BarretWallace

8 hours ago, Cancer said:

States with over 90 new cases per 100K, as of noon Wednesday:

 

State/Territory	Cases in Last 7 Days per 100K
North Dakota	198.9
South Dakota	161.6
Iowa	146.4
Wyoming	128.2
Wisconsin	118
Minnesota	108.8
Nebraska	105.1
Montana	100.6
Illinois	96
Utah     New Mexico is another eleven spots down at 63.5	95.8

(source)

This is one case where I am not proud that my state ranks so high.

Gov. Walz announced a slew of new restrictions yesterday (https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/11/18/coronavirus-restrictions-mn-gov-walz-announces-restrictions-on-social-gatherings-restaurants-gyms-and-youth-sports/).  I can't say that any of his announcement comes as a surprise.  What struck me the most about his announcements was the delivery.  I found Walz to be eloquent and to the point.  He also described how this is affecting his own family, so it's not like he's asking us to do something he's unwilling to do himself.  While this may be a dubious thing to feel any pride about, in these times I'll take what I can get.

"Ho, Ho, Ho, And A Bottle Of Rum"
 

20 hours ago, Cygnia said:

This is not helping my depression in the slightest.

17 hours ago, Old Man said:

 

That all sucks, but honestly we're all just glad you're still breathing. 

I echo what Old Man said.  We're all happy that you're breathing, and at least energetic enough to type.  I'll venture that I speak (type?) for many when I wish you a smooth recovery in the physical and mental/emotional arenas, and in the meantime I'm happy for whatever steps you take, however small.

For my part, I am stepping away from my dojo at least through the holiday season.  It's been a blessed emotional outlet and has also helped me see excellent fitness and weight loss benefits.  On the flip side, the holidays are coming, and I want to increase my safety precautions for the sake of older relatives.  Doesn't help that Minnesota is on the upswing in cases and deaths (along with many other states and nations).

Final Fantasy 7 soundtrack!

"What do you pay him for?"

"Public relations."

On 11/7/2020 at 9:54 PM, Tjack said:

   I’m in too good a mood today to debate with you.  What ever you say is fine with me.   Arguments are down the hall on the left sir.

Oh, I thought this room was abuse.... 😉

9 hours ago, archer said:

I'm going in a whole new direction and blaming it on turkeys. Kind of like bird flu but with a 2020 new spin.

 

I'm going to get my revenge by eating one or two....

 

And I blame cranberries. Lots and lots of cranberries.

Hey, save some turkey and cranberries for me, as I have a lot of blame to dish out too.

11 hours ago, Pariah said:

* Pariah sits back, munching popcorn. *

*Barret offers Pariah a beer to go with the popcorn.

Yeah, this election aftermath will almost certainly get ugly, and I hope the innocent casualties are minimal.

On 10/31/2020 at 10:45 AM, Pariah said:

I've said it before and I'll undoubtedly say it again: I think it's preposterous that we spend nearly 2/3 of the year pretending we don't know what time it is.

 

Real time or Daylight Savings time--all year long. Pick one.

Amen, preach on!

7 minutes ago, Cygnia said:

I tested positive.

...what Starlord said.  Kick Covid's butt!

11 hours ago, Cygnia said:

I take two D3 vitamins a day...trust me, I know how it helps with depression in the first place.

 

I'm hoping it's just a cold.  But what was supposed to be a vacation for me turned into an abusive hell, leaving me physically vulnerable to infection

 

(No, hubby wasn't involved.  I was betrayed by someone who was supposed to be a friend)

Best wishes for a smooth recovery, and I'm sorry that a vacation turned into abusive hell.

I am trying to come up with good words for both things (sickness, abuse) and I don't think there are any.  I wish we could rally a throng of Herophiles to your support beyond these forums (though even on these forums, this remains one of the coolest groups of people I've ever found).

On 10/24/2020 at 4:00 AM, Old Man said:

I mean, lockdowns are almost irrelevant in this case.  All theater restrictions could be lifted tomorrow and they could immediately release Wonder Woman 1984, Black Widow, Captain Marvel 2, and No Time to Die, for free, and I still wouldn't go.  Would you?  Sit in an enclosed room for two hours with a couple dozen unmasked strangers shoveling popcorn into their faces?  That's a hard pass for me.  I'm sure you could get some people to go, but not enough to get theaters out of the red.

One of our local theaters was having "retro movie" nights, and were showing Ghostbusters and The Empire Strikes Back.  I very....very...............nearly went to see both of these, but chickened out--in ESB's 40th anniversary year no less!  I am still so twitchy about going into a theater that I will even pass on seeing beloved childhood classics on the big screen.

"That's the bedroom, but nothing ever happened in there."

"What a crime."

On 10/17/2020 at 12:47 AM, unclevlad said:

I haven't been up to our local (pretty lousy) mall in a long time...I should go up there, just to see how many vacancies there are.  It's not like it's been terribly close to full up very much of the time in the last...decade.  

I grew up not far from Maplewood Mall in good old Minnesota (ya sure you betcha).  In my childhood through young adult years, that was a thriving shopping mecca, with everything from video arcades to book stores (two!) to clothing shops, a rotating roster of kiosks, and a wonderful food court.  I can't even remember the last time I was in there...probably around the time Sears, a formerly invincible anchor store, closed its doors years ago.

To me, it seems like the pandemic is simply accelerating some trends that were already in motion.  Shopping malls have long been in decline (and even Mall of America is having serious financial trouble).  There's long been a general shift away from brick and mortar stores toward Amazon and similar online merchants.  Companies can build smaller office spaces because working remotely is increasingly possible.  Even conference rooms can be bypassed in favor of virtual meeting formats (there is no meeting, only Zoom).  Whatever the new normal turns out to be, I'm sure that the old normal is gone forever.

As for the human suffering, that is what I want to see end.  I've known several people who have caught Covid, but thankfully none who died.  However dire things get, I do try to find gratitude for things like this every day.  Keeping my eyes on the blessings in my life (and there still are many) keeps me sane.  Mostly.

"I can't lie to you about your chances, but...you have my sympathies."

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!

6 hours ago, Old Man said:

Expert Forecasts of COVID-19 Vaccine Development Timelines

 

 

 

"Best Guess" is next September for most of us.  Happy Monday!

For my part, I still find some comfort in this.  At least it's a timeline of some kind.  Although it can (and probably will) change, it sure beats being totally in the dark.

On 10/7/2020 at 11:45 PM, Badger said:

Badger throws clawed demons in everybody s face

Barrett tempts fate and throws a swarm of Ewoks back at Badger.  They have their intended effect and give the demons something to gnaw on besides the faces of the fair members of this board.  Unfortunately, one or two get past the demons and land within striking distance of Badger.  Barrett blanches and prepares to take cover.  (+5 points)

14 hours ago, Badger said:

Old people usually just in the middle of the aisle blocking traffic where I go grocery shopping.

That problem isn't unique to old folks.  I'm annoyed a lot more often by clueless middle-aged folks or even young adults who are being assimilated by their phones and remain unaware of the rest of the world--like the people trying to use the aisle or buy the merchandise that they are blocking.  No matter how wide the aisle, these people can somehow arrange their carts and themselves to block it anyway.

Of course, if this is my worst problem during the pandemic, I count myself lucky.

Well, dang....

https://io9.gizmodo.com/ron-cobb-a-designer-on-star-wars-back-to-the-future-1845130929

What is a good place to go for reliable Covid data now?  My first instinct always used to be CDC, but with the recent...meddling, I'm looking for other options too.

10 hours ago, Old Man said:

 

Evidence of myocardial injury from even asymptomatic cases of COVID-19

As someone with heart issues to begin with, this is...well, scary, but it confirms something I've already heard from another reliable source.  [checks to make sure mask is close by]  But yeah...scary stuff

Good luck BoneDaddy, and take care of yourself.  It sounds like you are doing the best you can with the resources you have available.  May that continue, and may the dice ever fall in your favor.

3 hours ago, Old Man said:

 

 

 

Also, don't forget to beware of the scams. 

 

 

 

I had a "ScottishFox" moment and read "beware of the spam" the first time I read that....