I can't believe how many people respond to memes of the sort "drop your son's name here". I saw this one on Facebook today. Then I saw another one: "What year did you lose the most important person?"
Be savvy. This kind of response is used by scammers to steal identities or to con you out of money. Note they are public posts. They are the kinds of questions that lead to "social engineering", guessing passwords, or used to verify identity.
I would like to think that my fellow Spark refugees are smarter than that, but clearly not all my FaceBook friends are. These posts don't show up on my feed until one of my friends has responded! Yikes! And with the real answers, too. Scary.
Holiday planning, two weeks out
So what are all the US folk doing for Thanksgiving? Anybody have a split family? Some of whom are vaccinated and some of whom are "never vaxxers"? Are y'all planning a Thanksgiving together? Did some of the unvaccinated kind of "omit" that they were unvaccinated when planning and counting noses? Eventually did someone ask a question and the real status came out?
Apparently the kind of "shuffling" done by Aaron Rogers is not unique to him.
It resulted in one family's Thanksgiving plans being scrubbed. And it garnered me an invitation to a small "we're all vaccinated and boosted, and don't want to put one another at risk" gathering. Five people. All trusted. All vaccinated. All boosted, and all very good about canceling if ill! Carl will be one happy canine.
Why so careful now? Well, despite the fact that many places are looking good, with cases on the down-slide... we've had the numbers bump up the past two weeks. Our state, and several around us. In the past, when those other surrounding states saw surges, ours followed soon after. Cases are up 17% in the past two weeks. The hospitals are still stretched to capacity. Unfortunately, deaths from Covid are also still happening here..
And three of these five, despite being vaccinated, qualify due to age and/or underlying conditions, as "high risk". So even though vaccinated, we're saying, "Maybe next year" to the wider world. But last year Thanksgiving was on Zoom, so this is progress.
How about you? Do you have a safe space to gather, and safe (or worth the risk) folks to gather with?
So my wish for your Tuesday, November 9, 2021, is that you're taking care of yourself, one day at a time, caring for your physical, mental and emotional health, and being kind both to yourselves and to others!
Life is good. Spark on! ✨🎇💖🔥🦃
Yes, caution is definitely warranted with social engineering and phishing. Fellow former SP refugee Holly has written several recent blog posts on that theme:. jahangiri.us
ReplyDeleteI haven’t got any special Thanksgiving plans; I’m just hoping my surgery will happen later this month, as scheduled... 😬
(There’s always the possibility it’ll be bumped due to staffing shortages and even though I have been on personal lockdown leading up to it, H might contract covid and give it to me; even though we’re both vaccinated, if I test positive for it before the procedure, they won’t do it)
I'll keep on sending those positive vibes about your surgery plans. A successful outcome can be a great item of thankfulness. A nephew's spouse "won" Thanksgiving one year as she had spent a month in an ICU and survived! We went around the circle and she simply said, "I'm grateful to be alive."
DeleteThanksgiving is not a competition, but there's definitely an element of the hierarchy of need involved! Somehow being thankful for life itself has to top the list.
Yes, I have friends that answer those questions all the time and I can't understand why they don't see the risk. Our area is doing okay so far but I still stay pretty cautious.
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful for their honesty. We have to ask the questions, and hopefully folks trust us enough to give a true response. Whatever that truth is. We have to take into account local risks, too. Glad your area is doing OK at the moment. I think we have to enjoy those "good" times between the surges, and be extra careful during more dangerous times.
DeleteI watch the UK numbers as predictor for what may happen here, later. Our state seems to lag the surges in other parts of the country, and if you only watch national news, we kind of get lost.
ReplyDeleteHope you stay safe and well!
No Thanksgiving plans, since the bf isn’t sure if he’ll be off work 😔We still aren’t gathering though.
ReplyDeleteSafety first. Maybe next year, we'll see! 💗
DeleteLove this! My husband and I were just talking about the whole Aaron Rodgers thing this morning. we are likely going to be on our own again. Not just because we have a "split" family" my older sister's crew is unvaxxed, EXCEPT for her. Yikes. It's been upsetting but I've given up asking her about it because she has done what she can. The other reason: we don't eat meat including turkey so we usually just do something like beyond burgers and the sides. Love that you have your vaxxed and boostered crowd!
ReplyDeleteOut here in "the West" that's just how it is. You do what you can, and you don't hold it over someone's head when they have done what they can. Hope you have a good holiday on your own, safe and healthy!
DeleteLOVELY family picture.
ReplyDeleteWe're just having the kids and that's it. All vaccinated, boosted.
It's a huge decision! So disapointed in Aaron Rogers. **SIGH** As an athlete, he's an influencer (I have my own thoughts on that one, but will spare everyone!) and he really disappointed with not being honest and not acting responsibly.
Have a terrific Thursday.
Hugs
barb
1crazydog
Sadly, I think he's a true believer in the point of view he has. Having been a "true believer" in something quite different growing up, I support folks rights to believe what they want. And my right to share my own point of view, too.
DeleteI also support the rights and responsibilities of the public health folks to enforce quarantines and other mitigating factors. "I have immunity" was carefully phrased to avoid answering the direct question of "have you been vaccinated". I was conscious of Aaron Rogers' wording when I first heard the clip. Answered like someone trying to play both sides.
Shaking my head, and like you, disappointed.
Great pic of your crew!
ReplyDeleteThanks. To cautious progress, and learning to manage whatever is going on locally!
DeleteWe have no Thanksgiving plans for family gatherings. With the choices some of the family members have made, it's just safer.
DeleteRe the memes: MFP has had so many tech problems. I was unable to access my profile for several weeks. Tuesday I found a small charge on a credit card that I didn't make. Long story short, I deleted my account on MFP. The two incidents are probably not related, but that was the first thing that came to mind.
Beautiful photo! Wishing you and yours a safe and healthy Thanksgiving. 🦃 🫂
That's disturbing, speded2, about the memes. Sad about the need for being safe from people we love. But we will get through this, really we will... on both fronts.
DeleteThis year it's just going to be the two of us. Unfortunately, we live in one of those states that the numbers are climbing higher and higher. I don't get why people out themselves, people they care about and just everyone at risk. For what? Too many wackos are screaming louder and people believe them.
ReplyDeleteWe're both vaccinated and have our booster shots. We're still wearing our masks out, stay distance and not going out much.
There are those who criticize folks like you and I for being as cautious as we are, but you know, life isn't THAT different for me than it was pre-pandemic. I gave up some of my "riskier" activity that I used to enjoy, true. I'm not traveling, or being in big race crowds, etc. But I didn't do that more than once or twice a year, anyway. I'm not eating in restaurants. I didn't do that before, either, though.
DeleteAnd when I do choose to go out (like to the trainer) I am accepting the level of risk associated with it, considering the benefit of trying to remain functionally fit in my age to be well worth it.
Let's use the layers of protection (vaccines, distance, hand washing, masks), make our choices, and LIVE! Because as we all know, life is short, and we should not rob ourselves of joy.
There's never 'too much caution'. Thanks for the reminder. I hope you have a great time with your safe part of the family. Yay!
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a safe, healthy and happy Thanksgiving, too!
DeleteAmazingly...I will be among the unvaccinated, though will keep my distance. These people are putting my 83 year old sister at risk, which burns me up.
ReplyDeleteSounds as though you have found a balance between risk and caution. Hope all remain safe!
DeleteThanksgiving is the same two people as last year plus Chewy but this time THEY are cooking! I get to make bread and mince pie.
ReplyDeleteI so miss SP, a light in my morning.
I'd NEVER answer any of those questions if I was on FB and no one should ever respond to those ads that prompt you to see if they can beat a score, identify the decade or test your knowledge in iconic photos and all that other junk!
I'm making a pie, and I signed on to do roasted brussels sprouts, but based on what wasn't available at the grocery this morning, it may be swapped out for a different veggie.
Delete