Same. I’m extra appreciative of friends and family now and make the effort to go out more than I did preCovid. Outdoor dining is nice too. I’ve also developed an allergy to many types of hand sanitizer so that’s a not so fun carryover!
I do also stockpile a little more than I used to.
A lot of folks are mentioning being leery of hearing people cough. I recoil too, but I also know there are a lot of things out there that leave people with lingering coughs for months they may not be contagious at all.
Of course not. I have a pollen allergy-- a restaurant with a lily arrangement (common this time of year) or just walking past a florist is going to get me coughing for fifteen minutes. Nothing contagious about it, but I get why people leave lots of space when they hear me hacking.
I’m skipping a holiday gathering tonight because of a cold/bad cough, but I’m also not going out anywhere. In the past I’d probably run quick errands. I don’t want to infect anyone, or get the side eye from others.
Coughing for me has always been a “nails on a chalkboard” type sound. I’m very noise sensitive, but it’s 10x worse now after covid. I don’t care if it’s covid or something else respiratory, I do NOT want ANY of it! I don’t get sick often, but anything respiratory, my body has trouble kicking.
I have bad allergies 365 days a year. I’m allergic to everything alive. I am fully up to speed on what’s blooming in my area (or not) pretty much all the time. So I hate when people - who don’t have chronic allergies (i.e. people at work) - say “oh it’s just allergies.” Umm… no… Or the person hacking for a week “Oh it’s not covid. I tested negative” while talking about how everyone in their house has covid… uh huh… I’m keenly aware of everyone’s typical snorts, coughs, and sneezing patterns in here, so if something is off, I notice. I may have spent the day listening to two such people, but they are far enough from me to be but so paranoid, but I digress.
Otherwise, there’s not too much left over from covid. I am more reluctant to go to a crowded movie theater for some odd reason. It’s not like I don’t work with coughing people all day (long before the covid vaxs were available). And I travel, almost always without a mask. I only mask up if I’m in a tight spot for a long period of time with someone actively coughing, but then again H doesn’t mask then, so if he gets something… I’ll probably get it anyway. Fortunately, he’s got a great immune system.
I wish I could work from home, but other than the first 3 months when VA shut down, it’s been a non-option for me. I hate that.
I know it sounds like I’m hacking up a lung- but I DO have allergies, and I DO know when my coughing is in response to an allergen and not a virus or bacteria. Why do you think your colleagues know less about their allergies than you know about yours?
If someone near my desk has chamomile tea-- I’ll have a reaction. It’s not life threatening in any way, it has no lasting effects (so no, I don’t need an epi pen, thanks for your concern) but I will have a hacking cough if I’ve breathed in some of the irritants in your tea bag and you repeatedly dunk it up and down multiple times. Make it in a travel mug with a lid in the kitchen and then walk it to your desk? I’ll be fine, no reaction.
This time of year with floral decorations everywhere where you least expect them (why must every restaurant ladies room have a floral arrangement?) means I’m going to cough. And then it’s over. I wear a mask so other people feel more comfortable listening to the symphony.
February is generally my good month. No pollen yet where I live, the Xmas decorations are long gone and crushed into mulch. And then comes March…
Do your floral allergies hint to your screen name?
My better half just came down with something. It hit her fully this morning as she moved an interview for a job she was going to today. That is how I know she is feeling bad. We are flying for Xmas on 12/23. She most likely will be 100% over it by then. The question is will she pass to me or D2. D1 lives out of state and won’t come in until 12/22. But D1 is a teacher so who knows what she carries around with her.
We definitely will be careful the rest of the week. Looks like I am on the couch, which is fine as I end up there most nights as my back tightens up usually.
Carryovers - I still do 97% of the grocery shopping as my better half has more issues than I do. So glad we got into Walmart pick up well before the pandemic. Only go into one store a week. And I try to stay away from people. Lastly hugs and handshakes are out of the picture these days.
But do you cough for 10 days from 8-5 in an office when nothing new has been introduced? I’ve worked with my colleagues in the same open room for years, some of them over 20 years. You notice patterns. As I mentioned. I’ve super noise sensitive. I notice.
But yes I know that random people could possibly not be contagious. My kids in Vienna both had an attack while watching the Spanish horses. They were allergic to whatever was in the dirt getting kicked up. I forgot Benedryl, but had some allergy meds which took some of the bite out of it until they got home, took a shower, and used inhalers. Then they were 100% fine. And I don’t blame anyone for giving us the stink eye. But if I’m out and about and I hear coughing, I’m going to assume it’s contagious and stay away! And I would hope that anyone coughing would at least try to cover their mouths or turn away. Soooooo many don’t
I feel bad for people with chronic bronchitis and bronchieactasis who often cough horribly and have coughing fits but are NOT contagious unless they also have a viral or bacterial infection. People look askance at them these days, fearing they are contagious. It’s already awful having chronic lung issues without having more people avoid you for fear you may somehow be contagious.
When I’m exposed to dairy, I sound like I have the worst cold imaginable (hacking cough, congestion, watery eyes) for 10-15 days. It happens about once a year so people are always surprised how long it lasts.
Absolutely! But, since the pandemic, when I hear a cough, I feel like a cat that freezes and ears flick up. I never used to be that way.
I joke that I was built for the shut-down. I love my privacy and personal space, and was pretty happy (all things considered) when there was no reason to go anywhere.
Now, I basically go to the grocery store and that’s it, by choice. If I decide to go to a store of any kind, I try to get there right when it opens. I have two adult children, so of course do things with and for them. But I find myself realizing, at the end of the day, that I never left the house and I don’t feel like I missed anything (I am retired so that helps lol).
I’ve always kept a well-stocked pantry, but probably more so now. I also run from people who are coughing. I had a falling out with my church (a very long story that involves bullying by a few members towards me) so I no longer attend in person but found an online service I enjoy.
I will say, that as a home-loving introvert, I really liked (I want to say “loved”) the safer at home period of time. If I never have to go into crowds again (except to get to a destination) I would be very content.
COVID led to dramatic changes in my life, as well as the world, many of which remain today.
I started working from home for the first time during COVID, in early 2020. I’ve remained 100% working from home for the >4 years since then. My employer no longer rents the physical office where I used to go in for work (does have physical offices elsewhere in region). This had led to changes in work hours, how meetings are handled, how interactions are handled with colleagues in other companies, etc.
I consider inflation and increased fed rate to combat inflation as an indirect carryover from COVID. 30-year mortgage rates are the highest they have been since before the global financial crisis in 2007-08, and the market expects rates to remain high for the foreseeable future. This has led to changes in my investment strategy, portfolio weightings of fixed income vs stocks, desirability of leveraged investments, etc.
With the combination of above – more people working from home and people being reluctant to sell and lose their financial arbitrage 2-3% mortgage, home prices/values skyrocketed and remain high by historical standards. I live in VHCOL of area of CA. With home prices and home replacement values increasing far more rapidly than insurance rates can increase under prop 103, many insurers are leaving the state and/or limiting new policies. The insurer I had pre-COVID has left the state. My home insurance is double what I paid 5-years ago, yet I feel fortunate. A good portion of my neighbors are in far worse positions.
Car prices shot up soon after COVID due to supply chain disruptions. There was a point at which it was common for low mileage used cars to be more expensive than MSRP for new cars, which partially related to new cars not being available. Cars are still high priced by historical standards, but seem to have stabilized by a good amount this year. I bought a car a few weeks ago. I observed that inflation adjusted prices still remain high by historical standard, even though there are plenty of cars at area dealers. Some dealerships in my area have too many cars to fit in their lot.
With the elevated prices, I also was able to get a good deal on my old car by historical standards. My old car was in poor condition, with a myriad of mechanical and cosmetic issues. Any mechanic would quickly find that it would cost far more to fix than value of car. Any person driving the car would notice the issues on day 1. The best online offer I got was from Carvana (still remains popular post COVID), which also beat local dealers and KBB by a good margin. On the day before Carvana was scheduled to pick up my car, a local dealer offered to beat Carvana’s price, so I sold to them instead.
I could continue and list many other things that remain changed. I consider COVID to be one of the most world altering events of this generation.
And Covid gave us permission to admit this.
I realized about 6 months into covid that my life hadn’t changed that much. The only thing I really missed was meeting friends for lunch so was happy when restaurants reopened.
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