LadyCrimson

Trump is a buffoon. Is he still calling it the "Chinese virus?" I've read some articles re: racism starting here and there (San Francisco). People afraid and wanting to blame something and Asian's noticing an uptick in attitudes on that. It's sad.

Yes, good points re: available health care/resources as well as high transmission. I honestly think it's too late to do much containing in a real sense - where the lockdowns are going to be mostly helpful re: slowing the rate of cases to lessen the impact on health care resources (to not flood/hit all at once etc). Time may prove me wrong re: containment but eh, that's what I think at the moment. ==================== Unrelated: According to sci-fi, we're the true disease, anyway.

My hope is the world takes the risk of a global pandemic (a much worse one than this I mean) more seriously. By that I mean the masses, not just scientists. (EDIT : but I do think it's unlikely over the long run...) I've never liked shaking hands willy nilly, or touching keypads everyone else has touched one after another in a store line, because I don't want to even get a cold. And I always gave people who had obvious bad flu's and came to work the stinkeye. I don't like being sick, no matter how mild. Perhaps "the masses" can learn to practice more social distancing at all times, not just in a current panic, to help prevent spread of future "things" without losing the actual social events, if that makes sense. As always it's difficult to figure out what's reasonable vs. trampling of individual rights, for some things (travel stuff, for example). Sigh. Never any true good solutions it feels like.

@ Gorgon - True enough, but we're still not even sure what the actual average infection fatality rate *is*. What you're largely seeing now in scary headlines is case fatality rates, which is a different thing. An article I read said that once S. Korea started to do some exhaustive testing, which indicated large numbers infected with hardly any symptoms etc, their figure was dropping to far below 1% (this was a week or two ago however). I think it's going to end up closer to that 1% overall however. Maybe. http://theconversation.com/the-coronavirus-looks-less-deadly-than-first-reported-but-its-definitely-not-just-a-flu-133526 ...still significantly more deadly than the "regular" flu tho.

^ Regardless of the situation, panic and fear-mongering is never productive, especially on global scale. People have to keep things in perspective. A 1-4% death rate could certainly be significant and tragic globally in the historically short term (infrastructure loads, economy, social/life impact and changes) but it's not the extinction of the human race. It's not the Black Plague or even small pox before vaccine eradication. I think some people watch too many movies.

Went to the store to check the state of things here. Still no toilet paper or basically any paper products. No butter, eggs, or bread/rolls (outside of some Wonder....) Still a lot of empty shelves here and here for common dry or canned goods. New plastic sheet "barriers" erected on counters between cashier and customer to prevent spit spread. Signs for separate "ppl at higher risk" shopping hours and quantity restrictions on certain things. But hardly anyone inside/no crowds, so that was good. Seemed like there was a fair amount of produce (fruit/veggies) but I didn't look closely. Candy is not deemed essential, I can live on Snickers right? Packed with peanuts! Jokes aside, we're fine on food (even if most of it is simple/convenience food). We have maybe 7-10 days of TP left. Not sure where to go to find more, I think it's going to be out everywhere for a while. We have a lot of leaves raked up in the backyard, can always use those. I was surprised "feminine products" were not sold out. If I still had to deal with that all the time (I'm not in total menopause but it's a super rare occurrence) I'd want those stocked up even over toilet paper.

^ I loved Portman as the kid in Leon/The Professional but haven't found her to be all that compelling in her adult roles that much. Don't dislike her tho, she's decent enough most of the time, just not as good (or it's her chosen roles) as I thought she was going to end up being. "1917" (rented) - interesting WW1 film. Largely two characters with brief famous cameos here and there. The one-shot gimmick works well for most of the movie (it's more like two-shots) because of the trenches and such. Some surreal cinematic moments. Not what I'd call a masterpiece but a pretty good watch. "The Platform" (Netflix, subtitled) - what a trippy horror/social/human nature commentary film. It's very violent/gory in spots, make no mistake, for anyone sensitive to such, but it feels more like a stage play at times. Themes of greed and gluttony vs enough for all, rich vs. poor symbolism in a horrific situational setting. Very strange yet compelling.

Don't get me wrong, I loved most of the game/play overall. Just story is weird and and there being literally a film trilogy worth of cutscenes and even more in exposition/lore (all of which was on a Nolan's Batman type of drama over-seriousness) is a bit much. It wore me out/just made me want it to be over. If the dev/director makes a movie I'd be pretty curious about it. Can't say if I'd like a movie by him, but I'd be curious.

Pushed on to Episode 11, which I think is the last "combat" section and the rest is wrapup/cutscenes. I get the feeling the dev wanted to make a movie, not a game. The plot might've made a better movie, actually, where you don't have hours of open world sandbox interfering. Some of the non-open world Episodes are very short, btw. A single 15-30min. objective and once done episode done etc. The game did make me interested in Mads Mikkelsen's other work (films), since imo his is the best character arc in the game. They could have eliminated the other guy and I wouldn't have missed him. Couldn't get into Bionic Women's chr or Norman's too much - supposed to have this big sibling bond of some sort but I didn't feel it. In movie terms you'd say they had no chemistry. There is at least one minor side-character in the story where apparently not making enough of his "requested" deliveries before a certain point/endgame has a consequence, that was interesting/unexpected. Maybe there are others. There's tons of busy-work I didn't finish (all Premium cargo runs, best ranks system, hidden history-item hunting, more) but I think over 200 hours is enough on this one for a while.

^ I've been "bored" enough of regular gaming where VR is starting to tempt me, just for something different. Although I'd be more interested in immersive walking sims or environment emulators vs. VR shooters or whatnot. I'd like to get lost in a VR rainforest or something, can you do that. But I doubt I'll actually do it ... since knowing me I'd want the most ludicrously expensive VR gear setup, then I'd try a few games, complain no one makes the type of VR I want, and never touch it again. ==================================== I reached Episode/chapt. 10 of Death Stranding. If what you end up liking most about the game is the open world/exploration and delivery route/speed challenges etc., which could take 40-100+ hours, after the very end of Episode 8 that all largely goes out the window (until you reach post-game for finish-up). I'm not exactly sure what I'm getting in these latter chapters/events - a lot of nightmare imagery and mind-you-know-whats. I've heard the last few hours is mostly movie cutscenes/endless endings and it's hard to get excited about it combined with a few clunky, almost hilarious combat moments, paired with super-serious exposition. Way too much talking-heads. I could just youtube it. One of those games where I could play the first half to 2/3 of it two or three more times over a few years but I'd likely always skip finishing it. Worth the $35ish I paid for and absolutely a beautiful, interesting game for the most part but ... anyway, the PC version's announced photo-mode would be tempting, but I'll wait for it to be $35 on Steam too.

Finished "Doctor Sleep." Offhand I'd give it a B- for its genre. A bit above average for its type but that's it. I remained unimpressed with the "shining vampires", they were a weak threat as setup, although the actress playing the leader was good/fun to watch, chewing scenery. I didn't like the ending all that much either. The film doesn't make me want to rush out and read the book. I probably liked it better than Kubrick's Shining tho. Edit: I also saw the recent version of Pet Semetary. Better than that older one by a tad, but still pretty lackluster. Didn't mind the switchup. C-. John Lithgow was fun.

@ Gromnir - I seem to find a game once every 2-3 years that I'll sink a lot of time into over some months but overall I turn games on then turn them off. I spent most of last year buying and trying several games and almost all of them I spent no more than 4-5 hours in. These days even if I like/respect a game, most of the time I'm usually not in the mood to be persistent, or to learn the mechanics well enough to become "good." And I do still shower if I'm active, have to go somewhere, or whatever ... just not every day at the same time like clockwork. It's like making the bed ... just going to get messy again, sometimes can't be bothered.

I rented/started watching "Doctor Sleep." Novel unread by me - I never had a huge hankering to know what happened to Danny when he was 40ish. The movie starts off fairly well, mood and visuals, although the beginnings of the "bad people group" makes me scratch my head a bit story/lore wise. "Shining" vampires I guess? About 30 minutes into it, Bruce Greenwood suddenly popped up which made me happy I hope he doesn't get killed off. Then I paused the movie 20 minutes later and became distracted away. I wonder if will ultimately justify its 2.5 hour length...I might finish it tomorrow.

I've skimmed the thread now and then but I don't have all that much to say on the whole state of affairs, outside of a joke or two. Nature...even if you succeed against one thing for some years something else will come along or what used to work will slowly stop working etc. There is no true safety net and I try not to waste energy stressing about something I can do nothing about. I already live in semi-isolation anyway. I certainly do hope everyone stays safe and that it all ends up being nothing major long-term, although I suspect this could all start some social changes before long. then again, maybe not - memories are short. *shrug* Side note: it was a little funny to be playing Death Stranding during this time, because I kept thinking that it could be the future - no face to face shopping or idle interactions for most of the population. Self-isolation to an extreme, far more than ppl sitting in silence because of smartphones. In a less sci-fi sense, shaking hands as a greeting could become anathema and go the way of the dodo at least.

I was going to make an "locked down, unshowered and stir crazy" joke but nah - I'm simply always like this.

Hubby's sick. Don't think he has a fever tho. Probably just a normal cold. See, he shouldn't have gone out shopping the last couple times. Me I still feel fine. But hubby ain't getting no hugs from me for a while.

This is the first time in 48 years of living in the same area that I've seen people with masks on. Not a lot of them, but some. Which is not to say there weren't other times people did such around here. Only saying it's the first time *I've* seen it in public vs. a news story of Michael Jackson or some outbreak in another country. I'm waiting for the consumer version of hazmat outfits to show up as mandatory wear if you even so much as step outside.

Still Death Stranding. I started a 2nd playthru to see what "online" was like. It's so much easier because of road building material help and vehicles EVERYWHERE. I have to constantly dismiss bikes and trucks blocking doorways and all the player structures that rather ruin the isolated/desolate atmosphere. The way the game chooses what to dump into your game is a mystery. Only nice thing is not having to build many things yourself, saving you power, and if you wanted to "speed run" you'd get much better times I suppose. I prefer offline and went back to my main playthru. But I reached ... chapt 8? ... and some of the actual story sections/chapters are annoying. Goes from open world to a bad shooter mechanic or something. At least *I'm* terrible at those, hence I dislike them, but at least they're very short. I have the feeling it's going to be like FFXV in a way, with this open world then sudden story sections that go faster and faster until you reach a movie ending. Then post-game is back to the open world. Not sure if I want to rush the story to get past it so I can enjoy the open world unhindered. Also I wish there were more things to build. Not just the roads, but more devices/structures. Still fun tho.

Was going to go shopping/stocking a bit this afternoon, then got advance warning of area "lockdown" announcement (hubby's client does a lot of govnt work) and rushed out earlier. I was going by myself but after that hubby insisted to go with me because y'never know how ppl will be I guess? He's so sweet, worrying. It's a total madhouse. The crowds/empty shelves etc no carts. But not as bad as it could've been if we'd gone later like planned. The parking lots were cramming even worse as we left. No extra toilet paper but plenty of food for a couple weeks or more at least. The Bay Area so far will be a voluntary "stay at home" starting at midnight, where they might stop you if you're out and tell you to go home etc but not enforced (schools/business are different, many closed/closing etc). Hubby's work was already preparing for all remote workers keeping hubby very busy setting/keeping that all up (also from home). Amazon Fresh is totally out of the question/out here, which is kind of ironic since having groceries delivered would seem "safer" then standing in lines crammed with your fellow humans. The grocery store workers were working hard we gave them thumbs up as we passed through. I feel terrible for anyone (individual or business) where something like this could really hurt them financially. The economy ... it's a worry. For myself tho, besides stocking up, nothing changes for me. Stay home, play video games - only govnt sanctioned now.

Pandemics have been the fear forever, I don't think anywhere in the world generally speaking has been ready for it, if one really could be "ready" for such a thing and on the bright side one has to be grateful it's not one of the potentially way more deadly things. In the meantime, I have 7 rolls of "mega-sized" toilet paper and a shower. And plenty of cloth and soap + bucket if it came to that. I'm set.

I saw "Lighthouse." Movie reviews made me interested and the two man cast was a factor. That was ... one really really weird movie. Starts off a bit surreal and maybe Hitchokian, turns into creepy-surreal, then at some point one is likely to start thinking one has the eventual end figured out, but by the actual final shot, one can't even explain it. Is it good? I'm not sure. It's full of symbolism, intense acting performances and mythology (maybe?) so it could appeal in that way. But I dunno, I feel like it's not good or bad. It's just ... weird.

Saw Venom. It was "free." Was this supposed to be a comedy? Because that's about all I got from it -a few moments of absurd hilarity. Plot and typical one-note chr. elements jumped all over the place, cheap tricks re: withholding/not showing to try to "surprise" (failed at that) and including a really poor, short-form and glossed over reason for why Venom suddenly wants to I mean ok, whatever. I did mildly enjoy watching vehicles slam around SF's hilly streets. C-. I've liked Tom Hardy ever since I saw him play the Romulan/"young Picard clone" in that STNG movie, but I didn't feel like he was a good fit for the human half here.

*Plays Death Stranding* *Plays Death Stranding* *Plays Death Stranding* *Plays Death Stranding* *Plays Death Stranding* *Plays Death Stranding* Well, that took care of the 5 pounds I gained the past few months... Sounds like hubby, albeit in smaller space form. He's obsessed with tomatoes. Although I think he said this year he's going to focus on something else for once.