How has your quarantine/lockdown been going?

[Ghostrick Dorklord]

While I guess this could technically go into the Current Events section I think it fits here more because its more personal than about the politics about it.

So as the title says how has your quarantine, lockdown, social distancing, whatever you wanna call it is going for you? This is a hard time for everyone and I can understand if you don't want to talk about it. It might not be the easiest of topics to talk about really but I do want to try to break the ice around here a bit. Think of this being a sort of journal of your time so far during all of this. Use this to vent about whatever you want in your daily life I suppose.

As for me? Well its been more than a month and I've been fine. I've been out of the job for a while now because I work in a school and the schools are all closed for the rest of the year here. I don't plan on job searching anytime soon because of the virus but honestly I really wanted a break from work because I wasn't too happy with what's been going on lately so I've been taking all this time to get some much needed R&R. I also live with my family too so I don't have too worry too much about food or supplies. Its just this situation combined with my germaphobia made sure I've never seen outside in weeks. I don't mind but I'm more of an indoors person anyways.

I have been trying to work on my gaming backlog but I think it gotten bigger since the outbreak. I did manage to beat a game (Atelier Ayesha) that I dropped years ago at least but I still have a ton of games to go through and I should focus on one game at a time but eh it hasn't been like that with me for years. However because I've been focused on gaming too much I've gotten lazy and a lot of my projects got hit into the backburner. This is the perfect time for me to work on my Youtube Channel, practice my bass, and actually start writing but gaming has really taken up my life for now. I should probably start working on things but I'm worried about not being able to express myself in the future if that makes any sense. I want to present myself in a certain way but I'm too scared to go out and get anything to keep myself that way so I'm on haitus regarding that.

Overall though I think I'm doing fine. Yeah it sucks that I can't really go out and do things but I don't really do much anyways. I'm just surprised that I haven't gone insane due to the lack of disinfectant wipes and I tell ya I can't function without them so yeah. I know the situation looks more bleak and it has made me both pissed off and depressed at the same time but I'm trying to look towards the positives and my blessings.

I hope you're all doing well. I know not everyone is an a good situation right now but all I can do wish for the best for everyone. I sincerely hope that things will get better. Everyone just please be safe. Please do share your experiences though; I am curious how everyone is holding up. Thank you for your time at least.

 

[Neuromancer]

Pretty abysmally. I've been stuck in military base the past 2 months. Day in, day out, guard shifts, call operator shifts, dealing with basic communication problems across the base because it's run by ignorant infantry hicks whose brains only have room for cover and advance. Big hard men who mock people in the Signals Division for doing nothing, yet are the first to yell for help when their phones don't work because they pulled it out of the plug without noticing. Damned imbeciles.

Doesn't help that all we have is Vietnam war-era tech that is flimsy and unreliable, so all you can do is patchwork solutions to otherwise unsolvable problems. But you can't tell the brigadier general that, because he's also an ignorant footman, so you act like everything works while hoping he doesn't take notice. Or bullshit other reasons why when he does.

Besides being stuck in something akin to a prison with obligatory labour for 2 months and counting, what is really hitting me is the situation back home. Besides obviously missing my family, I can't be there for them, and especially my sister who suffers chronically from depression and has relied on me and her friends for support.

So yeah, pretty mentally exhausted honestly. I need a break.

 

[Elfgore]

Going stir-crazy. I'm lucky enough to have a job still, so money and some sense of purpose I guess isn't an issue. Damn it all though if I'm not going crazy from a lack of social contact. I've met three people in the past month. My Mom, my sister, and her boyfriend. Everything else has been through electronic devices. It's been pretty shit.

I got really low about two weeks in, stopped dieting, stopped walking, stopped doing anything beneficial to me. I'm attempting to get back on the right track to keep me going.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Pretty damn sucky. I'm lucky in that where I live, there is no lockdown. But I'm unlucky in that because I work remotely for companies that are in lockdown and they've seen productivity tank, I've basically seen all my (potential and otherwise) contracts go poof. Consequently, I have the freedom to do whatever I like, but little by way of money to do it with -_-

 

[ChaosPhill]

All things considered, I'm doing alright.

In South Africa we've got some of the strictest lockdown measures, but luckily my area doesn't need military presence, so it's less scary. I can leave the house to get groceries or things I need like meds, which helps me not get cabin fever and stops my car battery from dying. On the bright side, the president announced yesterday that some lockdown measures are going to be eased next week, so some sense of normalcy will return.

I'm studying game design, and with the lockdown our studies have been disrupted. We recently started doing online zoom classes, which is great and I'm happy that we can continue, but it's not the same. I miss my friends.

I'm lucky enough to have a housemate, so I don't feel so alone, but I know that's not the case for a lot of people. My housemate is the Head of Academics at a private institution, and yesterday their campus got notified of a student who sent a suicide note to one of the admin people. My housemate spent the evening talking to the student on Discord and getting them to calm down, giving the parents enough time to get to them. A lot of people are struggling to cope.

I take things one day at a time. I get to focus on my writing and play games that have gathered dust on my backlog. I've been getting absorbed in Cities: Skylines recently. Who knew micromanaging traffic can give you the sense of control you don't have on your own life?!

One thing's for certain, nothing's going to be the same again...

 

[JoJo]

It's all right. I've been furloughed from my job, which in my country means I get paid 80% of my salary to stay at home, so that isn't the worse deal ever. I've been trying to use this time to do a little studying for professional exams (which would have taken place in November, but who knows now) and to get back to creative writing. I'm also trying my hand at learning a little Arabic in advance of my (now delayed) holiday to Egypt.

Finding motivation and keeping to a schedule isn't always easy, though. I have a tendency if there isn't something like a job to force me to get up at the same time each day to drift into getting up later and going to bed later. Took me a couple of weeks to get into a new schedule for exercise now I can no longer go to the gym, but I think I'm just about there.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

It's been great for me, honestly. I was getting to the point where I needed a break from work. So many things were getting under my skin and I was ready to snap more often than I'd like to admit. They are allowing me to self-isolate without costing me my job, so I'm taking this chance to enjoy the time away and stay at home as much as possible. It's been great for my mental health. My life in self isolation isn't much different from my life before all this started, so it hasn't been hard to switch over. The only thing I'm missing is D&D. My setup in my house was fantastic, but getting it worked out online has been a pain. Gives me a good chance to work on some background stuff at least

 

[Pyrian]

I have a 3-year-old and a 7-year-old to shepherd through their studies, while my wife is still working (animal husbandry). ...I'm busy. And tired.

 

[sXeth]

I was having panic/anxiety attacks a few weeks back. Which trying to see a doctor about essentially just resulted in self-isolation directions (No matter how much you try and establish otherwise, shortness of breath as a symptom basically condemns that nowadays, at least with the telehealth/walkin resources I have because theres no family doctors taking patients in this town since I moved last). So I spent the first chunk of April on a medical leave, and with some counselling provided through work benefits (not that counselling is super helpful for Anxiety when your anxiety more or less has a completionally rational basis)


Mostly busied myself during that doing some tech support through social media (where I don't have to be super procedural, or neccessarily indulge in a lot of niceties to foolish issues/questions). And wrote up something of a computer curriciulum for folks schooling at home. Along with helping some others get their setups for streaming band performances, or cooking tutorials or whatever.


Work has transitioned more or less everyone that had the possibility to work at home, which has thinned out the call floor substantially (I currently have an entire row to myself that would normally be 12 people). The public in general seem to be staying more in wraps as well as the province has stepped up actual enforcement of measures (3 weeks after the non-essential closure order, the lan cafe and near me has finally shut down).


With a bunc of work realignment due to work at home thigns, I've also ended up on a new team/different manager, which seems to be more able/effective at actually doing uptraining or projects towards moving to better roles as well, where my old one seemed to be kind of stuck where it was.

 

[Nick Calandra]

It's starting to get to me, but thankfully doing all the work on The Escapist update has kept me busy and mostly sane. Plus I'm using this time to work through my backlog and spend time with my dog.

Now I'm working on The Escapist Indie Showcase so that's gonna keep me busy till June most likely, so all I'm really looking forward to right now is being able to get back into the gym, travel for documentary shoots and get back out to dog parks to socialize and stuff.

The worst part right now is that I'm surprise moving apartments cause my upstairs neighbors are insufferable, so packing up today and moving to the building over and a top floor apartment tomorrow. Whoopie!

 

[WindKnight]

I've always been quiet and indoorsy (also possibly autistic, but never formally diagnosed, and that ship has probably long sailed) so It really hasn't bothered me all that much.

The queues to get into the local pharmacy and shop can be a bit grating, but my main problem has been with other people being inconsiderate jackasses and getting snippy with the employees and getting snippy when their asked to follow the guidance they just ignored.

 

[Sneed's SeednFeed]

I miss the library

 

[SupahEwok]

Did the first part of my move-in back to my parents' today. Was hoping to start a new routine next week of:

1) Clean up the garage to set up a home gym and get into a work-out routine
2) Help out around the house
3) Put out job applications while waiting for the hiring freeze seemingly all companies in my industry are putting themselves through at the moment to finish
4) Keep sharp with various free trainings on the internet/start work on my videogame/read through my personal library backlog (alternating days)

Mom's already making noises though of "working on the house from 9-5 to pay for your residence". It's not the work I mind, it's the assumption that I'm not going to spend my time usefully otherwise, and the fact that my mom is a jackbooted dictator in regards to housework. I know it just sounds like I'm griping, but it honestly is pretty bad to live with (her habits have almost driven my parents to divorce) (and if you want a clue as to what I'll be dealing with, I've been away at my apartment for 1.5 weeks, and she's on short term disability from her job (not a physical disability, weak immune system), doing no work and being at the house all day. Yet the house is just as much of a mess in the time I've been gone as when I've gotten back). But c'est la vie. We all have our struggles.

 

[Baffle]

Was quite weirded out at first, but really relatively unaffected since I work from home anyway, and work is still coming in so far. Having to be a bit more prepared that usually since I usually go to the shop once a day, whereas now it's once every 10 days or so. I ran out of energy drinks on day six.

I still get out once or twice a day (once with the dog and once for a shortish run), but I've very lucky in as much as I have a nice garden I can spend outdoor time in. I feel bad for people living in blocks of flats where there's no real outdoor space.

I'm eating like shit and drinking loads. This isn't a major change from normal though.

 

[Chimpzy]

Doing alright. I'm an indoorsy person to begin with, so having to stay inside is not much of an issue. Girlfriend can't work and hates being in her apartment by herself, so she's basically moved in with me for the time being. So it's not like I'm alone and starved for human contact. Woman's hogging my Switch tho. Shakes fist. Still working from home, but bot having to commute two hours a day is nice. Leave me more free time on hobbies I've been kind of neglecting, like practicing my bass playing, cooking new dishes, DM prep work, and so on. Perhaps gonna see if my company is ok to let me work from home a few days a week after the lockdown.

Still looking forward to things returning to some kind of normality tho. Get back to rehearing/gigging. Go out and have a drink with friends.And of course, world domination.

Spoiler: Kind of like this

 

[Catfood220]

Well, I'm pretty lucky to be a key worker as I work in the funeral industry so I haven't been stuck at home, I think I might of gone stir crazy by now if I wasn't working. However as you might expect, I am pretty busy at the moment. This pandemic has pretty much doubled the workload, I was on call over the last Bank Holiday and I barely spent any of it at home.

But other than not being to go anywhere or do anything, its been life as usual. My family and friends all live about 100 miles away from me, so not being able to get back there and be with them is annoying and if this lockdown continues for another couple of months, I think I might try sneaking to them. Queuing to go in the supermarket was novel at first, but it got old the second time I had to do it. But at least they seem to have got a handle on people panic buying. Unsurprisingly, Download Festival has been cancelled, which is disappointing. But at the moment, Northampton Beer Festival is still going ahead, though that will be happening in August now.

 

[Pyrian]

Here's one thing I'm doing (Wii Fit+):

 

[Trunkage]

So, they fired the 2IC and a bunch of people who would be called senior (senior being about 3 years in the company). Guess who gets to do all their jobs. ME. Oh, and I lost 20% of my pay packet. This happened because our government decided to only give wage relief to those who lost their jobs AND is an Australian citizen. Thus, guess who gets fired first... That's right, Australians. Because, as an employer, if you have to choose between firing a person who will get benefits and someone who wont, you gonna pick the former.

So work sucks. While we have a third of the customer, I'm defacto manager because she's over 50 and trying to stay at home as much as possible (with no training or help really), so works a bit insane.

Edit: I forgot to add, I have kids, so the spare time is home schooling. It isn't going well

 

[Godzillarich(aka tf2godz)]

I want to vent for a second. It sucks being in this house, unable to leave as my dad talks about how not a big deal Coronavirus is as my brother gets really mad at him. they argue for hours at a volume that the entire neighborhood can hear and I'm just stuck in this house crying for them to shut up as do unproductive things.

 

[Yoshi]

I can't stay home.
i'm an essential worker.