Don't Cancel your family holiday tradition! (Just yet.)
By Mark Ortiz - Stone Restoration Specialist / novice blogger
Good day fellow Americans. Are you ready to celebrate your family traditions in the greatest country in the world? Oh, wait, I guess we can't. Well we can but there are some state "rules". I just don't remember rules for how my mom and dad celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas, or birthdays and weddings, or BBQs and Bar mitzvahs. There were traditional expectations such as aunt Patty's artichoke dip, or the uncle with endless dad jokes, the kids and cousins we haven't seen in a year, the new boyfriends, the gossiping in-laws, the braggadocios brother, and of course the smell of bird baking in the oven.
I don't know people, this all seems just too weird. But we at PGS are here to help do our part by keeping your home safer for the holidays. We are experts in cleaning all types of surfaces and we are part of the solution for this years holidays.
But first, the facts.
(If you can't take anymore opinions and just want to skip to the cleaning I won’t take it personally.)
For us here in California, we have a brave leader named Gavin Newsom. He reminds me of a guy who just got promoted to manager at his Aunt Nancy's Burger Joint and can't wait to order people around with little worry of getting fired because he's family. Most of the employees don't really like him but can't say much, so the work place goes on as usual. The low-wage employees can't wait until he get's caught smoking weed or flirting with the cashier so he can get reprimanded.
So what is Gavin and his minions telling us now? How to gather for our family traditions? Let's see what contagious viruses the 'reliable' news moguls are throwing around hoping it will find a new host to carry out it's agenda.
Let's see what some media outlets are saying...
(Mark): No matter what you may think or know about the facts on Covids deadly predictions, the restrictions and coverings are starting to become “normal”. I would hope that if the facts prove it is as dangerous as some claim or as mild as others observe, that we would NEVER ALLOW THIS TO BE NORMAL! The unmistakable truth is that the fear of a flu-like illness is dominating our lives and livelihoods. But may we never allow it to deteriorate your most cherished traditions and family gatherings.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO ABOUT HOLIDAY GATHERINGS AND COVID-19?
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, there's no perfectly safe way to socialize. But here are some tips on how to talk to your relatives about risk—or opting out?
By Matt Simon with Wired
(I’ll add my snarky comments in red)
The strangest, most confusing, most taxing year we Americans have collectively trundled through is about to get even more complicated: We now all have to figure out what to do about the upcoming holidays. Should we gather indoors as usual, where we’ll most readily spread the virus? Gather outdoors in the cold, where we’re safer? Tell our families we won’t be seeing them this year except at a distance on FaceTime or Zoom? Oh oh…I pick #3 “Tell my family I won’t be seeing them for a year or two.”
“There is no easy answer,” says Aderonke Pederson, a psychiatrist and behavioral scientist at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. With a name and title like this, we have to believe him, or her. “It’s a difficult situation to be in.” No Aderonke, it’s a STUPID situation instigated by RECKLESS Leaders.
It’s especially difficult considering that the US is now seeing a third massive spike in cases, that traveling brings its own risks of transmission, and that Covid-19 is a far deadlier disease among the elderly, who are a part of many family gatherings. OK, so grandpa is going to stay home like he wanted to and grandma will wear her favorite scarf while she spoils those darling little grandkids. It’s their choice for crying out loud. The safest thing you can do is to just stay home. But only for 6 more months, right?
But because that may be a difficult choice for many families, WIRED asked the experts how to talk with your relatives about the risks of in-person gatherings. First things first: Talk to your family about the holidays ASAP. “Start the conversations now, because we're a month away,” says Pederson. Find a way to speak comfortably about your concerns, she says. Oh, she's a she. "Because at the end of the day, while we're trying to protect ourselves, we're also trying to encourage our family members to protect themselves, too." Yes, because they are too dumb to figure this out for themselves. Is this another example of being 'condescending'?
Pederson continues…to be very clear: There is no such thing as a perfectly safe way for families to gather, over the holidays or otherwise. Sars-Cov-2 is a highly infectious virus, so no in-person interaction is risk-free. Sars-Cov-2? How did this enter the conversation? So here’s an article form ‘CLEAN LINK’ that gives us some ‘novel’ (or new) information.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are actually multiple types of coronaviruses, some of which commonly cause mild upper-respiratory tract illnesses. There are seven types of coronavirus that infect humans, three of which evolved from animal strains.
Because there are many coronavirus types, referring to it simply as "coronavirus" is very general. The CDC and World Health Organization (WHO) encourage experts to use COVID-19 when referring to this new disease, a novel (or new) coronavirus that has not previously been seen in humans. In COVID-19, ‘CO’ stands for ‘corona,’ ‘VI’ for ‘virus,’ ‘D’ for disease and 19 indicates the year it was discovered.
Just as the general public has become familiar with this terminology, officials have also begun using SARS-CoV-2 in connection with the recent outbreak. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, shortened to SARS-CoV-2, is actually the virus that causes COVID-19 (the disease). Have you ever stopped to read how they defined ‘disease’ over the decades? It's interesting. As the name indicates, this virus is genetically related to the SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) that caused an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002-2003, however it is not the same virus. Gee, I hope that doesn’t cause the infection rate numbers to increase.
Back to protecting ourselves…I mean our family.
But there are gradients to this risk: Outdoors is better than indoors, masks worn at all times are better than bare faces, distance is better than hugs. And the fewer people, the better: Hey this looked like my recent visit to the dental office. California health officials suggest restricting holiday gatherings to three households for no more than a few hours, while Colorado has a two-household limit. Two households all day? I am moving to Colorado!
“The headline is that the things that you do to keep yourself safe in public from strangers apply to the family with whom you're gathering,” says Benjamin Singer, a critical care physician and pulmonologist at Northwestern Medicine. Best initials ever! That’s Mr. B.S. to you Mark. “Because for the purposes of transmission, your extended family that you're visiting are strangers. They're still people who aren't in your household.” Holy Moly! Now we call our family strangers? I’m more intimate than that. I’m going to call them blood-associates. That means the 6-foot social distancing rule you’ve been using at the
grocery store also applies at your relatives’ house. Yes, that would be awkward, but necessary.
I say that is just too damn awkward and seriously unnecessary. If this is what we need to do then count me out! Readers, let’s not bend a knee to unreasonable advice and unsubstantiated protection especially for our traditional and essential family gatherings.
I say to continue protecting yourselves as you have been for decades, plus some Mark recommendations if it helps, but probably not.
- Clean your house. Because I'm caught cleaning things or fixing things that I usually don't except when company comes over.
- Provide germ killing sanitizers in various areas. Put a skull and bones sticker on it to make them smile.
- Ask people to stay home if feeling a fever or snot is running down their face. Hey, the little boy with the boogies is always fun to watch, and we never touched him anyways.
- Have a beer, monster drink, glass of wine. or a whiskey over ice. That should kill a few germs. You may want to fact check that medical advice with Mr. B.S.
- Wash hands after using the bathroom. Wow, never thought of that before.
- Don’t kiss those ‘strangers’ on the lips. Air kisses on the cheek are very French.
God forbid if someone sneezes, but I say, “Bless Me” because apparently anyone who gathers or does not wear a mask doesn’t care about others.
Here’s the PGS plug for our “Germ Killing Service”. As mentioned before, we offer a great service of our total disinfecting spray that kills several germs in your home. It doesn’t smell, it is not sticky, and you can go back into your home in about 30 minutes after disinfecting. This may be your second greatest assurance to preventing the spread of flu like viruses after that temperature gun to your forehead. (too violent?)
PGS Covid Busters
We are going to have a team dedicated to spraying your home with a recommended disinfectant by the CDC!
(The photo was for dramatic affects only.)
We will do any size house for only $500!
(Don’t tell Mrs. C. Her house is HUGE... and beautiful!). JK We would be happy to do it.
We show up, you step out and relax on your patio, we finish, and in about 30 minutes after we are finished you can be back in your home putting those skull and bones stickers on the sanitizer bottles.
Call and let those ‘strangers’ know you have professionally sanitized your home for their assurance.
** Disclaimer: PGS cannot guarantee all germs and viruses will be eliminated from our disinfecting spray, but we can promise you it will be done right and with proper disinfectant.
(Haha. I always chuckle when I read small print on advertisement.)
Let’s wrap this baby up.
At the time of writing this newsletter I was shutting myself off from all election and political banter 5 days before election. So by now you know who is most likely the president and how people are reacting to more uncertainty. But maybe not.
Everyone keep your eyes open and be careful out there. Avoid useless confrontation but also be prepared to protect yourself and your family in all situations.
Next time I will lay out the facts to our previous April predictions of the fallout from shutting down our economy due to this Covid pandemic. My hope is it will shed light on the truth so we can be more compassionate to others and more prepared for future events.
IF ANY ONE OF YOU HAVE FACTS WITH LINKS THAT WILL HELP OUR READERS, PLEASE SEND THEM TO ME. THANK YOU!
Blessing to you.
Mark Ortiz
Owner
$500 per house
SANITIZE WITH OUR EXCLUSIVE MISTING SERVICE
AND OUR FREE HOLIDAY OFFER FROM PGS STILL STANDS
A free offer to you through the end of the year, December 2020 for those who mention our newsletter when you call. (And it also counts if you need to vent.)
Free kitchen counters sealing with any work over $600 in your home.
Or a free bottle of kitchen and bath counter top cleaner with any amount of work.
Or a reduced minimum service charge of $350 for small repairs in Orange County (Normally $500.).
FINAL THOUGHTS
“I'm certain some readers are in complete disagreement with my comments and views due to the impact illnesses may have had on you or your family members. We too have experienced some pretty sick individuals, yet with proper care and cleaning we do the best we can to stay healthy for everyone."
Thank you for referring Perfect Granite Solutions, the stone leathering, sealing and restoration experts.
Pass this useful information to your staff and everyone associated with the stone industry. Let us know if you want to be added to our Monthly Education Newsletters. Do you have a topic that the industry needs to know about? Email it to me: mark@perfectgranitesolutions.com
Write a comment
Karen Tallichet (Monday, 09 November 2020 10:30)
I always enjoy your newsletters and snarky bite! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family. I loved seeing you recently and having some time to catch up.
All my best,
Karen
Mark J Ortiz (Monday, 09 November 2020 19:28)
Karen, you are so welcome! Thank you for enjoying my twisted thought process and especially thank you for trusting our team to help maintain and repair your natural stone surfaces! We are grateful for your support! I too enjoyed our conversation and hope and pray that your business can strive under the present circumstances.
Have a great holiday with your family.
Mark