Tag: Coronavirus

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This pandemic is real people…

A few weeks ago I posted an article, The Pandemic Blues – Take II. In it I detailed several things that happened to me during a round of golf that disturbed me in relation to folk’s attitude towards the corona virus pandemic.  I then mentioned passing a popular bar/restaurant on my way home that is close to the golf course.  It caters to a working class crowd,  and is a nice place to grab a cold one and a bite to eat.  What I noticed that day was how crowded the parking lot was, to the point of overflowing.  And how I could not imagine social distancing taking place in there.

The last 2 or 3 times I have been golfing over in Illinois, the bar has been closed.  Today at the golf course there was a young man  behind the counter who I knew and knew to be from the area.  I asked him if he knew the story about why the bar was closed.

Well yes he did.  It turns out 2 of the waitresses tested positive for COVID-19.  They were going to just close down the place for a couple days for a “deep cleaning”, he told me.  He then went on to relate that there was a cluster of 20  COVID-19 cases in a small town close to Columbia, IL  When they did the contact tracing they all went back to the bar!  So they have closed the bar down for 2 weeks.  I suppose that works to… I’m not really sure.

I can only hope when they reopen they test their employees a little better and force their customers into practicing social distancing.  I do not really see the later happening in this particular establishment.

We all need to take care and realize that this is a real and serious pandemic, and that it is far from over.

Keep well.

 

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The Pandemic Blues – Take II

I had a disturbing round of golf Friday.  Oh not about my golf game, I describe myself as a Dr. Hyde / Mr. Jekyll golfer.  I never know who is coming out, and sometimes I see both these sides in a single round of golf.  I figured out last millennium that I was never going to play golf professionally, or even at a stellar amateur level.  I am good with that.  I still enjoy the game.  My discomfort on this round of golf centered around attitudes about corona virus.

Let me describe where I golf most frequently.  It is across the Rio Mississippi in the small town of Columbia, IL. This is southern Illinois and it is hoosier land.  If your breed is more southern, substitute redneck for hoosier.  It is the same concept, different words. I go to this particular golf course as the rates are more reasonable than in Missouri, it is usually easy to get a tee time and the course is generally in good shape.  The greens always are.  While not the cow pasture golf Continue reading “The Pandemic Blues – Take II”

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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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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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How to Sew a Face Mask

Okay, let’s have a contest… I want a mask with a Razorback on it, a mask that is  OU red with the logo, the Cardinal one she made was really cool. They are talking about sheltering in place here in St. Louis past the original 30 April date so I could use several. Heck I would even take one that had the STL Blues logo on it.

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Trump’s Coronavirus Pandemic Timeline

Dec 18th – House Impeaches Trump

Jan 8th – First CDC warning

Jan 9th – Trump campaign rally

Jan 14th – Trump campaign rally

Jan 16th – House sends impeachment articles to Senate

Jan 18th – Trump golfs

Jan 19th – Trump golfs

Jan- 20th first case in South Korea

Jan 20th – first case of corona virus in the US, Washington State. Continue reading “Trump’s Coronavirus Pandemic Timeline”

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I’ve become Melvin Udall

If you remember the 1997 movie, As Good As It Gets, you might remember who Melvin Udall is.  He is an OCD  misanthropic author, played by Jack Nicholson.  Melvin had several compulsive behaviors in the movie including excessive hand washing.

I’ve always been a bit of a hand washer. This habit is partly for good reasons, and partly because of some kink in a neuron somewhere in Continue reading “I’ve become Melvin Udall”

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Story about my wife’s brother’s family and their struggles with the coronavirus

Here is a link to the story in the  STL Jewish Light:

St. Louis Jewish family grapples with coronavirus

TV News Story about the family

Obviously positive thoughts appreciated.

Amazingly this story has gone viral globally.  I was talking to a lady in Ecuador via Skype and she was telling me about this.  I explained to her it was my brother-in-laws’ family.  After the Skype call, I put the terms Weinhaus coronavirus into a Google search.  It is CRAZY.  Who knew a story in the STL Jewish Light newspaper would have such legs.