The upside to coronovirus!

[3rik]

Before masks were easily available commercially, I was making do with a bandana.

My work was providing throwaway masks when they became mandatory in public spaces (and in the workplace) so I took a pile of them home with me.

 

[xanther]

Did you have a gun?

I couldn't afford it on character creation, the GM is stingy in this pre-apocalyptic campaign find myself in.

Alas GF is here so need to go.

 

[K_Peterson]

I'm not sure if this is bringing the experience to a close or not, but 3 weeks ago I gamed in person for the first time in 16 months.

It was such a gratifying experience that weeks later I still feel the buzz from the session. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. It was great to feel the camaraderie again and to game with some focus that we never got out of VTT play. We actually got shit done and it didn't feel like one of my boring work online meetings. Another session is coming up on Friday and I'm really looking forward to it.

The only unfortunate thing is that one of the players declined attending due to contagion fears. His choice, of course to protect his safety and the safety of his family - and I respect that. But, I don't think we're going to see him for a long time to come and that's where it's a real shame.

God. 15 months of VTT play. It's not hyperbole for me to say that the past year has been about the worst gaming I've experience in the past 40 years. I mean, so bad that it had me thinking why on earth am I wasting my time doing this? It made me question my commitment to the hobby, and also question whether I should devote all of my Rpg-time to other hobbies instead.

 

[Bunch]

Well crap. I thought we just about to be out of this. Screw you delta!

 

[Nexus]

Its been rough for awhile, but we should look to the future...

 

[Bunch]

Its been rough for awhile, but we should look to the future...

You joke but my wife and I were laughing because we almost forgot our 3 year old broke her femur at the beginning of last year. Because a 2 year old in diapers with a broken femur and spicca cast was not the most memorable part of 2020.

 

[3rik]

The worst is, about two weeks ago the clowns of our government decided to go against all advice from the OMT (Outbreak Management Team) and open up all the clubs and install some wonky procedure where visitors had to prove they had been tested, fully vaccinated or recovered from a Covid infection recently. Shit went south, as was to be expected. So now everything is closed again, without any excuse whatsoever for ignoring the OMT's warnings. Morons.

Well crap. I thought we just about to be out of this. Screw you delta!

The WHO was warning about problematic mutants popping up before the end of the year if we didn't put enough effort into getting everybody everywhere vaccinated. At least the current vaccines seem to still offer quite a bit of protection from this delta variant. I want my second shot, dammit!

 

[spittingimage]

The WHO was warning about problematic mutants popping up before the end of the year

And now it turns out they were talking about the clowns of your government?

 

[Bunch]

Everyone except maybe imaginary countries like New Zealand are finding creative ways to screw up. From the US "I have the chance to get vaccinated but I won't because I'll grow a chicken head" to Brazil's "lalal-
a la this doesn't exist! Don't mind the bodies over there!" To Europe's "Let's just get one shot in and figure it out later"

I know those are gross oversimplifications but no one* seems to be handling it as well as they should be.

 

[3rik]

And now it turns out they were talking about the clowns of your government?

No, they didn't pop up, they've been here way too long already. In fact, our government is actually overdue but they can't agree on the new one.

 

[3rik]

Everyone except maybe imaginary countries like New Zealand are finding creative ways to screw up. From the US "I have the chance to get vaccinated but I won't because I'll grow a chicken head" to Brazil's "lalal-
a la this doesn't exist! Don't mind the bodies over there!" To Europe's "Let's just get one shot in and figure it out later"

I know those are gross oversimplifications but no one* seems to be handling it as well as they should be.

FWIW I got my second shot scheduled for July 27. So it's not that people aren't getting their second shots, it's that they started opening up stuff before the majority had gotten them.

 

[Silent Green]

Same here. “Oh, the numbers appear to be about to start beginning to level off, so let's reopen the schools, and then we'll really have to think about vaccinating the teachers.” (Within three days, the first class of the local primary school had gone into isolation.)

What really fuels my Politikverdrossenheit is the way the minister-presidents bob their heads to Merkel's measures in council, and the minute she announces them to the public, they hold individual press conferences where they state that the measures are well-advised, effective, controlled and appropriate and everybody really must follow them — except in their individual member state, whose inhabitants don't need them because reasons.

 

[Bunch]

My wife watches covid the numbers like an avid footballer watches their favorite team. We're in probably the best place in the states to be and watching the delta variant continue it's creep into the area. It's not really making the news here yet but it's just a matter of time. I'm glad I'm in a community that bought in hard to vaccination. We are at 97% of 12+ vaccinated. But the 12 and under are still unable to vaccinate so people are still pretty good at wearing masks locally

 

[EmperorNorton]

Ok, but does your gamer mask have gamer lights. Like a lot of the features it has are actually pretty practical, and then they are like, but how do we implement Razer Chroma here.

The World's Smartest Mask - Project Hazel

Razer's prototype of the most intelligent mask ever created, featuring surgical N95 respirator, active ventilation, and an auto-sterilization function.

www.razer.com

 

[urbwar]

Some friends went to a strip joint after the band they went to see play never showed up. I asked if the strippers were wearing hazmat suits (like in the meme shared early on), and my friend replied "no, but they probably should have"

 

[Nobby-W]

Yet another Dilbert on Zoom meetings -

I have come to loathe scrum masters and daily standup meetings with the fiery passion of 1000 suns.

 

[Godfather Punk]

I have come to loathe scrum masters and daily standup meetings with the fiery passion of 1000 suns.

For our daily stand-up, I have changed my Teams background to the scene in X-Men First Class, where Wolverine meets Xavier and Erik.
Yeah, that's my mental state during those meetings.

 

[Silent Green]

I kinda expected a picture postcard of Deolali, lovely boy.

 

[Bunch]

Folks bad news. New CDC report is saying this Delta is as contagious or more than Measles. The big unknown is how well its getting through vaccinations (between 3-30% I'm reading) but it's getting through and vaccinated folks are passing it along.

Be safe out there and wear a mask please. Don't think the vaccine makes you invulnerable.

I hate to say it but if you can prepare yourself for a redo of 2020.

 

[Stumpydave]

Mate, I've been prepared for a redo of 2020 since [POLITICAL DIATRIBE REDACTED. OFFENDER LOCATED. GEESE DISPATCHED.]


<Honks. Screams. Static.>

 

[EmperorNorton]

Folks bad news. New CDC report is saying this Delta is as contagious or more than Measles. The big unknown is how well its getting through vaccinations (between 3-30% I'm reading) but it's getting through and vaccinated folks are passing it along.

Be safe out there and wear a mask please. Don't think the vaccine makes you invulnerable.

I hate to say it but if you can prepare yourself for a redo of 2020.

I'm glad I bought a really nice mask a year ago, feels like I'll be using it for the next millennia.

 

[Bunch]

Sure. Why not.

Google News

Comprehensive up-to-date news coverage, aggregated from sources all over the world by Google News.

news.google.com

 

[Giganotosaurus]

Sure. Why not.

Google News

Comprehensive up-to-date news coverage, aggregated from sources all over the world by Google News.

news.google.com

At this point I'm utterly unfazed by this. Bring on the plague squirrels!

 

[Bunch]

At this point I'm utterly unfazed by this. Bring on the plague squirrels!

This gal is pretty hilarious. Its like rewatching the year and going "Oh yeah that fresh hell. forgot about that!"

It's multiple parts so be sure to watch them all.

 

[Giganotosaurus]

I'm kinda just waiting for the 4 horsemen to show up at this point.

 

[Stumpydave]

Have you ever considered we could actually be witnessing the end times?

Starting with the year of celebrity deaths (2016), wild fires, flooding, weather extremes, plague....

Just when you think "glad that shitty year is over. " we get something worse!

 

[Godfather Punk]

Could be worse... We could have a war.

...

Hope I didn't jinx anything

 

[Lofgeornost]

There are plague outbreaks every year or so among burrowing rodents in California and the Western U.S. generally. The disease has been endemic for decades, having spread East from San Francisco c. 1900, where it was imported as part of the Third Pandemic. So problems in the California region don't surprise me.

I'll admit I'm a bit more nervous to learn that it is chipmunks this time, since there are lots of them in Northeast Ohio. Fortunately for me, the plague bacterium never made it this far East, but with global warming that may be changing...

 

[Tommy Brownell]

Cherokee Nation has been begging literally anybody to come get vaccinated for months after they quickly topped out on tribal members who were willing to, then people living with tribal members, then people living within their 14 county boundaries in Oklahoma...vaccine availability in Oklahoma hasn't been an issue for a while, as Cherokee Nation was willing to give the shot to anybody while the state was still working on "phases" for rollout. But Oklahoma is still at around 40% full vaccinated, and less than 50% partially.

 

[Tommy Brownell]

And I just looked: less than 20% of Native Americans in Oklahoma are fully vaccinated.

 

[Nexus]

 

[Acmegamer]

The continue push back and wilful ignorance after 18 months of this is just heartbreaking to witness anymore in the USA. My wife and I just continue to do our thing to mitigate things, beyond that there isn't much you can do. The stress and frustration can really drive you into a sense of despair and then depression. We just keep trying to maintain a controlled, positive and consistent frame of mind, but some days it's just so damn hard.

 

[Bunch]

Im going to use this thread to unload all my Covid frustrations. It's better to keep it contained and avoidable for those who don't care or do but don't need anymore crap to feel bad about.

I got the email I'm sure many of you have received saying someone your child was in close contact tested positive for Covid. So far she's testing negative. It just feels very annoying that we have been so careful and we're still getting this. I have no hope for school handling this well.
My wife is still insisting they go to school in person on day one. I think this shit show is going to fail quickly so I'd prefer to delay our start and let it play out.

I'm just tired.

 

[Kilted Rob]

I am wondering how long we are going to last for in-person, at the end of the school year it turned into a fight with many of the students to keep their masks on, let alone on properly. Now I am in the middle of the worst outbreak in Oregon and the county fair was last weekend and the county commissioners are fighting the mask mandate. I am tired of carrying the burden for selfish, self-centered assholes. Oh, and the eigth ambulance of the day just went by with full sirens, been hearing five a day go by on average for the last week.

 

[Stumpydave]

I start teaching students in about week. 30 plus 17+ year olds who already know if all and we've relaxed all our covid restrictions (no masks, students sat in groups, the whole campus is open!)

How long before I catch it?

 

[3rik]

Pretty much everyone over 12 here has had a chance to get fully vaccinated by now. AFAIAC any unvaccinated covidiots getting it now have no one but themselves to blame. Some exceptions for medical reasons, of course.

 

[Lofgeornost]

I start teaching students in about week. 30 plus 17+ year olds who already know if all and we've relaxed all our covid restrictions (no masks, students sat in groups, the whole campus is open!)

How long before I catch it?

I hope you don't. We are about ten days from the start of classes here and the administration is walking a fine line. Masks will be required in the classroom until at least September 10 and there will be distancing of seats--but only 3 feet, not the 6 feet of last year. Fortunately, some group events that really shouldn't happen have already been cancelled. I was supposed to eat dinner next Friday night with a class in the dining hall, along with all the first-year students, and that's been changed to my taking them on a campus tour. But vaccinations are still not required for students, just very strongly urged.

 

[Bunch]

Pretty much everyone over 12 here has had a chance to get fully vaccinated by now. AFAIAC any unvaccinated covidiots getting it now have no one but themselves to blame. Some exceptions for medical reasons, of course.

The under 12 is a big group for me. It's all four of my kids. This year is worse than last not only because the delta is much more transmissible. This year unlike last a lot the people who are vaccinated think they are invincible just the like idiots who wouldn't wear any mask last year. The difference is they're actually pretty close to correct. They are unlikely to have a severe reaction. So they tend to be going back to life as normal. That was pretty true for 15-45 year olds last year but we asked them to all lock down to protect the elderly. This year people without young kids seem done. It feels more dangerous than ever for my kids.


All I can think is all the folks in places that couldnt get vaccines and are/have had outbreaks thinking welcome to my world for the last year.

 

[E-Rocker]

Something that legitimately is an upside to the COVID-era: the church my parents attend has already been livestreaming their services for quite a while now, since @ first they couldn't meet in person & now meet in person only in a very limited capacity with lots of safety protocols in place.

Which means that, when we have my brother's funeral on the 27th, it will be livestreamed. So lots of friends and relatives who can't make it in person for whatever reason(s) will still be able to attend online.

(He died of congestive heart failure, not COVID, in case anyone was wondering).

 

[Bunch]

I start teaching students in about week. 30 plus 17+ year olds who already know if all and we've relaxed all our covid restrictions (no masks, students sat in groups, the whole campus is open!)

How long before I catch it?

Fuck that's bad. I mean I hope you're vaccinated and if so then you personally are probably good. But if youre immunocompromised or have young children at home or old (80+)people who you see that's just balls.