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WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER

17/3/2020

8 Comments

 
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I was going to write something on Patreon today about what we're all living through - it's where I do most of my blogs now - but I thought it might, possibly, be more helpful to make this one public.

My situation is no different from billions of others around the world. I've no greater insight than any of you may have into what's happening. I'm hardly unique in struggling to process the scale and seriousness of the pandemic. 

I'm not alone in being worried about money. TV and film productions are shutting down all over the world. I'm still working for now - or trying to - but 50% of the income I was banking on this year depends on the shows actually getting made. Apparently, it's currently hard for productions to get insurance. The knife-edge of freelance life. Again, I'm hardly the only one suffering that uncertainty.

I've got a daughter who was due to get married in May. Whether that can still go ahead in some form is anybody's guess. I've got another daughter and a step-daughter in isolation right now. Neither of them live with me, but the common denominator between both is that they are quite social, and work with the public.

They're young. They'll get over it. That is, even if it is IT...

With testing now only being available to those with severe symptoms, and celebrities, they won't know for certain if they've ever actually had the coronavirus.

For me, it's more a signifier of how fast and far this has now spread, and how inadequate the government's response has been. Both my local hospitals have had deaths. Another of my daughter's schools has had confirmed cases (yet remains open)...

Most worryingly, I've got parents in their 80s. My mum has COPD and assorted other serious ailments, my dad had a stroke and a heart attack 18 months or so ago. It's them I'm really concerned for. I'm worried about what sort of care will be available to them when the NHS starts to collapse under the weight of all this. 

And, of course, there's no end in sight to any of it. The most likely scenario that I can see happening is a pattern of lockdowns, followed by periods where we're all allowed out again, followed by another lockdown. And that this will continue until whenever it is they can distribute a vaccine. Realistically, we're a minimum of a year away from that. 
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SARS CASTIC
For months now I've been fearing this was coming. It seemed obvious from the first reports coming out of China that this was different to SARS and Swine Flu, and all those other pandemics-that-never-were.

I fail to understand why the message still seems to be struggling to get through to some people. Why, as recently as this weekend, there were those still congregating in huge crowds. Such wilful, dangerous, ignorance, has made me angry. This isn't a 'Keep Calm and Carry On' situation. This isn't scaremongering. It's something that's happening now, and it isn't like there's a shortage of information available. 

I was meant to be going to a concert tonight - former Marillion front man Fish, if you must know - but I knew at least a week ago that I wouldn't be going. Wisely, he has since taken the decision to postpone the tour until next year. 

I suspect, for those of you wondering, that we'll have to make a similar call with Digitiser Live. It's not something any of us want, but in order to give people the chance to get refunds on travel and accommodation, we'll have to make the final call on that within the next month. It's likely there are just too many unknowns to plough ahead as if it's definitely happening. If we do go that route, it won't be cancelled, but we will find another date that'll hopefully be far enough ahead that all of you can still make it.

I'll be honest and say that now doesn't feel like the right time for pumping out comedical whimsical YouTube shows. On the other hand, I also know that many of you are now stuck at home, and we all need a respite from the constant news cycle of doom and gloom. We've still got a couple of Digi Deluxe eps in the bag, and then we'll be filming some new ones. Fortunately, I live with one of my Digi co-stars - Sanja - and another one of them - Gannon - lives a short walk from my house.

For as long as we're able we will continue to make our nonsense, and if you're able to support the ongoing endeavour, you can do so on Patreon. For $1 or more you get early access to videos, and news updates. For $5 or more you get more personal, in-depth, blog posts, plus occasional videos (deleted scenes, work-in-progress stuff - that sort of thing). Suffice to say, I suspect I'm going to have to rely on Patreon more than intended over the next 18 months.
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A SILVER LINING
Lastly, a note of optimism... I know this is scary. I'm scared about what will happen the longer it goes on. I'm scared that we have the wrong people in charge to get a handle on this. I'm scared of what the shape of the world will be once we come out the other side. I'm scared for myself, and my family, but I'm mostly scared for the world. 

And yet I'm reminding myself that this will pass. We, as a species, have been through worse. My parents lived through World War 2 - a literal war that spanned the entire globe, and was driven by a genocidal maniac. There have been other pandemics, that we've mostly forgotten about. I'm optimistic that a vaccine will be found. In 18 months or so we'll look back on this year, as we're picking up the pieces, and think "Blimey - that was all a bit mad". 

And we'll know to be better prepared next time. 

Be good. Don't hoard stuff. Offer help to those who can't get out. And please don't go to gigs or the theatre or the pub, and stay away from those who are most vulnerable. 

Oh... and heck - at least I won't have to go to any more bloody meetings this year. Silver linings. 
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8 Comments
matt
17/3/2020 10:02:26 am

Im fairly certain I have Corvid. I have been trying to self isolate in a shared house since Saturday. To be honest, I had a temperature and a bad throat. Wasn't convinced but I though well, for the greater good.

Last night the coughing started. And the proper fever. Its not a tickly cough, or a chesty one. And it doesnt bloody stop. I'm better this morning. Sort of. And looking forward to another 12 days of quarantine if I get through it. Points that worry me
The advice has until this point been appalling. I worked in a lab for years and the sing a song while you wash your hands thing is horseshit. If you don't do it properly you might as well wee on them
Wee is also a vector.
My mum doesnt do internet. Doesnt do telly really. She has only the vaguest sense of what is going on - I'd just assumed she knew. She will not be alone.
And, to lighten the mood slightly, Im bored of the new CoD Modern Warfare thing already. utterly repetitive and a bit nasty at heart.

One request - if someone can advise how long my keyboard will be toxic for I'd be very grateful

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Doug G
17/3/2020 03:28:36 pm

This whole thing has been ridiculous right across the spectrum: From those who are freaking out hoarding things and barking at people to stay away (had one little old lady do it to me at the liquor store lineup), to those who are still open-mouth coughing on produce and leaving filthy tissues on shelves and such.

I have to be careful, working in a grocery store that' currently being overwhelmed, as my dad is in his late 70s and has beaten cancer twice over in the last 7 years or so. Also, my wife is pregnant and suffering from a pulmonary embolism, so even though I could definitely resist this, I'd be absolutely beside myself if either of them caught it from me.

Hopefully you and your loved ones stay safe and that we can all just make it through this without losing too much sanity. I might just take stress leave when this blows over. I'll probably need it, I imagine.

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Mark
17/3/2020 03:52:48 pm

No meetings? I work for the NHS (data analysis, not medical) and I'm still getting meeting requests like nothing's happening. We're not even allowed to work from home despite having laptops. Being the NHS they are towing the government's flakey advice.

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Johnc
17/3/2020 06:26:48 pm

For the last several years I have kept thinking "well this has been pretty shitty but at least next year will be better" and I've been wrong again and again. But at least this time it will get better right?

Right?!!

...and then Greta Thunberg walks on the stage...

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..........meh
17/3/2020 07:14:22 pm

I stocked up for brexit I reckon I can stay in for 3 to 6 months maybe more and I got a couple of masks if I really needto go out.

I was frightened in January but got over it, felt fine and ready seeing how china and south Korea etc delt with it, then a over inflated whoopy cushion went up in front of the press last week and said we ain't doing shit your all gonna die.

Suddenly I am frightened again and in disbelief that I live in the wrong country. I wonder how those ex pats flown back here from wuhan feel now? China's cases are going down while our government refuse to test anyone and claim they think there might be 50,000 infected here and 71 dead so far, and they want to take oxygen masks from airplanes because they don't know what a respirator is, don't understand the difference between the Philippines and peru and are telling people not to travel seemingly unaware we stopped doing that weeks ago.

I hope this wakes people up to the dangers of letting the inbred rich rule , perhaps a new age of socialism will follow and I'd gladly see a few airlines goto the wall, the planet is screaming for it, time to realise what we need and what we don't and stop buying so much crap.

By the way I'm not convinced it will go round and round, its SARS not flu, Sars in asia just disappeared, all of China's measures came from their experience of SARS, they seem to work, why Whitty or whatever his name is treats this like the Spanish flu I don't know. Maybe because the tories hve spent so long saying don't worry its just flu, they have convinced themselves.

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JasonS
17/3/2020 10:42:36 pm

Man, hope all goes well for you and family. Not hearing much about Britain over here in the states, mostly it's just about Italy and our own issues with people already getting violent and hoarding.

One thing I will say is to not underestimate how much the silly videos actually do help. When my 19 year old cat passed away right before Xmas, the Xmas Digitiser was the first thing to make me smile. It's why I then decided to become a patron to try and pay it back best i could. So even though it might seem weird, I do think your videos do help those of us who always watch.

So even if you can only do simple Q and A stuff or let Gannon go on about Ghostbusters for a few hours or some other simple vids, it does help bring smiles in rough times.

So thanks for the entertainment and I hope things go well for you and those close to you.....even Gannon. And will continue to support as best I can from over here in the chaotic US.

I will, however, suspend cussing most people besides those that obviously deserve mad cusses.

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Mark
18/3/2020 10:37:16 pm

Where's the 'like' button when you need it.

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Mitchell Pollock
19/3/2020 09:40:55 am

I'm in the at risk group and we were told to isolate by the school because my daughter was showing symptoms. She has scoliosis as well so they wanted to be safe.
But we also have two autistic sons, my wife has scoliosis and chronic asthma and i have EDS or Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. I have Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome or POTS, i have Vasovagal Syndrome and Fibromyalgia as well as some other health issues. I had a stroke 18 months ago at the age of 44 and it turns out i'd been having them for years unknown.
I'm very at risk, and so i'm taking very few chances. My whole family is driving me slowly up a wall because i know i can't go out for 5 mins of fresh air. We have no garden and we live in the middle of a car lot and two workshops. So there are constantly people going by our house even now!
This is not what social distancing means but apparently most people don't care. Just going about their business while i'm sitting here with a massive sign on my door warning people we're in isolation.
Then of course we can't get our normal slots for tesco deliveries and when they do turn up most of the stuff has been taken off because people have panic bought everything.
It's ridiculous how some people have reacted. All everyone had to do was stay home and get everything delivered in. Not go out panic buying and spreading the disease as they go!
Your post seems to echo what i've been saying to everyone so props for you posting it for a wider audience than i'd ever reach!
I hope you and yours and gannon and eli and everyone else is ok. I hope we all look back on this and realise that people have to change and stop being so greedy and selfish in times of need. It really shouldn't be up to the supermarkets to limit peoples items. People should just buy what they normally do and remember there are others!

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