Gah. It’s raining here. I’m ready for warm weather and sunshine, 1. because I’m sick of the doom/gloom as I’m sure you all are, and 2. so that the warmer weather will start burning off this virus.
Just a quick word out there about the news media; DON’T TRUST THEM. Assume that whatever you’re being told, on whatever network you’re watching, that it’s cut and edited to push their own agenda.
I’ve been watching President Trump’s DAILY news conferences. He’s answering media questions for HOURS just to prove to us that he’s being transparent. He doesn’t have to do this, but he’s doing this to effectively communicate with the American people what is being done and what the future holds. He’s doing this because he CAN’T trust the media to accurately report anything because Trump does not represent their agenda – chaos and control.
Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:
What part of Trump’s narrative was bad? He was talking about potential drugs that are looking promising for combating this virus. What part of that is bad? It shows the administration is making strides toward a solution and that can’t be anything BUT hopeful. And hope is EXACTLY what we need right now.
This reporter is disgusting in that he’s trying very hard to hang on to the fear. He’s trying very hard to inject another dose of fear into people when quite honestly, fear is exactly why we’re in the state we’re in now. The media has worked the people up into such a frenzy reason and critical thinking have gone out the window. It’s evil and wrong.
I watched this particular news conference and the reporter deserved what he got. Stop being an asshole. We don’t need politics right now, we need to pull together and combat this thing. And I really hope we learn some valuable lessons and prepare for the next virus – because there will be another one, it’s just a question of when it happens. (Hopefully, not for a very long time).
Anyway, I just wanted to encourage you to pick and choose your “news” sources carefully. Go to the source. Watch President Trump’s conferences. Check the CDC website. Forget these news outlets and “opinions” because let’s face it, these “news” outlets are reporting very little “news”, it’s all about sensationalizing what’s going on and continuing to scare people. How is that helping? Do you think organizations with that agenda exist to HELP you?
Music / Dance is a good place to start. I know I find it interesting to listen to other people’s playlists, perhaps you’d like to hear what I’ve been listening to lately.
(You’ll have to sign on to Spotify to hear the full songs – you only get 30 seconds worth here).
We just got done watching this video from the Truth or Tradition YouTube channel and I thought I would share it. I think it’s a timely subject and one that a lot of us typically don’t take the time to think about or work on.
Since we have some time on our hands with our self quarantine, why not invest in building your relationship with your spouse and children? Spend some time together. Talk to each other. Make plans, play games … this is the perfect time to do the things with your family that you otherwise never have time for.
This is a stressful time for everyone but stay positive, pray often and remember – THIS TOO SHALL PASS.
I think this might have been the longest week of my life. I’m sure you can relate.
The world has gone crazy, are you keeping up?
On second thought, don’t keep up. Ignore the news. Or at the very least, tune in one or twice a day – no more than that.
I strongly believe we are where we are today BECAUSE of the media. They have taken great lengths to thoroughly and completely stir people up into a panic. Well done, media. You have induced mass hysteria.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t take the Coronavirus seriously, but again, when compared to the common influenza numbers, I don’t think it warrants the reaction that it has gotten.
Flu season is hitting its stride right now in the US. So far, the CDC has estimated (based on weekly influenza surveillance data) that at least 12,000 people have died from influenza between Oct. 1, 2019 through Feb. 1, 2020, and the number of deaths may be as high as 30,000.
The CDC also estimates that up to 31 million Americans have caught the flu this season, with 210,000 to 370,000 flu sufferers hospitalized because of the virus.
So how do these numbers compare to flu deaths in previous years? So far, it looks like the 2019-2020 death toll won’t be as high as it was in the 2017-2018 season, when 61,000 deaths were linked to the virus. However, it could equal or surpass the 2018-2019 season’s 34,200 flu-related deaths.
Overall, the CDC estimates that 12,000 and 61,000 deaths annually since 2010 can be blamed on the flu. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the flu kills 290,000 to 650,000 people per year. Source
So, why the mind-numbing fear? The unknown, I guess. It’s something new and different and since the media have done such a good job of scaring the shit out of people, and fear is one of the, if not the most, powerful emotions humans can experience and only breeds and feeds off itself, people have completely lost sight of reality.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t treat the Coronavirus seriously, but seriously, get a grip.
This too shall pass. Take precautions, be proactive without being irrational.
You can’t control what is happening but you CAN control how you react to it.
What tightens my sphincter is how everyone is reacting to this latest crisis. Wow man, get a grip. It only takes a handful of people to freak out and buy all the toilet paper before human instinct kicks in and other people follow suit.
“Wow. The selves are empty. What do other people know that I don’t? I should stock up, too. It doesn’t matter that I already have two giant rolls of toilet paper at home, I need MORE. I need to protect ME and MY FAMILY. What if we’re sequestered for weeks? Months? Years??”
This is a natural progression of thought and I would by lying if I told you that I didn’t feel the pinch of fear as Kevin and I were doing our normal weekly shopping as well. It’s tempting, very tempting, to give in to this emotion and lose touch with reality for a bit.
We’re human. It’s how we’re programmed.
But the selfish tendencies of people during times like this really shine. Stop. Breathe. Think. What about the people who have nothing?? What about the people with bare shelves and no options? Buy what you need and leave some for other people.
I realize that some people do this because they are grasping for control over a situation they have no control over. I get it, I’m the same way. But I force myself to stop, breathe and think before simply succumbing to that dark monster of fear that likes to whisper in my ear from time-to-time.
And I would get the mass hysteria when it comes to groceries if there were no other options. THERE. CONTINUE. TO. BE. OPTIONS. Restaurants are still in business, you just have to use the drive-thru or the take out option. I honestly don’t think people are remembering that option. And these poor restaurants are just trying to keep their heads above the water so that they can provide a little work for their employees, let’s help them out, shall we?
Which brings me to the biggest part of this crisis that worries the most: the financial fallout.
Businesses are being shut down and people are losing their jobs. Jobs they depend on for money so they can pay bills and buy food. I think part of the hysteria is the fact that people are scared of that either happening, or happening, to them. It’s already happened to my nephew. He works at a restaurant and he’s been laid off. I have no idea if they are giving him an option of coming in to help with take out orders, but I sure hope there is some option available to him until this virus burns off and we can get back to normal.
Some businesses may never recover – what happens to the poor people that worked there?
I predict it takes MONTHS for our economy to recover. I hope it doesn’t happen, but I also predict we’re heading toward another recession. Think of the travel industry, they have shut down entirely. Disney has shut down and announced they are going to continue paying their 750,000 employees. Though admirable, where does THAT money come from? Employers are trying to do the right thing for their employees, and that’s certainly admirable, but at some point, the money will dry up if they’re not allowed to open back up for business. And even then, it will take them some time to play catch up.
People like to snarl and point out, “but it’s not about the bottom line, Karen, it’s about the people.”
Precisely my point. Who does the bottom line ultimately affect? THE PEOPLE.
And if we’re reacting this way to something that is relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, (remember the influenza numbers? And that happens EVERY YEAR), how are we going to react if something like the black plague happens?
It will truly be a Mad Max scenario, I fear. I pray I’m wrong but judging by what is happening now? I think it’s a distinct possibility.
So, how is this affecting me personally? I work at the hospital, remember?
This past Tuesday, our hospital went into lock-down mode. Meaning, only employees and patients can pass the doors. And any other people who want in have to be screened and have their temperatures taken. And most entrances to the hospital are closed, you can only enter/leave by certain entrances.
It’s spooky, but I totally understand the precautions and I appreciate them. We had the added advantage of being on Spring Break at work, meaning most of the doctors were out any way to spend time with their families but what about next week? Are we going to cancel clinics? And if the clinic closes down, what about the rest of us? What does that mean for our jobs?
I’ll be honest, and a bit selfish, but that is my biggest concern.
The nurses will be reallocated to other areas of the hospital, that’s a given. But what about the rest of us non-licensed saps? The hospital has done a great job of communicating with us and letting us know how they will respond if that happens. And it’s already happened to quite a few departments – those people have been reallocated to other areas. Human resources is keeping a running tally of places that people can go to help out. But what happens when there are no more places to put people? Because we’re talking about A LOT of departments have been affected by this outbreak.
We can use our ETO (Earned time off), but what if we don’t want to use ETO? Then unpaid leave it is. But what about our bills? Money to live off of? Because let’s be real, most people live from paycheck to paycheck – I’m saying that’s wise, but it is real.
Kevin and I have talked, at length, about what we will do if I’m laid off. Because if there aren’t very many jobs and it comes to me or someone I work with who is not as financially secure as we are, I’m going home, hands down. That other person needs the work more than I do. And Kevin is self-employed and still working, so at least we have one income. And we have savings, etc.
But I really hope it doesn’t come to that. Some of our doctors have canceled clinics for next week but not all of them. Some doctors have proposed a telemedicine sort of compromise and we might end up doing that for my team, but at this point, we’re just taking it day by day. All elective surgeries have been canceled, probably for the next month, but our doctors need something to do, I guess.
In the meantime, one of the ways I cope with stressful situations like this is to gather information – facts. I don’t give a shit about a pundit’s opinion or prediction, give me the facts then shut up.
I stumbled across this Ted Talk on YouTube and thought I would share it. It’s worth a watch:
I found myself rolling my eyes at the part where she talks about climate change because I’m coming to this conversation with a pre-conceived notion, thoughts and opinions about climate change – i.e. I don’t believe it’s man made but I can’t dispute that our climate is changing – it’s circular in nature so of course it changes – where do you think we get our average temperatures from? However, I’m forcing myself to be fair and to listen, really listen, to what she’s saying because I think it’s important that we ALL start to retrain our brains to listen and stop jumping to conclusions, because when we do that, we stop listening.
It was interesting what she said about the structure of the Coronavirus and how it originates from animals and that we will continue to see outbreaks in the years ahead simply because we will continue to meet and encounter animals in various ways through societal ways. I don’t know why I’m surprised by this, I guess I was hoping that once the Coronavirus expends itself we would never see something like this again but I guess I’m being too optimistic. I do hope, though, that it’s several years before it happens again.
And it WILL happen again, on some level. I just pray we learn something from this experience and take proactive steps in the future so that we are better prepared and emotionally equipped to handle the stress of it all.
I also really liked what she said about better and honest communication so that we can talk about these sorts of things WHEN they happen to avoid misinformation, panic and agendas that do nothing but destroy and further alienate people from one another. I wish people would critically think before they react – the news media IS NOT YOUR FRIEND. They could give a rats ass about you, or about society: they are all about getting clicks, selling ads and generating enough buzz that you will choose them instead of their competitor the next time you need “news.” Fear is a powerful, POWERFUL emotion and it doesn’t take much to ignite that match. Fear muddies the water toward a rational, workable solution and I don’t know about you, but the faster we can educate ourselves and make wise choices, the faster we can move on to happier times.
Be CONSCIOUS of your surroundings. Be CONSCIOUS of things you touch throughout the day. Avoid opening doors with your hands, carry a tissue, or a rag, or something to use instead. Don’t push elevator buttons with your finger, use your elbow, or the back of your hand. Don’t touch your face. Wash your hands after leaving someplace public. Sneeze and cough into your elbow -NOT YOUR HANDS!!!!!! These precautions should be part of your every day life, not just when there’s an outbreak.
I’ll stop talking now, I just wanted to document what is going on right now and to hopefully give you, dear reader, some hope moving forward. Be alert, not anxious.
If you take nothing away from this post, then take this: The precautions in place now should ALWAYS be implemented. Every day. No matter the season. Watch this video of how germs spread if you don’t believe me.
Here is Dr. Mike again with an update on the Coronavirus:
Again, take what you hear with a grain of salt. It behooves the government to keep people in fear. I would even take what the CDC and the WHO organization say with a grain of salt
Again, WASH YOUR HANDS. Cover your mouth when you sneeze/cough with your arm, not your hands. DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE throughout the day. Avoid touching high traffic areas: door handles, elevator buttons, handrails, counter tops – do not touch them with your fingers. Use your elbows, or use the paper towels you use after you wash your hands in public restrooms.
These are precautions that should be followed year round, but especially now.
We get routine updates from our Infectious Disease doctors at work. So far, there has only been education and awareness, we haven’t gone into lock-down mode and the world is not ending. We have prevalent diseases that occur every year, some years are more aggressive (and get more coverage because it’s an election year and they’re trying to make the economy tank so our current administration looks bad and less people vote for him – this is my own personal theory, of course). All you can do is be pro-active in keeping yourself healthy.
I thought it might be interesting to you to see what I have on my bookshelf to read every month. I periodically post book reviews, (when I’m feeling energetic, not always) and if I do, then you will have an opportunity to read the book so you know what the heck I’m talking about.
You can tell which book I’m currently reading by the Goodreads widget in the sidebar.
I’m all about Kindle e-books. I’m a hard core e-book reader. I haven’t read an actual book in quite a long time and I find that when I hold an actual book, it feels large and clunky. I much prefer my Kindle e-reader than an actual book. With that said, I get all of my books from Kindle Unlimited – I rarely, if ever, spend money on a book – it all goes into the $10 dollars a month I pay for Kindle Unlimited.
So, if you’re interested in reading lesser known authors and want to save a ton of money in books, join me!
I rarely read anything lower than a four-star review. I stopped reading for a long time simply because every book I read was stupid, or disappointing and ultimately, a waste of time. (I feel the same with movies – haven’t watched movies, or TV, in about a year). I’ve had great luck sticking to this philosophy and most of the books I read are pretty good.
Spring is around the corner. Are you ready for the bugs to come back? (That’s always where my brain goes – screw the pretty flowers – IT’S BUG SEASON! GAH!).
I thought I would share my March spreads – I warn you, they’re ugly. Remember, I’m not an artist so any “artsy-fartsy” component you see is from a stamp, stencil or a sticker.
My three S’s.
I was going for a “girly” theme this month. Actually, what prompted this theme was the beautiful dress stamp I bought from Hobby Lobby. You’ll see the stamp on the monthly spread below.
Ready to bleach your eyeballs? Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
See the pretty dress stamp? I freaking LOVE this stamp. It’s so girly and decorative. Which is a little confusing to me because I wouldn’t classify my style as girly but I can appreciate pretending to be girly.
I tried the vertical calendar spread this time as opposed to the vertical numbering spread from last month. I have decided that I like the full calendar spread better – it gives me more room to play around with my three S’s.
The next spread is my weekly spread:
I’m digging the format of this weekly spread. I notate the weather in the small boxes on either side and then it gives me room to write my thoughts from the day in the bigger boxes. So far, I’ve kept up. I keep the book by my computer so it takes just a moment to jot my thoughts down each night.
Again, not the most aesthetically pleasing, but I’m having fun and it’s working for me so … meh.
Here’s my brain dump and step tracker. The step tracker is my only habit tracker I do, though I do have a pixel mood tracker at the beginning of my journal (and obviously not as nice as this picture). It’s more important to me to track my moods and steps than anything else. I sort of like how these pages turned out. And I’m really digging the brain dump pages. I find that writing out the thoughts, the things that are troubling me, really does help purge it from my brain. I’m not crazy about the stencil lettering, but again, just trying different things here. I’ll get better at it. (I hope!)
I think these pages are cute, too. I love the huge ball gown stencil, that was fun. However, I bought Crayola’s super tip markers and though I like them, the colors, at least this one, its almost too brash. I prefer the Tombow colors more, but the Crayola super tips are cheaper so I’ll force myself to like them more. lol
I’m also doing well with my questions. I’m using these pages to type out private messages to our boys and putting them in small stamp envelopes and then gluing them to the page. The boys have no idea I’m doing this and will have a bit of a surprise when I’m dead and gone and they look through my journals.
The blog page is where I jot down ideas for my blog because I’m super bad about seeing/reading an idea for my blog and then promptly forgetting about it so when the mood strikes to update my blog, I have zero ideas.
Lastly, I created a quotes page. Again, just experimenting here. I love quotes and they really do inspire me. If this looks like gobbedly-gook to you, (because it is), it reads:
“I”m a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more luck I have.” by Thomas Jefferson.
Moral: There is really no-such thing as luck. The things that happen to you are a result of hard work, or believing it to happen.
Again, I’m having SO MUCH FUN with this bullet journal. I WISH I had known about this method of journaling years ago. I like how it’s a mixture of a planner with a journal. I think it’s interesting to read about the mundane tasks and day-to-day happenings in people’s lives so I’m hoping whoever reads this when I’m gone is also interested in my mundane.
I have finished my April spreads and am now working on my May spreads. I want to try and work ahead as much as possible, stay ahead of the game, so to speak, to free myself up to focus on outlining my novel and teaching myself calligraphy. Which I’ve started, by the way. I haven’t gotten very far and it’s a bit of a challenge since I’m left handed, but I WILL master it because it’s something I’ve wanted to learn for years and I think it will be fun to incorporate that into my journal. (Ever since I wrote down my yearly goals, I’ve felt pressure to COMPLETE THEM).
Here are a few March videos that have inspired me. As I’ve mentioned, I watch A LOT of bullet journal videos. Not only for ideas, but it’s relaxing to watch someone else create. I WISH I was half as talented as these people. But you know what? It’s okay. This journal is ME.
I also really enjoy watching true artists decorate their journals. I’m so jealous of their talents!
And this one gets the prize for the most creative spread:
Oh, I’m DEFINITELY doing a version of this board game theme at some point. I LOVE board games.
And if you’re not artistic, like me, and/or you’re not interested in spending a lot of time on the artsy-fartsy aspect of the bullet journal, here is a good video to watch to help you get started without all of the fancy art aspects of this:
That’s it for this month. I’ll share my April spreads at the end of March.
Write From Karen 