Back to "Normal" or "New Normal"

[souldoubt]

I've been lucky enough to be able to work from home during all this but even as an introvert it's gotten to me just like it has pretty much everyone else.  I'm looking forward to being able to do things without having to be concerned where it is and who will be there.  We've passed on some gatherings because even though they were outside we knew not everyone would be wearing masks and we didn't know how many people each person there comes in contact with each day.  Another gathering we went to some time back was supposed to be small and outside then when we got there more of their extended family ended up coming and the weather kept us indoors.  We weren't going to up and leave but we would have politely declined had we known that was how it would turn out.  A friend of mine who I haven't seen in over a year now who was more cautious than most has had both his shots now and wants to meet up in a few weeks.  I'm looking forward to being able to see family and friends again without having to think about whether or not it's worth the risk.

[Deleted]

Apr 15, 2021 11:20:01 GMT -5 jeffreymo said:

We are looking forward to going to the movie theater. The Black Widow marvel movie comes out in July and we will be seeing that in the theater for sure.

Oh, yeah, I'd forgotten about that.  I hadn't been in one in decades but the guy I'm dating is a big movie buff.  We've both been vaccinated and the theatres near us never were that crowded so we'll probably go if we find a movie we both want to see.  I'm also looking forward to my seminary having its classroom weekend on the premises again; I miss the wine-fueled Friday and Saturday night conversations when we sat around solving the problems of the world and discussing classic rock music.

Two changes that I hope will continue:  Zoom meetings and not going to the gym. Planet Fitness terminated my membership after I wrote tactful notes to the 3 local clubs I'd visited and to Corporate about my concern that they didn't enforce masking even though local law required it.  Well, alrighty then.     I'm doing fine with a TRX, a bicycle and a treadmill.  I do a lot with the church and it's 17 miles away, and also with the Diocese- all via Zoom now. I vastly prefer not having to drive and was able to participate in a Diocesan Council meeting last weekend while visiting DS and DDIL 3 hours away.  

[oped]

My therapist said last week that it’s an observable fact that most of his extroverted clients started the pandemic badly but 6-9 months in started having a better time, having made adjustments, etc. while the introverts sailed through the first 6-9 even 12 months and lately have been like bursting bubbles all over the place. It’s going to be a real rebalancing effort I think.

[oped]

We could also do ‘how I’m going to celebrate’... which may or may not be new normal...

For instance new things I want to do but didn’t before.., I’m getting my nose and ear cartilage pierced. I think I’ll get a new tattoo. I’m joining the gym for a while a least.

These are my ‘roaring 20s’ goals... still on the introvert spectrum but ‘breaking out’ 😜

[haapai]

Apr 15, 2021 14:00:39 GMT -5 oped said:

My therapist said last week that it’s an observable fact that most of his extroverted clients started the pandemic badly but 6-9 months in started having a better time, having made adjustments, etc. while the introverts sailed through the first 6-9 even 12 months and lately have been like bursting bubbles all over the place. It’s going to be a real rebalancing effort I think.

It feels like the extroverts have taken over the world and have reduced introverts to isolated, over-worked, angry, mute, sub-humans who are only tolerated as long as they keep working while extroverts talk, talk, talk!

[Lizard Queen]

I don't know if this will make sense to anyone, but here goes.
I'm not scared of heights, except I am because I'm afraid my lack of fear will cause me to not pay attention to the danger and cause me to do something stupid. So I guess I am now?
Anyway, that's how I feel about going out in the times of the pandemic. I forget all the time, so I do stupid things, and that puts me on edge trying to remind myself to distance and use hand sanitizer, etc.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

When I got sick, a lot of my mindless running around to get out came to a screeching halt.  After I recovered, hitting 6 stores to get what I need no longer is an option so as a result I became much more calculated in my shopping.

The things I miss are travel and meeting up with others for meals and happy hours.  I also miss our ballet, opera, symphony and theater shows.  I have a friend who was way more careful than I.  When things started opening, I suggested we meet up.  At that point, she was in the process of getting vaccinated as a caregiver for her sister, who is immunosuppressed and she needs to travel to help her while her sister gets a knee replacement.  

[TheOtherMe]

Apr 15, 2021 14:00:39 GMT -5 oped said:

My therapist said last week that it’s an observable fact that most of his extroverted clients started the pandemic badly but 6-9 months in started having a better time, having made adjustments, etc. while the introverts sailed through the first 6-9 even 12 months and lately have been like bursting bubbles all over the place. It’s going to be a real rebalancing effort I think.

My therapist has pretty much said the same thing.  I, however, was the stupid person who stopped taking the meds at the beginning of this so I found myself in big trouble until I got back on the meds.  

I told her last week I have severe PTSD about going back around other people and hope telehealth continues for a long time.  I would not have to cancel when we get big snow storms if we could use telehealth.

[thyme4change]

As many have said the basics:

Travel
Restaurants
Live theater
Movies (we have streamed all the Oscar's- and either this year sucks, or streaming just isn't the same)

I also have always done odd little one-offs. Comedy shows, puzzle rooms, tours, museums, lectures, go karts, bowling, etc. I don’t really miss a specific one of them, but I liked that at least once a year we would do something a little off-beat. I'm ready to throw an axe, or go to a story telling night, or sing karaoke or whatever.

[haapai]

The one positive thing that I relearned during the pandemic is that if you wish to be informed, pay for your news.  I refused to pay for news or analysis during the first quarter of 2020 and it was a mistake.  I was worried about my finances but I just couldn't keep up with the pandemic news without paying for it, despite the free covid-19 coverage that many online newsites offered.  I spent the first six weeks of the pandemic trying to find useful information in no-charge clickbait and on the radio and TV and it just wasn't there.  I'm going to subscribe to news for the rest of my life. 

[Tiny]

Apr 15, 2021 14:14:32 GMT -5 haapai said:

Apr 15, 2021 14:00:39 GMT -5 oped said:

My therapist said last week that it’s an observable fact that most of his extroverted clients started the pandemic badly but 6-9 months in started having a better time, having made adjustments, etc. while the introverts sailed through the first 6-9 even 12 months and lately have been like bursting bubbles all over the place. It’s going to be a real rebalancing effort I think.

It feels like the extroverts have taken over the world and have reduced introverts to isolated, over-worked, angry, mute, sub-humans who are only tolerated as long as they keep working while extroverts talk, talk, talk!

I've been in those webex/zoom/teams meetings.    

I've discovered that I can't be part of a video conference meeting  (even with the video off) that I need to participate in AND do other work not related to the meeting.   Apparently my coworkers (and people in the meeting)  are able to do this...   Or everyone accepts that few if anyone in the meeting is paying attention and that info must be repeated multiple times and that a 'recap' is necessary multiple times during the meeting to keep everyone up to speed.  

I would LOVE to have meeting where everyone was only "in the meeting".  and I didn't have to do other things and that the other people in the meeting weren't  doing 2 or 3 other things at the same time.     

Apparently I can not multitask. 

[Tiny]

Apr 15, 2021 15:55:48 GMT -5 haapai said:

The one positive thing that I relearned during the pandemic is that if you wish to be informed, pay for your news.  I refused to pay for news or analysis during the first quarter of 2020 and it was a mistake.  I was worried about my finances but I just couldn't keep up with the pandemic news without paying for it, despite the free covid-19 coverage that many online newsites offered.  I spent the first six weeks of the pandemic trying to find useful information in no-charge clickbait and on the radio and TV and it just wasn't there.  I'm going to subscribe to news for the rest of my life. 

    I'm lucky in that my employer has "free" access to things like the New York Times and a couple other news sources.    I use to use these in the office (there was a generic way to get to them) but back in April 2020 I opted to get an official login so i could access them from home for free.     I also purchased on-line subscriptions to my local city's big paper and the suburban "paper".     These are now part of my 'budget' - I won't go back to absorbing "news" via osmosis... 

[Tennesseer]

Pfizer CEO says third Covid vaccine dose likely needed within 12
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said people will “likely” need a third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine within 12 months of getting fully vaccinated.

He also said it’s possible people will need to get vaccinated against the coronavirus annually.

Pfizer CEO says third Covid vaccine dose likely needed within 12 months

[haapai]

Apr 15, 2021 16:01:33 GMT -5 Tiny said:

Apr 15, 2021 14:14:32 GMT -5 haapai said:

It feels like the extroverts have taken over the world and have reduced introverts to isolated, over-worked, angry, mute, sub-humans who are only tolerated as long as they keep working while extroverts talk, talk, talk!

I've been in those webex/zoom/teams meetings.    

I've discovered that I can't be part of a video conference meeting  (even with the video off) that I need to participate in AND do other work not related to the meeting.   Apparently my coworkers (and people in the meeting)  are able to do this...   

I would LOVE to have meeting where everyone was only "in the meeting".  and I didn't have to do other things and that the other people in the meeting weren't  doing 2 or 3 other things at the same time.     

Apparently I can not multitask. 

I think that you might be experiencing something like what I am going through but I have to confess -- I do not zoom or facetime.  I've been cut out of real-time, in-person interactions to the degree that I feel invisible.  

I am an essential worker and my employer has always been shockingly reliant on face to face communications.  I first noticed this twenty years ago and speculated that this reliance on oral communication had a lot to do with the literacy levels of low-level employees (often shockingly poor) and the writing skills of the folks who would have ordinarily been doing the writing (also deficient). 

My company did not transition to the written word under the pressure of the pandemic.  The only people who are able to be in the loop now are those who are willing to demand that others spend lots of time talking to them, usually at very close proximity. 

Those of us who think that it is respectful to not demand that others share our air are non-entities now. 

[Deleted]

I do miss my museum visits and look forward to resuming them at off-peak times and fully masked.  I foresee most museums continuing their virtual visits and gallery tours, which I'll use some too because it's a good 30-45 minutes drive to see it live and $$ for parking.

And, yes, TRAVEL!  I hope we can take a river cruise next year or even a driving vacation to New Mexico.  I look forward to a monthly dinner out.  We do it now, but I'm nervous the whole time.  And a monthly hair cut will be heaven.  I will enjoy a monthly pedi too as I'm uncomfortable with naked toenails as I wear sandals so much.  But I'm on the fence too because my nails are so much healthier without the salon visits.

I look forward to being able to pop into a store if I suddenly need an item, but I'll continue the 90% online shopping I do now.  

My biggest fear is that I will never be truly able to enjoy simple activities again without fear.  I may seek a therapist about that.  

[Deleted]

Apr 15, 2021 15:55:48 GMT -5 haapai said:

I spent the first six weeks of the pandemic trying to find useful information in no-charge clickbait and on the radio and TV and it just wasn't there.  I'm going to subscribe to news for the rest of my life. 

Podcasts are great- and I haven't spent a dime.  Dr. Peter Attia has some great interviews and one of the best ones on COVID vaccine was one he did with a doctor who had developed the rotavirus vaccine.  The BBC is good and so are many financial news sites that covered COVID with no political agenda.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

welp, this is a total buzzkill

(CNN)About 5,800 people who have been vaccinated against coronavirus have become infected anyway, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells CNN.



Some became seriously ill and 74 people died, the CDC said. It said 396 -- 7% -- of those who got infected after they were vaccinated required hospitalization

www.cnn.com/2021/04/14/health/breakthrough-infections-covid-vaccines-cdc/index.html



i though they were saying 100% effective against severe illness?

[Opti]

Apr 15, 2021 16:21:11 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Pfizer CEO says third Covid vaccine dose likely needed within 12
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said people will “likely” need a third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine within 12 months of getting fully vaccinated.

He also said it’s possible people will need to get vaccinated against the coronavirus annually.

Pfizer CEO says third Covid vaccine dose likely needed within 12 months

Not surprised. 

[steph08]

Apr 15, 2021 19:43:17 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

welp, this is a total buzzkill

(CNN)About 5,800 people who have been vaccinated against coronavirus have become infected anyway, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells CNN.



Some became seriously ill and 74 people died, the CDC said. It said 396 -- 7% -- of those who got infected after they were vaccinated required hospitalization

www.cnn.com/2021/04/14/health/breakthrough-infections-covid-vaccines-cdc/index.html



i though they were saying 100% effective against severe illness?

I have always heard 90-95% effective.

5800 out of 77 million is .0075%.

I'll take my chances with the vaccine. 

[pulmonarymd]

Apr 15, 2021 19:43:17 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

welp, this is a total buzzkill

(CNN)About 5,800 people who have been vaccinated against coronavirus have become infected anyway, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells CNN.



Some became seriously ill and 74 people died, the CDC said. It said 396 -- 7% -- of those who got infected after they were vaccinated required hospitalization

www.cnn.com/2021/04/14/health/breakthrough-infections-covid-vaccines-cdc/index.html



i though they were saying 100% effective against severe illness?

Nothing in medicine is 100%. Without details about who those people are, there is no way to know why the vaccine did not work for them. If you look at death rates by age, they have plummeted significantly for the older age groups. But this is the reason why everyone needs to be vaccinated. If not, it will continue to spread, and those who do not get a robust immune response remain at risk, and this continues. This is not over by any means. Still a lot of work to do

[NastyWoman]

Apr 15, 2021 16:21:11 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Pfizer CEO says third Covid vaccine dose likely needed within 12
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said people will “likely” need a third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine within 12 months of getting fully vaccinated.

He also said it’s possible people will need to get vaccinated against the coronavirus annually.

Pfizer CEO says third Covid vaccine dose likely needed within 12 months

From a personal POV I consider this no big deal. I already get an annual flu shot so I'll just add this to my schedule if it turns out to be needed.

That said from a big picture POV, aka pandemic, this is not good. First world nations are using up all currently available supply and the poorer countries end up with crumbs. That should improve after we are mostly vaccinated, but those booster shots could very well push back the chance of third world countries to catch up. And in turn that  may lead to yet more dangerous variants and many more deaths. This pandemic shit has no easy solutions.

Meanwhile I decided to pretend that I threw caution to the wind by booking a 5.5 week trip to Europe in Dec/Jan. No tourist stuff, just family visits. And the ticket can be changed if I consider it not to be safe yet...

[teen persuasion]

Apr 14, 2021 23:26:12 GMT -5 giramomma said:

Our public libraries are still closed.  Pre-Covid. I used them a lot; either for work, for browsing books for the kids; story time; and playing with different toys time. I will be happy when that starts up again.

I miss working in a coffee shop.

I miss getting together with my stitching group,

I miss taking crafty classes.

I miss going to garage sales

I miss taking the kids to open gym type places.

I miss being able to walk down the hall to ask my coworker a question/consult for 10 minutes. Now, even for something like that, we have to schedule a zoom meeting.

Wow!  We've been open for browsing since August, limited hours at first, but essentially back to regular hours since September.

In person programming is still on hold, so no storytime, book club, Lego club, tech training, escape rooms, etc.  Computer usage had ramped way up after a slow start; we've had times when patrons had to wait for a free computer.  Most of our returning patrons are the die-hard physical book readers, so skew older and retired.  We have fewer children coming in, vs prepandemic, except for a few moms that regularly bring in their kids biweekly for a new batch of books.

Circ stats are still depressed, but rising.  We wondered how many patrons would make the switch to electronic versions/services.  There was some uptick when everything was shutdown last March, but it dwindled by summer. We still have a large number of patrons who prefer physical formats, or require them due to no internet access.  

DVD circs are interesting, though. They were a large and growing proportion of our circ stats prepandemic, but were almost nonexistent after we reopened. I speculated that the shutdown pushed many into streaming services, and they no longer needed DVDs, plus lack of new releases. Recently, DVD numbers have ramped up again. Seems it's a function of which patrons rushed to reenter the library vs slowly learned we were open, and their preferred media (books vs AV). Physical book junkies were pounding on the door, metaphorically.

We still offer curbside pickup, but only 1 patron still asks for it, for convenience.

[Deleted]

Apr 16, 2021 9:24:00 GMT -5 teen persuasion said:

We've been open for browsing since August, limited hours at first, but essentially back to regular hours since September.
<snip>

Circ stats are still depressed, but rising.  We wondered how many patrons would make the switch to electronic versions/services.  There was some uptick when everything was shutdown last March, but it dwindled by summer. We still have a large number of patrons who prefer physical formats, or require them due to no internet access.  

Mine opened, then closed again after a staff member got COVID and is now open again, with stays limited to 90 minutes. I'm just so happy to be able to browse the kids' section. I brought some of my grandchildren's favorites up to Des Moines every time but on this trip I was able to find some new titles. They're big Mo Willems fans (Knuffle Bunny, the Pigeon, etc.) and LOVED "The Pigeon Needs a Bath".

I'll likely keep downloading to my e-reader- even with a current eyeglass prescription I find it's less fatiguing to read on that than paper pages.

[teen persuasion]

Apr 16, 2021 9:38:10 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Apr 16, 2021 9:24:00 GMT -5 teen persuasion said:

We've been open for browsing since August, limited hours at first, but essentially back to regular hours since September.
<snip>

Circ stats are still depressed, but rising.  We wondered how many patrons would make the switch to electronic versions/services.  There was some uptick when everything was shutdown last March, but it dwindled by summer. We still have a large number of patrons who prefer physical formats, or require them due to no internet access.  

Mine opened, then closed again after a staff member got COVID and is now open again, with stays limited to 90 minutes. I'm just so happy to be able to browse the kids' section. I brought some of my grandchildren's favorites up to Des Moines every time but on this trip I was able to find some new titles. They're big Mo Willems fans (Knuffle Bunny, the Pigeon, etc.) and LOVED "The Pigeon Needs a Bath".

I'll likely keep downloading to my e-reader- even with a current eyeglass prescription I find it's less fatiguing to read on that than paper pages.

We haven't had any positive cases here, but neighboring libraries have had to do a few day shutdowns (for cleaning) when either a staff or patron was positive/had to quarantine(but didn't).  Our headquarters closed for a week when a staff member was positive (no walk in patron traffic, they only serve us - the libraries).

I prefer e-books for fiction, hands down, but I find non-fiction is often better in print because of diagrams, pictures, charts, references.  They can present formatting problems, or its just easier to flip back and forth between multiple pages rapidly.

[giramomma]

Our libraries are  doing curb side pick up. But I like to putter in the library. I think ours are supposed to open to the public in late May. At that point, it will have been about 14 months since they've opened.

[nidena]

I'm looking forward to wearing lipstick again.  

And in-person classes for archery and tai chi and knitting.

And hanging out with my family, whom I've seen twice since moving to this whole new state, to be near them, in January 2020.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Apr 15, 2021 20:18:29 GMT -5 steph08 said:

Apr 15, 2021 19:43:17 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

welp, this is a total buzzkill

www.cnn.com/2021/04/14/health/breakthrough-infections-covid-vaccines-cdc/index.html



i though they were saying 100% effective against severe illness?

I have always heard 90-95% effective.

5800 out of 77 million is .0075%.

I'll take my chances with the vaccine. 

90-95% effective against sypmtomatic disease.

How well it works: 95% efficacy in preventing COVID-19 in those without prior infection. The researchers report that the vaccine was equally effective across a variety of different types of people and variables, including age, gender, race, ethnicity, and body mass index (BMI)—or presence of other medical conditions. In clinical trials, the vaccine was 100% effective at preventing severe disease. In late March, a small CDC study that enrolled 3,950 health care personnel, first responders, and other essential and frontline workers showed the vaccine to be 90% effective upon full immunization (at least 14 days after the second dose) in real-world conditions.

www.yalemedicine.org/news/covid-19-vaccine-comparison
[Originally Published: February 24, 2021; Updated: April 13, 2021]

this info is from Yale medicine, updated just 3 days ago. Likely crackpots, I'm sure.

The article previously quoted say they are looking into the demographics on those that were fully immunized and still got serious illness/death as well as which vaccine they had. So - I'm looking for more information, hopefully quickly. We were going to visit my 97 year old mother when we were "fully vaccinated" but we may need to rethink that. She isn't vaccinated thus far (worried about a severe shellfish allegy) so we need to be careful and I really don't understand the flippant response you made. I think it's important for us all to understand the limitations of the vaccines, especially in consideration of our exposing vulnerable individuals. To me, it's important to understand this so I can make responsible choices. My daughter is terrified of inadvertantly "killing grandma". Grandma already has signed health directives, no resusitation, no intubation, no feeding tubes. So if she got this it would like be the end.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Apr 16, 2021 9:59:11 GMT -5 teen persuasion said:

Apr 16, 2021 9:38:10 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Mine opened, then closed again after a staff member got COVID and is now open again, with stays limited to 90 minutes. I'm just so happy to be able to browse the kids' section. I brought some of my grandchildren's favorites up to Des Moines every time but on this trip I was able to find some new titles. They're big Mo Willems fans (Knuffle Bunny, the Pigeon, etc.) and LOVED "The Pigeon Needs a Bath".

I'll likely keep downloading to my e-reader- even with a current eyeglass prescription I find it's less fatiguing to read on that than paper pages.

We haven't had any positive cases here, but neighboring libraries have had to do a few day shutdowns (for cleaning) when either a staff or patron was positive/had to quarantine(but didn't).  Our headquarters closed for a week when a staff member was positive (no walk in patron traffic, they only serve us - the libraries).

I prefer e-books for fiction, hands down, but I find non-fiction is often better in print because of diagrams, pictures, charts, references.  They can present formatting problems, or its just easier to flip back and forth between multiple pages rapidly.

I do not enjoy ebooks. Maybe too much like work - staring at a screen? I like paper books. Also - better suited for the bath I think .

For myself, if any kind of normal is to get going, and I'm sure it is. I hope we keep family game night going forward. Maybe once a month?

I do not miss commuting that is for sure, hopefully I get to be work from home at least 3 days. On the other hand, I did enjoy walking out the door of work of work at night and being "done". We'll see! I guess I won't know till we go back what I want.

I vastly prefer to pick our my own produce, but otherwise enjoy grocery delivery. I do struggle with all the boxes from amazon and bags from whole foods/jewel though - prefer to bring my own reusable. Will enjoy shopping and walking without masks/worry.

Otherwise, I'll need to think on it. 

[steph08]

Apr 16, 2021 10:11:07 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

Apr 15, 2021 20:18:29 GMT -5 steph08 said:

I have always heard 90-95% effective.

5800 out of 77 million is .0075%.

I'll take my chances with the vaccine. 

90-95% effective against sypmtomatic disease.

How well it works: 95% efficacy in preventing COVID-19 in those without prior infection. The researchers report that the vaccine was equally effective across a variety of different types of people and variables, including age, gender, race, ethnicity, and body mass index (BMI)—or presence of other medical conditions. In clinical trials, the vaccine was 100% effective at preventing severe disease. In late March, a small CDC study that enrolled 3,950 health care personnel, first responders, and other essential and frontline workers showed the vaccine to be 90% effective upon full immunization (at least 14 days after the second dose) in real-world conditions.

www.yalemedicine.org/news/covid-19-vaccine-comparison
[Originally Published: February 24, 2021; Updated: April 13, 2021]

this info is from Yale medicine, updated just 3 days ago. Likely crackpots, I'm sure.

The article previously quoted say they are looking into the demographics on those that were fully immunized and still got serious illness/death as well as which vaccine they had. So - I'm looking for more information, hopefully quickly. We were going to visit my 97 year old mother when we were "fully vaccinated" but we may need to rethink that. She isn't vaccinated thus far (worried about a severe shellfish allegy) so we need to be careful and I really don't understand the flippant response you made. I think it's important for us all to understand the limitations of the vaccines, especially in consideration of our exposing vulnerable individuals. To me, it's important to understand this so I can make responsible choices. My daughter is terrified of inadvertantly "killing grandma". Grandma already has signed health directives, no resusitation, no intubation, no feeding tubes. So if she got this it would like be the end.

I didn't call anybody a crackpot. Don't put words in my mouth. 

And I wasn't flippant - It is less than one-hundredth of one percent chance of severe COVID after vaccination. I never assumed this vaccine was 100% effective, no matter what the studies say. However, I also have experience with it because my brother had measles and mumps after being vaccinated. 

You do what's right for you and your family.

Also, chiver and WVU have both had dose #1 even with severe allergies - they might be able to provide info to help your mom feel comfortable getting it. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Apr 15, 2021 16:08:18 GMT -5 Tiny said:

Apr 15, 2021 15:55:48 GMT -5 haapai said:

The one positive thing that I relearned during the pandemic is that if you wish to be informed, pay for your news.  I refused to pay for news or analysis during the first quarter of 2020 and it was a mistake.  I was worried about my finances but I just couldn't keep up with the pandemic news without paying for it, despite the free covid-19 coverage that many online newsites offered.  I spent the first six weeks of the pandemic trying to find useful information in no-charge clickbait and on the radio and TV and it just wasn't there.  I'm going to subscribe to news for the rest of my life. 

    I'm lucky in that my employer has "free" access to things like the New York Times and a couple other news sources.    I use to use these in the office (there was a generic way to get to them) but back in April 2020 I opted to get an official login so i could access them from home for free.     I also purchased on-line subscriptions to my local city's big paper and the suburban "paper".     These are now part of my 'budget' - I won't go back to absorbing "news" via osmosis... 

I picked up a couple of subscriptions to the NYT and WP.  I got tired of bumping up against my 5 (or whatever) free articles/mo I got access to.