I’m a Random Ramblin’ Man

With the world caught up in a pandemic and governments decreeing everyone’s physical universe is either their residence or standing 6 feet from everyone as they wipe out all the toilet paper in the few remaining open stores I figured it was about time to ramble about the SARS-COVID-19 virus:

Let’s get ready to ramble!

  • As I was looking at some Easter chocolate at a local store I suddenly heard a voice behind me loudly exclaim: “SIX FEET APART!“. Upon returning to the ground I turned and replied to the person “I wouldn’t worry about that, you probably already have the virus as your face mask isn’t covering your nose.”
  • Speaking of “6 feet”, while “social distancing” in line outside my local WalMart I noticed a man who had cleverly used a safety hardhat to construct a “social distancing hat” by attaching a colorful “pool noodle” pointed in each of the four directions. And by “clever” I mean “he couldn’t fit through the entrance or the aisles”.
  • I’m not one to reach for the conspiratorial “tin foil hat” (I leave that to a couple of my esteemed and knowledgeable acquaintances), but I’ve read that

(a) in 2015 former (P)resident Obama gave a $3.7 Million taxpayer grant to the biolab in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, allegedly the source of the COVID-19 pandemic,

(b) Bill Gates said the “best investment he ever made” was a $10 Billion, 2017 investment into three medical organizations providing vaccines to the world, and

(c) apparently, we’ve known the drug Chloroquine - touted by President Trump early during the crisis yet downplayed by his detractors – was shown effective against SARS-CoV type viruses as early as 2005.

Maybe I’ll ask my acquaintances if they have any more “dots” to connect here…

UPDATE! Here’s a link to an article in “Children’s Health Defense” which provides an intertwined  timeline of COVID-19 milestones and The Gates Foundation activities. When reading, remember that  “correlation is not causation”. Also note “Children’s Health Defense” argues, with evidence, that vaccines are not completely safe, tested, or effective.

  • I’m definitely not happy at the prospects of the 2020 MLB Baseball Season possibly being cancelled.  If so, I suspect some arrogant New York Yankees fan will argue that although every team will be undefeated for the season the Bronx Bombers should still receive the World Series Trophy because they’re the best team in baseball. My suggestion? Participation awards ;-)
  • I suspect a lot of restaurants and fast food locations won’t survive when the economy re-opens (along with some retail stores, bars, nightclubs, theaters, conference & banquet facilities…heck, even casinos…but, I digress). Why? Because the quality of their drive-thru stinks. Not the increased wait times, that’s a given. It’s everything from cold, limp fries, incorrect or missing ingredients, small food portions, and lack of condiments, plastic utensils, or napkins in the bag…and, in some cases, the sales receipt, so you can’t even complain about the order or exchange it. For me, the only fast-food places providing an excellent drive-thru experience are Popeyes and Chick-fil-A, where I’ve noticed 10-20 cars at their drive-thru almost constantly.

Update: (05-24-2020) The trend of bad service continues, to the point where when asked “Will there be anything else?” I ask specifically for (when needed) napkins, utensils, a straw, condiments, salt/pepper, and sauces, and always the sales receipt. Chick-fil-A remains the ONLY drive-thru outlet I use regularly that either asks if you need those items or includes them in the bag without asking.

As some of my friends say I tend to be slightly pessimistic (I’d say “jaded”, but I’m still a “helpless romantic” at heart), I thought I’d end this post with an optimistic ramble:

  • Highways nearly empty means late night, 100 mpg jaunts in the sports car are now much safer….I’ve saved a bunch of money not going to sports bars, restaurants, the mall, or casinos…I now have TWO sets of lounge pants and sweatshirts, for “Daytime wear” and for “Nighttime wear”…I get to see my neighbors more, and most are quite nice despite being 6 feet away with face masks on…working from home isn’t as nice as working at work but far nicer than not working at all (thanks Boss!)…and, Mom is just as effective at sending her love electronically as she is in person: I guess that’s just another talent parents have.

Thanks for reading!

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COVID-19′s Deadly Competition?

During this period of worldwide pandemic having its’ origin in a Chinese metropolitan area known to include a sensitive bioresearch laboratory, in case you were concerned about having to work from home, staying separated from your relatives, being furloughed from your job without pay while your management collects or defers their salary and bonuses, conduct weddings or funerals from a distance, standing 6 ft apart even in Wyoming’s back country, or finding any kind of disinfectant, toilet paper, paper towels, face masks or sanitary gloves in any store, it might be helpful to put this Global Viral Pandemic in perspective:

To wit, consider the following chart, using data from the website Worldometers:

(Relative Death Levels, Jan 2020 thru March 2020)

Caption: Here's how about 16 million people died recently.

Note I’m not trying to minimize the severity of the current SARS-COVID-19 Pandemic, despite the temptation to compare it to the 2009-2010 H1N1 “Swine Flu” pandemic which “the CDC estimated that from April 12, 2009 to April 10, 2010, there were 60.8 million H1N1 cases, with 274,304 hospitalizations and 12,469 deaths in the U.S. alone[source], and took at least 6 months before then-President Obama declared a National Emergency (in October, 2009): The COVID-19 virus is transmitted through the air, can survive for hours / days on common surfaces, attacks specific age groups, and can result in death rapidly.

However, keep in mind that life entails risk, death is inevitable, and (as Ben Franklin is purported to have said) “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” And, the question isn’t if the world will survive, because it surely will: The question is “What kind of a world will we be forced to accept once this situation has subsided?”

Stay safe, stay healthy, be rational, don’t panic, and…Thanks for reading!

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Quote of the Day

“People often say that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves.”
― Salma Hayek

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Let’s (maybe) Drink to Trump’s “Acquitmas”!

After over three years of constant efforts by the Democrats to remove Trump from office – culminating with the Senate voting by a wide margin to acquit the President on House charges of Abuse of Power and Obstruction of the Congress – I figured it’s about time to indulge in a drink or five:

2016 MAGA Sign w/ Vodka

Caption: Let's Celebrate with a drink!

A great plan, until I checked out just how much an unopened bottle of Trump Gold 750ml 80-proof Vodka is currently selling for: What… $700?!? As Trump would say, that’s “Big league!”

So, onto my Plan B: A nice glass of the cheap stuff, mixed with soda water, splash of ginger ale, and a lime twist…while I watch my investment in “liquid assets” grow!

Thanks for reading!

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Sun of Proxy

As I took a break from being elbow-deep in stuff like this and enjoyed a sip of my alcohol-free 100% fruit juice sans tiny cocktail umbrella I felt just a little jealous of all those who will be enjoying sun, sand, and water this weekend.

Perhaps this weekend, in a show of support, I’ll try on my Hawaiian shirt, Bermuda shorts, Chinese flip-flops, and requisite Red Sox hat, relax in my (garaged) convertible, close my eyes, and listen for the ocean. In the meantime, all you beachgoers everywhere can be my proxies…postcards and lemonade optional.

Thanks for reading!

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This Packaging S*cks!

A package of low-cut socks purchased from my favorite “forever-soon-to-be-bankrupt“* store J.C. Penney contained an interesting and amusing conflict:


(Click image to enlarge)

So, I guess the only way to get any stains out would be to wear the socks in a swimming pool?

*Seems like almost every year for the past 10 years the economic experts have predicted – incorrectly – the imminent demise of J.C. Penney, one of America’s oldest department stores. But, with the bankruptcies of both Kmart and Sears Holdings, each one of America’s oldest department chains, plus Penney’s bad performance during the 2019 Holiday Season, they may actually be correct for 2020.

Thanks for reading!

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