That saying/curse, "May you live in interesting times" has really been stuck in my head for the last six months or so.
While my entire team and most of my office are WFH now, it is no vacation. We are working as much as we always have. That's a thing that takes a day or two to wrap your head around; you need to be at home, but work-productive. Can be hard for some. My team is taking notes on the whole thing and we'll do a mid-point retrospective in a week to see how we're all feeling about productivity, check to see if there's any team-wide behavior we need to alter to be better at this. It's been a great forcing function for getting better at communication asynchronously with each other.
Yea, my kids are old enough to be reasoned with thankfully so I can tell them when the door is closed I'm working and don't come unless something is on fire. I have had to remind them that Eminem on 10 in their rooms next to my workspace when they get home from school has to be curbed for now.My wife is WFH, and yeah it's a challenge. Especially with little ones around. All they see is "hey, this is new, Mommy is home all the time! Let's play!!!"
My kids are still required to be at school. And I understand why closing schools, especially in the Bay Area, is super tricky. School isn't just a place for kids to learn. It's free day care for two-income families here who live pay check to pay check. Take that away and suddenly you have people not meeting rent or paying mortgages because one of the two adults in the home had to stop work to handle child care or they had to shift their kids into very expensive sitting/day care.Maybe schools should only be open, in a limited way, for children of medical/emergency personnel, to avoid the problem of forcing nurses to stay home? Everyone else has to keep their kids home?
My kids are still required to be at school.
Not sure why "especially in the Bay Area" should be true, but I confess general ignorance about the population there. I mean, my sister and her husband live there, and they can both work remotely when needed, but I'm sure they're the exception.And I understand why closing schools, especially in the Bay Area, is super tricky.
Certainly, although I hate that fact.School isn't just a place for kids to learn. It's free day care for two-income families here who live pay check to pay check.
Absolutely. No disagreement from me.One thing that I've learned, time and again, living here for the past 7 years is it's never simple. American life is super complex and nuanced. And when you look across the really vast geography of America it's crazy diverse on any axis you look at.
Super high cost of living areas tend to stretch household budgets. That's all really. I don't know many people who can be jobless for more than a month or two here before they also become homeless.Not sure why "especially in the Bay Area" should be true, but I confess general ignorance about the population there. I mean, my sister and her husband live there, and they can both work remotely when needed, but I'm sure they're the exception.
You and me both.Certainly, although I hate that fact.
Absolutely! Something is better than nothing and maintaining status quo here, for certain.So, really, my idea should only be considered, not as an alternative to keeping the schools open in a normal fashion, but as an alternative to closing them entirely.
Fair 'nuff?
My kids are still required to be at school. And I understand why closing schools, especially in the Bay Area, is super tricky. School isn't just a place for kids to learn. It's free day care for two-income families here who live pay check to pay check. Take that away and suddenly you have people not meeting rent or paying mortgages because one of the two adults in the home had to stop work to handle child care or they had to shift their kids into very expensive sitting/day care.
Bay area here, I'm finding out from my little self-quarantine that I wouldn't be able to WFH. We live in a dinky one bed apartment (that's $2500/month rent) and there's nowhere for me to hide from our baby. Wife goes to school at night so it's just daddying all day which actually has been great, feels like another paternity leave. Just have enough phone time to check the news and keep up with forumsSuper high cost of living areas tend to stretch household budgets. That's all really. I don't know many people who can be jobless for more than a month or two here before they also become homeless.Whether that's the case across America, I'm not sure. I only know The Bay. Could be true across the entire country?
Working from home doesn't mean you can also look after kids from home. As I mentioned above, my team is WFH, but we're working. And my day job doesn't allow me to look after the kids as well. The only upside is I cut some commute time out of my day so I'm available for a little later in the AM and sooner in the PM to help out. Maybe your family can balance it? My suspicion is most cannot.
You and me both.
Absolutely! Something is better than nothing and maintaining status quo here, for certain.
Yup. Complex problem, for certain. OUSD here has something like a 40% participation rate in CEP. That's a lot of kids without meals if schools close down.One thing I read about yesterday, that I wouldn't have given any thought to, was that a lot of kids only get to eat because of school programs. Many low income kids get both breakfast and lunch at school. I doubt anyone is going to step up just because those kids are at home now.
When pressed for an answer Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said:
“I can’t give you a number,” he said. “I can’t give you a realistic number until we put into the factor of how we respond. If we’re complacent and don’t do really aggressive containment and mitigation, the number could go way up and be involved in many, many millions.”
Yea, WFH sounds great until you remember the first word in the phrase is "work" and suddenly the realities of your office life and home life colliding are maybe less than pleasant. Your situation is pretty common for the area. Certainly most of my team have a near identical home setup to you -- it's optimized for home, not work.Bay area here, I'm finding out from my little self-quarantine that I wouldn't be able to WFH. We live in a dinky one bed apartment (that's $2500/month rent) and there's nowhere for me to hide from our baby. Wife goes to school at night so it's just daddying all day which actually has been great, feels like another paternity leave. Just have enough phone time to check the news and keep up with forums![]()
I hide it well, I guess? I try not to end my sentences on the forum with "eh".I didn't know you weren't American, where are you from?
Ooof. Can you imagine the decision though? Disneyland is a huge outlay of money. A once-in-a-lifetime vacation for a lot of people. Having to walk away from that, especially if you had no trip insurance that could soften the financial blow, would be really hard.Disneyland is open and crowded today.
Fools.Disneyland is open and crowded today.