Michael Hopcroft

If it isn't too bad stay home, but don't be stoic.
 
Earlier in the pandemic, someone here (Old Man?) posted a chart of the differences in the treatments of people who survived serious Covid encounters and those who didn't.  The course of treatments were almost identical, but the survivors got the more aggressive treatments one day sooner.  Yep, that was it.  The doctors reaching for the big guns one day earlier in a significant number of cases made the difference between life and death.  How, we treat Covid has changed considerably in the months since that chart came out, but I would not be surprised if basic take away remains unchanged.  If things start to go south, do not hesitate to seek and demand aggressive treatment.  It can make a world of difference.

That hits home. Sorry, and I wish you a smooth recovery.

That reminds me o the scene in Into the Spider-Verse where Miles Morales is in an urban boarding school he hates (different class of kids than he's used to hanging out with) and turns in a 0% exam in hope that a test score that low will get him expelled.
 
It was a multiple-choice test, but no such luck. The teacher told him that there was no way he could have gotten every single question wrong unless he actually knew all the right answers. She did not stand for this and turned the score into a 100%, telling Miles she would not let him fail. (Of course, soon Miles would have bigger problems than an exam, but academically at least he straightened out and started turning in honest tests.)

That's the plan. All teachers are out of the building for the next two days for a thorough deep cleaning*, then we return to our rooms and teach remotely until November 10th. No students are allowed in the building under any circumstances before the 11th.
 
The really entertaining thought in all of this is that Halloween is just a few days away. It is entirely possible that we will see another rash appositives in the wake of parties and such, and have the dismissal extended even beyond the 11th.
 
There was a time when I had toyed with the idea of becoming an online-only teacher. I decided against it because I figured the trying to teach science online would be incredibly boring for me and even more so for my students. Little did I know....
 
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* Of the building, not the teachers.

A couple of years ago I gave an online final exam* consisting of 50 multiple choice questions covering the whole year's material. Just before posting it, I went over it to make sure there were no errors, typos, that kind of thing. It took me about 15 minutes to check it.
 
Lo and behold, I'm looking at the responses a few days later and I see about a dozen students who have perfect or near-perfect scores...and test times of 7 minutes or less.
 
What a smart bunch of students I must have! They completed the test in half the time it took me to do it. And I wrote it!
 
I sent them all notifications of the zeroes they were getting for academic dishonesty. Most of them fessed up, and I gave them an opportunity to take an alternate final exam for most of the credit. But one kid, who was a complete PITA from day one, sent me back an e-mail at 3 in the morning saying, "You can't give me a zero just because you think I may have cheated." When I read it the following morning, I typed, "Oh, I believe you'll find that I can do exactly that" in response.  Then I deleted that and replaced it with, "If you have another explanation, I'd love to hear it" before sending off my response.
 
He got a zero.
 
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*I gave the Final in two parts that year: the multiple choice portion online, and the problem-solving portion in class.
 

"Green is a color of Hope and Luck" And we all need some of that right now.

I don't think any definition of rock and roll needs to be "purist", as the genre continues to evolve. There are many characteristics that define a great artist in this field -- instrumental talent and songwriting prowess can also figure into the mix.
 
Which makes it surprising that Paul McCartney is not in this conversation. Yes, as a songwriter he is a generation talent, a man who practically defined songwriting prowess at that stage of rock history and set a standard few could ever live up to, but he also had fine tone and a wonderful sense of cheekiness. And he is a musical polymath when it comes to choice of instruments.
 
Sting also fits into that class on all these fronts, whatever you think of his solo work (which, at least in my opinion, shows a breadth of imagination few have ever matched).
 
But Roy Orbison, even in his twilight, had a voice that could break your heart into a million pieces.

The flaws and disputes in the law make for strong storytelling when used properly. It wouldn't necessarily be part of combat-centered adventures, but it raises story fodder. Like whether ambushing and destroying the latest version of Mechanon is murder, both ethically and under the law. (Mechanon may be a special case because he is so very dangerous, but I would not be surprised if other, less dangerous sapient robots are murdered when they are destroyed.)

"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
 
"The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't change their views to fit the facts. They change the facts to fit their views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs changing."
 
"There isn't a little boy born who wouldn't tear the world apart to save his mummy. And this little boy can."

You think the ghost of Friedrich Nietzsche guides you to glory. You are mistaken.

I'm going back into self-isolation for a while. I got groceries delivered form Amazon, am trying to cut down/out my soda, and I'm going to try and avoid shopping as much as I can. besides, the last time I went to the local version of the Kroger chain (may their shells be blighted) I ended up buying only stuff that was bad for me.
 
This means I'm going to have to rely on friends more than I'm used to. But the second wave is hitting, and I don't want to contribute to the problem. If I don't have to go anywhere, I won't.

I can;t imsagine anyone wanting to self-test,
 
My first COVID test was a simple nose swab at my primary care clinic, that did not give a positive but left me hanging for a week. My second, a couple of months later, was the full Q-tip up your nose really, really far variety before my colonoscopy a few months back. It too was negative, or at least it must have as the procedure went ahead. I'm wondering if I need to get one now or whether I should wait for a procedure that requires it.
 
 

There is a lot I could say, but the flotsam and jetsam rising to the top of my brain is pretty much this: at this time next year, I hope all of us are still around and commenting on these boards.  Maybe some of us are getting to be old codgers, but this is a damn wonderful community.  I've never met any of you in person and maybe never will, nor am I the best or most prolific writer here, but dang, this is a great community of nut-jobs to be part of.  Stay safe and I look forward to your next posts!

Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow.

Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow.

For those who have not outgrown trick-or-treating: Chocolate Insulin

I still wonder who Dia de los Muertos hasn't caught on in the United States. It catches the "memories of the Remembered Dead" brilliantly. I think one of the Halloween-themes films I need to see is The Book of Life, an animated film about Dia de los Muertos. Coco is more popular (because Pixar), but The Book of Life did it first.

I don't think any definition of rock and roll needs to be "purist", as the genre continues to evolve. There are many characteristics that define a great artist in this field -- instrumental talent and songwriting prowess can also figure into the mix.
 
Which makes it surprising that Paul McCartney is not in this conversation. Yes, as a songwriter he is a generation talent, a man who practically defined songwriting prowess at that stage of rock history and set a standard few could ever live up to, but he also had fine tone and a wonderful sense of cheekiness. And he is a musical polymath when it comes to choice of instruments.
 
Sting also fits into that class on all these fronts, whatever you think of his solo work (which, at least in my opinion, shows a breadth of imagination few have ever matched).
 
But Roy Orbison, even in his twilight, had a voice that could break your heart into a million pieces.

I don't think any definition of rock and roll needs to be "purist", as the genre continues to evolve. There are many characteristics that define a great artist in this field -- instrumental talent and songwriting prowess can also figure into the mix.
 
Which makes it surprising that Paul McCartney is not in this conversation. Yes, as a songwriter he is a generation talent, a man who practically defined songwriting prowess at that stage of rock history and set a standard few could ever live up to, but he also had fine tone and a wonderful sense of cheekiness. And he is a musical polymath when it comes to choice of instruments.
 
Sting also fits into that class on all these fronts, whatever you think of his solo work (which, at least in my opinion, shows a breadth of imagination few have ever matched).
 
But Roy Orbison, even in his twilight, had a voice that could break your heart into a million pieces.

Can someone rep this for me?  I'm outta rep for the day...

Every mornin' at the mine you could see him arrive
He stood six-foot-six and weighed two-forty-five
Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip
And everybody knew ya didn't give no lip to big John
(Big John, big John)
Big bad John (big John)   Nobody seemed to know where John called home
He just drifted into town and stayed all alone
He didn't say much, kinda quiet and shy
And if you spoke at all, you just said hi to Big John   Somebody said he came from New Orleans
Where he got in a fight over a Cajun Queen
And a crashin' blow from a huge right hand
Sent a Louisiana fellow to the promised land, big John
(Big John, big John)
Big bad John (big John)   Then came the day at the bottom of the mine
When a timber cracked and men started cryin'
Miners were prayin' and hearts beat fast
And everybody thought that they'd breathed their last, 'cept John   Through the dust and the smoke of this man-made hell
Walked a giant of a man that the miners knew well
Grabbed a saggin' timber, gave out with a groan
And like a giant oak tree he just stood there alone, big John
(Big John, big John)
Big bad John (big John)   And with all of his strength he gave a mighty shove
Then a miner yelled out "there's a light up above!"
And twenty men scrambled from a would-be grave
Now there's only one left down there to save, big John   With jacks and timbers they started back down
Then came that rumble way down in the ground
And then smoke and gas belched out of that mine
Everybody knew it was the end of the line for big John
(Big John, big John)
Big bad John (big John)   Now, they never reopened that worthless pit
They just placed a marble stand in front of it
These few words are written on that stand
At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man
Big John
(Big John, big John)
Big bad John (big John)
(Big John) big bad John  

"These are some pretty good tires.  And since it's fall, they're pumpkin-spice flavored.  Just in case you feel the need to lick your car's tires."
 
NT:  Other (perhaps ill-advised) flavors for other seasons / holidays (e.g. candy-cane flavored donuts and muffins for the Christmas season).  Bonus points if you match the seasonal flavor to an inappropriate product. 

Election Day.

Election Day.