# Lockdown, what do we keep?



## Peanuts20

Now that lockdown and restrictions are over (at least for now), what, if anything would you like to retain/keep from the last 2 years?. I know there is a lot we hope we will never see or have to do again, but was it all bad?

For me, 

hybrid working/working from home is brilliant, it reduces my commute costs, I'm more productive as the time I spent commuting is time I can spend working. It's also more beneficial in terms of the environment and traffic. I know it's not for everyone but it suits my particular job, and I love it
It's been a great excuse not to connect with people I don't really want to connect with (I'm isolating !) so I don't have to go to weddings and other things out of a sense of duty. It's allowed me to focus on those who are really important to me
Because I've spent more time at home, I've read more, listened to things I would not have listened to and watched things I would never have watched before. 
I think we've discovered from a holiday perspective that we don't always need to be jumping on a plane to go places, Ireland is actually pretty good (if expensive) for a holiday.
Personally, I've found the communications from the schools is so much better since they discovered Teams etc. Maybe we've been lucky with our schools in that respect but it's been good for us. 

So what else have people liked, benefited from, over the last 2 years?


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## odyssey06

Working from Home.

Re-discovering \ discovering green local areas during the first lockdown.

Virtual wine tastings.

More click and collect \ delivery offerings from retailers.


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## Purple

Traffic. The traffic, or lack of, was great during the first lockdown. I had to go into work each day and we're classified as an essential service so we stayed open. I miss the empty streets of Dublin in the mornings.

Employment supports. Helping struggling businesses to stay trading that are viable in the longer term by supporting their employees is better (cheaper, shorter term and better for the economy and society) than letting them fail and paying welfare to their former employees.

Hand washing. MRSA and other related viruses that were rampant in our hospitals are greatly reduced since the people employed there actually started following the rules on hand hygiene. Let's hope they keep doing it.


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## EmmDee

I think hybrid working is here to stay. We are looking to hire and every single candidate has listed this as a requirement and I know virtually all of the firms in our industry are offering it.

I suspect I'll keep masks around - if I had a cold or similar I think I'd still wear a mask going into shops. I was familiar with this from HK and wider Asia. Think we'll see a bit of this


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## odyssey06

Purple said:


> Traffic. The traffic, or lack of, was great during the first lockdown. I had to go into work each day and we're classified as an essential service so we stayed open. I miss the empty streets of Dublin in the mornings.
> 
> Employment supports. Helping struggling businesses to stay trading that are viable in the longer term by supporting their employees is better (cheaper, shorter term and better for the economy and society) than letting them fail and paying welfare to their former employees.
> 
> Hand washing. MRSA and other related viruses that were rampant in our hospitals are greatly reduced since the people employed there actually started following the rules on hand hygiene. Let's hope they keep doing it.


Who decides long term viability though? Wouldn't want it to be vulnerable to the baying mob...


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## Purple

odyssey06 said:


> Who decides long term viability though? Wouldn't want it to be vulnerable to the baying mob...


Yes, it would have to pass under the populism limbo-bar.


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## Paul O Mahoney

I'm surprised nobody said, keeping Neil Young on Spotify.
I'm gutted all my play lists are peppered with his music, we lost our dog in December and am lost without him, walking and having my music isn't a 100% replacement for him but it helps.

As for gardening only time will tell if this decision will affect it.

Obviously there is a bigger issue here, Spotify has made a commercial decision and Joe Rogan is what people are listening to in today's world, that is frightening on so many levels, and deleted Young and Mitchell on their request. 

I honestly feel that to embolden these types, he's noted for his whataboutery  on the pandemic and vaccines,  will do more harm to the containment of any future pandemics/ serious health issues.

Other "keeps", mask wearing,  good health practices,  and after a train ride from Cork, continued isolation for a certain cohort that won't  be listening to Rogan but seem as moronic as the snowflakes.


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## Purple

Paul O Mahoney said:


> Joe Rogan is what people are listening to in today's world,


Was it here that someone described him as the stupid man's thinking man?


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## Paul O Mahoney

Purple said:


> Was it here that someone described him as the stupid man's thinking man?


Dunno but he seems very Trumpy in his admiration of himself .


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## michaelm

I suspect that many of Rogan's critics are elitists who have never actually listened to his podcasts.


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## Purple

michaelm said:


> I suspect that many of Rogan's critics are elitists who have never actually listened to his podcasts.


I've listened to him quite a few times. He's a few strange views and while he's no fool and has a good interview style he's no genius either.


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## deanne

I'm surprised nobody said, keeping Neil Young on Spotify.
I'm gutted all my play lists are peppered with his music, we lost our dog in December and am lost without him, walking and having my music isn't a 100% replacement for him but it helps.

As for gardening only time will tell if this decision will affect it.

Obviously there is a bigger issue here, Spotify has made a commercial decision and Joe Rogan is what people are listening to in today's world, that is frightening on so many levels, and deleted Young and Mitchell on their request.

I honestly feel that to embolden these types, he's noted for his whataboutery  on the pandemic and vaccines,  will do more harm to the containment of any future pandemics/ serious health issues.

Other "keeps", mask wearing,  good health practices,  and after a train ride from Cork, continued isolation for a certain cohort that won't  be listening to Rogan but seem as moronic as the snowflakes.




         I'm surprised that people are so concerned about Joe Rogan , he must be very influential, otherwise, why bother taking a stand. Let's face it, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell are not cool today and are not listened to by many young people, Spotify's overwhelming demographic audience. He must be an influential and serious opposition to the mainstream narrative, hence he has many followers. This says more about mainstream media than it says about him, he is filling a void in the media narrative. Not sure what "moronic snowflakes" are, but it sounds condescending and insulting


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## Paul O Mahoney

deanne said:


> Not sure what "moronic snowflakes" are, but it sounds condescending and insulting


It was meant to be.


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## Purple

deanne said:


> I'm surprised that people are so concerned about Joe Rogan , he must be very influential, otherwise, why bother taking a stand. Let's face it, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell are not cool today and are not listened to by many young people, Spotify's overwhelming demographic audience.





deanne said:


> He must be an influential and serious opposition to the mainstream narrative, hence he has many followers.


 By "mainstream narrative" I presume you mean the truth, backed up by fact? There is no shortage of people who are willing to listen to nonsense. There is no shortage of people who are too stupid to know the difference between the truth, backed up by fact, and makey-up nonsense, backed up by nothing more than a desire for it to be true. Those people get a vote too so it's important that they are fed on a diet of the truth, even if they don't like the way it tastes. 




deanne said:


> This says more about mainstream media than it says about him,


No, it says way more about him and none of it is good. 


deanne said:


> he is filling a void in the media narrative.


Yes, the makey-up nonsense void. 


deanne said:


> Not sure what "moronic snowflakes" are, but it sounds condescending and insulting


Look it up. Use Google, not Twitter.


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## deanne

I was unaware of Joe Rogan before Neil Young decided to opt out of Spotify. Now that I know of his existence, I'm going to listen to Joe Rogan and what he has to say......win, win for Joe Rogan.


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## EmmDee

deanne said:


> I was unaware of Joe Rogan before Neil Young decided to opt out of Spotify. Now that I know of his existence, I'm going to listen to Joe Rogan and what he has to say......win, win for Joe Rogan.



That's the spirit - "Someone told me the fire is hot but I'm going to show THEM - I'm sticking my hand in the fire. Win win!!!"


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## Sophrosyne

I hope AAM keeps some of the Coronavirus threads for posterity.


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## Clamball

Definitely keep the hybrid working model.  The save on commuting time, wear & tear on car, mind, environment is priceless.  

Very reluctant to take public transport still.  I am visiting head office in Dublin next week after a 2 year break and I won’t take the train.

Shaking hands and hugging.  I have no interest in going back to that especially in a work environment, and I don’t want fist bumps or elbow bumps either.  

Hand washing, sanitising etc when I am out and about.  I am finding hand sanitisers more difficult to find in shops and retail, I hope they keep them.  Definitely a large move away from paper money & coins.  Had to use a car park a few days this week and scrounging for coins.  Most are installing tap to pay but you never know which ones.  

Masks, I am not sure how much longer I will keep them up.  I like the idea for travelling but not sure about work or retail.  Even in hospitals the numbers not wearing them correctly is bananas.  In my small office we are all vaccinated so we feel safer.  In other work environments I don’t know if I will take the risk and keep the mask off or not. 

Would for definitive take more vaccines.


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## tomdublin

Meeting friends socially distanced on park benches in the sunshine.  We often drank lukewarm white wine out of coffee cups and hid the bottle whenever a guard walked by. A strangely satisfying feeling.


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