As I said in earlier posts, everyday I check out certain statistics on the Tarrant County covid site.
They're usually up around 2:00, and that's around the time I check.
Today I was running late...mostly because the overly long blog post I wrote earlier, AND we did some college shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond.
I didn't go to the website until close to five.
And it turns out, I'm not the only one running late.
The Tarrant County website is running late as well.
So, what's up with that?
Should I be suspicious?
Should I be worried?
Maybe the person who runs the site is like me and had a busier than usual morning.
I'm not really sure if it's one person who runs the site or a whole team.
I have no idea, really.
Anyway.....
As for our shopping trip. This is the second we've gone on. Tim has gone on many, and he noted that Bed Bath and Beyond is less wonderful than other places he's been to, because they didn't have anyone disinfecting the carts.
As for masks, most people wore them.
I think I actually messed up. Not mask-wise. But I think at one point, I stood close to people to look at the same stuff they were looking at. Later I realized that Tim complains about this when he comes home from shopping.
I don't think I got super close into these people's personal space. Because I'm not that kind of person. But I probably failed to keep six feet away.
I'm sorry about that.
I need to be more aware and remember not to do that next time we go shopping.
When we went to check out, it was time for other people to be the bad ones.
One woman had no mask, and another had a mask on but it was pulled down to her chin. That annoyed me. But now I feel I can't be too self-righteous in my anger, since I messed up as well.
Well, to my defense, though. My actions were out of stupidity and forgetfulness. It's hard for me to understand the mask failures.
The women were Black. If they were white, I would guess that they were Trump supporters, and they were showing their Trump love by being mask-defiant.
At Central Market ten days ago, we saw young white men with their masks slipped down to their chin. They looked like frat boys, and I immediately got the sense that they were being Trump-flavored defiant. White people make me angry, but at least I understand their motivation. Or I IMAGINE I understand their motivation.
I guess the women today could have been some of the rare Black Trump supporters? Or maybe there are other reasons to be mask-defiant. I'm guessing it would have to be a matter of defiance rather than ignorance. It would be hard to not notice that pretty much everyone else is wearing masks. And if everyone is doing something, it would be logical to assume there's a reason for it.
Other explanations I'm thinking of....
A) They are under the common mistaken belief that masks are to protect ourselves rather than others. They could be thinking....oh, we're not afraid of getting sick! We'll be fine. Don't worry about us.
I think sometimes people feel they're being kind by not wearing masks or using antibacterial gel. It's kind of like the mindset of those who say, Oh! Don't worry that you barfed on my shoe. I'm not bothered by it. Let me hold back your hair and give you a hug.
B) They could have simply forgotten their masks...not realized they're not wearing them. This happened to Tim once. He went into a shop to pick up food; then afterwards realized he forgot to wear a mask.
I think this would better explain the woman who was totally missing a mask rather than the person who pulled down her mask.
C) They actually already had the virus and believe they're not in danger of being contagious anymore.
If we ever get confirmation that it's NOT possible to be reinfected, it would be nice if people get some kind of stamp or bracelet that lets people know it's fine for them to go out without masks.
I mean I am TOTALLY pro-mask.
But I've come to realize the masks can be really uncomfortable at times...especially when it's hot. I really feel for people who have to wear them all day. But....
I still expect them to do it.
Which brings me to my other mask tattle-tale story. We stopped at Burger King to pick up some lunch and the guy working the drive-thru had his mask pulled down. Our encounter with him was very short, so I'm pretty sure we didn't catch Covid from him. But what about his coworkers?
Anyway, in my very limited experiences of going out, I feel I've seen too many examples of people not following the mask rules. It's giving me even less faith in the whole college dorm thing than I had before.
First of all, I can't fully blame the college students for not masking up all the time or most of the time. It's bad enough having to wear the masks for a trip to the grocery store or a few hours here and there for classes. But in the dorms...when they're just hanging out and relaxing? To keep the virus from spreading, they would really need to wear the mask every time they leave the room. Actually, they probably would need to wear it even IN their room...in order to protect their roommates.
But who the hell would want to wear the mask full time? Everyone deserves a time and place where they can have the relief of taking off that mask.
Jack's college is not requiring the kids to wear masks in their own rooms. I doubt any school is.
Hopefully roommates won't be passing the virus to roommates. I'm not sure how that's not going to happen. But...oh...well.
Even with the required mask times, though, which will be in common areas like the laundry room, kitchen, and lobbies, I imagine there will be many students letting at least their nose be naked. Some will go totally maskless and some will use the required mask to cover their chin and neck. And like the shops we've been to, there will be no one who feels brave enough to speak up. I imagine, in most cases, everyone will politely keep quiet about it.
Well....then in other cases, people will not keep quiet about it. They'll record it on their phone. There'll be a huge fight, and we'll all get to see it on Twitter.
They're usually up around 2:00, and that's around the time I check.
Today I was running late...mostly because the overly long blog post I wrote earlier, AND we did some college shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond.
I didn't go to the website until close to five.
And it turns out, I'm not the only one running late.
The Tarrant County website is running late as well.
So, what's up with that?
Should I be suspicious?
Should I be worried?
Maybe the person who runs the site is like me and had a busier than usual morning.
I'm not really sure if it's one person who runs the site or a whole team.
I have no idea, really.
Anyway.....
As for our shopping trip. This is the second we've gone on. Tim has gone on many, and he noted that Bed Bath and Beyond is less wonderful than other places he's been to, because they didn't have anyone disinfecting the carts.
As for masks, most people wore them.
I think I actually messed up. Not mask-wise. But I think at one point, I stood close to people to look at the same stuff they were looking at. Later I realized that Tim complains about this when he comes home from shopping.
I don't think I got super close into these people's personal space. Because I'm not that kind of person. But I probably failed to keep six feet away.
I'm sorry about that.
I need to be more aware and remember not to do that next time we go shopping.
When we went to check out, it was time for other people to be the bad ones.
One woman had no mask, and another had a mask on but it was pulled down to her chin. That annoyed me. But now I feel I can't be too self-righteous in my anger, since I messed up as well.
Well, to my defense, though. My actions were out of stupidity and forgetfulness. It's hard for me to understand the mask failures.
The women were Black. If they were white, I would guess that they were Trump supporters, and they were showing their Trump love by being mask-defiant.
At Central Market ten days ago, we saw young white men with their masks slipped down to their chin. They looked like frat boys, and I immediately got the sense that they were being Trump-flavored defiant. White people make me angry, but at least I understand their motivation. Or I IMAGINE I understand their motivation.
I guess the women today could have been some of the rare Black Trump supporters? Or maybe there are other reasons to be mask-defiant. I'm guessing it would have to be a matter of defiance rather than ignorance. It would be hard to not notice that pretty much everyone else is wearing masks. And if everyone is doing something, it would be logical to assume there's a reason for it.
Other explanations I'm thinking of....
A) They are under the common mistaken belief that masks are to protect ourselves rather than others. They could be thinking....oh, we're not afraid of getting sick! We'll be fine. Don't worry about us.
I think sometimes people feel they're being kind by not wearing masks or using antibacterial gel. It's kind of like the mindset of those who say, Oh! Don't worry that you barfed on my shoe. I'm not bothered by it. Let me hold back your hair and give you a hug.
B) They could have simply forgotten their masks...not realized they're not wearing them. This happened to Tim once. He went into a shop to pick up food; then afterwards realized he forgot to wear a mask.
I think this would better explain the woman who was totally missing a mask rather than the person who pulled down her mask.
C) They actually already had the virus and believe they're not in danger of being contagious anymore.
If we ever get confirmation that it's NOT possible to be reinfected, it would be nice if people get some kind of stamp or bracelet that lets people know it's fine for them to go out without masks.
I mean I am TOTALLY pro-mask.
But I've come to realize the masks can be really uncomfortable at times...especially when it's hot. I really feel for people who have to wear them all day. But....
I still expect them to do it.
Which brings me to my other mask tattle-tale story. We stopped at Burger King to pick up some lunch and the guy working the drive-thru had his mask pulled down. Our encounter with him was very short, so I'm pretty sure we didn't catch Covid from him. But what about his coworkers?
Anyway, in my very limited experiences of going out, I feel I've seen too many examples of people not following the mask rules. It's giving me even less faith in the whole college dorm thing than I had before.
First of all, I can't fully blame the college students for not masking up all the time or most of the time. It's bad enough having to wear the masks for a trip to the grocery store or a few hours here and there for classes. But in the dorms...when they're just hanging out and relaxing? To keep the virus from spreading, they would really need to wear the mask every time they leave the room. Actually, they probably would need to wear it even IN their room...in order to protect their roommates.
But who the hell would want to wear the mask full time? Everyone deserves a time and place where they can have the relief of taking off that mask.
Jack's college is not requiring the kids to wear masks in their own rooms. I doubt any school is.
Hopefully roommates won't be passing the virus to roommates. I'm not sure how that's not going to happen. But...oh...well.
Even with the required mask times, though, which will be in common areas like the laundry room, kitchen, and lobbies, I imagine there will be many students letting at least their nose be naked. Some will go totally maskless and some will use the required mask to cover their chin and neck. And like the shops we've been to, there will be no one who feels brave enough to speak up. I imagine, in most cases, everyone will politely keep quiet about it.
Well....then in other cases, people will not keep quiet about it. They'll record it on their phone. There'll be a huge fight, and we'll all get to see it on Twitter.
