Post ONLY Good Things to come out of this C-19 lockdown

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No more handshaking.

No more loud parties.

No more crowds in stores. No more aisles full of junk which make it difficult to maneuver a shopping cart. Aisles are one-way now.

No one thinks you're crazy if you yell at them for standing too close.

No one thinks you're crazy for asking "why are there so many people here? Why don't they all just GO HOME?!"

Fabulous.

Support and appreciation of our front line workers.
People spending time with their children.
Reduced anxiety from children who aren't at school.
Many happy dogs getting lots of walks.
Quiet skies.
Compassion.
No need for small talk.
(Some) NT people realising they like solitude.
Work-From-Home initiatives which may stay in place.
International cooperation (for the most part).
Help for homeless people.
Charity and almsgiving.
Creativity (gotta love some of the PPE outfits!)

My father informed me that we’ll be doing the walls in our next door neighbours’ garage.

Ours is one of the, if not The, only finished garages in the neighbourhood - although it’s not heated.

Anyways, the neighbours’ eldest of 5 kids is going to university on a football scholarship (med school goals) and they want to insulate & finish the walls in their garage (standard drywall) to make a workout room for him.

My dad’s been steel stud framing for 45 years or so. He’s among the best and probably The Fastest in the city - no one can frame and board like him. (Also has instructed classes at our Union trade school.) He will frame, insulate, and board it. I’ll just hold up sheets as necessary but don’t know squat about framing.

Then I’ll tape & finish it ready for paint. I’m a few years into my taping apprenticeship now and my work is looking Damned Good - like up there with the best in the city; in part because I’ve gotten the opportunity to train under them.

I’m looking forward to doing this job (We won’t enter their home, garage only. She’s a nurse. We’re all smart enough to properly distance and wear masks.) mostly because the man of the house next door has been so incredibly good to my father. He shovelled snow and cut the grass etc when my dad exploded his ankle and was off work for 13 months healing up from surgery. And since I’ve done very little in return for them (work wise, but I do buy them a bottle at Christmas), it’s nice to be able to volunteer some time and skills to help them out. Hell, if they plan on paying for my materials I won’t take their money. Also looking forward to doing it so my dad can see what my work looks like now. He’s not a taper and so his finishing work is pretty amateur compared to mine and it’ll just be kinda neat to show him the progress I’ve made at this art form. It’ll be good to keep up with practice vs getting rusty, too.

I’m no painter so I kinda hope they don’t want me to paint lol but I Can do it; I just don’t really like to. If no one else Wants to, my mom is actually quite good at it now after painting interior walls several times in our homes. Maybe she’ll get involved just to be a part of it?

Hmm, reminds me.. maybe I should use some of this downtime to order a couple more BIG F’n trowels online for one I’m back to work and can step up to learning how to control them - not so easy! Main one we use is a 12” to start out with, getting used to my 16” now, but it’s still a bit tricky for me to use a 20”+. Gonna order a 20” and a 24” - very few ever own larger than an 18” But if you can learn to use a 20-24” smoothing trowel very well overhead on a ceiling you can save a Lot of smoothing & sanding time over the course of a job or career, resulting in making $$$ a lot faster.

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No for supporting trump. Because doing so is deplorable.

My granddaughter is back on track academically. She has nothing to divide her attention and her grades have come up significantly.

I had the free time and chatted in the phone with my Aspiest uncle a few days ago for 10.5 hours until the battery on the cordless phone was about to die. I’m surprised it lasted that long! It never has before afaik.

Kind of ironic, too, because he lives only ~5.5km away and I almost never see him and I was thinking when I drove passed recently that this C-19 stuff is lame since it gives us the time to visit family but we can’t.

Whatever, he called to tell my mom something and I answered and 10.5h later we’d talked about a few things.

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No for supporting trump. Because doing so is deplorable.

I have become more used to talking on the phone now. Before I used to just see people. This is a big thing because I used to only talk to my mum on the phone and text everyone else.

Getting parking anywhere is a lot easier because there's less cars taking up the spaces.

This is a nice time of year weather-wise to go for a walk.

Less pollution. That's a very good thing!


No shaking hands. The last time we didn't shake hands and used more hand sanitizer (during the swine flu), it was reported that the number of stomach flu dropped. Shaking hands should not be a way to greet, it's too unhygienic.



Lots of really funny jokes and memes

I’ve had the time to be there for a close friend to talk him through unemployment options when he was worried about losing his apartment, and to chat after the untimely death of his dog (COD accidental medication OD by Veterinarian), and also to do his taxes remotely this week sometime.

It’s rather nice to have alllll kinds of free time that’s made me available to be a good friend to someone I really care about instead of having to reply with “working,” or “driving,” or “busy, chat later,” kinds of messages. Quarantine time has been fantastic for that.

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No for supporting trump. Because doing so is deplorable.

Good Thing: I have finished writing and editing a 72-page RPG adventure for 4-6 mid-level characters.
Bad Thing: There are not enough people quarantined in my house to organize a play-testing session.

Good for my husband: He hates work and gets to be off on 80% pay for a few weeks and see more of his family.
Good for my toddler: She gets to see more of her dad.
Good for me: I get to see more of my husband and don't have to go to the shops.

No teenagers or traffic at the high school across the street.

No screaming kids at Walmart.

I do my grocery shopping each week at Walmart now with help from my mom. Since I can also go shopping for toys or craft items at the same store it's somewhat less stressful.

Less pollution.

Extra money from the government. I'm normally lucky to have any money left by this time of the month without the extra I get from my parents.

More time for myself

Not having to deal with rejection

Things seem more quiet and peaceful

No Hi Fiving or handshakes

I got stuck at a friend's house in another state when the shelter in place orders came down so I stayed. In the beginning is was awful because I had no routine, hated the food and didnt feel like I fit anywhere. Just in the way. I'm disabled too so those physical challenges didnt help. What has come out of this covid lock down for me that is positive has been having to deal with soaring amounts sensory input overstimulation. Raging emotions without getting out of control overwhelmed to the point of going mental on my friends and their family. They have a child and I can only take in small short term visit doses
I've discovered new tactics within myself to not meltdown or completely shut down. I'm functioning in a unit now for over a month and finally able to get my s**t together enough not to be so Aspie they want to kill me. I'm working on my listening skills, which are s**t, and trying really hard to be more aware of others feelings. It's not my ideal living situation but I'm kinda proud of myself for not falling apart. I think many of us are far stronger than we give ourselves credit for.

People getting their priorities in order.
Not sweating the small stuff.
The acknowledgement of our interdependence.
Neighbours talking to neighbours.
Empathy.