Things I would have done differently if I’d realized the lockdown would be this long

1. Gotten a hair cut (inspired by another poster)

2. Taken out more light fiction from a library

3. Stockpiled a wider selection of teas

Post your three and pass it on?


Definitely would not have gotten a gel manicure at the end of February.....


-- can't think of a damn thing. No imagination.


1. Buy more tp. 8 rolls no longer seem like an adequate supply.


krnl said:

1. Buy more tp. 8 rolls no longer seem like an adequate supply.

re-evaluate your usage patterns. I found I was using at least twice as much per use than I really needed. 

I'm considering getting a hand-held bidet sprayer too.


I would have taken my dog to the groomer and got him clipped as close as possible. He was close to ready for his next cut, and he's been getting pretty shaggy. So I got some dog clippers and made a go of it, but the poor little fellow looks like somebody's been chewing on him. As long as he's comfortable and not tangled & matted ...

I would have bumped my own hair cut up a week as well. My next appointment was scheduled the first week they closed down and my hair is looking really sad. And I would have consulted with my hair stylist concerning colors of hair dye that I can buy to put on myself. I bought something to cover the grey roots but I have no idea if it's even close to the right color, and may end up looking worse than the dog. 


drummerboy said:

krnl said:

1. Buy more tp. 8 rolls no longer seem like an adequate supply.

re-evaluate your usage patterns. 

 Then buy more tp.


1. Purchase a chest freezer before they were out of stock....everywhere!


1. Give my grown kids long hugs and kisses.


Stockup on non-perishables while I was still able to go food shopping. 


Formerlyjerseyjack said:

-- can't think of a damn thing. No imagination.

 Same.  Of course I live in the boonies so I already had a decent amount of food in the freezer and pantry

One thing I will do after this is over is price out water filtration systems.  Point of use for the kitchen sink, but the DIY versions just attach to the cold and I don’t want to waste water when washing dishes and such, so a professionally installed one with a separate spigot is what I’ll probably go with so the expensive filter cartridges last longer 


joan_crystal said:

Stockup on non-perishables while I was still able to go food shopping. 

 Stocked up at the can-can sale at ShopRite. Years ago, when I was newly widowed, I bought 12 cans of tomatoes and thought I would never use them--took me forever. Now, I wish I had bought a case of them as well as cannellini, black and red kidney beans. I usually buy a couple every couple of weeks. Continued my other hoarding ways about stocking up on cleaning products and Lysol wipes... I was trying to practice the Hindu concept of "aparigraha" or "non-hoarding." Hubris... 


A few weeks ago I was behind a man at Shop Rite in Springfield who bought 82 cans of Progresso soup. I’m not laughing any more. (This totally predates the pandemic. He said he just likes to have a lot of soup on hand so stocks up when Progresso’s on sale.)


Heynj said:

A few weeks ago I was behind a man at Shop Rite in Springfield who bought 82 cans of Progresso soup. I’m not laughing any more. (This totally predates the pandemic. He said he just likes to have a lot of soup on hand so stocks up when Progresso’s on sale.)

 I believe the CanCan sale was a few weeks before this hit.  Shop Rite had some varieties of Progresso soup for $1 a can.  I bought a few, but yeah, I wish I had bought more.  Not for staples, they're still available, just because now they're like $2.98 a can and with the kids home all day and apparently hungry 24/7 opening a can of soup once in awhile means I can feed them without having to actually cook


Yeah, I bought 20 cans of Progresso soups in two batches at the last can can sale.


I’m wishing I could reschedule my depression, so low motivation wouldn’t have prevented me from checking what’s in my Passover boxes. Shoulda planned earlier. Not as many or varied disposable bowls (no soup bowls), no plastic knives or teaspoons, no tumblers or hot drink cups. Sigh.

Loads of foil, plastic wrap, baking parchment, foil baking trays and dishes. Yay! Loads of wiping cloths - yay! But no napkins. Can’t find my coffee pot, my kettle, my chopping boards. It’s the last afternoon, every 30 mins someone rings...  I’ll write lists for next year!

Well, now it’s after dinner/almost-Seder. Just the two of us so we kept it light. I managed to get get soup done, the eggs, the Sacrificed bone, horseradish, stewed fruit, a salad. Meat was the chicken pieces from the soup; ‘cake’ was chocolatey matzah. We sang, we said the blessings; we’ll do better tomorrow.


I wish I had gone for an eye exam gotten new glasses. I realize now that my vision has deteriorated and I need new glasses. Bummer. Eye exams won't be coming back for a while, one assumes.

Which reminds me of a joke:

A Czechoslovakian gentleman goes to the optometrist for an eye exam. The optometrist says, "can you read the second line of the eye chart?" The Czech says, "Read it??  I KNOW that guy!"


joanne said:

I’m wishing I could reschedule my depression, so low motivation wouldn’t have prevented me from checking what’s in my Passover boxes. Shoulda planned earlier. Not as many or varied disposable bowls (no soup bowls), no plastic knives or teaspoons, no tumblers or hot drink cups. Sigh.

Loads of foil, plastic wrap, baking parchment, foil baking trays and dishes. Yay! Loads of wiping cloths - yay! But no napkins. Can’t find my coffee pot, my kettle, my chopping boards. It’s the last afternoon, every 30 mins someone rings...  I’ll write lists for next year!

Well, now it’s after dinner/almost-Seder. Just the two of us so we kept it light. I managed to get get soup done, the eggs, the Sacrificed bone, horseradish, stewed fruit, a salad. Meat was the chicken pieces from the soup; ‘cake’ was chocolatey matzah. We sang, we said the blessings; we’ll do better tomorrow.

 We are receiving dispensation this year.  There are approved substitutions for everything on the traditional Seder plate.  My Seder plate will be comprised of romaine, celery, hard boiled egg, fruit and nuts, and a carrot.  I may combine it all together in a salad as my Passover dinner.  Those who could not go to the store to get matzoh have been told it is OK to eat leavened bread this year.  The motto here is health first.


@joanne

Wishing you health, peace, and the joyous solemnity of the holiday. 

Perhaps think of it this way... there wasn't much preparation before fleeing from Egypt, along with challenging emotions that go with the unknown, so you may be experiencing the Seder more authentically.


The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

I wish I had gone for an eye exam gotten new glasses. I realize now that my vision has deteriorated and I need new glasses. Bummer. Eye exams won't be coming back for a while, one assumes.



 I did that. Had a series of exams. Picked up my new progressive glasses several days before social distancing and stay at home was announced. On the lens for my weaker eye the script for reading is totally wrong and there is also a defect in the lens that causes a distortion. If I am looking at my kindle fire I see a trapezode shape instead of a rectangle. I'm so desperate for glasses that focus properly so I can read. Who knows how long it will be before I can revisit the ophthalmologist for a fresh script and then get new glasses.


The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

I wish I had gone for an eye exam gotten new glasses. I realize now that my vision has deteriorated and I need new glasses. Bummer. Eye exams won't be coming back for a while, one assumes.

Which reminds me of a joke:

A Czechoslovakian gentleman goes to the optometrist for an eye exam. The optometrist says, "can you read the second line of the eye chart?" The Czech says, "Read it??  I KNOW that guy!"

 I had my yearly eye exam a few weeks ago since my contact script had expired. I was going to get new glasses, though the script hadn’t changed but the woman shook her head and said- just wait on that. Don’t try on the frames. We just cleaned everything. The Dr. just had an office meeting that morning on what he should do- stay open or close. 


krnl said:

 I did that. Had a series of exams. Picked up my new progressive glasses several days before social distancing and stay at home was announced. On the lens for my weaker eye the script for reading is totally wrong and there is also a defect in the lens that causes a distortion. If I am looking at my kindle fire I see a trapezode shape instead of a rectangle. I'm so desperate for glasses that focus properly so I can read. Who knows how long it will be before I can revisit the ophthalmologist for a fresh script and then get new glasses.

 Do you glasses from the prior prescription work at all?


Re: eyes: aren’t there exceptions for urgency? Here, my cataracts appointment is classed as urgent even though it’s the first with the ophthalmologist. I’m in a year-long waiting list in the public system just to be seen, but my vision has changed at least three times since that referral was made at the end of last year. Just as we entered tighter isolation rules I was referred into the private system and got an appointment for the end of this month.

Re: ‘the rules’:  oh oh  We certainly look like refugees here! And I stopped stressing and went with whatever was ready. Compared with Inquisition and pogroms and WW2, this is nothing -  my plumbing is working, we have technology, and we have at least one box full of smashed matzah! (Unbelievably smashed)


joan_crystal said:

 Do you glasses from the prior prescription work at all?

 Somewhat. Sustained reading is uncomfortable, however. If I didn't have them reading would be next to impossible.


krnl said:

joan_crystal said:

 Do you glasses from the prior prescription work at all?

 Somewhat. Sustained reading is uncomfortable, however.

 Hard copy or digital? Can you make digital things ‘read aloud’?


joanne said:

 Hard copy or digital? Can you make digital things ‘read aloud’?

 Probably, but my mind wanders and I am easily distracted by listen only narratives. For reading, fonts are now very important and digital is somewhat easier. 


Krnl:  Yuck!  Hopefully things get back to sufficient normal so that you can get the eyeglasses issue resolved. At least with the old lenses you can read essential things. My next eye appointment is in May.  Hopefully, my vision will not have changed sufficiently to require new glasses by the time that appointment is likely to be rescheduled for.


The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

I wish I had gone for an eye exam gotten new glasses. I realize now that my vision has deteriorated and I need new glasses. Bummer. Eye exams won't be coming back for a while, one assumes.

Which reminds me of a joke:

A Czechoslovakian gentleman goes to the optometrist for an eye exam. The optometrist says, "can you read the second line of the eye chart?" The Czech says, "Read it??  I KNOW that guy!"

 I received an e-mail from Visionworks that said their services were deemed as essential under certain conditions.  You may be able to get an exam and new glasses.  Good luck!


Innocentbystander said:

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

I wish I had gone for an eye exam gotten new glasses. I realize now that my vision has deteriorated and I need new glasses. Bummer. Eye exams won't be coming back for a while, one assumes.

Which reminds me of a joke:

A Czechoslovakian gentleman goes to the optometrist for an eye exam. The optometrist says, "can you read the second line of the eye chart?" The Czech says, "Read it??  I KNOW that guy!"

 I received an e-mail from Visionworks that said their services were deemed as essential under certain conditions.  You may be able to get an exam and new glasses.  Good luck!

"Under certain condition?" I wonder what that means.

 I looked at the site for Lenscrafters, where I've gotten my last few pairs of glasses and they definitely are not doing in-person eye exams. That's very close contact. Much less than 6' apart. They say they're open for "online shopping" which I guess means you can order stuff online.

But I will check Lenscrafters again. And Visionworks. Perhaps if optician and customer are  both masked and gloved it could work. Governor Cuomo wouldn't like it, though.


The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

Innocentbystander said:

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

I wish I had gone for an eye exam gotten new glasses. I realize now that my vision has deteriorated and I need new glasses. Bummer. Eye exams won't be coming back for a while, one assumes.

Which reminds me of a joke:

A Czechoslovakian gentleman goes to the optometrist for an eye exam. The optometrist says, "can you read the second line of the eye chart?" The Czech says, "Read it??  I KNOW that guy!"

 I received an e-mail from Visionworks that said their services were deemed as essential under certain conditions.  You may be able to get an exam and new glasses.  Good luck!

"Under certain condition?" I wonder what that means.

 I looked at the site for Lenscrafters, where I've gotten my last few pairs of glasses and they definitely are not doing in-person eye exams. That's very close contact. Much less than 6' apart. They say they're open for "online shopping" which I guess means you can order stuff online.

But I will check Lenscrafters again. And Visionworks. Perhaps if optician and customer are  both masked and gloved it could work. Governor Cuomo wouldn't like it, though.

 I followed up. NO STORES ARE OPEN NOR DOING EYE EXAMS.


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