sailors fighting in the dance hall

[the_siobhan]

Today was the quarterly Town Hall at work, which meant going into a team meeting with the entire department at the Mothership. My first time there. I got lost. And I never did figure out how the passcards work.

It's days like today that make me wonder if I really am from fucking Mars.

There are thousands of people working in that building. The floor I was on was crammed solid - people sitting in rows and rows of desk, chairs jammed shoulder to shoulder. I was the only one in a mask.

They served snacks and coffee over break, my boss wanders by. "Aren't you having any coffee?" Um. I'm wearing a silicon sheath over the entire lower half of my face, do i look like I'm going to have a coffee?

This is where I start wondering if I'm the one who's crazy. How can it just be me? 

Comments

[kest]

I often think, ok, but the people you see are the people going out, you don't see the people staying home. But a required meeting I assume everyone was supposed to come in, so that makes you being the only one in a mask even more unsettling. :/ I do not understand it. Like, it's not hard to wear a mask most of the time?? For me, anyway. I had a hard time at first, three fucking years ago, but I learned tricks. I have taken occasional extremely calculated risks to eat out a couple times, but most of the time I don't feel like I am losing anything by wearing a mask. Maybe occasionally some probably terrible coffee.

[kest]

Two more things...I got known-exposed a couple weeks ago. My friend got it, I didn't. I wore a mask the whole time, she ate lunch with the infectious person. This is her second time, I remain covid-free. Like, even if you're not super concerned about it, wouldn't you prefer to NOT get sick? But lately I've been thinking about it like cars. Cars are super dangerous and almost everyone regularly gets in them anyway, because the alternative is unpalatable. Tons of people didn't even want to wear seatbelts until they were made to. Our risk vs rewards assessments are maybe just not great.