As many country are advancing with preparations of corona vaccination, I hope that the first vaccinated Litnet Member will share his/her impressions in one of the corona threads.
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As many country are advancing with preparations of corona vaccination, I hope that the first vaccinated Litnet Member will share his/her impressions in one of the corona threads.
Good idea for a thread, Danik - A sort of living history.
I’m not sure how this thing will play out, but it’s certainly interesting being in the middle of it and tying to suss out what’s important and what’s BS.
Based on the early information we got my initial thought was:
- If it’s as infectious as they say, I’m probably going to get it
- And since there’s no vaccine
- I might as well get it over with
- And vaccinate myself the old-fashioned way
Well, so far I’ve danced through this mine field with nary a scratch. But now with a vaccine close at hand my thinking has changed. I’m getting a little skittish about being around people, especially indoors. I feel like a grunt who’s been lucky enough to survive a long war, but now with both sides in peace talks, the fight has gone out of him. The grunt just doesn’t want to be the last soldier killed in a stupid war. I’d hate to catch this thing and wind up on a vent a week or two before my local CVS pharmacy gets the vaccine.
One of the things that I have found somewhat interesting in the last nine months of lockdown is the vividness of my dreams. It does not worry me. I've realised even more that man is a social animal and that long periods not interacting with others can perhaps accentuate ones mental functioning.
Either that, or I am going round the bend and losing my marbles!!
@Sancho - Itīs nice to read from you again. I think you are quite right. So far you were lucky. I think it would be foolishness to expose yourself now that help is on the way.
@Manichaean - Yes. It may be a good outlet for someone, who usually is very active. But vaccination starts next week in UK. You probably will be the first active Litnetter vaccinated against Covid. Think of the honour!
Hi Danik
Yes cant wait to get vaccinated. Priorities in the UK are:
1. Health care workers & nursing homes.
2. Over 80.
3. Over 75 ( My category)
Take care
M.
Thanks Danik, it’s good to be here.
Has anybody else bought a home-barber kit. Gotta say, my results have been mixed. If it wasn’t so embarrassing, I’d attach photos. Wife is fond of saying, “Ah, it’ll grow out.”
Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing my barber again. I feel bad for her during this pandemic. As I walk by her shop, I see her sitting in there all alone, staring blankly at the TV, or sweeping up an already clean floor. I usually wave and she always smiles and waves back, but I’m sure she’s thinking - you need haircut, scraggly man, get in chair, don’t be scare - You see, my barber is a wicked good-looking Asian woman. Our conversations are deep and nuanced and usually go something like this:
Barber - how you wan?
Sancho - regular
B - numbah shree oh numbah foe
S - number four
B - how much in top?
S - two weeks worth
B - haha, straight back oh round back?
S - round back
bzzzzzz-bzzzzz-bzzzzz
B - we hab nice day, yes? no rain
S - gorgeous, gotta go outside and enjoy it
B - No! I hab work!
S - bummer
B - yes bummah!
Clip-clip-clip
B - you hab cowlick in back
S - I grew up on a farm
B - you funny man. you wan trim eyebrow?
S - no thanks
B - hmmm, you nee trim eyebrow
S - okay then, just a little though, I like em bushy
B - you nee big trim eyebrow
S - As you wish
Clip-clip-clip
And so on...
Also she smells terrific.
I think you’re on to something with the vivid dreams, M. I dreamt about her the other night, nothing creepy, just barbershop stuff, sans masks.
Left out the best part. Talk about a vivid dream, in it I could smell her perfume.
Hi Manichean that made laugh. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by MANICHAEAN
Do you keep a diary of your dreams?
Danik this is a great idea of thread. :)
Corona Virus certainly pauses for thoughts.
Sancho
That would have been top of the pops in the Short Story Sharing section. 😉. I can relate to it actually for when working in Vietnam I had a pretty dimutive lady barber who for about $5 every Saturday used to: cut my hair, trim my beard, shave the exposed bits and give me a head massage. The piece de resistance was when she put on a miners lamp attachment and dewaxed my ears with a multitude of instruments. She smelt fresh and whoopee also.
Cacian
Grahame Greene used to write down his dreams as soon as he woke. I do it also and sometimes try and incorporate them in my stories. Unfortunately, they are not as erotic as those of Sancho. Mine are wierd. Most recent one this month was an air line steward taking my pulse in the same room I was sleeping in. So realistic that I began to question whether one's guardian angels are now cabin crew.
The Software doesnīt permit direct quotes anymore so:
@ cacian: Tks for joining!
@Sancho- Good idea to put the story of the barber also in the short story section.
and @ Manichaean, I hope for sequels of your Corona novella.
Ah fond memories of happy endings, eh?
Unfortunately it wasn’t one of those dreams. I keep hoping for that sort of thing, but mine always wind up more like Bugs and Elmer in “The Rabbit Of Seville” :
https://dai.ly/x301k1t
At any rate, one thing that’s been reassuring during a time of covid is watching the way some businesses roll with the punches. A local distillery for instance pivoted and started bottling hand sanitizer - and selling it for twice what they sell their rock-gut for. Well done, mon frere.
And speaking of the Vietnamese, Manichaean there’s a hole-in-the-wall Pho restaurant near where I live. Three generations of the same family run the place. They’re in what used to be a barbecue joint, so the ambiance is strange combination of Southeast Asian sensibility and Cowboy kitsch:
You order your food at the counter. Then you head over to the chuck wagon where they have an orderly array of napkins, forks, spoons, knives, chopsticks, and condiments. Then you find a seat in one of the many booths, most of which have duck-taped vinyl seat cushions. If you want to wash your hands before the meal, the “‘Lil Cowpokes’s” room is right under a panoramic poster of the Da Nang shoreline.
Oh yes and the food is fantastic.
Anyway Washington State underwent a lockdown sooner than most states, and while other local restaurants wasted time whining about the restrictions, ranting about government overreach, and lobbying for a bailout, the Pho/BBQ joint moved at lightning speed. They streamlined their menu, ratcheted up their online ordering system, repurposed their outdoor dining area (aka the parking lot) into a drive through pickup area, and they’ve been killing it ever since. Killing it! There’s always a line on cars out front.
Good old American ingenuity, Vietnamese style.
Sancho
I keep in touch with a lot of friends in Vietnam still and one cannot but be impressed by the level of State control in this pandemic. Hence the low number of cases. If someone in a village tests positive, all roads in and out are closed down with police check points. Towns also if need be as in Da Nang. Don't even think of arguing about individual rights or freedom of expression in not wearing a mask. Its not democracy, but by Harry its effective.
No doubt about it. We can’t even seem to do the simple stuff, like wearing a mask.
Plato’s allegory about a ship of fools may be an appropriate literary tie-in for what’s happened in the U.S. of A. (Also a pretty good tune by the Grateful Dead)
Anyway, I think the people who refuse to mask up because it’s a violation of their personal freedom are missing pretty important caveat to how personal freedom works in a democracy:
You are free to do as you please — SO LONG AS YOU HARM NO ONE ELSE.
The jury’s no longer out on masks. Clearly not wearing a mask violates the above rule. And that brings me back to Plato’s allegory, or at least the first line of the Garcia/Hunter version of it:
Went to see the captain, strangest I could find...
Not to mix metaphors or anything, but our captain over here has totally left the reservation.
Hi Sancho
Perhaps I'm being simplistic in thinking that the response of different nations to the pandemic reflects their national stereotypical characteristics: the "frontier" American individualist, or the phlegmatic Brit; the latter only taking it seriously when his back is against the wall.
The reference to Plato's dysfunctional crew in "The Republic" is a good one, and the circumstances are reflected this side of the Pond as well with our bronze star in mortality rates.
Perhaps Sisyphus rolling his boulder up the mountain, only to see it roll down again would be appropriate too.
Have you read Camus's "The Plague" lately?
All good references, M.
Boris certainly had his back against the wall. How much do think his experience with Covid changed the citizenry’s attitude towards it? Our guy got it too, but after a short stay at Walter Reed Army Medical Center he used it to score political points. So I’m thinking “frontier individualism” may be a charitable way of putting it. I’d go with “bone headedness”.
I read “The Plague” back in school and then again in ‘02 as we were getting involved in our Middle Eastern adventures. So I suppose I was reading it as plague being an allegory for war or political ideology. I could probably stand to read it again; I remember Camus had some excellent descriptions of how the towns people interacted with each other as the disease moved through Oran.
The book I’ve been thinking about lately is Joseph Heller’s comic novel, “Catch-22”. This one I read in high school (mid 70s). It’s about an Army Air Corps Bomber Wing in the North African Campaign of WWII. If plague can stand in for war, then the converse should work as well. But in particular what I was thinking of is how information, misinformation, rumors, and conspiracy theories travel at times like these. It seems that good, solid, peer reviewed scientific information oozes, but crazy conspiracy theories go at the speed of fart stink.
Anyway, in the book the Wing has been volunteered for a risky mission to Bologna. One of the pilots, Capt Yossarian, drunkenly starts the rumor that the Germans have a new anti-aircraft gun — the 344mm Lepage Glue Gun. It can glue together a whole formation of bombers in midair. In a very short time the rumor has come full circle and another officer informs Yossarian something like - You guys are screwed. Have you heard of the German’s Lepage gun?
- The virus can live on a door knob for two full weeks
- People in NYC are getting it through the building ventilation system
- My uncle got it from eating Chinese food
Ever yearn for a Patrician society? The City State had it in Ancient Greece, but on a small scale. Rome had it in its early stages too.
Whats the saying, "History is the youth of the World?" If so, where are we now? Middle age, or in our dotage? There was initial sympathy for Boris when he was in intensive care, but many easily led, now recognise a con job: oven ready deal for Brexit, world beating track & trace for the virus, a cordon thrown around care homes etc etc. All spin, no substance.
When I look at Trump I remember the story of Howard Hughes in his recluse years, surrounded by some religious sect minders. He was ill. Grew his nails to an extreme, stored his **** for posterity ( literally). Nobody close enough, or strong enough to say, "Boss you need treatment."
"Catch 22." The funniest book i ever read right from Page 1 Yossarian having that conversation with the guy wrapped in bandages. I must have read it 5-6 times. And Major Major Major!!! What a character. And everyone has a share.
Alright, I gotta go do battle with the spiders and dig that book out of a box in my basement. Surfed around the web a bit for quotes. This one cracked me up. Things haven’t changed much:
“Major Major's father was a sober God-fearing man whose idea of a good joke was to lie about his age. He was a long-limbed farmer, a God-fearing, freedom-loving, law-abiding rugged individualist who held that federal aid to anyone but farmers was creeping socialism. He advocated thrift and hard work and disapproved of loose women who turned him down. His specialty was alfalfa, and he made a good thing out of not growing any. The government paid him well for every bushel of alfalfa he did not grow. The more alfalfa he did not grow, the more money the government gave him, and he spent every penny he didn't earn on new land to increase the amount of alfalfa he did not produce. Major Major's father worked without rest at not growing alfalfa. On long winter evenings he remained indoors and did not mend harness, and he sprang out of bed at the crack of noon every day just to make certain that the chores would not be done. He invested in land wisely and soon was not growing more alfalfa than any other man in the county. Neighbors sought him out for advice on all subjects, for he had made much money and was therefore wise. “As ye sow, so shall ye reap,” he counseled one and all, and everyone said, “Amen.”
As for a patrician society, I guess I’ve always associated it with the slave-holding planters of the pre-20th century American South rather than with the ancient Greeks or Romans. So I’ve got a reflexively low opinion of that idea. Also, it seems to me, whenever blood rather that merit determines status, every few generations a recessive gene pops up and you wind up with a mad king (or massa’). The irony of that position of course is not lost on me given the nature of the popularly elected leaders of both our countries.
Today was the initial rollout of the vaccination programme in the UK. First in line was a 90 year old lady who turns 91 next week. The name of the second person to take the jab; "William Shakespeare !!!!!"
Haha
I’ll bet Isaac Newton is pretty close to the front of the line too.
Sure. He belongs to the over 90 group :D. Mrs. Margaret Keenan and said William Shakespeare went into History today,Shakespeare for the second time.
Congrats UK!
Here in Sweet Albion it looks like; that to the problems sustained by Covid, we now have added the potential adverse consequences of a Brexit No Deal.
Boris last evening dashed off to Brussels for a dinner with Ursula, but the portents are not good.
Risk assessments to date include a potential 40% rise in the price of French cheeses. We will revert to our traditional Cheddar. And the French will suffer from a dearth of Dover Sole, as we take back our fishing rights in the Channel.
This weekend will witness the unedifying & unexplainable emptying of toilet rolls from the shelves as well no doubt.
12.14.2020- Congrats US!
I echo that. Over 3,000 deaths a day is horrendous.
Perhaps the beginning of the end.
Woo-Hoo
U-S-A-U-S-A-U-S-A
We’re Number One We’re Number One
All-Y’all can suck it
Feel like I should be doing the chicken dance, wearing cowboy boots and short pants and a gargantuan cowboy hat
Hmmm, too soon?
Nah.
.
.................................................. .................................................. .......!!
Lol!.....
I was reading an article this morning on the Swiss approach to Covid related deaths. Compared to other countries they have done pretty well; currently 80-100 deaths daily at the moment. But it has ignited a whole national debate about, “Have we forgotten how to die?”
The Swiss may as a race, come across at times as a bit over-pragmatic and cold blooded in regarding life as finite. After all they do have the suicide end of life clinics.
I can actually appreciate how this pandemic has brought a fresh reality to the prospect re dying of Covid. Recently a friend of mine in the UK was asked by his doctor if he wanted reviving if he fell ill with the virus. He said “No.”
Personally, I want reviving. Too much to live for and do. Even my idea of sheltered housing and long-term care, consists of a unit staffed by ex-carnival queen nurses overlooking Copacabana beach.
So here’s how the deal went down:
El Sancho’s Seņora’s Papa was ailing (not Covid related), and being a good daughter, she traveled down to California to check on him. She stayed a few days and did all those things that good daughters in situations like that.
Afterwards, since there were still a few days to burn, and since it’s important for a good daughter to give equal time to both parents, she traveled a couple of towns over to see her Mama. She stayed a few days and did whatever it is that mother’s and daughters do when they have a few days to burn.
And then she came home. Sancho was away on a trip during all of this.
A few days later she started coughing and sputtering like a 1974 Ford Pinto, and that also happened to be around the time El Sancho got home.
She said to me something along the lines of, “Hi Honey. Welcome home. I can’t taste a thing. I think I’ve got it.”
I said something along the lines of, “Get over on your side of the room, woman.”
Well, she called her Papa and recommended that he get tested. He did. Turns out his aforementioned ailment was Covid related after all.
Shortly there after her mother called her and said something along the lines of, “Sweetheart, I’m coughing and sputtering like a poorly maintained 1974 Ford Pinto and I can’t taste a thing.”
So...
La Seņora - positive
La Seņora’s Papa - positive
La Seņora’s Mama - positive
La Seņora’s step Mama - positive
La Seņora’s step Papa - positive
Various Aunts and Uncles - positive
Not to worry, every body’s doing well, and basically over it by now. Well, almost everybody. One is still struggling.
And what about you, El Sancho? You may ask.
I feel great. Grrrr-ate. Never better in fact. I have to get the rapid test every week for my job:
And El Sancho - Negative - Negative - Negative.
Go figure.
On another subject, despite being months away it feels like Spring is nigh at hand - maybe just two weeks from now. Our long dark winter is nearly over. The sun is shining, the days are getting longer, and the future looks bright.
That was certainly a tough beginning of 2021, Sancho. I am glad the worst is over and that you yourself are regularly tested. At this times it is very good when you people turn up and one knows that you are well. And it seems to be still a mystery why some people get or spread Corona more easily than others.
Thanks Danik, everybody’s still doing well. The step parent who is struggling has a lot of other serious medical conditions and it’s not at all clear what’s the cause of what with him.
We’ve still got a lot to figure out about this virus, the testing for instance. What exactly constitutes a “positive” test. As I mentioned in my last post I get rapid tested (the antigen test) weekly for work and have been testing negative since we started doing it. The wife’s family turned up positive with the PCR test, however the labs didn’t say how many cycles it took to turn up genetic material from the virus. I read that if the virus shows up in only 20 cycles then you’re probably seriously infected. If it takes 60 cycles to turn up the virus you probably don’t have that much of it in your system. So how many cycles constitutes a positive test? Well, it depends on the lab. Anyway Wired magazine has a good article on it:
I Tested Positive For COVID 19. What Does That Really Mean
https://www.wired.com/story/i-tested...hat-that-mean/
I agree with you, of the infected in young and healthy populations, who is able to shrug it off and who dies from it seems random. So in keeping with my original metaphor of us as soldiers and the virus a war, the randomness of the virus is like a mortar barrage - somebody’s gonna buy it, but no telling who. Your buddy got turned to mush last week and now you’re sitting there in your foxhole waiting for that faint whistle of the incoming round with your name on it. It can be maddening if you think about it too much.
Sorry everybody. Looks like I killed that other thread we were all having so much on. Stomped that sucker flat, in fact. And thing we’re just starting to get fun.
Cheers
No, Sancho. I think the problem was opening a thread about politics, which isnīt permitted, so the fault was mine.
I just wanted to talk about cannibalism.
Dear Litnetters. This thread here is meant for news and exchanges about Coronavirus. For other themes I ask you please to open correspondent threads, bearing in mind that depending on theme and or developments the thread might be closed.
RIP Captain Tom Moore!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...785_story.html
Sorry to hear that he died!
Somehow missed on this because of that other discussion.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sancho
So here’s a weird thing. My seņora got this thing last year and after walking around with a dry cough for about a month, she got over it. She regained her sense of smell and taste, but here’s the weird part - she keeps smelling smoke. We’ll be walking around and she’ll declare: “Something’s on fire. I smell smoke. Do you smell smoke? Because I smell smoke. Go get a bucket of water. And make it snappy!”