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Updated: Apr 14, 2021 143 Comments · by

Coffee Break: Waterproof Slip-On Sneaker

Coffee Break

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Waterproof slip-on sneakers have been around for a while, but they still strike me as novel, so I audibly made an “oOOoo” sound when I saw that this one is 40% off, from a brand readers love (Blondo) and has a bunch of sizes left (in the gray at least, the other colors are down to lucky sizes).

This strikes me as the absolute perfect thing for spring showers and puddles, whether you need to walk your dog, take the garbage out, or just go on a socially-distanced walk. The shoe was $99 full price, but is, for a “limited time,” 40% off, so it comes down to $59. Nice. (Ooh, lots of Blondo on sale if you like the brand, including some up to 60% off.)

Pictured: Waterproof Slip-On Sneaker

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Sales of note for 9.30.24

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Kat Griffin is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Corporette. You can read more about her here.

Comments

  1. Anonymous

    For those here that are science/medicine people or just following everything closely, can a virus like coronavirus weaken with time — like weaker in a few months than now or weaker now than it was in Jan? Or is that something that happens over hundreds or thousands of years?

    • Anon

      A virus can mutate and become more or less deadly, but it appears the coronavirus is not mutating much and the mutations have nothing to with the severity of the disease. This is generally considered good news though, as it makes a vaccine much more likely.

    • LifeScienceMBA

      As people may develop immunity, the virus may find lesser hosts to infect, decreasing it’s ability to spread.
      However, it’s not currently clear to what extent immunity develops, e.g. what level of protective antibodies must a person produce to be immune, whether people can get reinfected and what the severity of such reinfection would be, or for how long such immunity will last.

    • PolyD

      I think it’s not that viruses get weaker, it’s that weather conditions (more or less humidity, hotter vs. colder) make the virus more or less stable outside of the person (on surfaces or aerosols). Plus, people tend to cluster inside together more in colder weather, so it’s easier to spread things.

    • Patricia Gardiner

      Viruses that have a high rate of fatalities and spread mostly when hosts are symptomatic can mutate to have less effect on the host, allowing for greater/more effective spread if hosts are less sick. However this virus already spreads when carriers are asymptomatic, so my understanding is there is not much pressure for it to do that.

    • AnonMPH

      Yes, viruses often do mutate to become less deadly. If they are too deadly and kill off their hosts too effectively they cannot propagate, so less deadly strains may be more successful. This doesn’t seem to be happening with COVID-19 yet. This may be because it is not as deadly to begin with. Part of the reason why SARS and MERS were contained and COVID-19 wasn’t is because they were more severe.

  2. Anonymous

    I may re ask this on a morning thread but since it isn’t especially late — any NJ folks here? If you had a job opportunity near Metropark NJ which I guess is near Islin, where would you live? What areas around there are a reasonable driving commute (45 min max driving ideally) while being nice suburbs; the area right around the office seems very commercial with an Amtrak station right there so I’d be looking for a more traditional suburb. Bonus points if you know anything about DC/Va and can comment on cost of living (or quality of life generally) between there and Arlington.

    • Anonymous

      Arlingtonian with parents in another part of NJ. Check out property taxes if you are looking at buying. NJ property taxes are astronomical per $ of house value (Arlington isn’t low, but the NJ numbers are almost shocking). State income taxes are higher.

      IDK re NJ ‘hoods close to there. My NJ life was north of there and I don’t even have friends from around there (my SEUS college was largely refugees from the NEUS).

      • Anon

        Totally forgot about property taxes, thanks. Listened to that non stop growing up — that and car insurance though I don’t hear about car insurance as much anymore so maybe the rates are better now than in the 90s.

    • anne-on

      What is important to you in terms of the town – do you want lots of land? a vibrant downtown? are just big box stores and strip malls ok? Do you want a direct train into NYC? Access to Amtrak? Once you decide that, it’ll narrow down your choices considerably.
      If you’re looking to re-create an Arlington feel I’d look at Summit, Westfield, Chatham, or (further south) Cherry Hill.

    • Anokha

      Can you speak a little more as to what you’re looking for? Are schools a factor?

    • Anon

      OP here — so a little more info. I myself grew up in South Jersey right next to Cherry Hill; I’m thinking Cherry Hill would be a much longer drive than necessary as I’m sure there are nice suburbs further up the state. In terms of what I want — it’s NJ so I was expecting big box stores and strip malls; if a town had a cute downtown/main street that’d be great. I’d be working in that Metropark area and while I’d have to go into the NYC office sometimes for work and meetings, I figured I’d take the Amtrak from Metropark — I’m not going to be a daily commuter into NYC. Schools — not particularly important except I want them to be not awful as I think in NJ that affects resale value for homes; there’s a lot of moving to the “right” district that people consider there.

      It’s a good job but if I’m being honest I’m iffy. I always wanted to take me further south — having lived in Richmond and now DC, I always thought I’d end up in Richmond or the Carolinas. But the job market being what it is, I have to consider this.

      • Anonymous

        I think you want to be in Westfield. You can take the train into the city from there (NJ Transit). Cute town. Two friends from there moved back there as adults; both went to public schools there and good colleges, which seems to be generally expected. I used to take the NJT train through there and would have explored it had I stayed. Not sure re commute to Iselin area — NJ’s big problem IMO is that you are always driving, traffic is awful, and you can easily have the sun in your eyes both ways. I love it though and miss it, but living elsewhere is just so much easier.

      • Anonymous

        Grew up in central NJ but have not lived there in over 15 years so take this with a grain of salt. For small ish towns very close to Metropark, you may want to look into Metuchen and Highland Park. Both have downtowns and I think Metuchen especially has been built up a bit in the past 10 or so years. A little further away, Cranford, Scotch Plains, Westfield are all nice smaller suburbs. Cranford especially has a pleasant downtown. Have no idea what schools are like. Princeton area is very liveable (albeit expensive) but a bit further away from Metropark. Also you can take NJ Transit directly to Penn Station from Metropark, probably cheaper than Amtrak. Good luck!

        • Anonymous

          Was going to recommend Princeton/surrounding towns. Princeton taxes are very high, but not sure about Kingston, Lawrenceville, West Windsor, Plainsboro, etc. You could try looking at those. Then, you’d be close enough to Princeton for that to be the main “town” you go to. Princeton Junction station is on the same trainline that passes through Metropark.

      • Anonymous

        Metuchen has a really cute downtown and main street area, but it also has really good schools and the corresponding taxes. Scotch Plains and Fanwood are also cute, not sure about the taxes. Somerville has a great downtown and is very walkable with reasonable taxes. Warren and Watchung and Westwood are really upscale, high taxes, and not so much of a downtown area. You could also look at Bridgewater and Branchburg if you want to drive a bit more – they are more suburban/rural. You could also look at the northern end of the Shore if you are willing to drive a bit. You’d be taking the GSP in, and it would probably get bad once you’ve crossed the turnpike, but it would be less than an hour for some of those towns.

        All this being said, I just moved from central NJ (two towns over from Metropark, not a town I’ve recommended here!) in December because the pace of life and the impact of a driving commute on my anger was killing our family. Obviously there are a lot of people who love it and thrive there, but I found that after 12 years I couldn’t take it anymore.

    • Anonon

      Depending on what you’re looking for, Somerville is a super cute, walkable town about 25-30 minutes from Metropark. My husband used to work in Somerville and I loved meeting there for lunch or dinner.

    • anon

      I grew up in Fair Haven and it was perfect. It’s on the higher end of your drive but absolutely idyllic. You’ll need a budget of at least 600k. You could also try Lincroft.

    • Anon

      Princeton and West Windsor. Very easy commute to Metropark or NYC. Very nice area, good schools. You’re obviously familiar with NJ but downtown Princeton is charming. Not cheap, but good.

    • Anonymous

      Holmdel has great schools and low property taxes. Red Bank is a cute downtown near Holmdel you could got to. Westfield is nice but super expensive.

  3. Belle Boyd

    Any suggestions on a small desktop scanner? Here’s what I want it for: Years ago, my mom went through all of her recipes and wrote them out on steno-book sized paper and put them in plastic covers in a binder. I’d like to scan her recipes (without the plastic covers — I can remove them) and reprint them for a cookbook for my sister for Christmas. I have a printer/scanner, but it’s cumbersome and would be time-consuming to scan an entire binder of recipes when a scanner designed to scan receipts may work a lot faster/better.

    Any suggestions? Anyone have experience with this kind of scanner?

    ** I could retype the recipes, yes, but that is also time-consuming and I’d like the recipes to be in my mom’s handwriting for sentimental purposes since she’s passed away.

    • kk

      scanning apps, honestly. I have ScanPro on my phone and it’s great- I really like the direct connection to google drive.

    • Anon

      A local copy-print shop, if you have one, would probably be happy to do this for you – yay, small business. And they could even bind it for you.

      • BB

        +1 If the paper is in pretty good condition, they can just put a stack on one of the giant copy scanners and run them all through in 2 minutes.

    • LifeScienceMBA

      I love the app GeniusScan for this. You can take a photo and it will correct any distortion and produce a pdf, jpg or other format image. You can also edit color directly in the app.

    • LaurenB

      Pre-COVID, this kind of sneaker was exactly what all the chic pilates-yoga-and-brunch moms around here were wearing.

      • Anonymous

        I hope this tine at home has given them enough time staring at their feet that they will reconsider this poor choice when they come out of quarantine.

        • anon

          LOL!

          My mom wears these, but she has osteoarthritis and thus has given in to comfort all the way.

    • Anon 2.0

      These look like shoes designed for nurses to me. I swear I have even seen an ad somewhere for a nearly identical shoe Called Nurse Mates or something similar.

      • Anon @ 315

        Nurses may wear whatever fugly shoes they want, free from comment or judgment from me. Bless them.

        • Anon 2.0

          Agreed – I actually don’t think these are necessarily ugly. They just scream practical not stylish, which is of course what you’re looking for in a shoe to wear on a 12 hour shift

    • Pompom

      These are the shoes every one of my mom’s friends (70+) wear for “vacation walking.” They certainly serve a purpose. But not one that will compel me to purchase them.

    • anon

      I will be the lone voice of dissent and say that I have these shoes, and they are truly like pillows for your feet. I’ve had foot pain/problems my whole life, and these seem to ameliorate them.

    • Anon

      Eh, I don’t think they’re bad or good. They’re the kind of fairly inoffensive shoes that scream “these were really comfortable!” to me. I wouldn’t buy them, but I get why they’d throw them on for walking around I guess.

    • LaurenB

      I don’t think these are any worse than those Allbirds that everyone gushes over. To me, those look like orthopedic shoes.

    • Anonymous

      I think Kat is screwing with us because the style is called Karen. Seriously. (I confess I kind of like the camo pattern version; the grey is just too aggressively practical).

  5. Poshmark Q

    One upside of this time at home is that is finally forced me to get pictures of stuff I no longer want up onto Poshmark. I’ve sold several items before, this is the first time I’ve had an issue like this. I dropped the item at the post office over the weekend. (I was staying safe and was walking to pick up take out from the restaurant in the same strip mall, had a mask and used the outside blue collection box, so please don’t chastise me for unnecessary contact.) This was Saturday late afternoon so I knew there was a chance I’d missed the last collection of the day. However, it’s Tuesday now and I’ve gotten 2 reminders from Poshmark to mail my item and there’s no tracker available showing that it was received. I have no proof that I actually mailed it (isn’t that what the tracking number is for?). Has this happened to anyone? How did you resolve it?

    • anon

      It’s been awhile since I’ve sold anything on Poshmark – can you retreive your shipping label and manually enter the tracking number to see if it has in fact started moving? I’ve found that with ebay and poshmark, the tracking details don’t always update/communicate between USPS and the selling platform right away. Also, sometimes USPS is slow to update their end of the tracking, so while your package is making progress USPS still shows it as waiting to be picked up, etc. (which is very frustrating!).

    • Anonymous

      I’m a Poshmark veteran, I wouldn’t worry about this. Just communicate to your buyer (through comments) that you shipped but it is not scanning yet. The USPS is surely having issues dealing with the pandemic. Your item will find its way to your buyer eventually, and in the very unlikely event it actually is lost in the mail, my understanding is PM refunds both parties. Also just FYI if you didn’t know, you don’t actually have to go to the post office to mail an item for Poshmark, you can just drop it in one of those blue post office boxes that are on street corners.

    • Poshmark Q

      Thank you both! It seems like posting here was just the catalyst needed for tracking details to appear in the app (go figure). I was concerned because it was a designer item I was set to make a decent chunk of change from selling and would have hated to lose out on both the money and the item.

    • Anonymous

      FYI for future reference, I had this exact thing happen a week ago and the post office never delivered the package. After several emails back and forth with poshmark, they gave me website credit for the amount I should have received in the sale. Wish I had the cash, but I buy enough kids clothes on there that I’m sure I’ll use it.

  6. Best mask pattern

    I know there are at least a few sewists here. Have you found any mask patterns that don’t leak around the edges and are comfortable to wear? The Suay pattern was a time-consuming mess. The pleated masks are comfortable, but don’t fit tightly enough. I found a ninja-style pattern without pleats that fits closely to the face around the edges, but squishes my nose so it’s difficult to wear.

  7. Hot mess getting hotter

    Last fall we moved out of our house to make some needed changes to our bathroom and kitchen. We were in a tiny apartment. 3 months they said! It is now month 8. The budget has swelled (old house issues). The bank has frozen my HELOC. Due to insider trading rules, I can’t sell any stocks. I don’t want to make myself too cash-poor, so I took a 401K loan. I fear that I have taken a house that was a C- for serving our needs and f*cked myself and my finances trying to finish it. We haven’t been paid off, but have both taken 20% pay cuts.

    • Anon

      What would it take to get the house in liveable condition now? Is it time to consider another contractor?

      • Anon

        +1 you should have hired another contractor 3 months ago. What is the hold up reasons?

  8. Abby

    Warning: annoyingly positive post.
    I am in the best mood because DH’s program is starting up non emergency surgeries again next week, which means the hospital numbers are low enough to allow this “risk”. AND we have a high of 67 and sunny today, which is much better than last week’s occasional snow!
    What are you grateful for today?

    • Anon

      Where? I’m all for positive news but it’s always nice to know here things are looking better.

        • Bean74

          That’s awesome! Native Michigander here who is now in NoVA, and it has been nerve-wracking hearing from family and friends still in the Mitten.

        • Metro Detroit

          Woohoo! Fellow metro Detroit we here. This is great news! My phone told me it was 69 at my house. Took a 3 mile lunchtime walk with the baby. Life is good.

    • Anonymous

      That is good! My March biopsy got pushed out and I’d like to not have that go undone for too long.

      • Anon

        Same. Mine was rescheduled for mid-May and they seem optimistic we can do it then.

      • anon

        Fingers crossed “non-essential” medical services in your area open soon (although, I’m not sure any medial service isn’t essential if delayed indefinitely) and sending good vibes for good results

    • anne-on

      Sun! We also had snow (and hail, and then pouring rain) last week like wide swaths of New England/Upstate NY and it was miserable. I may hate the rain, but it is lovely to walk around and see all the flowers popping out!

    • Vicky Austin

      Same all round (why do our lives always align on these strange things?! haha)! We are able to consider bringing elective surgeries back (not for a couple of weeks probably, but still) and spring has sprung!

      • Abby

        Lol you are my corporette soulmate Vicky! I have one tulip that flowered (is that the right term?) in my front yard and yesterday a critter chewed the petals and spit it out on our lawn. I need more spring over here

        • Vicky Austin

          Oh, boo! haha. My garden was all veggies last year, but the birds are back!

      • KS IT Chick

        We’re starting elective surgeries with regional or local anesthesia at the end of the week. High on the list are breast biopsies. Kansas City area.

    • anon

      The hospital systems in my region made a joint task force, a source of real information about my specific area. They believe our cases have crested/peaked and the hospitals were not overwhelmed.

      I’ve lost weight because I’ve only had home-cooked meals while we’ve been sheltering in place. Now I’m only four pounds over my pre-baby weight after two kids! I’m wearing non-maternity jeans right now. Amazing.

    • Anonymous

      I am in Connecticut, and in the New York Times data visualization, I cried to see Connecticut counties in the top eight for new cases, new deaths, hardest hit, etc. Yes, that is counties, plural. We are a small state, so the counties are small and close, and the cases per 1000 people is high.

      But, I am also so happy that all of our stats are showing flattening / declining or flattening. It seems we may appear on the ‘getting better’ top eight soon, and it is such a relief to see good news in our near future.

      Also, I bought 12-rolls of Stop & Shop toilet paper today. We’ve only been able to buy single rolls of highway rest stop rejected rolls, and I might have opened the linen closets a few times just to admire it

    • Anon

      I’m in a good mood for the following reasons:

      My proposed project as a fledgling consultant was aired at a meeting today and well-received

      On a different meeting, held by zoom but replacing what is usually a very formal in-person meeting, at one point the presenter was interrupted by her barking dog, and at another point the camera suddenly highlighted the boss, who wasn’t speaking, and he was holding his 1 year old child (adorable.)

      And my rose bushes are in their prime. I’m usually too busy traveling and commuting at this time of year to truly appreciate them, but this year I’m glorying in every bud and petal.

  9. Anon

    Does anyone have the Braava mopping robot? Roomba works great on my hardwood floors and I like the idea of something similar that mops. Not sure how good of a job it could really do, though.

  10. Kids toys

    For those of you with older kids, what have you kept from when they were smaller (but not babies — I have a couple of precious things saved from then)? We have everything boxed in storage right now and I can’t donate anything. I need to empty out the storage unit and then think of what is really a keeper vs something I can donate when goodwill it reopens.

    Doll House? Ours isn’t too fancy (it’s an a-frame ski chalet) and was used a lot.
    Legos?
    My Little Pony figurines?
    Wood blocks?

    A lot of unused stuff was purged before, but I feel like we still have so much stuff. I don’t want to attic-store too much because when I am an old lady maybe I can’t get it down from the attic and yet if it’s not used daily, it can’t really be out in the house b/c of space limits.

    • Anon

      Is the dollhouse handmade or purchased? My dad recently took the dollhouse he built for me when I was 4 and “remodeled” it to look like the first house I bought by myself. It’s one of the most precious things I own. If it’s like Barbie Dream House or something, let it go. Same with the other stuff.

      • anon

        If your kids were particularly attached to some of the figurines or legos, keep them. Those can be passed down to grandkids (as has happened in my family). My brother has a box of beloved star wars figurines from childhood he WILL NOT part with. Same advice for doll house if it’s a decent quality. Just store things carefully and in a manner that rodents, water, etc won’t be able to easily penetrate.
        The rest can be resold (legos will resell), donated, or offered to parents with younger aged kids than yours.

    • Anon

      Donate it all, unless the doll house is remarkably sentimental. Do not force someone else to do the emotional labour of junking things you should have gotten rid of years ago.

      • LaurenB

        +1. I also hung onto some ceramics my kids made for me for sentimental reasons. Turns out they didn’t really care if I junked them. Am keeping little rocking chairs and puzzle stools that had sentimental meaning, but that’s about it. Daughter had enough American Girl dolls that got passed onto other little girls, which is as it should be. I always feel better about donating as much of this stuff as I can to women’s shelters, Ronald McDonald houses, or through my house of worship.

    • Sunshine

      This won’t answer your question specifically, and I’m sure people will have differing opinions on this. I’m not very sentimental and found the stuff my parents saved for me from when I was little (clothing, toys, school stuff, art, etc) was mostly trash to me. The items represented their memories of that time; I don’t have memories of that time so the items did not matter to me. So they spent space saving a lot of things that, when given to me because they downsized, I threw away. However, my childhood rocking chair was saved and it is still in our bedroom, but I remember it being in my room and carefully placing my stuffed animals in it when I was a kid.

    • Anon

      For baby years, I’m keeping a set of wooden blocks. For those toddler to kid years, I’m keeping our set of Little People and our set of Duplos. For the young elementary, I’m keeping Legos and magnatiles and a few action figures/Barbie-size dolls. Those all fit in a large plastic bin in my garage, and it’s easy to pull those out when friend’s kids or cousins come to visit. I figure they’re also timeless enough that they’ll work when/if I have grandkids and want to entertain them. Everything else is donated to our daycare and our preschool or to our elementary school’s yard sale fundraiser, all of which serve lower income families.

      Although I’ll be honest, I’m also keeping a ton of books. Those are my personal weakness and I’ll probably always have an entire shelf of kids’ books (from board book to early chapter to young adult) because it makes me happy and is one step closer to having the personal library I’ve always dreamt of.

      • Anon

        my parents have a huge bookshelf in the basement with kids books and also kept a number of toys. the basement unfortunately flooded so they lost some of those things, but some were salvageable. my parents still have the fisher price slide i received for my first bday 30+ years ago and now my kids play on it when we visit

    • Jules

      Get rid of that stuff, but if you can give it away on your local Facebook/buy nothing page that would be better than tossing it. I gave a huge amount of Legos (a huge amount for only one kid to have amassed) to a friend’s little boy after mine had outgrown them, and he was beyond thrilled.

    • Gail the Goldfish

      Speaking as someone who just took boxes of trolls and my little ponies from the late 80s/early 90s out of my parents’ storage unit that my mother has been saving for 30 years for, I don’t know, hypothetical grandkids or something, just get rid of them (I would stick them on neighborhood facebook page or the like-someone will want them). Or maybe keep one or two, but not all of them.

    • Anon

      My mom kept all my toy horses that I was obsessed with for years and a doll she made me. I’m so glad she did.

    • Anon

      I didn’t keep a lot of toys, though shelves in their rooms have mementos that are or were important enough to them that they put them up there themselves. My daughter’s American Girl dolls and accessories are in the attic because she wants to save them for her own kids. My son probably has every LEGO we ever bought but at least they are now in bins and not under our bare feet.

      We are more likely to keep clothing and other textiles like special blankets. I knitted a lot for my kids when they were babies so they have boxes of hand knit sweaters and hats and socks.

    • anon

      I keep very, very few toys. We have siblings and friends with younger children, and I throw some favorite toys in a bin in our garage for when they come over. Kiddo gets pretty excited about playing with toys he’s basically outgrown but hasn’t seen in a few months. I hand down toys to the extent our relatives want them, but mostly, their kids have more than enough. Everything else goes to Goodwill. Of what my kid has now, I’d probably keep Magnatiles, Legos, and some of his wooden train set (but not everything) for a future generation, but I’d be just as happy to give them to someone I know who’d appreciate them sooner.

    • Anonymous

      My instinct is to get rid of everything as soon as kids are done – buuuuut, my parents kept a ton of our toys and books and it’s been great to have that stuff to play with at their house as well as to take home with us and not need to buy again. They’ve always had a lot of friends with little kids so it was useful to them to have toys for those kids to play with.

    • Anonymous

      My son is still using his Legos so I guess you could say we kept those, LOL.

      I kept one bin of non-stuffed toys (including some wooden toys a friend of my father’s custom-made for my son) and books, and one small bin of baby clothes and blankets (including some that were custom-made for him by his grandmother and other people). That’s all I let myself keep, or I would have kept all of it. I know that at some point in the future – probably when we move – the clothes and blankets will probably go to Goodwill. I think the toys will have a longer shelf-life. We actually used some of the toys my mom saved from my childhood days with my son when he was younger. My mom saved all my brother’s He-Man toys and those were a huge hit when my son was 7 or 8, even though he had no idea who the characters were. We also saved a bunch of the Star Wars toys my MIL saved from my husband’s childhood and passed down to us; my son played with them and now they are in storage for (maybe) the next generation.

    • Look at your kids

      My mom kept a bunch of kids books and also a bunch of clothes. Less toys, but in general I am pro keeping stuff! My kids love playing with my old things! And I’m sentimental.

      I’d also maybe take a look at your kids personalities. My oldest (only age 5 but you can tell) is suuuper sentimental. My mom had kept my old lunchbox and she proudly took it to preschool for show and tell – that’s the sort of kid she is. Loves wearing my hand me downs. I just know she’s going to love it if we keep her favorite outfits and dolls. My son probably couldn’t care less!

    • KatieWolf

      I don’t have older kids, but my mom kept a LOT of my toys, and I have been pulling them out for my daughter as she grows into them. I always thought me mom was a hoarder for holding on to all our crap, but it’s actually been awesome – I don’t have to buy anything! I’m surprised how well the toys have held up, actually. The big hits – wooden puzzles, play food, blocks, dinosaurs. If it were me, I would only keep sentimental things that YOU like and would be willing to tote around, and for practicality, hold onto the universally appealing toys, as your storage space and personal desires allow.

  11. Shots shots shots

    My last tetanus shot was 10 years ago. My PCP is only taking emergencies. I’d rather not let the DPT shot go undone. Are CVS and urgent cares doing them?

    I need to check my kids’ shot records b/c I think they are about due for something (whooping cough? Something that needs a booster) and one kid is getting her sequence of HPV shots, which will also be important for her to complete.

    • Anon

      You’d really go to a drs office NOW for a preventative shot? I mean come on, if you have a sudden need for DPT, they can give it to you when the need arises. As for HPV — uh as long as your kid isn’t doing anything for a few more weeks, it can wait.

      • Anon

        This is not going to be over soon. Is she supposed to wait until there is a vaccine in two or three or five years before getting routine medical care?

        • Anon

          No one is saying waiting for a vaccine, but really her child needs an HPV shot NOW? Give me a break. It can be had in a month or two or 5 when things are calmer even if not totally normal.

          • Anon

            There is a schedule that has been tested for the timing between the two shots. Missing the window means lower efficacy.

          • Anon

            I think if you miss a shot by more than a couple weeks you may have to restart the series. At least in my state, elective medical care is open and I would get the shot if I was in the middle of a vaccine series.

          • Anon

            I think life in general may be more normal in a month, but this actually might be the calmest things get in a long time for the healthcare system – when things start reopening, we’ll see more cases and more burden on hospitals. Right now, at least in my state, hospitals have tons of capacity – there is practically no one in ERs, urgent cares, or ICUs and most doctors who don’t work in urgent/ICU care aren’t even working. A big hospital near me just furloughed a ton of doctors.

      • CountC

        As someone who gets injured more frequently than most, agreed on the tetanus shot when needed during this unique time. I am allergic, so have only had one in my life and only when absolutely needed via the ER.

        I would call the doc about whether the timelines on the HPV series are super strict. If it would mean your child would have to start all over again if they miss one, I’d probably try to get it done. I don’t know how feasible that is though in this environment.

      • Anonymous

        Yes; if offices are open I would go in. I go in for allergy shots, but that is a different doctor. Lord knows, they have generally been closed for >1 month. And it’s not like the virus is going away. Better now than in the fall when kids go back to school and the waitlists and triaging starts from pent-up demand.

      • LaurenB

        Hey Anon – the HPV shots have a certain time frame to them; it’s not a one-shot deal that can be postponed. You still can go to doctors for other medical needs right now. You can even ask if you can wait in your car and they text you to come in when it is your turn, so you are not hanging out in a waiting room if that is a concern.

      • Anonymous

        I needed a shot that was in a series of shots for a vaccine last week. My doctor’s office had me come to the office, call from the car when I got there, and the nurse came out and gave me the shot through the open car window. Definitely call to see what your options are.

    • Anon

      Yes, Minute Clinics are doing shots. You will have to schedule the appointment online and stay in your car until they text or call you.

    • Anon

      I thought the latest science was that this shot lasts 30 years in most people. I would not stress about being a few months late.

    • anon

      I wouldn’t worry about tetanus shot, you can always get a booster if something happens where you need one. Unless you are visiting a newborn soon, you probably don’t need your TDAP up to date.

      For HPV, definitely check with your kid’s doctor since timing of those is important. I would definitely not delay.

    • mascot

      For your kids, call their doctor’s office and get those answers. Our pediatrician’s office is using telemedicine for a lot of appointments and has a strict protocol for those patients who must come in the office.

    • Anon

      I did my whole HPV sequence and tetanus last year (my parents are antivaxxers, so finally getting a lot of that stuff taken care of as a young adult with my own insurance). I did all of them at Walgreens. For the HPV sequence, they told me you can’t do the second and third shots early but doing them a little later than the typical scheduled time is no big deal.

    • OP

      I’d call your primary care doc/pediatrician and see what they say. I’ve heard of healthy kids getting their shots in the parking lot.

  12. Aurora

    Something that’s cheering me, someone who hates work from home, today:

    I ordered a bunch of fancy loose leaf teas, different types and “flavors” and I’m enjoying having a more
    elaborate than I would probs feel comfortable doing in the office ritual around 3/3:30pm and trying something new and drinking better tea!

    • Anon

      I love this! Any recommendations or new favorites?

      Totally agree it is fun to whip up something new mid-afternoon while WFH. and not feel weird about it like you might at the office.

      I am mixing up my afternoon coffee/tea break. Today I made a vanilla steamer with frothed milk, honey, a little vanilla and almond extract, cinnamon, and a pinch of sea salt. SO GOOD.

      Other drinks in rotation: mint tea with honey, Califia Farms almondmilk cold brew, Yogi tea mango ginger!

      • Aurora

        Ooh I need to step my game up! I’ve just been doing peach tee with lemon or various green teas with mint or honey

  13. Anon

    Can someone talk some sense into me. I’ve gotten to the point where grocery shopping is making me anxious. I haven’t gone in 3 weeks so I need to go before I run out of food — yet I’ve been dreading it for days. I go mid morning so I need to go on a day where I can put a “personal” entry on my calendar and just go. I know I”m doing what I am “supposed to.” Since this started I was going every 7-10 days, then lengthened it out to 2 weeks, and this time 3 weeks — because Birx made that vague comment re stay home, now is not the time to grocery shop (but then walked it back).

    I live in Arlington where it is impossible to get a online order (or at least I haven’t been able to in 1.5 months). While it is by no means NYC, the stores are smaller than what you have in real suburbia so it’s not like you can maintain THAT much distance, so that’s why I try to go mid week and get in there by 10-11 am; found that mornings are more crowded as everyone here is an early bird and then lunch time again gets crowded as people run out on lunch breaks. I’ll wear a mask, self checkout (I know there’s disagreement on this but small store, standing face to face with a grocery clerk with no plastic barrier in between isn’t comfortable), sanitize as soon as I’m in the car, and wash hands at home — and ultimately shower after putting groceries away. Anything else I can do? Drink to take the edge off??

    • Anon

      I go about an hour before closing. It’s much quieter, and since people have stopped panic buying here I never have a problem getting what I need.

      • Anon

        +1. Here in my corner of Chicagoland, the hour before closing on a weeknight seems to be the quietest I’ve found. I’m not super tied to brand names so I’ve been able to get everything on my list except flour and toilet paper, although I noticed that flour was back in stock last week and I was able to get some then. I’ve still got some TP so hoping that comes back soon.

        • LaurenB

          Chicagoland and same – I went once an hour before closing and the store was empty. Look – if you’re masked, wipe off your cart with a wipe, shop quickly, avoid being near others, get into your car and wipe down your hands, steering wheel, etc. and then wash once you get home — I think you’ve done all you reasonably can. If you’re truly concerned, you can try leaving the bags in the garage for a day (assuming it’s cold enough) and/or wipe down the outside of your packaging, but really … that should be just fine.

      • Katie

        I’m in Arlington and I’ve been driving to the ‘burbs for a less crowded experience. Aldi in Del Ray is well-stocked and hasn’t been overly crowded (sometimes there’s a short line to get in but they’re controlling how many folks are in the store), and same with the new Lidl in Springfield. I find I’m far less anxious going during a weekday than when I tried to shop on a weekend. Both these stores have plastic barriers in place between the clerk and customers and are wiping down carts, and everyone has masks.

    • Anonymous

      I have found it helpful to write out my list and group items based on where they are located in the store so I don’t meander and can get in and out quickly. I also put my credit card in my back pocket so I dont need to dig through my purse. Beyond that, just do your best to keep space between folks. Sounds like you’re doing everything you should be with the mask, sanitizing, etc. It will be ok! :)

      • anonshmanon

        I also just have my card and ID in my back pocket. I wear a hoodie with pockets, with a mini hand sanitizer in one pocket, which I like to use when coming out of the store (although on my trip yesterday, the store was offering gloves to customers, so no need). I only wear my hoodie outside now, and leave it in the hallway when I’m home. I can imagine how I could easily graze some contaminated surface with my sleeve and subsequently transfer germs to my face, but for my other clothes, I think the likelihood is negligible.

        Since we’re now all learning about proper mask wearing, similarly, if you wear gloves for shopping, you can familiarize yourselves with how to take them off without getting anything on your hands https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTYioOo__6U

        My phone has my shopping list, so I take it out while shopping, and I assume it could have virus on it. When I walk through the door, I put it on a counter, unload my groceries, wash my hands, put away my groceries (wash produce more carefully than I used to), wash my hands again. Then disinfect my phone. Then usually reward myself with some nice fresh raspberries or similar.

        Since you haven’t been shopping in three weeks, you might also see that stores have stepped up their effort in cleaning carts, handles of freezer doors, only admitting a limited number of people etc.

    • KS IT Chick

      I don’t take my purse in, just one credit card in a back pocket. I also have my list on paper, my mask, a ball cap so I don’t take in my sunglasses, my phone in one front pocket and my car keys in the other. I have wet wipes in the car to clean my hands afterwards. And when I am done, I take a couple minutes to breath, because it’s stressful and I don’t need to carry that stress with me when I’m driving home.

    • Small Law Partner

      Can you go earlier in the morning on a weekday? I go right at the end of senior hours (7:30am here) and it is very sparse and i live in a major city. I also go once a week because that is all the normal food that will realistically fit in our fridge/cabinets. Since you have last gone, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are not plastic barriers at checkout – they popped up in the last few weeks here.

    • anon

      Try going on a Monday. After the weekend rush, they’re restocking and fewer people are around.

    • Finally Made a Name

      Are you me? I’ve been having the same struggle. I bought a $9 box of gloves on Amazon (it came in a week) and wear a ball cap. I wash all my clothes in hot water when I get home and take a shower. Those steps help me feel a bit better. But the anxiety is real! It is very surreal and frightening seeing people in masks, looking scared at one another.

    • Monday

      I don’t know about “talking sense into you,” but does it help to know that you’ve done literally everything you can? You need groceries, delivery isn’t available, you’re going very infrequently, and you’re taking all possible precautions. There is no option that would lower your risk to zero.

      The only other idea possible–to avoid the anxiety of shopping–would be to take someone up on their offer to shop for you, if you’ve had such an offer from anyone. (I know we are not supposed to cater to our anxieties like that, but we’re at the level of making it through the day/week at this point, not evolving as people.) If you’re on your own, just go with the clearest conscience you can. Maybe plan a little reward for yourself after.

      • Anon

        +1. OP I think a lot of people are feeling this. I too went 3 weeks ago right around the time of that Birx announcement and it was when masks first became a thing. It was ridiculously stressful and I think it’s because the masks made it real. But 3 weeks is a LONG time. If you stock up again like that, just think you’re not going again until nearly Memorial Day. I honestly feel this time around with a mask will be “different” because they’re just more “normal” now. BTW 3 weeks is a long time from the stores perspective. At that time Harris T wasn’t requiring masks of their employees and now they are; they weren’t consistently cleaning carts and now they are etc.

        I agree with the reward too! Last time I went it was a gorgeous day that after I loaded my groceries, I found myself taking a little quick 5 min walk around the perimeter of the parking lot which leads to a little park — it was empty and I just felt I needed the sunshine. And also rewarded myself by not forcing myself to work too much that day.

    • Anon

      IDK if I’d do an hour before close in Arlington. People are still buying cart fulls all day long and the stores aren’t huge; you’re not likely to get 1/2 of what you need — so you get exposure and then have to go without/make a repeat trip? I think mid day and mid week is the best in this area. Monday — stores aren’t restocked from the weekend buying sprees. And Friday-the weekend, there are just more people shopping. I haven’t gone but I’ve also heard the traditional after work 5-7 pm hours are busy too — I guess with all the people still reporting to work and/or those who may be WFH but don’t have a flexible job allowing them to go mid day.

    • Anonymous

      I went today for the first time in a while as my husband was going. I was a little anxious, as I didn’t know what to expect. I went at around 11, the store wasn’t crowded, and all the safety measures were in place. To help, I kind of deliberately walked, so I was following the arrows but heading towards the aisles I needed. In some ways, it was less anxious than regular shopping as there was less coming at me — no sample, no ads over the PA, etc. There were empty shelves where I expected, which was a little sad, but I can’t be surprised that the Lysol is gone!

      In the end, I realized that I am not getting out hardly at all, and the trip was good for me. It’s just my local store, with the same people working there, albeit a bit disheveled.

    • Anon

      I don’t know if this will help you, and I’m a little afraid of posting this, seeing as how these thread tend to spiral … I’m really not looking for comments on this, but wanted to reply to you. I also don’t know if you are more physically vulnerable or what your personal situation is so please, know that this was sent with only the best of intentions.

      I felt very anxious about going to the grocery store as well. I do not have any underlying health conditions or any reason to believe that if I were to be infected, that it would be life-threatening or otherwise catastrophic. I’ve been working from home since March 9th in Los Angeles and have only left the house for brief walks in my neighborhood – my husband does the grocery shopping. About 3 weeks in to the SIP, I had to remind myself that the purpose of the order (as I understand it) was to slow the rate of infection, to give our health care providers the best chance of providing care to those who needed it most, and to protect the most physically vulnerable. The purpose (for me), was not, “Stay at home because if you go outside, you will get sick and die.” which is what it started to feel like. It’s been a challenge to reframe my perspective, and apply a more rational lens to the risks (for myself and others) and steps to mitigate the realistic risks of doing necessary things, like grocery shopping. I hope this helps.

    • anon

      If you’re almost out of food, you probably just have to go shopping. However, for the future, if you don’t want to go shopping and standard Instacart-type delivery is all booked, consider:
      -cans, dry goods, cleaning products, packaged food, etc through the Target or Walmart websites or Amazon
      -some foods shipped right from the producer (like King Arthur flour)
      -fresh produce from a CSA
      -misc other foods from restaurants that are packaging and selling food from their distributors (haven’t heard about for Arlington, but some near me are doing this)
      -hiring someone independently (like through Nextdoor) to shop? a party rental place near me has retooled into a delivery service

      • Casper

        Keany’s produce is doing produce and dairy boxes in the DC/NOVA area. They’re a restaurant supplier. I’ve done it a few times. Order your box online, choose your pickup location (mine is a local restaurant’s parking lot) and you drive up at your appointment time and they put the box in your car truck. I’m not afraid of going to the grocery store for virus reasons but hate the grocery store in general and the masks make me claustrophobic

    • anon

      Idk if this is reassuring at all but I don’t take most of these precautions and I’m fine. I wear a cotton mask (no gloves), go around closing time, and wash my hands, but I don’t bother to wipe down groceries nor do I change clothes or shower immediately after. I will also add that I live alone (so no fear of infecting someone in the household) and have been following stay-at-home orders religiously aside from a grocery store excursion every 2-3 weeks.

    • Anon

      My family of 6 has been shopping uninterrupted, but taking precautions and going at times when the stores are less busy. This is in a major hotspot in northern NJ. The vast majority of cases are not being contracted in grocery stores by shoppers. Most cases are among health care workers, nursing home patients, public transportation workers and customers, and essential workers such as grocery store employees who are there 8 hours each day. I think it’s good to limit store visits and keep stores less crowded, wear masks etc but a healthy suburbanite going to a store once a week is not taking a major risk.

  14. Anon in Arlington

    Also live in Arlington, and have been shopping once a week.
    It will get better. I *do* think that the 3 week interval is making this seem more intimidating. I’ve noticed that when I haven’t been out for awhile, going out in the world feels scarier. Once you’ve done this a few times it’ll feel easier, I promise.
    +1 on the suggestion to have a list organized by layout of the store. And, if you’re looking for TP, paper towels, or soap, be prepared for it to have run out. If any of those are on your list, you might ask at the C. Service desk before you go further.
    For me, being nice is a coping mechanism, and there are plenty of people who are having it worse than I am — to wit, the people stocking the store, and people who thought they could waltz in and buy soap. :) Smile and give them an encouraging word — it’ll probably make you feel better.
    Also? Maybe listen to music instead of NPR on your commute. :)
    You can do it.

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