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In reply to the discussion: Is it just me, or does anyone else kind of feel like they are kind of losing it a little lately? [View all]DFW
(55,958 posts)Over here, almost everywhere is on lockdown, and I haven't left the country in about ten days (NEVER happens).
So, we occasionally see our neighbors one by one, my wife drives up to see her mom once or twice a month, and our daughter tries to come up here with her two little ones when she can get away. Our town has the bare essentials open, but that's it. I try to get some stuff done online or on the phone, but most of my work has to be done in person, so it's complicated.
But what the hell, my wife is good company, and I guess the rest will do me good. It's not like we have much of a choice. The three main events I attend this time of year in the USA (SC, FL and NYC) have all been canceled, and with them, my subsequent visits to Dallas and DC. One of my friends has already been sworn in, and there won't be any parties for the other in January anyhow (what a difference from 2013!). So, our next visit to the States probably won't be until April, which takes off some of the year-end pressure here.
ALL of Europe is relieved about Trump's departure, so the mood here is actually somewhat lighter despite the local stress. People hate the lockdown, but they see the numbers and know the stress put on the hospitals here, so they put up with it, for the most part. Almost 1000 dead yesterday in Germany alone, which is like 4000 dead in the States. NOT trivial.
Funnily enough, the whole situation has traumatized some areas of organized crime, as gangs of break-in specialists from Eastern Europe (mostly Romania), aren't finding nearly as many empty homes to rob, or pockets to pick. There are gangs on Romania who actually teach courses on how to slit someone's pockets or backpacks with a razor blade so skillfully, the victim never feels it. Several friends of mine have been victims to this practice.
Even if caught, thieves are not jailed here in Germany. They are sent back on the street the same day with a warning, so it is a paradise here for skillful thieves, especially since it is a crime to defend yourself with violence. But if there is no one on the street to steal from, lax laws don't do you any good.