Before the pandemic, my husband Dave and I had busy social and work lives that often kept us apart for most of the day. We both had very different part-time jobs. We were each involved in a host of our own community, sports and service ventures, and we each pursued unique interests and passions. Although we had lots of friends as a couple, we each had our own circle of friends as well.
The great thing about being apart for most of the day was that in the evening over supper we had all these interesting things to talk about because we had both done such different things during the day.
However, during the pandemic, we have been together almost ALL THE TIME! Granted we’ve had some wonderful adventures together and our time cooped up in our apartment with one another has gone pretty peacefully and happily. But with our lives so intertwined, what do we talk about at supper now?
Our television shows! Dave and I have very divergent tastes in viewing preferences and so while he is watching a show on the television in the living room I am usually watching something completely different on the computer in my study.

Recently he has been intrigued by a series called The Walking Dead. It is not my cup of tea at all but Dave says if you can get past the brutal killing of zombies in each episode the series is really an insightful reflection on the meaning of life and is especially relevant to our current pandemic situation. He loves telling me all about it.
I have been watching New Amsterdam a Netflix series set in a modern hospital. Each episode raises one or more important issues in the health care field and while these problems are usually unrealistically resolved by the end of each show, I find the drama entertaining and thought-provoking. I love telling Dave all about it.
I have to admit I am looking forward to the end of the pandemic when each of us will once again be off pursuing our own activities and we will have had all kinds of interesting individual experiences from our days apart to talk about with each other at the dinner table, but until then we are keeping the communication lines open with……………. television talk.
Other posts………..
Will You Miss the Comments?
The Winnipeg Free Press has ended the practice of providing an opportunity for readers to make comments online after reading articles in their paper. I usually read the comments in the Free Press and also in the other two daily newspapers I subscribe to. I appreciate the additional perspective the comments offer me. I do know that some comments are awful. They are racist, contain personal attacks, are insulting and come from ill-informed or angry readers. But there are also stimulating and interesting discussions that take place in the comments section.
Photo by Hasan Albari on Pexels.com
The Winnipeg Free Press is not the first news source to make the decision to eliminate comments. More and more news outlets and newspapers are eliminating their comments sections. I read an article where representatives of seven different news organizations discussed their decision to remove their comment sections. Here are some things they discovered.
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com
The Winnipeg Free Press says that in the near future they will be introducing other ways for readers to provide feedback and opinions and engage in discussion about articles in the paper. As someone who has commented on Winnipeg Free Press articles in the past and who frequently reads the comments section, I look forward to learning more about these plans.
Other posts………..
Letter to the Editor
The Religion of Trees
A New Writing Challenge
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Tagged as comments section of newspapers, Winnipeg Free Press cuts comments section