Lifestyle Blogs (2,464)

Being bored to tears the past year I took a job as a 7-11 coffee boy. 4am to 11am, 6 days a week. I get coughed on daily. I believe I contracted Covid 19 back in October from someone heading over to Wuhei from Dulles that day. I had all the symptoms, 101 fever, feeling like I was drowning, etc..
A doctor I decided to see after work when my personally owned gauge said my O2 saturation had fallen to 87 agreed with me I had something, but we had no idea what it was. A chest X ray just showed the scarring previously known of when the left lung upper lobe was burned by sulfuric acid inhalation back in 2016, and some light congestion down in the lower lobes. But clearly with just a little exercise in the doctor's office something was happening as myt blood O2 quickly dropped to 85 and I had to rest. An EKG showed no heart abnormality ongoing. With hindsight I wish we had collected blood samples and done a nasal swab.
Instead it was decided I must have COPD. When I disputed that I was checked for Alzheimers as maybe I had forgotten an earlier diagnosis. Sadly I was able to draw a clock and remember the test words. So much for the Alzheimer condition. Still mostly believing I had COPD the Urgent Care doctor gave me an anti viral, an anti-biotic prescription and a nostril spray used by those with Asthma and sent me one my way with instructions to rest at home and go to the ER if my blood O2 dropped or I felt worse. With a few days of rest I began to feel better and returned to work.
A few months later the news of China's problems broke. Something about eating raw bats. Talk about strange foods. Then still later the accusation it cam from the military games. To that I say hmm, as my customers for morning coffee I knew some who went to that. Positioned to the West of DC and Dulles my 7-11 gets a lot of morning commuter traffic.
I provide first coffee to a lot of cutie pies. It is amazing how many drop dead gorgeous females work in the DC region and stop off for coffee on the way to work. Some DC area magnates of note too. Of course I also chat with little people. Store clerks, delivery persons, television reporters, police and fire persons, hospital workers, doctors, nurses, even a few hundred illegals going to construction jobs. I am on a first name basis with many. Some disappear for a few weeks and when they come back they tell me they were traveling, or they were home sick with a flu, or their shift changed, whatever. I remember what they liked to drink and ensure it is there. I provide an ear for them to rage about their coworkers, the Democrats, Trump, their cheating spouse, business competition, the evils of gun control, the importance of gun control, whatever they wish.
Several women have provided contact information and we have done outside activities together. Meals, hikes, dancing, whatever. Good times with no strings.
If you are an aging hunk with multiple incoming revenue streams and mature enough to recognize when enough money is enough, working part time at 7-11 or a similar store is great. Whichever direction your s*xual tastes run, trust me, you will meet someone who fits them to a T. Your skill at the diaclectic will serve you well. You will learn things too. If your coffee urns are full go stand and talk with them while they smoke their morning cigarette outside. I knew of the 2nd whistle blower at least 2 days before the media did, LoL. I hear stock tips (but don't act on them, like I said, mature enough to know when enough is enough). As stated above a lot of my essential customers sneeze and cough these days, but that is pretty common. Convenience stores would love to maintain distance, but there is no way of doing that. Sometimes we have 30 or 40 people waiting in line at the cashier. AC systems like Covid19 almost as much as they like Legionnaires disease. If we batch them up at the door waiting for the store to empty, then we create a crowd, so that is no answer.

I'm noticeably left-handed. Thankfully, I wasn't hampered growing up left-handed and it's not that I cannot do things with my right hand. My preference is to be left-handed. For the record, I take offense to being called a
'South-Paw' and cannot understand the logic. Perhaps, someone was facing West when they coined that phrase.

I got along in most school sports being left-handed... but they always wanted to assign me on first base, probably because the only left-handed glove owned by the school was for a first baseman.
Archery was fun as the cheap bows were ambidextrous. It's when you progress to a compound bow that you need a left-handed model.

Guitar was a challenge at first. Around 1965, my dad took me to a pawn shop and we paid $17 for a Spanish guitar. It was right handed and I tried... but, I switched the strings to be left-handed and felt natural in doing so. The teacher at the local music store said all the strength was in my left hand, so that's the hand that needed to be in the neck. I should be playing right handed. I gave him the same advice and told him he was playing backwards as his stronger hand should be on the neck. He needed to be playing left-handed. Well, that killed any plans of taking guitar lessons at that music store!

My mother was a seamstress and owned her own shop. More often than not, I was required to work there after school. Her scissors had molded handles that were difficult to hold 'upside-down' so I was forced to cut right handed. Also, she had an industrial steam iron with a hose that connect to a boiler unit. This unit was designed only to be used with the right hand.



When making templates, I'll use my left hand to draw or trace lines. If I'm cutting with a razor knife, I'm left-handed but if the template is to be scissor cut, I'll use my right hand.

I do know of a left-handed guy who learned to play guitar right-handed and he made a comment that he wished he had started out left-handed as playing 'opposite' to what really felt natural had reduced his musical creativity.

Interesting thought. On the other hand... it was only a theory!


Thanks for reading my blog...

....rolling on set.... ACTION! There are some benefits of the current virus situation. Some responded thoughtfully to a previous blog on the topic, along with the few hate filled, TD-HD Syndrome afflicted grizzly old porn wank-persons. Here are two more, shamelessly pinched from two CS beauties. But do I ever digress? And more hip, I couldn't be. I'm pretty close to eating as do 90 % of the world do anyway. The so called developing world diets, which avoid much of the bad stuff, may be experiencing a renaissance.. The good---Veggies, grains, fruit and fish when rarely picked/caught, and almost no red or other meats---the bad. It's how I stay so young, active, brilliant and irresistable. Market hoarding apparently has forced a few changes. Perhaps bringing on more dry and canned beas, and (hopefully, locally or even home grown) plant foods), among others. So many health and global economy/environment benefits so produced, not to mention animal welfare, that it would be wonderful if it really could happen so. OK, wankers, got the helmet and flack vests on. Blurt and rant away.

I have heard it said that the U.S.A. was a great country and in the process of being great again. Maybe it is.

I don't like talking politics, and maybe I am just missing something here...which happens a lot with me.

But, we are suppose to have the best medical care in the world. Heck, that is what justifies why we pay a fortune for it. "You pay so much because you have the best healthcare system in the world"....I have often heard it said.

Then why are we leading the world with the most reported cases of Covid? The countries that are in second and third place behind us....I believe have already hit their apex. We...on the other hand...the professionals have no clue when we will hit our apex. In other words, the growth of this virus if far from finished here, and how many more future cases are unable to be predicted.


Why is this... with the "best healthcare system in and the world" Why?


Is it lies?
Is it incompetence?


Just something that baffles me I guess.


Something does not add up here.

Either other countries are under reporting.
Either we are over reporting.
Or....we were very ill prepared...and arrogant perhaps?

In any case, I have heard it said, that when the worse happens...it will bring out the true character of others. With political affiliation set aside for a second here....lets hope as a semi-intelligent group of people living in this great country...lets hope we can pinpoint, when we vote for putting leaders in place, that have control over our lives, we vote the right people (competent) in place. I don't care if they are Democrat or Republican....male or female.

Happy Friday...Stay safe and healthy all.

Much of what we have learned of ancient Rome came from their coins. Their coins documented a lot about ancient Rome's existence.

If the U.S. takes a crap, it is a good thing they documented a lot on our coins too. Good job.

When the chips are down, when the crisis strikes, some of us will be heroes, some of us will put self and loved ones first, some will dance for attention and some will trample the old and the very young to get to perceived safety.

Heroes tend to be very quiet about it - after heavy snow, will dig out an elderly neighbour's path: in a crisis will take food over: in a transport strike will find out who may need deliveries or help. Heroic acts can be hard to list since they are so often under the radar.

Charity begins at home - those who will make sure they and theirs (all theirs - even the not much liked) are okay before looking outside to more public acts

The attention seekers will be very vocal especially at blaming everyone they think caused the crisis, and not perhaps as useful as they think they are but think they are very useful indeed. In fairness they can be heroic - if the audience is there.

The utterly selfish are I'm alright, Jack, you can push the boat out. Right now they're the ones with the mountains of loo paper, sanitizer, and enough hoarded to last 3 months, who took everything on the shelf and shouted abuse at anyone protesting or asking for just one of what was piled to excess in their trolleys. The hated ones.

Example on a plane - Every plane's safety briefing stresses that when the masks drop down, put your own on first, THEN help even your own children. Sensible and practical. So on my plane - the heroes will leave their seats to help someone struggling with their mask and even buddy-breathe until help comes - most of us will sit tight trying to not get in the way - the attention-getters will be shouting that they'll sue the airline - and the utterly selfish won't wake the person sleeping next to them but instead take their mask since two is obviously better than one.


I may have missed some types.

....apparently, millions of folks, with otherwise WAY too much to do in life, watch others binge consume junk food, VERY junk, on line. Adds that special "je ne sais pas qua", to the already expansive sorts of porn spin off behaviors in cyberspace. Having seen no shortage of the sickos here, VERY sico, a few apparently recently CS mod disinvited, hope I'm not opening a Pandora's box, by raising the question. Bravo, good boy. Pass me one of your dog bone treats.

What if this might be the Big One.


What would you do? For me, I really do not even want to think about it, but in reality if it is the Big One, should not there be some sort of plan in place? I just seen a show...well...the ending of the show anyway, where it interviewed two guys what they would do if a virus spread. Their solution was to move out to the woods.


The big automobile manufacturers just closed their doors. They are letting prisoners out of prison. This, just within a week of this becoming the main news of the day. I remember when they were talking about Bidon and Bernie. lol It seems as if each day a new drastic measure is being taken.

I am assuming, each day this lasts, the worse it may become.

I have heard it said that what damage the virus don't do, panic may. So, I would say being in a panic is not a solution, but planning might be....

Is it possible the police force might not exist out of either fear of illness or out of illness itself?
The same with government?
The same with fuel supplies?
The same with television?
The same with telephones?
The same with internet?
The same with electricity?

How fragile have our lives really been? A good time for some introspection I suppose.

Panic is not a smart or good thing, but planning is.

Stay safe all....enjoy what we have taken for granted most if not all of our lives...and I suppose we can hope for the best out of all this.

I don't understand why this virus is such a big deal. I admit it. Yes there's no effective treatment or cure yet. Fact remains the infection rate is low - the city it started in has 11 million inhabitants and no precautions were taken at first. Why didn't more of the 11 million get it

Fact remains the fatality rate is low - the 2018 flu killed nearly 70K in America alone, nearly killed me in another country for that matter, barely made it to the news. Uh?

Fact remains that for most people it is pretty mild. Pneumonia is no fun at all but only if you are old, or already having health difficulties, or have lung problems, or are overweight / diabetic, will the virus become a form of pneumonia there's no current cure for, but it does only affect a small percentage.

Fact - those not at high risk, or who are prepared to take the risk, are being frogmarched by the more fearful despite all the above.

So maybe there should be a declaration to opt out for anyone prepared to sign a pledge to protect those who are opting in. Swear to wear hi-vis t-shirts or hats clearly stating I OPTED OUT, perhaps, so they can recognise each other, and shake hands normally. A forehead tattoo saying OPTED OUT is complete peace of mind for everyone else.

A pledge, perhaps -

1. I will wear my hi-vis OO colours (lime with purple OO letters?) prominently at all times when in public
2. I will keep well clear of anyone not displaying OO colours
3. I will leave the bulk buying and panicking to the wusses
4. I willingly and voluntarily forgo medical investigation / treatment of any symptoms which remotely resemble this virus and in proof of this agree to having OO tattooed on my forehead. Now back off and let me get on with living my life my way since I am not risking or interfering in any way with yours.

Fair's fair.