Is it me, or does there seem to be less "chatter" on this forum and interest in detailing in this forum.
Given the fact that some Autopians may be working from home and that requires more time or are now full-time parenting 24/7 with the school-aged children home or just trying to procure (AKA, buy) living necessities that are in short or non-existent supply (like toilet paper or anti-bacterial soap or wet-wipes or some foods), it may be that the time-restraints are not conducive to participating in this forum OR they are just too busy on "other" social media platforms.
Given that there are more restraints on public gatherings and the cancelling of almost all sporting, musical, and theatrical events, it would seem that we should have a little more time for "other" things.
That is one of my questions during this unprecedented pandemic event: What are you doing now?
Myself, I am in TOTAL mourning for basketball`s March Madness, especially at the High School level. These young people will never get this time back in their life nor will High School Sport Associations allow more eligibility. No "15 minutes of fame"; no "off-the-bench hero"; no "last-second game-winning shot"; no "small-town Cinderella-team story or championship" that these young people would have remembered for the rest of their lives.
I certainly do not enjoy watching the news nor following the economic news that has all but ruined my now poorly planned retirement account, at least according to my instincts and hindsight, even under the watchful eyes and advice of a long-time trusted financial planner. It is not their fault and we have ALL been blind-sided economically and socially by this event.
It`s been an interesting time. I`ve been on the quiet side lately as I haven`t been able to pursue any personal detailing between winter (non-heated garage) and using what free time I have for home/family life. Being such a hobbyist at this, I don`t feel I can preach much if I`m not practicing myself.
Then Corona/Covid 19 comes in. I work at an independent auto repair shop. We`ve been feeling some hurt from an industry wide slow period (confirmed by our contacts at other shops/dealerships), and now everyone is hunkering down and sitting on their wallets (understandably!). This last week has been a big question mark as to what the future is here. Ultimately it`s been decided we`re laying off the other 2 techs for now, closing for a week, then reconvening to see how we proceed. Right now I`m anticipating a 35% pay cut, which I`m still trying to wrap my head around.
I`m not looking for sympathy, but my wife and I both work as managers in grocery stores. The last week has been complete hell. Everyone inside the supply chain is doing everything possible to try to keep up and just help the general public. People look at empty shelves and just blame the store. When demand quadruple overnight, the system isn`t built to handle it. Stores and warehouses only can hold so much. Product is delivered by trucks, which the only are so many of, which are driven by people limited by federal law. Products can also only be produced at a certain rate. Personally I run a Dairy dept. My company had completely exhausted two of my major suppliers in milk and eggs. Do you think you can tell a chicken to start laying eggs three times faster?
Thankfully we work for a company that understands we have kids at home, and school is closed. We`ve both been working irregular hours to keep both home and work intact. It`s been a scramble for us to find child care, while still working as much a possible to keep the public feed. I`m sure that my story can be repeated in every supermarket in the US right now. Everyone who works in food retail and retail support is doing their best to keep everyone feed and safe. We understand that people need certain items, and are prioritizing those items. Limits are in place so we as an industry can try to help as many people as possible.
I appreciate everyone whose been patient to us. Thanks for listening to my little rant. I`m sure my story isn`t the worst out there. Think about the family that owns a small restaurant that just got blocked from in store sales by the government. Or the people who can`t work due to restrictions.
Sometimes someone`s inconvenience is someone else`s real problem.
Britsdaddy - Thanks for sharing your side of this. I know it`s hard when all you hear is the ridicule for "why don`t you have this?!), but please know how much it means to people when you do have the things people need. When I went grocery shopping on Sunday (kind of a last pass fresh produce stock up; we do mainly fresh cooking) I was fully prepared for barren shelves and trying to come up with 2nd/3rd game plans.
I will confess I had a very emotional response when I walked in the doors and was greeted with full bins of produce - they had seen it coming and had bulked up what they could (I managed to keep it together, but it was a strangely powerful sight). At that moment, while the future is still unknown, there was a sense of relief that if people calm down we can hopefully get through this.
I`ve got a 5 year old daughter. When starting a family, you think through things like "What will it be like when she figures out boys?" or "Geez, I hope she likes me at least most of the time...". At no point did I ever think through the prospect of trying to figure out life through a global pandemic.
Last night putting her to bed, she mentioned she`d like to go to the zoo sometime. I said we`ll have to see. "Or maybe the aquarium. Not the one we went to for family birthday, the other one we`ve been to with the tubes you walk through." (Referring to the aquarium at the Mall of America, which the whole mall is currently closed). It`s hard trying to explain to a 5 year old that the mall is closed for now because of the sickness that`s going around while making it sound relatively normal so she doesn`t panic. "Do you think InnerActive (indoor play place we just had her birthday party at) is closed too?"
Yep kiddo, I think that`s closed too.
Sorry, just kinda brain dumping. It`s a crazy time right now.
