How has the Pandemic Affected Your Preception?

[tolbs17]

definitely completely different on socializing.

[SSOWorld]

Oh it just turned my 3rd bedroom into a workshop - for work.

My wife has been running her own little mask sales gig on the side out of a spare bedroom.  Apparently she makes something like $3 dollars a mask.  She's big into crafts so I think it's more of something to do more than anything.

No.  This is the effect of working remotely due to the company closing the office... and it's still off limits without approval from the client.

[webny99]

This year has been a weird one, all right.

When I think back to how I felt in March, I think the way this has turned out is pretty clearly on the better side of all possibilities. I don't say that to downplay the severity of the virus, but when you look back on the early panic, it certainly could have been even worse, much worse. Everyone had largely adapted to the "new normal" by about June or so, and the days/weeks/months since then just seem to have been... happening.

As far as the effects of the pandemic:
-My sense of time is completely warped. What even is a week anymore? What even is a weekend anymore? One just blends into the next.
-Large events are either going virtual, going outside, or in some cases, not happening. How much this affects you depends on how often you participated in such events.
-Mask wearing is a pretty normal part of life. "Remember your mask!" has become a tired, overused phrase. At this point, it's habit.
-School is a very interesting sub-plot that I haven't heard nearly as much about on the news, etc., as I would have expected.
-Despite my previous comments downplaying the return of traffic to the roads, it's definitely mostly back to normal on that front too. Rush hour is still somewhat subdued, but it's closer to February levels than April levels. And mid-day almost seems busier than it ever was.


Other than that, not a whole lot is different in September than it was in March. I'm not a very social person, so I'm actually reasonably happy that the whole world basically pushed "reset" on socializing. Maybe I won't feel as out-of-place and awkward in social settings when this ends, or more likely, everyone will, so it won't be as noticeable, lol! 

[vdeane]

This pandemic has felt like a negative preview of what my life could look like in retirement in some respects.  While work from home has its benefits, in some ways it's the worst of both worlds - I still have to get up early to go for work, but I don't get the benefit of being able to talk to my coworkers, and a lot of the stuff I loved about my job (helping with the HPMS field survey, traveling around the region and elsewhere for study and working group meeting, etc.) is gone now due to the pandemic.  Most of my family (especially the people most involved with family gatherings) is older too, so the long gap in visiting my parents from Christmas to Memorial Day (the longest in my life, in fact) is a slight preview of what it will be like when they're gone (I still had phone calls at least, but it's not the same).  As someone who doesn't really have a social life outside of work, family gatherings, and roadmeets, it was a special kind of hell, and has been detrimental to my mental state (seriously, it got really bad before I went home for Memorial Day, and I had really started hating my job up until an outdoor meeting for a study in Chestertown a couple weeks ago reminded me what I like about it).  Really not looking forward to getting old because of that!  Haven't been able to do much travel, either.  And I don't know what it is, but the drive between Rochester and Albany almost feels longer, even though I'm objectively making it in less time due to reduced traffic on the Thruway (I remember wishing last year to be able to make my drives without encountering congestion - I guess I should be careful what I wish for, since I got it in the form of a pandemic!).

-My sense of time is completely warped. What even is a week anymore? What even is a weekend anymore? One just blends into the next.

Definitely.  Plus time just flies by now - it's very hard to believe it's already September.

-School is a very interesting sub-plot that I haven't heard nearly as much about on the news, etc., as I would have expected.

Interesting you mention that.  We've had a decent amount of school coverage here in Albany, but I did notice that Rochester had less of it - and half of WROC's coverage on the subject is actually produced by WTEN in Albany (the giveaway is if the story is from Corina Cappabianca and that the stories feature places in the Capital District, like Schenectady)!

-Despite my previous comments downplaying the return of traffic to the roads, it's definitely mostly back to normal on that front too. Rush hour is still somewhat subdued, but it's closer to February levels than April levels. And mid-day almost seems busier than it ever was.

Definitely true.  Traffic on the Northway around noon on a weekday feels high.  Not morning rush levels, but not too far off (although I don't regularly travel the part that regularly gets congested in the morning rush hour; afternoon is another story, depending on how things settle out with exit 4).

[I-55]

Not understanding how college normally is. Being a freshman during this is confusing, but I credit my university's efforts to keep us on campus this semester to make the best of the situation

- dining and classes have a different system and occupancy restrictions than normal so I have no clue how those should work/feel

- can't play sports. Every basketball rim has been unscrewed from the backboard and nets taken down for volleyball/tennis

- no recreation (aside from going to the gym to work out). Foosball, pool, and ping pong tables have no equipment

- the Big Ten not playing football is stupid. High school in Indiana is playing. With Fans. The pros are playing. Some with fans. College is getting underway in a lot of places. Idk what the exact fan situation is. Big Ten, with WAAAY more money than the group of five conferences and thus greater ability to implement protective measures: nothing 

[tdindy88]

- the Big Ten not playing football is stupid. High school in Indiana is playing. With Fans. The pros are playing. Some with fans. College is getting underway in a lot of places. Idk what the exact fan situation is. Big Ten, with WAAAY more money than the group of five conferences and thus greater ability to implement protective measures: nothing 

Well, at least one university in Indiana is playing football this fall. Thank God for the Atlantic Coast Conference?

[webny99]

-My sense of time is completely warped. What even is a week anymore? What even is a weekend anymore? One just blends into the next.

Definitely.  Plus time just flies by now - it's very hard to believe it's already September.

Yeah, it's weird. March feels simultaneously like just a couple minutes ago but also several decades ago.
One one hand, not much happens/changes from day to day in this stay-at-home era, but on the other hand, it's been a very news-heavy year, and keeping up seems to consume a bit more mental energy when you're not interacting with other people or "in the real world" as much as usual.

... And mid-day almost seems busier than it ever was.

Definitely true.  Traffic on the Northway around noon on a weekday feels high.

I wasn't even thinking so much of the freeways (although them too), but the commercial corridors, especially Ridge Road in Webster, have been an absolute nightmare from noon right through the PM rush. This past week they've been constructing a new sidewalk right on the busiest stretch of NY 404, making the already precarious single lane in each direction + TWLTL situation even worse.

[Scott5114]

One thing it's done is to sharpen my perception that the majority of media outlets and reporters are biased and have a specific narrative they want to promote.

And that goes for both those on the Left (most of them) and those on the Right (few of them).

Sometimes I feel like the only way I can get halfway level-headed news is to find an outlet from outside the USA.

It's not whether an outlet is balanced toward the Left or the Right, it's whether it's balanced toward $ or $$. The same media outlets those on the right criticize because they're pushing a liberal narrative are criticized by the left for pushing a conservative narrative. Because no matter what they're going to push the narrative of whatever makes them more money. Either through what will benefit the principals of the company (this bill will hurt us personally so we will demonize it), the shareholders (getting people upset about this means we'll get more viewers, or reporting this will upset our advertisers), or the journalists (not asking this hard question means we are more likely to be able to interview this person in the future).

If no stance benefits the media outlet, you'll just see a bunch of people quoted giving their opinions without any sort of analysis as to whether any of them are themselves pushing a narrative or even making any rational sense. "John Doe says he supports the new turnpike, since it will help him get to work ten minutes faster. Jane Smith opposes the turnpike because she is afraid it would allow the eastern states like New York to send AIDS-contaminated materials through the neighborhood.* We report, you decide! The truth is probably in the middle!"

So the question to keep in mind when reading, say, the Washington Post, is not answering "Does this story benefit the Left or the Right?" but rather "Does this story benefit Jeff Bezos?"

Thus why a lot of the non-USA outlets feel more balanced–not only do they not have a dog in the fight, but many of them, such as the BBC, are not-for-profit, so they don't have any reason to push any narrative. They get paid no matter what.


* https://tulsaworld.com/archives/greenpeace-helps-rally-against-creek-turnpike/article_d2b40e78-cc62-5911-8587-7fa0735902e3.html

[brad2971]

One thing it's done is to sharpen my perception that the majority of media outlets and reporters are biased and have a specific narrative they want to promote.

And that goes for both those on the Left (most of them) and those on the Right (few of them).

Sometimes I feel like the only way I can get halfway level-headed news is to find an outlet from outside the USA.

It's not whether an outlet is balanced toward the Left or the Right, it's whether it's balanced toward $ or $$. The same media outlets those on the right criticize because they're pushing a liberal narrative are criticized by the left for pushing a conservative narrative. Because no matter what they're going to push the narrative of whatever makes them more money. Either through what will benefit the principals of the company (this bill will hurt us personally so we will demonize it), the shareholders (getting people upset about this means we'll get more viewers, or reporting this will upset our advertisers), or the journalists (not asking this hard question means we are more likely to be able to interview this person in the future).

If no stance benefits the media outlet, you'll just see a bunch of people quoted giving their opinions without any sort of analysis as to whether any of them are themselves pushing a narrative or even making any rational sense. "John Doe says he supports the new turnpike, since it will help him get to work ten minutes faster. Jane Smith opposes the turnpike because she is afraid it would allow the eastern states like New York to send AIDS-contaminated materials through the neighborhood.* We report, you decide! The truth is probably in the middle!"

So the question to keep in mind when reading, say, the Washington Post, is not answering "Does this story benefit the Left or the Right?" but rather "Does this story benefit Jeff Bezos?"

Thus why a lot of the non-USA outlets feel more balanced–not only do they not have a dog in the fight, but many of them, such as the BBC, are not-for-profit, so they don't have any reason to push any narrative. They get paid no matter what.


* https://tulsaworld.com/archives/greenpeace-helps-rally-against-creek-turnpike/article_d2b40e78-cc62-5911-8587-7fa0735902e3.html

As far as "getting paid no matter what" is concerned, FOX News is (arguably) the only news/infotainment organization in the USA that is able to get 10% or greater profit margins from its day-to-day operations (including news gathering) before it has to collect a single dollar of advertising. That speaks to a sort of media power that the BBC, which has to go before Parliament for its funding, is hard-pressed to match.

[Scott5114]

Fox is just a brand in a much larger portfolio including the Wall Street Journal, British Sky news, and dozens of other properties controlled by the Murdoch family. So again, it's just a game of "what rich guy does this benefit?" Fox's success is because they have their target market all to themselves, not because the product is any better.

[74/171FAN]

As someone who doesn't really have a social life outside of work, family gatherings, and roadmeets, it was a special kind of hell, and has been detrimental to my mental state (seriously, it got really bad before I went home for Memorial Day, and I had really started hating my job up until an outdoor meeting for a study in Chestertown a couple weeks ago reminded me what I like about it).

Honestly, I do not think my mental state has even come close to recovering.  I am glad that we can clinch roads again though.

[Max Rockatansky]

Oh it just turned my 3rd bedroom into a workshop - for work.

My wife has been running her own little mask sales gig on the side out of a spare bedroom.  Apparently she makes something like $3 dollars a mask.  She's big into crafts so I think it's more of something to do more than anything.

No.  This is the effect of working remotely due to the company closing the office... and it's still off limits without approval from the client.

That's what happened with my wife too.  Fortunately she had a small office set up already and her job gave her a lap top a couple months in. 

[corco]

I've largely realized that I am fine without much human interaction. On the whole I'm happier and less stressed than I was when I had to go to the office every day, and since I'm not really around people at all I don't suffer from the fear of missing out that I do normally.

I will say I've also become even more socially awkward - once every few weeks I have to go into the office for some meeting of some sort and I find that I'm even quieter/less quick to jump into conversations than normal, so there's definitely been some amount of damage done by the pandemic.

[74/171FAN]

I've largely realized that I am fine without much human interaction. On the whole I'm happier and less stressed than I was when I had to go to the office every day, and since I'm not really around people at all I don't suffer from the fear of missing out that I do normally.

I will say I've also become even more socially awkward - once every few weeks I have to go into the office for some meeting of some sort and I find that I'm even quieter/less quick to jump into conversations than normal, so there's definitely been some amount of damage done by the pandemic.

I have always needed time without human interaction.  What is destroying me personally is that I currently have little human interaction (some of it due to personal issues beyond COVID that I am in therapy for), and half of the virtual office interactions I have turned into complaining about the politicians.  I barely am, if ever, in a solid mood by the end of the workday.

[Max Rockatansky]

I've largely realized that I am fine without much human interaction. On the whole I'm happier and less stressed than I was when I had to go to the office every day, and since I'm not really around people at all I don't suffer from the fear of missing out that I do normally.

I will say I've also become even more socially awkward - once every few weeks I have to go into the office for some meeting of some sort and I find that I'm even quieter/less quick to jump into conversations than normal, so there's definitely been some amount of damage done by the pandemic.

I have always needed time without human interaction.  What is destroying me personally is that I currently have little human interaction (some of it due to personal issues beyond COVID that I am in therapy for), and half of the virtual office interactions I have turn into complaining about the politicians.  I barely am, if ever, in a solid mood by the end of the workday.

Ironically I've found the inverse has been true for me because of the nature of my job.  It's starting to taper but for a couple months I was dealing with having to do Q&A with an employee base that I didn't have a lot of answers for.  To that end I was also at my main office far more than normal for an inordinate amount of time.  On the personal side I along with my wife were the only able body family that was available to help out doing things like grocery/supply runs for awhile. 

[TheHighwayMan3561]

My loneliness has become almost crippling some days. I was always the side friend, the one where I consider some people essential to my life while their view is that they're just fine without my presence. But this has made this even more obvious.

[SEWIGuy]

My loneliness has become almost crippling some days. I was always the side friend, the one where I consider some people essential to my life while their view is that they're just fine without my presence. But this has made this even more obvious.

I'm really sorry to hear this.  I'm lucky to be married and both of us are going to work most of the time so we have outlets.  But I miss going out to drinks and dinner with friends.  We were also supposed to go to Nashville next week with two other couples and that's not happening.  My son's wedding was postponed to next year and we haven't seen his fiance or him since the Holidays.

So that's the big thing for me.  Treasure time with friends and family.

[vdeane]

Anyone notice that they've become more clumsy and more prone to forgetting things since the pandemic started?  A few weeks ago I accidentally spilled an entire bag of frozen corn on the counter (a lot of which fell in the crack between the counter and the stove and which is still there, because I have no way to get it out), and just this morning, I forgot to cut my toast before rinsing my knife off.

It's also amazing how many things we used to take for granted before the pandemic - stuff like being able to buy whatever food you wanted whenever you wanted, or just go on the road and travel at any time (work schedule permitting, of course).  If someone had told me that, for example, I'd have a grocery run where I could go to every single store in the area I could think of and still not find enough soup for the week or frozen vegetables, I would have thought they were crazy... and yet that actually happened, back in March.  I still need to go to WalMart for paper products and cleaning supplies, because I can't get them at Hannaford.  They're always out.  Bare shelves are still around, even after the worst of the supply shortages have resolved.  Completely unheard of in this country before COVID-19.  It feels third world.

I remember, working up to a major life goal that I accomplished last year, that I had been getting impatient and telling people that if I didn't get it done last year, I had a feeling that I never would.  People told me I was crazy.  Then the pandemic hit, the world went on pause, and now the future of my job hangs in the balance as the state figures out how to deal with a deficit that more than doubled due to the pandemic, with aid from Congress looking increasingly unlikely (after losing my last job in part to the sequestration and government shutdown of 2013, I told myself that I'd never again let myself work in a job that could be affected by Congress... looks like I failed in that respect).  I'm feeling vindicated on that feeling.

My loneliness has become almost crippling some days. I was always the side friend, the one where I consider some people essential to my life while their view is that they're just fine without my presence. But this has made this even more obvious.

Same.  I've been on the periphery of every social circle I've ever been in, beyond immediate family, for my entire life.  It sucks.

[Scott5114]

I'm introverted, and have a pretty small social circle, but I'm cool with that. I've actually been able to hang out with my friends more, in a sense, since once the pandemic hit we piled into a Discord server to facilitate our weekly D&D game. Now, whereas we were hanging out in person once a week, sometimes one of us will stream a video game midweek and we get to hang out in a group call doing that. Because of the pandemic, two of my friends started a business with me, so I usually end up going over to their house to work on that about once every other week, as well.

I told myself that I'd never again let myself work in a job that could be affected by Congress... looks like I failed in that respect.

I mean, to some extent, every job can be legislated out of existence by Congress. Some are just easier to affect than others.

[CoreySamson]

The pandemic has affected me, though it's a bit difficult to see how. Earlier this year before the pandemic my dad passed away, so I've had to take some responsibility to help take care of my family. Whether by picking up groceries or buying my own gas for my car, I've had to learn to take care of some things (maybe some things I already should have been doing).

My part time job as a referee's been indefinitely been postponed, but I decided not to find a job since my family was well off and since others needed one. But not all is doom and gloom. I've picked up playing guitar and piano in the band at my church, which has probably been the most rewarding thing through this. I've also volunteered elsewhere at my church, which is my happy place right now.

If there's one thing I've learned, it's that we need other people. I never realized how much of an extrovert I am (ok, extroverted introvert) until this pandemic. Other people have been my support through the pandemic and it sucks that we have to stay away.

[TravelingBethelite]

My loneliness has become almost crippling some days. I was always the side friend, the one where I consider some people essential to my life while their view is that they're just fine without my presence. But this has made this even more obvious.

Same.  I've been on the periphery of every social circle I've ever been in, beyond immediate family, for my entire life.  It sucks.

Yeah, same here. Sigh.

[triplemultiplex]

Not occupying the same physical space as co-workers makes work a little more boring.  I'm one of the few people not tele-commuting and I can literally only see two people from my desk.  Yeah you can use the work-related chat app for some small talk and light humor, but it's not the same as chit-chat in person.  And there's an added layer of self-censoring with the chat app because that shit doesn't disappear into the ether after it's said, unlike words spoken in person among friends and colleagues.

So you can't be as honest about certain things or people.

[ethanhopkin14]

I am not a social butterfly at all.  I have friends, yes, but I am not a person that has to be social to survive, so the pandemic hasn't affected me one bit there.  I am, however, shocked to see that I am actually missing walking into stores and seeing people's faces.  I am missing seeing people smile.  I never thought I would feel that way.

[hbelkins]

Then the pandemic hit, the world went on pause, and now the future of my job hangs in the balance as the state figures out how to deal with a deficit that more than doubled due to the pandemic, with aid from Congress looking increasingly unlikely (after losing my last job in part to the sequestration and government shutdown of 2013, I told myself that I'd never again let myself work in a job that could be affected by Congress... looks like I failed in that respect).  I'm feeling vindicated on that feeling.

Looks like Congress is going to agree to an extension of the Highway Trust Fund spending, so that should keep you safe. New York doesn't fund roads from the General Fund, does it? Do you have a dedicated Road Fund?

[kphoger]

One thing I've realized is that political articles and videos get me more agitated than I care to be–and that goes just as much for ones supporting my viewpoint as those contradicting it.  Some of the guys I had just started to watch a lot of on YouTube because their thoughts really resonated with me, as it turns out, were the first to go.  I now won't even tap on a news headline if I think it might get me riled up.  So I guess you could say my perception of the media has soured.

On a positive note, I've been very encouraged by everyone in my church.  Some of them are very vocal on social media about not wearing a mask, while others haven't been to church since March, and most people are somewhere in between–but I've never witnessed a single argument or even a dirty look at church this whole time.  Everyone I've seen has apparently decided to afford grace and leeway to everyone else's opinions and convictions–no matter what side of the debate people are on.  In that regard, my perception of my congregation has warmed.