How is everyone doing?

[Maka]

Dear UYDers,

Just wanted to check in with everyone to see how you are all holding up during these strange social distancing times to slow the spread of Coronavirus. I hope you are doing well.

In Santa Barbara, California, we are continuing to ramp up our efforts. My department has us all working remotely (I’m at home). While Stan has been working from home for decades, it is a new experience for me. Learning slowly but learning.

UCSB will be offering all classes on-line in spring quarter. They just closed our recreation center. My department will start offering on-line live streaming programming. I’m leading compassion and equanimity meditations on Friday’s, starting this Friday.

My family was down to our last roll of toilet paper but my daughter went to Costco today and they had some. Ha! I was worried I would have to barter my Usagi comic collection for some tp.

One of our HR counselors asked us if we had anything good come from this COVID-19 situation. They offered that their family and everyone they knew was still healthy. Another staff member said this has required creative innovation as we try to reach our students’ needs without being physically able to meet with them.

One good thing is that we have this on-line forum to still connect. It’s a little wanky but it still works. We can communicate whenever we want here. We can communicate from all over the earth. We have this common fandom of Usagi Yojimbo and Stan Sakai that brings us together and keeps us together.

We are community.
We have purpose.
We contribute.
We care.

We done so much for each other and for others.
We love and are loved.

It is a good reminder that even when life is challenging, there is still good. We have to look for it a little harder when we have our worry glasses on, that’s all.

Remember, love is the most powerful motivation and intention. More powerful than fear or hate. Keep on loving those around you and we will journey down this path together.

I hope you and your loved ones are safe. If any of us get infected, I hope it is mild illness with a quick recovery. I hope your loved ones, especially those with higher risk factors stay safe.

Let us know how you are. Keep on posting and we’ll see you around the dojo!

Peace, maka

[Steve Hubbell]

Doing fine here, but still working too much at a job that I am growing to dislike more and more. With all the bars closed up here, we have got a lot more people coming into the store for their booze. There are so many people suddenly out of work, they have nothing to do but sit around and drink.

I have been wondering if I could / should claim to need to self quarantine or just ask for some much desired time off.

Really wish the store owner would get around to hiring a replacement for the employee who quit over 6 months ago, otherwise we will be really screwed if one of us actually does get sick.

Sorry, just ranting.....

[jabba359]

My family was down to our last roll of toilet paper but my daughter went to Costco today and they had some. Ha! I was worried I would have to barter my Usagi comic collection for some tp.

If anybody needs some TP, I've got some. I'll trade 3 rolls for a 9.2+ Albedo 2. I won't go any lower. I know what I got here, it's the high quality, super soft 2-ply mega-rolls that are each as big as two regular rolls. Not that single ply stuff. That's right. I'm not messing around with this trade. Will also consider trading for original, published pages of Usagi.

All joking aside, I'm glad I made it up to Santa Barbara last week and got to visit before they closed the rest of the lectures for the year.

Work has been cancelling most of my jobs, so I'm suddenly extremely not busy. I was on day 4 of 10 for a commercial when the client suddenly had to fly back to Germany while they still could since flights to Europe were going to get shut down, so the rest of that job suddenly went away. On the plus side, I suppose this is a good chance to get some books read, catch up on some movies I've wanted to watch, work on my taxes, and maybe do some writing on a couple ideas I've been bouncing around.

In my line of work, I never know when I'm suddenly going to have a completely dead month, so I'm always prepared to have a drastic and unexpected reduction in income, but I hope things don't stay this way too long. That's one of the bummers of being a freelancer (technically not self-employed due to the recent AB 5 gig-labor law that passed here in California); I don't qualify for most of the relief packages/unemployment since I work for so many employers in a given year, and none of them consistently. The rules aren't really designed with people in mind that have my type of employment, so it has a lot of us in the entertainment industry a little worried.

But yeah, I'm okay. I have plenty of food (and water, though that's not an issue as the taps aren't suddenly going to stop flowing ), TP, a 2-year backlog of books to read, plenty of hand wash/sanitizer, and good friends nearby should I need something.

[Maka]

Steve, I’m hope you do get some needed time off. It sounds like your management isn’t thoughtful of their employees needs and is at risk of burning you all out. Add to that the depressing fact that you see the rising unemployed buying alcohol to cope with their suffering every day. That is a lot to deal with every day. Sorry, man.

You are a true blessing to our dojo. You run the FB UYD like nobody else. Stan has acknowledged you twice with dedications (I think that is right) because of your work to bring our community together. You are like a one man Usagi Yojimbo / Stan Sakai marketing team. I and so many others admire you and are grateful for your work and heart you put into the dojo. You are the lifeblood of this dojo, if I might say so myself. Thank you.

Kyle, I only have an Albedo 7.0. What can I get for that?

Man, I hope things get better as quick as they can. Right now, in the thick of it, I fear that things are going to get worse before they get better. Hearing your work situation, Kyle, is eye opening for me. This COVID-19 reach is so impacting. I’m glad you are prepared. Consider me one of your friends who is somewhat not too nearby but not too far that can be there if you need something. Seriously.

I might go pick up the new issue of Usagi if I get a chance today. Maybe I’ll try and do another Usagi book club this weekend using the fb Usagi Yojimbo! Group.

Peace, maka

[Mayhem]

I've worked from home on and off for the last 15 years in different companies so all this is not really that new. Hell, I spent the last 18 months of my role at HP working from home three weeks of every four, and on call to boot out of hours. Likewise the missus usually works one or two days per week at home too. Difference is now, we have a 15 month old, and the Government has just announced schools to close from Friday (which includes nurseries) so we are going to have to formulate a plan about what we do with a girl who currently wants to climb everywhere and every thing! My parents who are both over 70 are considering self isolating from this weekend, and while they would love to look after Kathryn at least one day per week, I hear legislation might be introduced to ban such things to protect people.

On the virus side of matters, the missus' boss' wife has been diagnosed with C19 so we hope she recovers quickly, and the missus' boss is already going stir crazy from having to be isolated with everyone else. He's so used to travelling for his work (he heads up important cancer research) as well, that this is like the ultimate work related nightmare for him. Thankfully neither he nor the missus have shown any symptoms themselves of catching the virus.

Keep calm and carry on reading Usagi, I hope...

Kyle, I only have an Albedo 7.0. What can I get for that?

One or two steps up from the crappy, greaseproof type toilet paper that used to get supplied to schools

[Maka]

15 months year old? Already! Man, I thought your announcement was only six months ago. Time goes by fast.

That age where they climb everything and run as soon as you turn your head is very challenging. I can only imagine how being there for their needs while doing work, day after day, is a challenge routine to figure out. Do they still take naps? But having a child is better than not, right? Right? Good luck, Mat!

You are the first person I know who knows someone who got C19. I’m imagine that will change. Hopefully slowly. Take care of yourself and family. Your friend, maka

[Mayhem]

Yeah it's going to be interesting, trying to get her to reach her milestones such as forming words, proper walking and the such, possibly all happening while we are in semi-isolation here. The nursery has said she has a place if need be, but I don't think we will be using them unless absolute necessary. The C19 count is now three in terms of people I know, sort of, as said the wife of the missus' boss, plus now the brother of a mate of mine, and possibly the husband of another friend of mine in Long Island. More testing kits needed... it seems like that is happening faster here than the US.

[maichan]

First, I want to start by saying "best wishes to all of you!" I still consider myself a newcomer here, after years of lurking I finally became a member in 2011, and I'm not always the most active or vocal member, but this place is like a second home... or more like a Dojo, where everybody knows your name

Having said that, like Maka and Jabba, I live within the Los Angeles, CA area. I'm still going to work everyday, since we apparently fall into the essential category (I work at a car dealership with service and a parts department - I work within the parts dept). My wife has been able work remotely from home, but she's going a little bonkers with just her and the dog at home all day.

To be honest, I feel more than a little anxious while at work. Not so much for my job, but more because of the work environment. I think a lot of people don't realize the possible severity of the consequences of not following rules and procedures. That's why I'm not so active here or on Facebook lately - I'm a bit burned out and tired by the time I get home, and the computer and social media just tend to contribute to that state. So I tend to veg out, watch some TV, do some reading and go to bed early - that part isn't working out to well though At least tomorrow is the weekend!

Take care everyone! Be well and stay safe!

[Maka]

Maichan, I support you vegging out. LA was one of the first cities to be ordered to stay in shelter before the rest of the state. There is so much change for everyone and it really has ramped up in the past couple of weeks. So I haven’t had a chance to truly process or come to terms of what all this means. Doing whatever we need to do is deal is okay in my book (Well, don’t go out and kill people ).

Here’s something that I read that isn’t perfect but it reminds me that we are all in this together:

https://kottke.org/20/03/some-people

Be well, friends. You are loved. Peace, maka

[maichan]

Thank you Maka!

That link was great. It provides an interesting and enlightening perspective on the situation.

[Eltanin]

My wife and I are sheltering in our apartment in Toronto and have been doing so for the past two weeks. We don't leave our place except to go buy groceries (initially once a week, but we are now aiming at only once every two weeks).

We are both lucky to have jobs that we can perform from home. Our families in France and Italy are also sheltering in place and are safe for now but are quite scared by the situation, which is pretty dire over there. I think there are too many people who unfortunately didn't take the situation seriously enough until it was too late.

I know of at least one person who got tested positive from COVID-19: a former colleague who announced it on Facebook. I also strongly suspect that a few of my current colleagues also caught it, but they didn't get tested because of mild symptoms.
I hope things will get better soon.

[TheBroox]

I am in one of worst hit parts of Virginia, just outside of DC, but since I already work from home this doesn't really feel all that different for me except my wife is around more. She normally works from home 2 out of 5 days but now it is full time.

We have been eating out less and making our grocery store trips during work hours to cut down on the number of people we are exposed to.

My weekly board game nights have been canceled but my irregularly scheduled, in-person D&D campaign has become a weekly, online game. My players want to play more frequently but I am not sure my DM creative juices could sustain games with a quicker interval than one week for very long. They say that necessity is the mother of invention though so I may cave to my players desires.

[Maka]

Dear Eltanin,

If I remember correctly, Toronto was hit hard by SARS too. You all have gone through a lot. And to have your family so far away in hot spots in France and Italy, that's a lot too. Best wishes to your family. Glad your wife and you are able to continue working.

Dear TheBroox,

Glad you both have jobs too. It's cool that you are doing D&D online game. Nice way to connect with friends. My daughter is participating in a D&D online gaming night on Saturdays that our LCBS is putting on to try and get some income during these hard times.

Since you have experience with D&D, something to think about. They just released the new Usagi Yojimbo role playing book. If you would be interested in running a campaign to try it out, I'll be happy to send you a copy of it. Or even if you are slightly interested (no commitment necessary), I would be happy to pass that on to you.

Peace, maka

[TheBroox]

Since you have experience with D&D, something to think about. They just released the new Usagi Yojimbo role playing book. If you would be interested in running a campaign to try it out, I'll be happy to send you a copy of it. Or even if you are slightly interested (no commitment necessary), I would be happy to pass that on to you.

That sound really cool. I am a recent D&D convert so I have only played D&D 5th Edition. Trying out another system would be fun.

[Randy Clute!]

I hope everyone is holding out and staying happy. I know that this can be very, very boring, so I hope you all are getting to work on the things that you enjoy, or are finding things to fill the gaps. As for me, the anxiety that comes along with this situation comes and goes. It was worse at the start in some ways, as I had an international trip I was super excited about get cancelled right before everything started shutting down. There are parts of it that are still bothering me now (as I am sure is a universal feeling), and online college is not super fun to try and keep track of, but it is what it is.
As for positive things, I have a lot of time to draw and read comics. I have been working on an unusual comic that I most likely would have never done if not for this situation, and it is really highlighting what makes drawing so fun for me, so that has been very refreshing. I will try to share more with you all once I get further along with the process. Also, the amount of time I have has enabled to read a lot of One Piece (no spoilers, please!), and I am loving that. It is so fun!