Category: Rev. Joe Dirt’s Ramblings

The unsolicited, unreasoned, uninformed, unapologetic opinions of Rev. Joe Dirt

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Maybe it shouldn’t have, but it did…

Rightly or wrongly, or maybe just because I am stir crazy, I have decided it is alright to go to the driving range.  It is outside.  It is very possible to maintain a couple meters of social distancing.  What is not so good is the young clerk that is not so worried about her health, and without a doubt the baskets are not going though any sort of a sanitizing wash.  Golf balls at ranges are generally washed after they are picked  up out of the field, but never the baskets.  Wish me luck.

I was there today about half way through my extra large bucket Continue reading “Maybe it shouldn’t have, but it did…”

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Reasons to be cheerful

I was listening to a Freakonomics podcast this morning as I ran on the treadmill.  They touched on several things, but one them was an interview with David Byrne of Talking Heads fame.   He discussed how a while back he was overwhelmed by all the negativity coming at him in the news, social media, etc.  As a response to that he started collecting positive stories, and at the same time limiting his exposure to those sources.

His computer folder of positive stories has turned into a website.  I have not had a chance to do a deep dive into the website, but it looks interesting.  I know I can use some positivity in my life right now.  Here is the link: Reasons To Be Cheerful

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Sure, why not…

This started shortly after my bride retired in 2013.  She had spent the previous 35 years teaching Special Education, and earned a much needed rest.   The last 3 or 4 years had been tough on her as her role had changed from one she loved, teaching, to one she was less than enthralled with, case management.   Same job title and pay, but the documentation for Special Education seemed to have assumed more importance than the teaching in the minds of upper management.  What do they say, “follow the money.”

She was at a bit of loose ends initially, as are most retired folks.  She started responding to an activity suggestion with, Continue reading “Sure, why not…”

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Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #1,238

yeah I know you did not ask!

We visited another couple yesterday evening.  We went over to their house, sat outside to eat the Chinese food we had ordered delivered.  We took reasonable precautions about sharing various utensils and passing things.

Deciding to have social interactions during the coronavirus shelter-in-place mandates reminds me a bit of some of the discussions I had during the 18 years between my marriages.  Vague questions trying to feel out our mutual “social interaction” history.  Not so vague questions trying to ascertain if we had been practicing safe “social distancing”. How do you feel about being tested? You can imagine.

That was the negotiation we had last night.  We decided that none of the four of us had been out much, that we had all used precautions on those occasions when we did go out, and that we had not been around anyone with symptoms… as far as we knew. At least they did not require us to bring a doctor’s report certifying our status!

Strange times we live.

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Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #5,021

yeah I know you did not ask!

Worst band of all eternity…

Wait for it…

Wait for it…

Donald Trump and The Deplorables!

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USA is pitied

Note:  For the most part, even though I am the home of “The Little Known Blogger” with a minimal readership,  I try to honor intellectual property rights. A friend sent me this opinion piece from the Irish Times.  I could not find a link to it that was not behind a pay wall.  Because I found this oped so spot on until such time…

Irish Times
April 25, 2020
By Fintan O’Toole
Editorial

THE WORLD HAS LOVED, HATED AND ENVIED THE U.S. NOW, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE PITY IT

Over more than two centuries, the United States has stirred a very wide range of feelings in the rest of the world: love and hatred, fear and hope, envy and contempt, awe and anger. But there is one emotion that has never been directed towards the US until now: pity. Continue reading “USA is pitied”

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Coranavirus masks as a political statement

I’ve been saying for 2 or 3 weeks now that not wearing masks and gloves in public was a political statement by many of those folks.

Here is an article that says the same thing: Wearing a mask is for smug liberals. Refusing to is for reckless Republicans.

From the article:

For progressives, masks have become a sign that you take the pandemic seriously and are willing to make a personal sacrifice to save lives. Prominent people who don’t wear them are shamed and dragged on Twitter by lefty accounts. On the right, where the mask is often seen as the symbol of a purported overreaction to the coronavirus, mask promotion is a target of ridicule, a sign that in a deeply polarized America almost anything can be politicized and turned into a token of tribal affiliation.

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God Bless Costco

Missouri is opening for business May 4th. Whether this is a good idea or not , will be seen.  I am not sure what St. Louis County will do as we have been the worst hit county and city in the state.  I’m unclear if they even have the option of going against what our wonderful Republican governor dictates.

I received an advertising email this morning from Costco.  Maybe they have been sending them out during the quarantine, but this is the first one I remember receiving in a while.  In it they detailed their guidelines Continue reading “God Bless Costco”

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Bill Gates, Wuhan, COVID-19

This is how truly nutty the world of conspiracy theories is.

I study Spanish via Skype with several different individuals that live mostly in Central America and northern South America.  I’ve never researched how much business China does in Latin America, but according to these folks Chinese products are huge there, especially technology items. Consequently, due to the business connections of Continue reading “Bill Gates, Wuhan, COVID-19”

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Different point of view on lock down

I’m not really a big fan of Bill Maher, but here is an interesting point of view on the lock down from a public health doctor.