Okay, Slightly MAGA

Written by Tom Being Tom

Before I get to all the other updates in the life of TBT let’s just say that the OBT is still in process but we’ve hit a couple of snags along the way. It isn’t over (like the Rams season) we just have to – you know – shuffle the deck a bit and redeal the cards. No, that’s not the right metaphor. The cards in play are fine. There’s just some transitionary algorithmic combobulations that have to be excogitated.

Yeah, that describes it best.

But while that plays out, and doesn’t require my full attention, I thought this would be a great time to catch up on other things. Like Covid.

Yeah, I said Covid.

Why are you bringing all of that up again, Tom? Aren’t we passed this yet?!

Well, yes and no. I mean, we should be. I am. Except that I have it. And Mrs C has it. And the mother-in-law has it, and this has been the most confusing two weeks of my dogs’ life.

Correct, I got it again. But, I’m fine. 100%. Slight-head-cold kind of nonsense. But Mrs C got it first. And bad. In fact, she’s still in bed, coughing and worn down, two weeks later. Almost. Let’s start at the beginning.

Mrs C avoided infection for the entirety of the bulk of the pandemic. Good! She has some underlying conditions I was always worried about and her mom has even more and is older (obviously), so I took every precaution during wave after wave to make sure they were fine. We take care of the ones we love first, right?

But two Mondays ago (the 7th) she woke up and said “not feeling well, calling in.” No problem, it happens. I said “take a test, we have plenty.” She did. Negative. Cool. But as the day progressed she got worse with the coughing and the fever and we thought, flu bug!

The next day I said “take another test, just to be sure, we have plenty.”

Positive.

Covid-19.

Damn. Okay, scramble drill! Sandy (the MIL), you stay in your room as much as possible. Mrs C (the wife), you stay in OUR room as much as possible. Tom (me), you stay in your office as much as possible, and sleep on the couch at night. Ready, break!

All was fine until two days later Sandy tested positive. Okay, now you avoid Tom and both of you avoid each other and I’ll test every day before work.

I had 7 negative tests in a row. At about $10 a pop. Yes, I had to buy more. It’s easy.

I skipped the 8th day of testing because, come on, I’m fine now, right?

Negative. I mean, Positive. On the 17th of November (9th day) I got a faint positive. On the 18th of November I got a strong positive. Okay, now everybody avoid everybody and everything all the time until further notice!

I’m practically asymptomatic but the rules are clear: test positive and isolate. I’ve been isolated for the last few days and am supposed to do the same the next few. I mean, I get it. If I go to work and suddenly somebody there gets it from me they have to go home. And if everybody gets it from me everyone has to go home (we’re a small crew) and what kind of store is that? Take what you need, but please leave money on the counter. We’ll count it on the 1st.

Okay, soapbox. Not to MAGA out or anything but isn’t this kind of far into the exercise for this level of precaution? I mean, I get it, if you’re sick, you’re sick. Stay home. Mrs C is sick sick and should stay home and even isolate. She obviously got a big viral load. The MIL was sick for two days and has felt fine since. She’s nigh unto indestructible, it seems. Me too. I didn’t get sick this time. At all.

When this thing was killing thousands of people a day (literally, look it up) I get it, every precaution. At it’s peak it was killing at a level 30 times (or more) the average for a good (bad) flu. Stop the spread. On board. But, at last look, Covid-19 is killing about 100 people a day in the US (about the average for the flu, mind you), so we ought to rethink keeping Tom home when he’s got stuff to do. Other people, too, I suppose, but really … this is about Tom. 😏

(“concern for a winter surge” and “vigilance against variants” will be accepted as plausible counters to the fastidious amongst you, but I’m in the moment right now)

Rant over.

So, that’s the update. OBT pending. Isolation. Confused living arrangement for dogs. Rams suck.

Did I miss anything?

27 thoughts on “Okay, Slightly MAGA”

  1. “She has some underlying conditions”
    not to alarm you, but I got COVID and ended up in ICU. Not from “Covid” itself, but from unintended reactions from “underlying” conditions. My Blood Pressure essentially went haywire. ER Nurse told me, “people are coming in with strange conditions” and we’re finding out later they have Covid.
    I’m back on my feet now but I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through it. My body just…I dunno…shut down, unplugged?

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    1. Nearly 2 years in and I’m still Covid Free. Of course, I live like a hermit. Only the wife ventures into the retail world to acquire nutrients, and she’s quite paranoid — still wears a mask (and yeah, gets funny looks, but, fuck them).
      If you, my dopple, got hammered, I’m now super wary of the illness. Glad your still on the side of the grass. (I mean, glad as I get, which ain’t much, seein’ how I still got the Existential Blues.)

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      1. Come this close to death, and those existential blues change to a different hue. I’m much more humble now…but no one noticed nor cares. LOL! My wife still wears a mask…yeah, fuck the looks.

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  2. Covid PTSD? There remain service folks still wearing masks. And the 100-200/day deaths is nothing to sneeze at (ha). But, I suspect we’re back to the ol’ cavalier, American: “roll the dice”, we’re a tough breed, wanna go bro’?, kind of mentality.
    I’m just glad to know that the variants (into the 1000’s now), continue to evolve, and that with any luck, we’ll get a cross-bred version that’s got a little measles, a little smallpox, a little influenza and a whole lotta death built in. As I’ve alluded to in the past, as apocalypses go, this one sucked.

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    1. I said from the beginning that once we get it down to that 100-200 level it’s just like every other bug and it’s time to get back to normal. Until then, I said, let’s be very cautious. However, anyone who is at high risk should remain ever vigilant at all times.

      But, yeah, as apocalypses go this was somewhere between Y2K and Bubonic. 😉

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      1. There must be some human threshold of risk vs inconvenience. 30,000 deaths/yr from auto accidents, meh. 40,000 from septicemia? What’evs. 100k from diabetes, so what?
        At some point the idea of death by whatever means becomes too burdensome. When Covid was front and center (still only 1/2 the deaths of heart disease), we were all freaking out. “Every move you make, every breath you take, I’ll be infecting you,” was the theme. But, as soon as it dips below — this level — Covid (or whatever threat) becomes just more background risk.
        Must be a coping mechanism. Otherwise, we’d all be hypochondriacs.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Sure, but we have to keep in mind that one can’t spread diabetes or heart disease from one person to another, and that although car accidents can affect YOU and ANOTHER, car driving is regulated as hell (lanes, stop signs, speed limits, DUI-enforcement, licensing, seatbelts, etc) to minimize the damage. When something like Covid comes around that infects and spreads so rapidly, and kills so many, we take extra precautions to minimize the risk, and damage. My contention is that we did the right thing in regulating behavior during the peak of Covid but that the peak is over and it’s time to treat it like any other communicable disease. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  3. You have to pay for covid tests? They’re free up here, but of course, we have no actual restrictions around anything that might give you covid, so it’s the least the provincial government can do. My aunt almost died of it a couple of weeks ago but hey–it’s just a bad cold, according to most people around here. Stay safe and healthy, my friend!

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    1. Yeah, we pay for them now (or get them covered by private insurance, in some cases). The government sent out free ones last year but I used them up testing daily. I am now sitting on about 8 tests and I’ll use one of those tomorrow and on Thanksgiving. CDC says “two negative tests after isolation = no need for mask.” I’m shooting for that. 🤞

      We have no “restrictions” here any longer, either, just guidelines and an honor system. As you know, a lot of Americans lack honor so that’s what got us this far (world leader in Covid deaths, woohoo! 🎉).

      Best wishes to your aunt and the entire family. It’s still out there, and it’s still dangerous. A cold? Far from it. ❤️

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  4. Damn. Sorry that nasty crap invaded your personal space. And very sorry your wife is down hard. We’ve avoided it so far.. but while my husband has had 2 boosters, I’ve only had one since I have such bad reactions to the shot. Out of curiosity did you have both? Maine’s numbers are low and we feel almost back to normal now, but people like my husband are still at risk so I’m all for contagious people staying home. Even if it confuses the canines among us.
    😉

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    1. Haha! Yeah, I get that and I’m happy to follow the guidelines for the sake of others. Like I said, there has to be real concern for another variant or winter wave and we should get through that and comb the data before declaring Covid just another bug. I mean, I want it to be, but that’s personal not interpersonal and the community of citizens, formed around a governmental body, is about interpersonal responsibility not selfish desire. I mean, I also want to run a red light when I’m late for work, but I don’t. 😉

      We all have the initial shot and one booster in this house. The MIL has been wanting to get her 2nd booster but hadn’t committed yet. Should she now? Does the positive now become a booster as an antibody?

      The other two of us were on the fence about it. Probably, but not certain. Obviously, I didn’t need it (no symptoms). Mrs C, on the other hand, maybe this would have been a 7-10 day thing if she had the second one. Who knows. As it stands now she is on the mend and I fully expect we’ll see her back in action this time next week. Praise be for that!

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  5. My sister said that eventually everyone will get it, difference now is we have been vaccinated and have some protection. Of course myself and my with have not got it and my sister hasn’t either, but practically everyone else in the family has. No deaths due to the vaccine, but still can worry when you have other underlying medical conditions. I believe in the states there is a pill you can take to minimise the symptoms? I hope you all fell better soon.

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    1. Thanks, Joe! Yeah, I have a feeling everyone will get it in time. For the compromised, I highly recommend keeping up on a regimen of vaccination, protection, and vigilance. And it behooves the rest of us to take every precaution to help with that.

      I have a coworker who sits right next to me and had to be exposed while I was in the early stages (both times). He also has had it obviously around him with people in his house (unknowingly, he takes every precaution). Nothing. I have another friend whose husband got it twice and she did everything she could to get it from him (she was a staunch disbeliever in this thing from the start) and has failed to get it from anyone anytime. Maybe some just have a natural immune? Hope you do, too!

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  6. I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this. You, your wife, and mother-in-law, I hope, will see it through soon without any more trouble. But I also, nutty as it sounds, appreciate the example you’re setting. I’d prefer that you be positive and test negative, but you’re taking this seriously and taking reasonable precautions, something which too many people aren’t doing. I get the desire to be cavalier–I frequently feel it myself–but my wife works in medical research and she’s seeing studies on long COVID, which doctors don’t really understand yet. Deaths may be down but the effects are still going to be with us for a long time.
    And if that weren’t bad enough hospitals right now are filling up with RSV cases, which are mainly hitting kids. I think, hey, if I can stick to a few simple precautions that will raise my chances of staying out of an overburdened hospital suddenly I don’t feel so cavalier anymore.
    Well, that’s a bit of doom and gloom, but overall things are still getting better, right? I look forward to all of you getting better and updates on the OBT.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Thank you, Christopher!

      Yeah, my biggest concern isn’t getting it, per se (though who would want it?), but spreading it. To my wife, to the MIL, to coworkers and friends who might be compromised or have compromised loved ones, to customers and their families, to strangers with aging loved ones or children who need hospital beds or the like. So, although I’m completely symptom-free I did test positive and have sick people in the house with Covid, so … follow the guidelines and do what is best for others. I’m surprised how many Americans – how many people – simply can’t grasp that concept. Do what’s best. For everyone.

      More updates coming!

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  7. So do the Packers, who are a colossal disappointment ….this brought back bad memories. Had six weeks of this in August/September. We are all vaccinated and boosted, but my son got it, then my wife, then the MIL who is 87 and has COPD. We shuffled people in and out of bedrooms while it was all going on. Getting really tired of this shit, but it least it won’t kill us.

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    1. Most definitely, my friend, on all counts! Particularly our football teams. I expected a letdown this year (repeats champions are rare, and we’re not that kind of team right now), but I most definitely swore we’d be a playoff contender (have been every year since McVay took over). Now we’re in complete disarray. All that being said, your Packers are an even BIGGER surprise to me.

      Sigh.

      Glad to hear everyone made it through that wave, Steve. Let’s keep on truckin’!

      Liked by 1 person

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