I'm Chillin at Home

Today seemed to be the day of forgetting everything we just learned yesterday about social distancing. While a lot of people in my social network seem to be all for it, there are some (including some of those very same people) who continue to post photos of dinners out, go on vacation, and make plans for get-togethers. This all is going to last at a minimum for a couple weeks, and more likely for a few months, so everyone really needs to get on board now.

A number of states today ordered bars and restaurants to close or offer take-out only. I wish they would do that in my state. The below screenshot was posted on Facebook last night by a local bar - look how crowded! Why would they even share that?! Anthony Fauci of the NIH made the rounds on TV today to urge people, especially young people, to take social distancing more seriously, especially in communities where the virus is already spreading (like mine!). More things are being closed and cancelled, and hopefully that gives people less incentive to go out. I'm also seeing more references to the fact that this may not peak until April or May, and at least one governor has said they wouldn't be surprised if schools didn't reopen this year.

Facebook screenshot

I know people want to support these local businesses, and I think this is just the time where people will have to get creative with that. Maybe this means your waitstaff become delivery drivers. Maybe you put together meal kits for customers to cook at their own homes (I would love a meal kit from some of my favorite restaurants!). People have also been recommending buying a restaurant gift card now, so they have the money, and using it later when this is all over. Any other ideas?

Speaking of food, I placed my first ever grocery pick-up order today. I actually love grocery shopping, so I'd never looked into all the pick-up and delivery options out there. I asked on Facebook what people thought of the various services, and got some good feedback. For now, I am going to try Giant Direct, where I can place an order with my local Giant supermarket and they will put it right in my car at the designated time, with no human interaction needed. Most of the other services (like Instacart and Shipt, for example) require an annual membership fee, so if this works well I'm happy to just pay a small fee per order, and continue shopping from my usual store. What I didn't realize was that I wouldn't be able to schedule my order for 48 hours - I was hoping to pick it up tomorrow. Oh well, one more day of soup packets before we get some fresh food in here 🥗