Hubby and I just got back from the store where we purchased more supplies. TP and canned goods. Some days I just feel so very foolish for doing all of this. Anyone else have doubts?

-- Linda A. (adahi@muhlon.com), February 21, 1999

Answers

Hey there, Linda A. We used to feel very foolish all the time, even though our minds *knew* we were doing the right thing.
Then we did a sort-of experiment. We've been so busy working hospice/other cases that we haven't had time to shop, so we thought we'd do a Y2K test run and live off our supplies.

We found that we go thru the storage shelves much more quickly than we had imagined, and that our comparative grocery bill has gone way down because we stocked up on bulk stuff on sale for Y2K. The things we thought we had stocked too much of were depleted and now we're mad at ourselves for being so stupid and short-sighted and not buying *more.* Just reemphasizes the need to test test test.

It develops a sharp eye for sales, and we've learned to buy one of everything and try it first, and if it is good, go back the next day and buy lots at great discounts. The only thing we feel foolish about now is not starting sooner, like 1995, and realizing there's still 1000 areas we don't GI.

Ashton & Leska in Cascadia, freezer full last night after finding discontinued freezer-full of premium frozen entrees at a health food store, all for .99 -- this is tasty stuff to fuel us the next month while we're hunting for more Y2K prep items requiring no water & no heat to eat

PS General tip: One can *never* have too much TP. The average female human needs to void every two hours and once per night, more as ages; a man a little less but much more as ages. Elderly male plumbing gets leaky. TP has more uses when water not flowing freely and cleanly. TP is a nurse's first and foremost tool ;-) plus universal bartering item

xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxx

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), February 21, 1999.

I didn't join a wholesale club until I was into Y2K preps. Assuming I'm willing to rotate the stuff I'm accumulating, I'll eventually be able to say I couldn't afford to do it any other way!

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), February 21, 1999.

Leska,

-- Moore Dinty moore (not@thistime.com), February 21, 1999.

?

-- Leska (allaha@earthlink.net), February 21, 1999.

Linda A,

Doubts? Feel foolish? Not more than three or four times a day. :-) Doubts about how serious Y2K problems will be? You bet! Doubts about how long any serious problems may last? Absolutely! But much stronger than these doubts are my doubts that we will be seeing business as usual for the next twelve months.

Also, as a lifelong procrastinator, preparing for several days in advance is moderately challenging. But preparing for weeks and months in advance? That's a serious change in habits.

On the other hand, the habit of eating is hard to change, and it is very nice to know where the next meal is coming from if the usual sources run out. Having warmth in the winter is another habit that's nice.

So, I weigh my various doubts and habits, and go out and pick up a few more things, all of which will be used in any case. As events unfold, the doubts will be resolved one way or another. But as that happens, I would much rather feel foolish for over-preparing than for under-preparing.

Jerry

-- Jerry B (skeptic76@erols.com), February 21, 1999.

Our family doesnt feel foolish at all. We're still very concerned about what's about to happen.

I can say one thing for SURE Linda: after jan 1 2000, all this stuff is going to cost a LOT more money .. if its available at all.

-- Lou Navarro (lanny1@ix.netcom.com), February 21, 1999.

LINDA!!!! Dieter is most impResseD BY YOUr ADmiSSION OF FOOLISH FEELiNGS!!!! YOU ARE NOT A FOOL!!!! WHY???? DiEtER IS MOSt ASuREDLY AN EXPErt of foolishness, is HE NOT???? DIETEr SEEs no ZANy inSanity in your DOuBT!!!! YOU ARE JUdGED NOT A FOOLISH WoMAN!!!!! IS IT NOtWISE To insure that ThOse who yOU CARE ABOUt wiLL HAVE A CLeAN BOtTOM NeXT YEAR????? HOW CoULD THAT BE ABaD THiNG????

-- Dieter (questions@toask.com), February 21, 1999.

Thanks for all the encouraging posts. I am watching a movie titled Astroid. I started comparing it to Y2k and how fortunate I was that we are not facing this type of disaster. Astroids are hitting the earth. There are explosions, fires, after shocks. Cities are reduced to rubble. Then I started thinking about all the countries in the world that are at war and the many people that are displaced. I thought of Kosovo, people like you and I that ran into the hills to hide from the fighting. Many will loose their families and homes. I am sure given the opportunity , if they had known something was going to happen to them, they would have prepared. And then there is Russia. They are without food and power.Their economy has all but collasped. Their lives are so bad they are giving their children away because they can not feed not care for them. Given the opportunity, I am sure they would have prepared. They are just like you and I. So I may be foolish for preparing. But if something happens I want to be able to say I did all I could do. I want to take MY OPPORTUNTIY and use it to my advantage. And I am not going to feel foolish anymore.

-- Linda A. (adahi@muhlon.com), February 21, 1999.

I don't know where my paprgraphs went. Sorry .

Dieter,,,,I don't know what to think about you. I will say one thing. It is very hard for me to read your posts. Usually, I do not read what you post because of the lettering. IT dRIveS Me CRaZy. I ReAD tHIs One BEcAuSe iT WAs PoStED UndER MY tOPiC. I have a hard time EVEN typing that way.

-- Linda A. (adahi@muhlon.com), February 21, 1999.

Linda: Dont worry about what people think when you walk out of the store with your basket loaded. It's your money your spending anyhow. We live in Alaska and a trip into town (Anchorage) always means heavy shoping, limited only by the available space in the car or pick-up. I dont think now is the time to get paranoid because people saw you leave Walmart with 3 cases of on sale T.P.and several cases of chicken noodle soup. Dont try and get it all at once, watch for good sale prices and availability at your local warehouse clubs. When you go by your local fuel distributor swing in and pick up a 5 gal. bucket of kerosene . In a month or so you and your husband will step back and chuckle,then try and figure out where to store all yor STUFF.. Best of luck to you...Dennis S.---Alaska

-- Dennis Souza (souza@ptialaska.net), February 21, 1999.

LINDA!!! DieTER WILL TrY TO COMBiNE PROzAC AND LiTHIUM!!!! wiLL that help my TyPing?????? do yOu think thAT IF DIeTRE trIEs TAkinG LESS THaN 75 AMPHetIMINES PeR HOur THaT IT WOuld help???? HELLo, who's tHERE????

-- Dieter (questions@toask.com), February 21, 1999.

Dieter - to tell the truth - we're not real sure whose there.

Paragraph marks - remember to add one blank line between paragraphs - or an html carriage return - if one wishes to html.

Leska - Hint: re-read "more dinty moore" again.

Linda A. We will all have doubts until our worse fears are proved absolutely not going to come true, or until they do come true. At which time we may wish that they had not come true.

Nobody knows - best we can do is make a guess and prepare for what-if's.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.R@csaatl.com), February 21, 1999.

Linda,

Feeling foolish is not that new of a neighborhood for me. I have been cultivating that condition for many years. But yes, I sometimes feel a little foolish when doing my y2k things. I had doubts when the stock market didn't crash in November (remember Infomagic's predictions), I had doubts when the Joanne effect didn't make much news in January, and I have doubts everytime I drive past a large building of people busily working, making their particular futures. I'm not used to being right, and i often wonder why are the Big Fortune companies not in panic mode? Can it really be true that an old geezer like me with a cheap computer, knows more than they do? I mean, afterall, they didn't get rich by being stupid!

So I guess the bottom line is most of us will keep feeling stupid, and keep watching our trip-wires (States rollover, Canadian Rollover, GPS...etc). Like I said, for me, feeling stupid is my natural state, and I would lots rather feel foolish than hungry.

As for that problem in the supermarket, just do what I do. Gather up all the urchens in the neighbor hood and offer them a gummybear if they will go to the store with you. Then dirty them up a little, you know, maybe a couple of runny noses, and when you push those two carts up to the register loaded with 23 cans of Spam, 40 pounds of pintos, a case of spagetti-o's and an industrial sized can of rubber cheeze, no one will even think twice.

Lon

-- Lon Frank (postit@here.com), February 21, 1999.

Every time I go to the store lately the feeling comes over me that things are getting out of hand. Do I really need more of anything? Haven't I done enough? I know the reason I come to this forum every free minute is to reassure myself that I'm not being foolish. The way I've decided to handle these doubts is to tell myself that I've made a commitment to these preparations and there's no turning back. I'm either in the fight or I'm not. That does seem to keep me motivated even when the doubts come. Mary

-- Mary (SWEEP6@prodigy.net), February 21, 1999.

Linda,

I know entirely what you mean. I work in a highly technical field where one can't afford to get rattled by trouble or chaos and because I too am preparing for a moderate Y2K impact, I am looking over my own shoulder feeling a little like Henny Penny. This is quite unusual for me. Normally I am a complete skeptic, all the doom and gloom stuff causes me amusement mostly, and all the talk about government cover-ups are normally laughable because I don't think that the government is together enough to be more than moderately competent at their given task much less be able to cohesively plot and then carry out some henious act against the citizens...whew.

But I do believe that there are some folks working in critical industries and service sectors, including the government, pumping some serious sunshine about their Y2K readiness if you know what I mean. If there is any cover-up at all, it is some subordinant painting the rosy picture to his/her boss about the capabilities of mission critical systems in regards to Y2K compliance. I see some mass "head in the sand" attitudes. It seems like everyone is drinking the "denial flavored Koolaid" because it is less painful than thinking that your hard earned money could be held up in protracted haggling due to bank errors or that the 401K/IRA that you've spent years carefully tending and growing could be gone or could shrink significatly in worth, or your real estate investments could be worthless, or that your job could be obsolete or your business could fail as a result of the fallout of Y2K. At work the other day I noted aloud after quoting part of a local newspaper article, that FEMA is finally saying something, anything about Y2K...and the subject thudded to the floor like a stone. I found that very intersting, as most of my co-workers are usually fairly informed on such subjects and always have an opinion on any subject, informed or not. Talk about feeling like I am in an alternate universe....

Anyway, I am stocking up. I personally plan to have at least 6 months of food, cash and supplies. Maybe more. I plan on having an alternate source of energy for the rest of the winter of 2000. Probably propane and a generator (already have the generator). I plan on having some water...worse comes to worse, I will melt snow. Do I feel foolish, you bet. But I am buying what I normally will use and if the Y2K thing is a bust and we are truly running around like chickens with our heads cut off, 1) I will eventually use all of this stuff anyway and/or 2) my local soup kitchen will be very happy with my contribution of bulk food items.

If Y2K even comes in as a mild to moderate event, I am sure everyone who has prepared, and felt foolish for doing so, will be overjoyed not to be standing in some food line or paying a fortune for basic supplies when they can be found. Bottom line, better safe than sorry. It will be hard to make any positive contribution to your family or community or to meet challenges that may face us in the coming year/s if you are scrabbling to fill basic needs. Good luck.

To Dennis in Alaska: I thought that I and my husband were the only Alaskans that are preparing. I go to Costco and see mountains of supplies on the shelves and everyone's baskets were full of short term items. You are right about no one looking twice at the stuff in your basket. All those bush folks with their multiple push carts loaded to the top, I don't get a second look.

-- Empathetic Lurker (Anchorage_dweller@Alaska.USA), February 21, 1999.

To Empatathetic Lurker: No you folks are not the only Alaskans keeping your eyes and ears open. Down Seward way theres a network some of us have started up for mutual support,long befor anyone heard of y2k. Have you checked out the the y2k site attached to the state web site ? If you want to drop a line this is my real name & email address. Like I said befor I a dont believe in being paranoid, just careful and prepared.Guess that Boy Scout training got buried deep in the ol'gray matter. Later. --Dennis

-- Dennis Souza (souza@ptialaska.net), February 21, 1999.

Dieter reminds me of an overbearing old woman who desperately needs to have everyone's attention, and who desperately needs to have everyone accept her. Wish you would say something with substance Dieter.

-- boredwithDieter (boredwithDieter@bored.com), February 21, 1999.

Linda A:

I feel foolish I didn't start making preparations until late 1998, but now sometimes I feel wise when I accomplish Y2K prep objectives while everyone around me is still sleeping. ZZZZZZZZZZ...

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), February 21, 1999.

Leska:

You're on target about TP. I just returned from Wal*Mart where I purchased six more 24-roll packages on sale. Some teenage shoppers smirked, but I'm becoming inured to these befuddled reactions.

I'm in the middle of nailing OSB boards over the horizontal mainframe beams of my attic. Then I'll obtain some large cardboard boxes from a factory and store the TP inside, high and dry. I'll be happy to get this storage area completed soon and moving the TP up and out of sight because these TP rolls are taking over the house! :)

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), February 21, 1999.

BORED WITh DIETER!!!!! DOES DiETER FEEL yoUR PAiN????? of course nOt, jackass!!!! dieTERS POSTS ARE EAsY TO SEE, Are they nOt????? why are yoU so FOOLISH AS TO READ PoSTs wriTTeN BY SOME ONE WHO BOres you????? groW UP FOR DIeTER, WOuLD YOu????? becaUse DIeTeR CANNOt!!!!

-- Dieter (questions@toask.com), February 21, 1999.

In Russia they have to stand in line to get toilet paper. If I had more storage space I would buy a truckload. People will be killing each other for it, and I would be selling it for $5 a roll!

-- (@@@.@), February 21, 1999.

'If there is any cover-up at all, it is some subordinant painting the rosy picture to his/her boss about the capabilities of mission critical systems in regards to Y2K compliance.'

More likely it's the CEOs and their lawyers trying to keep their ratings on the market from crashing...and holding on to the confidence of their business partners for as long as possible. The worst thing I can imagine happening is for a serious recession or worse to occur now while they are still in the thick of remediation.

-- Shelia (shelia@active-stream.com), February 21, 1999.

Actually I'm not planning for Y2K any longer. Somewhere in the midst of preparation, and after reading an article in Countryside Magazine, I decided I was planning on living this way for the rest of my life, no matter what comes. My reason is to get off the corporate tit forever, as much as possible. I have been selling my non useful antiques and pretty dust catchers, and I work everyday to simplify, simplify.

-- gilda jessie (jess@listbot.com), February 22, 1999.

Deiter::

Those of us who are thinking have gotten the message, along with the headache from actually trying to read your posts. we have successfully adjusted our IFF or rather our IFT (or maybe our ITT) systems. Perhaps when the forum gets over-trolled again we will need reminding, but for now we've gotten the message, so you can try to select a font and UPlow that doesn't induce headaches.

Chuck, and his aching head.

FWIW IFF = Identify Friend or Foe

IFT = Identify Friend or Troll

IT = Identify True or Troll

-- Chuck, night driver (rienzoo@en.com), February 22, 1999.

FINe THEN????? DieTer is not LovEd???? GOOD!!!! HAppY IS DIeTER!!!!IF YOu LOVE NOt DIETeR YOU are NOT AFOOL!!!!!HAVE YOU ASpRIN???? IT IS wiSe to disLike DIETeR, IS IT NoT??????

DIETER WILLL BE WaTCHING!!!!!

BEWARE FOOLISH ONeS!!!!!

BeWARE I SAY!!!!

-- Dieter (questions@toask.com), February 22, 1999.

In defense of Dieter, he or she:

is original;

has a sense of humor, although apparently not to everyone's taste; and

types so you can see his posts a mile away and ignore them if you choose.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), February 22, 1999.

Hi Linda:

I don't feel foolish most days. I DO feel like I'm in some sort of a sci-fi novel. Like one other answerer, most all the time when I mention y2k preps to anyone I get blank stares and no response. Like the folks in the original "Invasion of the body Snatchers" or some such. I also feel like there is no real incentive for corporations or governments to level with us, and every incentive for them to present only the best face to their efforts. And like Art Welling (Cory's WRP's), I'm scared most days. Sometimes I feel physically nauseated actually. Hang in there...

-- Les Holladay (holladayl@aol.com), February 22, 1999.

Linda don't feel foolish. You buy what you need to feel comfortable. On your little supply test however I think it wasn't a true test. You probably did little conservation and went thru the supplies in normal circumstances. I learned a lot about conservation through my mother who lived through the depression. We throw so much away and are extremely wasteful.

Try going a day without food. I bet you can do it. I've gone on three day fasts and came off the fast by drinking vegetable juice for a couple of days. I survived. I've gone on two week camping trips and know exactly how much I need for two weeks in the wilderness and it's not much.

The real problem with Y2K will be the panic. And even the ones who are prepared will panic. This panic will cause many to lose their heads. After people calm down, we'll see that we all can survive and TP won't be the key to that survival. It will be level heading thinking to solve problems. Keep on doing what you need to do.

Dieter, I love your posts.

Troll Maria

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), February 22, 1999.

Linda,

I'm a Y2K project coordinator (soon to be turing over the project to a consultant so I can do some coding to help fix an unanticipated problem - the planned replacement software won't be here on time so we have to fix.) In my Y2K survey (distrubuted last May) I concluded (in the Key Roles - Worst Case section) "For Y2K I firmly believe that it is better to err on the side of caution and potentially look foolish than to err on the side of confidence and be proven foolish."

Given the ramifications of being proven foolish, looking foolish isn't so bad. If I look fool, I'll get over it.

Good Luck jh

-- john hebert (jt_hebert@Hotmail.com), February 22, 1999.

"For Y2K I firmly believe that it is better to err on the side of caution and potentially look foolish than to err on the side of confidence and be proven foolish."

That's a greaat line, jh. Mind if I use it in my family newsletters? Maybe those heatherns will listen to you. (They know me too well.)

-- Lon Frank (postit@here.com), February 22, 1999.

JH -

Oh, man. Hate to hear that. Old adage: "You know a project's in trouble when the PM starts writing code." Good luck!

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.com), February 22, 1999.

big fan of dieter...funny, original, and has a point of view. Please stay.

-- The Duke (quietman89@hotmail.com), February 23, 1999.

Linda A. This is only my third post. (first two were prep questions) Last spring (98) a friend took a computer course and the instructor scared the class. (obviously GI) I didn't think too much more about it and at Christmas I was showing my Dad the internet and typed in "y2k", came across the RCMP no leave of ab. When I go to Costco I feel a bit weird at the check-out unpacking and do notice people looking at my stuff. Today, in our local rag there was an article on gardening for y2k, mentioning our freezers were vulnerable as we did have a 3 day power outage. Ok, so tomorrow I will put in my canning jar order.

-- west.can. (preparing@can.ca), February 24, 1999.

Sorry forgot, Dieter, I squint - then smile...

-- west.can. (preparing@can.ca), February 24, 1999.

Dieter,

I don't understand why people get a headache reading your posts. I have no such trouble. (Maybe I am in trouble).

Have a calm day,

-- Lois Knorr (knorr@attcanada.net), February 24, 1999.

Lon,

Be my guest.

Mac,

Bingo.

(Replacement product was due Nov 1998, mid Dec vendor say no problem you'll have it by Nov 1999. Yeah right. Two steps back, punt. S***, the ES9000 was supposed to go when the new software came in and as configured isn't compliant. Rush order purchase, one mini mainframe. Delivery scheduled next month.

Call contract firms - any CICS programmers with CPG experience. No not RPG, CPG we want to convert our non compliant CPG to CICS. You do, your kidding???. No were not as a matter of fact, he did the same system for someone else a couple years ago. Now you're really yanking my chain. You're not?!!! When can he start!

Needless to say we took him on the spot. Talk about luck.

Anyway, I done some CICS. The fellow managing that project knows CPG. Between the two of us we'll make a programmer...) Bingo.

(We'll make it thought, its got to be done and it will be done, even if its not complete, the first pieces needed will be done first and the others complete as needed if it comes down to that. Flying by the seat of your pants with few exceptions is the rule across the land, ask any maintenance programmer.)

Good Luck jh

-- john hebert (jt_hebert@hotmail.com), February 24, 1999.