Sound off

[Rock of the Fraternity]

How is everyone right now?
Are you and yours reasonably safe and well?
2020 is over and done with, but the world is still scarier than Ravenloft right now, so I thought I'd ask.

[Mischief]

How is everyone right now?
Are you and yours reasonably safe and well?
2020 is over and done with, but the world is still scarier than Ravenloft right now, so I thought I'd ask.

People I know keep dying of covid or probable covid complications, but one grandparent has got 1/2 vaccines (Moderna). Now if only mom can convince the other two on her side who are somewhat antivax to get it done. (Edit: mentioned it to her, and they aren't going to do it. They also want us to visit soon. Mom is pissed.) And it's freaking hard to focus on work when a bunch of seditious morons attempted a coup / delay of official proceedings (whatever your preferred spin is) and you have a sibling who lives in DC staying with you (and got out because they knew Jan 6 was going to be a mess) and is trying to keep updated on staffer friends on the hill. Some were locked into offices and sheltering in place for a bit before they got out - as best as I can tell secondhand. The picture of the ******* with the plastic handcuffs (presumably) looking to take hostages didn't help. That and there have been out-of-towners stabbing DC people just going out to pick up food and such so sibling is also worried about that. Oh yeah, and one of the trumpy cousins fired off on my sibling, because apparently parler/4chan/reddit/libertarian hangout/internet/whatever is more reliable than someone who actually lives in DC and spent a little time as a staffer. So sibling forwarded the convo to uncle & aunt/parents of cousin who are not trumpy and now everyone is secondhand embarrassed and I'm just glad I deleted facebook 8 years go.

On the other hand I finished a little productivity tool in autohotkey that will make entering invoices about 4 times faster, so that's nice! Unless other unforseen changes happen, I'm going to be out of where I live in March, so that's going to be chaos of the not good kind. My monthly insurance premiums have also gone up more than 200% (so 3x+ higher) because of income changes related to the covid economy and the unique legislation in my state, so I'm hoping for more stimulus checks so Blue Cross Blue Shield can take all of it (Really though: Rent, insurance, and utilities are where all my stimulus money has gone (except for a few dmsguild pdfs!), and I've still had help from family.). Writing Ravenloft stuff is one of the few joyful outlets in my life right now.

[ewancummins]

I certainly have concerns about those less fortunate, as ever, but 2020 was a pretty good year for me.
I did gain a wee belly during the first phase of the pandemic and shutdown (you can only safely eat so many burritos while sitting around the house reading and playing tabletop games...) but I peeled it all off in a few weeks of eating a bit less and exercising a bit more and am now back at 175 lbs (at 6'). It wouldn't hurt to harden up my muscles, but I'm happy about my overall health. Going back to the gym when this stuff is over will be good.
For a while, we couldn't attend the Mass at our parish church, but that's long since corrected.
The kids are doing well and I am having a blast reading to them, playing games with them, doing arts and crafts, etc.
Ruth has to deal with the upsets and transitions of online teaching and a hybrid model, but she's done so like a champ.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

It's been a rough year, but I always keep in mind that my family has been far luckier than many others. My aunt and uncle got Covid, as did my cousin's daughter, my dogsitter and her husband and daughter, and some of my brother-in-law's extended family, but all recovered, thankfully. One friend of my parents wasn't so lucky and died of it. My wife and I haven't had to worry about our jobs or lost income, so we are thankful for that. It's been a struggle to juggle hybrid schooling for the kids with working from home, but it's better than not being able to work, or having to work exposed to the public. Just being alive to see 2021 is more than so many could claim, so I can't complain. I think the hardest part has been seeing the response to everything tearing people apart instead of bringing them together, and then having to explain to my kids why that's happening. It's just so incredibly sad that we could have been galvanized into action, nipped it in the bud and been back to normal already if it wasn't for such a large number of profoundly selfish and foolish people. We were tested and we failed. That's hard to accept. I'm hopeful that things are turning the corner, but some big wounds in our society have been exposed, and that won't go away or be forgotten.

[Joël of the FoS]

Mischief, the thing was traumatic even for people out of the USA.

Stay safe everybody, and also keep your heart open for people who do not think like you. It can be annoying or scary at times, but eventually peace shall come back.

Me? Same here, unpleasant year but as I said to my daughter around Christmas, 2020 was finally more annoying than frightening. We had to stay within our bubble and avoided seeing friends and loved ones, which was a pain in the pattockus, but luckily nobody close got the disease.

Also, we live in a house, where everybody has its own space, so it wasn’t a horrible experience. In April and after, I had thoughts for the large families living in small apartments, that must have been difficult at times.

My business was down -90 % in April and until September between -70 % and -85 %, but I used this time to start a new Internet site for a grocery store for poor people, a place where I volunteer since a few years (helping poor people putting food on their table everyday of the month). The thing was a success, we made up to 47 deliveries per week.

I could have used the free time to play guitar, watch Netflix or read (so many things on my to-read list), but I decided to be helpful and give back to my community. It was stressful at times (no income for me, operating deliveries with the virus restrictions), but my project worked and it was very appreciated by the older grocery stores clients who could not go outside, or didn’t want to during the first wave. We also got a new clientele of people with mobility problems, making food deliveries to them was very cool, and the whole thing was a definitively a feel good operation.

I need too to do as ewancummins, and loose a little added 2020 chips and beer weight

2021, you better behave!

[Mischief]

Sorry about the language. It's definitely been a bit amped in the house since the 6th, and just now is quieting down emotionally.

It's just so incredibly sad that we could have been galvanized into action, nipped it in the bud and been back to normal already if it wasn't for such a large number of profoundly selfish and foolish people. We were tested and we failed. That's hard to accept. I'm hopeful that things are turning the corner, but some big wounds in our society have been exposed, and that won't go away or be forgotten.

I hear you. My outcome is that I've decided I'm not going back to church when this is all over, probably not ever. Ironically, mine took covid seriously and has been livestreaming services, welcomed everyone, and hasn't sold its soul to politics. It's the congregation I am disappointed in. They don't listen to their own book or the good man they are paying desperately trying to reach their hearts. I have spent a lifetime unwinding truths from lies I was told in childhood. I am here in this fandom now because it was one of those things I was denied, absolutely not because of lies from the pulpit, but from the congregation's murmurs of disapproval, from Sunday school, from parents gossiping to parents because they supplement their religious education with poisonous snake oil TV preachers.
The last five+ years of politics and now covid like a hammer coming down on the spike, my resolve finally shattered. I'm tired of trying to swim upstream in a river of people who don't understand that duty means you are supposed to care about people you don't know and will never meet, and proactively, before they start hurting.

Mischief, the thing was traumatic even for people out of the USA.

It's kind of amazing to hear that. I live in a politically split extended family, and I hear "it would have been protocol to open fire on the mob, there were congressmen trapped inside," alongside "it's a public building and they have a right to be there and make their grievances heard." like it was any other venue, and "Ugh, I just know someone's going to s*** and smear it all over. (Yep, that happened.) It's going to take weeks to clear the building. Do you know how many closets and boiler rooms are in this thing? And I sure hope they don't loot the offices. Senators are allowed to keep historical keepsakes in their offices. Pieces of the Berlin wall, etc. I'm just praying they are stupid and don't know about them." (My sister. And there was some looting, but I don't think there is an inventory of what was taken publicly known yet.)

Stay safe everybody, and also keep your heart open for people who do not think like you. It can be annoying or scary at times, but eventually peace shall come back.

No, I'm done with a certain segment of people. DC not really, but Covid was/is a true crisis. Peace will not close my eyes. They were willing in their ignorance, and in their willingness harmed others. People in my life said putting cloth on their face for thirty minutes is a fundamental oppression of their freedoms. I have drawn this line in the sand before and left those on the other side behind, the last time over gay rights a decade plus ago. I have never regretted not compromising my beliefs or my duty. Either they came around (most people to be honest), or stayed where they are and became someone I can't even recognize any more who delight in being mean. (See cousin.)

My business was down -90 % in April and until September between -70 % and -85 %

That's stressful as heck. I can only give you words of support.

I used this time to start a new Internet site for a grocery store for poor people, a place where I volunteer since a few years (helping poor people putting food on their table everyday of the month). The thing was a success, we made up to 47 deliveries per week. I could have used the free time to play guitar, watch Netflix or read (so many things on my to-read list), but I decided to be helpful and give back to my community. It was stressful at times (no income for me, operating deliveries with the virus restrictions), but my project worked and it was very appreciated by the older grocery stores clients who could not go outside, or didn’t want to during the first wave. We also got a new clientele of people with mobility problems, making food deliveries to them was very cool, and the whole thing was a definitively a feel good operation.

That's fantastic. It means a world of difference to people not to have to worry about all the motions to simply safely step outside. This might sound strange, but don't neglect playing the guitar now while your fingerings are still good. The old guy I took care of for a few years always wished he could still play. I miss that man so darn much. He actually lived through measles and diphtheria(?) epidemics in Alaska that killed a lot of kids and remembered how that went, so I'm glad he missed covid.

[Jester of the FoS]

2019 was a pretty good year all things told. Until mid-December when my life was entirely upended. And that led into a really rough 2020, which would have easily, hands-down been the worst year of my life even before COVID kicked in.

It has been rough. It has been really, really rough.

[Mischief]

2019 was a pretty good year all things told. Until mid-December when my life was entirely upended. And that led into a really rough 2020, which would have easily, hands-down been the worst year of my life even before COVID kicked in.

It has been rough. It has been really, really rough.

Hang in there and I am rooting for you. There are lots of Joels and other wonderful people in this world carrying the torches of hope. I hope we on the forum and the people at your table can be some of the bright in your day.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

I got a new job in 2020, which is great.
Then, of course, the pandemic hit.
My aunt died in 2020, but that was due to sustaining a broken hip, which was operated on, only for an infection to necessitate another surgery. And that was too much of a strain for her body; she was in her eighties, I believe. I still miss her.
And the pandemic kept on going. Life got turned upside down, which came as a nasty shock. There are still days when I am struck by how surreal it is to be living in a pandemic.
And news started welling up from America, which I considered to be highly concerning, even though I don't live there.

My concerns over covid-19 and the world's political turmoil and ecological concerns... those are just there are all the time. I can push them from my conscious mind so as to get on with my day, but there are times when that has to be a conscious effort.

I've never been big on getting into physical contact with strangers, but I fear that today, I nearly had a panic attack when I went to the supermarket and people were just droning about, moving against the lanes' clearly marked direction and standing around chatting.
It's getting hard to function outside specific areas. More and more, I feel people are being arrogant and stupid, regardless whether they're wearing masks or not. I want things to return to normal, too, but we are not there yet. Why the **** are so many people acting as though they're immune, simply because they're wearing a mask?

It also seems to me that human arrogance and stupidity is what got us a pandemic, not to mention other troubles currently plaguing us as a species and even the whole planet. I am concerned for the future, and I find it intensely uncomfortable to realize how fragile our continuity has turned out to be.

My closest family and I haven't fallen sick yet, so that's a thing to be happy about. I have a good job, which is also something to be happy about. I still felt like I was going to freak out in the local supermarket today, and that is not good.
My apologies to everyone who's been far less fortunate than I; my concerns may well seem very insignificant. But I am worried.

[Mischief]

My aunt died in 2020, but that was due to sustaining a broken hip, which was operated on, only for an infection to necessitate another surgery. And that was too much of a strain for her body; she was in her eighties, I believe. I still miss her.

Broken hips are one of the worst. It's a struggle to heal. You have my sympathies.

More and more, I feel people are being arrogant and stupid, regardless whether they're wearing masks or not. I want things to return to normal, too, but we are not there yet. Why the **** are so many people acting as though they're immune, simply because they're wearing a mask?
It also seems to me that human arrogance and stupidity is what got us a pandemic, not to mention other troubles currently plaguing us as a species and even the whole planet. I am concerned for the future, and I find it intensely uncomfortable to realize how fragile our continuity has turned out to be.

I think Gonzoron said it the most succinctly.

I think the hardest part has been seeing the response to everything tearing people apart instead of bringing them together, and then having to explain to my kids why that's happening. It's just so incredibly sad that we could have been galvanized into action, nipped it in the bud and been back to normal already if it wasn't for such a large number of profoundly selfish and foolish people. We were tested and we failed. That's hard to accept. I'm hopeful that things are turning the corner, but some big wounds in our society have been exposed, and that won't go away or be forgotten.

I've never been big on getting into physical contact with strangers, but I fear that today, I nearly had a panic attack when I went to the supermarket and people were just droning about, moving against the lanes' clearly marked direction and standing around chatting. .... My concerns over covid-19 and the world's political turmoil and ecological concerns... those are just there are all the time. I can push them from my conscious mind so as to get on with my day, but there are times when that has to be a conscious effort. It's getting hard to function outside specific areas. I still felt like I was going to freak out in the local supermarket today, and that is not good. My apologies to everyone who's been far less fortunate than I; my concerns may well seem very insignificant. But I am worried.

The terrible pain others might be feeling right now does not null or negate your own pain and anxiety. And I think you are justified. Covid hangs over us and our loved ones like an invisible scythe. Will you touch the wrong thing? Breathe the wrong air for too long? Trust the wrong person, even though they are trustworthy but not showing visible symptoms? There's a good reason so many Ravenloft domains have "unseen, but always watching" as part of their wheelhouse because it genuinely is terrifying and corrosive to the soul and sanity. Fantasy has always a been a looking glass onto our real lives.
All you can do is be the person you wish others would be and offer support to others. Every little good thing you do is significant even if you don't see the effects ripple out.
And for all the astounding and outrageous trouble in the US, during these past four years the civil servants have trudged through two shutdowns and a year of plague to make the ordinary happen. Heroes are everywhere, most unsung.

[Drinnik Shoehorn]

I’m a front line carer and it’s been difficult for me and my colleagues. Our company is really good though, and we get weekly tests and our owner is trying to get us all vaccinated. I’ve been working from home during our first lockdown and this lockdown, keeping a lad I support calm and stopping him from having meltdowns and attacking his mother.

I’ve been taking others out because it’s hard for them to understand what is going on in the world. I’ve had to drive some past the places we normally go just to show them they’re shut. Severely autistic people are struggling hard with the routine change (mild to moderates are too, but I’m finding their behaviours aren’t as extreme). None of my family have been ill, fortunately, but my best friend’s grandfather went into hospital for a fall in April, and caught COVID there and passed.

My partner has BPD and the first lockdown was really tough for him as he was living in a flat share, but we’re living together now so he should be ok.

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

The pandemic has been an interesting time to start graduate school. My introversion and indoorsiness have made the transition to online learning less stressful than it otherwise could have been, though I have been sitting in front of my computer way too much. Unfortunately, walking between classes was my primary form of exercise.

I have been fortunate that all of my doctor visits have been for non-COVID issues, like mistaking my hyoid bone for swollen lymph nodes. I'm thankful that my family has also been staying healthy. My parents are both in their 60s, so I am more concerned for their wellbeing than mine, especially since my dad claims he will just go out into the woods if he gets sick, rather than face medical expenses.

I stopped touching the banisters of public stairwells long before the public health crisis, so who knows if I will ever be able to touch public door handles with my bare hands again.

I’ve been taking others out because it’s hard for them to understand what is going on in the world. I’ve had to drive some past the places we normally go just to show them they’re shut. Severely autistic people are struggling hard with the routine change (mild to moderates are too, but I’m finding their behaviours aren’t as extreme).

That makes me think of one of my aunts, who works as a special education teacher. Even with fewer students, it is more demanding than her colleagues' jobs, and if I remember correctly, the school isn't letting her claim her extra hours for pay. She may change jobs in the near future if things don't improve.

My aunt died in 2020, but that was due to sustaining a broken hip, which was operated on, only for an infection to necessitate another surgery. And that was too much of a strain for her body; she was in her eighties, I believe. I still miss her.

Broken hips are one of the worst. It's a struggle to heal. You have my sympathies.

Indeed, broken hips are bad news. Pneumonia after the second broken hip is what got my grandfather several years ago. When my grandmother broke her hip a couple of years ago, I think one of the attendants told my mom that most elderly people die within a year of breaking a hip. She actually recovered from that and outlived that time frame, but she did pass away in late 2019.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Please accept my belated condolences, Wolfglide.

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

Thank you. My condolences to you as well.

[Baron Von Stanton]

First off, positive thoughts and future fortune to Rock and Wolfglide.
Secondly, as awful as 2020 may have been, putting together another Register of Monsters got me energized into getting back to work on Ravenloft stuffs again, or at least, finally getting around to writing on paper about some domains I've been putzing around with for years. Hopefully, I'll have them typed up for Quoth the Raven #28