The Unlocked Diaries

[Nefertiti2]

At the hut, I've got a couple of stand-up sandwich boards that I inherited from the previous hut-owner. At the moment, the top halves of both are plastered with signs telling people to stand at least 50 metres away before they eat or drink what they've bought. The bottom halves still have the proper signs, with "Minigolf & Kiosk" on them.

Yesterday, at half-past eight in the morning, before I'd even opened, a copper stopped and said, "Please cover up the word "Minigolf", as it makes it look like the course is open."

Spotters' badge for that one, constable.

Sounds like good advice to me.

[treibeis]

Plod, today: "Are you allowed to open crazy golf or not?"

Fuck off and do your homework.

[treibeis]

This morning, before I'd even opened:

- "You have to wear a mask, by law."
(No I don't, but you ought to, you ugly cunt.)

- "My wife's pregnant. You're legally obliged to let her use the toilet."
(No I'm not, I'm legally banned from letting her use the toilet.)

- (While I was repairing one of the holes)
"You'll be for it if the police catch you doing that."
(No I won't, but I know you're going to call them anyway. (Five minutes later, the police turned up.))

[treibeis]

There's a thunderstorm going on at the moment. I'm now a fucking arsehole because somebody who bought something here was told to not stand under the sunshade (that he'd opened, although it's mine and it has to remain closed) because it's not 50 metres from the hut.

I don't know these people. They might be from the Trade Licencing Office, they might be from the police, they might be grasses (lots of them on the prowl at the moment). The law - and the signs and my oral information - tells them to buy and go. But I'm still a fucking arsehole (which I undoubtedly am, but not because of that).

[Moonlight Shadow]

I was wondering how people would react in a queue outside shops in pissing rain today...looking at rain pissing it down...

[ursus arctos]

Pissing down here as well, though I don't have a clear line of sight to any queues

[Nefertiti2]

I was given a cup of tea and invited to shelter under the awning

[Hot Pepsi]

This morning, before I'd even opened:

- "You have to wear a mask, by law."
(No I don't, but you ought to, you ugly cunt.)

- "My wife's pregnant. You're legally obliged to let her use the toilet."
(No I'm not, I'm legally banned from letting her use the toilet.)

- (While I was repairing one of the holes)
"You'll be for it if the police catch you doing that."
(No I won't, but I know you're going to call them anyway. (Five minutes later, the police turned up.))

It's dumb to ask if the lavs are closed, given that I assume there's a big sign and everyone should understand that these are not normal times. Indeed, what the hell are they doing milling around the park? But to ask why is mindboggling. What difference does it make? Do they expect to be able to get them open by debating the question?

I have friends who do this.

Me: We can't park there; we'll get a ticket.

Them: Why not?

Me: I don't know. It's reserved. It's their parking lot and they can do what they want with it.. Let's move on.

Them: That's dumb. Last year it was open. I'm going to go talk to the guy. (proceeds to argue the "we used to be able to park here" with a guy that has no power to change anything).

[pebblethefish]

Hsppens everywhere HP. The boss, or more likely the brewery, puts the price of a pint up by 10p and every single customer complains to the barman about it. And every single one of these customers knows that I only work there and have absolutely no say in anything to do with pricing.

[treibeis]

It's dumb to ask if the lavs are closed, given that I assume there's a big sign and everyone should understand that these are not normal times. Indeed, what the hell are they doing milling around the park? But to ask why is mindboggling. What difference does it make? Do they expect to be able to get them open by debating the question?

I have friends who do this.

Me: We can't park there; we'll get a ticket.

Them: Why not?

Me: I don't know. It's reserved. It's their parking lot and they can do what they want with it.. Let's move on.

Them: That's dumb. Last year it was open. I'm going to go talk to the guy. (proceeds to argue the "we used to be able to park here" with a guy that has no power to change anything).

Yes, it's the arguing of the toss that gets me. And, as I've said on here before, if you put your sarcastic head on - "Right, there's a virus going around. In case you haven't heard, it's called corona. That's C.O.R. ..."- , then you really get it in the neck.

[Hot Pepsi]

This situation has shattered a lot of people’s illusions about how many variables that affect us are even comprehensible, let alone in our own hands. Arguing about the lavs in park or the price of beer is part of their desperate grasp to claw some of that control back.

Of course, some people are always like that, pandemic or not. These are the people that ask to see the manager over any minor inconvenience. These are the people who think “it wasn’t like this last year” is a reason why it shouldn’t be that way now.

But even if you patiently explained it to them, they probably aren’t going to be happy with the answers. Because it’s usually more about control than understanding.

That’s why letting go of our need to control things is such an important part of 12-step programs, meditation practices, grief rituals, etc.

I could go on and on about that. It’s something I’ve thought a lot about.

[S. aureus]

The school district has supplied us with chromebooks, so I don't need to buy one. Yay! The messaging has been somewhat unclear, and I only found out when I showed up that they were actually giving us one for each kid. It also provided an excuse to have a nice walk over to the school where they were distributing them, and it was a beautiful day today.
Had some groceries delivered, so the house is replete with fruit and vegetables, at least for now.
On the negative side, we had another stupid journal club meeting today. Apparently these are going to be a regular thing, with a rotating "presenter", but at least its a few people away from being my turn, so hopefully the whole thing will expire before then. We (my company) is talking about going back to work (physically on site), and this has to a very minor degree already started, with one person having done some lab work today. I recommended adult diapers as, by my reckoning, the only place that someone on site is potentially going to be in proximity to anyone else (assuming that only people who do physical experiments need to be there) in in the restroom. This (the back to work, not toilet, part) relates to the journal club because the drivers behind it are clearly having trouble filling their time as they're stuck at home, so if they get back in to work then, with any luck, they'll lose interest. I figure I should have a few months before it's my turn, on the current schedule. The whole going back to work discussion and slow loosening of restrictions in the area is definitely amping up my mother in law stress again.

[Sits]

A loosening begins in New South Wales today, whereby up to two adults (and dependent minors) are allowed to go and visit “one other person” at their home. Sadly I fear this will lead to a lot of flouting and breaches. I think there’s been a mental relaxation and an increasingly blasé attitude since to curve started flattening in earnest. I’ve heard countless people this week saying they are “over it” and I just hope we don’t get a second surge in about a fortnight.

We’re not visiting anyone, and no bugger is visiting us.

[treibeis]

After being told that, and why, the bogs are closed, some cunt just waved a ten-euro note in my face and said, "Are you sure?"

Should have lamped him, but I never.

[treibeis]

Yesterday, a family of two adults and two small children turned up here. Almost immediately, the youngsters started doing chalk drawings on the flagstones in front of the hut. I asked the parents to tell the children to refrain from doing so, explaining that I don't care one way or the other about chalked flagstones, but that's it's bad form to deface other people's properly without asking for permission first.

"Then put up a sign saying "No Chalk Drawings"", said Daddy Smug Pants.

I glared at him, but said nothing.

This morning, I got to the hut to find the flagstones covered in children's chalk drawings, with "Who said we can't draw here?" in adult writing in the middle.

An hour later, a jogger - obviously illiterate or blind - asked to use the lavatories. I came out with the usual explanation, he asked the usual question ("Can't you make an exception?"), I said no, and that was that.

So I thought. Ten minutes later, however, I went round the back, only to find that somebody had "done a Sits" in front of the khazis (it wasn't still steaming, but it was definitely fresh). Maybe it was the scorned jogger, maybe it wasn't.

I'm not really expecting a group of OAPs to turn up in the next two hours, destroy the hut with a crane and demolition ball and then shoot me in the face at point-blank range with a sawn-off while chanting "Just because we can!", but I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

[Sits]

Sorry to hear someone’s fouling your bogs treibeis, it’s a dreadful affront. Unless it’s me, clearly.

[treibeis]

Sorry to hear someone’s fouling your bogs treibeis, it’s a dreadful affront. Unless it’s me, clearly.

Tight bastard didn't even leave 50 cents.

I prefer the plop to the graffiti, as the former is easier to get rid of; if you wait half an hour, the chances are a dog will have eaten it anyway.

[Sporting]

First bike ride today in 49 days. Felt weird to start with. I left the house at 6.45 (we have from 6 to 10 am and 8 to 11 pm to do exercise), cycled to the beach, where there were a load of cyclists and runners, all desperate to get back out again. Social distancing seemed pretty good. Lovely weather, too.

[Moonlight Shadow]

Treibeis...do you have moments of joy to share with us? I am starting to get concerned about mental well-being...

[treibeis]

Treibeis...do you have moments of joy to share with us? I am starting to get concerned about mental well-being...

Well, as I've mentioned before, we have to sell wine in sealed plastic glasses. As they don't do lids for plastic glasses, we cover them in tin foil. One of the regulars insists I draw or write obscene things on the foil with a marker pen because his wife thinks it's funny. So that's a good thing.

[Nefertiti2]

Would be curious for your thoughts on this article about supermarkets and food provision in Covid19, jwdd

The supermarkets were jolted into action. On 15th March the “big four”—Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons, which hold 68 per cent of the grocery market between them—along with the second tier (M&S, Co-op, Waitrose, Iceland, Aldi, Lidl, Costcutter and Ocado) issued a joint statement. It promised they were working closely with their suppliers, offered reassuring words that they were in control, and asked that people shop responsibly. “Together we will care for those around us and those who are elderly, vulnerable or choosing to remain at home,” it concluded.

The letter was headed “Working To Feed The Nation” and carried the same paternalistic tone as a communiqué from the wartime Ministry of Food. And sure enough, the supermarkets began to establish rationing, limiting customers to three of each food item, and contacting vulnerable customers directly, allocating them specific shopping times—taking charge as you would expect government to do in a crisis. They did their own contingency planning and even emergency “simulation exercises”—a sort of shadow “Cobra.”

They began to act like political operators too, and effective ones at that. In the early days of the crisis, one supermarket executive gave an anonymous briefing against the government, suggesting to the BBC that the state was not on top of the supply chain. The big four followed this up by throwing their weight around further, demanding a relaxation of competition law that would allow them to co-ordinate supplies, deliveries and opening hours. The government, sitting quietly in the sidecar, duly acquiesced. “We’ve listened to the powerful arguments of our leading supermarkets and will do whatever it takes to help them feed the nation,” responded Environment Secretary George Eustice.

[jwdd27]

It's a decent article, only partly because it agrees with most of what I have been saying since March.

It's worth noting the impact the supermarket chief execs and their teams had in the early days of the crisis. They demonstrated they were much more highly skilled and effective than the politicians in the way they were driving policy - they are very highly paid, but they occasionally justify it.

We were also lucky that the crisis coincided with Brexit, so there was a degree of disaster planning in operation already which was retooled for Corona.

But the author is also right to point out trouble ahead - the cheap Spanish produce on which the nation lives will soon get a lot more expensive as they struggle for pickers and Brexit bites. Back to good old British seasonal produce, which will also shoot up in price as we don't produce anywhere near enough and pay better wages.

[treibeis]

I found out today that minigolf is not - unlike golf or "Frisbee-Golf" or "Disc-Golf" (whatever the fuck that is) - a "form of individual sport", but a "leisure activity that generates public traffic". So I have to remain closed.

Load of fucking cobblers.

[Nocturnal Submission]

I found out today that minigolf is not - unlike golf or "Frisbee-Golf" or "Disc-Golf" (whatever the fuck that is) - a "form of individual sport", but a "leisure activity that generates public traffic". So I have to remain closed.

Load of fucking cobblers.

Pisser.

Sympathies.

[treibeis]

Pisser.

Sympathies.

I just found out I'm entitled to no compensation whatsoever. My earnings were too high in April. (I'm not going to bore people with the difference between "normal earnings" and "extraneous earnings"; after all, I could have sold my arse for twenty grand a month. Although anybody who'd have taken it would have been entitled to compensation themselves.)

But, as imp said upthread, "nörgeln kann man aber immer." Even when you're twenty grand down in two months, through no fault of your own.