tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195373652024-03-13T23:31:43.585-07:00AndyO BlogAndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.comBlogger282125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-53440003078755570452022-07-04T23:47:00.000-07:002023-06-03T23:47:55.126-07:00COVID: Free and clear <p>After over a week and a half, as far as I know, we're now free and clear of COVID in our house. Just so I can remember this years from now, here's the timeline:<br /></p><p>Wed, June 22: Faith (Cameron's girlfriend) loses her taste and smell and has cold-like symptoms. Later in the day, she tests positive for COVID-19. Cameron and Faith begin wearing masks everywhere. Drew and I wear them when they're upstairs.<br /></p><p>Thurs, June 23: I put Cameron and Faith in "isolation." Drew and I are in "quarantine." Cam and Faith can only come upstairs to use the one bathroom in our house. Drew and I start wearing masks around each other. Drew and I test negative.</p><p>Friday, June 24: Cameron tests positive for COVID-19. Drew and I test negative again.</p><p>Saturday, June 25: Cameron feels pretty bad, getting a fever up to 104 F. Drew tests negative. (I don't bother to test on this day.) Faith is already feeling better.<br /></p><p>Sunday, June 26: Cameron still has a fever, but feels somewhat better during the day. Faith is feeling fine.</p><p>Monday, June 27: Cameron's fever is nearly gone. </p><p>Tuesday, June 28: We continue wearing masks in the house, even Drew and I (who are still negative).<br /></p><p>Wed, June 29: Faith tests negative.</p><p>Thursday, June 30: Faith tests negative again. </p><p>Friday, July 1: Cameron tests negative. <b>We end isolation. </b>Cam and Faith come upstairs wearing masks for the first time in over a week.<br /></p><p>Saturday, July 4: I take a final test, which is negative.</p><p>Sunday, July 3: Drew and I stop wearing masks around each other.</p><p>Monday, July 4: The entire house is mask-free.<br /></p><p><br /></p>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-21158288087333232732022-06-24T22:00:00.025-07:002022-06-30T22:38:45.442-07:00COVID: June 24, 2022 - Gas masks and portable toilets<p>By Friday, Drew had convinced me that we should be wearing masks in all the common areas in the quarantine zone. I didn't want to, but his logic made sense: If he was positive (after being
exposed to Faith on Tuesday), then he'd be spreading it to me. We both put on masks. </p><p>I have to say, this reminded me of the scene in <i>Close Encounters </i>when
Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) and Jillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon) are driving through Wyoming and seeing "dead" animals.
After some hesitation, their fear compels them to put on gas
masks.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsQwi7F2WpqubIUp_oT1ZXB46E8JoVrhehztowk5I-yeAGyUvX9ZnFyaRprCyp_4LO2SfS3HKh8ZNeax7_BmFaRiF88ny7ct04Bb9S7HIRkWwflLRGt4Ro-TYFypTUR6zBpR64Qd2zXpehDwY9O1r8p3noJl0bRTw_mvewxIdlyruYA97eOA/s1572/Firefox_Screenshot_2022-06-26T20-23-13.455Z.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="1572" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsQwi7F2WpqubIUp_oT1ZXB46E8JoVrhehztowk5I-yeAGyUvX9ZnFyaRprCyp_4LO2SfS3HKh8ZNeax7_BmFaRiF88ny7ct04Bb9S7HIRkWwflLRGt4Ro-TYFypTUR6zBpR64Qd2zXpehDwY9O1r8p3noJl0bRTw_mvewxIdlyruYA97eOA/s320/Firefox_Screenshot_2022-06-26T20-23-13.455Z.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>While we're at it: Another family "gas mask" joke from <i>Close Encounters</i>, one that took on greater relevance during the pandemic, was the guy selling the gas masks to people in Gillette, Wyoming (filmed in <a href="http://www.northbaldwinchamber.com/DNBCloseEncounters" target="_blank">Bay Minette, Alabama</a>). He utters the immortal words: "And now, you're gonna be real disappointed and sorry if you don't have
an early-warning system, such as a bird, a gas mask. <span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why, even my dog
has a gas mask. And any of you folks
are worth more than a dog</b>."</span> (Below is the best screenshot I could find of this scene--note how the other guy is holding his hand over his mouth and nose, because the dog has the gas mask.) <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtm7BJ-uFXoTvMQDQaUVVoPZLIV3B9xF7RqKTWKmovS3by9cKroejM0jz0qq2p7WKTxb5WLARn35eO9xELwYdUxxxl92KHkTqhjrSkUM1GiVR3jBmncglj4G3NdEf0g_q0utbgh9NKLb8zuO8GmF8uJvMiyDTBK9ouQAEqgUErrXvo5zE7hLs/s1797/Firefox_Screenshot_2022-06-26T20-29-26.190Z.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1797" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtm7BJ-uFXoTvMQDQaUVVoPZLIV3B9xF7RqKTWKmovS3by9cKroejM0jz0qq2p7WKTxb5WLARn35eO9xELwYdUxxxl92KHkTqhjrSkUM1GiVR3jBmncglj4G3NdEf0g_q0utbgh9NKLb8zuO8GmF8uJvMiyDTBK9ouQAEqgUErrXvo5zE7hLs/s320/Firefox_Screenshot_2022-06-26T20-29-26.190Z.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Back to my house situation: I started thinking about whether there were other ways to reduce trips to our lone bathroom. A few times since I instituted quarantine, I'd used a small, plastic garbage can when I couldn't wait or didn't want to go in the bathroom right after one of the "infected." But I always felt weird doing this -- even if it seemed necessary. This got me thinking: there had to be portable options.</p><p>As I browsed Amazon,
I saw every kind of portable potty or urine collection device ever created. I was astonished by the selection, which always makes choosing more difficult. I ended up buying some "hospital style" urine collection bottles, including one that women <i>and </i>men could use. <br /></p><p>As it turned out, on Friday Cameron finally tested positive for COVID and developed fever and chills. By the time night came around, I heard him going to the bathroom all night. When I told him later about the portable potties coming on Saturday, he texted back, "Sounds amazing." There's nothing worse than having to walk up a flight of stairs to use the bathroom when you're in a fever state.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVN2ocUw_Pesz9EbIM9MDg4_1rh-bw3m6BJHeTBgTK3zGuCFyn_ybL8vF6ST_bTI37CSbsS799x1NAHpJd-igJHMCBTnTguMbnWSZB0jdWyOLjwe6q64nRxwSxEQHDdD2cUGyA0cqr679dDWOSz_k2KhquDquS3upoAeU0eEvgpuSYeW7l-4/s1828/Firefox_Screenshot_2022-06-25T21-40-01.484Z.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="1828" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVN2ocUw_Pesz9EbIM9MDg4_1rh-bw3m6BJHeTBgTK3zGuCFyn_ybL8vF6ST_bTI37CSbsS799x1NAHpJd-igJHMCBTnTguMbnWSZB0jdWyOLjwe6q64nRxwSxEQHDdD2cUGyA0cqr679dDWOSz_k2KhquDquS3upoAeU0eEvgpuSYeW7l-4/s320/Firefox_Screenshot_2022-06-25T21-40-01.484Z.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-33930405714642500092022-06-23T15:25:00.139-07:002022-06-30T22:41:42.523-07:00COVID: June 23, 2022 - Quarantine<h4 style="text-align: left;"></h4><p>On
Thursday, as I talked at a weekly counselor appointment, it became clear I'd already given up on trying to remain COVID free. Like a lot of people, I was rationalizing it as being
like a cold. She reminded me that we still needed to treat it
like a serious disease, especially given how the virus reacts with different people. <br /></p><p>The conversation brought me back to reality and the danger that still lurked. I knew there were people in this same situation who thought they were safe
-- because they were vaccinated, young, or healthy -- people who were now dead. I was also reminded, as I was at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, of the summer of 1976, when I first felt the invisible danger of disease. I watched a nightly news report about an unknown disease rampaging at a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Philadelphia_Legionnaires%27_disease_outbreak" target="_blank">Legionnaire's meeting</a> in Philadelphia, and it sent me into a tailspin. ("We're all gonna die!" I think I remember telling my parents.) <br /></p><p>I'd come a long way since my childhood, mostly being able to contain my
anxiety and fear for the past two-and-a-half years, but still being worn down by the fatigue of a pandemic. I resigned myself to keep fighting. </p><p>Drew and I tested again at 7:00 p.m., and we were still negative.<br /></p><p>I called Cameron about a new strategy for our house -- one that would reduce the risk for Drew and me. Cameron and Faith could use the
bathroom, but nothing else. We'd deliver their food to the top of the stairs. We'd all wear KN95 masks (the N95s were too uncomfortable). I also told them
they'd need to sterilize the bathroom (light switches, toilet seat, flusher handle, sink,
etc.) after every use. I thought this was a good compromise for having Faith stay with
us, and I knew it would be helpful in the long run -- as I was sure Cameron would be positive soon.<br /></p><p>With the new strategy established, I felt a wave confidence as I ordered paper plates, forks, Red Solo cups, and a bunch of other
stuff on Amazon Fresh. Cameron and Faith would need supplies to eat and drink. I set the delivery for 10 p.m - 12:00 a.m. window again. </p><p>As I was waiting, I
wondered what else I could buy to reduce exposure while making
Cameron and Faith more comfortable. Before long, I was adding a cheap microwave,
toaster, and other assorted items to my cart. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39Fxs4vHx_l62SBG75jRl8pBFiMaa9HcW5O993CMf6j1MCiS2J6f4W5Jj1zHltH5bIq82Py4F0n3pHayhTWSWRrfPj6gRuPGL0Dnp5OhHoyUgYqSLuU0Sfe8l5Dj0q-i6sNbAnmi9rYv85sLvwe9zi5H3xMAS88IH6zL1AjLx37T1aeSmVaw/s1768/Firefox_Screenshot_2022-06-26T18-12-01.566Z.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1248" data-original-width="1768" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39Fxs4vHx_l62SBG75jRl8pBFiMaa9HcW5O993CMf6j1MCiS2J6f4W5Jj1zHltH5bIq82Py4F0n3pHayhTWSWRrfPj6gRuPGL0Dnp5OhHoyUgYqSLuU0Sfe8l5Dj0q-i6sNbAnmi9rYv85sLvwe9zi5H3xMAS88IH6zL1AjLx37T1aeSmVaw/s320/Firefox_Screenshot_2022-06-26T18-12-01.566Z.png" width="320" /></a></div>I
knew I'd gone too far when I started looking at 32-inch 4K TVs to
replace the 720p TV that I watched upstairs in the living room. I suppose I missed the Sony 65-inch
OLED "home theater" downstairs -- a TV that Cameron and Faith were watching constantly now.<br /><p></p>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-38139726016201735872022-06-22T23:30:00.001-07:002022-06-25T21:05:23.477-07:00COVID: June 22, 2022 - It begins<p>On Wednesday, Cameron's girlfriend Faith wasn't feeling well. As she lay on the
couch with a stuffy nose, she said she'd lost smell and taste. Obviously, this
was a red alert, so Faith and Cameron (who typically live
in a garage bedroom) started wearing masks everywhere. But no one tested
yet.</p><p>My main concern was that I'd gone into the office on Tuesday and had seen at least 10 of my coworkers; I was hoping that Faith hadn't been
contagious until Wednesday. And because I'd asked Cameron and Faith to include Drew in their outings when possible (he was out of school for the summer), they'd taken him out with them in her car the day before. Finally, I thought about how I'd helped my neighbor, Pat, who had had surgery, get from
his car to the house (45 minutes of close contact, since I was helping him walk). </p><p>Cameron started wondering where Faith had potentially picked up the virus. Since they had both started working for the cruise lines in Seattle on the weekends, where they loaded and unloaded up to 5,000 passengers per day, I thought it was obvious. <br /></p><p>"But we always wear masks," Cameron's said.</p><p>I explained how Omicron was twice as contagious as the Delta variant. </p><p>For those who are curious, cruise ship passengers are required to have a negative COVID test before setting sail, and if people get sick on the cruise they are taken off the ship after everyone else, using a quarantine protocol. But given what I'd heard about Omicron, I knew it didn't take much for one person to infect someone in close contact. <br /></p><p>Later in the day, in between my usual work calls, I asked
Cameron if Faith had tested, and he didn't know where the tests were. He said he'd been doing his own "tests" with his array of hot sauces to see if Faith could taste those (including the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_Reaper" target="_blank">Carolina Reaper Pepper</a> although I don't think he used this one). I
pointed him to the stack of COVID tests in the basket by the door (where they'd
always been).</p><p>"Could she taste the hot sauces?" I asked.</p><p>"Not at first, but eventually." </p><p>Not a good sign, I thought. </p><p>He took a test and headed downstairs. After hearing the results of the hot sauce test, Drew and I put on masks
in the living room. After about 15 minutes, Cameron came upstairs wearing a more <i>surgical</i>- looking mask. </p><p>I looked at him, and he nodded. Faith was positive. </p><p>"I've never seen the two lines before," Cameron said, referring to the "test" and "control" lines in the window of the test. Since he figured he'd already been exposed both
Tuesday and Wednesday, he decided he would stay downstairs with her. They would only come upstairs to use the one bathroom and also cook (although I was already having second thoughts about that). </p><p>It's worth noting that when Cameron was in Boston for school this year, his roommate got COVID. Cameron was diligent about using a mask and staying in his room most of the time (even if his roommate hadn't), and had avoided it. It was an interesting case study, even with people living in the same house, and one I'd see repeated by other people I knew in Seattle.<br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">My first COVID test</h4><p>For some reason, I always thought that you only tested when you showed symptoms of COVID. The guys I play music with said I should test right away, as it was important to know the first day you're positive. We downloaded the iHealth app
for the testing kit, swabbed our nostrils, and put the sample into the
test apparatus (which looked a lot like a home pregnancy test). <br /></p><p>After 15 minutes, we were both negative. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizv5aJeW3Qx6jM-cJq2_kev6AkA8uG96CKdZCQ2KrE1p8jZmNo3x3yGhEV-qRpCNrevpTsuiJ8Sj5SCSku-8t9WphB0pR714MHUHiEwOPWHxJt2ogAuCgws2aMj9LOOHjDTvnXCf2SNPhsPc7srEnB6w7HjwlwptcUTEvK24jVPo8Kcf0gWy0/s2492/covid-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1467" data-original-width="2492" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizv5aJeW3Qx6jM-cJq2_kev6AkA8uG96CKdZCQ2KrE1p8jZmNo3x3yGhEV-qRpCNrevpTsuiJ8Sj5SCSku-8t9WphB0pR714MHUHiEwOPWHxJt2ogAuCgws2aMj9LOOHjDTvnXCf2SNPhsPc7srEnB6w7HjwlwptcUTEvK24jVPo8Kcf0gWy0/s320/covid-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It felt good in the way you feel after landing safely on vacation after turbulence -- but still knowing you needed to fly home. I knew there would be a lot of testing happening over the next week. <br /><p></p><p>Next,
I put together a $300-plus Amazon Fresh order. The last order had arrived about a week before, and we'd gone through all of the essentials. I was happy to be able to get a delivery
window between 10:00 and 12:00 a.m. that very night (and it actually arrived by 11:00 p.m.). </p><p>Finally, before I went to bed, I texted Brenda about the COVID situation. She'd already been away for a week, hiking
around southwest England on a walking tour with our neighbor, Charlotte.
They'd been planning this trip for at least six months, which requires
being able to walk up to 12 miles a day. </p><p>I told her not to worry, and
that I had everything under control. (Like the valet handling the Ferrari in <i>Ferris Bueller's Day Off</i>: "You fellas have nothing to worry about. I'm a professional.")<br /></p><p>She texted, "I'm not worried." <br /></p>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-44627303100262882262022-06-21T00:44:00.001-07:002022-06-25T21:06:39.223-07:00COVID: Update 2022<p>Since the last time I wrote in this blog, the pandemic has continued to mutate and cause deaths around the world. We've been through four variants, including the original, Delta (last summer/fall in the U.S.), Omicron, and additional Omicron sub-variants. </p><p>Here's what the waves have looked like since the beginning. The big spike at the end of 2021 and beginning of 2022 was Delta. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLse0fkLpYNmFICeRTKsWJrT4Ih8H4YmZ303u5rU2jRtPvLObK3vGoocoaNnQaNSJMSkOMJoWcV4GEgz2CW72vWMSRT9ie1gXw-hExrhGQtLlYQDPwLMtInwmkRBkaW55tFWVzI7DwMeiZ-a47zHZEypWKui0IdjlGLubz08vw83krk2IkFA/s1543/Firefox_Screenshot_2022-06-24T06-57-01.629Z.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1543" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLse0fkLpYNmFICeRTKsWJrT4Ih8H4YmZ303u5rU2jRtPvLObK3vGoocoaNnQaNSJMSkOMJoWcV4GEgz2CW72vWMSRT9ie1gXw-hExrhGQtLlYQDPwLMtInwmkRBkaW55tFWVzI7DwMeiZ-a47zHZEypWKui0IdjlGLubz08vw83krk2IkFA/w411-h240/Firefox_Screenshot_2022-06-24T06-57-01.629Z.png" width="411" />5</a></div><p>Last year at the end of June, I ended up going on vacation to try to deal with work burnout. It was the first time I'd stayed in a hotel, and I felt safe enough to eat out. By the time Brenda and I were scheduled to go on another summer vacation, Delta was already starting to ramp up and everyone. But it was the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in the United States that eventually caused the giant spike. <br /></p><p>Here's an image from the Johns Hopkins website that shows current numbers of cases, deaths, and vaccines: <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikEhMfQNq2kVxgtB6TNvdY6SjChpLk2Y3vSsa0dnztdIvAMwl1YCrYMCsmoNck6QukJuJs01yZYfu6OEDj7B1htNcuioknv0cEkO7pW_yP_Ff-xaFmpHTJBKVEItdYKQlQNo8K_8DxppwsaEgVPSGVYEzHxHD-uNGvneoLRUtgEmHkx4tl2dE/s2110/Firefox_Screenshot_2022-06-24T07-02-09.774Z.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="2110" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikEhMfQNq2kVxgtB6TNvdY6SjChpLk2Y3vSsa0dnztdIvAMwl1YCrYMCsmoNck6QukJuJs01yZYfu6OEDj7B1htNcuioknv0cEkO7pW_yP_Ff-xaFmpHTJBKVEItdYKQlQNo8K_8DxppwsaEgVPSGVYEzHxHD-uNGvneoLRUtgEmHkx4tl2dE/w446-h246/Firefox_Screenshot_2022-06-24T07-02-09.774Z.png" width="446" /></a></div><br /><p>Here are the current variants in the United States, showing that Omicron BA 2.12.1 is 56.0% of the infections. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-eYGaxQyK8VaU8S0aoXd06iQ0gnkyHrbMIIQsY7xyCllfhREon1OCQ8FDgw2JBjIkoM01Scpaz7NqX7zu7qHGOU9qnoF0FeAGmoqb64LjBK2uKRtNL0D763nQbDmiBmLcYeqvCYF1ZtR-iPwTbn58giY7Zn5upVNkxT56BMNQjrDZKjeRzs/s1132/Firefox_Screenshot_2022-06-24T07-01-13.932Z.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="1132" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-eYGaxQyK8VaU8S0aoXd06iQ0gnkyHrbMIIQsY7xyCllfhREon1OCQ8FDgw2JBjIkoM01Scpaz7NqX7zu7qHGOU9qnoF0FeAGmoqb64LjBK2uKRtNL0D763nQbDmiBmLcYeqvCYF1ZtR-iPwTbn58giY7Zn5upVNkxT56BMNQjrDZKjeRzs/w438-h400/Firefox_Screenshot_2022-06-24T07-01-13.932Z.png" width="438" /></a></div><p>Finally, as one might wonder in the middle of the pandemic, how does COVID-19 compare to other viruses? As you can see, it's not the worst -- but also not the best. The Spanish Flu and HIV/AIDS recorded many more deaths. H1N1 Influenza infected the most people of any pandemic. But as a virus appearing in the modern age, COVID-19 has recorded the most deaths of any coronavirus or influenza since the Spanish Flu.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajcqHGOt4XI66MdpfoV8_IR8hWu7KCBgW7fUZ_3wVl039pAYWdnH031dxUgNF9hQ5p_X3PFVRVCoP2wqnoQZQelcBZU4qh0FAVFcyK4PH9tc7X1hVYTXVhhvzLe2edDG27DUc7PrbRYrT9dP76taTf6CEkvHwYL0JSqSamvpMetZwUOuWFrg/s2100/Firefox_Screenshot_2022-06-24T07-16-37.422Z.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="2100" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajcqHGOt4XI66MdpfoV8_IR8hWu7KCBgW7fUZ_3wVl039pAYWdnH031dxUgNF9hQ5p_X3PFVRVCoP2wqnoQZQelcBZU4qh0FAVFcyK4PH9tc7X1hVYTXVhhvzLe2edDG27DUc7PrbRYrT9dP76taTf6CEkvHwYL0JSqSamvpMetZwUOuWFrg/w512-h285/Firefox_Screenshot_2022-06-24T07-16-37.422Z.png" width="512" /></a></div><p>It's because of the advances of modern medicine and technology that COVID-19 didn't cause more deaths. The 2.1 million deaths around the world are still too many, but it was still a miracle that the new mRNA, genetically-engineered vaccines were developed in less than a year -- instead of four years (which is what it took for the mumps). <br /></p><p><br /></p>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-31241983229741225302021-05-20T23:30:00.029-07:002021-05-21T12:19:50.395-07:00Manzanita Day 2: Birds eye POV<p>Right before sunset, Drew, Brenda, and I took Drew's new DJI Mini 2 drone out for a test flight on the beach. Because you can't really fly drones anywhere in Seattle (except your backyard), this was a liberating (and spectacular) experience. There were times when we actually lost track of the drone in the sky. I'll let the photos do the talking here.</p>
<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMktNTzCpH9OIDKTPELjFPnMJvXn6pe7iCKCZ_MbRgDZ1hTSvdKuS2vxQvgiJhosVBTF9Diweel4-pamp3p9VgeZMxevfdYCUuwOZvxolCzljWL2MvrLfy-F6KpsudE4wVD9d7zA/s2048/RemoteMediaFile_6553635_0_2021_05_20_19_32_26.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMktNTzCpH9OIDKTPELjFPnMJvXn6pe7iCKCZ_MbRgDZ1hTSvdKuS2vxQvgiJhosVBTF9Diweel4-pamp3p9VgeZMxevfdYCUuwOZvxolCzljWL2MvrLfy-F6KpsudE4wVD9d7zA/s320/RemoteMediaFile_6553635_0_2021_05_20_19_32_26.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5vi24cSjbMgIqL99sd2u9eg5KnDB0t8luMW8FvdhgZ02ZaD_jFtVMyt1rQVxsXEZyn8DWs3NfVvKDQqSA56t7D_nHLwxVqqybXVJrxqOre90TS2Qe-QVkx35W3hgkWSv5JuLTSQ/s4000/Photo_6553629_DJI_29_jpg_4775769_0_2021520193050_photo_original.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="4000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5vi24cSjbMgIqL99sd2u9eg5KnDB0t8luMW8FvdhgZ02ZaD_jFtVMyt1rQVxsXEZyn8DWs3NfVvKDQqSA56t7D_nHLwxVqqybXVJrxqOre90TS2Qe-QVkx35W3hgkWSv5JuLTSQ/s320/Photo_6553629_DJI_29_jpg_4775769_0_2021520193050_photo_original.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnwR0gWaBeDyEAEMiJ1IiAd09I0HQI39iqMsQwN96qNIM7TXZsdpqG_6-DBKVssH5Qiy9u0IGGbuZRmBs-RnpCn5BHex5TfrRaf6a5FdrFSbg8akA8X0h8K5zqi81n-1OswLxQA/s4000/Photo_6553631_DJI_31_jpg_4554605_0_2021520193118_photo_original.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="4000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnwR0gWaBeDyEAEMiJ1IiAd09I0HQI39iqMsQwN96qNIM7TXZsdpqG_6-DBKVssH5Qiy9u0IGGbuZRmBs-RnpCn5BHex5TfrRaf6a5FdrFSbg8akA8X0h8K5zqi81n-1OswLxQA/s320/Photo_6553631_DJI_31_jpg_4554605_0_2021520193118_photo_original.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<p>This shows the area where we're staying:</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeveg1fyOP2Z6B6slmBvuLOURqwC1FlINYA0xM_ge4GBDkwIB0gFwBEINfwDNBNbcZFk38W2sYvAFYoAzlltboeugthxDf8PBqdtoxRr3nAI_8WEOSn8WDuWx6DAM3ElOyBwS1w/s2048/RemoteMediaFile_6553630_0_2021_05_20_19_30_58.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeveg1fyOP2Z6B6slmBvuLOURqwC1FlINYA0xM_ge4GBDkwIB0gFwBEINfwDNBNbcZFk38W2sYvAFYoAzlltboeugthxDf8PBqdtoxRr3nAI_8WEOSn8WDuWx6DAM3ElOyBwS1w/s320/RemoteMediaFile_6553630_0_2021_05_20_19_30_58.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<p>In this one, you can see Drew and me far below. I'm the guy waving in the middle of the photo.<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehcz4qt5uHH8DRdtNRCK691zwxqdjUxJFkcYciFLqADNhO-lszu1Cs5eFvLxOeEubNmPEX1HNU_ozsKajKYax8m3y4ztVfqSnQykfbaCQ0BKD6u5Zy_iPJP6AO3P1Pk8EUvKrnQ/s2048/RemoteMediaFile_6553636_0_2021_05_20_19_34_12.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehcz4qt5uHH8DRdtNRCK691zwxqdjUxJFkcYciFLqADNhO-lszu1Cs5eFvLxOeEubNmPEX1HNU_ozsKajKYax8m3y4ztVfqSnQykfbaCQ0BKD6u5Zy_iPJP6AO3P1Pk8EUvKrnQ/s320/RemoteMediaFile_6553636_0_2021_05_20_19_34_12.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><p><br /></p>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-31127716619165146972021-05-20T23:10:00.030-07:002021-05-21T11:52:51.114-07:00Manzanita Day 2: NehalemAfter taking it easy in the morning, Brenda and I took a nice short trip to Nehalem--about 10 minutes from where we're staying.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7Keo25S_NymDqV249dnkUVaqHW-IxlFM3240K5AecbQEJkRRQQgSUx7I6hi5HAT_IB0HwsgzSbF4wSTIEAzizw_ibzR9-Iy0imTmzpMAq1E8O2pefxBTmLXIYmLDV1khEyRU9Q/s2048/IMG_4129.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7Keo25S_NymDqV249dnkUVaqHW-IxlFM3240K5AecbQEJkRRQQgSUx7I6hi5HAT_IB0HwsgzSbF4wSTIEAzizw_ibzR9-Iy0imTmzpMAq1E8O2pefxBTmLXIYmLDV1khEyRU9Q/s320/IMG_4129.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br />We had some of the best fish and chips in a while from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/riversidefishnchips/" target="_blank">Riverside Fish & Chips</a> behind the main town.<p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsk5qlYGVFHitig0zMwYtHk16um9zPJBKo5fvMr0IA1y75hsBcHiUO-4FYgFdESiGr2XtOasj0ojmftrxmMlvE22V8LGeZ3MfKm8DyYArv6xyZ_ObuqVZgov8Wf8799NX32UozA/s320/IMG_4126.HEIC" width="320" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlT36K_1sr561Qg1NENjOErEo8VfWuz-6r_WrMDsxJGl6C2BRDfAmdEjq0LVNC3diKrlSjE3Sga9GkB_nuzGF8Xbe0JdaP_z0cMrF5X9yfoxC7lqDVoY7WAazuElAt3KzO65EkQ/s2048/IMG_4124.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlT36K_1sr561Qg1NENjOErEo8VfWuz-6r_WrMDsxJGl6C2BRDfAmdEjq0LVNC3diKrlSjE3Sga9GkB_nuzGF8Xbe0JdaP_z0cMrF5X9yfoxC7lqDVoY7WAazuElAt3KzO65EkQ/s320/IMG_4124.HEIC" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsk5qlYGVFHitig0zMwYtHk16um9zPJBKo5fvMr0IA1y75hsBcHiUO-4FYgFdESiGr2XtOasj0ojmftrxmMlvE22V8LGeZ3MfKm8DyYArv6xyZ_ObuqVZgov8Wf8799NX32UozA/s2048/IMG_4126.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNWiZuHfI3LzB6qqnZSY_Wbq8m30cUdCs69o5QbjxByrGHga1S_dXV_NMRPXDTovmllt0Xb4PztmubytHGOpZSkkRyd_5AZvgeTOB4v_0xu3ONfMX2Xjn_fxPvQJJXiQnrS0isjQ/s320/IMG_4120.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><p>And Brenda got chowder from another place next door:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYe8YlGMWsQW44Up-17iikylPoerDuNSX8Yrev34GcmciMYKShKv9Iys-G-b6OKfQRKeWt4ZeQOFH1gVNaDhnk1X6TMmAxQ0P-0sbzfcCjCnj-6wM26eZ8eEg6j1IFTCEupKkYw/s2048/IMG_4125.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYe8YlGMWsQW44Up-17iikylPoerDuNSX8Yrev34GcmciMYKShKv9Iys-G-b6OKfQRKeWt4ZeQOFH1gVNaDhnk1X6TMmAxQ0P-0sbzfcCjCnj-6wM26eZ8eEg6j1IFTCEupKkYw/s320/IMG_4125.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><p>All of the food was surprisingly good. Maybe it's about finally "eating out" after a year? <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-71348262294966206512021-05-20T08:48:00.000-07:002021-05-20T08:48:56.076-07:00Manzanita, Oregon<p>For the first time in over a year, we’re taking a vacation away from Seattle. Brenda, Drew, Cam, and his girlfriend Faith came down on Tuesday, and I arrived on Wednesday. Here’s the first sunset from our bedroom:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVYcwSwihkPnfY2_ugL3Gvyl9mX_eOqdAMOWS3X6SJ-pKESSPCjHLfZ-gujwJ6ERllERBa4qpp-x6QqxhGiZCtfdrE7aSgICAHJ7O_dAWE_cyWFmirig1hrBiXGpc8AD9UvbGWw/s2048/F6D91C39-E170-4255-87B5-AC6A3B8E5A9E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVYcwSwihkPnfY2_ugL3Gvyl9mX_eOqdAMOWS3X6SJ-pKESSPCjHLfZ-gujwJ6ERllERBa4qpp-x6QqxhGiZCtfdrE7aSgICAHJ7O_dAWE_cyWFmirig1hrBiXGpc8AD9UvbGWw/s320/F6D91C39-E170-4255-87B5-AC6A3B8E5A9E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-87136460417517105822021-05-16T20:44:00.001-07:002021-05-19T20:54:00.964-07:00Vaccine shot #2<p>On May 13, I got my second Pfizer vaccine. Cameron and Drew got theirs on May 15. The whole family is vaccinated now.</p><p>On May 16, the CDC issued new (confusing) <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html" target="_blank">guidance</a> that vaccinated people don’t need to wear masks. It’s somewhat confusing because only 30% of the US population is vaccinated, so we’re nowhere near herd immunity. </p><p>Meanwhile, the situation in India (and a few other countries) continues to be extremely challenging. </p>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-86845773085893225042021-04-21T23:49:00.004-07:002021-04-21T23:49:58.635-07:00Vaccine shot #1<p>Today, I received my first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. This happened at UW’s Northwest Hospital, about two miles from my house, from 9:45 to 10:30 a.m. </p><p>It’s an absolute miracle of science that we have three vaccines in the United States after about a year of lockdown. I know they’re part of an “emergency use” protocol, but still it’s an impressive accomplishment.</p><p>We’re far from the end of this pandemic, but at least there’s some light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.</p>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-62621135247939560812021-03-14T22:06:00.001-07:002021-04-11T22:13:36.171-07:00One year of COVID-19 lockdown<p>A year ago this week, we entered the lockdown of the pandemic, a time when the world stopped. While there were attempts to reopen, the toll would turn out to enormous: over 500k people in the US lost their lives to this virus. </p><p>For me, someone who could do their job from home, it became like a real-life version of the film, <i>Groundhog Day</i>, where every day felt the same with small differences. I was lucky to be able to do this, but it also contributed to a sense of agoraphobia—only venturing out when absolutely required. The grocery store, pharmacy, gas station. And Brenda ended up doing most of that. </p><p>Later we we rediscovered Amazon Fresh, and even Brenda didn’t go out as much.</p><p>Adding to the uncertainty and craziness, we had a President, his administration, and enablers spinning a false narrative about the virus, preying on those who didn’t have a grasp on basic science or how viruses worked. I can’t say that I understand the complex science of viruses, but I know enough to understand this was a novel coronavirus. This meant we’d never seen it before, even if there had been similar viruses in the past, like MERS and SARS. What made COVID-19 unique was that it could transmit when people showed no symptoms, and it was airborne.</p><p>The other issue was there were no therapeutics that were effective. People had to be put on ventilators, and a lot of the time this meant they weren’t coming back. </p><p>Aside from the continuous bad news, it was also a year of noticing the small things that we don’t always pay attention to. As I worked in the dining room, I watched hummingbirds buzzing by the window, and soon had multiple feeders out for them. I’d watch as one would often guard the food source all day, aggressively chasing others away. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCMwZgDvKueobvLJrcgLeDOXxJ2w7a-YOBkkWus0Xop3JErKdh3mgpKtfsbRTSxEeFQBwGf-X6X2hmkAWLCpagM3lxdFHrsIDL4Vho6I144SL9TxPDNI1iA99pAVGNJwAt_7q9g/s2048/533C6A2B-7604-47EB-954E-50D377A81469.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCMwZgDvKueobvLJrcgLeDOXxJ2w7a-YOBkkWus0Xop3JErKdh3mgpKtfsbRTSxEeFQBwGf-X6X2hmkAWLCpagM3lxdFHrsIDL4Vho6I144SL9TxPDNI1iA99pAVGNJwAt_7q9g/s320/533C6A2B-7604-47EB-954E-50D377A81469.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>My cat’s daily routine became a kind of fascination. In the mornings she slept on the couch, the afternoons in our bedroom, and at night she yowled outside Drew’s room, begging to be let in. She seemed to grow more social overall.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8I7OV1wd0h4F6ZyKUL5RWdYkEzd58h-ey7Qk5YjavBLBoqoiBRCRXqgJq8u6Th-C55d1us9t93_tmeQi2_g8m93W5oyuQApDfCVGGGefkn3lodgX6LwGEaeRWCvyePBWqisvIrg/s1136/1370CB62-A378-47DC-9088-8AB339883765.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8I7OV1wd0h4F6ZyKUL5RWdYkEzd58h-ey7Qk5YjavBLBoqoiBRCRXqgJq8u6Th-C55d1us9t93_tmeQi2_g8m93W5oyuQApDfCVGGGefkn3lodgX6LwGEaeRWCvyePBWqisvIrg/s320/1370CB62-A378-47DC-9088-8AB339883765.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Getting takeout after a month was a welcome change, although Brenda always made amazing food—from scratch or from Blue Apron. After a while we got tired of Blue Apron, too. </p><p>When I went out to drive somewhere, I was always surprised by the number of people walking around. Parks were always filled with socially distant crowds. But it made sense, with not a lot of places to go.</p><p>A large snowstorm in February in Seattle broke the <i>Groundhog Day</i> effect. Suddenly, we had a rare blast of snow that went on for days. It felt like something had changed, even if it was just the weather turning icy. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUxMVT3ZiySXlcFDyi73C_JEOo7jduvesxz2zqo5yNIrBTyCztnh43MLXyl1WxUAJ8XbfgAdf3sTwjRWss3kjSsnqpYkEGSevMgSUr-Xte4_J6jOSOwAls-owvW2s8YKm1JSijw/s2048/4CB4ECEB-82C6-4741-8DBF-FE4E38D7B88D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUxMVT3ZiySXlcFDyi73C_JEOo7jduvesxz2zqo5yNIrBTyCztnh43MLXyl1WxUAJ8XbfgAdf3sTwjRWss3kjSsnqpYkEGSevMgSUr-Xte4_J6jOSOwAls-owvW2s8YKm1JSijw/s320/4CB4ECEB-82C6-4741-8DBF-FE4E38D7B88D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I know we have a long way to go, but I can also see light at the end of the tunnel.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-83103198817038738712021-02-21T22:10:00.000-08:002021-02-21T22:10:08.801-08:00Trump acquitted in Impeachment trial #2<p>Though the outcome was never really in question, on Feb 13 Trump was acquitted by the Senate, 57 to 43, with seven Republicans joining the Democrats in his second impeachment trial. Trump celebrated in Florida by calling the whole thing a “witch hunt.” </p><p>The Republican party is now split over whether to follow the ex-president as their leader. The seven who voted to convict are taking the biggest political hits, with many being censured in their respective states. I still don’t understand how anyone could support a president who tried to overturn an election with false accusations, and who ultimately lit the fire for an insurrection.</p><p>But if you look back at the win/lose politics and culture of fear that have infected Washington DC, it starts to make more sense. Trump’s sycophants somehow think the ex-president is the key to continued political victory. But even this isn’t a good enough reason, because of the clear and present danger Trump represents to our democracy. </p><p>Trump will see this as an excuse to continue his politics of lies, corruption, and profiteering, although as a private citizen, his activities before and during his presidency will be open to more scrutiny. </p><p><br /></p>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-25857373669223254392021-01-21T00:36:00.001-08:002021-02-07T16:07:59.144-08:00Biden and Harris inauguration <p>Today, Joe Biden and Kamela Harris were inaugurated. The Capitol was like a fortress with 25,000 National Guard patrolling miles of fences with barbed wire. The show of force worked, with no violent disruptions by militias, white supremacists, and Trump loyalists who ransacked the Capitol two weeks ago. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq787P-TVcfTU8BUobCJPCD6_8WGJeiTod6zT3v_tUm-_eD0HDxhyphenhyphenfw5rVryb8tVS5y3BgVBQuylRwlu0gqZZMUdZiywDh05T9gpVSsRuWUSv43Wdb8omGDKJkck6hnqQRBiLScA/s1770/Screenshot%252814%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="992" data-original-width="1770" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq787P-TVcfTU8BUobCJPCD6_8WGJeiTod6zT3v_tUm-_eD0HDxhyphenhyphenfw5rVryb8tVS5y3BgVBQuylRwlu0gqZZMUdZiywDh05T9gpVSsRuWUSv43Wdb8omGDKJkck6hnqQRBiLScA/w404-h226/Screenshot%252814%2529.png" width="404" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It was strange hearing someone who’s presidential speaking from the podium—someone who could deliver a speech to all Americans. After I watched Biden’s inaugural address, there was a clip of Trump’s farewell speech, and the difference was shocking. We’ve all gotten used to Trump’s improvised stand up routines. I know that was part of the appeal to his followers—that he spoke with a common language. But we should expect more from our leaders.</p><p>Even though Biden is humble, he also has the overwhelming self-confidence of someone who’s been in public service for most of his life. He knows how the system is supposed to work. He had something like 17 Executive Orders on his desk today, which overturned many of Trump’s worst policies in a single day. </p><p>And let’s not forget the remarkable history that Kamala Harris made as the first woman to ascend to the vice presidency. It’s long-overdue.</p><p>I realized recently why there appears to be so much more time to think: it has everything to do with Trump being kicked off social media—about using mental energy to devote to what crazy thing he said. It’s frightening to see how powerful social media can be in the hands of a president/entertainer. But the silence has been serene. I only hope Biden returns to more formal channels of communication, like press conferences, where he can have a dialogue—instead of sending out to one-way tweets that echo around the world.</p><p>I can only hope that the Biden presidency will bring the back the cold light of the truth to the American conversation. There’s no room for a blizzard of lies anymore. We saw what can happen when the lies are repeated over and over by the president. As I’ve written before, some people will always believe what the president says, because of the power and respect that office holds. </p><p>But it’s clear that we can’t take the truth for granted—even for Biden. We’ve seen presidents lie before, but never on a Trumpian scale. Things like elections that were won by over 7 million votes shouldn’t be in dispute. The gaslighting that Trump and his pals engaged in bordered on the psychotic—especially when it came to COVID-19. Someday we’ll get a full accounting of how many lives we could have saved with the truth.</p>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-57742125903274595022021-01-13T22:41:00.001-08:002021-02-07T16:13:24.439-08:00Impeachment, part two<p>Another historic day for the country. Nancy Pelosi, the Democrats, and 10 Republicans in the House impeached President Trump. No president in the history of our country has been impeached twice. For someone as egotistical and narcissistic as Trump, it’s as bad as a Scarlet Letter that he must wear in all the history books.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bDkFrA9QM-XMsCV3Czu1xrrw5mgPKbMVjICD-_R9H6cKrQ_GZBl3i5imLYYnTkT-UcLCwxXKFN7bVAWdxBpnSSCPbddPGGKMZHrogPSfUxzLCToEpCspnaCBYNIw42XiSTRzcA/s1645/impeachment-2021.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="922" data-original-width="1645" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bDkFrA9QM-XMsCV3Czu1xrrw5mgPKbMVjICD-_R9H6cKrQ_GZBl3i5imLYYnTkT-UcLCwxXKFN7bVAWdxBpnSSCPbddPGGKMZHrogPSfUxzLCToEpCspnaCBYNIw42XiSTRzcA/w383-h214/impeachment-2021.png" width="383" /></a></div> <p></p><p>What’s more, he delivered his most presidential speech (on prerecorded video) since he won the election in 2016. It was carefully scripted and rehearsed, almost Nixonian in its duplicity—designed to deceive a few Republicans in the Senate from convicting him.</p><div><br /></div><div>If Trump had recorded this video a week ago, he would be in much better shape, politically. Regardless, the man is a professional liar, who will say anything to stop the losses and ignominy—as businesses and cities cancel contracts with him. </div><div><br /></div><div>What I find most interesting and terrifying about Trump is the level of self-destruction that he has wrought upon himself and the country. He’s like a character in a movie who always falls back on their vice, ruins the wedding with a drunken speech, or loses his fortune because of bad karma.</div><div><br /></div><div>It’s terrifying because this is a man who could, theoretically, start a nuclear war. But as it turns out, there’s a movie character for that scenario as well—Martin Sheen’s psychotic Greg Stillson in <i>The Dead Zone</i>. But unlike Trump, Stillson’s failure of character stops him <i>before</i> he can become president. In Trump’s case, we saw something similar with the Access Hollywood tape—an event that would have derailed any other candidate. </div><div><br /></div><div>I don’t think Trump will resign. But in some weird way, if he did it would actually improve his standing—because it would show he’s putting the country above himself for the first time. </div>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-67814064688029638412021-01-13T00:06:00.006-08:002021-02-07T16:22:37.835-08:00American Carnage: One week later<p>It was a week ago that the nation saw one the worst attacks on our democracy. Here’s what’s happened since:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIk2FZbBJzYIeXNxEqmqcygkUf_UvfFFPjDJ_ibX6J-9FiThzeT4Ph9payPZaqWS8lUQgAhnC_VAceQcwhsLa-Et7CGnWMbpNbVwNoxI2rsHksayZkFD3Hmo61NaAKkh9nmew-aw/s2048/FBI.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="2048" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIk2FZbBJzYIeXNxEqmqcygkUf_UvfFFPjDJ_ibX6J-9FiThzeT4Ph9payPZaqWS8lUQgAhnC_VAceQcwhsLa-Et7CGnWMbpNbVwNoxI2rsHksayZkFD3Hmo61NaAKkh9nmew-aw/w465-h270/FBI.png" width="465" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>In a show of defiance to the thousands of domestic terrorists, on Jan 7 the joint session of Congress certified Biden and Harris’s electoral results.</li><li>Almost 100 protesters have been arrested, with many more to come. There are over 100,000 tips that have been sent to the FBI. It’s clear that many of the protesters didn’t think they’d face any consequences for their actions (or didn't care).</li><li>Five people have died, including two Capitol Police Officers.</li><li>Many have resigned from Trump’s administration, including two cabinet members.</li><li>Trump has finally conceded defeat in a scripted video message; he’s confirmed he will not attend Biden’s inauguration.</li><li>Twitter and Facebook have banned Trump.</li><li>The PGA has cut ties with Trump for an upcoming Masters tournament.</li><li>Today, Congress passed a resolution requesting VP Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump.</li><li>Nancy Pelosi will bring an article of impeachment to the House on Wednesday. At least three Republicans have said they will vote in favor of impeaching the president.</li><li>Trump still thinks he’s done nothing wrong.</li><li>The pandemic has gotten significantly worse since the holidays, and America is closing in on 400,000 deaths.</li></ul></div>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-74769409470635378012021-01-06T23:24:00.007-08:002022-06-30T22:45:39.115-07:00Insurrection at the Capitol <p>Today we saw something I never thought I’d see in my lifetime: Trump’s protestors, who were in WA DC for the electoral certification, decided to storm the Capitol. Thousands of people overwhelmed the Capitol police and broke into the building. Senators and congressional reps were evacuated. Protesters were shot, and at least four were killed. American carnage. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAaJ_5O29TyJ700XCX1b45nZyjCiN77QyYmeaFmZjt8lotIAiOrugonKXHa3wASYCSPnPhsnBUu3v5jXWWQHr6_F9vNuNv9yqGquIR27pLPK7JkAyA6Ibt8Oiztpij8EE0-8g4KA/s1970/insurrection2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1312" data-original-width="1970" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAaJ_5O29TyJ700XCX1b45nZyjCiN77QyYmeaFmZjt8lotIAiOrugonKXHa3wASYCSPnPhsnBUu3v5jXWWQHr6_F9vNuNv9yqGquIR27pLPK7JkAyA6Ibt8Oiztpij8EE0-8g4KA/w417-h278/insurrection2.png" width="417" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div>It was a sad day in America, and much of the blame lies with Trump. He’s continued to foment conspiracy theories about a "rigged election," and has blatantly invited his followers to help him overturn the election. Of course, a measure of blame also goes to the Republicans who never fully checked him throughout his four years of chaos.</div><div> </div><div><br /></div>
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<div> </div><div>In a display of unity and courage, Congress reconvened at 8:00 pm Eastern, taking a vote on the objection of Arizona’s votes by 11:30 pm. Many senators gave impassioned speeches—even the ones you wouldn’t have expected to—and the objection was voted down. </div><div><br /></div><div>They started certifying again, with more congressional challenges for Georgia, Michigan, and Nevada, but they didn’t have senators support anymore. Everything went along until Pennsylvania, which did have senator support. </div><div><br /></div><div>As far as I know, they’re once again debating in the house and senate.</div>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-7776121266650353962021-01-03T17:32:00.001-08:002021-01-03T17:32:59.562-08:00Pandemic Purchases 2020<p>Looking back at 2020 now, it's clear that it was a year like no other. The COVID-19 lockdown meant that we were stuck in our houses much more than usual. Here are few products and services that made a difference for me: <br /></p><p><b>New TV</b>: After our 10-year-old Sony Bravia HD TV failed (during the final few shows of <i>Game of Thrones</i> in 2019 no less!), it was time to look for a new TV. As I started my search, my son Cameron told me about the Sony Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) TV. Eventually, I bought the 65-inch version (<a href="https://www.sony.com/electronics/televisions/a8f-series/buy/xbr65a8f" target="_blank">XBR65A8F</a>) from Amazon. If you're not familiar with 4K OLED TVs, they deliver vibrant colors in a "High Dynamic Range” (HDR) along with "true blacks." The reason for this astonishing contrast is OLED display emits visible light, instead of using a backlight. When you watch a 4K Blu-ray on this TV, it's <i>nearly</i> as good as sitting in a movie theater, in terms of picture quality. </p><p><b>New Receiver</b>: One thing I didn't know when buying a new Sony 4K TV is my old surround sound receiver couldn't "pass through" 4K images/sound. This meant I had to use the TV speaker. Ordinary, this would be a non-starter -- but the Sony TV I'd bought had an "Acoustic Surface Audio" feature, where sound projects from the entire screen. This worked for a while, but I started missing my surround sound. Once I bought a new 4K receiver, I finally had a home theater in my basement -- which would become more important than ever during the pandemic. </p><b>New Subaru</b>: After our VW started breaking down almost every week, we bought a new <a href="https://www.subaru.com/vehicles/crosstrek/index.html" target="_blank">Subaru Crosstrek</a> in the fall of 2019. Aside from being the most advanced vehicle my wife and I had ever driven, it ended up being our go-to car after the other Subaru's battery died. At one point during the pandemic, <a href="http://andyoblog.andrewolson.com/2020/04/pandemic-2020-car-stolen.html" target="_blank">someone actually stole the Crosstrek</a>, but we got it back (short story: I was to blame). <br /><p><b>Tushy</b>: After Christmas 2019, I purchased a <a href="https://hellotushy.com/" target="_blank">Tushy</a>, a simple bidet attachment that fits over your toilet. People who owned Tushys talked about them being "life-changing." It wasn't until we were well into the pandemic -- with toilet paper supplies in short supply -- that I understood how helpful the Tushy could be. We never did run out of toilet paper, in part because of Tushy. <br /></p><p><b>Amazon</b>: Like a lot of people, Amazon deliveries became more important during 2020. My wife still shopped at grocery stores, but the Amazon orders helped fill the gap with items we might purchase at the mall or other stores. Later in the year, we began using Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh for food deliveries.</p><p><b>Pest Control</b>: After struggling with a colony of ants for years (especially during summer months), we hired <a href="https://www.ecoshieldpest.com/" target="_blank">EcoShield</a> to help us solve the problem. Honestly, I wasn't sure it would work, but after a few monthly services, the ants disappeared. What's more, they've helped with other "pests" like hornet's nests and spiders. (Our cat Sophia has taken care of the rats, even though EcoShield has put out traps for them, too.)</p><p><b>Hair clippers</b>: A few years back, I bought professional Wahl hair clippers -- but never used them. During the pandemic, as my hair grew out, I decided to finally have Brenda use the clippers to buzz all my hair off. (That I don't have a lot of hair to begin with made it an easy decision.) It's not as easy as you'd think, but Brenda has continued to improve with each "visit" to the kitchen "barber chair." My two sons have gone to the hair stylist up the street a few times, since they didn't want to cut off all their hair.</p><p><b>Bose Noise Canceling Wireless Headphones</b>: My family gave me the <a href="https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/headphones/over_ear_headphones/quietcomfort-35-wireless-ii.html#v=qc35_ii_silver" target="_blank">QuietComfort 35</a> headphones before a business trip to India years ago. Not only did they accompany me on <i>two </i>trips to Bangalore (24 hours one way!), they became my go-to headphones for calls. During the pandemic, with every meeting being held on video, the Bose headphones were absolutely essential. They provided freedom of movement (for example, to go to the fridge) as well as superb sound quality. The only issue was my voice sometimes grew hoarse by the end of the day, which was due to using max noise-canceling. Once I turned that down, things got better.</p><p><b>Dishwasher</b>: In May, our Asko dishwasher started leaking. After a quick search, I found that only one company offered service for this brand. Given that we were in a pandemic, I tried to fix it myself. I discovered that the plastic water reservoir was cracked, but in trying to remove it I sliced my right index finger. Though it didn't require a trip to the emergency room, I realized it could have. So I gave up my job as dishwasher repairman. Because we didn't want to invite others into our house at this point, we started washing by hand. I found out right away that Brenda was a <i>superstar </i>dish washer -- in terms of speed. Because no one else felt as competent (and, let's face it, were too lazy), dishes piled high. I'm ashamed to say there were weeks when we used every dish in the house, which would take me two hours to wash. I tried finding a new dishwasher at Best Buy, but I hadn't brought Brenda with me. In the Fall, Brenda finally went out to a local appliance store, <a href="https://www.albertlee.biz/" target="_blank">Albert Lee</a>. She "brought me along" on Facetime. It took months to deliver, but on December 23 we got a new Bosch dishwasher. And now the kitchen is always clean, and the sink is usually empty.</p><p><b>Amazon Dash Replenishment for Printers</b>: OK, even though this took a while to set up, it's been a necessity for my kids during the pandemic. Basically, when your ink runs low, it automatically orders a new one from Amazon. </p><p><b>iWave Air Purifier</b>: When we had a new furnace installed a few years ago, they asked if we wanted the "<a href="http://andyoblog.andrewolson.com/2020/09/seattle-air-quality-apocalypse.html" target="_blank">iWave Air Purifier</a>." Seemed like a good idea, but we had no idea how good until the wildfire smoke choked Seattle (and much of the west coast) in September. We found that running the iWave 24/7 with the furnace fan helped filter out the dangerous smoke particles. This became even more important, given that we were all stuck in the house and couldn't open the windows.</p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, CBS All Access</span>:
The pandemic created a captive audience for the entire world to watch movies
and series we might not have watched. Some of the standouts were (in no particular order): <i>Away
</i>(Netflix), T<i>he Queen's Gambit</i> (Netflix), <i>The Boys</i>, Season 2 (Amazon), <i>Picard
</i>(CBS), <i>Star Trek: Discovery</i> (CBS), <i>The Umbrella Academy </i>(Netflix), <i>The
Mandalorian</i>, Season 2 (Disney +), <i>The Right Stuff</i> (Disney+), <i>Hamilton
</i>(Disney+), <i>The Liberator </i>(Netflix), <i>The Last Dance </i>(Netflix/ESPN),<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <i>Travelers</i>, Seasons 1-3 (Netflix), <i>Riverdale</i>, Season 1 (Netflix), <i>Connected</i>, Season 1 (Netflix). </span></p><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-88035426181591146222020-12-20T23:23:00.000-08:002020-12-20T23:23:04.157-08:00Enough of the false alarms<p>I just read that Trump is doubling down on his challenge to overturn the election. OK, this man has continued to yell “Fire!” to the entire country, where there are clearly no widespread conflagrations. There’s not even a wisp of smoke. Can you imagine someone repeatedly calling the fire department because they <i>think</i> there might be a fire nearby?</p><p>“If you people would just start looking around in basements and backyards, I’m sure you’d find some spark somewhere.”</p><p>After the second or third false alarm, the firefighters would be correct to question the president’s mental state. They’d be in their right to fine him for the false alarms, even though he’d sue them—because that’s what solves everything. </p><p>Now we’re hearing about more of Trump’s desperate plans, like bringing in the military to run another election. It’s as if he’s calling fire stations outside his neighborhood to come in and investigate—because the local ones are incompetent. </p><p>Someone is incompetent.</p>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-23401711807696121242020-12-16T00:49:00.001-08:002020-12-20T22:32:36.651-08:00FinallyOn Monday, the Electoral College voted and Biden was declared the 46th President of the United States. This happened after countless lawsuits and outright pressure to overturn the election results. The Supreme Court on Friday chose not to hear a case brought by Texas, which was Trump’s last stand. <div><br /></div><div>Trump and his supporters have done great damage to our democracy, damage that will take years to repair. They’ve opened the door for a more competent tyrant to do even more damage.</div><div><br /></div><div>Still, for all the sound and fury, the system of checks and balances has worked remarkably well. Fifty lawsuits across multiple states were thrown out for lack of evidence. Trump’s Jedi Mind Trick doesn’t work on judges who must maintain the rule of law; it doesn’t work on most election officials who are carrying out their constitutional duties. The courage of those officials in the face of death threats is inspiring. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now that Mitch McConnell has recognized Biden as president-elect, others in the GOP should fall in line. Because we don’t have any more time and effort to waste with a pandemic that’s claimed over 300,000 American lives.</div><div><br /></div><div>The good news is that COVID-19 vaccine is finally being administered, although it will take six to nine months to start to get any kind of mass immunity. Somehow, despite all the headwinds of federal incompetence and misinformation, companies were able to engineer and distribute a vaccine in record time. It’s an astonishing accomplishment, yet one that Trump deserves no credit. Because while we’ve been waiting his misinformation has cost countless lives. My only hope is these numbers will become understood very soon. After all, we’re currently seeing more people die of covid every day than who died in the 9/11 attacks. </div><div><br /></div><div>I’m not sure how anyone can support a president who helped make this possible.</div><div><br /></div>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-76107445305718111682020-12-08T00:02:00.001-08:002021-01-02T00:39:56.471-08:00Simple truths and ideas in the age of misinformation <p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Biden won the Electoral and Popular Vote for the 2020 Presidential Election.</li><li>Anyone asking for the will of people to be overturned without evidence is not interested in democracy or the rule of law.</li><li>Party leaders who don’t stand up to a lawless president are complicit in the erosion of democracy.</li><li>We’ve reached a point where the flaws in the system have been exposed, and we can no longer rely on good intentions for presidents and other elected officials. What is expected must now be codified into law. </li><li>Candidates running for office must release all taxes and financial information and put all investments into a blind trust to avoid conflicts of interest. If they’d rather be in business instead of politics, then they shouldn’t run for office. </li><li>Lying is not the same as free speech and should carry legal consequences. Any elected official who deliberately spreads misinformation and is charged with doing so can be prosecuted—even the president.</li><li>Running for office should require prerequisites. Presidential candidates should have at least four years of experience as an elected official at the federal or state level. </li><li>Citizens United and the dirty money it’s allowed into our system should be struck down.</li><li>We should change the presidential election to a popular vote so all citizens have equal say.</li><li>Pardons and commutations must go through a thorough review before being carried out to guard against conflict of interest. Pardons for friends, colleagues, loyalists, or anyone else with personal ties will not be permitted.</li></ol>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-63803742520044389932020-11-29T23:03:00.004-08:002021-02-07T22:30:12.563-08:00Winners know when to concedeTrump’s inability to accept defeat in the 2020 election is a national embarrassment. It’s true that there’s an American ideal to keep fighting, but there’s a point when the battle is over. We’re way past that point now, and all the lies Trump and his team continue to tell are damaging to our democracy.<div><br /></div><div>One trait that defines real leadership is the ability to accept defeat. And if you’re someone who has any experience, you’ve probably experienced more losses than wins. In the political arena, all you have to do is look at Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Al Gore—hell, even Richard Nixon. They all knew when it was time to concede, because it was about more than them or their campaigns. </div><div><br /></div><div>Someone like Trump doesn’t understand this, because he’s always lied, cheated, and bullied to get his way. And for the most part, it’s worked for him. Despite all the bankruptcies, not paying contractors, and paying off adult film stars for their silence, he became President of the United States. Someone forgot to tell him that a president is not a king.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fortunately, even when we see the president trying to overturn an election without any proof, we see our system of checks and balances working correctly—we see people standing up election integrity. The rule of law is what separates the United States from authoritarian governments. It’s not about whether you’re a Republican or Democrat; when it comes to elections, we need to honor the will of the people. Especially when it doesn’t go your way.</div><div><br /></div><div>I never expected Trump would be gracious in defeat, but I did expect him to show modicum of decency for the office. I still remember his victory speech in 2016, how there was an inkling of hope that he could be presidential. If only he could show a degree of maturity now, instead of riling up all the people who believe him because he’s the president. </div>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-23680555595219133522020-11-23T00:08:00.001-08:002021-01-02T00:43:38.618-08:00Thanksgiving: The Perfect Storm<p>I just read COVID-19 cases increased 14% week over week—just before many people ignore the CDC’s warning about large Thanksgiving gatherings. The sense of calm that we had is about to be annihilated. I fear the exponential increase in the virus is going to feel like a nuclear bomb going off, as health care workers can no longer cope with the influx of patients. </p><p>People who ignored the warnings won’t understand why they can’t get the care they need: people who did heed the warnings will be just as confused. And a lot of people are going to die who didn’t need to. But that’s been going on for a while now. Even if this is some new proof of Darwin’s theory of natural selection (“survival of the fittest”), it’s still going to be sad and devastating.</p><p>It also seems to be a reverse example of mass hysteria. In this case, people don’t believe the virus is that bad—or that it even exists. Just like how Trump said he won the election.</p><p>Speaking of which, Trump still hasn’t conceded. But he’s running out of options to continue the charade.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-47401887633348218872020-11-19T21:58:00.005-08:002021-02-07T22:25:31.311-08:00Apocalypse Trump<p>It’s been nearly three weeks since the election, and still Trump hasn’t conceded. His legal challenges have all been thrown out, so now he’s trying to overturn state results by pressuring officials. His lawyer Giuliani is traveling around filing lawsuits, and giving press conferences that border on psychotic.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHDyfEe1EP8EV5ifZC9BCPTozTJpuKCXhzn1I2YSJITeURE8BFAVyESUpYIJ4U7jqIpykDG6uopzo10RbT_ALjRPrU25Mm4lkKXWTm8Oa1FNOTlt6hYacpa3B7bXJVfdZpzOIYg/s2048/rudy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1415" data-original-width="2048" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHDyfEe1EP8EV5ifZC9BCPTozTJpuKCXhzn1I2YSJITeURE8BFAVyESUpYIJ4U7jqIpykDG6uopzo10RbT_ALjRPrU25Mm4lkKXWTm8Oa1FNOTlt6hYacpa3B7bXJVfdZpzOIYg/w414-h286/rudy.png" width="414" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rudy Giuliani melting under the lights<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p><div>While I expected this of Trump, I didn’t think he’d be so blatantly authoritarian in his pursuits. The Republicans who have enabled him need to step up and put an end to this. Because this is extremely dangerous to our democracy—an attempted coup. And those who don’t take this seriously need to look at history, because this is how dictatorships start.</div><div><br /></div><div>As if this isn’t stressful enough, COVID-19 is back. Big time. 250,000 deaths and more on the way. No Thanksgiving. No Christmas. No New Year’s celebrations. Except for the MAGA true believers.</div><div><br /></div><div>But at least two vaccines look promising.</div>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-80279453282889431502020-11-09T23:59:00.004-08:002021-02-07T22:39:28.183-08:00Biden elected 46th President <p>We had the election last Tuesday, and as expected, it took a while to get the results. Republicans and Democrats alike were on edge, as poll workers counted votes, and TV networks didn’t know what to do. It came down to the swing states again: Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, Nevada, and Arizona. Trump won Florida and Ohio; Biden won the rest. Georgia and North Carolina are still a toss up. But Biden has 279 Electoral votes vs. Trump’s 214. The election has been called.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkpGtF2SqBX8qcBwXQEcoNJKQBKvFPNqdBqayJKjcdz-4voiSQTHSCDwLqbrLaBLcpQ5Euw7VtI832n-2DIOyMOle0v_9AaIFqQlWUp6irpyPycSUB4BBMifG_W_qd5I39rtPS4A/s1695/2020-results.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="1695" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkpGtF2SqBX8qcBwXQEcoNJKQBKvFPNqdBqayJKjcdz-4voiSQTHSCDwLqbrLaBLcpQ5Euw7VtI832n-2DIOyMOle0v_9AaIFqQlWUp6irpyPycSUB4BBMifG_W_qd5I39rtPS4A/s320/2020-results.png" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Except nobody told Trump. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div>He’s contesting the results. The problem is his rhetoric about a “rigged” election is dangerous. People listen to the president—or at least 70 million Americans do. The peaceful transfer of power is dependent upon both parties agreeing with the results. But Trump can’t see himself as a loser, and has turned to litigation to air his conspiracy theories.</div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, Biden is acting as the president-elect, even if Trump continues to throw tantrums until he’s asked to leave. </div><div><br /></div><div>That Republicans continue to enable and normalize Trump’s behavior is what’s especially shocking. Things won’t get better until they stop indulging him in this sad game. </div>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19537365.post-9298919430835779942020-10-05T22:49:00.002-07:002021-02-07T22:20:09.293-08:00Trump returns to White House<p>After three days at Walter Reed hospital, and infusions of experimental drug therapies, Trump returned to the White House. After landing in Marine One, and ascending the stairs to the balcony, he triumphantly removed his mask. It was as if to say, “I told you so! COVID isn’t so bad.”</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Gj_U81EQXXmANw1NIvkb9_cAanoaze_fX4Fcj_BtS2FW0jeQi3x1fGPVXGY_Vgew37T5eSbwY8FoaP8uCHswgcq0F_W-I6_dngcKscLOf_bPnFp4T3hQK5HWHKUT3trkp7eVMw/s1602/trump-return.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1045" data-original-width="1602" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Gj_U81EQXXmANw1NIvkb9_cAanoaze_fX4Fcj_BtS2FW0jeQi3x1fGPVXGY_Vgew37T5eSbwY8FoaP8uCHswgcq0F_W-I6_dngcKscLOf_bPnFp4T3hQK5HWHKUT3trkp7eVMw/w393-h257/trump-return.png" width="393" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The triumphant return of Trump<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </p><p>He even said as much, tweeting that people shouldn’t be afraid of the virus.</p><p>It’s odd to see someone with such high risk factors declaring victory so soon. All it shows is Trump has learned nothing. It’s better to appear tough, instead of smart. It’s better to produce political theater than actually govern.</p><p>What happens next is anyone’s guess.</p>AndyOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17641489570081534415noreply@blogger.com0