How has the coronavirus affected your personal life?

[Hendre]

Beautiful part of the world is South Africa. A little story for you. My life could have been so so different. In 1980 a cousin of mine emigrated to Durban. He was a top UK footwear designer and an opportunity arose in South Africa. He started a thriving business, never looked back.

In 1982 my dad went out to visit him with a view to us moving out there. But my dad was just a builder, not a businessman. Apparently at the time white people did not work for black people, it was the other way round. So for my dad to succeed he would have had to start up his own building business and employ the locals. This scared him to death, he had no business skills whatsoever so that's as far as it went.

He just used the 3 weeks as an holiday and came back with masses of photographs. My dad passed a long long time ago but I still have all these beautiful photos from South Africa.

What could have been if working arrangements would have been different back then.

I have yet to visit Durban, it does look absolutely wonderful down there.

To some extent it still works like that; many smaller construction companies are white owned and the labourers are not. It's an unfortunate legacy of the old system. While most employers pay more than this for skilled workers the minimum wage still sits at about $1 an hour and many people live in informal conditions. It's slowly changing thankfully.

On the beauty side yes it's absolutely lovely. Those hills in the distance are just wonderful, for example around the Stellenbosch area:

 

[Ogertron3000]

My governor Brian Kemp has re opened movie theaters, gyms, barbershops, hair salons, and nail salons. I think he has made poor decisions.

We have only had single figure new infections per day in my state of the last few weeks, everyone is screaming at the government to reopen everything now. As much as I miss the gym and taking kid to the library I would prefer they are extra cautious. I'd much prefer a week or 2 of extra lockdown instead of having to do this all again if there is another outbreak. We seem to have got lucky here, very few infections and deaths compared to other places but if suddenly life goes back to normal and everyone is carrying on like it's all over I can see another spike could happen very easily.

 

[duanes]

Many politicians seem to be very cavalier, about the health of the masses.
So, just because they say its OK to go mingle, doesn't mean, we should mindlessly obey, or even consider their opinion reasonable, or well informed.
I will be very happy to stay in isolation on our uninfected island, until a vaccine is developed.

 

[Gourami Swami]

I was treated to a nice sunrise when I got up this morning to work on my articles. It was foggy so really created a nice effect of light coming over the mountains.
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Very jealous hendre!
I live in Jersey City new jersey, very grimey place haha nothing like this!
And COVID is very strong here I watched a body bag be removed from a building across the street the other day. Lockdown looking almost endless still, people are saying months. Though I am lucky enough to be able to pay my rent still so I am pretty comfortable for the moment.

 

[Hendre]

Very jealous hendre!
I live in Jersey City new jersey, very grimey place haha nothing like this!
And COVID is very strong here I watched a body bag be removed from a building across the street the other day. Lockdown looking almost endless still, people are saying months. Though I am lucky enough to be able to pay my rent still so I am pretty comfortable for the moment.

Hope you're staying safe over there, that doesn't sound like a good situation at all.

 

[Gourami Swami]

Hope you're staying safe over there, that doesn't sound like a good situation at all.

Thanks, I am staying inside not going anywhere but my backyard! NYC is right across the river so this is pretty much the epicenter in the U.S.

 

[Hendre]

Thanks, I am staying inside not going anywhere but my backyard! NYC is right across the river so this is pretty much the epicenter in the U.S.

Yikes. You and koltsixx should totally explore some NYC fish stores when this boils over.

 

[Ulu]

My wife would be freaking out in Jersey!
She’s afraid to go anywhere here, and we have hardly had any cases at all.

Right now my biggest worry is that Mojo the mbuna will eat my other fish. I’m afraid that’s going to change if this lockdown goes on for another 30 days.

 

[Hendre]

Right now my biggest worry is that Mojo the mbuna will eat my other fish. I’m afraid that’s going to change if this lockdown goes on for another 30 days.

Eating is a hallmark of Mbuna. I can't remember the Original poster of this but it stuck with me: "Mbuna like to eat, fight and have sex, all in no particular order"

 

[Ulu]

I had to like that twice, because it is so true.


As for Covid, an 86 y.o. woman died last night, making death #8 in the county, and reportedly 15 are in ICU about 450 known cases and 160+ of them are known recovered.

I hoarded fish food when I knew they'd close the shops. Then they didn't. All pet stores are still open.

But no more Pep Boys auto. All 33 retail parts stores closed and the shop space leased out to independent mechanics. 850 people were reported put out of work, but 3/4 of them were mechanics and shop supers. They're mostly still working for the new operators. Auto shops were not closed for the crisis either. Car sales lots are closed, but they deliver to your door, if you do the papers online.

Anyhow fish are eating well, but cars all need washing, and various work from trivial to total. Since we're not driving anywhere lately I am reengineering the SS100 and helping my wife with little projects.