Topic: How long has it been since you.........? Hour? Day? Week? Month? Year? Years?

[34barab]

Thinking about the world’s current situation, and all the sacrifices many people have made, I was wondering what other things people used to do that they’ve haven’t been able to do, or have forgotten about. 

My first thought was that it has been a few months since I was able to get or give hugs to anyone other than my wife.

[Mr. Mike]

Although a controversial subject, I’ll just point to one thing I and my wife have just had to come to terms with;
Last year on Mother’s Day, we decided to call my m.i.l. and “asked” if we could stop by. We got the ok, but when we arrived, we were told we had to social distance and wear a mask while sitting outside in the driveway. The noise of the four lane boulevard, coupled with them being masked made for a difficult time. After about an hour of this, we all decided it was time to go. We all stood, but my mother in law wouldn’t let her daughter nor myself give her a hug. She stood there in tears, and we were 10’ from her, but it was her choice. We’ve talked over the phone since, but haven’t seen her. My wife’s sister won’t hike with us unless we mask up. A lot has changed, and I’ll leave it t that.
I’m just glad I’m retired.

[RAFster122s]

Fear has gripped many hard and I sorely miss touch. Massage therapy if I could afford it and find a massage place that was any good I would use but too many medical bills and expenses. Covid has been tough. There are a few places it is safe to eat and I still will go eat at a place that the owner installed at great expense a hospital grade air handler and sanitizer system that is the same hydrogen peroxide system used by hospitals to lower the spread of airborne viruses. It kills most everything including the CCP SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 virus. If I can afford it I eat there once a week. I hang out and enjoy a meal, chat with the guys or gals who  they have serve the dining customers, not a waitress or waiter as it is a fast food place (Chick-fil-A) and will be catch up on email or even stream a tv show on my tablet while I eat and enjoy a cold sweet ice tea. I have become a regular. They know me and I enjoy giving them my business even with the price bump they had on March 1. Probably one of more to come as food prices continue to rise and will this year.
Stock up while it is still cheap on canned and dry goods and store the dry goods so rodents cannot affect them...  Seems the mice are worse this year than in past years.

[Ichiban 4]

Hey Folks..
Check out the recent news (particularly coming from the CDC and a-political sources)..on the pandemic situation .  It looks like things are decidedly lightening-up regarding the previous restrictions. Some States are actually getting close to returning to pre-pandemic regulations regarding public gatherings..school openings and business operations.
We know that there's currently some controversy over the vaccine distribution situation..especially in the U.S.  But as more and more are getting vaccinated (several million at this point)..the worry and actual risks seem to be diminishing.  I suggest that this is a good sign..and that we have reason to be somewhat optimistic about the pandemic being over here..in the foreseeable future.
Just thought I'd throw this in here.
Cheers..Ichi

[Mr. Mike]

I can get into that optimism on seeing the catastrophic effects of this uh ummm...virus let up, but the next virus to hit is this “woke” garbage.  It’s seems if we’re to be “less” of anything, it’s (in my opinion) less stupid.
When we see Jimmy Kimmel poking fun at how far the left has gone in ripping Dr. Seuss in that some of his books promote “racist” ideas, you know he’s bothered. The “woke police” has targeted Alfred Hitchcock as well, and there are more classics that have been torn from distribution because of the “police”, and cowering to this “progressive movement”.
 I would think it wise and prudent for any of you guys who have grade school kids to attend your school board meetings and inquire of the reading materials your kids will be exposed to. My grand kids are being shaped into the mold their parents want which is 180 degrees from grandpa and grandma. We’re “old school”...is that so bad? I once heard a guy say, “I might be called square, but I have all the right angles”.
By the way-
We’re barely three months into 2021, and there is more STHTF.

OK...let’s get this thing back onto the tracks........
It’s been months since I’ve ridden with my son. He won’t ride because he’s afraid they’ll be no room in the ER for him if he gets hurt. He thinks most ER’s are chock full of COVID patients. Wait...this should be in the “what pisses me off” forum.

[Ichiban 4]

Mike..appreciate your frustration.  I was simply suggesting that we've all seen a lot of S--T over the past year and half or so..and that seems like our attitude/mind-set has a large part to do with how bummed..or not..we get about it.
Have personally just shut-off the news in large part for the past month or so (have watched a lot of old Gunsmoke shows by now BTW..LOL) What a relief (both psychologically and emotionally).  Have also noticed that when not continually trying to "follow latest news" on Covid..related stuff..the story changes significantly over time (from worry to optimism..vice-versa).  Getting 'snippets' about what's happening now and then seems much more 'sane' to me than stressing-out all the time.
Hopefully..we'll all be through the worst of this pretty soon.  I'm certainly looking forward to it.
Ichi

[rb550four]

  I believe that being careful of my space , wearing a mask, washing hands allot and other measures that some would believe to be a little over the top has kept me and my family safe from getting covid. No ,it hasn't been any fun, and yes we would like nothing more than to go out for dinner with our friends and socialize like we did before the pandemic but,  all we need is 2 more months of this and we all can have it beat. It would be just an unpleasant memory, because enough people be vaccinated by then. That ,in my mind is the only way to achieve herd immunity , cause if there is enough people who can't get covid there will be less infections to be spread around and the covid cases will dwindle until it is gone, hopefully before there is a new variation. It seems that simple to me. Yes, no one likes covid and no one wants covid , yes it's changed our lives but we are still here and  able to make the choice to not spread it to others and avoid situations where we make be in contact with it from others. Every day we get closer to putting this all behind us and I think another 2 months of this behavior is a small price to pay since we have put so much effort into existing this way for the past year. I think any state that is relaxing the guildlines now is doing us all a major disservice and enabling this virus to spike once again putting us back 2 steps from any progress that we have made. Just a little more patience is needed here, covid is killing us, hanging around the house really isn't. I'm so looking forward to eating out every night until I get sick of it, but until then , I'm in my kitchen practicing how to improve the flavor of every meal I make.

[Don R]

  Having a beer with someone in public. We did childcare for our grandkids, the kids had go in to work, my daughter two days a week so we went there and helped with remote learning. Now that they're in school I miss that oddly enough.

[BenelliSEI]

My daughter had a Covid Test on Wednesday, and went straight home. The following afternoon (Test came back negative), she drove straight to our farm. Friday we booked a 4 hour window at a local ski resort. Skied from our parking spot, distanced in line (there were none, we skied onto the chairs). Perfect weather, just below freezing and blue skies all day. Yesterday we hiked trails on our 100 acres, connected to another 200 acres (neighbours right behind us). Three dinners, several bottles of wine, canasta, dominos and Scrabble in front of the fireplace.

Usually (with our other kids and grandkids) the place is pandemonium. I miss it, but it sure was great to have the company. Great weekend!

[ofreen]

I miss my old belief that most people in this country would, when push comes to shove, behave rationally. The arbitrary nonsense that people have rolled over for - and still are - amazes me.

[HondaMan]

I miss my old belief that most people in this country would, when push comes to shove, behave rationally. The arbitrary nonsense that people have rolled over for - and still are - amazes me.

I'm drifting into this zone, too. I have been (and still remain) stunned by how many people in my neighborhood are so...totally stupid about it, even wearing masks while walking their dogs/kids/selves outside. I had it, am supposedly in the "high risk of death group" (i.e., past retirement age) according to the News, lasted about 3 weeks, like the flu but with a following bad cough. Several people where I work had it (which was how I got it), and they are so politically scared to speak up about their experience that they are now wanting to get vaccinated anyway (?), despite already being thru it. I know several hospital workers (surgical assistants, E-Room techs, IC ward nurses male and female) who are mostly just MAD at the lies they see in the News every day: they have NEVER had their IC wards "overflowing" with C-19 patients. They all (in 3 different hospitals/surgery shops) have a 'sliding capacity' in their IC wards where the type of cases that come in determine how many beds that 'ward' uses. In other words, if they get 10 C-19 patients, they make 10 IC beds and ward that section off, or put 10 beds in a given ward, having multiple IC wards available. The Press has constantly turned that into "IC wards across Colorado are overflowing with Covid", BS. I'm THROUGH with it all, and if you come into my shop or house wearing a mask I will tell you to remove it so I can see and hear you, or leave.

[ofreen]

I miss my old belief that most people in this country would, when push comes to shove, behave rationally. The arbitrary nonsense that people have rolled over for - and still are - amazes me.

I'm drifting into this zone, too. I have been (and still remain) stunned by how many people in my neighborhood are so...totally stupid about it, even wearing masks while walking their dogs/kids/selves outside. I had it, am supposedly in the "high risk of death group" (i.e., past retirement age) according to the News, lasted about 3 weeks, like the flu but with a following bad cough. Several people where I work had it (which was how I got it), and they are so politically scared to speak up about their experience that they are now wanting to get vaccinated anyway (?), despite already being thru it. I know several hospital workers (surgical assistants, E-Room techs, IC ward nurses male and female) who are mostly just MAD at the lies they see in the News every day: ....

When I started seeing people wearing masks alone in their cars, or jogging, or bicycle riding many months ago, I realized I was seeing the results of brainwashing on a scale that I would have never believed would happen successfully here.  When I saw videos of people being verbally and physically attacked for not wearing a mask, or being arrested and tazed by police, or when people started turning in their neighbors for having too many people over (and encouraged by the government to snitch) I knew that we had turned a corner in our society.  When I saw politicians and other people in power blatantly violating lock-down orders they had imposed on citizens with no accountability and citizens just placidly accepting it, I figured people have lost their back bones.  When I hear "follow the science" as a reason to violate people's rights and destroy people's livelihoods with scarcely a squawk from most people, even when the "science" as espoused the government and media changed from week to week, I knew that people have become as gullible and placid as a herd of cattle.  And now we have another 1.7 trillion "covid relief" bill passed added to the other trillions of dollars in previous bills that has little to do with covid, but saddles ourselves and our kids with unimaginable debt.  And people go along with it because they have been bought off by $1400.  Gad.

[Don R]

  I had friends and relatives that were alive, got it and now they are not.

[goodtryer]

I miss my old belief that most people in this country would, when push comes to shove, behave rationally. The arbitrary nonsense that people have rolled over for - and still are - amazes me.

I'm drifting into this zone, too. I have been (and still remain) stunned by how many people in my neighborhood are so...totally stupid about it, even wearing masks while walking their dogs/kids/selves outside. I had it, am supposedly in the "high risk of death group" (i.e., past retirement age) according to the News, lasted about 3 weeks, like the flu but with a following bad cough. Several people where I work had it (which was how I got it), and they are so politically scared to speak up about their experience that they are now wanting to get vaccinated anyway (?), despite already being thru it. I know several hospital workers (surgical assistants, E-Room techs, IC ward nurses male and female) who are mostly just MAD at the lies they see in the News every day: ....

When I started seeing people wearing masks alone in their cars, or jogging, or bicycle riding many months ago, I realized I was seeing the results of brainwashing on a scale that I would have never believed would happen successfully here.  When I saw videos of people being verbally and physically attacked for not wearing a mask, or being arrested and tazed by police, or when people started turning in their neighbors for having too many people over (and encouraged by the government to snitch) I knew that we had turned a corner in our society.  When I saw politicians and other people in power blatantly violating lock-down orders they had imposed on citizens with no accountability and citizens just placidly accepting it, I figured people have lost their back bones.  When I hear "follow the science" as a reason to violate people's rights and destroy people's livelihoods with scarcely a squawk from most people, even when the "science" as espoused the government and media changed from week to week, I knew that people have become as gullible and placid as a herd of cattle.  And now we have another 1.7 trillion "covid relief" bill passed added to the other trillions of dollars in previous bills that has little to do with covid, but saddles ourselves and our kids with unimaginable debt.  And people go along with it because they have been bought off by $1400.  Gad.

Hear, Hear!!

[carnivorous chicken]

I am still amazed that people in the country that has been objectively the worst hit by Covid in terms of deaths and the number of infections -- objectively -- still think that people who take precautions are "sheep" or "cattle" or that wearing a mask to protect others is a violation of one's rights or that one anecdotal experience means that everyone else should have that experience. The same people who said Covid was no big deal, that it'll pass, that the flu kills more people, etc. Incredible.

525,000 dead, and still more than 1500 dying per day on average in the United States. Thankfullly not everyone believes that taking precautions makes one a "sheep" -- otherwise the death toll would likely be much, much higher.

You know what I miss? When science mattered more than someone's folksy or "tough guy" hot take. It's how the US got to the moon and led the world in the decades after World War II. Now it's like a race to idiocracy, pushed by an inability to determine what a credible source is.

[carnivorous chicken]

  I had friends and relatives that were alive, got it and now they are not.

Me too. One in three Americans know someone who has died of covid. Some of us know of multiple people.

Sorry for your losses.

[goodtryer]

I am still amazed that people in the country that has been objectively the worst hit by Covid in terms of deaths and the number of infections -- objectively -- still think that people who take precautions are "sheep" or "cattle" or that wearing a mask to protect others is a violation of one's rights or that one anecdotal experience means that everyone else should have that experience. The same people who said Covid was no big deal, that it'll pass, that the flu kills more people, etc. Incredible.

525,000 dead, and still more than 1500 dying per day on average in the United States. Thankfullly not everyone believes that taking precautions makes one a "sheep" -- otherwise the death toll would likely be much, much higher.

You know what I miss? When science mattered more than someone's folksy or "tough guy" hot take. It's how the US got to the moon and led the world in the decades after World War II. Now it's like a race to idiocracy, pushed by an inability to determine what a credible source is.

Hear, Hear!

I hear these guys are credible:  https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/pdfs/mm7010e3-H.pdf

Let's see what they found:

Mask mandates were associated with a 0.7 percentage point decrease (p = 0.03) in daily COVID-19 death growth rates 1–20 days after implementation and decreases of 1.0, 1.4, 1.6, and 1.9 percentage points 21–40, 41–60, 61–80, and 81–100 days, respectively, after implementation (p<0.01 for all).

"I'll take Overreactions for $500, Alex."

Woohoo! Let's destroy thousands of small businesses and jobs for 1.9% reduction! I wonder If the increase in suicides or mental health crises is greater than 1.9%...

[carnivorous chicken]

I hear these guys are credible:  https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/pdfs/mm7010e3-H.pdf

Let's see what they found:

Mask mandates were associated with a 0.7 percentage point decrease (p = 0.03) in daily COVID-19 death growth rates 1–20 days after implementation and decreases of 1.0, 1.4, 1.6, and 1.9 percentage points 21–40, 41–60, 61–80, and 81–100 days, respectively, after implementation (p<0.01 for all).

"I'll take Overreactions for $500, Alex."

Woohoo! Let's destroy thousands of small businesses and jobs for 1.9% reduction! I wonder If the increase in suicides or mental health crises is greater than 1.9%...

I'm not going down this barrel of fish, I mean rabbit hole, again. You should actually read the report. Realize that mask mandates were rarely enforced punitively and many people ignored them, but that 2% of 525,000 is still 15,000 lives. How does wearing a mask destroy small businesses, exactly?

[goodtryer]

I did read the report. I'm the one who brought it up.

I don't know exactly. Instead lets look for data:

Here's a for example, from September 2020: https://fortune.com/2020/09/28/covid-buisnesses-shut-down-closed/

I'm going to take a scientific GUESS and say the situation hasn't improved for businesses since then.

And another: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/black-owned-busineses-close-thousands-coronavirus-pandemic/

And another: https://nypost.com/2020/11/29/nearly-one-third-of-ny-nj-small-businesses-closed-in-2020-report/

Boy, this is as hard as shooting fish in a barrel...

rarely enforced punitively and many people ignored them

   Seems made up & arbitrary. Cite please.

[34barab]

I want to apologize to those who have suffered losses in one way or another because of the pandemic.  It was not my intention to bring up sore subjects.  In my short sightedness, I did not consider how strongly people would feel one way or another. 

[carnivorous chicken]

Woohoo! Let's destroy thousands of small businesses and jobs for 1.9% reduction!

Yes, it is an absolute tragedy that all those businesses closed. Again, can you show me how wearing a mask caused them to close?

In many other places, where populations took precautions early and effectively, few businesses were lost -- and few lives were lost.

And again, the USA is objectively the worst in terms of Covid deaths. Do you think it has anything at all with a widespread rejection of taking precautions such as wearing a mask? If not, what do you think explains it?

Look, I get it. You think wearing a mask is for "sheep" or "cattle" or whatever, and you posted a cdc report with a second sentence that read: "Because the virus is transmitted predominantly by inhaling respiratory droplets from infected persons, universal mask use can help reduce transmission (1)" because you think that wearing a mask doesn't save enough people from dying (which raises the question: how many people would wearing a mask have to save before you decided it was a good idea?).  Some people should just come out and say "I don't want to wear a mask and I don't care how many people die or get sick because of people like me."

Stay safe, people.

[carnivorous chicken]

I want to apologize to those who have suffered losses in one way or another because of the pandemic.  It was not my intention to bring up sore subjects.  In my short sightedness, I did not consider how strongly people would feel one way or another.

The loss of life is a tragedy on such a huge scale. And you're right, it definitely brings up strong opinions.

Nobody wants to wear a mask or take precautions, and I think we're all hoping this is over soon and we can get back to doing everything we did before, without worry.

[jlh3rd]

I miss my old belief that most people in this country would, when push comes to shove, behave rationally. The arbitrary nonsense that people have rolled over for - and still are - amazes me.

I'm drifting into this zone, too. I have been (and still remain) stunned by how many people in my neighborhood are so...totally stupid about it, even wearing masks while walking their dogs/kids/selves outside. I had it, am supposedly in the "high risk of death group" (i.e., past retirement age) according to the News, lasted about 3 weeks, like the flu but with a following bad cough. Several people where I work had it (which was how I got it), and they are so politically scared to speak up about their experience that they are now wanting to get vaccinated anyway (?), despite already being thru it. I know several hospital workers (surgical assistants, E-Room techs, IC ward nurses male and female) who are mostly just MAD at the lies they see in the News every day: they have NEVER had their IC wards "overflowing" with C-19 patients. They all (in 3 different hospitals/surgery shops) have a 'sliding capacity' in their IC wards where the type of cases that come in determine how many beds that 'ward' uses. In other words, if they get 10 C-19 patients, they make 10 IC beds and ward that section off, or put 10 beds in a given ward, having multiple IC wards available. The Press has constantly turned that into "IC wards across Colorado are overflowing with Covid", BS. I'm THROUGH with it all, and if you come into my shop or house wearing a mask I will tell you to remove it so I can see and hear you, or leave.

I can get into that optimism on seeing the catastrophic effects of this uh ummm...virus let up, but the next virus to hit is this “woke” garbage.  It’s seems if we’re to be “less” of anything, it’s (in my opinion) less stupid.
When we see Jimmy Kimmel poking fun at how far the left has gone in ripping Dr. Seuss in that some of his books promote “racist” ideas, you know he’s bothered. The “woke police” has targeted Alfred Hitchcock as well, and there are more classics that have been torn from distribution because of the “police”, and cowering to this “progressive movement”.
 I would think it wise and prudent for any of you guys who have grade school kids to attend your school board meetings and inquire of the reading materials your kids will be exposed to. My grand kids are being shaped into the mold their parents want which is 180 degrees from grandpa and grandma. We’re “old school”...is that so bad? I once heard a guy say, “I might be called square, but I have all the right angles”.
By the way-
We’re barely three months into 2021, and there is more STHTF.

OK...let’s get this thing back onto the tracks........
It’s been months since I’ve ridden with my son. He won’t ride because he’s afraid they’ll be no room in the ER for him if he gets hurt. He thinks most ER’s are chock full of COVID patients. Wait...this should be in the “what pisses me off” forum.

add the guy I saw riding his motorcycle, with a mask on........and no helmet......
We've had this thread before, so, not repeating the counter points.....been there, done that..
Since someone posted that they feel complying with all the mandates made them safe....I have to counter with : been to the gym regularly M-F. . Flown to Co. twice. Attended a concours bike show and an AMCA event. Eat out regularly (Fri.) . Xmas, thanksgiving, birthdays...cookouts.  I do honor store mask requests......tried not to pick my nose as much......anyway, no issue.......not trying to argue, or pointing any fingers......Just saying...equal time....
      I've been done with the B.S.

[Alan F.]

I want to apologize to those who have suffered losses in one way or another because of the pandemic.  It was not my intention to bring up sore subjects.  In my short sightedness, I did not consider how strongly people would feel one way or another.

Thank you, that's cool of you as the OP.

I didn't think your intention was to stir up the stuff that came up, just to fondly look forward to doing things that we haven't been able to do for a while.

In Boston we've got a pretty good group of local members, group rides have been known to happen and getting together once a month for "beer and b.s."  is something I'm looking ahead to when everyone is comfortable. It'll be a good indicator for me that things have returned to what used to be called Normal.

[34barab]

Thanks, Alan.  You said better than I did.