Over here where I am it’s mostly a political concern, meaning our government will probably seize the moment and legislature will pass some especially nasty laws to benefit themselves and their business cohorts, on top of appointing our vastly overpowered state prosecution at the head of the quarantine and then passing a law against “spreading fake news about the pandemic”, which so far has been applied against two doctors telling the media that a particular hospital at our second largest city is woefully underequipped for receiving corona patients. In short: Ho hum, with some whimpering and gnashing of teeth.
Firm announced today they’re wrapping up on 06.04, no previous warning or even a hint. Wasn’t a good job, but it was easy and decently paid, and my only safety net. Back to freelancing I guess if there’s any to get back to.
Seriously, I’m one of those people who has a LOT less time on his hands. I’m figuring out how to switch the three classes I teach from in-person to online, as well as homeschooling my three kids now that their schools have been canceled.
I’m currently distracting myself from Coronavirus by finishing my Spring Thing entry! Just been blitzing a last few bugs and changing more daft verb/noun default responses tonight.
More seriously I am almost certainly in the highest risk category (apart from age factors), being permanently immunosuppressed. People in that category in the UK are being contacted directly by the NHS next week, to tell us the extra stringent measures we need to take. I’m expecting to be ordered to stay in the house for at least 12 weeks, possibly more. May go stir crazy Maybe I should write an IF Comp game! I’m also slightly freaking out about the risk, and my elderly parents who are both high risk plus age. But trying to distract …
Same minus one kid. When your class consists entirely of having the students call out answers to problems you’re doing on the board, it’s hard to transfer it! I was doing a class today where I was switching between one window for chat and one window for typing up the proof we were working on as a virtual blackboard, and it was the first time I’ve ever gotten physically tired from typing.
We’re not in full lockdown, but starting to minimise interactions as much as possible. Our friends were going to have a dinner party last night, so we went digital instead. A couple of rounds of Drawful and then watching vids from a Youtube play list we all contributed too. A fun way to socialise remotely.
I can highly recommend Drawful, and it’s free on Steam right now!
I’m in Nottinghamshire, UK. To be honest people around here are responding to it all in a mixed fashion, most have accepted that this is serious and are taking precautions. There are some who are just plain ignoring the medical advice, just wish they’d realise they’re endangering OTHER people.
My kids, 9 and 7, are loving it frankly! I mean to be fair, as a school kid, and providing your friends and family are unaffected, having 3months potentially off School is a dream come true!
Whilst my ailments (CMT, neuropathy) aren’t disabling they aren’t exactly enabling either! I’m sort of stuck in the middle. As such although I was an active younger man (football, gym etc) my kids have only ever known their Dad as someone who gets bad backs, headaches, stomach aches and sleeps for about 12hrs a day!! As such we’re not an “up and at them” kind of family, and like many Gamers we’re not too concerned about the prospect of staying home because we do that anyway.
That said, last two nights I haven’t slept well at all - chest pain, racing pulse, headache - so I do think this is getting to me even if I don’t dwell on it.
I hear that. It seems like everywhere I turn it’s corona virus news, and it seems that even in IRL it’s all anyone can talk about. Which is understandable, but it’s also becoming really stressful. All of my normal entertainment sources like Twitter and such are talking about it. Even accounts that you wouldn’t expect like major game developers or (in my case) japanese music idols, because something I follow. It’s inescapable.
I haven’t been sleeping very well lately, same as you. I don’t normally even dream or get nightmares, but I keep having nightmares and being unable to fall asleep because I’m worried about what’s going to happen.
Meanwhile I’m waiting for my company to decide to let us stay home. None of us want to keep going in to work, but we have to until told otherwise. I’m not sure whether an auto mechanic is considered and essential service or not. I don’t think anyone needs a @#%$ing oil change or tire rotation during the plague, but those customers keep coming in and even setting up appointments still.
As a freelance motion graphic designer, I often work from home, so I’m used to spending days at a time without speaking to another human being. As such, I thought I’d be taking this self-isolation better than most, but I’m actually finding it quite difficult. It’s now been almost two weeks since I had a face-to-face conversation with someone, IRL. On Friday, some friends and I had a Zoom party, we got some booze in and chatted for three hours. It was the best three hours this week, and when it ended I felt utterly bereft. My girlfriend lives 75 miles away, and I miss her acutely. I had hoped that I would be able to use this time to create all sorts of amazing things, including IF, but so far I have been unable to get into the groove. I wonder whether I need to structure my days better to avoid spending them procrastinating on social media. At present I have one ongoing motion graphics job, after which I will have to look for more, since as a self-employed person I am not entitled to the median wage the government are providing for PAYE workers. It’ll be tough, but I’ll manage.
I am human and I am worried. My family is stressed and worried too and need attention. I have to admit I sometimes dream of writing interactive fiction.
I just got word from corporate finally. Apparently mechanics are considered essential. So even if/when the state shuts down, I’ll still be here working. Hooray…
If anyone knows of any work-from-home jobs in javascript or the like, hit me up. I need to get out of this place.
Home office since two weeks. My answer to a friend asking how I cope: “We shower irregularly. I should have seen a hairdresser weeks ago. We’re eating crappy processed food. Sometimes we don’t know what day it is.”
Just got my shielding letter from NHS Scotland, as extra high risk person (top 2 or 3% of population) cos of immunosuppression. Can’t go out at all for at least 12 weeks - but will be many more I think - and must isolate within home from husband too. Can get help if needed e.g. with food supplies or medicines, e.g. if my husband came down with the virus and couldn’t shop / fetch for a while. Tho I didn’t need the letter to know I’m extra high risk for Covid cos of medication it is nice to have, and means support mechanisms will be in place. Disappointed at how slowly the Scottish letters came out though. People needed practical help sooner, and to know to shield. Also if I show any symptoms at all of Covid I have to seek medical help via NHS 111 immediately. I also need to prepare a hospital bag for emergency use, containing things for a hospital stay, list of prescriptions etc. Though I know if I get to hospital my chances are poor.
This is all rather scary, but I’m taking it day by day. Meanwhile I look forward to my game appearing in Spring Thing tomorrow. I also plan to continue working on a possible game for IF Comp. I’m trying very hard not to obsess about Covid, and do fun things. But I might go very stir crazy not being able to set foot outside the door for many, many weeks! Also isolating within a smallish bungalow isn’t easy, but we are trying our best.
For anyone interested in the saga of my being forced to work, they finally decided to furlough us for the foreseeable future starting tomorrow. Hooray!
Hopefully I can claim unemployment quickly, but I’m really just happy that the chances of my girlfriend surviving this has improved dramatically.
I feel extra isolated. I had to pack up and move to a new country in the first week of January, my partner was meant to join me two months after, but with the no travel ban I am still here by my lonesome. With almost a half-a-day time difference it makes communication even harder.
Maybe I should write an IF Comp game! I’m also slightly freaking out about the risk, and my elderly parents who are both high risk plus age. But trying to distract …
