Episode 644: Essential Supplies

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Dave

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Zombie Cliche Lookout: Other Needs

When we think about zombie survival, we think about food, water, first aid, shelter, and weapons. Well, we start to think about those things eventually, after we stop thinking about all the cool ways we could kill zombies, but I digress. While those are all essentials, many of us forget about the fact that many people need more specialized things in order to continue to survive. Medication is a big one here. Lots of people require their meds to make it through the day, and many others require their prescriptions in order to perform normally.

About this Episode:

I think a lot of you figured that Tara was going to need something for herself or her dad. I laid down some pretty good clues about her moving in to help him, suggesting that one or the other needed assistance in some way.

Other News:

This weekend was Tough Mudder Michigan. I mentioned earlier this year I was planning on running it, and I was finally able to take a crack at it. I’ve been wanting to do one since me wife ran in back in 2013 and I watched. I was blown away by the camaraderie, adventure, and the challenge. It just looked incredible. I was supposed to do it last year, but then I broke my leg. So much for that. 2015? It was my year.

So what’s Tough Mudder, you ask? It’s a race in the mud with a bunch of crazy obstacles. The obstacles run from scaling walls and crawling under barbed wire, to swimming into a tent full of tear gas and getting out the other side. If you haven’t seen any, check it out on YouTube.

The course I ran was eleven miles, and had some really tough hazards to overcome. It was hard. My ankles (both of which are almost ruined thanks to injury) hurt like hell, but I finished, dammit. Here’s my ugly mug at the end:

 

Discussion Question: Irregular Essentials?

Do you, or anyone in your “party” have anything that they need in order to function? How would you procure this once civil services shut down? Do you have any sort of backup plan?

27 thoughts on “Episode 644: Essential Supplies”

  1. ….
    Internet

    If I can’t get my daily dose of internet cat videos I will most likely shrivel up and die.

    Internet grows on trees, right?

    ???RIGHT???

    • The “tree” you’re talking about is an ISP, they’re a root which your internet has to connect to in order to get to other roots on the internet. There is also your cable service or phone service provider, who may also manage your internet service over paired cable or fiber optic lines.

      If the people running these services and maintaining them turn into zombies, they’re going to stop maintaining them because they suddenly don’t care about you or the service anymore. Therefore your best bet of keeping the internet alive would be to go into the telecommunications business. If the internet falls over, nobody will ever be able to tweet to you again! 😀

      • Yes indeed. The internet would cascade down pretty quickly once the people who maintain it started getting zombified.

    • I too would hate to lose the internet. Not only is it my entertainment hub, it’s how I make a living. Seeing that disappear would be a pretty heavy blow to the psyche.

  2. Typo alert [b]in the comic itself:[/b] “he need” need–>needs 😀

    Also found typos in the write-up:

    “Medication is an the big one here.” Remove “the” and change “an” to “a” 😉

    “procure this one civil” one–>once 😀

    • Fixed all but the comic. I’ll have to do that one from home. Thanks!

  3. Well, Dave, your mugshot isn’t half as bad as you think it is! You’ve actually got quite a bit of character there! Speaking of which, will zombies be recognizable as former friends or family after they become a zombie in the zombie apocalypse? Everything suggests that there are dramatic changes to people who die and come back as an undead zombie. But will they be so drastic that you wouldn’t recognize a former friend or co-worker? 😀

    • It would be pretty nice if the zombies regarded me as friendly, but I wouldn’t count on it.

      • I actually meant from the perspective of the people encountering such zombiefied former people, but if zombies retained any kind of recognition or cognitive ability, you’d have a point there! 😀

  4. In a situation like that, there are a lot of people who are going to just die. Not only will most people be unable to get more meds (and many people can’t even go two days — think of severe diabetics, people with seizure disorders, etc), but existing meds will often expire after a year. With nobody making more, there won’t even be any to steal.

    I wonder what happens when someone with a disorder becomes a zombie. Would a person with Parkinsons become a shaky zombie? Would a paranoid schizophrenic become a zombie which hallucinates (and what would that even look like?)?

    • Unfortunately I am very farsighted. Without my glasses Im a sitting duck

      • At least you’d see them coming. I’m ridiculously nearsighted.

        My eyesight is so bad is so bad if I forget where I’ve put down my glasses I can’t see well enough to find them.

        I have a couple of old pairs of glasses around “just in case” but I’m always worrying about what would happen if I was caught without a backup.

      • Just try not to end up like this guy: https://youtu.be/UAxARJyaTEA

        • Hehe 🙂 Still, he got off lightly
          https://youtu.be/zKgjahj-3qg

      • I didn’t think of that one. My eyes are awful as well.

    • Right you are. That was always something that got to me in Alas Babylon; there were a few characters who simply couldn’t survive without civilization, and quickly perished.

  5. lol, congrats on the Mud run (you crazy Americans!). By the way, you should consider updating your Minifigure avatar to
    this guy!

    • Hah, that’s hilarious. I do need to find a big, ugly beard piece.

      • LEGO definitely needs to release more bald heavily bearded dudes. (wait, that sounds a little weird)

        • Hah, yeah that sounds a little weird alright.

  6. Rite Aid? Are those still open?
    I myself suffer from Asthma so lots of allergy and breathing meds. Although Im not 100 percent sold that I would need to be on allergy meds once I’m out in if for a few weeks/months.
    I was told after 14 years of landscaping I’m allergic to dirt, trees and Grass. and Dogs and after always owning a dog my entire life. Just the whole breathing thing would/should be important
    Also
    Congratz on the Mudder run. It just reminds me how bad of shape I’m in.

    • So exposure has made you allergic to all those things? Man, I didn’t know that happened. That really sucks.

      Thanks BT. I’m in quite bad shape too. Next year, I’m prepping more.

  7. Is this the real reason we get only 2 episodes a week?! So you can go out an run eleven miles in weird conditions? I feel betrayed! LOL… BTW congrats on finishing the race!

    The sick dad needing meds… Dayum, I should have think about that… Simple but great idea!

    I’m just curious but as you use to write review of TWD, what’s with Fear The Walking Dead? Are you just not watching? Lack of time (which I understand)? Not worthy?

    • Hah, well that certainly contributed during the last two weeks, yeah.

      I haven’t been watching Fear the Walking Dead. I’m waiting for it to show up on Netflix, since I cancelled cable years ago. Once it does, I might do up a season review.

      • I’m really looking forward to it. I’m curious what you’ll think about FTWD…

  8. Yeah I was wondering about that too? I’m hoping maybe you could write a review on the whole season since its only 6 episodes.

    • I’d like to. I’m sure it’ll hit Netflix sooner or later.