The Chaos Diaries - 8/18/20

Yeah, it's been a while since I did a Chaos Diaries post, but it's still chaotic, even if we're mostly learning to deal with it.

For the most part, the USPS does an okay job, but I don't trust them with my vote.  I work from home for a company up in Michigan.  Every Thursday, they mail me a check.  Mostly, it arrives on Monday.  Sometimes Tuesday.  Every once in a while, Thursday.  About 4 times a year, the check never arrives.  Once, the check arrived more than two weeks late, after the company had already issued me a new check.  Once a package they'd sent, with tracking, went to a totally different town because the USPS said the address was illegible.  I called the other town's post office and spoke to a woman there who had my package and said she could read the address just fine and would be putting it back into the mail.  It arrived here a couple days later.  I'll be voting in person, thank you very much.

Speaking of other 'rona oddities, Owl was informed yesterday that she needs to take a 'rona test and have it mailed back by Sunday or she can't go back to school.  It's being overnighted - thankfully all at the university's expense because the test alone is $150 - and it will be overnighted back.  But it has to be shipped from an actual UPS location and not in 'in-store' shipping location, which means a roadtrip for us.  There was a UPS store not too awfully far from us, but it went belly-up, I guess, since the number is disconnected.  Funny, when I called UPS directly, they gave that location as the one for me to go to.  Stupid heads.  Anyway, she'll get the test and then she has to log into Zoom, wait for a technician, and then spit into a tube while the technician is watching so they can verify it is, in fact, her spit.  She already sent them a pic of her ID.  Here's hoping she looks like the photo on her ID. 

In case you missed it, she has to take a 'rona test now before she goes through three germ-infested airplanes and airports to get back to school.  If there had been any other way to deal with this back in March, I would've left her in Michigan. 

I've been managing the mask thing without additional panic attacks.  It is what it is, so I deal with it.  Going to Wallyworld is surreal with all the people walking around in masks.  Can't tell who anyone is.  Can't see if anyone is smiling back at you because they can't see if you're smiling.  It's dehumanizing.

Back on the 4th, Hubs and I went to vote.  Our local polling place is small.  There's rarely anyone else in there but us and the workers.  I think it usually seats 10 voters, but with the social distancing requirements, it seats 6.  Outside, I pulled up next to a snazzy, black, sports car.  An elderly couple - they were easily in their late 70s early 80s - was inside the vehicle .  As I began to exit my vehicle, the old lady in her mask in the car starts waving at me and pointing to her mask, then she pulls it down to her chin and mouths at me to put my mask on.  Okay, you old Karen, you.  Lemme tell ya somethin'.  You are more danger to others in your sports car than I am without a mask.  Feh.  By the way, they must've already voted or we scared them off with our masklessness because they didn't come in behind us and they were gone by the time we got done voting.  Other voters in there while we were there?  ONE.  He was there when we got there and left before we did.  We never passed within 6 feet of him.  Oh, and he wasn't wearing a mask either.  The old ladies who man the polling station?  There are four of them, they were wearing masks, AND they were behind hanging plastic shields. 

Okay, that's enough out of me for the day.  Thanks for letting me vent.  How are things in your world amidst the 'rona?