So…I have written maybe 4 or 5 versions of postings this week on this virus and some other commentary I have right now, and I guess it’s time I condensed it down because it’s been a week people have been really worried about it, but I started getting ready 6 weeks ago. I read about it in the news and some of the longer incubation times and I realized I live in a country ill-prepared to handle a true pandemic–so I got masks for us over a month ago. I had wipes and some sanitizer, but I have been ready to do all the reasonable shit to avoid the virus short of wearing a bubble suit all over the place.

Part of our ill preparation is we have allowed the right to monetize the value of human life in America by literally refusing to raise wages, provide healthcare and deny all efforts to contain those costs. What that means is you have to count on your neighbor’s economic viability to survive a true pandemic–if you live among a ton of people or around people who don’t have healthcare–it is much more probable it would be spread to you because of the lack of resources people have. How many people do you know who could afford to stay home from work with their kids all day. Who can afford childcare? Who is going to pay the quarantine or testing bills? Who is going to make sure these people don’t get evicted? Again. You have to depend on the economic viability of your neighbors, most of who have to work multiple jobs to expect them to stay home and not spread it. I have called out the right countless times on these factors, and people try to lob heavy insults I guess as they see them, suggesting things like you must have voted for Sanders. Which I did. And why?

Currently America and our government is largely concerned with money. So much so that we elected a reality show developer billionaire to I guess, lead us all there. The issue is that he is purposefully making government more despicable so that of course we don’t want it in our business. But when you have your leadership invested heavily in healthcare stocks, including health insurance and pharmaceutical companies, nobody is considering the ethical obligations of government to society. They are currently already making all the money they can on your lives. Just because something is profitable does not mean it has social value, and many things with social value are not profitable–I think it still sounds better as not everything with social value is profitable and not everything profitable has social value. We have a government heavily involved with profit, hence almost every piece of legislation has a money carrot for someone or a few someones but we have literally put a value on every person’s head here. There is no social value or ethics concerned with much of the recent directions. Helping people costs money, true, and it would ensure a healthier society ultimately and yes, it does cost money. But surely most countries have figured it out–and they spend half to less than half what we spend every year per capita. My solution for this is to program an ethical AI with some human oversight to eliminate the unnecessary administrative costs and just get it done. Ethical in that it would not always seek the cheapest route, but the most effective and give people a chance to want to go to the ends of it all, but they can also opt out.

Anyways, so enough on being sold out by our government. I did see that after me complaining about that a few days that we did get a bill put forth by the left to get some guaranteed sick days out there, but who knows–that’s good for people over business so that might not do. ANY–HWAYS….yes, this is the kind of thing that will wipe us all out, and I have made some changes lately to some of my practices to avoid as much as I can. Now I am not a particularly paranoid person, but I have largely avoided getting sick doing the stuff everyone is now doing, though I am definitely going the direction of a little more ultra that way. I have been in the stores in recent weeks to see people coughing and sneezing and I have done all I can to run away as fast as possible. It’s out there and sure to get a bunch of us in the aortic crew because of our issues already, but there is stuff you can do. Now I am no big fan of the wipes and sanitizer like a maniac but clearly lately it is important for all of us. HENCE, check out my list of what to worry about with a heart condition–now I rarely, so rarely get the flu, as I got a flu shot and a pneumonia vaccine, but that’s no good for a viral thing.

1) Stay out of large crowded areas. People will still be going to work and doing the things we all feel we need to do, but going to concerts and that kind of stuff should be avoided for a bit. How long will this last? I have no idea, but ultimately let’s hope some stuff might change a bit more than we’ve seen. This could have some great affects, but be devastating even still.

2) Wash hands before eating, after using the restroom when coming in from the outside. Use bleach based cleaner or wipes to hit all doorknobs, car door handles etc. I have one now in my hand before I go into stores to shop as you never know if they will have any for the basket or cart handles.

3) Use wipes to wipe down all packaging from any shopping, make sure to rinse produce in vinegar water.

4) Get an Aquabliss shower filter. Now—this serves a dual purpose–it will filter the crap out of your water, and 2, will save your skin from some grief if you’ve done the hand thing like we all do now–the water from one of those will cure eczema and dry skin and apparently helps your hair along. I got one for Don for his hotel room because the water there we figured was messing with his skin and it being near some suspect land made me worry. I made him get a Brita and the AquaBliss and he’s not complained about his skin once. I thought it might be the sheets so we tried washing those, didn’t work, but his rashes he said are now gone, and I know it’s the shower because he’s not one to put lotion on, but will spend forever getting wet. So I just bought one and a filter for the kitchen because I have no room for a Brita, and our water is getting repaired here every other day which makes me feel like it’s not the kind of thing that will keep any viral issues at bay. I am considering one for the bathroom as well, but that’s because the plumbing here is from over 40 years ago and cheaply maintained. I will do a photo collage of what the water does to my hair, promise. It is supposed to help parched skin, and I am all in to that.

5)Get a VR headset. Yes yes, they’re expensive, but holy shit they are wonderful. We don’t have the ability yet to meet in a virtual room and hang out as friends, but wouldn’t that be the best? The VR headset will help cure some of your loneliness avoiding the general world–there’s games, there’s flying programs–those are my favorite, and to be honest I am thrilled to start exploring more of that. FlightSim 2020 is coming out and it is just wonderful…ultralights all the way…

6) Read books and practice escapism. There’s also some meditation and tons of yoga videos available on the Gaia channel on Prime, so worth it. Reading will allow you that opportunity to totally immerse in a different reality for any who can find the time. Even books on audio I feel could be useful when doing other things. I will look around for an option because I gotta clean just in case I do get it to make it easier to keep that way. More on that later.

Adjust your behavior accordingly but don’t go crazy. Now I am adjusting the frequency I go to the grocery store, because it is often the only time I see human beings and I am still a bit of a New Yorker, a daily shopper. I went today at 6 am and all the older frailer people were there with me. Right now I have a dentist appointment because I missed out for a few years but after that, infrequent, I will have to be if it becomes an issue. Getting on planes is fine if you are well and depending on where you’re going. I am not sure how long some of the worst places might be cut off from the world, let’s hope it’s not a year or more. I hear all the time it’s just gonna be a cold for most of us, and that might be true but a simple cold passed to me and many of you certainly might not just be that. Be wary of dismissing people’s concerns or precautions–there’s usually a reason. People would normally look at me and think she’s young, she’s fine but the scar says and means something else. Now I am not someone used to chapped hands or anything, but I have always been wary of touching doorknobs so always use a sleeve and I do tend to touch my chin a bunch but have tried to remedy that. With shocks….kidding. No, with just your standard conscientiousness. I avoid most colds and flus because I don’t touch doorknobs but now I am realizing there might be other ways though I run away from the coughing and always have. I realize sometimes they are coughing on the boxes and containers we shop for in the stores or on the pinpads, the handles etc of different things. But I have always worried about the pinpads and handles because that’s where most stomach bugs come from. My phone I am absolutely cleaning more than now, 91% alcohol in a spray bottle.

So, just the things I am planning to do. I do long walks with the dog every day–that won’t change as it’s outside. Less people at the store, I am there. No concerts or shows or vacations right now. I will be painting and printing in here and learning about the web design soon–if I don’t get the guarantee of space between all of us, definitely not going and might get a YouTube lesson. I got a website again, because that’s what I do when I am drunkish. I buy websites. I have owned like 30+ but own less than half of that now. More on that soon…but I am getting busy. And it’s about time.