Quarantine Banter: Where the heck is everybody?

[Nationals GM (Preston)]

While we have nothing else to do, I figured it wouldn't hurt for us all to get to know each other a little bit better while we're all locked away in quarantine. Feel free to share any other questions, but mine is an obvious one - where does everyone call home during this time?

As some of you know, I went to school in DC with a few of the other folks here before heading back home to Boston to begin my career. Now, I picked a bad time to move to Brooklyn (as of March 1), the apparent ground zero of the virus in the US. Fortunately, healthy so far, and happy to finally be with my gf rather than trapped in different cities (so in a way, perhaps great timing to move).

How is everyone else holding up?

[Royals GM (Mac - Retired)]

Arizona is home (Chandler to be precise..SE suburb of Phoenix). I used to work nights for 20 years and that landed me a promotion so now I'm a 1st shifter, like the most of you, and I'm enjoying life. I'm not stuck at home because, with my job, I am isolated a lot. I am my own boss in my department at work. I had to deal with the EPA on constant meetings but with the coronavirus, they want emailed info instead of meeting face to face, which works for me too.
When I am home its not so bad, my wife, who is a teacher, doesn't know when she is going back but she is still getting paid. We order everything on Amazon, including food and TP, so we haven't had to deal with grocery stores. I do like that we are spending more time together by not going out and watching Netflix often. we are stay at home people so it works for us.

I think bum rushing the stores is stupid, because it only hurts others who might really need it. The reason i started ordering everything from Amazon is that I saw a man grab the last case of water right as a senior citizen was leaning down to grab it, so I gave him my case of water that I got early in shopping. There is always an asshole or two in every group. I hope people look in the mirror and she how they acted towards others and smack themselves in the face for being idiots.

Don't listen to what the media is reporting about the coronavirus, they are sensationalizing it. just check out cdc.gov. they give updates at 4:30 pm est every day

thanks for reading
stay healthy
Mac

[Rays GM (Donavan)]

Melbourne, Australia is home.

I run 2 warehouses for the world leading Wind Turbine construction & servicing company (Vestas), my main warehouse is 7 minutes from home, the other is in New Zealand.

Our business needs to run, as it is considered essential services (producing electricity), both warehouses are running as close to normal as possible, but I am having to put in place & police protocols to minimise the chance of the virus getting into our warehouses.

Like Mac I have seen the panic buying first hand in the supermarkets, and hate what people turn into, under perceived stress.

My wife runs a hospital ward, and is yet to deal with the covid-19 patients.

Kids are home from school starting tomorrow, this will mean I will be managing my time between work & home to ensure both are running smoothly. Fun times ahead.

[Former Athletics GM (Das)]

I'm calling Brattleboro, VT home. Currently working with an organization that helps the homeless, we have been crazy busy this week, getting people under a roof and trying to make sure everyone is receiving enough food. Thankfully the state just leased a hotel that should be able to house most of the homeless in this area, at least while the hysteria is alive. We received word today that someone in the community tested positive and it seems likely that I will or already have come into direct contact with someone who is infected with the virus, so it's become a game of cross my fingers and hope genetics works in my favor, while trying to boost my immune system with every opportunity. Lots of Elderberry syrup, turmeric/ginger fire ale, vitamins, drinks of water every 15 minutes while awake and some sort of sanitizer in hand. I figure if I go down, so be it, for now I am still well enough to do my part to better humanity. Stay well everyone and best of luck, it looks like we might need it.

[Cubs GM (Beau)]

I'm from Carbondale, Illinois. It's a weird town, so it fits me well. I'm a freelancer community economic developer. Works good, pay sucks. Policy advisor and field director to a congressional campaign, Ray Lenzi Illinois 12th. Progressive candidate that led the 1970 student uprisings that happen here. We just won the primary last Tuesday, during a pandemic. Weird beating the Democratic machine.

The program director for Solarize Southern Illinois. We just selected our developer for our first RFP, an awesome company out of St. Louis. Together, we should put 500 kw on the ground this year (estimates pre-Covid). Cool part about this, we were able to duplicate a model out of Wisconsin. Instead of paying the consultants, we captured the program money and are doing on the job training with returning citizens and marginalized folks in installation. They be a worker-owner coop at the end, with a subcontract with the selected developer. Also establishes a fund for low-income solar buyers.

I also am an architect and organizer for a poor people's campaign, ran out of, let's say, lefty social center. It's called Carbondale Spring. There's a couple hundred people involved. Basically it's an effort to cut the city's police budget in half and redirect the funds towards an alternative development plan. It gets rowdy sometimes lol. But we do cool shit like work on gun violence, have a tool library, do harm reduction hours. Right now we working with Mutual Aid Disaster Relief and currently in talks with our County Health Department to get certified as part of the response team. Looks like we going to be mapping social networks, working call center, and do food/supply/med deliveries.

That's basically my crazy life. That and fantasy baseball.

Here's some links, if you want to read more:


Lenzi for Congress

Straight Up Solar

Carbondale Spring.

Mutual Aid Disaster Relief.

[Braves GM (Dustin)]

The details of my life are quite inconsequential... very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds- pretty standard really. At the age of twelve I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum... it's breathtaking- I highly suggest you try it.

[Rays GM (Donavan)]

Mar 23, 2020 3:11:22 GMT -8 Braves GM (Dustin) said:

The details of my life are quite inconsequential... very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds- pretty standard really. At the age of twelve I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum... it's breathtaking- I highly suggest you try it.

Hard to laugh at times like these, but I’m rolling around with tears in my eyes after reading this...brilliant

[Rockies GM (Dan)]

Born, raised, and back living in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA.

On Friday, I'll be presenting my thesis defense to get my MFA in acting. It's on disability representation in theater. I'm an actor/playwright/producer/director, in that order. I've had two full-length plays produced, as well as a number of one-acts and ten-minute plays (one of which Pat (Reds) from here saw - thanks again!). Got my degrees a bit later than most, but I've got three - an AA from a local community college, a BFA from NYU, and (if I defend successfully) an MFA from the University of Central Florida. Hoping to parlay the terminal degree into a professorship somewhere.

As an actor, I've done a few things locally here in PA, but spent last year at Orlando Shakes, in various productions such as A Christmas Carol, Hamlet, and others. Close to joining the professional actor's union (you have to accrue points by being in enough professional shows first)

[Pirates GM (Hollar)]

Mar 22, 2020 20:02:30 GMT -8 Former Athletics GM (Das) said:

I'm calling Brattleboro, VT home. Currently working with an organization that helps the homeless, we have been crazy busy this week, getting people under a roof and trying to make sure everyone is receiving enough food. Thankfully the state just leased a hotel that should be able to house most of the homeless in this area, at least while the hysteria is alive. We received word today that someone in the community tested positive and it seems likely that I will or already have come into direct contact with someone who is infected with the virus, so it's become a game of cross my fingers and hope genetics works in my favor, while trying to boost my immune system with every opportunity. Lots of Elderberry syrup, turmeric/ginger fire ale, vitamins, drinks of water every 15 minutes while awake and some sort of sanitizer in hand. I figure if I go down, so be it, for now I am still well enough to do my part to better humanity. Stay well everyone and best of luck, it looks like we might need it.

Hey, you're 20 minutes south of where I grew up (Westminster, VT)! Hope you're enjoying the area, and thanks for doing some really important work. Have a Hermit Thrush beer for me, and be safe.

[Mariners GM (Nick J)]

Currently in San Diego, don't see that changing any time soon. Started a new job 3 weeks ago and have already been working remotely full time. I do metrics analytics of movie trailers and movie full releases. I'm holding up fine, just been playing more video games (just got OOTP 21 today).

[Former Athletics GM (Das)]

Mar 23, 2020 10:26:46 GMT -8 Pirates GM (Hollar) said:

Mar 22, 2020 20:02:30 GMT -8 Former Athletics GM (Das) said:

I'm calling Brattleboro, VT home. Currently working with an organization that helps the homeless, we have been crazy busy this week, getting people under a roof and trying to make sure everyone is receiving enough food. Thankfully the state just leased a hotel that should be able to house most of the homeless in this area, at least while the hysteria is alive. We received word today that someone in the community tested positive and it seems likely that I will or already have come into direct contact with someone who is infected with the virus, so it's become a game of cross my fingers and hope genetics works in my favor, while trying to boost my immune system with every opportunity. Lots of Elderberry syrup, turmeric/ginger fire ale, vitamins, drinks of water every 15 minutes while awake and some sort of sanitizer in hand. I figure if I go down, so be it, for now I am still well enough to do my part to better humanity. Stay well everyone and best of luck, it looks like we might need it.

Hey, you're 20 minutes south of where I grew up (Westminster, VT)! Hope you're enjoying the area, and thanks for doing some really important work. Have a Hermit Thrush beer for me, and be safe.

Hermit Thrush brewery is about a 5 - 20 minute walk depending on the weather, when they re-open I look forward to having a fresh sour beer.