder, plastic apple, and canteen. They are adorable walking around with them on. We went for Priya's 2 year anniversary of being a part of our family. It's amazing how much fun those two weirdos can make anything.
We're going to Disney World next month and the girls can hardly contain their excitement. Disney World is a lot different and it's overwhelming just how much stuff there is to do there. And to eat. If anyone has a suggestion I'd gladly take it. Unless it involves Frozen. The second movie came out on DVD and holy crap it's been our lives lately. At least I don't despise this one as much. I'm indifferent to it.
Update on the ice cream: we've decided on a name. It's going to be called JJ's Ice Cream (Jeff and Jim Bob). Our website will be up next week and we'll start taking orders hopefully next week. If you'd like to pre-order let me know on Facebook Messenger or text me if you have my number. We'll gladly take pre-orders. I'm really excited about this because I love to make ice cream. Don't ask me to make lite ice cream though. Ice cream shouldn't be lite. Just don't eat it every day. Unless you buy it from me. Then feel free to eat it every day.
As always thanks for reading! If you want to pre-order hit me up.
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