So have these people not been impacted by the virus? Are they just living their lives like normal? Because #45 feels like nothing more could have been done and our response is amazing. Which is obviously not true. I don’t really want to live like this for the next four years.
I think there are people who are privileged enough that this is not affecting them. I know people who are "enjoying" this. They have white collar jobs that can easily be done from home and are loving not having a commute, working in pajamas, etc. My friend who is realtor said this is a "tale of 2 pandemics" because a lot of these upper class workers are buying new houses because their income hasn't been affected and they are taking advantage of the super low interest rates. They are "sad" about their favorite restaurants losing business, but it doesn't directly affect them, so I'm not surprised their reality is very different from people in lower income and service jobs that are being decimated by this.
@@ I also think it much harder on families with kids, particularly women.
So this is kind of us but we aren’t assholes. @@@the worst part has been being home with 3 kids and them missing their friends./@@@ H works in tech and can easily work from home. His schedule is ridiculously laid back. He probably works like 5 hours a day tops (busy season is different).
We just bought a new house because of low interest rates combined with making a ton of money in 6 years on our old house.
Trump’s presidency has been “good” for us financially. But I don’t give a fuck, I want him out. This country is heading straight off a cliff. My financial gains can’t save me or my family from climate change, war, diminished global standing, the destruction of education nor the hate that is being flamed in this country.
No one should feel comfortable with Trump as president.
Are people actually enjoying covid? I don't know anyone that is. Sure, plenty of people aren't affected that much and/or are making the best of the situation, but actually enjoying it?
Are people actually enjoying covid? I don't know anyone that is. Sure, plenty of people aren't affected that much and/or are making the best of the situation, but actually enjoying it?
I meant to highlight this on my post above. I am NOT enjoying this at all.
Are people actually enjoying covid? I don't know anyone that is. Sure, plenty of people aren't affected that much and/or are making the best of the situation, but actually enjoying it?
I think there are, specifically the people who "aren't worried about the virus". Lower airfares, cheap hotel prices, ability to work anywhere... some people are just living their best lives right now.
Are people actually enjoying covid? I don't know anyone that is. Sure, plenty of people aren't affected that much and/or are making the best of the situation, but actually enjoying it?
I know a few. One example: our neighbors. Mom is a teacher and dad has a computer job. Their parents have a house on a lake. They moved there for the entire summer. H worked remotely, mom and kids had the summer off with the grandparents. Their extended family all have houses on the lake and they had a big bubble and loved it. The dad was complaining about having to come home for school and that it was the best summer they've ever had. They also are anti-maskers, so you know... <eyeroll>
Are people actually enjoying covid? I don't know anyone that is. Sure, plenty of people aren't affected that much and/or are making the best of the situation, but actually enjoying it?
I'm not going to lie, I had a pretty good summer, and most of that was at least partially related to covid. But I'm probably one of the people who could be classified as not affected that much.
I would never go so far as to say I'm enjoying covid, but working from home full time has been amazing and I've gotten to spend a ton of time outside, gardening, walking/hiking/etc. I love that I can get my work done on a schedule that works for me. I live that I can work on my deck. I love that I'm home and can cook dinner basically every night. Etc.
Are people actually enjoying covid? I don't know anyone that is. Sure, plenty of people aren't affected that much and/or are making the best of the situation, but actually enjoying it?
I listed some examples of coworkers I know who are enjoying this (and why) on the previous page. Every time we have a town hall meeting at work to discuss the expected timelines for returning to the office (or lack thereof), there are people in the comments begging leadership to keep this going forever.
Granted, these are high-income people, often with no responsibilities beyond themselves. (They also probably aren’t following strict social distancing protocols, but I don’t know for sure.)
But is it really that surprising that in a country with 330 million people, someone is enjoying this new normal?
ETA: I also think it might be easier to enjoy this if you think it’s a short-term state, like an extended staycation. I’m not so optimistic we’re going to have a vaccine available for the general public before next spring (see: the CDC director’s comments earlier this week). Most of my anxiety relates to just how long this is dragging on. But there’s so much false hope around when we might come out of this.
Are people actually enjoying covid? I don't know anyone that is. Sure, plenty of people aren't affected that much and/or are making the best of the situation, but actually enjoying it?
I mean this is where I am. I haven’t lost my job and we’re doing just fine, but this fucking sucks. And it does impact me directly in that I can’t travel or just go do things on a whim. It impacts me for @@@ reasons. I really can’t wrap my head around the people who are like “oh this is fine.” Even if you haven’t lost your job, doesn’t this just suck for nearly everyone? I don’t get it.
I stand corrected. I guess people are enjoying this; just not anyone that I know. Pretty much everyone I know is taking it seriously so maybe that's why.
There are definitely silver linings to it--I remind myself of them all the time to make myself feel better. Overall, though, there's so much that I miss!
They're also insulated by enough privilege that a second Trump term wouldn't hugely affect them.
So have these people not been impacted by the virus? Are they just living their lives like normal? Because #45 feels like nothing more could have been done and our response is amazing. Which is obviously not true. I don’t really want to live like this for the next four years.
An entire branch of H's family is solid Trumpers. They're living as if nothing AT ALL is different. Going on big family vacations in Florida (they're spread out in a few different states), girls trip with their besties to NC,
@@@@@
sent their kids back to college (which are online only, but the kids "need" to be with their friends in their off campus houses with 8-10 people).
*****AND MANY OF THEM HAVE HAD COVID. RECENTLY.**** Not just back in March/April when it was initially spiraling and we didn't realize how many people had it. They still just don't give a shit. They survived, it's fine, everyone is making a fuss over nothing, apparently.
They aren't impacted at all by 45 winning, haven't had any "bad" effects from covid. So yes, these people exist, and they truly do just KOKO, even if they've had covid. It's mind blowing. They're being such assholes about it, that even H's parents (trumpers also, but I think at least MIL is off that train now) are pissed at them. And THAT's saying something...
Man I am close to upper class, white collar job etc and I have never experienced personal/professional stress like I have experienced in the past 6 months. I would give up the small perks in a heartbeat to go back to some semblance of normal. I love being outside. I love not commuting. But man it is not worth what we have had to give up like @@@ ability to send our kids to school, extreme professional stress etc.
I am legit jealous of anyone who can find zen right now.
Post by thelurkylulu on Sept 17, 2020 12:28:03 GMT -5
I’m not going to say COVID has been enjoyable, because DH lost his job. Thankfully he started back to work two weeks ago. I missed traveling this summer and seeing friends.
That said, the work/life balance I personally have had from being able to WFH full time has been life changing. I have zero desire to go back to the office. I know that my company would never have in a million years have allowed us the flexibility we have now, had it not been for COVID. I love that I don’t get nearly as much guilt about not wanting to attend family gatherings. Zoom family Thanksgiving call instead of having to deal with family in person ? Sign me up! I love that I can attend mass from home. So, yeah aspects have absolutely been enjoyable.
I understand it has been much, much worse for the vast majority. And it sucks our country has failed in so many areas regarding COVID. We are fortunate in a lot of ways and I know that’s not the case for everyone.
I need to see all the clips from the town hall to give me hope.
I feel like there is a silent majority who know trump is terrible but plan to vote for him again because precovid the economy was so strong.
Most of what I hear is, “is Biden going to be able to survive 4 years in his current mental state?” And that will be the reason they vote for Trump.
I also think there are several banking on RBG not making another four years so this is the way they kill Roe v Wade.
If they are concerned enough about Biden’s mental state but not Trump’s, that tells me they get their news from certain places and therefore actually do support Trump. So I’m not too concerned about their numbers.
Post by Velar Fricative on Sept 17, 2020 12:31:26 GMT -5
I’m not even enjoying the WFH part. It sucks. I am way more productive in my office because I cannot shut off my brain from work when I’m at home. With my office, there is a clear separation of work and not-work since I don’t spend time in my office when I’m not working.
@@@the main impact for us at the moment is we opted our kids into virtual school because we didn't like the district's plan and still don't... and my husband has been mostly remote for 6 months. It has its downsides and it has been a struggle at times, but it would also have been a struggle in different ways if they were in school.
I try not to focus on the negative, because that would bring me down, so I try to focus on the positives. And the big positive for us of Covid is that we may be moving closer to family and getting out of this godforsaken state, which is all I've wanted for YEARS. If that happens, it will likely be because Trump bungled covid so badly that it seemed workable with MH's job. It is literally the top thing I have wanted for years, and I still wouldn't piss on that man if he was on fire.
They're also insulated by enough privilege that a second Trump term wouldn't hugely affect them.
So have these people not been impacted by the virus? Are they just living their lives like normal? Because #45 feels like nothing more could have been done and our response is amazing. Which is obviously not true. I don’t really want to live like this for the next four years.
They get to blame success or failure on their governors because all responsibility was punted to the states.
Post by rupertpenny on Sept 17, 2020 14:01:20 GMT -5
I have a hard time understanding how anyone's work life balance has improved in all this. Maybe people with really long commutes normally? My work life balance has never been more out of whack. My life now requires more work, and while working at home my life intrudes into my work every second of the day. @@@ Maybe this is just because I have small children?
Are people actually enjoying covid? I don't know anyone that is. Sure, plenty of people aren't affected that much and/or are making the best of the situation, but actually enjoying it?
Enjoying... not really. But, I had a 2 hour r/t commute. So, that part I’m not complaining about.
I have a hard time understanding how anyone's work life balance has improved in all this. Maybe people with really long commutes normally? My work life balance has never been more out of whack. My life now requires more work, and while working at home my life intrudes into my work every second of the day. @@@ Maybe this is just because I have small children?
I did lose my commute, which helped a lot. We also are not allowed to work overtime right now, so I clock out at the end of the day and don’t feel badly about it. I am hourly and I don’t work for free. 🤷🏼♀️ The luxury of being able to throw dinner in the oven at 4pm and having it cook while I finish my work day alone was life changing. lol
@ Our kids extra curriculars have also been cut back.
So have these people not been impacted by the virus? Are they just living their lives like normal? Because #45 feels like nothing more could have been done and our response is amazing. Which is obviously not true. I don’t really want to live like this for the next four years.
They get to blame success or failure on their governors because all responsibility was punted to the states.
I'm seeing a huge number of "Fuck Inslee" masks in Eastern WA.
I have a hard time understanding how anyone's work life balance has improved in all this. Maybe people with really long commutes normally? My work life balance has never been more out of whack. My life now requires more work, and while working at home my life intrudes into my work every second of the day. @@@ Maybe this is just because I have small children?
I did lose my commute, which helped a lot. We also are not allowed to work overtime right now, so I clock out at the end of the day and don’t feel badly about it. I am hourly and I don’t work for free. 🤷🏼♀️ The luxury of being able to throw dinner in the oven at 4pm and having it cook while I finish my work day alone was life changing. lol
Overall, I wouldn’t say that the virus has impacted my life negatively. It has given me some opportunities but it has also introduced a lot of worries and what-ifs.
On the plus side, is similar to thelurkylulu. I’m an introvert and hate working in open offices. I get so much more done at home and can take little breaks to start laundry or prep dinner. I’m also not allowed to work more than 40 hours, which is challenging to get everything accomplished but at least no one is expecting me to be on late night calls. I hated my 45 min each way commute and have been using the extra time to exercise (I’ve lost 30 lbs since March). I’ve also been able to give up my expensive (yet crappy) place in the Bay Area and stay rent-free at my parents’ house for the next 6 months which will enable me to save up enough and buy a small condo of my own by next summer. I’m in my early 40s and have been worried about retirement planning/ cost of living, so this will be a huge step forward.
On the down side, my company laid off 30% of our department, including several co-workers I worked with very closely which was really scary and hard. Our revenue has stabilized over the summer and they aren’t expecting any more cuts. Thinking about the economy and how difficult it would be to find another job right now if I got laid off really worries me. I also worry about my parents getting sick, but so far they have been following social distancing protocols. Finally I worry a lot about the news, police violence towards black and brown people, immigrant women having forced hysterectomies, the utter stupidity of our pandemic response, the election, vigilante violence if Trump loses, and threat of wildfires. I have been channeling my angst into writing letters to infrequent voters and phone banking.
From 2015-2019, I went through several layoffs, jobs where they lied about work-life balance during the interview and all kinds of work drama and financial instability so I suppose my current situation is stable and relatively good in comparison?I also did therapy and participated in a Buddhism immersion that gave me some tools to deal with uncertainty and unfair crappy situations. (Still not easy but I take things less personally now.)
@@@@ I don’t have kids. My work colleagues who have kids but don’t have nannies/ grandparents/ other support people are definitely stressed out and struggling to keep up. The people who have lots of support are able to give the appearance that they’re doing ok, but I don’t know what’s actually happening behind the scenes.
I need to see all the clips from the town hall to give me hope.
I feel like there is a silent majority who know trump is terrible but plan to vote for him again because precovid the economy was so strong.
Most of what I hear is, “is Biden going to be able to survive 4 years in his current mental state?” And that will be the reason they vote for Trump.
I also think there are several banking on RBG not making another four years so this is the way they kill Roe v Wade.
If they are concerned enough about Biden’s mental state but not Trump’s, that tells me they get their news from certain places and therefore actually do support Trump. So I’m not too concerned about their numbers.
I agree with you somewhat, mostly because a handful of conservatives I know are voting for Biden knowing he will probably step down and Kamala will be president. They have serious concerns about how far left she votes, but figure nothing she does can't be undone except SCJ replacement. But they are horrified at Trump's performance and feel at least Biden will surround himself with smart advisors who can execute far better than Trump's kids and flunkies.
And yet, that doesn't relieve my concern. If Bernie Bros refuse to vote or vote 3rd party, they are voting for Trump.
I felt so confident in 2016 and we lost. I'm just really pessimistic right now.
But throwing a lot of money at blue efforts in key states. Hoping it works out.
We're fine income-wise and don't have kids, so we are having an easier time than many. I can only think of two things I'm enjoying about this: no commute most days, and far fewer microaggressions from sexist people at work. Those two positives are definitely not enough to make up for all the down sides!
Post by goldengirlz on Sept 17, 2020 22:56:29 GMT -5
@@@
I realize this is so beyond the point of this thread but I keep hearing this theme over and over about the joy of not commuting, and that’s definitely one area where I can’t relate AT ALL. I actually miss my commute quite a bit (and from past polls on this topic, I think I’m actually on the longer end of the commute spectrum!)
It was my buffer time. It was a chance to listen to music and zone out before I had to transition back to being a mom. I spent A LOT of time in therapy talking about how one of the things I’m really grieving is a loss of self. I miss spending time in the city after work, I miss my hobbies, I miss having unstructured time every other evening because H and I used to take turns doing pick-up.
My therapist and I were actually brainstorming about how to recreate the commute. Anyway. I digress.
I realize this is so beyond the point of this thread but I keep hearing this theme over and over about the joy of not commuting, and that’s definitely one area where I can’t relate AT ALL. I actually miss my commute quite a bit (and from past polls on this topic, I think I’m actually on the longer end of the commute spectrum!)
It was my buffer time. It was a chance to listen to music and zone out before I had to transition back to being a mom. I spent A LOT of time in therapy talking about how one of the things I’m really grieving is a loss of self. I miss spending time in the city after work, I miss my hobbies, I miss having unstructured time every other evening because H and I used to take turns doing pick-up.
My therapist and I were actually brainstorming about how to recreate the commute. Anyway. I digress.
My DH still goes into work a few times a week. He rides his bike home twice a week, so on those days, I drive him to work with his bike and drop him off, then drive back home alone. It’s about 20 miles but it takes 1.5 hours to get home. (only about 45 minute going to work, the return trip has more traffic) Pre-COVID, DH would drive himself with his bike, then leave the car at work overnight while he rode home and take the subway back to work the following morning but now we are trying to stay off public transportation since he has an auto-immune disease. I cannot tell you how many of my mom friends have told me they are jealous of my car time. First, I get 45 minutes of uninterrupted time with DH, followed by 90 minutes alone to listen to audio books, news, whatever. I honestly would love to keep it up after the pandemic.
I realize this is so beyond the point of this thread but I keep hearing this theme over and over about the joy of not commuting, and that’s definitely one area where I can’t relate AT ALL. I actually miss my commute quite a bit (and from past polls on this topic, I think I’m actually on the longer end of the commute spectrum!)
It was my buffer time. It was a chance to listen to music and zone out before I had to transition back to being a mom. I spent A LOT of time in therapy talking about how one of the things I’m really grieving is a loss of self. I miss spending time in the city after work, I miss my hobbies, I miss having unstructured time every other evening because H and I used to take turns doing pick-up.
My therapist and I were actually brainstorming about how to recreate the commute. Anyway. I digress.
Yep. The clear separation between work me and home me is obliterated, and my commute time is now spent on conference calls. On the plus side, it’s clear to my family how hard I actually work, which I doubt anyone appreciated before.
I realize this is so beyond the point of this thread but I keep hearing this theme over and over about the joy of not commuting, and that’s definitely one area where I can’t relate AT ALL. I actually miss my commute quite a bit (and from past polls on this topic, I think I’m actually on the longer end of the commute spectrum!)
It was my buffer time. It was a chance to listen to music and zone out before I had to transition back to being a mom. I spent A LOT of time in therapy talking about how one of the things I’m really grieving is a loss of self. I miss spending time in the city after work, I miss my hobbies, I miss having unstructured time every other evening because H and I used to take turns doing pick-up.
My therapist and I were actually brainstorming about how to recreate the commute. Anyway. I digress.
I knew one other person, father of 3 kids, who liked his 45 minute commute. It was "his" time. He left that job, had a shorter commute, stayed a couple years, then asked to be transfered back to the other location with the long commute (middle of nowhere - you cannot live close). He is happy again. To each their own. (I went from 10 min to 25+ min commute and I could tell I did not like the difference).