# Did The Last Few Years Of Isolation Mess You Up?



## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

I find I'm not going out, I don't want to be around crowds, I am isolating a lot. 

I don't think it's safe out still, as covid is still there and spreading. I still wear N95 masks and gloves in public. The thoughts of being next to people in a crowded setting is not something I want to be a part of.

How about you?


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Messed up yes. Big change in how we live.

I still wear masks in stores and so on and I don’t particularly wanna be around anybody in elevators and stuff like that. But I’m going to jams no mask and that’s in rehearsal spaces as well as outside. I’m a little bit more relaxed about the whole thing and thinking that if I do get the 19 probably won’t be as bad as the earlier versions were. However, I don’t look at the world and the people in it in the same way as i used to.

this last week I had to go into Toronto and do a witness examination in person which I did not want to do but the other side insist to be in person. Seems completely fucking stupid to me because we’ve been doing this for the last 2 1/2 years on video. Anyway I get there and it’s a large office building there’s eight elevators in the front lobby. The place was empty. Before Covid you had to line up in the morning to get on the elevators it was very crowded. So I get to the place where we’re going and they have two floors in his building; they have a lot of space. There was only myself the other parties involved in my action as well as the staff on the main floor of this place. Other than that it was empty. I do not know how the hell they are staying in business because no one‘s going there. Same on the way out had the elevators all to myself. So it’s not just the business that I was going to it’s an entire 20 story office building basically has no one going there.


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## Thunderboy1975 (Sep 12, 2013)

Ive got bigger problems😅 naw jk. Im living less a car, insurance, mortgage, single , no kids and couch surfing and semi-retired. Not afraid to die so i just live. Having a blast😌.


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## FatStrat2 (Apr 7, 2021)

I'm definitely a bit more isolated than before, but I've always been a bit of a loner except for the loved ones around me. Hasn't affected me much.

One thing that has certainly changed is I don't give strangers eye contact when I'm walking the streets anymore - and I'm better for it.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

I don't go out as much mainly as I got used to reigning in the spending. When I do go out I'm not afraid of crowds and I don't wear masks. I'd rather be dead than afraid to live.


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## Powdered Toast Man (Apr 6, 2006)

I've only played a handful of gigs in the last couple of years because I find it very off putting to be at an indoor show. Just so many people crammed into a space and no one is masking anymore. I'm also really afraid to book any sort of gig that relies on attendance because I had multiple gigs cancelled due to either lockdowns or members with covid. So yeah, I'm afraid to book gigs because I'm so worried about shit going sideways.

I still mask in indoor public places like stores, etc. I go out and do normal things, but masking is the least I can do. I'd rather wear a thing on my face sometimes than end up screwed up with long covid.


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## AJ6stringsting (Mar 12, 2006)

It harmed my children more, they were isolated, separated from their friends at school .
At my work , supplies were running short and my hours were cut off due to supply shortages of steel,, concrete and rebar .
The one who were most harmed are the Families that members that died during the Pandemic, my heart goes put to them, the most .


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

I've been on holiday the last 3 weeks which included a bit of air travel and also ferry to Vancouver. It's the first time I've felt ok with being that closed in with others. I'm not overly fond of the travel part but the holiday has been great. Plenty of hanging out with family doing mostly outdoor stuff. Good times. 
I think how we relate to "the other" (folks we interact with but don't have a personal connection to) is at a disturbing level of indifference and even hostility. To some degree I feel that unfortunate change in myself, regrettably. Hopefully that will improve.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Messed up? Maybe.

I keep to myself and to mine more than I did before Covid. I'm kind of socially awkward and withdrawn anyway so it sort of suits my nature. Though I haven't been wearing a mask in public lately, I still carry some in the truck, shoulder bag, and often in a pocket, just in case. The physio clinic and the medical clinic still demand masks as did Stratford hospital, but the chiropractor, and massage therapist offices have dropped them. The hand specialist's office I visited a few days ago weren't masking.

For music lessons I will mask only if the student masks, but I still have the (insert expletive here) plexiglass shield, 6' (+/-) distance, hand sanitizer, limit on guests (1), and area sanitizing between appointments. I have also eliminated the student loaner guitar and don't allow students to touch amps.

The Mrs. masks most of the time in public. Her work involves contact with people with health compromises so she needs to be careful, though I have trouble discerning when it veers into paranoia. 

Fwiw, my household for all the risks, has been Covid free.


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

The social constraints that covid restrictions imposed suited introverts like myself near perfectly...at first. Enough was enough at some point however and after restrictions were lifted, I found a more suitable balance. I'm still an introvert but lock downs helped me to better appreciate the importance of social interaction. I value my time with family & friends to a greater extent now.

As far as work, I'm frontline in mental health & addictions, so there was no working from home. Demand for services easily doubled during the pandemic, while human resources continued to fall (from burnout mostly), so there's been no "downtime" for 2-1/2 yrs now. I'd say that's been the single biggest negative impact of covid on my daily life.


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## Fred Gifford (Sep 2, 2019)

pissed me off royally, two years of house-arrest and when it finally ended we discovered that me wife has Stage IV Cancer after all that bungled B.S. I'm not a paranoid weenie living in terror, the law required that I got two shots, so I did, but it stopped there. On a more serious note, I see (mostly women) that are still living in terror, strict isolation nonsense, won't come out, double masks etc. etc. and I tell them that time stops for no one, the clock is still ticking and you don't get your life back to re-do all the time you have lost ... live your life or lose it to paranoia, I subscribe to the former thought and not the latter .. it's time for civilization to put the past behind us and proceed forward .. no thanks to the media who are desperately trying to promote another end of the world scenario, Monkey-Pox failed to stike terror into the hearts of every man, woman and child on earth, so they will be looking for a new angle ASAP .


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## Fred Gifford (Sep 2, 2019)

guitarman2 said:


> I don't go out as much mainly as I got used to reigning in the spending. When I do go out I'm not afraid of crowds and I don't wear masks. I'd rather be dead than afraid to live.


to me, that's it in a nutshell ... I honestly believe 100% that the worst is behind us and I act accordingly .. I refuse to cower like a beaten dog for the rest of my life .. give me freedom or give me death


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## Thunderboy1975 (Sep 12, 2013)

There were times when all i had to eat was a loaf of bread due to Uber and stores being closed. But the pandemic allowed me to sit and play my guitar for hours a day which was fine by me. I got snapped at by old ladies outside of restaurants (mcD,harveys) for eating a fry after i exited the restauant. The barking orders at me as soon as i walk in a place annoyed the shit out of me. Mostly overweight white women went full nurse Rachett on me if i wasnt standing on a marker while in line. I got stuck in Sarnia when a job i took closed after 3 months but kept me on lay off for 10 momths w/ benefits. (I dont need benefits ii legally have through treaty agreements). So all in all it left me a little lonely at times but it was a memorable experience.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

I was messed up long before covid came along. I will tell you something though, this has truly changed my perspective. Now what you have to realize is that other than the oddity of empty streets and a whole new thing to focus on, nothing in my life drastically changed. Other than wearing a mask in stores, I cannot honestly say that there was anything different in the past 2 years of my life. I did not miss a single day of work during the whole ordeal (except when I had a 10 day covid holiday) , we never had isolation orders or mandates of any kind here in BC. There was a time when people were supposed to limit their social circle, but I guess thinking back on it we never complied. Sure there were some industry specific closures but seeing as I was not part of any of those it didn't effect me much. 

What it has taught me are two very specific things. People are proper wankers. That is the first thing. From top to bottom folks had some really crazy ways of dealing with this. At a time when a little compassion and empathy would have gone a long way what I largely saw was the complete opposite. I won't get into it here, you all say the same things I did but let me just say I wasn't overly impressed with our species. More importantly it taught me that I dont care about other peoples problems. In work, life, society..... you name it, I am tired of worrying about anyone else's shit but mine. This is a lesson I would have done well to learn a long time ago but here I am now. I began to really value my life a lot more than I did before. Not so much the living part as I always understood how that was rather precious being finite and all but how I spend my time. I am home more than I ever was as I limit myself to working on work days, I dont work upward of 14 hours every day any more. I just took a month long holiday for the first time in my whole life, which this is the only holiday I have taken in 10 years (unless again we count the covid infection). So thank you global pandemic for opening my eyes to the world around me I suppose.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

I’ll start by saying “social distancing” is just fine by me. I’ve never been a fan of crowds and people being right on top of me. 

HATED masking. I’m a people watcher. I watch body language, little details etc. I hated not being able to see people‘s faces. I hated not being able to breathe properly.

Except for maybe the first 3 or 4 weeks of the fist wave, work was pretty much business as usual for me. In fact, things were pretty good. People were spending without much thought about price.

Mostly, I now find myself regretting all the things I missed with my wow sons, who, over the course of this thing went from wanting to spend all sorts of time with me to being at the age where they wanted to explore the world on their own. I regret all the baseball games and trips to the museums etc. that we missed and that they’re no longer interested in doing.

For my sons, who basically grew from boys into young men, I regret all the things they missed. Particularly my eldest who missed all the field trips and the grade 8 class trip to Ottawa or where’ve they go now and got stiffed out of his grade 8 graduation. Stupid drive up, hand you your shit, be on your way graduation. My boys, collectively, went through grades 6-9 during this thing. Big years in a young man’s life. They kinda got the shaft.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Biggest impact on me was that, with my wife working from home, and essentially being around 24/7, I haven't played much, keeping things quiet, and concentrating on cooking and building (and too much Youtube). Socially, things have been sparser. I'm out and about, doing all the shopping and chauffeuring, and occasionally attending religious services. But old friends who I would have liked to have seen and visited with are e-mail contacts only. I have appreciated those visits from forum members who dropped by to buy things or get things fixed or modded. Nice to shmooze. With an entire generation getting on in years, I see relatives more...at funerals.(was at a funeral for a 98 year old uncle last week, and Erin O'Toole, of all people, gave a eulogy).

But it's difficult to surgically separate what pandemic restrictions might have changed in me, and what is simply age and being a few more years into retirement. It hasn't messed me up, any more than turning 70 has. Got my 2nd booster on Wednesday, and have been healthy as a horse these last few years, now that I'm not taking public transit. I also have a very runny nose, so nothing airborne gets to stick around for more than a few minutes. Wife's down with Covid this week,so I'm in the spare bedroom. Like they say on airplanes, put your own mask on first. I keep mine on in most social situations, including shopping. A minor nuisance but not a hardship. Less a hardship than the ignorant belligerence and inflexibility displayed by too many.

I'm generally an easy-going guy, who rides things out. So, biggest impositions of the pandemic era: no amp settings above 1, the "freedom convoy", the flour and yeast shortage, and the May dorecho.


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## Verne (Dec 29, 2018)

Didn't affect us at all. We both work with the public daily, so when we'd get home we rarely went anywhere anyway. My work went crazy busy because of the lockdown (courier) so when I got home I was completely done with people and being out. She works for a CDN retail chain and people would flock to go shopping and were rude and ignorant every day. She is also a bit of an introvert, so again, when done work, we stayed in. We would go out only for basics. Even then, we discovered Costco had instacart and found a place that delivers fruits and vegetables to the door. The last few years haven't changed us, in fact, it solidified us and our dislike for the public pretty much in general. We couldn't isolate work days as we were in jobs that that was not possible. I have a very small circle of friends, so even social gatherings were/are very small or rare in general. I learned that we could survive being isolated as it is apparently a life style we live pretty closely already.


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)




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## FatStrat2 (Apr 7, 2021)

I'm trying not to be cynical or pessimistic, only realistic. But if history has taught us anything, it's that this is going to happen again, probably in the next several years. So I'd prepare for the next one emotionally and mentally.

Oh, and I made a lot of coinage during those 2 years trading stocks (which is why my house is paid off & I bought 10+ guitars/amps). Swing trading can be tedious and a little nerdy, but the outcome is worth it once you separate yourself from the emotional aspect of it. I know tips are for waiters but: start shorting stuff now.


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)




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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

It hurt us a bit. My wife is still nervous, as am I. I am cautious by nature. Add in asthma and high blood pressure, and I am still masking in stores.

That said, I am not so cautious as to be nuts about it.

There has been a physical impact. Less movement means more me,and more inertia. I am too heavy, but also have too many physical ailments from inactivity to get aggressive about exercise.

We are supposed to go back in a hybrid work environment starting in October. Personally, I would rather stay home and save the time and money.

The biggest worry is what it has done to my kids. It has had a real impact on my daughter, who hasn't seen a lot of her friends for a long time (we "bundled" with the parents of my son's bestie). Hopefully they can bounce back. Kids are resilient, but I think we'll be seeing the effects of this way down the line.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

The Covid era has cemented and encourged elements of my nature that are in some ways, negative.

I'm mitigating some of those now and having some success.

On the other hand, the pandemic has also made some very positive changes in my lifestyle. Working from home is just dandy.

We live in interesting times.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I have worked from home for years and I have always been a bit of a hermit. I do social, stuff it's just that I'm more happy being on the hiking trails in nature and I know very few people into that hobby.

The issue I ran into is that to break up my day I'd just go do random stuff like sit in a coffee shop so that I was out and in a scenario where there are people. So not being able to do that took a toll. I was finding myself very unmotivated to do stuff like song write and record, which I had all the time in the world to do. I have been treated for anxiety for years. With the isolation factor kicked up a bit I was having huge focus issues. So playing guitar or even reading was tough.

The other big thing is everyone I know was isolated with their families. I don't have one, and I live alone. So that definitely was a bit tough.

All I know is that my whole life they warned about the effects of globalization and possible pandemics in my lifetime. This won't be the last. And with the way some people took this, when we get a worse one I am concerned what will happen.

Edit. What messed me up worse was getting Covid. I am still suffering awful awful side effects.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

I’m not sure it “messed us up”. It was definitely a pain in the ass. I believe a lot of it (certainly the early stages) was necessary evils. Didn’t like it, but understood why.
Work certainly has changed forever. Our focus of servicing offices was a bad choice. Less and less need for them. So, less need for us. But I personally never missed a day. We never stopped, just slowed greatly.
I’d say our social life is 90% back to normal. My wife and I accept invites, we host at our home, and family don’t seem to mind dropping by whenever they f*cking feel like it!

The 10% would be large indoor events. I haven’t seen a concert, or set foot in a movie theatre in the last 3 years. Also, one of the couples we hang out with usually do a big weekend party at their cottage in Lions Head. Been three summers of missing a definite high point get together. And, they don’t seem to be saying … maybe next year.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

I am definitely more cautious about being in crowds. I mask at work (Home Depot) and when I'm shopping. I don't socialize at gigs, spend my breaks outside. Most of our gigs have been outside so far. I had COVID last May. The after effects are still with me. I don't want to get it again. If I do get it I don't want to spread it to my loved ones. My wife hasn't had it yet. I slept downstairs, we kept the windows open, and we both masked when I was contagious. I wonder about the age distribution of those who aren't concerned vs those who are. We tend to be more conservative as we get older.


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

player99 said:


> I find I'm not going out, I don't want to be around crowds, I am isolating a lot.


This. And when I do go out, I stand at a distance. My "personal space" bubble is bigger.


zztomato said:


> I think how we relate to "the other" (folks we interact with but don't have a personal connection to) is at a disturbing level of indifference and even hostility


I also find people's patience and understanding of others has waned.
Also people's views in entitlement had dramatically changed. 
"If I stand here and yell long enough, I WILL get my way!"...... people used to be nice to each other, now, not as much.


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## Merlin (Feb 23, 2009)

Covid and its fallout lost me a good day job that I was barely at for six months. I didn’t get work again until August of 2021. I just celebrated my anniversary at the new job. There was certainly some financial setbacks. I also had a relationship dissolve, and had to say goodbye to my faithful old hound.


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## GuitarT (Nov 23, 2010)

I'm over it. Quite honestly I was fine through most of it. I was lucky in that I worked through the whole thing so I got out of the house and had social interaction every day. Other than following some workplace protocols my weekday life was pretty normal until 3:00 every day. I did have some friends and family who were very sick with it (Delta) so that lead to some stressful times. I haven't worn a mask since mandates were dropped and I've really been living life as normal for the last several months. I'm not anti mask or anti Vax, I believe they played a crucial role in leading our way out of this mess but it's time to move on. And yes, I realize Covid is still out there in strong numbers as I was one of the numbers a few weeks back.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

player99 said:


> I find I'm not going out, I don't want to be around crowds, I am isolating a lot.
> 
> I don't think it's safe out still, as covid is still there and spreading. I still wear N95 masks and gloves in public. The thoughts of being next to people in a crowded setting is not something I want to be a part of.
> 
> How about you?


I just do what I normally do. I’m triple vaccinated so not worried. I’ll go out in public without masks or gloves. I don’t miss going to weddings and funerals.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I'm curious for those of you saying you still wear a mask. If you are double vaxxed what is the point?


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

StevieMac said:


> The social constraints that covid restrictions imposed suited introverts like myself near perfectly...at first. Enough was enough at some point however and after restrictions were lifted, I found a more suitable balance. I'm still an introvert but lock downs helped me to better appreciate the importance of social interaction. I value my time with family & friends to a greater extent now.


Pretty much sums it up for me. I've found it hard to go back to "normal" as everything is convenient/efficient with Zoom and Teams but the last couple months I have had more of an urge to get out.

Our kids are out of the house so it was easy for me and my wife. I understood that it was difficult for many other people (especially the younger crowd) but it was re-enforced in late December 2021. I need to do professional development courses to maintain a designation and at last minute, did an easy (I thought) 3 hour session "mental health and work environment". OMG....I was with a bunch of younger professionals online and the stories I heard were rough. Everyone seemed depressed ....young kids, health issues with one partner, etc. When it came to my turn to speak I made some comments about realizing how easy I had it and got a "good empathy" comment from the moderator.....I was shocked at how bad it was.


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## Mikev7305 (Jan 6, 2020)

knight_yyz said:


> I'm curious for those of you saying you still wear a mask. If you are double vaxxed what is the point?


Because the vaccine doesn't stop you from getting covid, or spreading it. Believe it or not some people actually got the vaccine with the intent on it helping them to not get covid, unlike many who strictly got it because they were told to. 

My life didn't change much, I missed 4 days of work due to having covid, and missed a week in April 2020 when everyone freaked the fuck out. I'm back to pre pandemic social life


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## Jaime (Mar 29, 2020)

knight_yyz said:


> I'm curious for those of you saying you still wear a mask. If you are double vaxxed what is the point?


Because you can still get it and still spread it. This is pretty common knowledge at this point.


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## Ship of fools (Nov 17, 2007)

I admit that I'm still freaked out by crowds because of my IPF and COPD. Costco can cause me some stress if its full.
But because my wife is retired now for over 16 months it has made it a lot easier for me. Quadruple vaxed and still worried. So who knows what normal is these days.


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## FatStrat2 (Apr 7, 2021)

bzrkrage said:


> ...I also find people's patience and understanding of others has waned....


Many have noticed this. If you dig deeper, I've found it's not so much all people, it's those who were already impatient before this whole thing happened. Their intolerance has only sharpened and defined them - it's always the same people yelling from the rooftops or honking their horns. Meanwhile, the others (the huge majority) just go about their day.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

knight_yyz said:


> I'm curious for those of you saying you still wear a mask. If you are double vaxxed what is the point?


Don’t start…


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## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

My life hasn't changed much. I was never someone who did much more than work and home. Watching people basically turn into selfish children has been extremely disappointing. I really think western society peaked in the 2010's and we're now in the "silk slippers coming down the stairs" phase of empire.


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## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

Already living in pretty secluded spots, it didn't change much in our daily life. We missed the every other week movie theater and dinner with close friends, but that's about it. 

9 months here







​Three months there


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

knight_yyz said:


> I'm curious for those of you saying you still wear a mask. If you are double vaxxed what is the point?


There is a time-honoured proverb, from the play Hamlet, where Polonious says "Neither a borrower nor a lender be". I'll transpose it to "Neither a carrier nor a patient be".

I'm double vaxed and double-boosted. That does not prevent me from _carrying_ the virus. It only prevents me from growing enough viral load *myself*, to be affected by it. Asymptomatic does not mean you haven't a spec of virus anywhere on your person. It means your immune system is capable of preventing any virus you contract from replicating substantially _enough_ to hit a critical mass and constitute an illness. We ALL walk around carrying bits of this or that pathogen, all the time. That's precisely why, even if you aren't visibly sick, people will wipe the edge of any beverage container you hand them that you might have drunk from, even in prepandemic times. It's why you decline to use someone else's cutlery, after they've used it, unless you clean it first.

I'll stop wearing a mask when there is hardly anyone to catch it from, and my own risk of being a carrier is near zero. I'm not worried about catching smallpox, diphtheria, or tuberculosis, because the incidence of those is ridiculously low in this country and region. But Covid variants have not reached that point/level yet. NOT being an unwitting carrier is the least I can do for others.


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## HighNoon (Nov 29, 2016)

Interesting to watch the world commit social suicide. Had to keep a sense of humor intact to deal with the Plandemic. The mask as talisman to ward off evil spirits are an interesting sidebar. The jabs/spike protein factory, are garbage, that have driven immune escape (more variants), and viral reactivation. And now comes the fun part of overall mortality increasing and all the economic hardships from lockdowns, and the massive theft of assets across the board around the world. Never did a test, never had a jab....kept my neck scarf handy in case someone was freakin' out. Got together with friends to play and record music throughout the dog and pony show. Breathe Baby, Breathe...


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

mhammer said:


> There is a time-honoured proverb, from the play Hamlet, where Polonious says "Neither a borrower nor a lender be". I'll transpose it to "Neither a carrier nor a patient be".
> 
> 
> 
> I'll stop wearing a mask when there is hardly anyone to catch it from, and my own risk of being a carrier is near zero.


If the vaccine doesn't stop the spread or stop you from getting sick, you'll be wearing a mask forever. There will always be somebody to catch it from vaxxed or not.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

I learned about disease transmission in sex education class in high school. Having sex wear a condom. During Covid, wear a mask.

Some, (paralleled with Covid), never wear a condom or worry about sexually transmissible diseases. They have unprotected sex in bar washrooms, alleyways, with hookers, with hookups and never wear a condom. They think sexually transmissible diseases are fake or will worry about it if and when it happens.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Retired and a part time urban hermit, so not one bit.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

knight_yyz said:


> If the vaccine doesn't stop the spread or stop you from getting sick, you'll be wearing a mask forever. There will always be somebody to catch it from vaxxed or not.


Just as there is someone to catch polio and typhoid fever from....somewhere...out there, but I don't worry about it. And just as most folks don't worry at all about any of the tropical diseases they could conceivably catch, until they decide to take a holiday somewhere "exotic", with a significant incidence of the disease in that part of the world, and go for "their shots". When the incidence drops down enough, I'll ditch the mask. My criteria for ditching seem to be much less stringent than the criteria some seem to have for justification of anyone _needing_ to wear one.

Folks seem to have a hard time understanding probability, and insist on absolutes.

Our younger son attended a wedding in Coburg - that hotbed of communicable diseases - last week, caught Covid from the wedding party, came home for a visit after the wedding, and gave it to my wife. I've tested negative several times, but we're social distancing, and she wears her mask if we happen to be in the same room at the same time. I'm sleeping in the spare bedroom for now. Sadly, she was too sick to go for her second booster with me on Wednesday, but seems to be improving daily.


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## Derek_T (10 mo ago)

Folks in general have a hard time with probability, that’s not our brain “default” mode.

COVID hit us hard here, we just got 6months twin when the pandemic started. Life was already hectic, and the pandemic did not help. My family is in Europe so travel was very limited, impossible to find a day care and we did not had much help.
It’s been especially difficult for my wife, stuck with the kids all day while I work.

Silver lining, I worked from home (still do) so I saved 1h30 a day in commute, and with limited energy and social interaction I’ve had the chance to put over a 1000h of guitars practice since the pandemic started. I went from “Sunday Noodler” to “Semi professional Noodler”.


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## dodgechargerfan (Mar 22, 2006)

player99 said:


> I find I'm not going out, I don't want to be around crowds, I am isolating a lot.
> 
> I don't think it's safe out still, as covid is still there and spreading. I still wear N95 masks and gloves in public. The thoughts of being next to people in a crowded setting is not something I want to be a part of.
> 
> How about you?


This describes me, except for the gloves, but I don’t feel messed up at all.


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## RJP110 (Sep 15, 2020)

I’ve dealt with Covid professionally almost every day since March 13 2020 (our first “case”). In January when I first learned about Covid I dismissed it. Then in March/April when it arrived I was terrified and got hit by the fear bug. 10,000 DEAD in our province was the prediction in the first 6 months. Truly terrifying. But, then…. Crickets. Every week it was “next week”. It never happened. It was fall 2020 when what I was being told and what I (and many friends in healthcare across North America) was seeing were not aligning whatsoever. Then I got Covid, had a friend die from cancer and another from suicide (largely related to the impact of lockdowns and decrease in services) so I just decided to live my life. I just turned off the media and life went back to normal (the parts in my control anyway). I’ve went on vacation every year to a tropical country, jammed with friends and thankfully started gigging again. I have zero fear of Covid. It’s here to stay. I’ve never modified my behaviour in the past for influenza or other respiratory viruses that are endemic so I’m not going to for this one….which is also endemic. No judgement to those that do. You do you, but let me do me.


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## Frenchy (Mar 23, 2011)

It messed me up big time !

I hardly bought anything, no gear or guitars since covid !


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

Frenchy said:


> It messed me up big time !
> 
> I hardly bought anything, no gear or guitars since covid !


Uh....... Does the word "Traynor" ring a bell perhaps?


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## Frenchy (Mar 23, 2011)

Mark Brown said:


> Uh....... Does the word "Traynor" ring a bell perhaps?


Doesn't ring a bell !!!


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

Frenchy said:


> Doesn't ring a bell !!!


I think perhaps this whole pandemic thing got to you a lot worse than you realize. If I could offer some unsolicited advice, please seek professional help at your earliest convenience


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Frenchy said:


> Doesn't ring a bell !!!


Was this not you?








My very last NCD !!!


Well... my very last Traynor 810 that is ! ;) A Traynor 810 has been posted for a little while for a very reasonable price and was not selling for some reason. the seller dropped the price and I was just itching and twitching... I had nightmare's I tell you ! :oops: So made him an offer that I...




www.guitarscanada.com


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

1SweetRide said:


> Was this not you?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Don't try and break the illusion man. It will only do more damage to an already fragile mind 🤣


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

knight_yyz said:


> I'm curious for those of you saying you still wear a mask. If you are double vaxxed what is the point?


I’m triple vaxxed and wear a mask. I was triple vaxxed when I got it. I had quit wearing a mask for two weeks then I got it. Since I started wearing a mask again we’ve had two outbreaks where I work and I didn’t get it. Wearing a mask means you get less of a dose when exposed plus if I do get it helps to stop me from spreading it. All the protections are additive. None of them will protect you 100% but each one helps. I have been suffering after affects for four months now. I do not want it again.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Kerry Brown said:


> I’m triple vaxxed and wear a mask. I was triple vaxxed when I got it. I had quit wearing a mask for two weeks then I got it. Since I started wearing a mask again we’ve had two outbreaks where I work and I didn’t get it. Wearing a mask means you get less of a dose when exposed plus if I do get it helps to stop me from spreading it. All the protections are additive. None of them will protect you 100% but each one helps. I have been suffering after affects for four months now. I do not want it again.


I'm sorry you have the long haul experience. I see people being interviewed on TV and the news who are suffering from long haul and that keeps me from being cavalier about getting it.


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## EchoWD40 (Mar 16, 2007)

Nope. I don't let irrational fear control my life.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

EchoWD40 said:


> Nope. I don't let irrational fear control my life.


Thinking a real danger is irrational, may be considered irrational. But live free sir EchoWD40.


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## FatStrat2 (Apr 7, 2021)

I definitely appreciate those making their way off the sidewalk as I pass or allowing me to have the elevator to myself. At first I thought it was my deodorant failing, but then I figured it out - I'm like royalty!


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## EchoWD40 (Mar 16, 2007)

player99 said:


> Thinking a real danger is irrational, may be considered irrational. But live free sir EchoWD40.


Real danger to whom exactly?


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## Choo5440 (Oct 24, 2020)

I still wear my mask, but it's less about covid and more about preventing all of the bugs/germs/sicknesses out there. I haven't caught the regular flu, any stomach bugs, or other transmissible in 2+ years now. I know part of it is the mask, and part is the reminder to keep my hands away from my face while wearing it.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Same here. Last time I was sick was in January 2020 and I think I might’ve had the early version of the lucky 19 because I was sick as a dog for two weeks.


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

COVID hit me hard. I got a major blood clot in my leg and several minor pulmonary embolisms. Thankfully, I went to emergency in time and got on blood thinners. I am still taking them, but have improved a lot. Tonight I sang a few songs at Riff Wrath while just a month or two ago I would get out of breath after a single song. That said, I’m trying to get back to doing what I enjoy because I’ve been miserable at times. I do wear a mask on the subway and other public transit when I take it. In stores, it depends on how crowded it is. It’s taken me a while to get back into social events, but recently I’ve realized how much I enjoy spending time with friends and playing music with other people.


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## FatStrat2 (Apr 7, 2021)

Yup, I'm the same as W - I got it before they barely knew what to name it and haven't been ill since. I don't use masks though my co-worker has been vaxxed 4 times and does use masks - he's just getting off his 3rd COVID strike. Go figure.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

FatStrat2 said:


> Yup, I'm the same as W - I got it before they barely knew what to name it and haven't been ill since. I don't use masks though my co-worker has been vaxxed 4 times and does use masks - he's just getting off his 3rd COVID strike. Go figure.


It depends on the mask. The regular ones are not doing very much to protect the user. To protect yourself an N95 is required. I feel sorry for people I see out now with the simple masks on. They are wearing them to protect themselves, but all the people without masks are getting protected from the mask wearer, and the mask wearer is getting very little to no protection. N95 is the way to protect yourself. I wear both. first an N95 then a 3 ply cheapy over top. This way I can throw out the cheapy and keep using the N95 for a few times or a few hours.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

EchoWD40 said:


> Real danger to whom exactly?


If at this point you're denying there's any danger from Covid then what could I possibly say?


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## EchoWD40 (Mar 16, 2007)

player99 said:


> If at this point you're denying there's any danger from Covid then what could I possibly say?


If people were really concerned about their health, they would fix their diets and exercise regularly. 
Also, I laugh at you attempting to tell me that I deny that there is any danger from COVID. Try again.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

My work and other life means I'm rarely in large close groups of people and even when there is a group it's usually easy to spread out. But a couple weeks ago I went with some friends to see Nathaniel Raitliff and the Night Sweats at the Burt Theatre in the 'Peg. I think that's the first time I've been in a big crowd stuffed into a tight space in the last three years. There were a few points at which I felt a little claustrophobic and I did step out for a minute early on to collect my thoughts but after a while I felt better and the show carried on. It was good and I had a good time but I had to search back a while to remember how to manage being in a crowd. 
j


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

I'm not trying to argue or fight so I have blocked (ignore setting) EchoWD40. I won't see any of his previous or future posts.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

An elderly friend succumbed to C-19 in the early pre-vax days. His age and health left him vulnerable and helpless. Living in a nursing home was the kiss of death.

An old friend from my teen years, stubborn, unwilling, unvaxed and denying, also died of C-19. Good health was no protection. His parents and siblings outlived him. He had choices and chose wrong.

To their memory I will take precautions, err on the side of caution, and not practice the assholery that might otherwise be my inclination.


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

Like @Wardo in November 2019 I got what the doctor called a "viral thing" that affected my breathing and gave me a cough that lasted almost three months. I made one trip to the hospital because I couldn't breathe. At the time I was staying with a friend from Toronto who pased on his "cold".

I've avoided C-19, but I did get H1N1 in 2009. It killed a friend of mine who was an otherwise healthy guy in his 30's, and I remember vividly being afraid to go to sleep for fear of not waking up. I don't make any apologies for how I decide to live my life or protect myself, and expect people to respect what others do. Like @player99 I have blocked a few people who express opinions on this topic that indicate we probably wouldn't be compatible in real life, so perhaps this is post #300 and I'm just blissfully ignorant of the discussion.


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## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

mhammer said:


> Sadly, she was too sick to go for her second booster with me on Wednesday, but seems to be improving daily.


You know she need to wait three months after catching it to get another booster shot ?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

BGood said:


> You know she need to wait three months after catching it to get another booster shot ?


Yes, she told me. Her graduate training is in microbiology, and her Health Canada job gives her electronic access to virtually all medical journals in existence. And when my own test comes up negative, you can be sure that SHE made sure I did my test properly.

The shame is that, because of our age, and because our first booster was back before New Years, we were eligible to get boosters a while back. She wanted to wait until August to maximize effectiveness, in preparation for the planned return to the workplace this fall, and in hope of the arrival of the "bivalent" vaccine. I guess she likely will get the bivalent after the 3-month wait, but it would have been better not to get sick in the first place. I think she will have watched everything on Netflix!


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## Thunderboy1975 (Sep 12, 2013)

Ive almost come to blows with people telling me how and where to wear my mask. You can brush off the first few but after a awhile, telling me what to do when it isnt merited and when that power doesnt belong to you will get ya a black eye.
Alot of guys going through life without getting a black eye and it shows, even here.😋


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Long before Covid came along I started avoiding touching railings on escalators, straps in subway and trail cars, door knobs and any other commonly touched surfaces I could think of in public places and while travelling.

These days, we have new rituals / procedures when we go shopping. For example, knowing that stores basically stopped doing almost all sanitization of carts, we now sanitize the cart and our hands the second we are inside.

Things like that are just common sense IMO. We still do what we need to do.

We don't wear masks unless asked to do so, but it surely doesn't bother me seeing others doing so.


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## JivRey (Jul 2, 2016)

For those who don't feel that good right now, this guy's high on life and will make you feel better, plus he's an amazing guitar player!


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## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

player99 said:


> If at this point you're denying there's any danger from Covid then what could I possibly say?


I think he was pointing out that the danger is relative to who the patient is.


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## EchoWD40 (Mar 16, 2007)

Okay Player said:


> I think he was pointing out that the danger is relative to who the patient is.


I wouldn't bother with it. He's clearly taken a very mature approach by blocking me and telling everyone he's blocked me. 😂


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## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

EchoWD40 said:


> I wouldn't bother with it. He's clearly taken a very mature approach by blocking me and telling everyone he's blocked me. 😂


I wouldn't blame him if he had.


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## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

We live in a me, myself and my belly button North American society. What do I care if I give my neighbor a mortal dose of something ?
In more caring societies like Japan, One with a common cold or flu will not go out in public without waring a mask. We should have been thought as much in kindergarten.


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## Thunderboy1975 (Sep 12, 2013)

BGood said:


> In more caring societies like Japan,


Japanese culture allows first cousins to wed., age of consent for girls is 13. And honour killings are legal... just food for thought.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

And here I thought that the C word (no, not cunt) was a verboten topic on this site.


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## Thunderboy1975 (Sep 12, 2013)

laristotle said:


> And here I thought that the C word (no, not cunt) was a verboten topic on this site.


Topics arent as deep and warm as a cunt here, i know i been here 10 years. 🤨


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

During the pandemic we did what we're supposed to do and what we were allowed to do which means we travelled to Banff, Mexico and just got back from Newfoundland where we got covid but it was just three days of feeling moderately to mildly sick. Not the end of the world. We've been to a concert and plan to go to more. We don't wear masks anymore unless required. Are currently at a friend's cottage.


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## amp boy (Apr 23, 2009)

Fred Gifford said:


> pissed me off royally, two years of house-arrest and when it finally ended we discovered that me wife has Stage IV Cancer after all that bungled B.S. I'm not a paranoid weenie living in terror, the law required that I got two shots, so I did, but it stopped there. On a more serious note, I see (mostly women) that are still living in terror, strict isolation nonsense, won't come out, double masks etc. etc. and I tell them that time stops for no one, the clock is still ticking and you don't get your life back to re-do all the time you have lost ... live your life or lose it to paranoia, I subscribe to the former thought and not the latter .. it's time for civilization to put the past behind us and proceed forward .. no thanks to the media who are desperately trying to promote another end of the world scenario, Monkey-Pox failed to stike terror into the hearts of every man, woman and child on earth, so they will be looking for a new angle ASAP .


Fred, were you and you wife on the TV news a few months ago ?


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## RJP110 (Sep 15, 2020)

Fred Gifford said:


> pissed me off royally, two years of house-arrest and when it finally ended we discovered that me wife has Stage IV Cancer after all that bungled B.S. I'm not a paranoid weenie living in terror, the law required that I got two shots, so I did, but it stopped there. On a more serious note, I see (mostly women) that are still living in terror, strict isolation nonsense, won't come out, double masks etc. etc. and I tell them that time stops for no one, the clock is still ticking and you don't get your life back to re-do all the time you have lost ... live your life or lose it to paranoia, I subscribe to the former thought and not the latter .. it's time for civilization to put the past behind us and proceed forward .. no thanks to the media who are desperately trying to promote another end of the world scenario, Monkey-Pox failed to stike terror into the hearts of every man, woman and child on earth, so they will be looking for a new angle ASAP .


Well said. Yes, the monkeypox narrative fell apart quite quickly once the “cat was out of the bag” regarding the majority of cases and risk distribution


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Thunderboy1975 said:


> Japanese culture allows first cousins to wed., age of consent for girls is 13. And honour killings are legal... just food for thought.


First cousins can marry here, too. I‘m surprised you didn’t know.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

So apart from the age of consent canada is pretty much the same as japan on these matters.


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## Thunderboy1975 (Sep 12, 2013)

Mooh said:


> First cousins can marry here, too. I‘m surprised you didn’t know.


😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
shut up


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

It did not change my life much ! 
We are retired and do not have big families to visit.
My wife hates restaurants, I hate shopping and bars.
I played my guitars, golf more than ever (where friends and I met !) and could go to grocery and drug stores and have car service as usual. I bought and sold my guitars online… out of town.
And we had intimate funerals, which was not a bad thing.
Nope ! No issue.


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## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

Some of you guys watch way to much CNN and MSNBC !!!

you actually believe all the bullshit they are dumping on the population!

turn off the TV and play music…


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

Frenchy99 said:


> Some of you guys watch way to much CNN and MSNBC !!!
> 
> you actually believe all the bullshit they are dumping on the population!
> 
> turn off the TV and play music…


We want to Frenchy, but you bought all the amps 🤣


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

player99 said:


> We can't get into it here, but not what you said.


Ran out of shit to make up?


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## Derek_T (10 mo ago)

Mark Brown said:


> We want to Frenchy, but you bought all the amps 🤣


Well…until you release your Mark Brown signature 5E3


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## GuitarT (Nov 23, 2010)

Covid hit our house about a month ago. I'm assuming it was the Omicron variant as apparently it accounts 92% of the cases in Ontario right now. While certainly not a pleasant experience it wasn't the end of the world for us. Long recovery has been annoying, I still have a cough despite being over it for more than two weeks. I'm glad I went through it when I did as we currently have 14 people (out of a total of about 40) in my department off work with Covid. Going to be a challenging week for me trying to shuffle the people we have left to priority projects.


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## FatStrat2 (Apr 7, 2021)

Derek_T said:


> Well…until you release your Mark Brown signature 5E3


If it's anything like his Strat, I'd buy it!


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

laristotle said:


> Ran out of shit to make up?


I would like to get back to people telling us about their situation without getting into the other stuff thanks. This is a cool thread but if people keep derailing it into arguments it will get tossed.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

RJP110 said:


> Well said. Yes, the monkeypox narrative fell apart quite quickly once the “cat was out of the bag” regarding the majority of cases and risk distribution


Saw an article today about tomato flu, didn't read it but the pictures looked nasty.

Tomato Flu could be the next big one for the Government and the MSM to run with...lol 

Pretty much everyone has seen a tomato and can relate to the fear of contagion so good reason to shut down agricultural production on those things and put some more people out of business even if it's just a name for a disease and causation isn't derived from the actual plant.

It's all about the drama and the opportunities just like covid was described as an "opportunity."


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## RJP110 (Sep 15, 2020)

Wardo said:


> Saw an article today about tomato flu, didn't read it but the pictures looked nasty.
> 
> Tomato Flu could be the next big one for the Government and the MSM to run with...lol
> 
> ...


Yeah I saw that too. Just another media fear narrative. Tomato flu is just a variant of the very common “hand, foot and mouth” disease. It’s kinda like they are hollywood and out of creative ideas so need to reboot Footloose hahahaha.


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## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

I had two friends die of covid that were both fairly healthy dudes, 1 friend it screwed him right up for about 6 months he was an ex rcmp officer and one friend a former mma training partner and massive covid denier it scared him so much after getting it and almost dying in an extended hospital stay he sold his Heavy Duty mechanic business and everything he had and moved to BC to the same town as his sons. Guess he found out what really matters to him the most. They were all unvaccinated.

A lady friend who is a nurse told me how at the Royal Alex here in Edmonton at the height of the pandemic that just before patients would die from covid they would get up and try to leave the hospital and run and panic as their lungs filled and they complained they felt like they were drowning. Few minutes later they would be hauled out in a body bag. Fight or flight kicking in.

My ex rcmp officer friend told me it felt like someone was constantly grinding his bones to pulp and constant panic as he couldn’t catch his breath.

My father in law died during a big covid surge a year ago September from unrelated cause but we went up to the packed ICU to have a last visit while people were dying at the Grey Nun’s and saw the rooms full of covid patients on ventilator’s. It was not a good sight and all the while people were all over saying covid wasn’t real. Seems many had different experiences I guess.

I’ve had covid twice but after I was fully vaccinated and it was pretty mild each time. I don’t mask anymore and live pretty well like normal but am very conscious if I start feeling under the weather about my interactions in public.

I won’t share joints with anyone anymore,yuck.

I miss my friends just as their families do and millions of others families miss their loved ones.

That’s the biggest impact the whole pandemic has had on me.


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## FatStrat2 (Apr 7, 2021)

I would agree that this long term isolation mostly affected extroverts with regards to social impact - some introverts but not as badly. All the people in our sales department, and I mean all of them, were devastated and had a terrible time with it, one even took his life in our sister office. Meanwhile, all the techs just got sick for 2 weeks and continued on their way after their recovery like nothing happened (like a bad flu, in fact).

I'm probably one of those few who would actively lobby to get into solitary if I was in prison for some heinous crime (like disliking the stock Tele headstock)..


----------



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

knight_yyz said:


> I'm curious for those of you saying you still wear a mask. If you are double vaxxed what is the point?


To prevent yourself from getting covid.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I was already long term wfh, I lost ground financially as they pushed everyone out, and would no longer pay for internet - it was a straight up pay cut, in a year we got no raise. First time I can remember that in 40 years working.
Otherwise, I was disappointed and occasionally surprised as society slid into the shitter. So, it darkened my disposition a little, but I actively fight it.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

keto said:


> I was already long term wfh, I lost ground financially as they pushed everyone out, and would no longer pay for internet - it was a straight up pay cut, in a year we got no raise. First time I can remember that in 40 years working.
> Otherwise, I was disappointed and occasionally surprised as society slid into the shitter. So, it darkened my disposition a little, but I actively fight it.


What's wft mean?


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## numb41 (Jul 13, 2009)

player99 said:


> What's wft mean?


WFH- Working from home


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

The local YMCA has improved its cleaning and sanitation routines and I haven't found an empty hand sanitizer dispenser (unlike the past) since I returned earlier this year. I felt the two year break in membership, hard. At my age I need the routine and accountability that comes with it. Members have always been responsible for wiping down machines after each use but I no longer suffer in silence when I see folks who don't.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Mooh said:


> The local YMCA has improved its cleaning and sanitation routines and I haven't found an empty hand sanitizer dispenser (unlike the past) since I returned earlier this year. I felt the two year break in membership, hard. At my age I need the routine and accountability that comes with it. Members have always been responsible for wiping down machines after each use but I no longer suffer in silence when I see folks who don't.



I haven't been to a gym since Covid struck, but I definitely have doubts that members will all sanitize the equipment after their use.

Frankly with all the lousy behaviour I saw when I was actively attending a gym, I'd be more inclined to set up a modest home gym now. Watching people super-set on multiple machines, while others wait to use them, people using cell phones in change rooms and even while taking a piss right beside you, failing to remove weights from equipment after their sets, et cetera, et cetera

I'll work out at home.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Milkman said:


> I haven't been to a gym since Covid struck, but I definitely have doubts that members will all sanitize the equipment after their use.
> 
> Frankly with all the lousy behaviour I saw when I was actively attending a gym, I'd be more inclined to set up a modest home gym now. Watching people super-set on multiple machines, while others wait to use them, people using cell phones in change rooms and even while taking a piss right beside you, failing to remove weights from equipment after their sets, et cetera, et cetera
> 
> I'll work out at home.


I get that, it sounds like a nightmare, but our Y just isn't that busy, and it's very spacious. First thing in the morning it's rare to have to wait for a specific machine, there will be many different machines available. It's also fairly well policed by staff, at least when they have to respond to member complaints. Since Covid, their signage has improved a lot too. It's a small town, most folks have figured out there's no percentage in being an asshole. 

If we had space at home for a gym we'd consider that. As it is the stationary bike is in the one kids bedroom that doesn't have stacks of instrument cases and a drum kit. The unfinished cellar is storage and wood shop.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Mooh said:


> I get that, it sounds like a nightmare, but our Y just isn't that busy, and it's very spacious. First thing in the morning it's rare to have to wait for a specific machine, there will be many different machines available. It's also fairly well policed by staff, at least when they have to respond to member complaints. Since Covid, their signage has improved a lot too. It's a small town, most folks have figured out there's no percentage in being an asshole.
> 
> If we had space at home for a gym we'd consider that. As it is the stationary bike is in the one kids bedroom that doesn't have stacks of instrument cases and a drum kit. The unfinished cellar is storage and wood shop.


I don't really need a lot of space. A couble of dumbells and a bike will work for me. I may set up a trainer rig with my bike this fall.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

jdto said:


> COVID hit me hard. I got a major blood clot in my leg and several minor pulmonary embolisms. Thankfully, I went to emergency in time and got on blood thinners. I am still taking them, but have improved a lot. Tonight I sang a few songs at Riff Wrath while just a month or two ago I would get out of breath after a single song. That said, I’m trying to get back to doing what I enjoy because I’ve been miserable at times. I do wear a mask on the subway and other public transit when I take it. In stores, it depends on how crowded it is. It’s taken me a while to get back into social events, but recently I’ve realized how much I enjoy spending time with friends and playing music with other people.


I'm now pretty sure the illness I had three weeks ago that is still slightly there, was Covid. Kept testing negative but a nurse friend is positive I had it. It's the worst flu I ever had combined with impacts on bodily functions. First time I've been off work like that in many years. Was sooooo tired it was an effort to move an arm. Had difficulty taking deep breaths. The wife got it too within a day of me showing symptoms.

Anyway, all this to say that I'm still planning on living my life but unlike many, I do enjoy the isolation. Makes me appreciate all the more, the times when I am with friends, family and bandmates.


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

Plenty of disposable masks at hand...they are handy for filtering liquids too.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Two and a half years of successfully avoiding then boom! It found us. Threw a wrench into things but Maggs and I were fortunate and only caught mild cases. Maggs caught it from a friend who said she "only had a sinus infection" and then tested positive a couple days later. Maggs got a fever and the next day we both came up positive. We were fortunate to not pass it on to anyone else. Lesson is: If you don't feel well, don't shluff it off - 90% chance you've got covid, so test yourself and do others the courtesy of staying away from them. That "sinus infection" got at least six other people sick.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

allthumbs56 said:


> Two and a half years of successfully avoiding then boom! It found us. Threw a wrench into things but Maggs and I were fortunate and only caught mild cases. Maggs caught it from a friend who said she "only had a sinus infection" and then tested positive a couple days later. Maggs got a fever and the next day we both came up positive. We were fortunate to not pass it on to anyone else. Lesson is: If you don't feel well, don't shluff it off - 90% chance you've got covid, so test yourself and do others the courtesy of staying away from them. That "sinus infection" got at least six other people sick.


I work from home (since early 2020). Every morning I have a meeting with my team in Tennessee. On Friday their QC manager said he had a sinus infection.

This morning I learned that he tested positive later that afternoon.

This thing is still swirling around.


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## GuitarT (Nov 23, 2010)

allthumbs56 said:


> Two and a half years of successfully avoiding then boom! It found us. Threw a wrench into things but Maggs and I were fortunate and only caught mild cases. Maggs caught it from a friend who said she "only had a sinus infection" and then tested positive a couple days later. Maggs got a fever and the next day we both came up positive. We were fortunate to not pass it on to anyone else. Lesson is: If you don't feel well, don't shluff it off - 90% chance you've got covid, so test yourself and do others the courtesy of staying away from them. That "sinus infection" got at least six other people sick.


We got it from a friend of my mother-in-law. My wife was at her mother's place while a friend from the building was visiting. They were all sitting around the kitchen table chatting it came out that this friend who was visiting was there because she didn't want to be around her sick husband. She said her husband was suffering from fever, aches, congestion and severe coughing for several days. My wife said he may have Covid but this woman said no, it's just a bad cold. My wife then asked if he tested for Covid and she said no, they were sure it's just a cold. They ended up getting ahold of the couple's son to come over and test them (they didn't have a clue how to go about it). They both tested positive and she was sick the next day. My wife got sick two days later and my son and I two days after that. I'm sure that sort of scenario plays out every day.


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## Stephenlouis (Jun 24, 2019)

One big effect, I saw my kids way less, otherwise, I enjoyed the period of empty highways very very much. I drive 150 KM a day and am in healthcare, so in a way way less isolation for me as I was never so busy. No real changes in me as things adjust back. (there is a lot of covid out there, we just don't talk about it as much)


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Yeah, it didn't seem to reduce during the warmer months like flu and cold usually does.


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## FatStrat2 (Apr 7, 2021)

One of our sales guys came into the office sniffling and coughing. The owner wanted him in the office, but no one else. He tested negative several times - but he had it and that's why my other co-worker got it last week.

Are these COVID tests made in China too?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

The tests have to be used properly, and a lot of folks likely get false negatives because they don't use them properly. Folks don't like to tickle their brain with the swab. I understand that. Feels creepy. But the virus likes to take up residence way at the back of your nose, where your fingers can't reach when you're stopped at a red light.

A local company (_really_ local; about 4 blocks from me) initially developed a rapid-test module/cube, and invested a lot in a complete package ready to go off the shelf, eventually getting a government contract....way back in 2020. They couldn't get Health Canada approval simply because their swab didn't go back far enough into the nostrils, increasing the likelihood of false negatives. And at that point in time, false negatives was NOT something the nation could afford.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

My doctor retired just before covid and I was issued a new doctor at the medical centre I belong to. I've seen this doctor twice in two years. I got a leg injury about 6 weeks ago and due to an infection, I've been to emerg twice in 3 weeks. It's almost impossible to see my doctor. The girl in the office just keeps putting me off when I try to get an appointment. I'm wondering if the doctors are using covid to drastically reduce their work hours. I know this is happening to other people also and I'm beginning to think the doctors are using covid to reduce their working hours by sending people to ermerg which is being over run at most hospitals. I tried again today to see my doctor in his office and he never even bothered to return my call even though the receptionist labelled my message as urgent. I really do miss my doctor I had for the last 50 years.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Guitar101 said:


> My doctor ....


I don't have a doctor and I'm sure that the bureaucracy would be quite happy to issue me a coupon for assisted suicide before I start using up health care money in my declining years.

I do not doubt what you are saying about getting bounced by your current doctor but for whatever reason my office assistants both get appointments with their family doctors right away or in a day or two. One of them, today she had a problem and was able to see her doctor this afternoon.

That said though, I think that the health care system is going down like an airliner that got hit by a missile.

No way the administration can turn this around fast enough or even come up with a way to fix it that will actually work.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Wardo said:


> I don't have a doctor and I'm sure that the bureaucracy would be quite happy to issue me a coupon for assisted suicide before I start using up health care money in my declining years.
> 
> I do not doubt what you are saying about getting bounced by your current doctor but for whatever reason my office assistants both get appointments with their family doctors right away or in a day or two. One of them, today she had a problem and was able to see her doctor this afternoon.
> 
> ...


Before you check out could I have your guitars?


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

Nope!

In fact keeping away from public gatherings and people in general played right into my wheelhouse.

That being said, we did open a business in the hospitality industry. Not making a fortune, but it's surviving and getting better so far.


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## 2N1305 (Nov 2, 2009)

I think COVID-19 is like AIDS was in the eighties. It's gonna take a while for societies to get off the rocky road of misunderstandings. (understanding _what_ I'm not exactly sure, as there are people disagreeing on many issues)

At the risk I take in saying the following, I'll say it for the benefit of siding with health workers: I find that wearing a mask (when it was mandatory, and if it becomes again) was simply an extension of my everyday clothing. It's simply not a big deal to put one on. It's like any of the other rules we have to deal with : rules of the road, not smoking in public places where it's not allowed, not swearing after your boss, not playing smoke on the water or stairway to heaven in a guitar store, etc.

ok, maybe not so much the last one.


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

I tend to think my wife and I now have a tighter circle of people we socialize with. Mainly family. Some friendships eroded. We got used to spending more time at home it seems, and we have adjusted to it. We have grown to enjoy our time at home. We have plenty going on here to keep us busy. We don't seem go out as much as we used to. It seems as though being forced to stay-in during the pandemic, prepared us for the inflation problem that was to come later. These days I think we spend less on entertainment, restaurants, etc. We definitely travel less. Less road trips and RV camping. Fuel prices are nuts. I do get out to public houses for band gigs. I'm not spending money on food & drinks when I go there. I'm getting paid to do something I love. Perform with my buddies, playing live music. 

Hard to put a finger exactly on what moment might have caused changes. Maybe we just got older and are focused on saving more. We don't seem to want for anything new, cool or trendy. Maybe we just adjusted to staying home more, and found we are pretty happy here. Maybe the long pandemic era did slowly bring about changes for us. Maybe we just got grumpy and a little put-off by what's going on in society in the 2020's. The world is indeed changing. Maybe we stepped back a bit and found comfort and stability right here at home. Nothing to complain about here. We found a pretty sweet spot.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

I can't separate the effects of aging from the effects of time and events.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

We weathered it fairly well. The biggest issue was that I made less during the last two fiscal years than I did as a teenager. Fortunately my wife has a good job, and I only ever worked part-time, so we didn't suffer, but the education fund took a hit as most of my income went into that. 

In terms of health, it was really good for me. I walked and rode my bike a tonne. The local rail trail was a lifesaver as it was also my social life - I had a small group of friends that I rode with regularly and it kept me sane. I also lost about almost 10 pounds during the pandemic. 

I teach music in my home and I offer to wear a mask and use a plexiglass shield if the student requests it. So far, I have one student who wants the shield but I do have a few adult students who haven't returned to lessons at all because they are still skittish about the virus.

After we were hit by a tornado in May, I stopped wearing a mask - something about that experience just threw a switch inside me and I was done. I will still wear one if required or requested, but otherwise, for the moment, I leave it off. 

I am back to gigging fairly regularly - mostly performed outside through the warm months, but not opposed to playing indoors. The open mic that I hosted pre-Covid has not re-started yet due to staffing issues, but I am hosting a new one in a neighbouring town and attendance has been surprisingly good - though that may change as we go into sick-season.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

To the thread title ...Yes? I started coming here wayyyy to often, that can't be a good sign can it??


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## Derek_T (10 mo ago)

tomee2 said:


> I started coming here wayyyy to often, that can't be a good sign can it??


Depends, how many Les Paul have you bought and sold in the last few days ?


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

The last few weeks have been interesting. I am not exaggerating saying every household I know has had Covid since September. The one couple who are my best friends, don't do much, and had avoided it, went to a concert in Toronto 2 weeks ago and got it. They both got hit hard and missed a week of work. We are all mid thirties to mid forties. So it's definitely in my mind. I had it early on and it messed me up badly. I don't want it again.

Anyone I know with kids not only had Covid tear through the house, but it was followed by stuff like Strep. School and daycares are a big source of the issues. My sister in law is a respiratory therapist at the hospital here and they currently have 6 Covid patients in ICU, which with the staffing issues pretty much maxes them out.

So basically, I am pretty much back to where I was during mandates. I have an 81 year old father I have to be able to see. I'd rather go back to cutting things out than depending on timing rapid tests properly to make sure I don't take anything to his house. It's definitely worrying. He's very at risk and even a mild dose could really mess him up. I get really stressed out.

I'm a bit of a hermit and most of my time is spent outdoors. But winter will still hit me hard. I have to really keep up my activity levels to feel good mentally and in the winter the outdoor activities just aren't as easy to for me. I've always worked from home as well, so I am used to that. It's just the isolation during winter feels like a different kind of isolation for me.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

Derek_T said:


> Depends, how many Les Paul have you bought and sold in the last few days ?


Not in the past days....but I did buy one very spur of the moment in March. Online, a used Studio in LM Gearhunter, during a break between "zoom" meetings. Picked it up later that day and didn't return it even after thinking about it for a few weeks. I never buy anything spur of the moment so...I'm blaming covid lockup stress


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## Derek_T (10 mo ago)

tomee2 said:


> Not in the past days....but I did buy one very spur of the moment in March. Online, a used Studio in LM Gearhunter, during a break between "zoom" meetings. Picked it up later that day and didn't return it even after thinking about it for a few weeks. I never buy anything spur of the moment so...I'm blaming covid lockup stress


I've been there too, I bought a lot of guitars since COVID started (lot compared to my regular guitar spending habit).
I definitely blame COVID and the kids


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

Derek_T said:


> I've been there too, I bought a lot of guitars since COVID started (lot compared to my regular guitar spending habit).
> I definitely blame COVID and the kids


I blame GuitarsCanada.com


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

Mark Brown said:


> I blame GuitarsCanada.com


Bunch of enablers


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