I've spent years trading magic designs here. It's sort of scary how long. But only know a few of you in real life.

I live in the UK, my wife and I are fortunate to be able to continue working from home much like usual. Video socialising is going surprisingly well.

How is everyone else coping? Is anyone in a country NOT dealing with this pandemic?

I just came here to ask this, but it's already been asked.

I'm doing fine, and hope everyone else here is managing as well.

I'm a student, and our family's money comes from pension and social services (which apparently aren't the same thing, i learned recently), so those things haven't changed much. School did go from 'having been easy for many years' to 'wow this sucks'

Lately, I've been more down than usual, and developed a bad habit of not sleeping every other night. Boredom has been creeping in too, but with all day to play video games, I've been staving it off... at the cost of doing much school, stupidly.

I'm probably the only person I know (besides my brother , maybe) to not remotely keep up with the news. My mom's checking it constantly, probably hours every day. I've looked up a thing or two, and heard the rest from her.

Today I learned that 1 in 1500 people have been confirmed infected, according to google's worldwide statistics and the population of the planet.

I'm fortunate, I believe.

Thanks, Jack, for starting this thread, even if it got buried until now (it seems the conversation about ability counters jumped in the way of this 'set'.)

I live in the same household with my parents. They're on the bottom floor. And they're on the edge of eighty so I've been in complete isolation. I have to go to work, but I'm lucky because my job is security guard. There's only one other guard in the whole building, we don't share an office (any more) and we're likely to be the last people in the building to get furloughed.

But it's been frustrating trying to stop my parents from going out. I've yelled at them for going to the grocery store because Instacart can never seem to pick up Lactaid. I'm furious about my sisters who keep coming over to visit.

Now we're opening up the country too soon, and I presume that my parents are just going to rush out and live their lives despite my protestation. It's like living with teenagers over here.

I as very lucky that my job paid me up until or through the next pay period despite the department I'm in being unable to work due to covid-19. By June 8th I will find out if I'm only being temporarily furloughed or if I'm being laid off.

I've gained the coid-20. I overeat (in general), boredom eat, can't hit up the gym, and my only other hobby besides designing Magic cards in baking sweets- a rough combination. I've been bored, like most other people. I've begun watching Ask a Mortician videos because I'm deathphobic and has the effect on me that horror films have on those who get scared when they watch horror films. That, or they're neat historical videos that don't give me the hebie jeebies.

''I presume that my parents are just going to rush out and live their lives despite my protestation. It's like living with teenagers over here.''

Wow, that's rough, dude. My mum's also high risk, but even though this is hard for her, she isn't looking to put herself in danger. I suppose the best thing for you to do is to keep insisting, but I guess it's up to them how seriously they take things.

Also, on a lighter note, being a security guard sounds pretty metal :P

@Sorrow

''I overeat (in general), boredom eat, can't hit up the gym, and my only other hobby besides designing Magic cards [is] [...]''

Besides the fact I don't normally work out, you just described me pretty much perfectly. Try to stay healthy, if you can. I've heard that working on one's body is something that can really lift spirits (apparently that's why prisoner's sometimes get ripped, just out of boredom and sadness)

In other words, don't let your username define you, Sorrow!

@Froggychum: Haha! It is the exact opposite of metal. We sit around all day rarely responding to anything. Then when something actually happens (maybe once every other week) we spend way too much time figuring out what the heck we're going to do.

I work third shift, so I don't want to call anyone unless it's actually important. We got plenty of training, but it ususaly goes out the window the moment a pipe bursts.

Oh, Jack, I never saw this until today. We've coexisted in this space for a long time but I don't know much about anyone here except that dude1818 visited a college near me once.

I'm from the US. I work at a grocery store, and while most people are somewhat good at following the guidelines, there are enough that aren't that every day I dread going to work. I live in fear that, even though I take just about all the precautions that I can, I'm going to wind up infected because of someone else's nonchalance or idiocy. My co-workers don't follow the guidelines as strictly as I would like, and the number of people I see who don't wear masks or follow social distancing is extremely frustrating and stressful.

I've been doing all of my parents' shopping and as much of their errands as they'll let me, because while they're not quite as old as jmgariepy's parents, they're still at-risk. I'm still afraid constantly that it's not enough, especially since I'm pretty sure my dad isn't following the guidelines very well at all. He's still operating his business. (This is probably fine because it's a very large place with a very small number of employees who don't need to be near each other, and they are working for a food provider... but it still makes me anxious.)

In summary, everyone I know is fine, but I'm still nervous. I wish people would just... have some sense.

"Haha! It is the exact opposite of metal. "

Yeah but you don't have to TELL people that :) Ouch, yeah, I hope your parents are ok. And everyone else too.

@Jack: Nah, I'd rather not gatekeep security work. It's really simple work, and great for simultaneously working on portable creative projects, presuming you land a place where you have minimal human interaction and the supervisors don't expect you to perform 20 minute tours every 30 minutes. Not every site is simple or safe, but with a little patience it's usually not hard to find the simple and safe sites. I don't understand why more artists and writers don't do this work.

But oof. I could tell you about some job sites I've worked. Here's a teaser. There's a trailer full of dynamite for blasting granite in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Your job is to take your car, drive up the side of a mountain at dusk, and protect that trailer. Your office is your car. There are no bathrooms. And the cougar screams at night are unworldly.

@Link: That sucks that you're stuck in such an exposed job. Make sure you're protected even if your co-workers are slacking off. We live in the exact wrong country for a pandemic. Citizens of the US don't have a lick of sense. We built an empire because we were too stupid to realize we couldn't. Belligerence is one heck of a drug.