#ironically finished this chapter because the covid vaccine took me out and i took a day off work

[deathgatesideblog]

Day Nine, Part Two: In Which The Cannon Is Fired

Previously: Haplo confronts Xar, ultimately rejecting his grab for power and choosing instead to save as many people as he can. Haplo tells the Inquisitor that destroying the Chalice will provide a way to create enough panacea to eliminate the plague, and she has agreed to deploy three messengers into the town to find Commander Edmund and relay the orders. If they do not reach him in time, he will be forced to fire on the entire town to rid it of the disease. And Haplo still has several sick children to cure, as well. This episode: Haplo makes sure the kiddos are okay and then figures out what happened to those dang messengers. Oh, also the bigass cannon gets fired.

Whatever you do you'll have to sacrifice something. Destruction is inevitable. There's no miraculous way out.

[keywestlou]

MORNING STEW #39

My blogs the past several days have been on the heavy side. Necessarily so. We live in trying times.

Today a change of pace. I need it and probably you do also. An attempt at levity. Some lighter observations.

Today is day 39 of my self quarantine. Merely coincidental that this is Morning Stew #39. No significance that they fall on the same day.

I was working at the blog at 6:30 this morning when the power went out. Did not make sense. Not the hurricane season, no winds. No construction, it’s Sunday. Must have been an errant boat running into a power pole in the water.

I waited 15 minutes. Power did not return. Figured it would take a while. Decided to leave the house for the first time in 39 days. To take a walk. I have not exercised one bit in 39 days. In itself not healthy.

The sun was coming up. I walked around the block. Took me 10 minutes. Frankly, I was tired when I finished.

It was humid. The fresh air tasted good.

About an hour after I returned home, the power came on.

Sloan and I were scheduled to work at 9. She has complete access to my computer. We can work it together. It’s easier for me to learn.

I think I now have skype down. We’ll see. I signed up for Vemo and Zoom. Will take me a while to get them down pat.

I awoke early this morning. Around 4:30. Watched an English comedian on TV. For want of a better description, a coronavirus comedian. All his jokes concerned the virus.

Absolutely funny! It was good to hear a cheery side to the problem and laugh about it.

I decided therefore to begin today’s blog with coronavirus jokes. I came up with a few. Some funny. Some not so much. However the not so funny makes one think.

A joke circulating Europe: What borders on stupidity? Mexico and Canada.

Once they come out with a coronavirus vaccine, I don’t want to see any of you antivaxxers getting one. Don’t be a hypocrite.

I recall a major power outage in the northeast in the late 1960’s.  In the middle of the winter no less. Lasted almost 2 days.  The night it occurred everyone went to bed early. Nine months later it was reported that births had surged as a result of that evening 9 months earlier.

There is a similar “joke” tied to the virus: There will be a minor baby boom in 9 months, and then one day in 2033, we shall witness the rise of the “Quaranteens.”

South Korea was hit the third worst with Covid-19 and they still have toilet paper. Never ran out. The moral of the story is some people are idiots.

Day 2 without sports: Found a young lady sitting on my couch yesterday. She seems nice.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are thrilled everyone’s going to be home.

Your Covid-19 test came back positive. Can’t be. I still have more than 300 rolls of toilet paper.

I washed my hands due to coronavirus so much that my exam notes from 1995 resurfaced.

Know who is really behind coronavirus? Charmin!

I survived the great toilet paper crisis of 2020.

How do I explain to my grandchild how a guy eating a bat soup in China led to a toilet paper shortage in the U.S.

Funny?

Best I could do.

Came across an article this morning titled Florida Moron. Referred to Governor De Santis who gave the go ahead to local governments to decide if the beaches should be opened.

De Santis is Trump’s lap dog. Does everything Trump says. Trump has rewarded him with everything the Governor has requested for Florida and more.

Jacksonville Beach was opened. Crowds of people. Ironically on the same day that 50 died from the virus in Florida. The highest number on any given date.

De Santis justifies his decision based on essentiality. He declared beaches essential. He said, beaches are “essential so that Floridians get exercise outdoors.”

I have a dear friend on the Greek island of Crete. We have never met. We have known each other through this blog for many years.

Jim Brown is around 40. A musician/singer/composer by profession. He would fit right in were he to move to Key West.

I received an e-mail from Jim this morning. He had read about the Jacksonville Beach being opened: “Wow…..I have no words my friend…..Here in Greece all cars are banned from the road and gatherings and its Easter weekend here. Massive fines to those caught…..Its hard but its for the greater good…..We’ve done well here to help reduce the risk…..I just pray the world does the same then maybe we can have some sort of normal life back again…..Keep safe. Be well and keep the blogs coming.”

Some people understand. They have not been raised believing they are entitled to everything they want.

The President and many people think the crisis is disappearing. Merely because it has leveled. It is not yet on a down slide. Thousands still dying every day.

Should the demonstrators win, as I suspect they will, I wonder what their position will be 4-6 weeks from now when the numbers begin to rise again.

Love Donald’s 5 o’clock Task Force briefings! A joke! And oh, how the man lies!

I noticed at one of the briefings that the President’s hair was no longer blond/yellow. It was white/silverish. He had dyed his hair!

Lasted only one day. The next evening it was tan and thus far has remained so. No more glowing gold.

Michael Cohen in yesterday’s Boston Globe described Trump as “the incredible shrinking President.”

There was another headline yesterday that read Trump appeared increasingly irrelevant.

One thing the virus has accomplished is to bring to light those governors that are MEN. No bullshit types. Understand their responsibilities. Do what has to be done in their opinion to protect the citizens of their State.

Two immediately come to mind. New York’s Cuomo and Illinois’ Pritzker. We all know Cuomo. A popular figure. Gets things done.

Pritzker new to the scene.

He “secretly” purchased medical supplies from China. Chartered 2 planes and flying the supplies over. One plane load already arrived. The other due this week.

Pritzker a for real billionaire. The cost to just fly the medical supplies to the U.S. $1.7 million.

Pritzker said he kept what he was doing quiet for fear Trump would seize the medical cargo for the “federal stockpile.” He is unhappy the word is out since one plane has yet to arrive.

Pritzker said, “We had to search the entire globe to find what we need. Shipping is very difficult.” He told CNN he had “given up” on receiving help from Trump.

I finish on a sorry note.

It has been announced Neiman Marcus may be filing for bankruptcy this week.  Not sure whether a Chapter 11 or an outright bankruptcy.

A store of stores. The best quality goods. Symbolized by their highest prices.

I visited the Neiman Marcus in Miami and the one in Scottsdale many times. Only to look. That expensive! Would never spend that kind of money for anything!

Apparently there used to be some who did. Those people no longer exist in sufficient numbers.

Enjoy your Sunday!

  MORNING STEW #39 was originally published on Key West Lou