I have lurked many months - don't post. But lately things have been sstranger than normal.

I don't talk to anyone about Y2K except immediate family. I have never had anyone come to me to convince me to GI. I already GI bigtime, but just wish I knew someone else close by did to.

Last two weeks, have had several people out of the blue, start Y2K conversations with me. These conversation were the very nervous tone of why Y2K was not going to be any big deal. Strikes me that people are starting to worry a LOT more. Nervous because they are beginning to realize that maybe something really big could happen but to afraid to take it to heart.

Wondering if others are having similar experiences.

-- (Wishing@inone.hand), November 09, 1999

Answers

The people around me are just as clueless as they were two years ago. ..."I don't think it will be that big [of] a deal," "The problem isn't with computers, it's with people panicking," "I have a Mac so I'm not worried," "Why can't they just turn the computers back?" (my personal favorite).

If these people have ANY idea what's going on, they are keeping their mouths tightly shut. No one seems to have the sense even to be afraid. All I hear is crap.

-- being nervous (requires@a.brain), November 09, 1999.

You are not alone. I've been lurking for a while too. Finally posted some lately in response to a couple of DGI's when I just couldn't stand the ignorance any more.

Getting stranger by the day. Getting questions at the bank now when I get $5's and $1's in change for $20's. Nervous relatives and friends starting to ask what I think "now".

But I hesitate to say much to neighbors for fear of "prep theft" if/when TSHTF. Want to be ready to help them as much as I can, but don't want to expose my family's preps.

I'm in North County San Diego. Very few real GI's around here it seems.

TA

-- TA (observer@risklike.you), November 09, 1999.

Went to Target today to stock up on Fruit of the Loom underwear. I was having a hard time finding a particular size because the inventory was very low. I asked a sales lady in that department if they had anymore in the back room. She said everything was out on the shelf and they were having a hard time getting them in. I told her about the computer problems Fruit of the Loom was having and she said she wasn't surprised at all about that. "We're having a hard time getting a lot of merchandise in especially toys." She then said "Do you think Y2K will be bad?" I thought to myself "here I go again, I'm going to keep quiet, so I said "I don't know." She went into a big long speel on how I should be preparing, that it's a matter of life and death. She said her husband was a computer programmer and they've been stockpiling for 1-1/2 years. I just stood there and listened to her go on and on and then told her to have a nice day. So, maybe people are becoming more concerned and quietly preparing.

BTW, all the libraries in our county are closed for computer upgrading. They had the entrance doors papered so you couldn't see in, and on the paper was written "Closed for Computer Upgrading and Training for the Year 2000." Closed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday."

And our county said that they were Y2K ok! Yeh, right!

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), November 09, 1999.

In the last few weeks I have seen a drastic increase in the number of people asking me about Y2K and what they should be doing to prep. Most are folks who just didn't want to hear about it even a few months ago. I think more and more people are starting to 'see the light'.

-TECH32-

-- TECH32 (TECH32@NOMAIL.COM), November 09, 1999.

Yeah, it has become strange. Another Y2K'er was over at my place and we were doing test comparisons of different lighting effects and merchandise. One won out to such a degree she went to her local Target to buy it. The Target camping section was normal. She made her purchase and left. The next day for an unrelated reason she had to return and happened to pass the camping section. She found it had been stripped and all that was left were some kid slumber party bags and a tents. Not stove was stirring not even a camping cooking kit. Yet, my local Targets' camping section is untouched. Everything one could want it there from battery packs to silver blankets. I strolled in today to verify a rechargeable lantern I had my eye on but decided in the end not to purchase it (It looks impressive but the lighting is poor.) I bought some silver blankets (Which by the way are wonderful as shawls and afghans in the chilly morning if you haven't tried them), and I bought a blue enamel perculator. (I already had one, a "real" one for a burner, but for an outright fire situation mine with a plastic handle isn't a good choice.) One guy came in, an older fellow, and picked through the fishing gear, he left not finding what he sought.

We suspect entities are activating based on the Target event of its camping section being gutted of many stoves and such within 24 hours. That must have been something like a business coming through and getting ready to "feed the employees." We both agreed this week may be the last to putter and maybe add an item or two as a last thought, because of entities not individuals activating. It's obviously without warning and when they sweep through nothing but a dust ball is left. What one thinks one is coming back for one may not be.

The other persons neighbor suddenly has a pile of cut wood to the upper fence edge. The people behind me are showing tell tale signs of a new Costco membership.

The last time I was at my local K-Mart the flashlight bulbs were gutted. The oil and wicks were gutted. I had to shop at Ace Hardware for bulbs and wicks. It's canned vegetables move likety split and the demand on the Dinty Moore prepared meals is so high additional flavors have been brought in with periodic sales. K-Mart is good at keeping its favorite 24 rolls of Charmin stocked. It must be bringing in extra loads. It's like the store gets stripped but the mounds of that Charmin rises to the roof. I had stripped it of the body heat pads in the fishing/camping section. (Those by the way are fabulous. One lasts me 8-14 hours. One activates it, sticks it in the waist elastic of ones underpants at the small of the back, and the heat just creeps up all over ones spine. It's great in bed with flannel sheets. One has 3 for 1.99)

I had a different person aware of Y2K vow suicide. I was telling her to be wary of the dew effect. (We're both in SoCA.) One night a few years ago I woke up and dew was all in my place. My bed was wet and everything was clammy. I forget if I had left the heater off but no windows were open. I had warned her to be sure she put a plastic camping tarp over her bedspread, because if something happens in the night, one is going to wake up in a wet bed, and that bed is going to be rendered useless as a resource. She felt waking up to the "dew effect" was more than she could face. I hope she'll just go purchase a good tarp. I folded one over and laid it across my bed, I had flannel sheets, normal bed blankets and spread, thermal underwear, and a heat pad going in a test. It was so hot I had to rise up for a cool down. A tarp folded over traps the heat into the bed something fierce and not a draft dares come near. It took a couple of nights for the cats to bore out. At first they kept pouncing on the slight plastic crunch of the tarp and drove me nuts.

At my local store I am seeing signs of stockpiling. Every so often MilkMan powdered milk boxes are gutted and also the canned cat food. This Stater Bros is more savvy and into the local population so of course it brought in some cheaper 6 volt batteries, an adorable Hallmark stuffed Y2K bug that makes a crash sound when dropped, and some large restaurant sized cans of green beans to help meet any demand. It has new registers and a new computer system so obviously this is will be one of the companies prime distribution spots. This Staters I suspect will be open for business through the crises. It has the older style meat section in which butchers work behind a counter and one asks for so many pounds of this or that, so, I suspect we'll be locally gravitating around it for any available fresh meat though other spots of the store will be barren due to delays and manufacturer failures. Presently it is selling everything from wood to Sterno so one can see why people pick it for preparedness in my area. We all here in my area seem to associate preparedness with "I'm go'in down to Staters." It's a real old store. It's been in the community since the ice age.

My naysaying dental hygenist changed her mind and is preparing. She is anti nukes and is afraid nuclear power plants will save the day thus justifying their existence in the nation. Something along the lines of, "Only those in the general area of plants are living comfy and cozy happy lives." Thus we all rise up and riot demanding one be built in our immediate areas.

I'll go ahead and mention this. I had another person with me. In fact we were in her car. This all being a few weeks ago. It has nettled me. I make no claims there was anything to the event. I'm going to sound looney. Bare with me. We were going to a different area on the freeway to a Walmart and PetSmart "Y2King." A corvette was in front of us. We both without saying anything had noticed it because of the number of commercial trucks also on the road. It simply stood out. We adventured about and even had lunch out. As we were returning we saw that same corvette again and once again it was in front of us. We made the choice to slow down with deliberation, let it gain a lot of distance, and to watch it a bit. It did just go on but it disturbed us. It caused us to speculate if the thug element is starting to stake out places like Costco, WalMart and PetSmart. They do at Christmas so I fail to see why "Y2K" wouldn't have their attention. The stretch of freeway isn't interesting, the odds of the two ladies heading for WalMart amongst all those trucks is obvious, it being a WalMart that is right off the freeway in semi desolation, so I can see a car being "marked" per se along that stretch. It's another reason why we believe this is the last week to add anything unless it is a normal and trivial nonsurvivalist item. I think the walls are starting to shake a bit and I don't want to be The Fool demanding a "sign" and then refusing to acknowledge it. I'm reaching a point of letting go beyond this week of any great "new thing" or "more of" my mind comes up with. We know the Christmas thugs will be out there. They always are. This is just going to be playing with fire with hands soaked in kerosene. I've tried to be discreet but that just isn't always possible. Beyond this week I intend to look 100% the naysayer as those thugs start their seasonal nonsense. It's time to quit "Y2King" for me. I've been prepared and ready for some time and what I have will just have to do.

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), November 09, 1999.

Thanks for the responses. My encounters have been like this:

KMart Cashier:"What do you think about Y2K? Friends tell me that people will be out shooting people. I tell them those people will be sorry and in jail when they find the next day is just an ordinary day.(Nervous laugh)" Customer: "What do you thing about Y2K? I asked my friend who works on computers and he said no big deal, said embedded chips was something they implant in your brain.(Nervous laugh) Anyway, I'll be glad when its over because my customers don't want to spend money right now installing pools cause they are afraid of what might happen." Customer: "What do you think about Y2K? My friend works at Transco Tower.(A very large high-rise office bldg in Houston)and says they have generators, food and fuel stored on every floor. I don't think it will that bad.(nervous laugh)." Customer:"What do you think about Y2K? My son works for Continental Airlines and he says there is now way they will be ready. He was planning on going to London for new years, but now is afraid he couldn't get back home." The amazing thing is that all these comments came out of the blue. Noone has EVER approached me about before these last couple of weeks. Also noticed KMart now has American Red Cross Y2K brochures proudly displayed or the batteries. This is new for KMart and the first time I've actually seen the brochures anywhere.

-- (Wishing@inone.hand), November 10, 1999.