Since the quarantine due to Covid-19, how often have you left your house?

[PizzaPower1985]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

I still leave, but not for social gatherings. Lot's of courtyard hangouts with my apartment complex neighbors though which has been fun.

As for lifestyle shifts, I've returned to reading at least a couple hours a day, which has been nice. Calming.

But my diet has gone down the shitter. I don't cook a ton at home and a lot of my healthy eating habits relied on things I would get at my local coffee shop or Whole Foods. While it could be an opportunity for me to learn some new healthy recipes, I've instead resorted to quick, cheap, and accessible meals. Back to drinking again as well.

My diet goes to hell during seasonal changes. Even though I eat really clean and cook my own meals, when the seasons change for about 2 weeks during Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, I'm indulging in chocolate syrup and peanut butter, fried onion and potato chip sandwiches, chocolate cake (made from scratch), PB cookies, fried eggs and hashbrowns, heavy food... all homemade still, but garbage none the less... About the only thing I don't cook is oreo cookies, brownies and ice cream. Since covid though, I'm getting back into poor diet and my tummy is starting to get a lil round. Lucky to have a lady that appreciates it, I guess.

I think comfort eating has a lot to do with global health crises or crises of capitalism... Every time we've had economic busts since the year 2000 (the dot com bubble) the national diet has suffered. In 2008 during the housing crisis surveys were again taken... people reported indulging more... Covid has been no different. And goddamn do I love some fried onion and potato chip sandwiches.

[Leo656]

I mean, I have a big yard and it's too hot to exercise in the house so I go outside every day, I just don't always leave.

I honestly feel pretty blessed sometimes when I go outside on a calm day; we have a big yard and a bunch of bird feeders, so every day it's like some Snow White sh*t with a ton of squirrels and birds and sh*t zipping around. And just over the fence there's a small horse farm, so sometimes you see them trottin' around. It's not a bad place to be, man.

It's a cul-de-sac, so it's pretty laid back. People are out and about all day, much of the time. Nobody's wearing masks because they're just in their own yard or walking up and down the street. People smile and wave. It's like an extended vacation we're all stuck in together. Gotta say, that's not too bad either. It's not an "unfriendly" place but I definitely see the neighbors interact a lot more now than before. The guy with the giant Trump flag out front who lives next door takes the Hispanic kids across the street on rides with his four-wheeler and "Trump 2020" golf cart sometimes. I'm at the stage where part of me does go, "HEY, they're not social distancing," but then the more human part of my brain says "F*ck that, they're livin' life. Good for 'em." Everybody seems perfectly fine, other than The Situation. But everyone seems healthy and as happy as can be expected. It's kinda nice.

I'm mostly eating the same, except I can't get decent Chinese around here anymore because of course not. Mostly Knorr pasta sides, frozen vegetables, and lots and lots of Tyson chicken. I've never been a huge junk guy, anyway; once or twice a month I might binge on a big bag of chips and then never touch them for weeks, I've always been like that.

For me, the problem is working out. For 10 years I was literally in a gym every day so I had no excuse not to work out, and also no reason to get a home set-up (not that there's room in here; I don't "own" the screenhouse or garage). I have some resistance bands and that's about it. I tried to get some dumbbells at Walmart but they're cleaned out, and right now even a pair of 20lb-ers is like $80 online, I guess due to high demand, but that's still bullsh*t. So my weight's alright, I *think* (I rarely weigh myself), but I shrunk a little bit. Which sucks, because I was finally putting some decent size on after taking most of last year off with a back injury. I could get it back easy - I somehow have great genes and my body adapts quickly to whatever I put it through - BUT you need a bench and heavy weights to keep your chest and triceps from losing gas, and that's just the facts, jack.

Trying not to sweat it too much, buuuuuuuut... somehow, wrestling shows are gonna start up again real soon - there's one this Saturday, but I'm not on it - and I am booked at an "intimate" show in one of the promoter's yards next month, so now I gotta try and get serious I guess. I'm a little hesitant, but it's a good chance to shake some rust off, and Lord knows I need that. Plus, it should be fun.

Hopefully somebody buys a GOD DAMN T-shirt. I still got like 50 of these things, and I'm not gonna order more until I get down to my last 10.

Oh, uh, by the way... I'm willing to part with 'em at the Friend Price if anybody's interested. Free autograph on request! I'm nobody, but I look like I'm somebody, so that's something! But, uh... anyways, yeah, lemme know if you want a shirt, Anybody. I got a few left.

[PizzaPower1985]

Originally Posted by Leo656

I mean, I have a big yard and it's too hot to exercise in the house so I go outside every day, I just don't always leave.

I honestly feel pretty blessed sometimes when I go outside on a calm day; we have a big yard and a bunch of bird feeders, so every day it's like some Snow White sh*t with a ton of squirrels and birds and sh*t zipping around. And just over the fence there's a small horse farm, so sometimes you see them trottin' around. It's not a bad place to be, man.

It's a cul-de-sac, so it's pretty laid back. People are out and about all day, much of the time. Nobody's wearing masks because they're just in their own yard or walking up and down the street. People smile and wave. It's like an extended vacation we're all stuck in together. Gotta say, that's not too bad either. It's not an "unfriendly" place but I definitely see the neighbors interact a lot more now than before. The guy with the giant Trump flag out front who lives next door takes the Hispanic kids across the street on rides with his four-wheeler and "Trump 2020" golf cart sometimes. I'm at the stage where part of me does go, "HEY, they're not social distancing," but then the more human part of my brain says "F*ck that, they're livin' life. Good for 'em." Everybody seems perfectly fine, other than The Situation. But everyone seems healthy and as happy as can be expected. It's kinda nice.

I'm mostly eating the same, except I can't get decent Chinese around here anymore because of course not. Mostly Knorr pasta sides, frozen vegetables, and lots and lots of Tyson chicken. I've never been a huge junk guy, anyway; once or twice a month I might binge on a big bag of chips and then never touch them for weeks, I've always been like that.

For me, the problem is working out. For 10 years I was literally in a gym every day so I had no excuse not to work out, and also no reason to get a home set-up (not that there's room in here; I don't "own" the screenhouse or garage). I have some resistance bands and that's about it. I tried to get some dumbbells at Walmart but they're cleaned out, and right now even a pair of 20lb-ers is like $80 online, I guess due to high demand, but that's still bullsh*t. So my weight's alright, I *think* (I rarely weigh myself), but I shrunk a little bit. Which sucks, because I was finally putting some decent size on after taking most of last year off with a back injury. I could get it back easy - I somehow have great genes and my body adapts quickly to whatever I put it through - BUT you need a bench and heavy weights to keep your chest and triceps from losing gas, and that's just the facts, jack.

Trying not to sweat it too much, buuuuuuuut... somehow, wrestling shows are gonna start up again real soon - there's one this Saturday, but I'm not on it - and I am booked at an "intimate" show in one of the promoter's yards next month, so now I gotta try and get serious I guess. I'm a little hesitant, but it's a good chance to shake some rust off, and Lord knows I need that. Plus, it should be fun.

Hopefully somebody buys a GOD DAMN T-shirt. I still got like 50 of these things, and I'm not gonna order more until I get down to my last 10.

Oh, uh, by the way... I'm willing to part with 'em at the Friend Price if anybody's interested. Free autograph on request! I'm nobody, but I look like I'm somebody, so that's something! But, uh... anyways, yeah, lemme know if you want a shirt, Anybody. I got a few left.

The house I live in... the house I own... is an old mill house that was partially remodeled. Still has the old flat asbestos siding on it. It's a stick-built millhouse with a new roof but on the outside needs a lot of cosmetic work but no $$$ for that for the foreseeable future. The paint peels like crazy and just needs a whole new job done, to be honest. Old sash windows but the inside is pretty nice. And there's a concrete slab porch out front and a planked wooden deck out back with a planked privacy fence that runs on the east side of the house. We're nestled just off the highway and in the woods so we see everything from deer, wild turkeys, groundhogs, geese, foxes, coyotes, copperheads, rattlers and black and rat snakes and across the road my neighbor had a black bear sneak up on his little 5 year old daughter. She was playing in the yard one day last year and the bear just came up behind her and sat down next to her. Didn't attack or nothing. That freaked him out and I had to run down there and plead with him not to shoot the poor thing.

So yeah, the country life is pretty relaxing, and we don't mind the constant traffic. Maybe that's why I love the TMNT Northampton stories so much... I can kinda relate to it.

[Leo656]

You get all'a that "In The Sewers"? Who's your agent?

Sounds like a sweet gig.

[PizzaPower1985]

Originally Posted by Leo656

You get all'a that "In The Sewers"? Who's your agent?

Sounds like a sweet gig.

It's a sweet gig if you don't mind a structurally sound, but semi-ugly house just off the highway. And yeah, my profile says my location is "in the sewers" because I wish to keep my whereabouts anonymous online from most folks. And damn, if I had an agent this computer repair gig I got goin' would defintely pay more. LOL.

[CyberCubed]

We're now in July. I still haven't walked one step outside since 4/15. I'm beginning to forget what they outside world looks like.

[Leo656]

Oh, I'm totally sure that's 100% true and not You being You.

Most people go out every day now, guy. Maybe you're sitting there with long fingernails and a big ol' Alan Moore beard, but somehow I ain't buying it.

[DarkFell]

I travel less often during the day. Not because of Covid, but more because of the heat. If I have to escape from my house, both the early morning and early evening hours seem to be the best times to do so.

[Leo656]

Yeah, when I go outside to work out it's usually early morning or late-afternoon. Otherwise it's stifling outside with the humidity and all.

If I gotta go to the grocery store or whatever it's usually mid-afternoon. But I don't have to go shopping that often.

[Reinako666]

Only time of when I leave my house is when im forced to go out.

[Leo656]

Went shopping on Saturday for groceries and a quick flea market stop. Now that the flea market is open every weekend we might swing by once a week again like we were before. Inside of places, people begrudgingly do the mask thing but people are really getting sick of it, you can tell. Nobody really pays attention to the arrows on the floor at Walmart anymore, but I don't know how many people ever really cared to begin with. Outdoors, people over here are carrying on "business as usual". I think at the flea market I see more people without masks than with them. At Walmart you see some people walking around in the parking lot with them but most people take them off as soon as they get outside the place.

When I was at Walmart, one of the guys who used to go to my gym was there and we got caught up for a bit. He immediately went to shake my hand, I gave him a fist-bump instead - typical Agnostic Catholic, right? "I'm not sure I Believe in anything but I don't wanna take any chances, either." - not sure if that offended him but I know from our conversation that he's ready for this sh*t to be over already. A lot of people who went to our gym are apparently really struggling because everything in the area shut down and most of them don't have the means or the discipline to exercise at home, so this has been a trying time for them, and now there's no gym for them to go back to at all, so it's rough. I feel really bad for them.

I made a joke about this supposedly being "The New Normal", as we're to believe, and the cashier rolled his eyes and called it "fear-mongering bullsh*t". There's this very strong sense that most people over here really either aren't buying The Official Story, or don't even care anymore if it is real and true, they're fed up with the situation as it stands.

Granted, most Northeasterners and especially NY/NJ people are hyper-cynical, jaded, and disbelieving by default, it's hardwired. We only at best ever believe half of what we see and none of what we're told; not sure if that ever changes if people move away or whatever but if you're living here that's your Default Setting: "What? Bullsh*t, I don't believe it." And I can't speak for everyone, certainly. But speaking of and for the people I do talk to frequently... yeah, I think most people are just about ready to say "F*ck It" and move on from this sh*t, damn the torpedoes.

They hear all the criticism that comes with taking that attitude, sure, and they definitely hear the insults and snark, and they see those cute little "It's not a mask, it's an IQ Test" memes. But the funny thing is, NJ's numbers supposedly keep going up, but nobody I know has it, has had it, or knows anyone personally who's had it, at least not around here. And given that we're so densely-packed, you'd think it would be more prevalent. But the numbers on TV don't line up 1:1 with the reality of the situation, that reality being, most people over here will tell you that they don't have a single friend, relative, or "friend-of-a-friend" who's even been sick at all. So something definitely doesn't wash. And that's not helping anyone's acceptance of the situation as "The New Normal".

And of course, someone can and will point to those Official Numbers and say, "It's that attitude that keeps the numbers rising", but again... how can people blindly trust numbers on a screen when their own real-life experience speaks very differently than what's being reported? I don't know anyone personally who thinks the whole thing is a hoax, pretty much everyone accepts there's a chance you might get it and they take the recommended precautions accordingly - but under protest. And just about every single person I DO know in Real Life has a very strong belief that someone's seriously exaggerating things to nefarious ends, while trying to nudge us along into accepting it as, indeed, "The New Normal". They'll point out how there's now a home-grown mask-making industry that's worth billions, which didn't even exist at 1/100th of its current status six months ago, and cite it as just one of several examples of how there's plenty of people out there with a vested interest in making sure this situation NEVER goes away. Or like all the medical researchers getting tons of money and research grants to study and ostensibly try to fight this thing. Three months ago, they were "Desperately searching for a vaccine/cure so we can all go back to normal as soon as possible." Now, the line is, "It may take multiple vaccines, and the virus may NEVER go away, and we're probably just going to have to alter our entire way of life forever, and this is, indeed, The New Normal." And I remember my Dad, who worked in the pharmaceutical business for over 30 years, and him saying that companies don't cure diseases anymore because there's no money in it, there's only money in treatment and "learning to live with it" because that's how the corporations keep getting rich and how the researchers keep getting money for more "research" into things they probably could have and did find cures for decades ago. He'd tell me things like, "They know how to cure cancer, they just Don't Cure Cancer."

And it all just really makes you think.

I'm pretty firmly in the "The Virus is real, but also, people are lying" camp, because nothing else really makes any sense. I live in a state that's supposedly one of the worst with it... and nobody knows anyone else who's even had a sniffle? Maybe they talked to someone who said their aunt had it and they read it on a FB post, or something, but nobody who's had any in-person contact with anyone else either in-person or over the phone or anything like that, knows anyone who's been sick. So obviously something in The Official Report isn't true. And knowing that, is why so many people over here just want to go back to living life, already. If it's real, it's real, fine, most people over here don't even seem to care anymore. Maybe "It's not just like the flu", but most people I talk to seem perfectly fine to roll the dice. Some people were "lucky" to have to work throughout this entire ordeal (I know not everyone has good jobs) and they seem more frustrated and impatient than anyone. Because they, too, haven't gotten sick and don't know anyone who has, and they're sick of all the rigamarole and jumping through hoops over something that almost feels like a phantom or Boogeyman at this point.

Like, nobody WANTS to get sick, or possibly die, and nobody wants to get anyone else sick and/or potentially kill them, either. But it's kinda like "So what?" at this point, for a lot of people. I don't care how many commercials try and make it look "cute", I don't know anyone who plans to wear a mask every time they go out for the rest of their goddamn life, and I can't blame them.

I don't really mind going out, or at least, I'm not "afraid" to go out. But it's depressing. It's depressing seeing little kids who are probably too young to understand anything about the situation, being forced to wear masks and be told they can't touch anything or go near people or any of the things kids do. They look like little prisoners. This isn't how people are meant to live, and I hate seeing everyone shuffle around like we all survived a horror movie or something, and furthermore being told every time I watch TV or go on YouTube that I'm expected to just buckle in and prepare to live the rest of my life this way. That sounds defeatist, to me, and it's not a future I'd wanna live in.

One would HOPE that some of the people "in charge" actually wanna go back to where we were last year, rather than "Well, yeah, This Is Life, now." But again, I'm not so sure that's the case. It certainly seems like "Give Up, This Is Forever" is what we're all supposed to accept. But I don't. I kinda think that there are reasons as to why this is going on for so long, that have nothing to do with people not wearing masks, and everything to do with "They Have Reasons for keeping it this way, entirely on purpose."

I'm personally not one for conspiracy theories, but I do empathize with those who are. Because I admit, once you know for a fact that They're Lying, it really does make you start to question everything you're being told, and very, very impatient for things to get resolved.

I don't know. I'd love for things to go back to "The REAL Normal", and very soon. But I don't think anyone's even talking about that anymore. Which kinda says a lot.

[Andrew NDB]

Kind of with you there. And as I always bring up... seems akin to the millions of second hand smoke deaths that are always reported and touted every time it's time to go after smokers... but no one actually knows anyone that has died of that. A bit. It's not exactly the same, but from a census/numbers-thrown-to-us level... comparative.

I know even as only a friend of a friend one guy that's died of this. And I live in Seattle, which is supposedly a hotbed of infection (and our "peaceful" protesters, of late). And the dude was both obese AND asthmatic. 40. And I'm not a hermit... I have tons of friends and through which I hear about a ton of people. A lot of which I don't want to hear about. Also, about 1,100 FB friends, most of which local and beyond the 1 I mentioned, no actual people saying anyone they know died.

If you have the gumption to look at the pictures of the dead and all, and I don't begrudge you if you don't... eh, they're all obese. Even the old ones, or they have a ton of prior stuff. Or just obese.

I suspect this will only magically go away after the election, sadly.

[Leo656]

Hah, my one friend implied the same thing. Guess we'll see.

My wife's 90-something aunt or something who lives in another state supposedly got it and was fine, but again, this is third-hand stuff. I don't know if she had "The REAL Virus" (COVID-19) or some other Coronavirus strain or what. But that's the closest I've gotten to the situation. And some people who live in other states said they had relatives who got it. But even if I expand the list to FB "friends", I know one person, I think, who had it. And another one who thought they had it but turned out they were sick with something else.

I've even seen/heard a few older people say, "If I get sick and die then I get sick and die, you're not gonna tell me not to hug and kiss my grandkids", and I gotta say, that's a plucky attitude when you're supposedly in the most vulnerable group. But like I said, even among those who might be "at risk", a lot of them are plain sick of this sh*t already. They've hit "I might get hit by a bus, too, so what?" levels and I frankly can't see how they could ever be convinced any differently.

I just hate looking at the TV and seeing people with masks in all the commercials now, and those Domino's commercials that try and make social distancing look Cute and Fun. That kinda stuff right there tells you that we're past trying to eradicate the problem and we've settled for trying to live with the problem. And I find that unsettling. It feels like programming, the way they're trying to aggressively normalize the situation. "One day, they won't even remember that we promised to Fix This Sh*t!" That's what it feels like.

Can't blame people for not wanting to roll over and meekly settle in for that.

[Andrew NDB]

We're in July now. I was more than willing to kneel down and shelter since March... but... OK... we've tried that. The expectation at the time was that the "quarantine" (it was never a quarantine) would be like 2 months, maybe a sliver more. Apparently they're saying it's still out there (I don't disbelieve them), though all of this was enacted for fear of lack of beds? Well then we literally tried it the way they said and waited for 5 months. We did what they asked. Guess it didn't work. Time to go back to normal. Sure, leave the mask enactment for a while, whatever you want to do there. But let's do it. This is clearly being used as a means to an end by... certain people. Guess who. Seems like a coup in disguise. Attempted, at least.

[Leo656]

I just sincerely hope that by next Summer I'm not faced with hordes of masked people all over the place in both Real Life and on my TV.

I'm pretty sure it's not gonna get any better, for one reason or other. I'm resigned to thinking that this is how it's gonna stay. But I HATE it and I don't want it.

[AquaParade]

I’m fine wearing the mask a bit longer, it’s the pandering advertisements (as usual) that drive me insane. “Here’s what we want you to do: count every hug you haven’t given...”

Ugh. Always grosses me out when corporations try and assume some type of leadership role through commercials.

[CyberCubed]

Considering 15,000+ people just got new infections in Florida because everyone was going outside in the summer, plus July 4th, etc...the virus is still a very serious concern.

We're up to 572,000+ deaths worldwide (and honestly it's probably closer to a million since we know China, Russia and some third world countries aren't reporting accurate numbers):

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

[Leo656]

Everyone is falsely reporting the numbers. It's just that some places are rounding way up while others are rounding way down, all according to whatever their personal social agenda is. So maaaaaybe by some accident it evens out to be close to the actual number... but nobody has any way of ever knowing for sure.

"It's still a cause for concern"... and yet the people who are supposed to be concerned because of how bad it supposedly is where they live, generally aren't. Because The Numbers don't match what they actually see in front of them when they go out and deal with people. "The numbers" start to seem like just that: Numbers. Maybe they mean something, maybe they're plucked out of thin air to make a point or scare people.

At some point, you start to wonder if there are really monsters under your bed, or if that's just some bullsh*t your parents told you so that once they tucked you into bed you stayed there. It's only natural to ask questions when What You're Told doesn't match up with What You See.

[Sumac]

Relative of a woman I know had died from it and I've heard about other people affected. So virus is real.

How many people have been infected or how deadly it is? I can't know.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Our state is one of the worst hit- because, frankly, most people here are basically idiots of the redneck variety- but our COUNTY has been relatively unscathed thus far, due to being a boondocks hick-town where most people either don't travel a lot, or they just do so for work which is mostly farm or oil-related and thus away from the hotspots.

That said, there HAVE been a few confirmed deaths here, and we just found out last Friday that someone here in our own complex has it now. So it is starting to hit close to home. We don't know WHO, because of disclosure laws, but here it is, on our doorstep. I don't worry about myself, because I've been at risk of exposure for months now, but I DO worry about my husband. His health issues, the diabetes and renal failure chief among them, make me concerned for his wellbeing in all of this.