I don't think we need a lock down, well not exactly/we need a PLAN.
MOST people don't need to lose their jobs/income/hours don't need to be cut.
More info, and I know its A LOT, but a good plan/a plan that goes indepth/fixes a problem/helps a lot,requires depth/a lot of pieces have to go into it.
Also a lot of this answers/addresses, A LOT of other questions/concerns as well.
I honestly don't see anything wrong with lock downs. Meaning EVERYTHING/MOST things are DIGITAL, NOW DAYS ANYWAY, and what TRULY isn't, can be deemed essential, meaning ANYONE that works with a physical product, a computer doesn't count, UNLESS, your maintaining servers HARDWARE/if you can remote access it, that doesn't count, also Maintaining internet, also the electric companies, field workers/maintenance workers, ARE ESSENTIAL, the desk workers are not essential/don't need to leave their homes/they can use VOIP/the internet/email/portals/Zoom/some other service like SKYPE, JUST LIKE ALL OF THE OTHER, AT HOME WORKERS, other essential workers, Fedex,UPS,USPS, also if you work in a warehouse,grocery store, TO PREPARE, groceries/other products, for delivery/for doordash/instacart/stock shelves/unload trucks, if your an RN,LPN,CNA,DR,surgeon, Ambulance driver, police officer, if you need to be at a vet, to receive dogs/cats/animals, also CERTAIN medical procedures/care, is permitted, WITH the RIGHT PPE, such as respirators/hazmat suits. Also SOME garage doodoor services are essential, such as medical garage doors.
Anyway a lock down, MEANS NOTHING/NOTHINGS changed, other than HOW WE DO BUSINESS, WHICH IS A LOT MORE EFFICIENT, ANYWAY, meaning less gas is being used in vehicles, less TIME IS BEING WASTED, while driving to a location, the business, is still happening though, A LOT of the money lost, in the oil fields, can be transferred over to the renewable resources field, such as solar panels,wind turbines,water mills, batteries and so on, the way the worlds going anyway/BP, sees it/has invested a lot into renewable energy.
You don't NEED to leave your house to work, unless you work with a physical product.
Also your house most likely has more, than anywhere else anyway, meaning I have, computers/gaming consoles,tvs/monitors,blurays,internet/streaming services, such as Netflix,Hulu,Hbo,starz,books, pdfs and physical books, and so on, I have workout equipment, hair clippers.
I really have, no need, to leave my house, doordash/walmart/fedex/UPS/USPS/Amazon, deliver, what ever I need, and I also keep things stored, as well, JUST IN CASE.
Honestly to go out, is A LOT MORE, inconvenient, than staying home.
Other concerns/things, people have asked/my answers, to other issues, people have talked about:
I would prefer kids to be able to live a long life/SOME sacrifices are needed.
Also Vitamin D supplements is an option.
I have air purifiers/filters in my house/the air in my house, is definitely a lot cleaner, than whats outside.
I also have a treadmill/a full gym,but work out bands are an option, mine go up to 1000pounds/resistance.
I'd prefer lives to be saved/a few sacrifices are worth it, to be honest.
Honestly nothings wrong with kids going outside, in their back yards, also ZOOM/Skype,Google DUO,Facetime and so on, is available for friends and family, ALSO, if you get your family to quarantine, for 20 to 30 days/not go out, for that period of time, they can stay with you or vice verse, meaning contact doesn't have to stop, if all rules are being met/your not exposed.
Also MOST kids are involved/doing virtual learning, right now/some were doing this, before any of this, and as long as the rest, of that family is doing the same/working from home, their safe as well.
Granted, SOME cases of Covid are asymptomtaic/SOME people can have covid and never show any signs, but at the same time, 30 to 40days SHOULD be long enough, not to worrie.
Also, regulations SHOULD be made, with in business, to prevent job loss/SHOW/Inlighten, companies/show them how business is done, in todays day and time/show them how the digital world works.
If your an essential workesomeone that works in a warehouse/grocery store/stockeunloading trucks/fills orders/ANY of the jobs/types of jobs that I mentioned, than, YOU SHOULDN'T LOOSE YOUR JOB, ANYWAY.
Also SOME jobs/services AREN'T black and white, MEANING, SOME JOBS, MAY be essential, so an appealing process/through court/Zoom, SHOULD be available, to people, with no cost, to the person applying for it.
If you work in a restaurant/fast food, than, MAYBE one day, the food/bar industry will bounce back/after the Pandemic, SOME people are still using Uber Eats, I'M NOT, but SOME people are.
Also Salons/Barbershops, is ANOTHER industry, that is NOT essential right now.
Also entertainers/entertainment/big gathering and so on, are NOT essential.
You could also check out door dash/Instacart, IF your in the food/restaurant industry.
For these type workers, waiting for stimulus, is about all you can do, or like i said switch to door dash, or something like that/look at whats viable RIGHT NOW.
This is another reply/answe other parts to the solution/problem:
definitely the biggest problem, and thats where the military needs to step up/step in.
Also it is really easy to transfer any business over to complete digital, atleast when it comes to the payments/transactions/deliverie, parts of the business. Parts of the business, MAY not be digital though/ certain parts, MAY, can't be digital, such as the parts of the business, that work with a physical product, those are essential workers, grocery stores, shouldn't be open, to the public, but their workers are definitely essential, to unload trucks,stock shelves, prepare orders, for pick up, either by customers, that have to sit in their car, with the trunk open, or doordash/instacart drivers/deliveries or to a spot/person/bicycle.
To do this for SOME people, kiosks, installed outside walmart, so people can put their orders in, and they would be cleaned, periodically as well and sanitizer dispensers would be available as well.
Also this is what servers/VOIP/E-mail/portals/websites/apps/Skype or zoom and so on,are fothese tools allow ANYONE to work remotely.
Unless your business is already broken/your using papeenvelopes/stamps/Ink/printers/huge filing cabinets/paper calenders,huge adding machines/have no online presents/website/server.
In this case, you will SOON turn into Sears,Kmart,ToysRUs,Sports Authority,Hifi Buy,Circuit City, AND SOON GameStop.
We now have the ability to pay our bills through apps/setup auto pay.
We bank through apps, we can even deposit checks through apps, but most things are direct deposited, now days anyway, and if you use a check, MOST OF THE TIME, its handed back to you, after your transaction, and is baisicly ran as a debit/the money is taken out of your account, at the time of purchase/right away.
Anyway things are done A LOT MORE EFFICIENT, NOW DAYS.
The hardest part, is definitely going to be, the part, where the government, NEEDS, to enforce all of this and issue fines and FUTURE jail time, but at the moment, issue the digital fines and escort them back to their homes.
Court now days, is also done through zoom/digitally.
Anyway ALL of this is definitely doable, and the Military/government needs to help the people, that cant take care of them selves/that don't have access to wate food to eat/a place to live, also do this safely as well/with the proper PPE gear on, gas masks, with the right filters/the virus protecting filters.
This would definitely help A LOT.
Also this is ONE thing, I didn't mention, I believe in rights/everyone should be able to choose, UNLESS, someone is being hurt, other than the person that chose to do something.
I think spreading covid/infected people/potentially killing old people/technically any aged person, is not right/as long as your not hurting anyone, than, I believe that people have the right, to do, what ever they want.
Also another issue, thats been brought up A LOT:
Mental health is an issue, but like I've also stated, to quarantine/be safe, you don't have to isolate AND DEFINITELY NOT FOREVER, meaning, you can be with people, as long as either, you were together, since the beginning, OR two, both people isolate them selves for 30 to 40 days.
You still have skype/zoom/entertainment/the ability to workout from home, ALSO a back yard or like me, a lot of property to walk on/look around/enjoy/you can still go outside, I have fences and gates, so I don't have to worrie about people walking up/driving up on me, but A LOT can be done from home.
The issues with suicide/abuse and so on, WERE MOST LIKELY ALREADY an issue with these people, BEFORE, ANY OF THIS, this just probably brought it out MORE/showed the issues in their relationships/minds, that were there, before any of this, meaning, being around a person for long periods of time/not having alone time, CAN/COULD cause problems, I say to that, EVERYONE, needs a place, where they can go and relax/unwind/decompress.
I have a few places like that, my man cave/gaming area, my projector room, where I can game or watch movies, my gym, I also have my office, and thats where I work.
My wife has her office and her arts and crafts room and a lady cave/where she can game, watch movies and decompress.
Mental health is a problem, but its a separate problem/an existing problem, IN MOST CASES.
Zoom/skype/Google DUO/facetime, CAN/COULD definitely be used to talk to a therapist, it might not be ideal, but it CAN definitely help.
Also if abuse is the issue, MAKE A PLAN/contact authorities discreetly/I know that can be a hard/a tricky situation.
I'm not saying mental health isn't real, but MOST LIKELY, it was already an issue BEFORE covid, anxiety or what ever it might be.
Therapy/medication OR a mental health facility, MAY be whats needed, for that.

I researched air purifiers to protect against covid for a friend who has some special health issues. Thought I'd put up the basics here.
Air purifiers with HEPA filters really can filter out virus. The more air they process, the more they reduce virus concentration. Processing speed is measured in CFM, cubic feet per minute. You want one that will give you at least 6 air changes per hour (called ACH in the trade). So to figure out how powerful an air purifier you need, in order to get 6 air changes per hour, do this: (1) figure out cubic feet of area you want to keep safe. (2) Take 1/10 of that figure. (3) That number will be the number of CFM, cubic feet per minute, that your air purifier must be capable of processing, in order to give you 6 ACH. So if your room is 2000 cubic feet, you want an air purifier rated for 200 CFM. Or you could get 2 smaller air purifiers whose combined CFM is 200. (By the way, the CFM of an air purifier is always how many cubic feet per minute it can process when set on high. If you set it on med or low it will turn over air more slowly.)
It is not necessary to get an air purifier with a charcoal filter or ultraviolet light.
Here are some air purifiers on Amazon that get good ratings and give a good amount of air processing for their price.
Reddit is going to run all this together, but it should still be understandable: For each air purifier I gave name and make, CFM, and price. Coway Airmega AP-1512HHS (AP-1519P) HEPA Air Purifier 233 cfm. $266 Coway AP-1216L Tower Mighty Air Purifier with True Hepa 213 cfm. $189 Coway AP-1512HH Mighty Air Purifier with True HEPA 233 cfm. $199 Honeywell HPA300 True HEPA Air Purifier, Extra-Large Room 226 cfm. $300 Honeywell HPA200 True HEPA Allergen Remover 168 cfm. $200 Honeywell HPA100 True HEPA Air Purifier 100 cfm. $100 Honeywell 50250-S True HEPA Air Purifier 250 cfm. $216 Germ Guardian True HEPA Filter Air Purifier 68 cfm. $68

To start off I've had my cats for 5 and 4 years. I love them both. As of right now however I work out of town on a week on week off schedule. I never used to work out of town but due to my trade slowing down I had to just for job security. While I'm out of town I have someone check on my cats for me every couple of days.
I've been dating my girlfriend for 2 years and unless something unforseen happens we will probably get married. However she has eczema and cat allergies which worsen her eczema.
Before covid she lived with her parents so when she would come over I had to get all new bedding because my old bedding would make her react. I also have to wash anything she touches with a special allergen eliminating detergent. I have to cover my couches with clean sheets and on top of that I have an air purifier in my bedroom and hepa filter in the furnace.
With doing all that she still has bad reactions some times. She started taking allergy shots and after awhile we felt like she was having very bad reactions to them to the point where she had like raw oozing skin patches on her face which you can understand was not very pleasant for her.
Shes now moved in to her own place so I spend about half my time at home there just so she doesn't have any bad reactions.
I'm looking at buying a house and having her move in with me. Would it be cruel to confine my cats to one room or the basement? What about a sun room designed for the cats?
Other than this combined with me barely being home I feel like I can not provide the proper care they need and need to rehome them. Are there any other ideas?

I probably have to preface this by explaining how bad my allergies are, because I'll probably just seem like a picky douchebag if i don't; I can't attend my family's Thanksgiving because my aunt has a dog, and if I drive there, my eyes will swell shut, preventing me from driving home. As a child, I was hospitalized multiple times due to anaphylaxis from being in a space with a dog or having one brush up against me. Hopefully that will help explain why I'm having so much trouble in my situation.
The first and foremost requirement of any living space I (23M/from Indiana) occupy is that there are/have been no animals hosted in the building. I will literally live in the most desolate dungeon if it's all that is available exclusive to humans. I LOVE animals, but being in the same building as them will cause my airways to inflame & I have to take two or three relatively expensive medications to alleviate any problems they cause.
When I came to my current landlord (PRIOR to signing the lease), I asked him multiple times to ASSURE me that there were no pets allowed anywhere in the complex (especially since the building has one laundry machine shared by 6 separate units). He very confidently assured me that under no circumstances were any animals allowed in the building and pointed out that this clause was included in the lease agreement. In addition he led me to believe that the same clause was present on the lease agreements of all neighbors across from/above my apartment.
Great! I have secured a residence that is affordable and more importantly a residence where I'll be able to breathe and sleep without worrying about itchy eyes, rashes, or suffocation. Immediately upon moving in I noticed that I was having more trouble breathing than when I was living at home - okay... I thought. Must just be the dust? I'll clean and it will go away. I am a clean person and I wiped the floor and every single surface the same as I would have at my former apartment maintenance job. This was to no avail, but I figured that the allergies I was dealing with were entirely manageable if I took just the basic allergy medication.
The real first problem though was when I washed my clothes for the first time in the shared laundry. While living at my old complex, I had to drive 10 minutes away just to do laundry & was thrilled that I had a laundry unit right outside of my front door (the complex shares one large stairwell, three floors with two units per floor). Both me & my girlfriend (who also has a cat allergy) noticed that our clothes were giving us prickling pain and rashes when we put on tight clothes. Come to find out that there was a cat owner living across the hall from us and he had just done a load prior to our washing.
So, I started driving across town to do laundry. I figured, whatever, the rent is cheap. I'll deal with it and keep up with my basic medication. This should have been where the story ended, but within another week of living at the apartment I saw a woman leashing a 50 pound Pit bull mutt up to her room. When I asked her about it, she told me that the landlord had given her permission to have the dog so long as she pays a $300 fine and $30 a month of upkeep fees.
Interesting? At this point I was certainly feeling defrauded. My landlord was not only going against his very word, but also (as far as I am aware) breaking the contract to which we are both bound. Another week goes by, and a second dog appears across the hallway from me. Two dogs and a cat located both across the hallway and above me with shared laundry in a tight space (these aren't luxury apartments). Since then, I have had to start taking two separate medicines which I have been off of for several years that cost about $6500 per year (before insurance) just to keep my body from shutting down. (Just as a note, I probably won't die if I don't take the medication, but it will seriously alter my ability to perform basic tasks such as driving, cooking, sleeping, etc.) note: To make sure I wasn't crazy, I have slept upstairs in her apartment several times and noticed a great reduction in my allergic response (she has no neighboring animals).
So I contact the landlord. I essentially say 'look - I feel totally defrauded, my body is in massive pain and I'm paying a lot of money just to maintain basic comfort and health'. His response? "There was a cat when you moved in and you didn't bring up any problems". When asked "What about the contract?", he responded that the building policies had to be adjusted to accommodate the 'wishes of other renters' due to COVID and further stated that the lease contract only applies to my room and not the rest of the building. Since then, his only attempt at reconciling the situation has been to replace a $10 furnace filter. He will not let me terminate my lease without forcing me to give up my security deposit and pay an extra month of rent. He has left me on read after I implored him to purchase an air purifier with the $900 + $90/month he's getting from the pet-owning tenants.
In summation, I believe that he defrauded me/is violating my right to habitable living conditions and reasonable accommodations due to my asthma and allergies. If he can't provide reasonable accommodations, I would at least hope he would let me terminate my lease without all the accompanying fees. I believe that just because I'm a young renter (23M), he thinks he can do whatever he wants so long as he is earning a couple extra bucks without any restitution for the tenants he is damaging. Is there anything I can do which won't require me to spill big bucks on a lawyer? I just want to be able to live in my own apartment without getting sick. It doesn't help that because of COVID, I'm more or less confined to my room 24/7. Importantly, there is a clause in the lease which stipulates I must cover any legal fees he incurs if I lose in court. Do I qualify for disability accommodations under the fair housing act?
TL;DR - I have severe cat/dog allergies and my landlord changed the building policy to allow two of my immediate neighbors to own multiple pets (shared laundry) after verbal confirmation that there would be no pets allowed in the building + no pets allowed in contract.
At the link is a photo of the pet policy from my contract which the landlord led me to believe was the contract in the neighboring apartments. https://gyazo.com/b2f31bc9c9cab7d88b4998c3d9da37a7 - Thank you all in advance!

Hey guys. Just joined this subreddit!
I'm planning on smoking with my friend in a relative's house. Not gonna smoke in the living room of course, but maybe the basement?
Because of covid, my relatives living there bought two big ass air purifiers to clean the air from bacteria and impurities. And after watching some weed growing vids on youtube i found out that carbon filters remove the weed smell(?) And both these air purifiers have an active carbon element in them i'm pretty sure.
Do you have any experience with this? Does it really remove all the smell? And can they clear a whole room of weed smell just like that?

ThrowRA
First I want to say that I'd never ask him to get rid of his cat. I believe we can work through this, its just a sensitive subject for us both.
Like the title says, my boyfriend of about 6 months has a cat that I'm super allergic to. Like, sneezing, itching, chest feels tight and hurts, hard to breathe, the whole shebang. And some of the symptoms last days after I've left, which really sucks with covid right now because everyone thinks I'm really sick. I have a cat myself that I don't get any symptoms from unless I forget to take my allergy pill. Even then, I usually only sneeze a lot from my cat, maybe a runny/stuffy nose. So I have hope that I can get 'immune' to his cat with time. Currently, I'm taking an allergy pill, he's vacuuming with a hepa filter before I come over, his cat gets a bath and brushed multiple times before I come over, we have an air purifier, clean sheets on the bed every night I stay over, we even found a tea (nettle) that I buy and drink when I'm over because we read somewhere that it helps. And when we sleep we keep his patio door (closed off so kitty can't get out) open so I have fresh air, even when recently its been below freezing.
All of that really helps... except when I'm sleeping. I wake up not being able to breathe well and wheezing. Sometimes I have to go outside for a while. I don't sleep well when I'm there, which really sucks. Especially because lately he's been forgetting some of the stuff like vacuuming and laundry or does it while I'm there, which makes it worse.
His cat also really likes cuddling. Which is beyond adorable, she's super cute when she's all curled up and then wakes up and yawns. But all I can think about when the cat jumps up and curls up on me or him (who's usually right next to me because we're cuddled up already) is that she's getting all her dander on me. (She sheds like crazy, more than any cat I've seen.) And at night while we're sleeping she'll come curl up on the pillow next to my face or somewhere close. If I try moving her my bf doesn't necessarily get upset, but he just gently tells me not to do that. I've tried bringing up that one of the most important things I've read and heard from couples who have gone through the same thing is that kitty shouldn't be allowed in the bedroom. He shut me down before I even asked the question, which did bother me a little. I told him that it is his apartment, but when we live together I couldn't come home to a place I couldn't breathe every night.
I guess I'm asking if anyone has any other solutions to allergies or insight on how to bring up the subject to him without him immediately shutting me down. I want to work through this and I think it will get better, but continuing to expose myself like this isn't getting us anywhere except frustrating me and probably him too.

Several months ago I started posting here in hopes to get advice for remedies about chronic post nasal drip (constant throat clearing - constant needing to blow my nose - daytime and nighttime nasal congestion - no OTC allergy meds work - general miserableness) Posing here with a possible remedy that I hope make help someone.

• First I felt like my air purifier wasn't cleaning the air as well as it should be. I was having to dust daily inside my bedroom and noticed my allergy and asthma symptoms were worse this year. When I would vacuum my bedroom (the only room in my apartment with carpet) the empty canister would be full of dust and lint by the time I was done vacuuming less than 100 square feet of carpet. I did some research about air purifiers since I was tired of cleaning every day. Found out my Ionic Turbo air purifier -- that I've had for 10+ years -- generates OZONE which is TOXIC to humans. Before covid I would typically keep it out in the living room to suck up cooking odors from the kitchen from seeping into my furniture but I moved it into my bedroom since I was spending more time in there while I WFH. Could visibly see it was cleaning some crud out of the air when cleaning the plates (its "filter"), but it was simultaneously polluting the air. I threw it out three weeks ago and within a couple of days, my asthma was 80% better. I purchased a new air purifier that is Asthma-Allergy Foundation approved HEPA air filter with a carbon pre-filter. I have had to dust ONCE in the past two weeks compared to dusting daily before. I am sneezing and coughing a lot less and have not had to take a single allergy pill since the day I brought it home.
  
• Secondly I finally went to see an ENT doctor about the post nasal drip the same week I threw out my Ionic air purifier. He said it happens to a lot of people living in cities with poor air quality and the city where we live has had terrible air quality this year due to being situated perfectly to catch all the smoke from the wild fires out west plus the Saharan Dust Cloud from June. He gave me a cup of alkaline water to drink. And he said "in 10 minutes, tell me how your mucus is in your throat." He did a quick head CT to look for a deviated septum (which I do have). And after the mucus (post nasal drip) was nearly gone. He explained something about a high ph water helps clear out mucus, which is why gargling salt water helps (but he said drinking it would be better but it tastes nasty). So he recommended finding an alkaline water with a ph of 9+ to keep in hand for sipping on days when the mucus is bad. I keep a bottle of Essentia (9.5+ ph) and it does help clear out my post nasal drip and mucus better than Mucinex or any medication.
  

-Third I got a cool mist humidifier finally for sleeping. I have always had a warm vapor humidifier for when I get bronchitis or pneumonia after the common cold. The cool mist helps shrink the inflammation in my nasal passages thus helps me to breathe better at night, and I think this helps with the deviated septum issue as well.
Are my allergies and asthma cured? No. But they sure as hell are a lot better and my quality of life is better too. I have gone from overly medicated with OTC allergy meds, Sudafed, and Mucinex daily to no meds in the last three weeks. I can't say this will be the case when the tree pollen explodes in spring but I at least can now enjoy a winter where my allergies and asthma aren't making me miserable every day.
Well that's all I have right now. I hope this information helps someone else who is suffering with the same issues as I have been. Peace.

Moved into an apartment with carpeting upstairs about 6 months ago and my seasonal allergies have now become horrible year round allergies. I’ve tried zyrtec, Claritin, and my PCP put me on Nasonex and Clarinex. My symptoms are bad sinus pressure headaches, pressure in my face (around my eyes and eyebrows), daily congestion, irritated throat, what feels like sore spots in throat, itchy/burning/watery eyes. I stopped taking the Nasonex because it dried up my nose and throat so much I thought I was sick with covid, although it did seem to help a bit with congestion and headaches. The Clarinex I’m still taking but I feel like it does absolutely nothing. My PCP thinks it’s probably a dust mite allergy because I moved from my home with all wood floors to a carpeted old apartment. I just purchased a HEPA filter air purifier for my bedroom and am getting dust mite protector bedding items. Is there anything else I can do?? I’m disappointed that the medication isnt really helping and I’m tired of having headaches and stuffiness all the time, it’s unbearable.

Not really sure where to being, might be rant with hints of venting, maybe?
Like for most people on the planet, 2020 has been EPIC. Epically shitty! Turned 40 this year and the body aches creeped in, got a promotion at work that resulted in dealing with more dumpster fires, got my kid potty trained for preschool and then everything went online. Hmmmmmm, am I missing something? Oh yeah, COVID BLEEPED the human race.
I thought, I've made it this far, holidays are around the corner. I'll just keep my head down, enjoy the down time, pack on the holiday gorge pounds and skate into 2021. You know what, maybe even meet up with my best friend and indulge in our college day bad behavior's.
What happened next, I feel can be best described by Al Pacino in Godfather, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." Co-workers calls and tells me he has tested positive for COVID. The same co-worker that I was discussing, in-person, about a very big dumpster fire. This of course sets off a barrage of bleeps followed by a plethora of non-ASL approved one finger salutes to Kismet.
Fast-forward present day: Sitting in my guest room that is slowly turning into a studio apartment with a resident that lacks an ankle bracelet to complete the look. I am currently awaiting test results as to my faith regarding "da Rona." If I have it, I am grateful that neither my family nor I am exhibiting any symptom's. However in typical first world fashion, I feel like I am slowly becoming a martyr to cabin fever. I recently set-up (plugged-in) an air purifier from Amazon, read that manual like an 80's adult magazine. Will never look at a HEPA filter the same way again.
So before I get to my ask. Just want to proceed with the basic operating facts about me. I'm located on the east coast, married with a kid, culturally my peeps come from the sub-continent (TSA and I are on first name basis), enjoy traveling (pre-Covid), learning about the world beyond my back yard, love all things gasoline especially those with 4 wheels and my toddler can out game me in tech. Seriously he toddler-grammed me on how to get the Ipad synced with Alexa. You go little man............
So my ask! Wondering if their is anyone out there, that is perhaps, a little bored to lonely during these times. I would like to engage in some pleasant banter, mixed in with conversation, mixed in with some nerd talk.
Let me know..............otherwise martyrdom here I come!

An N95 mask is an easily-recognizable acronym for an N95 filter respirator, which is essentially a popular, easily-labor-efficient particulate filter respirator that's designed to filter out harmful airborne particles. They're worn by healthcare workers to protect their lungs from particulates like dust mites. There are many different types of N95 masks, and they all do a great job of keeping air flowing freely through the wearer's mouth and nose. They've also become a favorite in many industrial applications and commercial environments because they don't block the airflow as much as some standard mask filters do. If you're looking for an N95 mask, there are several types to choose from.
Perhaps one of the most recognizable N95 mask features is the all-inclusive, full face mask for "Covid-19." This style of N95 mask has a molded front and back, and it comes with a comfortably padded chin strap and adjustable straps for the chin-up position. A typical N95 mask for Covid-19 is made from a high-density non-woven polypropylene material that is fully recyclable and comes in a variety of colors. Many people prefer a more natural appearance to the mask, and the all-American look of a standard black can be easily adapted for your personal needs. The standard size of this mask is 23mm, and though it's one of the more compact options, it's still a very effective choice for keeping contaminants out of your nose and lungs. Many companies make a variety of N95 masks to fit every individual's unique needs.
Why it is important for employees works in a hazardous environment
One of the biggest problems many first responders and other employees face is a respiratory illness due to inhaling fine dust particles. In situations where breathing may become difficult or impossible, an N95 mask is often the best available personal protective equipment to use to protect the wearer's lungs and airways. These masks are designed to be worn with or without a facemask, and they work equally well for filtering out small dust particles and preventing the entry of larger ones. They're comfortable to wear, and disposable or reusable can be purchased according to the wearer's preference.
When it comes to keeping contaminants out, there are numerous N95 coverings available. Many different types of filters work with the valves described above, including HEPA and Ozone gases. They're easy to maintain and care for, and often the preferred option because they don't restrict the movement of the wearer's face.
For those who work in hazardous environments, N95 and Ozone air purifiers are FDA registered. These air purifiers are available both as stand-alone units or as attachment devices to existing N95 masks. They provide high levels of ozone, chlorine, and other chemicals free ozone that effectively eliminates airborne particles. If you are interested in buying the N95 mask for protecting your lungs and health from hazardous dust particles and viruses then you must prefer using these masks. You can check out online sellers like accumed.com for better deals on these masks.

Why buy air purifiers?
Air purifiers are an essential tool to prevent the spread of pathogens further into the air. With their intelligent filter, they eliminate viruses including COVID-19, fine particles and contaminants and bacteria from the air, without returning them to the outside.
Harmful substances such as pollen, viruses, bacteria, fine dust, allergic substances, pet hair, mould spores, cigarette smoke, chemical odours and vapours are effectively filtered out by Ideal air purifiers. The air is enriched with negatively charged ions giving a revitalizing effect.
Unwanted particles remain inside so that they can be removed from the environment, also favouring better breathing due to the higher quality of the air. The clean air also helps to improve the climate in the workspace and thus to increase performance.
Nowadays, they are a great ally in protecting employees and customers from the coronavirus, favouring a safe environment for everyone present.

ICU nurse here, have been primarily in covid-land since March. TLDR at the bottom if you're as lazy as I am :)
At the start of it I was fit-tested on a 3m small N95 and that's what I've been using since. When outside the rooms we are to wear a surgical mask. When inside the rooms, we are to wear an n95 and a surgical mask over it, tossing the surgical mask each entry and reuse that n95 for up to 3 shifts. (We are supposed to put it in a bin to be UV sanitized but honestly I feel like the crumpled state I get it back in is way more detrimental compared to just leaving it to air out in my paper bag between shifts). So that's our protocol- but what I've been doing is just not taking off my n95 with a personal kn95 over it from the second I enter the hospital until I leave. I feel safer because who knows which employees are testing positive now, and also it's much easier if I need to run inside a room to just slap a surgical mask on top of them instead of doing the whole shebang and having to adjust my scrub cap.
The issue is that now we've run out of any masks that fit me, so I've had to start using the P100 and filters I bought at the beginning in anticipation of this. It's great in the rooms and SO much easier to breathe in than an n95 because of the exhalation valve, but it's so heavy on my head/chin that I can't really wear it all 12 hours like I would the n95. So I'm looking for a lightweight P100 that I can wear all 12 hours that'll keep me protected outside the rooms and also make it easy for me to run inside when I need to.
I know that the P100's have exhalation valves and that's not kosher when outside the rooms bc who knows that kinda cooties I have that I'm letting everyone else breathe- I keep a surgical mask over it if I'm outside with it on. I have an n95 envo mask that I wear (with a surgical mask over it for my cooties) all shift if I'm in the clean ICU. I haven't been fit tested on it and don't plan on it- I wear it bc it's comfortable but even if I passed a fit test I wouldn't totally trust it to go into rooms with. For covid I don't really want to switch between the envo mask outside of rooms and the p100 inside rooms- like I said before I'm lazy and it's too much of a pain to keep adjusting my scrub cap and doing the whole shebang between each of the two headpieces. I've seen some people have the MSA P100 that looks lighter but they only wear that inside the rooms. It looks like a good option but I want to make sure before I buy it- esp. since I already have a P100 and cartridges.
Basically I want to be insanely protected and wear a P100 all shift because that's the only way I'll feel safe personally, and feel safe seeing my boyfriend, who is the only person i've been seeing outside of my roommate. As it stands right now, I don't see him within two and a half weeks of me taking care of a covid pt. Last week I was short of breath for a few days and was out from work pending my PCRs- ending up being a bad medication reaction and not the 'rona thankfully, but that scare was enough to make me thankful for the 2.5 week precaution I take. I know coworkers are hanging out with people but I just can't wrap my head around it- we come into work and see everyone die horrible senseless preventable deaths, and then y'all are going home and getting drinks with the people you love most? I understand wanting to live life and see them, but at least for me I think not seeing them is much better way to show your love lol, we're literally elbow deep in covid. Granted, I am getting help, and have earned myself a lovely PTSD diagnosis. I know my mental state is not unique to the situation that's been forced on us. I'm just not sure if I'm alone in sticking to a true quarantine since March.
Have you guys been seeing your significant others (that you don't live with) ?
So I guess this is a two parter lol.
TL;DR 1)I want to wear a P100 all 12 hours that won't feel like a million pounds on my face- any recommendations? 2) PPE in mind, are you seeing people outside of work?

I see 2 reasons why [cloth] masks protect others more than they protect the wearer
1 – Masks reduce the exhale velocity, which helps stop spread throughout the room.
2 – [Cloth] Masks trap large particles more effectively than small. However the droplets that we exhale can quickly reduce in size by evaporative action (increasing the per-ml concentration of virus within the droplet during the process). It’s easier to stop them on the way out while they’re large than on the way in when they’re small. (*)
Let's talk more about each of these:

1 – Masks reduce the exhale velocity, which helps stop spread throughout the room.
When you breathe, talk, scream, cough or sneeze, the air comes out with progressively higher velocity. Higher velocity helps the droplets travel farther faster and mix into a larger area of the room. The mask greatly slows that velocity which prevents it from mixing in the air as much and from traveling as far as fast. Now look at the opposite direction (inhalation), there is no counterpart to talking, screaming, coughing, sneezing so no counterpart that would be affected by wearing a mask during inhalation and no corresponding benefit. But even if we exclude those talking/screaming/coughing/sneezing activities and just look at simple breathing inhale and exhale, there are STILL velocity differences which make the mask more beneficial during exhale. Put your finger in front of your mouth or nostril and breathe in and out… which one can you feel with your finger? Only the exhale which is guided into a narrow stream inside our nostrils on the way out (narrow means higher velocity for a given flow rate). In contrast for the inhale the air is coming more from all directions into our nostrils, not a single direction (there is nothing to guide it in a single direction) so the velocity is lower.
So exhalation velocity is the high velocity that contributes to mixing and spreading and it can be knocked down by a mask. Inhalation velocity (for the air in front of your face during inhale) is much lower. Inhalation velocity might also be reduced by a mask but it was already low to begin with so it wasn't contributing much to the transport and mixing of the virus within the room.

2 – Evaporation causes droplets to get smaller after exhalation, so they are more easily filtered as large droplets on the way out than small droplets on the way in [cloth masks]
I’ll bet this one is new and counterintuitive to a lot of people. You don’t see raindrops getting smaller as they fall, so why should exhaled respiratory droplets be any different?
...The answer lies is surface area to volume ratio (4pi r²⁾ / (4/3 * pi * r³ ) ~ (1/r). Respiratory droplets are much smaller than raindrops, so the r is smaller, and the ratio is larger. Since the evaporation depends on surface area and the amount of stuff to evaporate depends on volume, the respiratory droplets with higher surface area-to volume ratio (compared to raindrops) will evaporatively shrink much quicker and in fact the evaporation can be very significant before they reach the ground. This evaporation can turn larger respiratory droplets into small (non-filterable) aerosol droplets that linger in the air longer and travel further. And the droplet that starts out exhaled as a large droplet and then evaporatively reduces to a small droplet has the virus “concentrated” during the process (like evaporating a salt solution increases the concentration of salt in the water) which makes it potentially more potent / dangerous than other small droplets that were originally exhaled as small droplets.
The phenomenon of large droplets evaporating to small droplets and aerosols is well described in the wiki page for Wells’ curve where it is noted

If the air is not saturated with water vapor, all droplets are also subject to evaporation as they fall, which gradually decreases their mass and thus slows the rate at which they are falling. Sufficiently large droplets still reach the ground or another surface, where they continue to dry, leaving potentially infectious residues called fomites. However, the high surface area to volume ratios of small droplets cause them to evaporate so rapidly that they dry out before they reach the ground. The dry residues of such droplets (called 'droplet nuclei' or 'aerosol particles') then cease falling and drift with the surrounding air. Thus, the continuous distribution of droplet sizes rapidly produces just two dichotomous outcomes, fomites on surfaces and droplet nuclei floating in the air…

You might ask if there is any proof of relevance of this phenomenon for Covid-19. I would offer two things that support it is relevant:
First another quote from the wiki link above:

… Wells' insight was widely adopted because of its relevance for the spread of respiratory infections.[5] The efficiency of transmission of specific viruses and bacteria depends both on the types of droplets and droplet nuclei they cause and on their ability to survive in droplets, droplet nuclei and fomites. Diseases such as measles, whose causative viruses remain highly infectious in droplet nuclei, can be spread without personal contact, across a room or through ventilation systems and are said to have airborne transmission.[4] Although later studies demonstrated [quantitative] that the droplet size at which evaporation outpaces falling is smaller than that described by Wells, and the settling time is longer, his work remains important for understanding the physics of respiratory droplets [qualitative]

Second, consider the effect of relative humidity on virus transmission. The virus transmits much more in low relative humidity than high relative humidity as widely reported including here https://aaqr.org/articles/aaqr-20-06-covid-0302.pdf
If you go back to the wiki page on Wells’ curve the first entry under "complicating factors" is relative humidity and you’ll see that indeed it is consistent with more transmission at lower relative humidity. Here is my attempt to explain it: The lower the relative humidity, the faster the droplets evaporatively reduce, the larger the particle that can evaporatively reduce to small droplet (aerosol size) before reaching the ground, the more concentrated (more virus per particle) are the small droplets that can end up in the air.

Some other unrelated implications for relative humidity effects on transmission:
We attribute the very high rates of virus transmission in the winter in the northern states to driving people indoors and that is certainly true. BUT the relative humidity may be an additional important factor because relative humidity tends to be lower during winter (both outdoors and indoors where heating lowers it further). If you have an indoor space that you want to protect, then you might consider a humidifier either in addition to an air purifier (for better protection) or in lieu of an air purifier (to save money, although the tradeoff in effectiveness would need to be evaluated).
(*) I haven't heard anyone else say that this phenomenon #2 is part of explanation for why masks are more effective as source control, but it makes good sense to me as I tried to explain. So take it for what it's worth.
I limited the post to cloth masks where both factors 1 and 2 apply. For better masks like KN95, factor 1 certainly applies but factor 2 is not as important (KN95 do a better job of stopping droplets across a range of sizes).

I just wanted to tell a story about what happened with my mom ~60 years and dad ~ 68 years old. My mom has no medical conditions and works as she owns a restaurant so she remains on her feet most of the time. If it’s not that then she is gardening out back during this past summer. I myself live in my own apartment only recently moved out of the basement about 4 years ago. So, I myself was not within the household during the outbreak.
Dad works at Toyota and they run a tight ship where rules regarding face-masks and they are not even allowed to use their own-- since Toyota provides them a new one each day. Toyota is a great company that cares for their employees but also trains them very well to respect the virus. My dad did everything completely right but my mom and brother who were fairly careless (I’d say reckless) since we knew this virus was not clearly not the flu.
I’m as paranoid as you get when it comes to covid as I had air purifiers, uvc-lamps, KN95 masks, KF94 masks, humidifiers and all the possible medical devices you might need. Those included an oximeter (important one), blood pressure monitor, EKG and even a Muse S (could be used for an EEG). I personally wanted to make sure I was prepared should I have contracted the virus to provide basic information to a remote doctors visit.
Being a software engineer by trade and fortunate to have a job that allowed flexibility. I’ve always made time since the beginning of the outbreak to learn as much about this novel coronavirus. I’ve watched nearly all episodes of the MedCram coronavirus series which is at episode 149 as I write this.. Professor Roger Seheult, MD
I’d say the first 30 episodes, I didn’t understand any of the vocabulary as it was not my domain but as I remained persistent to learn as much as I could--I eventually started understanding the concepts. I began to take care of plants and it was soon followed by fish keeping. These in a way reinforced my understanding of nature and how organisms react to different various environmental changes. It’s quite eye opening as plants under stress exhibit similar behavior as humans to some degree but I digress. I continued spending countless hours reading medical journal studies and watching more of MedCram Dr Seheult. Amazing doctor who is on the front lines so he knows what he’s talking about.
Over the spring and summer I had accumulated a ton of knowledge and simple ways to help prevent, or possibly reduce the symptoms should I be infected. I religiously wear my mask whenever I’m out of my apartment and always place everything in an ozone/uvc box whenever I return. Be careful with any ozone as it can cause respiratory irritation so I always had an air quality meter to watch the levels. I also became an air quality nerd and I got lucky during the wildfires since I was giving away air filters to some older family members during that other horrible disaster. (Portland, OR with AQI above 400 at night) That was very scary.
Fast forward to about the last week of October, I get a call from my sister (who is pregnant) is driving my mom to the ER as she is having shortness of breath. For me, my first concern is what’s the protocol for going into the ER but I guess if it’s an emergency-- you walk in. I did try calling for her in a 3 way dial but there is literally a concierge who says call your primary care to which we tried and was on wait for way too long because she was already at the hospital.
My mother walks in alone as she was thinking about breathing so that was not a good sign--although still able to walk in. About 2 hours laters after x rays and a covid test. She is sent back home and she tells me she feels better because “they gave her a shot” and she had no idea what it was. The tests came back positive as we had no doubt it was covid but my sister looked at the discharge papers and the shot was morphine. She had no idea what they gave her and I know morphine is not real treatment.
At this point, we as a family had no other choice but to learn and treat her ourselves as I’m sure countless others have. I bought her vitamins for her to take since around March and I believe she was taking them but I’m not sure how consistently she was taking them. The usual vitamin D, zinc, fish oils, etc. The standard vitamins imo as I was taking them were always them prior to the outbreak.
She still has trouble breathing but luckily I was prepared so sent her everything I had. Those items I listed above. But I also had recently bought my parents a red light therapy device as I had used one with great results. There are tons of studies about the benefits of red light therapy in general but I will link this one directly since it’s covid related. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7449510/
Her Sp02 was 88% which was really low but I wasn’t sure if that was critical care but she said she was okay and I trusted her but with some caution as I’ve heard of silent hypoxia can make covid patients feel fine but are in dire shape. First we used the red light therapy extensively on her chest and back. *(This is not medical advice and you should always consult with your doctor first)* but we couldn’t get a hold on her GP. So we had to do it ourselves. After a quick session we were able to get her blood oxygen level above 90%.
In addition to those items, I had a grow fan and created a negative pressure room for my mom’s room so that we would reduce the possibility of infecting others in the household. I also gave her one of my new Boneco air washers which we added essential oils such as lavender, thyme and eucalyptus (just a little bit) to keep the air ~50% humidity and oils to have some soothing effect. There are studies but they are all over the internet. Again, please do your own research as I’m not a doctor. But those did help her and my brother who was later tested with symptoms as positive.
My brother had mild symptoms but said that the oils and red light helped soothe the lungs and body as they both fought through the infection. In addition to that, I was very concerned with the low oxygen so I looked for alternative ways of non-invasive treatments. I realized the prone position was something doctors in Europe used during the first wave. I talked my mother through a prone position over Facetime and was able to raise her Sp02 from 88% to 93% within just ten minutes. After which I went to bed knowing that she had the tools she needed to fight corona.
Roughly 3 days later my dad tests positive however he’s asymptomatic for the most part. He was also considered high risk since he had high blood pressure but had been actively treating it and taking it seriously from the get go. I bought him monitors for everything including the same EKG (Kardia) I was using. My theory is that he was asymptomatic because the virus load was very light. Given the negative pressure room and my advice to keep all windows open and not let the virus fester within the stale air. His only symptom was fatigue which I know is common so I’d say it’s near asymptomatic. He was mad he got infected because he did everything by the book but you are as strong as the weakest member of the household.
As for my sister, she was able to get out and went to her husband's family's house as she tested negative and still is negative. Today, everyone is mostly back to normal but definitely there are sensitivities to certain things. But all in all, I’m fortunate to have dodged a bullet and my family came out alright. I just wanted to share that you can fight it but you need basic tools and knowledge. Educate yourself and always protect others and always protect yourself. If you’re on a plane and the masks drop, they say put your mask on first, then you can help others.

FROM A NEWLY REFORMED FREE SPENDER AND NON-PLANNER
I’m excited to see what you guys think of my income and spending. I feel like I am making less but spending more than the average here. Also intended to be a comfort to people who may not have a high income or net worth and have made some mistakes in the past.
I have only actually started getting serious about my life and actively saving and investing in Nov 2019 because I had a very loose attitude towards money before (detailed below in my income progression) and several medical procedures (dental is expensive and not covered by insurance).
All numbers converted to USD at current rates
​
Section One: Assets and Debt
Retirement Balance: $65k
⁃ $25k in a government retirement fund in my home country (contributed 2 years during my first job). This will continue to grow at 3-5% managed by the government.
⁃ $40k in a retirement fund (partially inherited). This will be a lump sum payment at the end of the vesting period (around age 55). The principal is 2k/year, and the interest is the annualised market growth rate.
Liquid assets which I do not count as retirement savings: $20k
⁃ $12k in investment funds that are managed for growth and I do not want to sell in market cycles. I contribute to this account every quarter or so. I consider this part of my long term investments for an eventual home purchase. This is more bond and fixed income heavy.
⁃ $3k in bank account. I don’t keep too much in here because I have stable income, good insurance, and what I consider to be low living costs. This is “just in case” money.
⁃ $5k in liquid holdings that I am waiting to sell in market cycles, what I call “betting money”. The profits can go to either the other investment funds, be put back into the market, or into bank account as cash. This is pure stocks and ETFs. I’ve made about 12% on this money this year so far. If push comes to shove, I will liquidate all this.
Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Yes, both of my parents have PhDs and are very Asian conservative in that good education is the only way to success. I studied a double degree in 2 business disciplines, but I wish I had studied a STEM degree. I am considering to do a STEM Masters in Western Europe because it is the cheapest option for me, the schools are good, and I loved living in Europe.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parents educate you about finances?
My parents did not have conversations with me about money except for guilt because “they worked so hard for it”, but at the same time, spending on ridiculous things for me and my brother because they didn’t want us to lose out in school/extra circulars. All North Asians know what I am talking about. This became a lack of appreciation for the value of a dollar and also lack of understand of what “hard work” actually means because they say they work so hard, but then why do they spend so freely?
What was your first job and why did you get it?
My first job was an assistant in a fashion magazine when I was in university because I liked fashion and creative publications! Unpaid but covered food and transport + copious amounts of generous PR packages from luxury beauty and fashion brands. I even got to do the fashion week circuit in London and Paris once!
Did you worry about money growing up?
I never worried about money growing up, but I was very conscious about money guilt from constant reminders from parents/grandparents that they save and scrimp on themselves to offer the best food for the kids, regardless of whether it is factual. I remember never asking for things from parents because I will be made to feel bad later on if I made an unrelated mistake or did something they didn’t like, and I did not think I “deserved” it. If I asked for a piece of clothing and got it, they would emphasise how much it costs and I better not do badly in my exams later on. If I didn’t do so well, the message would be “shouldn’t have bought you that thing, you don’t deserve it because you didn’t do well”.
Do you worry about money now?
Now, I am the opposite in that I spoil myself a lot more than the average person because I feel like I need to “compensate” but then immediately feel guilty about doing that because “I don’t deserve it”. I also feel anxious that I am not keeping up with my peers in terms of income and asset accumulation. An element of keeping up the appearance of doing well comes into play, especially in a city like Shanghai where the pace is so fast and everybody talks about money all the time. I feel anxious to accumulate money and ask for more compensation, but also I don’t dare to because I feel like I don’t deserve it.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I became responsible for myself when I graduated university. I have some safety net in that I can always move home and they would at least cover rent + food. They have sizeable assets and would very likely pass on property to both my brother and I. My partner’s family also has a sizeable amount of property and land, which will be partially passed to him.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
Part of the life insurance fund (~$30k) was paid for by my parents, I took over paying it when I graduated university. I also receive dividends (~6% annual rate), which I reinvest, from my investment funds.
​
Section Two: Income
Income Progression: I have been working for 4.5 years since graduating Bachelors. I graduated a bit later because I took time off in the middle to do internships.

• First job (2 years): $50k + variable housing allowance + living allowance + clothing allowance + small <$5k bonus + health insurance + 14% employer contribution to government retirement fund:

I started with an expat contract, I would be sent to different countries at the company’s will. After 2 years I left. It was a very cushy corporate job in a very bloated organisation that does not really allow much learning because I was viewed as temporary by each team I worked with, hence no investment in training and development. I was also spending 70% of my time on politics to try to get good placements/dealing with stakeholders. There was no real leadership or management from any person towards me and I felt like I was socialising and moving a lot but not learning so much. I was also getting emotionally drained, drinking too much, and shopping too much from boredom of my days and loneliness of having to move to new timezones often. I took this job because I wanted to get out of my home country in a non financially stressful way. I saved nothing these 2 years even though my actual out of pocket living expenses were extremely low.

• Second & current job (2.5 years so far): $42k + $6k to $15k bonus depending on projects + health insurance but no other employer contribution:

Took a massive pay cut but switched to a different industry and this allowed me to stay in China. I have done internships in this industry when I was in university. It is a high growth industry and the role allows me to work with diverse clients across diverse projects. I see this role, and also Shanghai as a city, as starting points for building my network, as I have a lot of client and partner interactions, and exploring what I want to do “when I grow up”. I got about a 30% raise 1.5 years into the job; the salary stated is my current salary.

• My next job: I want to move in-house into a software/tech company, or be in an agency with narrower industry focus to build deeper expertise. I also want an organization that invests in training their people and does more internal sharing between teams.

Main Job Monthly Take Home: $3,250 / month after taxes. The only deduction from my pay check is tax. Health insurance is a private one provided by my company that is separate from salary. I do not have any option to contribution to company/state retirement plans.
Side Gig Monthly Take Home: Very variable, but averaged out ~$600 / month. I am in the midst of interviewing/deciding on a freelance consulting gig that would pay half of my main job salary (also related to my main job), but I am not sure if I can handle the workload.
​
Section Three: Expenses (all numbers are monthly)
I live with my partner, we split all household expenses and eating out bills 50/50. He takes care of most of the rent through his work contract and in exchange, I do the mental work of managing our household like ordering air filters and groceries, organising cleaning services and managing our landlord. His portion of the rent is more than our monthly household expenses so I think it’s fair division.
Excluding his housing allowance and other non-cash benefits from his main job, we make about the same take-home pay from our main jobs. However, he has a significant side gig. I also know that he invests in some funds and is paying off some student loans (~$15k, all without interest). We have fully separate accounts and do a tally at the end of every month to decide who needs to pay whom for that month’s shared expenses.

• Rent: $125 (my partner has housing allowance from his job so he pays 90% of the rent through this)
• Savings contribution: $1,600 + whatever is left over at the end of the month
• Investment contribution: I move money to various investment accounts when I feel like the market is in a good place to buy, usually about 3-5k at a time. In addition, I contribute ~$2k / year to a retirement fund (mentioned in retirement balance).
• Donations: No regular donations but I buy food for / give extra food to homeless people when I see them although they are increasingly being taken off the streets by police now. I give at least $10 to the people digging through garbage bins for things to recycle for a few cents each or ladies selling flowers/wateballoons outside bars in the middle of the night because they work so hard and people are so mean to them.
• Utilities including wifi: depends on the month, could be between $18 (nice weather months) and $100 (winter) for my half
• Cellphone: $14 (China line) + $16 (home country line)
• Subscriptions: $24.97
  • $0.99 for iCloud
  • $4 for NYT (I pay this in full) - Thinking about cancelling this because it is too US focused, not very useful for me as I am more focused on Asia + Europe
  • $9.90 for Nikkei Asia ($119/year - I pay this in full)
  • $9.99 for Spotify
  • $0 for VPN services ($120/year paid by my partner)
  • $0 for The Economist ($300/year paid by my partner)
• Gym membership:
  • $35 for open gym without classes
  • $60 for MOVE / Classpass (I do bulk credit purchases, this is averaged out monthly. I stopped purchasing since March.)
• Pet expenses: ~$15 for food and litter (my half)
• Household stuff (paper, detergent, air purifier refills, etc): Average of $30 per month (my half)
• Cleaning lady: $60 (my half)
• Metro card: ~$20 (average, the actual amount depends on how much I use the metro)
• Beauty treatments: ~$200. I spend a lot of my disposable income on beauty treatments and food. This will seem like a very frivolous expense, and I do think of cutting back on this, but this is the truth of what I spend on beauty per month. I rarely buy skincare/makeup/hair products as “compensation” (I spend about ~$200 a year on beauty products in total)
  • Facial: $50
  • Nails: $30 to $60 depending on the month
  • Hair (unlimited wash and blow-dry monthly subscription): $50
  • Lashes: $60
  • Other expenses:
  • Eyebrow embroidery: $285 / 18 months
• Travel (non-covid times): $3500 to $5000 / year (one big summer or winter vacation, and 2-3 smaller weekend trips)
• Private trainer: Every 12-18 months I will hire a trainer for about 20 hours to work on some techniques and help me lift more safely. Usually 20 sessions cost about $1200, and I use it in about 3 months. I have stopped doing this recently to focus on recovery with my Physio after a few accidents and also lower-impact exercises like Pilates (all covered by insurance).

___________
Day 1: Friday
07:45: Wake up for work. My partner already made a breakfast sandwich for me to bring to work. I quickly get ready and bike to the metro. ($0.42 on pre-loaded metro card)
09:00: Arrive at work! Buy 2 eggs from a convenience store to eat together with the breakfast sandwich. ($0.60) I continue working on a proposal for a prospective client and deal with some developer issues.
12:15: Break for lunch. I am going out for lunch today because my hand and elbow are injured which makes it hard to cook quickly, also because I was lazy. I meet my partner for lunch at a canteen as he is nearby for a meeting and we will go to the doctor later together to check my injuries. I get a rice with some veggies and chicken ($6.40) and I buy coffee for both of us since he is coming with me to the doctor for the 3rd time this week ($5.70).
13:45: Doctor goes well, my wound is healing well and my elbow is not getting worse. ($270 covered by insurance) Back to work for both of us.
16:00: Afternoon hunger crash. I eat an apple I brought with me from home, and get a Coke Zero from the work fridge.
18:45: Leaving office a bit earlier than usual today because it is Friday and I worked until 8pm yesterday on this proposal. I am supposed to meet my freelance client for dinner but I am pooped, we make plans to meet next week on-site instead. I take the metro to my bike and bike home. ($0.42 on pre-loaded metro card)
19:15: Arrive at home and my friend drops off some small batch sauces I ordered from her home kitchen ($7.20). I will use them to grill a fish tonight. Cooking is my self care. I use my one non-injured hand to prep the ingredients and cook. I eat it with some rice and veggies, and Iliza Shlesinger on Netflix.
22:40: Finally go to bed after successfully resisting the Friday night fomo and playing around on the Internet.
Day 2: Saturday
10:00: Wake up and make coffee at home with our Nespresso machine. I have some oats with fruit for a light breakfast because I am going to a dimsum later at a fancy hotel and I am gonna EAT ALL THE THINGS.
10:45: Go to the hair salon for a wash and blow dry. (Included in the monthly subscription)
11:45: Arrive at dimsum. It took us 4 weeks to get this table because they are having a promotion so I am adamant that we have to order everything. We are a table of 6 and we pay $24 per person. ($24)
15:30: Bike to a coffee shop to meet a woman I met at another event. She is starting a new business in the same field as my side gig and we discuss some ideas. I get an Oatly latte. ($3.70)
17:30: Arrive at nail salon to get a quick pedicure. ($23.70)
18:45: Arrive at home and eat a quick dinner of stir fry chicken and vegetables with some leftover rice from yesterday. I am going to a reception from the British Consulate later and there will be lots of alcohol. I do not want to get drunk.
20:00: Arrive at the event at a fancy pants hotel. Get increasingly happy with British “champagne”. I make some contacts for my side gig. My partner is also here with some of his business partners (we had planned to be here together but I was late).
22:00: Leave the event before I get too tipsy with bubbly. We met a bunch of people we see at these events and decide to have a night cap at a great Sichuan cocktail bar nearby. I get a gin tonic with a spicy kick ($12.50). We walk home from the bar.
Day 3: Sunday
11:00: Sunday is my mental rest day, a day that I keep free from any plans so that I can breathe before the next week starts. I decide to go to the gym to powerwalk on the treadmill and do some lower body and core work since I can’t do much upper body work.
13:00: I get home and my partner has made a curry for lunch. We eat and then I take a quick body shower.
15:00: Cycle to a temple for some quiet time, I buy a little charm bracelet for luck, also as a donation to the temple. ($14)
18:00: I have my monthly facial at home. ($50)
20:00: Facial done! I call my parents for our weekly Sunday call while eating some soba and miso soup. This is something we have started doing lately given we have had a difficult relationship all through my childhood and early adult years.
Day 4: Monday
07:45: Wake up for work. Today is a quiet office that I can use to plan and structure some projects. Since I have nothing urgent today, I take this opportunity to make some food for lunch and dinner. I roast some duck breasts and root vegetables in the oven. I also bring an apple and some grapes for snacks.
09:00: Bike to work and get some breakfast from the convenience store ($1.50)
12:30: Eat lunch in the work kitchen while reading what’s left of The Economist from yesterday. I go downstairs to check that my bike is still there and not stolen or fallen over from other people not knowing how to park.
13:00: Go to the doctor yet again to check my injuries, for the 4th time. It seems to be ok after this and I can just do all the wound dressing and physiotherapy work at home on my own for the next weeks. ($270 covered by insurance)
16:00: The regular mid-afternoon snack time. Apple and grapes from home. No coke for me today.
19:30: Leave office. Feeling faint from the lack of food so I get some biscuits from the convenience store downstairs ($0.70) I have a problem with food that I always try to be super clean and super healthy but I end up starving my body and oscillate between starvation (eating 1.5 meals a day) and binge eating (eating 4-5 meals a day). I am trying to get over this mental hurdle of “not eating bad things”. I also have low blood pressure and blood sugar so it’s really unhealthy.
20:30: Arrive at home and eat the second half of the duck and veggies from the morning, plus left over things from yesterday.
21:30: Go to the hair salon to wash my hair. (Included in the monthly subscription)
22:30: Prepare some lunch for tomorrow and pass out in bed.
Day 5: Tuesday
07:30: Wake up slightly earlier because I have some client meetings today and would need to be more polished today.
08:50: Arrive at work , beating the morning rush! I took the metro here. ($0.42 on pre-loaded metro card)
13:00: Eat my packed lunch. Have a coffee with my colleague at the Starbucks across from our office. ($4.50) I am trying to suss out whether she is going to leave the company and if so, what my move could be.
15:10: Client meetings back to back all afternoon. I take a break in the middle and get a banana from the store downstairs ($0.30)
18:00: Start some research for my potential freelance consulting gig. They wanted to hire me outright as a full-time employee but I am not 100% sure of how commercially viable their product yet, plus it is extremely early stage. I make a plan to meet the guy on Friday at their office.
20:00: Another team orders dinner for their evening meeting. I get an extra uneaten bento box from them for dinner.
20:45: Leave office with a taxi. Fuck it, I am too tired. ($3.20 after coupons)
Day 6: Wednesday
08:15: Wake up slightly later today.
09:40: Arrive at work via taxi since rush hour was over anyway ($4.50). I get breakfast from the store again ($1.50) and eat it with some oats that I keep in the office.
12:30: Order lunch because I didn’t bring lunch. I thought there was going to be a team lunch today but I had the date wrong. ($6.42)
13:30: I forget that I had to go to a conference in the afternoon. Get a taxi there ($12.70 reimbursed).
17:00: Absolutely starving so I hit up the food corner. Conference buffets are always super good or super bad. This one is super bad, but beggars can’t be choosers.
18:00: Leave the conference and metro home ($0.70) It’s so far out of the city center it takes forever.
19:30: I was supposed to have a dinner with some potential new partners as they are in town for the conference but I am so tired so I bail and eat something simple at home.
I decide to eat more healthfully to help me feel better so I order some meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, yoghurt, and dumplings to cook over the weekend. I also order water to be delivered tomorrow morning. ($48, will be split in half at the end of the month).
I also order some long overdue nice tableware so that I am more motivated to cook, now we have only a few plates and bowls that are dirty 80% of the time. ($35.70, will be split in half at the end of the month)
21:30: Groceries arrive, put them away, shower, bed.
Day 7: Thursday
07:30: I wake up earlier aiming to get back to the rhythm. Water arrives.
08:45: Arrive at work by bike. I get some fruits from the little grocery store downstairs to put in the office. ($7.50) I eat oatmeal with some of this haul for breakfast. Debrief on the conference yesterday and work on some market sizing.
12:30: So today is the day with the team lunch. I get banh mi. Love free lunches. ($8.60 paid by company)
14:00: My friend invites me to her birthday dinner with a prix fixe menu of tapas and free flow drinks at one of my favourite but impossible to book restaurants. I prepay her so that she can give a deposit to the restaurant. ($42.80)
16:00: The weekend mood is setting in! I am taking tomorrow off as it is my birthday.
18:30: Leave work so early!!!! I bike to pilates.
20:30: Finished at pilates and showered! Meet my partner near our home for a quick dinner at our favourite Taiwanese place because we are too lazy to cook. Pay separately. ($7.25 for my meal)
21:30: Get my hair washed at the salon. (Included in the monthly subscription)
23:00: Sleep, looking forward to the long weekend!
_____________
Total = $299.98 (excluding reimbursements)
Food + Drink = $166.92
Fun / Entertainment = $0
Home + Health = $35.70
Clothes + Beauty = $73.70 + 3 times hair wash on the salon subscription
Transport = $9.66
Other = $14
_____________
Reflections
This is a rather typical work week and social weekend for me. It is maybe a bit on the higher side because of restaurants and alcohol. Other usual monthly expenses that are not included this week is the purchase of some skincare that I never change ($25) or some “essential” clothes like socks, underwear, tights since it’s getting colder now and I have no idea why they disappear after the winter season each year. It also does not include my monthly lash extensions ($60).
I feel like I am quite frugal for day to day expenses, except for the hair skin nails. But when I spend, it’s at least $800 in a go on frivolous things usually at the end of a busy season, between clients when I have the time to feel anxious about my life and then try to “fix it” with purchases because “I have earned it”. I do want to cut down on my beauty expenses, especially the blow dry thing because it’s a hassle to go the salon all the time and I am average enough to wash my own damn hair.
Looking at the days, I feel like I am super tired all the time and am on the edge of burning out because weekdays are a constant mad rush without much me-time. I feel the FOMO and need to be constantly productive on weekends too. I also need to fix my food issue and have more balance in my life.
I am happy that I have, in the past 12 months, managed to get my spending 70% under control vs my freewheeling 3 years prior spending all that I made. I also want to be more consistent in investing what I have instead of “betting”.

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The coway mighty ap1512hh is finally in stock again. It’s not on sale, but this has been extremely hard to purchase in Canada since covid began. Consistently rated #1 air purifier from places like NY times’ wirecutter: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutterevi … -purifie All around great air purifier to have at home, replacement filters range from $30-$100 depending on the brand you choose
Also you can sign up for an account or newsletter for a 20% off coupon
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I work in a busy ER and due to COVID I am wearing a powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) almost all day, the problem I'm running into is that the background noise from the motor and air filling the head piece are making it very hard for me to hear or clearly understand coworkers or patients that speak softly. The specific model I'm using is a 3m Versaflo TR-600. I'm not sure what dB the unit produces. I've heard that there are electronic ear plugs for filtering dangerous sounds while enhancing low-level hearing such as voices, is there anything that can help filter out white/ambient noise like this? I've tried googling but am coming up with mostly shooting ear protection, which doesn't seem to quite fit the bill. Thanks for any help you can give me!

Diwali is around the corner and the excitement is slowly building despite the Covid situation. Online shopping is the best way to enjoy this festive season and stay safe. Online stores are offering attractive discounts and deals to lure customers.
Don’t let Covid stop you from upgrading your kitchen or home this Diwali. Due to the huge Diwali discounts, people often wait for Diwali to buy a new appliance. If you are also planning a new appliance for your home this Diwali, then here are a few suggestions. You can also gift them to loved ones. Explore all the options and get the best deals!

Air Purifier

An air purifier is another home appliance that has become a necessity in today's high-pollution environment. Sometimes, our house's indoor air is equally polluted as the outside air, which is when an air purifier comes to the rescue. Diwali season or not, this is a must-buy for every home these days.
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There are different types of air purifiers available out there, depending on the technology they use, such as HEPA technology, UV technology, activated carbon technology, ozone, and negative ions. The one that you choose depends on your room size, the type of pollutants it helps to remove, types of filter, CADR rating, noise generation, price, and warranty. Popular brands of air purifiers in India include Philips, Mi, Honeywell, Eureka Forbes, Coway, Blue Star, etc.

Room Heater

Diwali is the time when summers end, and winters almost set in. So, this can be the right time to buy a room heater. You can choose from different types of room heaters to keep the interiors cozy and comfortable. Your options are convection heaters, conduction heaters, and radiant heaters. You must consider certain factors while choosing a room heater, including its heating elements, wattage, temperature settings, power cut off, lights, safety grills, and portability.
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Some popular brands of room heaters in India include Panasonic, AO Smith, Orpat, Morphy Richards, Usha, Havells, and Orient.

Air Fryers

Most people today are conscious of their health and avoid eating fried food. Air fryers is a healthy cooking medium as it uses air and minimal oil to fry your mouth-watering French fries, samosas, and what not without compromising on taste. You can choose from any of the three types: paddle type, basket type, and countertop convection type.
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Keep in mind your family needs, cooking needs, capacity, speed, wattage, and other factors while purchasing one. Popular brands known for making air fryers include Philips, Purewave, Prestige, Inalsa, Havells, Glen, Kenstar, Agaro, and Usha.

Dishwasher

A dishwasher is a must-buy in today's time. Even though it is an expensive investment, but it is very convenient and useful in the long run. If you are one of those who feel they are not practical, you will surely change your opinion once you start using it. Just put your dishes in the dishwasher, and they will come out unbelievably clean and sparkling.
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There are four different types of dishwashers to choose from, integrated, freestanding, drawer type, and countertop. The one that you choose depends on your family size, space available in your kitchen, types of utensils you want to wash in it, and your budget. Popular dishwasher making brands include Bosch, IFB, Voltas, Faber, and more.

Garment Steamer

No need to be bothered about wrinkled clothes anymore as a garment steamer will do the job perfectly without much effort. You not only get out the wrinkles using a garment steamer but also eliminate bacteria that cause odor and allergens as well. So, what you get is fresh, smelling perfectly steamed clothes.
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The Inalsa Garment Steamer is a great choice if you are looking to buy one. It works efficiently, removing wrinkles from the clothes in no time. It has a powerful motor, detachable fabric brush & nozzle, adjustable pole for hanging, and is collapsible for easy storage.
It comes with Dry Boiling Protection and Over-Heat Protection that means that it switches off automatically when there is no water in the water tank or if the water runs out during use. It is a user-friendly product with 2 Years Warranty.

Electric Cooker

An electric cooker or rice cooker is a perfect kitchen gadget as it allows you to cook mouth-watering and healthy dishes conveniently. If you think that you can just cook rice in it, you are wrong. Whether you want to steam veggies, make risotto, poach fruit, slow-cook soups, or make a healthy oatmeal breakfast, you can easily do so in an electric cooker the smarter way. Moreover, it keeps the nutrition value of food intact and is easy to clean.
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There are various brands that make an electric cooker like Panasonic, Wonderchef, Tefal, Rico, Havells, and more. When buying one, consider the volume, capacity, size, quality, price, and design. Do check if it has an auto cooking option.

Microwave Oven

A microwave oven has become a necessity these days, as it allows you to quickly warm up food before serving. The microwave ovens with convection features are apt to cook and bake food. There are three types of microwave ovens to choose from, i.e., countertop, built-in, and over-the-range. Countertop microwave ovens are plug-n-play types that are cheapest in the market, while others are expensive and need installation. Whichever you choose, you must consider a few factors like the size you need, wattage you want, defrost/ bake/ grill features, etc., depending on your cooking needs.
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Microwave ovens are measured in liters, depending on their capacity. Many reputed brands in India are known for making good quality microwave ovens, including LG, Samsung, Bajaj, Panasonic, Bosch, Godrej, and IFB.

Gas Hob

If your existing gas stove has become old, and you are looking for the latest addition to your kitchen, then you must go for a kitchen hob this Diwali. You will find a wide range of hobs during Diwali as many people go for a kitchen makeover around this time. You can choose from the different types, which include ceramic hobs, glass hobs, electric hobs, induction hobs, and others. The one that you buy should depend on your cooking needs and family size.📷

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More factors to consider include power source, the number of burners, material, maintenance, ignition, and others. Some popular brands dealing in India's gas hobs include Sunflame, Kaff, Whirlpool, Faber, Prestige, Kutchina, Glen, and Elica.
Read : Top 8 Home Appliances That You Can Buy This Diwali - Mommywize
So, open your wallets and enjoy Diwali shopping!

In a town that has moved from green to yellow in the last week, 20-30 minutes away from 7 "red" towns. The school in which I teach has no HVAC system - it is a church annex. We were given air purifiers made for 222sq ft. rooms - my room is more than double that and has a high ceiling. I am also skeptical that those filters will do anything for COVID. Since we have no HVAC, we are being told by the local board of health that our windows should remain open at all times when students are there. Wouldn't that just negate the filters? Also, how cold can a school get before it is illegal to keep kids there?
In the past week, MA has seen a 57% increase in "high risk" communities when measured by DESE criteria. Many of our students live with grandparents. Am I over-thinking this, or are we bringing kids into an immensely unsafe situation? I am a first year history teacher, so while I don't know the nitty gritty of the science behind the no-HVAC situation, it seems risky at best and negligent, maybe criminal at worst?
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Anyone that wants to talk me off the ledge or tell me I have a lawsuit on my hands?

With the CDC finally admitting that covid can be spread through airborne transmission, especially in poorly ventilated indoor environments, has Starbucks put out anything about updating our ventilation systems with better air filters, providing air purifiers, keeping doors and DT windows open?
I'm looking at you, guys who sit in the cafe for 4 hours talking with their masks off because "they're eating and drinking."

I'm one of those people that can't buy anything unless all reviews are positive or accounted for in some way. It is a terrible condition and I recommend it to no one. Trying to find an air purifier for my small apartment for ~200 dollars has proven exceptionally challenging. Why are all of these air purifiers catching on fire, leaking ozone, and smelling horrible? Why do they come with used filters and repackaged? I realize most reviews are positive, but this is nearly 5 percent of total reviews I'm reading, and even higher for recent reviews! I've tried increasing my price range to find a safer option, no luck. Apparently all air purifiers sucks. I don't believe this. Someone please help. I am stuck in California with these wildfires and actually went to get a covid test this weekend (was negative) because the air quality is making me that sick.
I am crazy, I know. But I would really appreciate some help to alleviate the buyer's anxiety I'm having right now. Thank you in advance for all helpful comments/suggestions.