How are you staying sane?

[steelyman]

I’m a frequent podcast listener and spent a little time searching for new ones this week that were not all doom and gloom. There’s a new one, “Sugar Calling”, that seems promising.

[ADDED] “Sugar” refers to Cheryl Strayed, a writer and the host of the show. The premise is that she calls and chats with another writer who’s been inspiring to her. The first episode is a call to a mentor, George Saunders, who brings (what seemed to me) a balanced perspective to the current situation. So it’s not totally divorced from doom and gloom but nobody’s screaming with bad news.

 

[harllee]

Cisco is offering free teleconferencing capability (Webex). It does require an app download. It can hold up to 100 participants. I created an account 2 weeks ago and have been putting it to go every day at noon for family (8 siblings, 35 Nieces and Nephews and 55 Grand Nieces and Nephews). They can jump in as their schedule allows. Not a lot of participation. I am willing to put the room to go for anyone on here that needs to see a different face. Works on mobile, tablet and PC. I prefer PC as it provides more real estate to see everyone. Does require a camera and microphone to get the most effect. Let me know interest and time to put the room to go. The longest I've had the room open is 7 hours.

I'm in the room right now if anyone wants to kick the tires on it.

https://meetingsamer2.webex.com/meet/lawrencewendall

Lawrence, thanks for the offer, I might join you some time! Right now my hair is a mess. Hah!!

 

[Birdie Num Nums]

I’m a frequent podcast listener and spent a little time searching for new ones this week that were not all doom and gloom. There’s a new one, “Sugar Calling”, that seems promising.

I can never recommend enough "The History of Rome" podcast, from quite a few years ago now. Back then I downloaded episodes to my MP3 player and listened to these fascinating history lessons while out walking or at the gym. I have them all downloaded now on my PC and on external hard drives, and every once in awhile I go back to listen to some episodes. Check 'em out!

 

[SpinDoctorTX]

Define sane! We're homebodies but I've tried to stay separate part of each day, so we don't drive each other nuts. We are way too alike to share every moment.

Monday, we started taking our walks separately, as I walk much faster (4 mph) than DH. I'm calling my Mom, siblings & friends a lot more often. Our house is so clean you could lick the floors.

Fortunately I'm working a lot on elections- country-wide. The new ways of volunteering make it very easy to socially distance as it is almost all on line- even more than during the 2018 elections. They all use slack, thrutext, mobilize, zoom etc.

I've read 9 books so far (2.5 weeks of lockdown), so that is calming. I just cannot watch the news all day... too depressing. I meditate a lot more in the afternoons & am doing youtube yoga, stretching, balance work-outs.

Binging the occasional show is a big part of the evenings... currently we're hooked on Ozark.

On a high note I'm losing even more weight b/c I don't drive past my fave junk food places. No Jack in the Box, Whataburger, Freddy's, Mmmmm. Dang it, now I have the munchies! lol

 

[Souschef]

We have mostly given up watching the news, We used to watch the Today show for an hour or more, but now limit ourselves to one ABC show at night.

 

[dd564]

My wife is a nurse, and I use to work in a laboratory so we both have a pretty good understanding for how the disease is transmitted. This has helped us so we aren't as paranoid about this disease so our home life hasn't changed much.

Also, we were both homebodies to begin with and I already worked from home a large amount so we haven't been at each others throats getting adjusted to being around each other that much.

 

[rk911]

...Come to find out I receive an email from our new vet who had submitted a prescription for some treatment for our cat I described above. I never got confirmation of what the costs would be or what the type of medication would be (pills, chews, liquid). I had already indicated if it were pills to be taken 2-3 times a day, this would be a wasted effort as this cat would fight me (and bite me) at every attempt. I have been able to get pills down our cats in the past, but not this one..

had a cat like that many years ago so we would crush the pill and mix it in her wet food.

 

[brewer12345]

Stepped out to my secret spot in the National Forest. Nobody else around bit the deer, squirrels and birds. Set up a little target range and fooled around with a muzzleloader for a few hours. Very pretty there and I needed to get out. Will make a point of doing this on a regular basis.

 

[Telly]

Sanity is overrated. It was never my strong point. I'm alive and doin' fine. Sign, sign, everywhere a sign...

 

[mystang52]

Stepped out to my secret spot in the National Forest. Nobody else around bit the deer, squirrels and birds. Set up a little target range and fooled around with a muzzleloader for a few hours. Very pretty there and I needed to get out. Will make a point of doing this on a regular basis.

Our Bergen County NJ Executive closed County parks a week or 2 ago, and that has hit me hard as it was my physical and emotional respite from all this craziness. Yesterday the Governor closed all State parks as well. Not to be cliched, but I do remind myself how much worse things could be (entire family is healthy).

 

[target2019]

Staying sane here is a combination of:

• Following a schedule, and not dwelling on the news sites or statistics. I get the info, and move on to more creative experiences
• Reading a variety of posts at E-R. Virtual characters here have replaced the co-workers I encountered.
• Spotify - This has brightened my days since I'm listening more. Listening to lists of older artists, and sampling newer music suggested by Spotify is a real plus.
• Afternoon walk - Gotta push every day, but I see results in lower BP.

 

[Amethyst]

Most distressing, and not what a cat is supposed to do. Even the cat probably is vaguely aware of that. Something is bothering him.

Your is a bit older (though 12 isn't ancient for a cat)...but we had a neutered male, otherwise a first-rate pet, who started urinating on the floor inside the house because he could see (through sliding glass doors) another male cat parading around outside in HIS territory. He couldn't get at the intruder, so this was the only way he had to express his indignation. When the other cat stopped coming around, so did the out-of-box urination.

Well, we've been watching our 12 year-old indoor cat, who had a few episodes of not using the litter box in the past, deciding in the last month or so to:

• Urinate on the spare room bed twice, both times a day or two after I took a nap there
• Urinate on the blankets on the computer room couch, which is sort of my man-cave, three times
• Urinate in the laundry basket that has my clothes three times (never has done this in my DW's laundry basket)
• Urinate at least half dozen times over the side of a litter box (four litter boxes for three cats)

This cat is up to date on his vaccines, and the blood and urine tests, in addition to the physical exam last month, showed the cat to be in good health. There are no issues with the other two indoor cats (13 year-old, 8 year-old). I should add I'm the one who wakes up at 6am to feed the cats. I'm also the one who scoops, refreshes, and cleans the litter boxes. I'm also the one who clips the cat claws.

I've lost whatever sanity I had a week or two ago.

 

[steelyman]

I remembered a series of Dilbert cartoons focusing on telecommuting. So it was just Dilbert and Dogbert and Ratbert (?) at home.

Fortunately, the Dilbert website has a nice search tool that helped me find one of my favorites. It can apply to the coping with the current stay-at-home orders.

http://www.dilbert.com/strip/1995-02-09

 

[dd564]

Staying sane here is a combination of:

• Following a schedule, and not dwelling on the news sites or statistics. I get the info, and move on to more creative experiences
• Reading a variety of posts at E-R. Virtual characters here have replaced the co-workers I encountered.
• Spotify - This has brightened my days since I'm listening more. Listening to lists of older artists, and sampling newer music suggested by Spotify is a real plus.
• Afternoon walk - Gotta push every day, but I see results in lower BP.

I frequent several online forums. Some more sports related as well as other topics like garages, grilling, and other manly stuff.

This is by far the most... "fearful" of COVID of any I have frequented.

So I guess my suggestion would be to chat with various interests and backgrounds. There's only so much we can do financially and the financially concerned seem to be handling this tougher than garage, sports, or food fans.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

The only way I've been able to rid of moles is to get rid of their food source, grubs.

I had to throw Grubex down for 2 seasons and once the grubs were gone, the moles were gone. I'm guessing they just went somewhere else.

I didn't know there was such a product. Our crazy dog thinks grubs are delicious and has been digging holes everywhere to get at them. Thanks for the tip!

 

[ripper1]

Bourbon.

When the weather breaks I will head out to the Forest.

I prefer vodka martinis....shaken....not stirred....2 olives.

 

[aja8888]

I didn't know there was such a product. Our crazy dog thinks grubs are delicious and has been digging holes everywhere to get at them. Thanks for the tip!

I hope your dog doesn't eat the GrubeX too!

 

[ugeauxgirl]

I hope your dog doesn't eat the GrubeX too!

Hmm-hadn't thought of that. Good point.

 

[target2019]

Staying sane here is a combination of:

• Following a schedule, and not dwelling on the news sites or statistics. I get the info, and move on to more creative experiences
• Reading a variety of posts at E-R. Virtual characters here have replaced the co-workers I encountered.
• Spotify - This has brightened my days since I'm listening more. Listening to lists of older artists, and sampling newer music suggested by Spotify is a real plus.
• Afternoon walk - Gotta push every day, but I see results in lower BP.

I frequent several online forums. Some more sports related as well as other topics like garages, grilling, and other manly stuff.

This is by far the most... "fearful" of COVID of any I have frequented.

So I guess my suggestion would be to chat with various interests and backgrounds. There's only so much we can do financially and the financially concerned seem to be handling this tougher than garage, sports, or food fans.

E-R members are doing fine by me--many free thinkers. There's a lot of open-minded discussion about COVID, and I am fine with the peer review that goes on. Fear or flight is a human trait, and it can be useful.

I'll pass on the manly things. Time to get better acquainted with my x chromosome so that when I meet god, I'll make a nice impression on her.

 

[brewer12345]

Our Bergen County NJ Executive closed County parks a week or 2 ago, and that has hit me hard as it was my physical and emotional respite from all this craziness. Yesterday the Governor closed all State parks as well. Not to be cliched, but I do remind myself how much worse things could be (entire family is healthy).

There are millions of acres of national forest in my state and something like one law enforcement officer for every hundred square miles. Couldn't close it if they wanted to. Come find me, copper!

 

[Souschef]

I am doing OK, but am concerned about DW. she is getting a little paranoid. She worries about me being mugged in the market parking lot. I tried to tell her that muggers are looking for easy prey, not a 6 foot 200 pound man.

 

[Nemo2]

I tried to tell her that muggers are looking for easy prey, not a 6 foot 200 pound man.

As I told DW many years ago about wild predators...."They're looking for a meal, not a fight".

 

[kaneohe]

didn't post earlier but keeping sane with CATV and internet. Then as if in retribution for not being grateful, lost both today. There was a scary message about my IP address being used by another machine and to change the IP address which I know nothing about. Using the only tool in my arsenal, I rebooted everything........computer, CATV box, modem and router . No improvement.

However the scary message did not reappear and the TV came up with error message about being available soon. Called them and the robot said there was a known problem in the area and they hoped to fix it by 4PM. At 3:30pM
checked and TV was working, plugged modem and router in hoping it was a single cause problem that would fix all. Got lucky and everything works for
now and am so grateful for that.

 

[statsman]

Most distressing, and not what a cat is supposed to do. Even the cat probably is vaguely aware of that. Something is bothering him.

Your is a bit older (though 12 isn't ancient for a cat)...but we had a neutered male, otherwise a first-rate pet, who started urinating on the floor inside the house because he could see (through sliding glass doors) another male cat parading around outside in HIS territory. He couldn't get at the intruder, so this was the only way he had to express his indignation. When the other cat stopped coming around, so did the out-of-box urination.

We're considering the possibility of cat dementia, at least a very slow onset of it the past couple of years. The signs are there, beyond those in my post you quoted. Meowing loudly (more like howling), many times in the middle of the night, but does occur during the daytime. Obsessive cleaning. Sleeping at odd (for him) hours. As you say, distressing.

We considered the possibility of an outside cat triggering this, but we haven't seen any in our neighborhood or in our yard, nor in the house we rented for seven months prior to moving here in June 2019. He was doing all of the above there too. There aren't any signs of fecal from other animals in our yard. He is and has always been an indoor only cat. Same for the other two cats in our household.

 

[Car-Guy]

Power washed the barn, tractor and truck today... This staying at home stuff is too much like work.