Top Stories

People Explain Which Skills They've Picked Up In Quarantine

All the things I've learned in solitude.

After months of hibernation, every city will soon be out of lockdown and on the path to the new normal. So what did we all do to utilize the time? Write a novel? Start a workout plan? Or cry, eat and drink? All of those answers are valid. Some people did actually decide to use the time wisely. And now that freedom is upon us they have new talents to share with the world.

Redditor u/JAIC2004 wanted to know who made the most of their downtime in quarantine solitude by asking.... What have you started in quarantine that you will continue after?

Homebound.

Giphy

Staying home. Not eating out. Not stopping by the bar every chance I get. cwade84

YNAB!

I made a sourdough starter. Now this jar of yeast will live forever in my fridge, it's like a new pet.

Also, tracking all my expenses on YNAB! It's really reassuring knowing where my money is going and making plans to save. ImprovedMeyerLemon

The Garden. 

I have a potato garden now, it's not too big but I really enjoy doing it and it's such a cool feeling when they sprout for the first time. 11Scorpion

We planted corn and other vegetables, and they are beginning to grow. It's a long-term project without instant satisfaction, like investing. PhuckNazis

Good investment. 

Bought an inexpensive bidet and not going back. No longer have to worry about the lack of toilet paper in the area. Bought two 30 packs of washable, drying wipes and have never felt cleaner. Read somewhere, some time ago.... if you had crap anywhere else on your body... would you trust toilet paper to get it off? No noticeable difference in the water bill. Good investment. Stock-Suspect

Business Ventures.

Giphy

I opened my Etsy shop back up. Closed it down about 8 years ago with little success. Back then I hoped it would become an income source. Now it's just a hobby, which makes it way less stressful :).

Hopefully after quarantine I'll still have time to actually make jewelry! Definitely didn't have time before :/ xTruthProofx

Family Life. 

Cooking the majority of my family's meals and we eat them at the dinner table with no devices, and I take them out for a walk/hike/bike ride every night as "entertainment."

This has made me appreciate what I have even more than I did, and I'm bringing us all back to the 60s complete with B&W TV to maximize the family time. billbapapa

Push It.

Giphy

Daily push-ups.

I decided to do the 30 day challenge of 100 push-ups per day. I'm typically doing 110 to 120 push-ups per day now. Before the pandemic I did zero per day.

EDIT: Also, a once a month grocery trip instead of the 2 or 3 times per week trip. We started shopping every 3 or 4 weeks now and it's been so much nicer. Buying in bulk, cooking larger meals (with leftovers), etc. We've actually been saving money doing this, mostly because we aren't doing things like buying snacks on the way home after work, etc. SharkOnGames

Get Ready. 

Prepping. Even if this all ends with a whimper, even if November comes and goes without a Civil War starting, even if this flu season winter goes as usual, I'll still be prepared as much as I can be for whatever can go wrong. GE15T

The Essential.

Stopped buying things I don't need. I buy essentials and maybe a few things to help not go crazy and that's it. If you get creative you don't need to buy useless things. I wish everyone would stop buying Crap and I would sit back and watch the big malls crumble. fib16

Workday. 

Hopefully, working from home. I've already begun browsing job postings. My coworkers and office culture are great, and my work is tolerable. However, the commute and constant human interaction just drain the life out of me. I've been such a better father and husband for the past 2 months, and I so don't want to go back. hertz037

Run Forrest.

Giphy

Running. I couldn't even run one mile without walking before the lockdown, now I'm running 7 miles each day. I've been trying to challenge myself - I've always hated running in the past but honestly now I'm starting to enjoy how it makes me feel. Never thought I could get into running but here I am. heyhellohigoobye

Slow. Down. 

I hope that I continue to enjoy a little bit slower paced life and don't pack my schedule full of obligations and appointments and events. It's been nice to just take time and not feel rushed and actually enjoy a day off. lordvoldemortnosejob

For sure. I noticed as soon as I got out of isolation, I was annoyed by the people around me. It sure made me want to stay inside more lol. Edgelord_Joey

You Got This. 

I started going to AA meetings. I have twelve days of sobriety under my belt, I'm really hoping that this is the beginning of many years clean. yourbrainonvape

On Tuesday, I'm at 9 months. Keep it up. It gets really exciting in the first few months. You can see clearly and can really start focusing on other things and appreciating parts of life you've been neglecting. homeless_gorilla

Talk to Me. 

Therapy.

Admitting I need help and not repressing my feelings to myself.

I was in therapy before quarantine but the therapist was not right for me (very dismissive) so I stopped around mid February. I then fell into old habits and thought I could just figure things out and things will get better.

I'm much more optimistic with the new therapist and opening up to loved ones. I feel like I'm on a road to a better me. _fablednature

Sweat!!

Giphy

Working out at home. agito90

I do hella yoga now!!! The pain in my back is completely gone unless I slack off for a couple days. I always thought it was a cop out exercise, but it's been so helpful!!! probably_not_carole

The new Rachel Ray....

I've been cooking a lot more for my mom, since she's the only one that kept her job. She's a housekeeper too, and I will admit that I didn't pull my weight around much at home since she would tell me to leave it for her later. But I'm home now, and the housekeeper shouldn't come home to clean her own home and cook her own meals.

I'm doing my best to go through all the cabinets and cooking what we have, and I think she appreciates it.

She likes trying new things, but feels she might mess them up so she's not used to cooking new recipes that aren't part of her established knowledge base. She still buys the ingredients though, and I'm not afraid to look up things online/ know how to google. I'll make some chow mein or stew from all the odd cuts of meat we have hiding in the freezer, and so far the food experiments are turning out well/tasty =).

...except the banana bread.... I don't know what happened with that... RDKibara

Spic and Span. 

Washing my hands as soon as I get home. 1000livesofmagic

Yes! don't get me wrong i was washing my hands pre-Covid but now I'm much more aware of what i'm touching throughout the day and how easy germs can spread so now i wash my hands after i unpack groceries, when i get home and i put hand sanitizer after getting into my car. soitgoes_9813

Packing On....

Weight gain. ctc_celtic

No kidding, I'm hoping to continue to do so. I've been underweight for my entire life and have been stuck in a spiral where I eat too little, which makes me lose my appetite, which makes me eat less, etc etc etc.

I finally gained 2 kg in lockdown and I'm hoping to come out healthier :)). TheRedditLogo

Do it Yourself. 

My own manicures. I have saved over $50 a month doing it myself, and it's much more rewarding. Also, my nails are healthier. I was getting dip powder manis regularly, and I had no idea how thin and unhealthy my nails were. pierogiepowers

The gel manicures prevent your nails from breathing unlike traditional nail polish. They say you should let your nails breathe after 2 weeks of gel. So, 2 weeks gel, 1 week regular, 2 weeks gel, etc. Thumbupthewhat

Because of Covid.....

Giphy

Grocery pick up! I always dreaded grocery shopping, but did it any way. Because of Covid, I haven't been into the grocery store in 5 weeks and instead do grocery pickup. It's a dream. truthfrommyredlips

REDDIT

Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or ":zipper_mouth_face:" to +1 (310) 299-9390 to talk to him about it.

Historical Events So Ridiculous They Sound Made Up

A Redditor asked: 'What’s an event in history that is so ridiculous it sounds fake?'

historical reenactors
Sigmund on Unsplash

We've probably all heard some variation of the saying "Truth is stranger than fiction."

Real life isn't just strange, it can also be downright ridiculous.

History is riddled with moments of absurdity.

So ridiculous that people have a hard time believing real life is, well, really real.

Keep reading...Show less
person holding photo of three girls near chainlink fence
Anita Jankovic on Unsplash

Life is all about learning new things, including learning new things about the people in your life. Sometimes, the things you learn are shocking, disgusting, or even scary.

I was the new kid in town when I was in fifth grade and my first friend was this quiet (and cute) boy in my class. He and I remained friends through middle school, and even though we drifted apart in high school, our interactions when we ran into each other in the halls or the cafeteria were really nice.

All throughout school and even beyond, he remained quiet, polite, and reserved. Just a few years ago, I read a news article written about him. He had apparently fatally wounded his father after an argument.

I had to reread the article several times to make sure it was really about my old friend. I think about it a lot, and still can't believe it!

I'm not the only one that has a shocking story like that. A lot of Redditors learned shocking or scary things about people from their childhood, and are ready to share.

It all started when Redditor ValuableHovercraft90 asked:

"What's the scariest thing you have found out about someone from your childhood (old friends, teachers, etc)?"

So Creepy

"That the boy who lived across the street and moved when I was 6 is still obsessed with me and my sister 30+ years later and posts ramblings on Facebook with our names and that he's going to be with us. Pretty terrifying honestly."

– mrscrawfish

The Worst List

"A neighbour died when he was 30. Police searched a trailer he owned and found weapons, bombs and a list of people he wanted to kill. My uncle was on that list."

– Flashy_Somewhere_648

"I'm glad this ended the way it did."

– CreepyCandidate4449

Terrifying

"One of my best friends (and locker partner) from high school was kidnapped by terrorists in Iraq. After a nightmare of 6+ months, all went silent. We buried an empty casket in his memory 10 years later."

– francois_du_nord

"This is horrifying. How incredibly sad for family to never get any closure. Very sad to read this. :("

– fizzycherryseltzer

"About 15 years ago my dad received a very good offer for work in Iraq, as a construction specialist. He was considering going, since at the same time the financial crisis started in Europe, but then one of his friends, a civil engineer, was kidnapped. Never returned back either."

– 19lgkrn70

"Same thing for my dad old coworker told him how great the money was. Dude got sniped working on a radio tower or something. My dad luckily was like, "I got a wife and family that would kill me for doing something so dangerous.""

– tristanjones

End Of The Friendship

"One of my dad's good friends, and my "uncle", just stopped coming around one day. I was told he was always busy with work, away, etc."

"Turns out, he killed 3 people in a drug deal gone bad and got life in prison."

"What's scary, is that we were over at his house for a weekend BBQ with a bunch of people earlier in the day of the night he did it, and it happened at his house."

– pnwking509

School Friends

"Don't know if it was scary, but I grew up with a kid whose birthday was the day before mine so we almost always shared birthdays in elementary school. We were friends, even spent the night at his house growing up. Later on in our teens, he started getting into some really dark stuff. I recognize that now as his being a sociopath, but like most everybody else at the time, figured it was just him going through some kind of emo phase. Over the years, we lost touch but I would occasionally run into him around town and our meetings were cordial, if not friendly."

"Last year, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison for killing a man back in 1993, roughly 3 years after we got out of High School. Apparently he, his sister and another man lured this guy out to the boonies and killed him to steal money he had gotten in an insurance settlement."

"The only reason they were caught is the other guy got religion, felt remorse and went on the local TV station and aired a confession before turning himself in (He got 25 to life)."

– 530_Oldschoolgeek

"A girl I went to school with did the same thing. She was the nicest girl, got good grades & was kind of a dork. Mixed with the wrong people after graduation. She and two others lured an old man into an abandoned building, stabbed him and robbed him. He later died from his wounds."

– HereF0rTheSnacks

The Worst Afternoon

"I had a friend in grade school who was being raised by her single dad. She had a unique name and pretty face. She never talked about her mom, and she was super outgoing, so all us kids just made friends with her quickly. It was weird her dad never brought her to our birthday parties, even though she was always invited, but we didn’t think much of it. A couple times, she was allowed to ride the bus home with me after school, and we played and had fun until her dad came to pick her up. Later in the school year, she invited me to ride the bus to her house, and my mom agreed. I was 10. It was the scariest afternoon of my young life. I cannot articulate the extreme tension in her home. We weren’t allowed to make any noise, and we mostly stayed outside, me desperate for my mom to arrive."

"Her dad screamed at us for opening the door, and I was too nervous to go into the house to use the restroom. I knew she was embarrassed that there were no snacks or comforting interactions, like at my house. I didn’t really tell anyone how uncomfortable the experience was. After that day, I didn’t hang out with her a lot. We were in different classes, drifted apart, and decades later, when my own daughter asked to go to a friend’s house, I thought about that girl."

"As an adult, I figured out her dad probably worked a night shift and tried to sleep during the day…or he was an alcoholic who was really angry. Maybe both? I looked her up on social media, and thanks to her unique name and face, I recognized her immediately. She’s a perfectly well-adjusted woman with a beautiful family. She even had pictures of her kids with her dad and tributes to him as the greatest father and grandpa. Her whole page made me wonder what the hell I experienced that afternoon in the 4th grade?"

– OlderAndTired

School Is Supposed To Be Safe!

"In our school, we had something called "de halte." In English, it means "the halt" literally translated. Basically time out. BIf you had a meltdown in class or you were just a little sh*thead, you were sent there for 15 minutes or so to cool off.

The de hatle teacher got fired and jailed for breaking 4 different wrists of 4 different students by bending them the wrong way..."

– Ok_Win7358

*Skin Crawling*

​"There was this classmate a grade below me but all grades shared the same drama class. She was weird and kind of "off." I tried to befriend her at one point and was rebuffed. It later came out that she was actually an almost 30-year-old woman who would show up in a new area claiming to be a 15-year-old runaway. Kind of freaked me out."

jackfaire

It turns out it was a good thing that the friendship didn't work out!