I hate that term social distancing, it seems like a form of social engineering....
That said, I woke up in a cold sweat for running into this neighbor without mask having forgotten mine, and then stepping into an elevator [she was on] to try and take care of a laundry problem. Going into the elevator was dumb what if she cough in it?
I should put it on before I step out the front door but it being late didn't expect to run into anyone. I also forgot. My husband couldn't get money on the laundry card, and I was trying to figure it out and racing upstairs to the laundry room. The office was closed so the machine to put cash on it was inaccessible. The process was Byzantine and supposedly you had to learn it by osmosis. Endless googling didn't tell us either.
One neighbor upstairs with a mask and after I had put one on in my pocket told me, you had to get a code on the computer to punch in to the machine to get money on your laundry card. We broke it down and figured it out, but it took too long. By the way how is anyone doing anything now without a computer or a smart phone? All the directions were smart phone ones too by the way and we don't own one. He had just tried to figure it out, I was going upstairs to give it a try. As usual my apartment had imploded, and he had been sick for three days unable to walk barely from gout. Since he is my caretaker this ups the stress levels to the zenith.
Anyhow even while walking to the elevator, I grimaced to see this neighbor in the hall, I managed to stay 10 feet or more away but then dumbly without thinking stepped into the enclosed empty elevator she had just been on without a mask. All these people think I am rude or paranoid by the way as I turn around. Some of them walk towards me uncaring. Is this the result of a Republican area where they all think the virus is a hoax? I am dodging neighbors like a game of Predator or something.
This woman is a problem, it seems every other minute I am running away from her. Most of the time I have a mask on when doing so. I have problems breathing in the masks too which complicates their use, but I will put one on to leave here and walk slowly outside, but there's times they make me gasp from my COPD. I have a medical grade one so am not trying to breathe through too thick of cloth.
She smokes down stairs and is on the front stoop of the apartment building, 3 out of every 10 times, I try to go somewhere. Living in an apartment during pandemic is rough. One day the mailman ran the doorbell with my very expensive lung medicine. I had just stepped out of the shower and put clothing on and had to race out to catch him before he left to get the medicine. Now that the USA seems to be imploding I wonder how the mail system will do. Forgot the mask then too. He didn't have one on either. He at least handed me the box at the most distance possible.
In parks, one has to watch out for people who will walk right up on top of you. I don't get out where there's a lot of people but one day, I was in the car and wanted to take a picture of a scene in a park. Some people from behind tried to walk right up on me as I opened the car door. I hope I don't sound like a mask Nazi, but aren't these people afraid of getting the virus? I am high risk, and have made too many errors.
My husband has gone into stores, with a mask, and I have stayed out of stores except one since March 9th. I see the people without a care in the world, no mask, they don't even try to stay away from other people walking into the stores and rest.
I hope I don't catch it. All of this has not been good for someone like me with anxiety disorders and lung problems. I've made my own mistakes too. One thing to be noticed is it is always me trying to avoid some of these people. I don't blame the mailman, but the rest, they all walk towards me without a care in the world.
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