Topic: Corona Virus Panic/Discussion Thread

@Th3solution I know, it's tough mate. I have definitely struggled at times with anxiety over the last 2 years of understanding COVID was coming and resulting lockdowns etc. I'm with Tasuki but it's easy to say and hard to feel sometimes. Try and hang in there until we get to the 1920s esque debauchery reaction to widespread vaccination and monoclonal antibody therapies!! In all seriousness, I've tried some mindfulness and trying to focus on what I can influence and what I can't has helped me. It's a bit touchy-feely but maybe worth a look. Also if you the opportunity, take the chance to meet up with either friends or family if you can, there's no substitute for some real life meet ups, take care bud 👍

@Th3solution I kinda like how it has slowed a lot of things down, people expect immediate results, maybe we’ll all learn some patience

It’s weird for people who were 16-17 when this started though. Arguably lost some of the best years of their lives.

@Th3solution Oh, believe me it's annoying right now I am waiting on some permits estimated time I should be getting them March if I am lucky. Just like everywhere else the permit office is short on employees plus it the government to boot, so yeah.

I will admit I do get quite annoyed at the new norm at times. Take for example today I wanted to get something to eat at Jack in the Box only to discover drive thru only which I can't do since my driver side window won't go down. What made it more annoying is I was able to walk into the restaurant only to be told to use the drive they are only open for delivery services. So they can tell me that but can't take my order and prepare it to go like if I went through the drive thru?? So annoying.

Overall thought except for a few instances like that I have just except this as the new normal. I mean I always carry a mask on me and such. It's just it is what it is no reason to get upset over it.

@Tasuki Can't you just open the car door?

Googled Jack in the Box, how is it versus Mcdonalds? I'd give that a whirl if it came over here...

@R1spam @kyleforrester87 @Tasuki Thanks guys for your perspective. Those that know me know I tend to get a little overly contemplative sometimes and I like to ponder things. I’m not depressed or anything, but realizing that sometimes true life is stranger than fiction. I never would have guessed this is where our lives would be.

That is true that certain people at certain points in their lives are probably affected more keenly than others. Like you say, those in their late teens are never getting these years back. They’ll never get to experience their senior year of high school again and have a “normal” prom or “normal” graduation. Weddings, funerals, graduations, first year of school, etc — these are once in a lifetime events; you never get a second chance for them. And of course, when there’s a death of someone dear, that’s always going to stick with you.

In a way and on a different scale, I think maybe this is our version of what our grandparents and great-grandparents experienced during the big wars like WWII. Maybe at the time they didn’t feel like there was an end in sight when they were in the middle of it like we are now with this. The far reaching effects even after it ended resulted in many survivors who returned from the war forever changed, and suffered from PTSD, alcoholism, and depression. Of course the pandemic is completely different and I would never say that we truly understand what it’s like to suffer the things they did, but I just mean there are aspects of global adversity that might be common, from a society standpoint.

At the risk of sounding melodramatic — Some days as I get up and try to take on another day of dealing with the barrage of COVID and it’s resultant social turmoil, I feel like King Theoden: “Alas that these evil days should be mine…”

But like Theoden, I mount my steed, put on a brave face, and ride out to take on whatever challenge comes my way. 😄

@velio84 Thanks for your thoughts too, bud. You’re absolute right about adaptability and first world problems. We tend to whine too much nowadays and need to put on our “big boy pants” sometimes.
Unfortunately some people will put on the brave face to get by and in secret they suffer and hide their struggles. Oftentimes that ends up going poorly in the long run unless they get to grips with things internally.

@kyleforrester87 Jack in the Box is an interesting case study. Personally I prefer other fast food burger places, but it’s probably better than McDonalds. Jack in the Box had a scare several years ago in the 90’s where they had food poisoning in their beef. Four children died and 178 other victims were left with permanent injury including kidney and brain damage. They became known as “E. Coli in the Box” for a while.

Subsequently they have had some ingenious marketing and most people have forgotten the incident. However, if it would have happened in today’s day and age of Twitter and internet overreactions, the company most certainly would have been a pariah in the food industry and had to shut down.

Theatrical to streaming/digital windows have drastically shortened for alot of films/movies (17-45 day waits instead of 45-90+ days). Sometimes we even get direct to streaming/digital movies that skip the theaters.

Also alot of people now have the option to work from home instead of on-site, if they had an office job of sorts.

If anyone else can think of anything positive I'd be welcome to hearing it.

@Octane I could but it's awkward getting the food mainly cause how much room they have in the drive thru.

@kyleforrester87 I actually like them more then McDonalds they have more of a variety. The biggest thing for me is that everything on their menu is available 24 hours. So if I want a breakfast sandwich at 5pm or a burger at 6AM I can.

@Th3solution I remember that story actually!

@Tasuki I thought McDonalds did breakfasts all day in America? They trialed it in the UK a couple of years back. I’m not sure what came of it. Likely the pandemic got in the way. I’m not an addict but I do love a Double Sausage & Egg McMuffin. Chicken Legend is my go to from the day time menu and I love an occasional Big Mac - when it’s right it really hits the spot. I had a brilliant one at Disney Land once 😂 Must have been the French flair!

@Th3solution speaking of being grateful, I am happy to not be Ukrainian right now. Must be very worrying.

@kyleforrester87 Yeah, I’ve not been following that situation very closely but I know the basics of it. Like any isolated foreign affair, I’m not clear the whole back story of how we got here. It’s just like how I’ve been trying to understand how the Israeli-Arab complexity got to the point it’s at currently and they say you have to have a doctorate in history to even begin to scratch the surface of understanding it and even then the Western mind can’t wrap their head around it no matter how hard you try.

But see, I propose it’s COVID that has driven the whole world insane and pushed us to the brink! The world was fine before. 😉

But seriously, I do wonder if the pandemic has made tensions rise to precipitate some of these conflicts. Obviously problems existed before, but many of them were held in check. The pandemic definitely has a lot to do with the growing schism in America. We had our problems already, but COVID just threw gas on the fire! The collective sensibility of the human race has all but evaporated!

Maybe the Olympic Games will bring us all together and heal the world. What do you think? 😒

@kyleforrester87 They did have breakfast all day at McDonalds but yeah they stopped it due to the pandemic.

I don't know if people are missed informed, uneducated, or just stupid but why is that people who think they are vaccinated think that they can't be a carrier of the Virus. I mean all that a vaccine does is make it so you don't get hit as hard with it.

I bring this up because 3 times this week people who weren't wearing masks said oh its OK I am vaccinated. I wanted to say you can still be a carrier. I just don't get people at times.

@Tasuki If you think that’s bad, the Scottish government are introducing wee badges that say you want to keep social distancing… that you can’t read unless you’re about 2 foot away.

@Tasuki Neither is true. The vaccine will also lower your chances of getting COVID (read: not prevent) and lower the chances of you spreading it in case you got it anyway.

So my work is having 10 of us come in tomorrow to do first aid training. They're having us all take a lateral flow test beforehand and we will all be wearing masks (and I imagine opening the windows). However it will be impossible for us to maintain 2m physical distancing, the room is too small for that.

Would any of you have issue with this if you're vaccinated (including booster jab)?

@NedStarksGhost I wouldn't mind at all personally. As it stands isolation rules in the UK are due to end next month anyway, at which point people can just walk around infected if they want so unless that changes I think it's just time to get used to being at constant high risk of transmission.

@NedStarksGhost
No, I think it's important to carry on with that sort of training and to do it properly. Seems fair enough to me.

@kyleforrester87 interestingly I don't believe Wales (where this company is from) is doing the same as healthcare is devolved.

@LieutenantFatman agree totally it needs doing. Just wondering if it would make more sense to split the course up into 2 groups instead to make it safer.

I am beginnging to think myself is it just hit the point where we take what mitigations we can (ventilation and masks) but continue and accept the risk exists? It's funny how much you can shift mentally after just a couple of years. I had covid in December and it barely effected me, just had one bad day of feeling ill.