So how is everyone doing, really?

its raining here, but living no different. somehow I am considered essential (atleast to my boss).

Franck Vee wrote:
On that list of essential services, they included the SQDC (Quebec's Cannabis Society), which is the government-run weed shop.

So essentially, Quebec just declared weed an essential service.

I saw that some states with medical programs did that too. From a medical perspective, it's pretty cool to see that they're taking weed seriously as medicine. What's funny is most states seem to list beer/wine/liquor stores as essential also

Nick Niebuhr wrote:

I saw that some states with medical programs did that too. From a medical perspective, it's pretty cool to see that they're taking weed seriously as medicine. What's funny is most states seem to list beer/wine/liquor stores as essential also

However, I'd think it a pretty bad idea to keep vaping and smoking while there is a good chance your body is going to have to deal with Covid-19. Why handicap your chances? Stick to edibles if you need it, imo

Another odd one for me: I find myself unable to focus even on watching TV. After a couple minutes, my mind goes off to thinking about what’s going on, and the tv show just seems totally unimportant. So much for all the binge watching I was going to let myself not feel guilty for!

Nick Niebuhr wrote: 

What's funny is most states seem to list beer/wine/liquor stores as essential also

It does sound a bit amusing. But, some folks in medical field say that true alcoholics who try to go dry cold turkey end up in ER with DT. And, having more people crowding ERs is not the best of ideas right now.

Symptoms that occur when someone stops using alcohol after a period of heavy drinking.
Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can vary widely in severity. In severe cases, the condition can be life-threatening.
Symptoms may occur from two hours to four days after stopping alcohol. They may include headaches, nausea, tremors, anxiety, hallucinations, and seizures.
In many cases, alcohol withdrawal requires medical treatment and hospital admissions. Medications may be used to treat physical symptoms while counseling and support groups help with controlling drinking behavior.

Nick Niebuhr wrote:

I saw that some states with medical programs did that too. From a medical perspective, it's pretty cool to see that they're taking weed seriously as medicine. What's funny is most states seem to list beer/wine/liquor stores as essential also

I agree it's amusing at first read but in actuality it's really important as a lot of people would need medical treatment if they abruptly stopped consuming alcohol. 

Edit: I'm slow. What was said above...

I wonder how many people, percent-wise, are still going to work, vs working from home under “stay-at-home” orders, vs. staying home as unemployed/unpaid leave?

I tried doing some googling,  but couldn’t find anything solid. My guesstimate is that 60-70% of workers are still going to work. Anybody has a better way to find out?

We have only one “essential” worker in our household—my son (completely ridiculous, if you ask me, he is an engineering intern for a company that makes landing gear and has some defense contracts, but “essential” intern? Give me a break!). His “essential” status is confirmed by a printed piece of paper though...  

Anyway, he says that while there is less traffic on the roads, now that we are under shelter-in-place orders, it is not nearly as much lower as he expected. 

One thing I've been finding helpful is to think of where I want to be after coronavirus and take steps toward that. I'm training for climbing as best I can, but I'm also looking at other goals I have which I've frankly put off because of climbing. Particularly I'm doing some career development stuff which hopefully will make me a better software developer by the time this is all over.

I'm sheltering in place with some friends, which for a single guy is really something to be grateful for. My friends who are living alone or just with pets, are doing noticeably worse psychologically than my friends who live with roommates or a significant other. I'm sure living with someone else increases your infection risk, but COVID-19 isn't the only disease out there and having a roommate or two feels like the right balance to me.

Maybe take the time to give your friends a phone call or better, a video chat. Human voices and faces are important for our mental health. You'll be helping yourself as much as them.

“I don’t know what you all are complaining about...things seem pretty great to me.”

Lena chita wrote: I wonder how many people, percent-wise, are still going to work, vs working from home under “stay-at-home” orders, vs. staying home as unemployed/unpaid leave?

I tried doing some googling,  but couldn’t find anything solid. My guesstimate is that 60-70% of workers are still going to work. Anybody has a better way to find out?

We have only one “essential” worker in our household—my son (completely ridiculous, if you ask me, he is an engineering intern for a company that makes landing gear and has some defense contracts, but “essential” intern? Give me a break!). His “essential” status is confirmed by a printed piece of paper though...  

Anyway, he says that while there is less traffic on the roads, now that we are under shelter-in-place orders, it is not nearly as much lower as he expected. 

I’ve been going to work still even though my job isn’t at all an “essential” (I work at a Joanns fabrics) mostly because I don’t want to get fired from one of my only sources of income. We haven’t really hit the stage of shutting down that a lot of other states has; it’s just restaurants and bars as of right now. If I had any choice in the matter I would close the store seeing as the majority of our customers are over 60.

David K is spot on. I'm alone in my apartment and I've noticed my mental health rapidly declining. I'm going to start meditating again today (I've gotten out of practice). Anyone else interested I recommend the Waking Up app from Sam Harris if you'd like some guidance. They're offering free subscriptions to those who can't afford one. Also, if anyone wants someone to talk to, you can give me a call: 706-718-8899 and you can tell me about what you're going to do post-pandemic, how you're feeling, favorite potato chips, whatever.

Etha Williams wrote: Another odd one for me: I find myself unable to focus even on watching TV. After a couple minutes, my mind goes off to thinking about what’s going on, and the tv show just seems totally unimportant. So much for all the binge watching I was going to let myself not feel guilty for!

sounds like you need a better tv show. ;) we've been watching battlestar galactica (rewatch for me). that show is a product of it's time and it's funny how different 2020 mood is from 2004.

anyway, as for how things are really doing, in a household of three 27-29yo's tensions are starting to run high. i am getting quite antsy and motivation to work on projects (such as our new woody) are being squelched by lethargy. :(

though, i did take this opportunity to make some cold brew and it's pretty good. i just ran out of the coffee that would have been really perfect for it though...

I'm fine so far, we're not under full lockdown here so we're still allowed to go outside - with strict guidelines which are probably going to be enforced soon enough.

Living in a small studio apartment together with my girlfriend has put some strain on our relationship now and again but nothing to worry about.

Trying to keep busy: working out, reading, planning for the European summer trips which will hopefully go through. This worries me the most, as going to the Alps is kind of my yearly happy time.

We closed our shop late last week but we are still going to work 2/3 days a week (one staff member present) to do work that was supposed to happen anyway but we didn't get around to under normal circumstances.

We'll see, if this takes a month or so we'll be fine but more than that is a different story. 

chris blatchley wrote:

sounds like you need a better tv show. ;) we've been watching battlestar galactica (rewatch for me). that show is a product of it's time and it's funny how different 2020 mood is from 2004.

Love BSG! Maybe I’ll try rewatching it tonight. Did you ever watch Caprica, the prequel? Pretty fun as well.

So far I’ve tried to watch/rewatch Firefly, Buffy, various Star Treks, Westworld...no dice. Made it through an episode of Star Trek Picard but mostly because I was synchronously watching it with a friend (cued it up at the same time and texted our reactions to each other). 

Here, time marches on. I feel like things are slowly settling into a new normal and am not sure how I feel about that. It’s probably mostly helpful since it looks like this will be going on for a while. Just feels weird to have things that used to evoke a certain intensity/urgency now feel oddly dull.

Etha Williams wrote: So far I’ve tried to watch/rewatch Firefly, Buffy, various Star Treks, Westworld...no dice. Made it through an episode of Star Trek Picard but mostly because I was synchronously watching it with a friend (cued it up at the same time and texted our reactions to each other). 

Here, time marches on. I feel like things are slowly settling into a new normal and am not sure how I feel about that. It’s probably mostly helpful since it looks like this will be going on for a while. Just feels weird to have things that used to evoke a certain intensity/urgency now feel oddly dull.

My suggestion for sci-fi is The Expanse. The books are great, but the show on Amazon is fantastic as well. 

For handling the feelings of losing normalcy and general uncertainty, the Harvard Business Review has a great article on grief and how it relates to the global pandemic. I found it helpful for getting a better understanding of how my SO is handling things and allowed me to feel more empathy for her.  Might help folks in processing what they are feeling right now.  hbr.org/2020/03/that-discom…

Artem Vasilyev wrote:

+1 for the expanse! Writing is cheesy sometimes, but overall it is top notch sci fi.

+2! I just ordered the first book as I’ve been getting more into pleasure reading as a way to get away from screens lately.

Artem Vasilyev wrote:

+1 for the expanse! Writing is cheesy sometimes, but overall it is top notch sci fi.

And another +1! Though I thought the 4th season was less good than the first 3. One if the few TV shows where I kinda liked the show better than the books. 

In other news, my sister and her husband are also sick now. My Dad is running a fever. 
The only ones still symptom-free are the 19 yo niece, who theoretically had the most exposure to virus, and her 7yo sister. 

Lena chita wrote: In other news, my sister and her husband are also sick now. My Dad is running a fever. The only one still symptom-free are the 19 yo niece, who theoretically had the most exposure to virus, and her 7yo sister. 

I hope they're better soon.

Lena, were any of you able to be tested? I was hoping test kits would now be more available in your area.

Tim Stich wrote: Lena, were any of you able to be tested? I was hoping test kits would now be more available in your area.

No, they haven't been tested. They tried. They normally live in NYC, but they went to their cabin in NE PA two weeks ago, when my dad started working remotely, and when they realized that they need to be in quarantine, they thought they better stay there, because they are actually better-equipped there than in a tiny apartment in NYC that doesn't have washer/dryer, or dishwasher, or off-street parking, etc.. 

The county hospital is not close, and when they called they were  told to just quarantine.

Nobody is seriously sick at the moment, and hopefully it would stay that way.