Don't Panic

[and one]

Look at the cover of your copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Right there in bold letters - Don't Panic. Good advice from Douglas Adams. Grab your towel, keep your wits about you and all will be well. If this advice seems almost, but not entirely meaningless, Google will be of help.

The proceeding is meant to soften the following: be prepared for life disruptions that extend farther into the future that we'd rather. CoVid will be around awhile. Maybe it dies back in the summer, maybe not. Maybe it will take a vaccine in a year or so to end it. Maybe large gathering won't be happening this summer or next fall and winter. Maybe there will not be UConn WBB come November. I hope that is not so. I've been wrong often enough to doubt my own thoughts here, but be prepared for a long pause before we can root for and quibble about our favorite team. Just in case.

 

[triaddukefan]

Too late...people are already panicking. Went to the grocery store earlier this afternoon to pick up some Ginger Ale and Mayo...... and the parking lot was more full than Ive ever seen it. Inside.... the toilet tissue aisle was cleared out... as well as the bottled water and cleaning supplies. You'd think a hurricane was bearing down on the Carolina Coast or something. Every cart i saw had multiple packs of tissue and water..... every checkout line was backed up into the aisles. I just looked around in amazement .... as i waited my turn. Asked the cashier if it had been like this all day.. she said yes. Overheard another cashier grumbling that they should get paid time and a half for this. Mind you there have been no positive cases in my county of 540,000 people.

but anyway... at least I got my mayo and ginger ale

 

[and one]

Too late...people are already panicking. Went to the grocery store earlier this afternoon to pick up some Ginger Ale and Mayo...... and the parking lot was more full than Ive ever seen it. Inside.... the toilet tissue aisle was cleared out... as well as the bottled water and cleaning supplies. You'd think a hurricane was bearing down on the Carolina Coast or something. Every cart i saw had multiple packs of tissue and water..... every checkout line was backed up into the aisles. I just looked around in amazement .... as i waited my turn. Asked the cashier if it had been like this all day.. she said yes. Overheard another cashier grumbling that they should get paid time and a half for this. Mind you there have been no positive cases in my county of 540,000 people.

but anyway... at least I got my mayo and ginger ale

Forsyth or Guilford?

 

[triaddukefan]

Forsyth or Guilford?

Guilford

 

[meyers7]

I still don't understand the toilet paper thing. ?????

 

[and one]

Guilford

My son went to UNCG.

 

[and one]

I still don't understand the toilet paper thing. ?????

The idea is that in case you end up in self quarantine, or for what ever reason want to not go out at all that TP is one of those things that running out of would be an issue. Having some extra is a good idea, an extra case overkill. I'm

 

[Kaizen]

I still don't understand the toilet paper thing. ?????

Just came back from Costco, all toilet papers, flours, rices and instant noodles are gone. Don't know why people are chasing for rices and instant noodles?

 

[Biff]

Just came back from Costco, all toilet papers, flours, rices and instant noodles are gone. Don't know why people are chasing for rices and instant noodles?

I think it's simply because of the unknown. WHEN might I need to quarantine? For HOW LONG might I need to quarantine? Things like flour, rices and instant noodles have a tremendous shelf life without the need for refrigeration or other storage needs. Buy them, put them on a shelf and they will be there when and if you need them at some unknown point in the future.

 

[wbball novice]

Toilet paper ... because people no longer hoard newspapers?

 

[eebmg]

Panic, no but there is plenty to be concerned about.

On the positive side, perhaps the human race will become just a little less selfish as they are forced to at think about others and the public good.

 

[meyers7]

The idea is that in case you end up in self quarantine, or for what ever reason want to not go out at all that TP is one of those things that running out of would be an issue. Having some extra is a good idea, an extra case overkill. I'm

But how much toilet paper can you use in a couple weeks, a month???? We buy a case every 2-3 months.

AND, if we did run out of toilet paper, use a wash cloth, or use the shower as a bidet. Food I get, TP, one of the least of my worries.

 

[mbr33ct]

It's good to buy 3-ply, if self-isolation you can start to peel 1-ply off at a time and get 3X longer time.

 

[eebmg]

so I await a thread where TP rankings are discussed.

 

[mbr33ct]

so I await a thread where TP rankings are discussed.

A Poll would be good.

 

[eebmg]

For my TP, all I ask for is consistency and a good pick and roll

 

[OldAlum]

I understand stocking up to reduce trips to the store. I get buying cleaning supplies and TP to some extent. But what is with the bottled water? It is not a hurricane - you will likely have power and your faucets will work!

BTW, it is psychologically more effective to advise "Stay Calm" rather than "Dont Panic" "Dont Panic" can be psychologically like saying "dont think of a pink elephant". Better to state the affirmative.

ETA: Ewww, pick and roll

 

[msf22b]

This thing is going to go on for a while and toilet paper will be back and that aspect will fade...

i'm 80, active, feel young. lots of broken plans...Italy for one...

We Winter in Northern Vt, live in New York City...absolutely can't go back to town now..My son who is around and about town daily is back in the apt. Reason enough. Cancelled last Friday's Dr. appointment.

My immune system is compromised by a season long sinus infection and I'm a prime candidate for the chop if I catch the plague.

So, I'll try not to (catch it)...which doesn't mean living like a hermit...skiing is finished for me this season, but my wife and I like to run around for 20-25 minutes shooting hoops...as soon as it gets a bit warmer.

Hiking in the Whites is safe....our sailboat is in a quiet yard in CT...we usually bring it to City Island and live home...not this year...we'll sail out of Westbrook

I was thinking of sending 3 months in a quiet Island in the Bahamas that I fancy...Spanish Wells...but getting on a plane may be too big a risk

So (for a retired guy) life goes on...just not quite as rich as before, but perfectly acceptable...and no fear...If I get it, it's curtains, so nothing to worry about.

 

[Steelerone]

I remember the first time I spoke with a stockbroker about my trepidation on buying a stock, wondering if it was the right one to buy. His response - "People will always use toilet paper".

 

[CL82]

This thing is going to go on for a while and toilet paper will be back and that aspect will fade...

i'm 80, active, feel young. lots of broken plans...Italy for one...

We Winter in Northern Vt, live in New York City...absolutely can't go back to town now..My son who is around and about town daily is back in the apt. Reason enough. Cancelled last Friday's Dr. appointment.

My immune system is compromised by a season long sinus infection and I'm a prime candidate for the chop if I catch the plague.

So, I'll try not to (catch it)...which doesn't mean living like a hermit...skiing is finished for me this season, but my wife and I like to run around for 20-25 minutes shooting hoops...as soon as it gets a bit warmer.

Hiking in the Whites is safe....our sailboat is in a quiet yard in CT...we usually bring it to City Island and live home...not this year...we'll sail out of Westbrook

I was thinking of sending 3 months in a quiet Island in the Bahamas that I fancy...Spanish Wells...but getting on a plane may be too big a risk

So (for a retired guy) life goes on...just not quite as rich as before, but perfectly acceptable...and no fear...If I get it, it's curtains, so nothing to worry about.

I want to be @msf22b when I grow up.

 

[bantamlaker]

BTW, it is psychologically more effective to advise "Stay Calm" rather than "Dont Panic" "Dont Panic" can be psychologically like saying "dont think of a pink elephant". Better to state the affirmative.

 

[kingdobbs]

Just came back from Costco, all toilet papers, flours, rices and instant noodles are gone. Don't know why people are chasing for rices and instant noodles?

They exist at the nexus of “cheap” and “non-perishable” that makes them useful to stock up on in anticipation of an expanded curtailing of movements throughout society.

So basically even if the person is wrong and it wasn’t necessary to buy a month worth of ramen because we never went on extended lockdown and/or they or someone they know never got sick , it won’t go bad in that time and they aren’t out a whole lot of money in the stocking up process.

 

[ShmiCO]

I understand stocking up to reduce trips to the store. I get buying cleaning supplies and TP to some extent. But what is with the bottled water? It is not a hurricane - you will likely have power and your faucets will work!

The drinking water thing has me stumped too... I don't expect power or water to fail.

 

[Bama fan]

I still don't understand the toilet paper thing. ?????

Does this stuff scare the crap out of people? Or perhaps it is more economical per square inch than tissues? I think the former is more likely. Someone said that people have **** for brains.

 

[HuskyNan]

My husband and I continue to go to restaurants and we have reservations to go out tonight, too. We are eating outside (ah, Florida) and use hand sanitizer liberally but our routines remain otherwise changed.

At work, were making sure everyone has access to our cloud-based programs and can work from home, if necessary. Life goes on.

From my Facebook page:

 

[and one]

I started this thread with a warning that horrors of horrors, maybe no b'ball come fall. I kind of expected some response that this was needless overreacting and fear mongering. Instead the thread has focused on the logistics of pandemic preparation in an entertaining way. A few reactions to various of the posts:

Grocery store - just a couple if days ago the supermarket I was in was business as usual except for hand sanitizer and alcohol. I stopped in last night for a few last things and how things had changed. No TP (more on that below), no paper towels, no water and most surprisingly no fresh produce. Tomatoes, onions, avocados, fruit of all kinds, you name it and it was gone. Much of it has limited shelf life so I suppose people are filling freezers. Yet there were still plenty of canned and frozen veggies and fruit to be had. Seemed odd to me.

TP - Shower/bidet or wash cloth in lieu of? A good plan D, but I can't tell you how much I would hate those options. 3 ply separated to 1 ply to extend the supply? A lifetime of experience tells me that It takes more 1 ply to get the same results as multi-ply. I read long ago that waste treatment plant operators hate 3 ply so I've always stayed with 2 with good success. "Pick and roll"? Loved it. A favorite TP poll? Bring it on. Quilted Northern is my go to and for that plug I hope to get a case delivered to my door. At what point do the moderators step in and ask us to please shut up about TP?

Don't Panic v Stay Calm - Stay calm is good but didn't give the chance to reference Hitchhiker's Guide, which is always a good thing to do. Years ago I ended up with a silver dollar sized pin, red with white letters, that said DON'T PANIC. From one of the overnight delivery outfits if memory serves. It sat in my desk for years. I still have it somewhere and if I find it I'll start wearing it during these trying times.

@msf22b, I appreciate your calm, but I'm not nearly so sanquin about that curtains thing. So who wins those b'ball games with the wife?

 

[msf22b]

@msf22b, I appreciate your calm, but I'm not nearly so sanquin about that curtains thing. So who wins those b'ball games with the wife?

We just runaround with 2 BB's and shoot; no contests per se.
We do note whose 15 footer % is better
She shoots from further out...For me going under the basket and doing a reverse layup is real good for my neck.

 

[Bigpetunia]

Panic can be a good thing, especially the kind induced by over-protective adult children. Best ways to paniic in our house:

1. Make a monster-sized pot of gumbo. I promise your grocery hasn’t sold out of frozen okra!
2. A similarly large pot of jambalaya, which tastes better every time it’s reheated.
3. Another big pot...chicken maquechoux. The ultimate comfort food in the face of any crisis.
4. Chicken fricassee...mmmm!

Plenty of cold beer...and brown whiskey! Having fun in the kitchen, with the TV off, and your favorite music on (opera for me) constitutes the best revenge!

 

[ClifSpliffy]

This thing is going to go on for a while and toilet paper will be back and that aspect will fade...

i'm 80, active, feel young. lots of broken plans...Italy for one...

We Winter in Northern Vt, live in New York City...absolutely can't go back to town now..My son who is around and about town daily is back in the apt. Reason enough. Cancelled last Friday's Dr. appointment.

My immune system is compromised by a season long sinus infection and I'm a prime candidate for the chop if I catch the plague.

So, I'll try not to (catch it)...which doesn't mean living like a hermit...skiing is finished for me this season, but my wife and I like to run around for 20-25 minutes shooting hoops...as soon as it gets a bit warmer.

Hiking in the Whites is safe....our sailboat is in a quiet yard in CT...we usually bring it to City Island and live home...not this year...we'll sail out of Westbrook

I was thinking of sending 3 months in a quiet Island in the Bahamas that I fancy...Spanish Wells...but getting on a plane may be too big a risk

So (for a retired guy) life goes on...just not quite as rich as before, but perfectly acceptable...and no fear...If I get it, it's curtains, so nothing to worry about.

dude, you are the poster child for 'the right attitude.' most of us will be exposed, but I feel certain that chinese cooties got no chance of beating a beast like youse. and for a bit of a booster shot for those like you, remember this. my great grams, 95 and toolin' around in her Chrysler, and never angry 'boot nuthin, was a bit miffed yesterday, cuz at her Fairfield stop and shop, there were so many people (buying tp?) that they were clogging up her lotto counter check out. I said to her on the telephone 'hey! don't you know? there's a war on, and we all got to do our part!' carry on.

 

[LoTrader]

It is easy not to panic if you are prepared. The virus, while concerning, is not the greatest of my concerns. That would be the reaction to the virus by our government, and, my fellow citizens. Shutting down commerce on a world-wide scale will have a great deal more impact on your life, and, the lives of your loved ones, than anything else. Will our citizens help each other should conditions approach desperation? I sure hope that is the case. Opportunity to build & strengthen your community circles.