How has Covid-19 affected YOU

General conversations about BMW E28s and the people who own them.

How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Still working, I HAVE to go to work.
17
26%
Still working, I GET to go to work.
20
30%
Off work, by my choice.
1
2%
Off work, not by my choice.
5
8%
I'm a lazy retired bum who doesn't have to go to work.
8
12%
I've got it, and it's no fun.
0
No votes
Edit: Life's complicated, none of the above fit.
14
21%
I had it, but I'm good now.
1
2%
TP. I'm out of TP, where's all the TP?
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 66

RoyW
Posts: 2867
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Albany, NY

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by RoyW »

Happy Birthday to your Mom, Andy!! WOW...100! Nice to hear from you and glad your doing well. Take care.

-RoyW
krhodes1
Posts: 131
Joined: Jan 23, 2007 11:46 PM
Location: Westbrook Maine

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by krhodes1 »

Normally, I travel for a living - I'm a enterprise IT consultant/field engineer (135K miles in the air last year, all domestic). But in-between work trips, I work from home anyway. Until this week, my last trip was a month ago, which was the longest I have not been on an airplane in YEARS. And that last trip was a 2-day jaunt from my digs in SW FL to Honolulu, of all places, to do some work for the Hawaiian Health Department - no matter what, I was going on that trip to the point of them considering flying me out there on a private jet. But originally supposed to be six days onsite, cut to two to get the hardware in place and the rest finished remotely. Which worked out OK. So a month working from home. My county is suburban and a HUGE amount of retirees and snowbirds. The snowbirds mostly flew north. So it feels like mid-summer down there. The place is pretty empty. The big change to my routine is that I completely stopped eating out. Been cooking like a madman. Normally I barely even have food in the house. Grocery stores are all open, plenty of food, even not much of an issue to get TP now. Only Walmart is doing the 1 out 1 in thing. So things feel oddly normal there.

Work-wise, we initially had a company-wide pay cut. It basically rolled back my last two years of raises - no big deal, but a tad discouraging. But the owner's have been FANTASTIC about keeping everyone in the loop about what's going on. Our CEO even sent every employee (~85 people) hand-written, personal cards! I would follow that woman to Hell and back... They successfully got the government payroll grant, and have reinstated full salaries plus back pay (I think that is a condition of the grant). Sales have stabilized at about 60% of "normal", which seems sustainable for us. My projects are getting delayed due to equipment delays. I'll be travelling some, and doing what I can remotely.

But this week I needed to go onsite at Southern New Hampshire University for some work. So I flew up to my summer place in Maine and drove down there today for a few hours to get the job done. And this has been BIZARRE. First, flying now - the schedule is so cut that on American (my very much preferred airline), the only day I can get from Sarasota to Portland, ME without staying overnight is Tuesday, and the only day I can get back is Thursday. Having to do the gig on Saturday meant an 8 day stay for a 1 day engagement. Good thing I have a house nearby! And it was basically a private flight for me - about 10 people on each of the two planes, just me all by my lonesome in first class on both of them (top tier status, so I get free upgrades). Fight was $200 - normally would have been AT LEAST $600. Could have booked it in basic economy for $75, but we don't do that. Philly International was a ghost town. As many employees as passengers. Nothing open to speak of. Only food in the main terminal was Chik Fil a. No problem social distancing! I felt a lot safer flying than going to the grocery store. Did the engagement today, met my client at the datacenter with both of us wearing masks and staying apart while I worked on the equipment. No big thing other than masks are not super comfy to work in. I expect that to be the "new normal". I rarely work with more than one or two people, and most of my upcoming work is in universities that are all but empty now.

Maine is MUCH more locked down than my county in FL (most of this is by county in FL, so YMMV), and my county is starting to slooowly ease up. Maine has "mandatory 14 day quarantine for non-essential personnel", but I am considered essential, and have the "official letter" and everything. Everywhere that is open is 1 out, 1 in, I had to stand in line for a while for the grocery store. And one of my housemates was laid off just before this all started, so he is home all day (and annoying the ever-loving-crap out of me - I am so used to living alone now). The other still has to go to work every day. Unless my work travel gets back to something a LOT closer to normal I will be spending most of the summer in FL. Weekends with the housemates is fine, but having to work from home with them underfoot is not OK. I seriously feel for anyone who has to do it with KIDS!! :shock:

I have a few friends around the country who are pretty sure they had Covid-19 and recovered, but couldn't get tested to be sure. One is getting an antibody test this week though.
RoyW
Posts: 2867
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Albany, NY

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by RoyW »

Kevin... I enjoyed reading your update about life in the Covid-19 world. Air travel and the difference between States and their "rules" are crazy. BTW , where's the e28 in that list of fine cars!? :)

-RoyW
krhodes1
Posts: 131
Joined: Jan 23, 2007 11:46 PM
Location: Westbrook Maine

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by krhodes1 »

RoyW wrote:Kevin... I enjoyed reading your update about life in the Covid-19 world. Air travel and the difference between States and their "rules" are crazy. BTW , where's the e28 in that list of fine cars!? :)

-RoyW
Sadly, I haven't owned an e28 in many years.

To add a bit - I was in Maine for 8 days, and flew back to FL last Thursday. VERY different experience. This time I went through Charlotte. Which was quiet, but nothing like Philadelphia was. Most shops were open, probably 80% of them. All the sit-down restaurants were closed, but all the walk-up ones were open. Oddly, Starbucks was closed. Felt like a fairly normal, if quiet day at the airport. My first flight, from Maine to Charlotte, had about 30 people on a 130 seat A319. Three of us up front out of eight first class seats. American did a GREAT job of moving people around to spread everyone out. The gate agents did it ahead of the flight. My second flight from Charlotte to Sarasota was all but full. Just a few empty seats on an 80 seat CRJ-900. First was full. Just about everyone on both flights was wearing masks - that becomes mandatory on American tomorrow.

My county in FL has opened things up more. Restaurants can seat 25% of their normal capacity, most stores can open subject to capacity limitations as well. Salons and barbershops can do limited service starting tomorrow. I'm still not planning to go anywhere I don't really have to.

My next trip is to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville the last week of the month. The interesting thing so far is that prices are pretty much back to normal - a little cheaper, but not much.
garageboy
Posts: 2479
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: New York City
Contact:

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by garageboy »

So here in Queens, NYC, right in the epicenter, my mood alternates between unbridled rage and paralyzing heartbreak, almost daily.

Personally, I'm fine and I'll be fine. It's not like anyone is asking me to invade the beaches of Normandy. My work life continues. I am an independent IT consultant, with clients all over NYC and the USA. I've been working remotely for 12 years now. I'm a licensed TeamViewer user. I've helped many folks adapt to this new way of working, which not everyone has been able to adapt to. My billable hours is less, as I'm not making client visits, but I'm billing enough to keep going and make sure the essentials are covered. As a small business, I made a gallant effort to get SBA assistance, but every path I pursued failed.

Every day, I pinch myself that I did my 11,000-mile road trip in the E28 to Yellowstone NP *last* summer and not this one...

I am not able to take advantage of the free time to partake in the myriad projects around the house, or tackle the E28 A/C compressor or the E39 front brakes. I am too stressed out worrying about other people in my life that are on the edge, mentally, financially, or otherwise. I'm constantly reaching out to them to figure out what I can do to help. It's hard to take care of them and me at the same time. And I grieve for these poor children whose lives are being impacted so intensely by this insanity. They don't get their lives back. Even if this country is destroyed to the point of me believing my best days are behind me, and the next 20 years will be bad, that's OK. I've lived a fantastic life so far. But the thought of going through this at age 22 is heart-wrenching.

My mental health is poor because my human contact is pretty limited, and that is not normal. I've cheated a couple times, seeing friends I miss. That is not human. I miss my orchestra. I miss my chamber music. I miss teaching Street Survival at the Consumer Reports Test Track (was supposed to happen last weekend). I miss hanging out with my friends. I miss having friends over my house. I miss me. I miss all of the wonderful things (music, theater, restaurants, bars, museums, etc.) that make NYC the capitol of the world. Without any of that, why am I living here?

If things aren't too fucked up this summer, I would like to make a month-long road trip to the Canadian Atlantic Provinces in August. I'm looking at maps now... mostly to give myself something new and interesting to focus some positive energy on.

I figure 2020 is done. There seems to be no chance that anything reasonable will be done to put us on the path to healing before 2021. I'm trying to remain hopeful that it'll get fixed then. But people are running out of money now. People are being turned away from the food banks in my neighborhood now. People are getting scared now. People will be getting desperate shortly.

I hope all of y'all are staying safe and taking care of your families. Stay healthy!
Carma_Cardan
Posts: 405
Joined: Feb 08, 2019 11:42 AM
Location: Saint-Petersburg
Contact:

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by Carma_Cardan »

I'll describe my experience, too.

In Russia (St. Petersburg in particular), many and many have lost their jobs and livelihoods, literally.

The level of crime is constantly growing. People are seized by despair and anger. Especially on the richer strata. So far, these conversations are mostly among the ordinary working class.

The IT world feels only a certain discomfort and a decline in living standards.
For it is kept afloat by global markets.

Because of the specifics, I see the whole picture from both worlds. It's disappointing in general...


From time to time, people remember the USSR, the ideas of equality and communism.

There are still people in memory who remember that state. People there were more protected. At least free housing, education, and medical care. Something that's just not there now.

And they talk about revolution. For now, as a joke.

I have no proof of desire. I'm just sharing observations.

God bless all the people on this planet.


Image
stuartinmn
Posts: 9380
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Minneapolis

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by stuartinmn »

The governor in Minnesota announced yesterday that the stay-at-home order will expire on Monday, and we'll transition to a be-careful phase. Gatherings of ten or less people will be allowed, and small businesses will be able to reopen if they have the proper safety procedures in place (limiting the number of customers in the store, wearing masks, etc.) Bars, restaurants and salons will be able to reopen on June 1, again if they have the proper safety procedures in place.

I retired on April 3 so it hasn't affected me very much other than being bored, since the only place I can really go is the grocery store. I'm actually still working a few hours/week, helping out with finishing up the projects I managed, but am able to work remotely so it hasn't been too big of an issue.
wkohler
Posts: 50921
Joined: Oct 05, 2006 11:04 PM
Location: Phönix, Arizona, USA
Contact:

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by wkohler »

I have two jobs, both basically rely on events. The last dog show we shot was in February and everything has cancelled through June and into July. My other job is literally event production and I was supposed to be traveling doing shows but they were all cancelled through June (July/August usually don’t have anything for us). Fortunately for one of the jobs I’m an employee so after 6 weeks of filing unemployment claims I finally started receiving that on Tuesday. Thankfully my lack of motivation on the car front has helped get the bills paid in the meantime.
Kenny Blankenship
Posts: 4912
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: NNV

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by Kenny Blankenship »

Where is the choice, "...I was going to retire but Covid hit so I withdrew my retirement application and cancelled my European trip so I get to work because now I can work from home and my wife got sick so she got tested for Covid and the test turned out negative and the cat got sick too but she got well in two weeks but now I'm fed up with work because it looks like our department will be gone in a year or two so I'm going to reapply for retirement in a couple of months but I still can't go anywhere"...
tn535i
Posts: 5585
Joined: Jul 14, 2006 1:30 PM
Location: Middle Tennessee

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by tn535i »

Chain of events for me including Covid related...

My mom passed from cancer and with my dad for her funeral in the early part of this Covid thing just getting started
Day after mom's service (early morning) a tornado devastates our county
We get home late that day and we were fine but by the next morning we know of several families that lost about everything
Next weekend our plant went out on strike and I started working 12 hour days to keep critical lines for customers running
During this period it seems like I need to run the line and do maintenance to keep it running so 12 hour days are the minimum
Covid stuff begins to become more serious and we are determined essential, still working all the time
Company says they will cut our pay 20% and we should work from home or work 4 days a week instead of 5
After 6 weeks the strike finally gets settled and I'm supposed to go back to my regular job
My regular job is now converting one of our lines over to make PPE materials, still working 6 days a week most of the time
Seems like everything we are doing is enough different we need to upgrade or replace many things and equipment is also failing
Our regular operators are trying but don't understand the new stuff so I'm helping them learn this new thing
There appears to be no end to how busy we will be
In the meantime my brother's wife (in healthcare) gets sick but no very sick and confirmed Covid
The group she works with lost 6 or maybe 8, most of these are elderly and may have had issues to start with
Brother and his wife recover, their daughter no doubt exposed but no symptoms, don't think he or daughter we even tested
They are back to work but daughter was in college and will not go back until ??
Also in this shelter in place my wife's mom gets worse and needs to move into assisted living
Almost left out.. spring break plans with our daughter ( a cruise) cancelled of course

Please don't feel sorry for me. I'm fortunate to still have a good job and much to keep me busy and my family is safe and well. I feel for those I know and everywhere who are much less fortunate in all this and have lost income or family or friends. It's been an incredibly unpredictable year and no idea where it will go next. I don't think we anywhere close to in the clear.
Mike W.
Posts: 26872
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: California Whine Country

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by Mike W. »

Kenny Blankenship wrote:Where is the choice, "...I was going to retire but Covid hit so I withdrew my retirement application and cancelled my European trip so I get to work because now I can work from home and my wife got sick so she got tested for Covid and the test turned out negative and the cat got sick too but she got well in two weeks but now I'm fed up with work because it looks like our department will be gone in a year or two so I'm going to reapply for retirement in a couple of months but I still can't go anywhere"...
That one's easy, Life's complicated, none of the above fit.
Mike W.
Posts: 26872
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: California Whine Country

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by Mike W. »

2.5 months in and I made my first trip out for something besides groceries or take out. Scratch that, the second, I had to go to the PO to mail off taxes. Big trip out to the building supply store today as they're slightly loosening restrictions. Woo Hoo. Granted cash expenditures have been under $2 in that time, but the CC bill hasn't been low. Like 20% higher than norm? And I'm F'ing staying at home all the time???

More pragmatically I'm doing stupid well, just frustrated I can't do more "fun" stuff. BFD. I temper that with knowledge of not just the 100K that have died so far, but the millions out of work, sick, wondering how they'll pay rent and food etc. I still feel like whining. :evil:
a
Posts: 12469
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Marshfield ,MA

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by a »

My mother died from Covid-19 . She suffered until she lost the ability to swallow, then they started a morphine drip 5/9 and she passed 5/11. She was attended I'm told , I paid a window visit around noon she was unconscious. Her passing was not unexpected, Mum had a long life and was delivered from the constant pain of a worn out body. I just wish we could have attended her passing. Other than that, I'm hanging around the casa, having our necessities delivered. Stay safe you guys and try to stay outta trouble :D
Mike W.
Posts: 26872
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: California Whine Country

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by Mike W. »

Oh shit, that's awful Andy. My condolences to you, your brother, Aaron and the rest of your family.
a
Posts: 12469
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Marshfield ,MA

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by a »

Thank you Mike W. and Garageboy. As my BIL and best friend Rick said about his last look in with my little sister, I'm not gonna remember as I last saw her. I'm gonna remember her when I first met her. Mum would have been just shy of 60. So yes, that is a perfect memory. My older brother bought a plum tree in her memory and I think I will too.
wkohler
Posts: 50921
Joined: Oct 05, 2006 11:04 PM
Location: Phönix, Arizona, USA
Contact:

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by wkohler »

Sorry to hear that, Andy. Condolences to you and your family. I think that’s the worst part of it - no visitors. So many people unable to say goodbye to loved ones.
ElGuappo
Posts: 8128
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Sacramento, CA
Contact:

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by ElGuappo »

Well, I lost my job the day I expected to bring my computer and stuff home to 'work'...I was the only cut in the home office, but branches had plenty of cuts.
That was a shocker. I was with that company for 11.5 years. A solid reminder that companies aren't interested in actual ability or intellect, they just want people to stay in their box and ask no questions.
At least UI is paying, so I'm at home with my wife (who IS working from home).
Oh well...how hard could it be to find a job in this economy? :shock: (the last time I was unemployed was during the recession of 2007/8).

As for Covid, I'm reasonably sure that both my wife and younger son had it earlier this year, it was called 'Really bad bronchitis" that took over a month to work out. If they had it, it's almost a certainty that I did too, just not bad at all.
Mdreamer
Posts: 526
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by Mdreamer »

My place of business closed 3/18, and I worked from home until 3/31, when I was unexpectedly laid off mid-project. Just as suddenly, I was called back in 5/11. We revised our programming to be able to operate in a distancing manner, and we started working with customers again 5/19. The sad part is that our team was disbanded, to the point that only the four chiefs (me being one of them) run all of our departments (coaching, logistics, detail, etc.) when possible, and we call in some of our part time crew when we need help. Our full time team has been deemed too costly for my employer and our client, which is quite ironic. I was initially brought back at 80% of my salary like some of the rest of you, but I have since been elevated back to my original income. My business is considered retail, as I am an Assistant Chief Instructor at a manufacturer's driving facility that is designed to entertain the public.

The silver lining in all of this is that I got a chance to spend some much needed time with my wife and my children. For the past several months, I had been quite the workaholic, and it felt good to be with my home team uninterrupted. It has been hard on my sons to be locked in the house and unable to visit with their friends, but we know several people who have fallen ill, and a few who have perished, so we are taking no chances when it comes to their health. We were lucky to secure new bikes for the older two in the midst of this, and our youngest moved up to riding his big brother's bike, so we wound up riding daily as a family. Those are some memories that I'll always cherish, even though they aren't as fancy as some of the extravagant vacations that we've taken over the years. Another goal that I accomplished was starting a blog that I'd been wanting to, and I launched it with a story about my 535i as one of my first pieces. Here is a link to the story if you're interested:
http://thisfastlife.com/nostalgia/last- ... milys-car/

The other side of the coin is that I haven't been able to visit my parents due to them falling into the high risk category. We had planned to visit the first week of April, but that trip was not to be. As soon as I am given a green light, I plan on being on the first thing smoking to get to them. I was close to packing up the family and driving cross-country when I was laid off, but I couldn't bear the thought of showing up at my parents' door with me and my four after staying in random hotels across multiple states along the way.

For all of you who have lost loved ones during this period, I send my deepest condolences. Let us all hope that we don't have to endure this reality too much longer.
oldskool
Posts: 12001
Joined: Jul 13, 2008 3:46 PM
Location: coastal north carolina
Contact:

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by oldskool »

I have stopped drinking out of toilets. . .
Rich in Tupelo
Posts: 2917
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Spring Hill, TN

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by Rich in Tupelo »

Still working. Was able to secure 200 hours of paid time for my staff and able to keep from having to furlough them. Volumes started coming back in late may (healthcare) and were at 125% of budgeted for the past two weeks. On a personal note, having the kids home 3 months early from the normal school year end sucked. Too many "bored" people in the house.
Shadow
Posts: 951
Joined: Dec 28, 2008 10:03 PM
Location: USA

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by Shadow »

i have to go to work because it was either refuse and then work telling trump to stop sending me edd money.
or work at a reduced pay for now. pretty sure i have or had covid. some people at work have covid and
no i guess i have to deal with a reduced life span.
garageboy
Posts: 2479
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: New York City
Contact:

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by garageboy »

oldskool wrote: Jul 01, 2020 8:22 PM I have stopped drinking out of toilets. . .
Does anyone, for a moment, believe that? :rofl:
gadget73
Posts: 1176
Joined: Nov 22, 2017 10:30 PM
Location: New Jersey

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by gadget73 »

I find myself arguing with people more about what facts are facts. That something as apolitical as a disease has become a political hot button topic is incredibly stupid IMO. The existence of facts and alternative facts is also baffling. Find something that says one thing, someone finds a source that says the exact opposite. Trying to explain that there are credible and non-credible sources also seems to be impossible.
RetiredDoc
Posts: 1316
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Aiken SC

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by RetiredDoc »

Lost my fourth immediate family member this month. I am now the senior surviving person in my family.

The hospital where I spent most of my career and now depend on for my health care is full to capacity with Covid-19 patients, and it is the referral center for a large part of the state, so outlying hospitals are in a real bind, with nowhere to transfer patients. If I test positive at my age, I am in the group that will just be left to die.

I am not ready to be sacrificed, but I fear that is likely to happen. Hope I go before my wife. At least we made it to our 50th wedding anniversary.

This is not a hoax for some of us.
SeattleGuy
Posts: 737
Joined: Jun 25, 2018 6:26 AM

Re: How has Covid-19 affected YOU

Post by SeattleGuy »

RetiredDoc wrote: Jul 09, 2020 2:28 PM Lost my fourth immediate family member this month. I am now the senior surviving person in my family.

The hospital where I spent most of my career and now depend on for my health care is full to capacity with Covid-19 patients, and it is the referral center for a large part of the state, so outlying hospitals are in a real bind, with nowhere to transfer patients. If I test positive at my age, I am in the group that will just be left to die.

I am not ready to be sacrificed, but I fear that is likely to happen. Hope I go before my wife. At least we made it to our 50th wedding anniversary.

This is not a hoax for some of us.
I'm sorry to hear of this. Where are you?

This whole thing is so complicated. So w'happen was I'm in line with Alex, an athlete, and his GF right. And we are both adjusting our masks and shit and we looked at each other and just said "something's not right here." I said it first but before I could get it out of my mouth he starts nodding his head.

“There’s too many agendas going on out here for me to make sense of it all,” he says, just returning from an Ultimate Frisbee tie.

We both believe there is an illness that is a public health issue. But we both concluded that somewhere, somehow, the government and some big businesses are going to find a way to fuck us. We’re just waiting for it -- actually part of it I am experiencing right now:

The Court hearings are all ZOOM now so I can't run video. If I can't run video in open Court I can't document the corruption as well. Further, I am helping someone with an EEOC filing. She's gonna wait forever for a conference you know this.

Also my sister has been diagnosed with a treatable leukemia. But for me to visit her in NY I have to traverse the entire Country from WA. That's a fun dance, right?
Post Reply