Life and masks

Brave

So I ended my effective lockdown today. I started mine about a fortnight before most people in Scotland at least. I felt the schools were too late in closing and there were vulnerable old folk near me who I didn’t want to expose. Not to mention my own immune system is pretty messed up (although I suspect it’s actually overactive) AND Lily and I are chronic asthmatics.

Anyway. My daughter had a sketching course today run by a friend of mine, Kelly. (If you’ve watched Portrait Artist of the Year on Sky you may have seen her do pretty well). So I took her into Dunfermline and then went to my studio nearby for the first time since early March.

The studio landlords are brilliant. Everyone wears a mask, they clean handles regularly etc. Which is good because the corridors are really narrow.

But my god the people in Dunfermline are fucking idiots. Narrow pavements with busy roads, no way to distance. I must have seen a couple hundred folk at the very least today and I’ve seen maybe 10 people wearing a mask, one of those was my daughter and another five were on her course although typically there was a couple of baby boomer sisters who didn’t bother.

It’s really fucking upsetting. We’re on a collision course with wave two here. And it’s actually really avoidable. The thing that gets me, is that by wearing a mask /I’m protecting them/ not myself. Just wear fucking masks.

Sorry.

Needed to vent. Just such a selfish time to live in.

Really concerned about lily going back to school next week too.

Alex

Yeah, it can be a mixed bag, to be honest. I live right in the centre of Glasgow and there’s not much mask wearing on the streets. In shops however it’s generally pretty good, although people don’t tend to do much social distancing. On public transport it’s alright as well. Last weekend I went on the underground for the first time in six months. It was pretty quiet, everyone had a mask on, and was social distancing. It was pretty relaxed. Overall I’d say most people seem to wear them in required situations. Of course you’re always going to have some muppets who refuse.

DrDamn

Jonbwfc

I now have quite a collection of washable masks. I refuse to use disposable ones because polar bears. The quality and sizing is very variable. I pretty much wear one whenever I leave the house which admittedly is not very often as, although technically I’m no longer ‘shielding’, I see absolutely no necessity to mix with the proverbially great unwashed any time I don’t have to and Boris Johnson can get to you know where.

I was out this morning though- popped to the local deli/coffee shop as they do excellent coffee and good line in chocolate brownies and I haven’t been in for literally six months. Got there to find 1) they were only letting people in the shop one at a time and 2) There was a fair queue of people outside. Glad for them and their business and all but standing in a queue is not what I’m doing these days… And, of course, there was one bloke in the queue ‘wearing’ a mask by having it tucked under his chin, presumably intending to pull it up on entering the shop. Frankly, he couldn’t have done much worse if he’d tied a plague bell round his neck as far as I was concerned. If you’re that bloody stupid, I don’t trust you to make good decisions as to whether you might be infectious or not…

Brave

Interestingly I’ve just taken possession of one of the U Masks that a lot of the F1 teams seem to feel are the best way to protect their drivers and /AFAIK/ the filter in there might actually help protect in the other direction too. Although that doesn’t account for me still being unable to stop stroking my bloody beard and hair.

They’re much more expensive but I’ll report back on comfort and steamy glasses when I actually use it next week.

Brave

Also I forgot to mention. I saw my friend José who manages the gallery cafe under my studio for the first time yesterday

Got to do my first ever elbow bump and José screamed in agony. Turns out his elbow was totally busted and I’d just jabbed him there with a very angular elbow of my own. 😄

I still feel a bit guilty.

Fumanstu

Guilt mixed with some slapstick style amusement I hope. 😀

Weirdly, in terms of the experiences here anyway, most people seem to be mostly sticking to the rules here. It’s rare to go somewhere indoors and public and see anyone without a mask. Those that don’t are, I hope, exempt. That said if they’re not it must take some particularly arrogant balls as they stick out a mile off.

Jonbwfc

God, if someone could actually get me a mask that doesn’t steam my glasses up I would pay some amount of money for that. None of the tips you find on the internet seem to work for me.

Munjahaidate

I have a mask with a Monster Hunter potion in the corner.

Assume everyone else is an idiot and you’re golden.

Brave

I tried the F1 mask. It’s actually very good. I found that by wearing my glasses a bit further forward so they go on top of the mask, it’s actually decent in terms of not steaming up.

That said I found a better way involving folding over tissue paper and using that to block the top of the mask. That works perfectly for me.

It’s definitely very comfortable. Much more comfortable imo than the ones I’ve used previously. They make some very interesting claims that it stops the proliferation of virus and bacteria in the filter itself. Which means it should protect me too, notwithstanding things like touching my own face etc.

I’m prepared to believe them mostly because I feel like F1 would at least check that out quickly before using them in the paddock. Although other types get seen in the paddock too I know.

Also, I just need that psychological extra barrier to feel comfortable right now.

Expensive, but possibly worth a spin.

On another note. Has anyone gone to a barber yet? I’m struggling with much too long hair. It’s either the barber or give my wife a sharp implement near my head after a long period of time where she couldn’t get away from my annoying mug. 😉

Gordon

Brave Barbers - what I did was buy some clippers from Asda for £7, hand them to my 3 year old and let her go wild. This strategy might not be for everyone but since I don’t have much hair to start with, she can’t really do all that much damage.

DrDamn

Gordon sounds good, two questions, do they wear a mask and when can they fit me in? 😁

Seriously, I went the clipper route too. I tend to go fairly short at the barber anyway, but the wife did a decent job. I did my son’s hair. It’ll pay for itself soon enough.

Brave

Genuinely made me belly laugh. @Gordon 😄

I have considered the full Phil Mitchell. But my head’s so big. I don’t think the world could handle it.

Gammerz

DrDamn Are you sure he didn’t say: “You’ll pay for this!”? 🤣

Gordon

@Brave @DrDamn I wasn’t joking 🙂

Brave

Gordon that is brilliant!

Deej

I’m married to my hairdresser. Admittedly a drastic solution but eventually came in handy.

SRR

Another one here who has gone the clippers route. I only made Alison watch 15 hours of YouTube tutorials before letting her loose. The result have TBH been very good. So much so, that we used them again even though barbers were open. It is reciprocal though. I have become a dab hand at dying her hair.

Fumanstu

I do myself and then make Hanna tidy up the leftovers.

Alex

Fumanstu Are we still talking about cutting your hair? 🤣

Fumanstu

Alex I’ll let you make up your own mind. 😳 That said, I’ve not had much hair on my head for the last 20 years. 😀