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?