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Let's talk COVID-19


Silva

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*waves nervously*

It's been a while since I made a thread.

I think the title is pretty self-explanatory. This is a place to just...talk. Whether it be a rant, tangent, well-wishing message, or crazy conspiracy theory, all is welcome.

How's everyone doing?

My life:

Spoiler

My school and most facilities in the general area are all closed. You don't see as many people walking outside. I've been outdoors every day, but I have some friends who haven't--they just sit at home with a window open and call that fresh air. As the number of cases in my state rises, updates are continually sent out limiting the terms on which people can gather. I'm now charging devices twice a day sometimes, because video calls drain their batteries so much. Everything is online. It's like...Sharding, but constantly and with people from IRL. 

It's weird, guys. And I don't particularly like it.

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I'm doing good, but at the moment I'm bored out of my mind. All the things that used to take up my time are now gone. Although because I'm homeschooled I still have school. Even though my city is one of the biggest, highways and parks are deserted. Even though it's spring break. My main goal is to NOT go insane, but the odds aren't exactly in my favor.

Edited by FantasyFanitic
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I practice Karate, and classes are online now. It's good that I can still practice but it feels claustrophobic. I've only been leaving the house for work. Fortunately I'm pretty introverted so it isn't hugely disruptive. And all my friends live far away so I'm used to having to video chat them. 

On the bright side we will all have this experience in common, I imagine twenty years from now people will meet and ask each other 'so where were you in the time of the great Corona?'. It's gonna be fun! 

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My school has been canceled until April 24th. It's very boring. 

8 minutes ago, Rask said:

I practice Karate, and classes are online now. It's good that I can still practice but it feels claustrophobic. I've only been leaving the house for work. Fortunately I'm pretty introverted so it isn't hugely disruptive. And all my friends live far away so I'm used to having to video chat them. 

On the bright side we will all have this experience in common, I imagine twenty years from now people will meet and ask each other 'so where were you in the time of the great Corona?'. It's gonna be fun! 

Yay! 

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Where I live the quarantine starts next monday. Even so, there's not a single case in the city but people already assaulted the supermarkets all the same. You know the story, our hand sanitizer and toilet paper reserves are incredibly low. I'm really curious (and kinda worried) about how this is going to affect people's jobs. I know some places will work normally but places like theaters and street food stands are bound to be affected.

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I am torn over some of this. Some things I was really looking forward to are cancelled. (Most notably the NCAA Tournament) On top of that I feel quarantining and the like is a bit excessive. Especially considering that the virus is similar to the annual flu in a lot of ways, possibly even less deadly then it. However, I do get the feeling of being safe rather then sorry but it is frustrating you know?

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Things are hard. I have not been to work in a little less than a week because I was told essential personnel only should show up. There has been no guidance as to how and if I'm expected to work. I don't even know if I will be allowed to continue working. Without this money I will fall behind on paying off my student loans. I'm frankly terrified, but I'm trying to keep calm for my mother who at times can get very anxious about even small things. I'm quarantined at home with my parents which is not the worst thing I guess, but even after a couple of days I worry that we will begin to get on each others nerves. Things could be so much worse and yet who knows how long this will go on for lead me to worry a great deal. This plus the fact that I have been out of the house only a handful of times specifically because there are people in our community who may be positive. I have in the past been rather introverted. This though is a lot especially if this is only the beginning.  On the bright side today and yesterday were productive on the front of my Novella's editing. Soon I may need beta readers so yay! Otherwise well add it my last year and a half's tab.  

Edited by Nathrangking
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My city has nobody tested positive with COVID-19...but that's because we literally have no tests. The local colleges have made classes online through the rest of the semester, and the elementary schools have closed for spring break and one week after, and may follow the colleges. As a substitute teacher, I'm probably out of work until August. Unlike most, I've been lucky and have been able to save up a little nest egg from years of extreme frugality, so I won't be happy, per say, if I am unemployed until August, but I'll still be able to pay rent. Just no more horseback riding lessons :( 

Shopping is fascinating. My local WinCo closes at 11pm and reopens around 8am. The line is about a block long and they only let 50 people in at a time. Toilet paper is indeed gone, but the supply chain is still working, so there's plenty of food (even if some of the available items aren't someone's first choice). I've met cattle ranchers, mountain folk, and all sorts trying to get groceries before heading back up the mountains. Great people to talk to. 

My city says if we get a single positive person for COVID-19, the city is going to go under shelter in place. Good news about that, is I'm still allowed to take walks and hikes under shelter in place. Bad news is, I'll only have my roommate and her cat for company, which stinks, because my roommate (who I adore) sleeps during the day and is awake at night. She may be a vampire. Anyway, due to her sleeping schedule, I'll pretty much be living alone for 4-8 weeks with no DnD, no public library, no farmer's markets, nada, zippo, nothing. 

So I'm making a list of all the things I want to do:

  • Catch up on all the books I want to read before the World Fantasy Convention. I want to read a book from every single guest author going (already have Sanderson out of the way ;) ) Not to mention, I have all of the excellent recommendations from when I did my introduction here. Book recommendations are ALWAYS welcome. 
  • Practice yoga every morning. I fell out of practice when the school year started. 
  • Learn how to bake bread. I've always procrastinated by telling myself it takes too much time. Guess what I have plenty of now?
  • Paint and post more often on my Instagram @worldofalturas
  • Catch up on all Writing Excuses podcasts (on season 4/15) in time for the World Fantasy Convention in October. 
  • Write. Write. WRITE. I want to be a professional writer, so now's a good time to pretend I am one. Time to get the stupid book revised (how I hate revising...)
  • Walk. Map out the neighborhood. Listen to podcasts while walking. Walking a lot. 
  • Learn how to play more than one song on my ukulele...

I'm a goal oriented person. I need a plan. So, in true Katie fashion, I'm making one. Heck, I'll schedule out each of my days if I need to. 

In all honesty, I really miss my kids. There are several classes I sub regularly for, and I'm really going to miss them. Even if they drive me freaking bonkers

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Things are going crazy here, too. I am still working, and I'm one of the few who actually still drives to our office daily, mostly because it's like 10 minutes away from where I live and because nobody is here anyway. It's really nice to get out of home for a couple of hours. Everything else is cancelled, bars closed, no chance to workout (apart from youtube, but it's more fun in a group). Positive part, my garden looks better than it has in years.

Negative is the whole economics, I kind of ended up Corona information person in my company with some colleagues, so I'm doing nothing but writing nice E-Mails to everybody and trying to calm people down, keep them informed what is going on and what we as company are doing. Now that nearly everybody is working from home it's a bit calmer, but it's still stressful and a lot do deal with mentally. If it were only to quarantine people, then it would be one thing, but our business is suffering a lot (as many companies do) and when I'm not takling to people I'm preparing lists of who has to stay and who we might be able to fire (for my department). At the moment we are trying to get our hand on some money from the state to cover for the time our people have nothing to do. I just feel like we are never able to catch up, and it's all spinning downwards so quickly we are only reacting all the time without a chance to ever catch up.

Edited by Sorana
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I've always classified myself as an introvert, but lately my inner extrovert has been getting anxious for company. My school's been cancelled for the next two weeks, and will likely extend longer, which means I'm trapped at my home for the foreseeable future. I guess this entire experience has made me more grateful for my friends, for the communication abilities technology gives us, and the opportunity that school gives me to appease my extroverted side. Until all this passes though...it's gonna be a bit rough.

But on the bright side, I have more time for personal projects now. I can write, read, draw, and do whatever I really want within the confines of my home. Hopefully I'll be able to use that to sustain my mental health.

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Education Prospects - C

I resigned from my company in order to pursue higher education in Canada. The classes will start in May, so I've to reach 14 days before. Got all my visa and so, but now travel has been cancelled. :( I'm thinking of deferring my course to September, but then I've to apply again:(

Employment - C

We are fortunate that our companies don't lay off employees like they do in other places. If they do, I don't know they might face massive backlash. The gov. head also appealed to all businesses to not do so. However, even though I am in notice period, my job has me getting busier than ever. I never thought that our systems had that many structural deficiencies. Covid-19 has been since December. Those living under rocks, might have known in Feb. Some really believe in starting work at 11th hour. This approach isn't good when you've a pandemic going on and you live in a bustling metropolis. Providing each employee a work from home has been a YUGE challenge. Fortunately, there are no cases (yet) where I live.

Friends & Relationships - B

Most of my friends work in other companies. Some in other projects. Almost all have been fortunate to get WFH, and have gone home. Though, the one that matters the most is my former work-mate. We became really good friends, only now were we able to hang out and so. Thanks to Covid-19, she had to rush home a fortnight early, and I believe, I shall never meet her again :(

My family is doing good though. This keeps me happy. They said the virus will die in our scorching summers. But it started raining at my home (it never rains at this time). I thought of going home, but there the gov has banned all forms of public transport (save the rail, but it is of no use there).

Daily Life - B+

I usually have had no life apart from work, so its not that out of ordinary. There's panic being spread on the internet. People think by sharing news they show care, but when you don't do basic fact check and apply your mind, all it does is spread panic. At my home, people have been panic buying and hauling food items. Here it is not that prevalent (at least in my area), that's what I saw today. I regret not knowing how to cook. Maybe this is a time for me to learn that. Plus, I can read books too. I will focus more on learning French language. Maybe I'll get better at pronunciation. There's a new Netflix related extension on Chrome. I think my friend & I can finally watch LoTR together :)

 

 

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Been working form home 4 days out of 5 for the last few months anyway, so the change to my schedule adding that fifth work from home day is pretty negligible.  i've been out 2 or 3 times to pick stuff up from stores, and i was surprised by how little some of the roads seem to have changed.  the collector road near me seems to get nearly as much traffic now as it did before.  It was also interesting to see what was still in stock and what was out in teh supermarket.  there was almost no meat, and very little milk.  ironically, the milk that they did have, was the double pasteurized stuff that has a much longer shelf life than regular milk.  the produce section too was odd.  greens were low, but there were tons of tomatoes and a pretty substantial amount of potatoes and onions.

we've also had nice weather around here, so i've at least been able to get out and walk some.  quarantine like this in the winter would be a lot harder to handle.  my main problem now is that I get bored eatign the same foods over and over again, and only a few days in i'm already sick of the stuff available at my house.

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Cali is so great

Spoiler

NOT

I mean we might not go back to school until AUGUST, have fun brain!

on the bright side, it gives me time to work on my arts (some sooner than others, as I lost my rosin :() and it provides the perfect opportunity for this

Spoiler

5A90755D-F446-4AFA-8DBA-878A86603227.thumb.jpeg.36c67d7ce0e8c5a7823a4fc5e8071ab5.jpeg

 

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Virginia schools are now closed for the rest of the school year.  This hit me like truck.  

Do we still get paid? Are students going to be ready for next year?   What about students that I know aren't ready?  Should I take down my room and starting cleaning? Are kids coming back in the summer?

Do I get to say goodbye to my students? :( 

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40 minutes ago, Zelly said:

Virginia schools are now closed for the rest of the school year.  This hit me like truck.  

Do we still get paid? Are students going to be ready for next year?   What about students that I know aren't ready?  Should I take down my room and starting cleaning? Are kids coming back in the summer?

Do I get to say goodbye to my students? :( 

Man, I feel you there. I'm in California and we're supposed to restart school April 17th - considering we're up to three cases in the last week, no way that is going to happen. 

I sub regularly for several classes and there's so much that I want to say to so many of my students. Some of them are going to be hit so hard academically, while many I worry for from a social/emotional standpoint. Some of my kids are still living in garages and trailers from the fire. 

I was supposed to come along with one fourth grade class to a week long camping trip to Monterey. I've been looking forward to it since last year when I went with the previous class. I'll miss watching my fifth graders graduate. Won't see another class's musical production that they have been working for months on. Many of my special education students are moving...I'll never get to say goodbye to them.

And as the sub, I'll probably never get a chance to say goodbye to any of them. How many will I see next year? How many will be forced to move south to cities for jobs?

I keep trying to put a positive spin on everything, try to keep the optimism going, but I can't find a happy outlook towards how this is affecting my schools and students. 

 

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Just found out that one of my friends (who has lung issues) has just been hospitalized. He's been sick for the last ten days, but we were hoping it was just the Influenza A that was going around (he and his family have been quarantining for two weeks now).

The hospital can't/won't test him, but it is almost certainly COVID-19. He's hitting every single marker and timeline. They've taped over his singular window and aren't allowing visitors.

I've been texting him and I've put everything on hold to paint him a scene for the nurses to tape over his window. He's keeping his good humor and jokes that the bed feels like Motel 6.

The family is religious, and I'd like to ask that if you pray or know someone who does, I'd really appreciate it if you put my friend on any prayer lists that you know of. 

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I know this isn’t as serious as everyone else’s problems, but just the general atmosphere right now... I don’t like it. There’s tension in the air, and people eyeing each other sideways at the store. You get funny looks when you sneeze and no one seems to trust anyone.

It just feels like everyone’s against each other in a time when we really shouldn’t be. 

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My college town got it's first confirmed case the day before yesterday. Everything's locked down now. The country's declared a lock-down as well, no trains, no planes. My home city, on the other hand, has not declared quarantine out of fear of political and economic repercussions. The campus patrol has gone a bit much but the police have gone downright dystopian, and there's a curfew after 8. Things have gotten a bit tense in a lot of places

Edited by Dreamer
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Here’s how this has affected my family:

My dad is a truck driver and his boss usually deals only in entertainment related ventures, like concerts, trade shows and the rare big wedding which needs sound or lights, and since he doesn’t want his drivers doing anything outside the entertainment industry he sent them all home and since the base is in California my dad had to be flown to us. The day he was flown out was the same day the order came in. Because of how last minute this decision was my mother and I have spent almost everyday at the stores trying to get ingredients to make meals since we had enough food for 2 but not for a third. Same goes for toilet paper. He’s already getting on our nerves with his laziness and coughing without a care, it doesn’t take long for my mother to get annoyed with him but I have a lot more patience so for him to be getting to me already shows how bad it is. A couple days ago he had gotten a text from the gal who writes the checks and the way it was worded we’re now wondering if he’ll even have a job to return to when this is all over.

I work for a school, never my choice on this, and while schools are closed all employees are still being told to come in unless their work can be done at home. So many are using this as an excuse to catch up on their Netflix watching but my mother insists on going in no matter what, epidemic be damned. One coworker is currently in quarantine because his son was out of the country for some missionary work and his son came back on Tuesday or Wednesday so now the whole house is under quarantine for two weeks. What makes this interesting is his supervisor gave him a very large project that he can’t do now and the other two guys never do anything normally except go to the campuses or watch movies. One other coworker has a son who works as a server so who knows if he’s making any money right now.

My sister, who lives in California, isn’t fazed by this at all and still plans on hanging out with coworkers, one of whom actually spent some time with someone who turned out to be positive, and still plans on going hiking and being around people.

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All schools in Nebraska are closed until May 1st. I have missed out on/will miss out on Conference Honor Band, which I spent hours practicing for, State FFA, which I actually qualified for in Livestock and Meats Judging, various tennis matches, our normal band concert and everything else. I’m slowly going crazy, and I now have a really hard time sleeping for whatever reason. 

On the other hand, I don’t have it as bad as some others. I can still go to work as I act as a hired hand for my neighbor, and ranching won’t stop for this. I started a Stormlight reread, so that gives me something to do, but I'm already almost through WoR. I can still work with my 4h sheep, but I’m hoping that county fair isn’t cancelled. I live in the country, which is nice as I still have lots of fresh air and all that. 

 

Sorry to sound like a petty sophomore, but I’m frustrated and needed to rant about the fact that I’m missing out on stuff I’ve been looking forward to for months. Work is the only thing that is currently keeping me sane. 

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