damont

(Originally posted to my GoFundMe, and backdated to the date of that original post. Link to the fundraiser will be provided in the comments and upon request.)

"Last night, I didn't get to sleep at all..." (apologies to the 5th Dimension)

Anxiety is really kicking my butt right now. It's not just my current situation, dire though that is. You've heard me talk about that twice already this month in posts without pictures. And yes, I'll be up front and tell you this is another non-photo begging post. But my anxiety also has a lot to do with the fact that all of a sudden we're playing a scary real-life game of Pandemic, and it doesn't feel like many folks are giving much thought to the medium to long term consequences of it.

Right now, where I am, everything but essential functions are shut down for at least one more week. But I'm enough of a math geek that I ran the numbers a few dozen times myself. If we just start everything back up and go "back to normal" one week from today, or even two weeks from today, we will have only delayed the "spike in the curve" without really flattening it enough. Making enough difference to really flatten the epidemic curve is going to require at least 6-8 weeks of concerted effort. And that means at least of couple of MONTHS of social distancing. That long a pause will wreak havoc on every step of the supply chain for WAY too many items, and business is going to be way too slow for MONTHS. This in turn means that some people will find themselves out of work and out of money. There's a YouTube video I watched overnight that, while focusing on coffee, is easily generalized, and gives a much better summation of what's likely to happen, and what's already happening, than I can manage after my sleepless night. Here's the URL.

So, in addition to our aforementioned plea for help for ourselves, I'm going to ask those of you who can to SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BUSINESSES. Get takeout from your favorite eatery that's still cooking stuff, buy things from your local places and have them delivered (or pick them up curbside). Help keep your local economy a little bit more afloat, if you can.

And also, as I forewarned you, here's my shameless and desperate plea for help. Please PLEASE spread the word as much as you feel able; share this fundraiser on lots of social media, by email, even by writing the link on pieces of paper and passing them around. Encourage folks you know to donate and to spread the word themselves. I've long since estimated that I'll need about 1,000 different contributors to make the goal, so getting the word out is important. And IF YOU ARE ABLE TO, please donate, though we know that a few of you have done so already this month (for which A GREAT BIG THANK YOU) and lots of you just can't. But even a spare 5 or 10 clams, if that's all you can afford, is appreciated. Every little bit helps. (Remember, NO FEELING GUILTY if you don't have the means to contribute, or enough spoons to spread the word as far as you'd like.) And just as with the last several of these photo-less begging posts, if you have any job leads for either of us, PLEASE contact us! Relocation is TOTALLY an option.

Again, if anyone here actually is in a position to help out, right now would be a truly awesome time to do so. If you can't, you can't; I understand that better than most... thanks in advance for whatever you can do, and Happy Spring Equinox and its related holidays (any and all that you choose to celebrate) to you and yours. STAY SAFE. Wash your hands, keep hydrated, boost your immune system by whatever means works for you. Practice social distancing as much you realistically can. Keep in touch with your friends and loved ones from a safe distance. Tell them you care and that you're thinking of them. And as always, thank you for your continued support.