I felt it important to bring up something previously discussed...

We are currently in a BITR scenario.

This is as good as it can get.

We've received some media coverage about failures but no way to gage the extent of what is happening "out there".

This is as GOOD as it can get.

It's December 7th, 1999. The rollover hasn't happened yet.

THIS IS AS GOOD AS IT CAN GET.

In other words, it can get much, much worse.

Don't hesitate, don't ponder, just prep. Focus.

Mike

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-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), December 07, 1999

Answers

These are the good ol' days.

Auld Lang Syne

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), December 07, 1999.

oops Auld Lang Syne

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), December 07, 1999.

Thats a good point, we are really in the BITR now. I dont know if we can call this a 1 or a 2 because we dont know how much of the Y2k failures are being hushed up.

We have three more weekends and "It's on !"

Three more Saturdays to do shopping for the holidays AND Y2k and thats it. The fourth weekend (actually the friday morning before the fourth Saturday) is the start of the live end to end test.

-- hamster (hamster@mycage.com), December 07, 1999.

Would you say that a BITR scenario would be one in which someone else has a bad problem, but you don't? Or is a BITR a scenario in which only a few percentage of people have their lives turned upside down temporarily due to data processing problems? Would a situation in which all the state's child support collection and distribution systems get badly screwed up, and have to revert to manual systems for a period of 6 months? What do you suppose would become of those women and kids during that time? Do you suppose that they might lose their apartments that they can't pay for? Would they go hungry? Have the car repoed?

Just some food for thought.

-- (formerly known as nobody@nowhere.zzz), December 07, 1999.

A BITR scenario is one in which you don't need to use your preps.

-- (duh@duh.duh), December 07, 1999.

So, a BITR is somebody else's problem?

I think that the size of the bump in the road is correlated directly to the ability of a family unit to absorb the bump and keep going forward. i.e. A woman and her 2 kids survive by the reciept of a govt. check which pays for 3/4 of her expenses. Let's say that those checks get delayed for 6-8 weeks.

What percentage of folks have the wherewithal to pay their usual expenses for that length of time, until their govt. check (or paycheck) finally came?

Clue: What percentage of folks have a safety cushion of 3 months income set aside for their own "rainy day"?

-- (formerly@nowhere.zzz), December 07, 1999.

>> THIS IS AS GOOD AS IT CAN GET. <<

I think most folks would find this situation acceptable. We have electricity, oil and gas, tap water. The stores are full of food. If we have a job the pay is coming in. As good as it gets is pretty darn good, really.

>> In other words, it can get much, much worse. <<

Correct. All that ever needs to happen for things to get worse is for everyone to stop working for a couple of months. But, the current situation doesn't tell us a blamed thing about whether it will get much, much worse or not.

>> Don't hesitate, don't ponder, just prep. <<

Sorry. But, as a slogan, "Stop thinking!" just doesn't make it for me.

-- Brian McLaughlin (brianm@ims.com), December 07, 1999.

Mike, in other words, be thankful for what we already have?! That is one thing that thinking about the possibilities of Y2K has done for me. There were a lot of things I took for granted. My heart is much more thankful now, even for all of the little things. :-)

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), December 07, 1999.

Right now, I'm considering as a BITR, anything that can be expressed as, "Gee, this really sucks, but at least I still have my health."

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), December 07, 1999.

This morning I passed my first 2 white buses on my way to work, driven by guys in cammies (sp?), and this afternoon I saw my first daytime spraying. If this is the BITR then God help us!

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), December 07, 1999.

Michael,

Was thinking about this being the bump in the road times... right now.

Interesting concept... and it plays. It feels, as we plow through the turn, on a global scale, that its all just going to get piled higher and deeper. Keep wondering... what will work, what wont, what will break over time, what will bend without snapping... locally, nationally and internationally?

Who knows?

These ARE... the good times. And Im grateful.

As to our near term future? Well... pull your spirit up by its bootstraps... try to stay balanced... for those yourself and others around you.

Happy holidaze.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), December 07, 1999.