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Post by The Captain on Mar 31, 2021 18:04:45 GMT -5
COVID Update:
This is Day 7 for me, and it's been the worst so far. Fevers are pretty rough, but Tylenol is helping. Cough comes and goes, but when it hits, it's violent.
Older daughter got her positive result today, and we're expecting the younger one to get hers tomorrow. Luckily, neither is presenting much, if anything, in the way of symptoms or effects, so that's a blessing.
On a positive note, with two of us sick, one almost certainly, and my wife vaccinated, I don't have to isolate any more. I got my first hug in three days this afternoon, from my older daughter, and it was glorious. We're all off on Friday and we're going to watch movies and eat junk food.
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Post by The Captain on Mar 31, 2021 16:31:01 GMT -5
Thork Plortch.
I kind of like it.
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Post by The Captain on Mar 30, 2021 13:23:04 GMT -5
@bert , I likely got it from my older daughter, who picked it up at school. Apparently the incredibly selfish, stupid, and irresponsible parents of one of her 9th-grade classmates thought it would be OK to let their kid have a party with multiple dozens of people at it, and within 7-10 days, there were at least 20 reported cases among the kids who were there. I wonder, The Captain... Do you think that if someone from any of these kids' families actually dies, the party-holding parents would feel any guilt? Or would they just shrug and think "there's no way to be sure it's our fault"? I would agree with the fact of the matter: there's no way to be sure. But since there's a very good correlation between attending large gatherings and catching covid, and between catching covid and giving it to an elderly person, and between being an elderly person with covid and being dead, I would definitely not take any chance. But the question is rhetorical. Daily examples show us how a lot of people won't stop to think at how their choices might have consequences for others, if they find it inconvenient. Seeing as many of the same "Muh Freedom" folks are also Evangelical (I refuse to call them "religious"), they would likely take the "It's God's will" approach, which is shorthand for "I take zero responsibility by invoking an unprovable theory that is based solely on MY believing it". Funny thing about "God's Will" is that maybe what His will actually was, was thwarted by your actions, unless you believe all of your actions are predestined and that you are simply an automaton running through a program, which is then the belief that "I can do whatever I want because it is what God had planned for me to do anyway."
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Post by The Captain on Mar 30, 2021 11:46:08 GMT -5
that's horrible. . and of course, the parents will crow about their Freedom!!!! Yup. We live a fairly red area just outside of Pittsburgh, where many people are still flying flags and banners dedicated to the previous POTUS and it isn't uncommon to see a Confederate flag.
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Post by The Captain on Mar 30, 2021 11:25:31 GMT -5
@bert, I likely got it from my older daughter, who picked it up at school.
Apparently the incredibly selfish, stupid, and irresponsible parents of one of her 9th-grade classmates thought it would be OK to let their kid have a party with multiple dozens of people at it, and within 7-10 days, there were at least 20 reported cases among the kids who were there.
They of course brought it to school in the interim, which is why our HS shut down ALL in-person instruction just one week after returning everyone to the building full-time from hybrid (they'd phased it in gradually, starting with the seniors and working down to freshpeople).
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Post by The Captain on Mar 29, 2021 13:29:49 GMT -5
Thanks all!
Older daughter got a test today, younger one goes tomorrow (she isn't exhibiting any symptoms yet, but better safe than sorry). We'll see what the results are.
Thankfully my wife has been fully vaccinated and can go to the grocery store if needed. One less thing I need to worry about.
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Post by The Captain on Mar 29, 2021 8:48:28 GMT -5
Got my test results this morning, and I of course tested positive for COVID.
Didn't matter that I spent the entire last year following the guidelines and being careful. Nothing reckless, nothing stupid, but in the end, it didn't matter.
Sadly, it looks like my older daughter has it as well. She doesn't have much of her sense of taste or smell right now, but everything else is OK, while I have both of those but feel like I have a vicious flu bug.
The best part is having to quarantine the next 2 weeks. It's Holy Week, but I won't be able to go to worship Thursday, Friday or Sunday either. As well, I have Friday and Monday off from work, my first days off since starting my new job, and I have to spend them in the house.
It it weren't for rotten, miserable, horrible luck, well, I wouldn't have any luck at all.
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Post by The Captain on Mar 26, 2021 8:16:30 GMT -5
Been feeling a little under the weather the past couple of days, so I'm off to get my first COVID test. Wife is forcing me to do it, even though I am feeling significantly better this morning, but she's concerned about our daughters (she's already gotten both of her vaccine shots).
Fingers crossed it was just the rapid change in the weather here and not the Rona.
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Post by The Captain on Mar 23, 2021 18:41:39 GMT -5
Sam wasn't recruited by Nick for the Avengers. He helped out Steve and Natasha in Winter Soldier when they were on the run from Hydra and became part of their little cadre. S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed after that and Fury went into hiding, and then Stark continued the Avengers from the compound on his dime, not Nick's. Ah, that makes sense. Thank you. While I've seen nearly every Marvel film, I'll admit that my brain shut off for prolonged amounts of time during many of them. I forget so much of it. You're certainly welcome. Winter Soldier is one of my top 3 Marvel films, and I've watched it more times than I can count.
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Post by The Captain on Mar 23, 2021 16:55:47 GMT -5
Nagging thought coming out of the first episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and it isn't much of a spoiler. We learn in this episode that the Avengers do not receive a paycheck for what they do. They even joke about the idea of Tony Stark cutting them a check (like in the classic comics). Here's where I struggle with this idea -- The Avengers were created by SHIELD. Nick Fury personally recruited each member. Nick Fury gets a paycheck. Everyone who works for Nick Fury gets a paycheck. Why are the Avengers exempted from this? Sam wasn't recruited by Nick for the Avengers. He helped out Steve and Natasha in Winter Soldier when they were on the run from Hydra and became part of their little cadre. S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed after that and Fury went into hiding, and then Stark continued the Avengers from the compound on his dime, not Nick's.
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Post by The Captain on Mar 22, 2021 10:21:55 GMT -5
I remember when I was growing up and going to Ocean City, NJ for vacation, and that was the first time I'd ever heard of or seen a Wawa. It was right around the corner from our condo, and we always hit it up the afternoon we arrived in town to get milk and bread.
None of those out here in Western PA. We have Sheetz as our main convenience store option, although there are some 7-11 and Stop-&-Go stores around.
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Post by The Captain on Mar 22, 2021 8:36:38 GMT -5
Yet another reason all of this should be a regulated public utility. You want to provide it, you provide it to everyone at an affordable price. How can anyone seriously argue that access to the Internet isn't up there with electrical power? Internet is still treated how it is because people that are in a higher seat of power don't care to understand how it works and for some reason trust the companies that provide it to self-regulate how they see fit. Look up "net neutrality" when you get a chance, you're in for a hoot It's also because many of those same people are woefully out of touch with how fast society is progressing. They don't recognize that people, especially younger folks, don't want things like overpriced pre-packaged cable TV services or land telephone lines. Their frame of reference is so outdated, they still think of Internet service as some newfangled technology instead of understanding that is is absolutely vital to getting by in the 21st century.
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Post by The Captain on Mar 21, 2021 17:39:38 GMT -5
Start pulling your Captain America back issues. Cap 117 (first Falcon) Cap 168 (1st Zemo) Captain America #1 (Brubaker run- 1st Winter Soldier) Captain America #25 (Death of Captain America) moving again for some reason. Back issue of Sam Wilson: Captain America run Back issue of Captain & Falcon together Cap 323 (first Johnny Walker/US Agent) Cap 180 (1st Nomad) Yay! The 90s all over again. This is the one series that I would not consider breaking down into pieces based on market speculation. Took me too damn long to put the entire thing together for that. I'm absolutely gobsmacked by the $455 for the Jungle Action #6. I paid the princely sum of $5 for a Fine/VF copy of it at the Pittsburgh Comicon back in 2013, which was obviously well before the Black Panther movie made anyone care about it, but that would be an ungodly ROI if I decided to sell it.
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Post by The Captain on Mar 20, 2021 15:54:06 GMT -5
Well that was a good start, great action sequence to kick things off, and I liked how they dealt with real life after the blip, introduced a new villain, and gave us a Rhodey cameo. I'm very interested in how the end reveal will play out! Well I guess that would explain why this ebay auction of mine suddenly exploded overnight. I expected to get $50 for it That's utter insanity. Both James Rhodes and War Machine have already been big parts of the MCU, and here it was just Rhodey, not even the armor. But, great for you and your bank account, my friend. Really enjoyed the show. Obviously it's got a much different tone and style than WandaVision, more akin to the movies, but it still had it's own feel to it from a Captain America movie. {What I Loved} Great seeing Batroc back in action, and maybe with the closer aligning of the MCU with the comics, maybe Batroc returns to his roots from Tales of Suspense as an actual bad-ass instead of a goofy French steroetype.
With how social media has changed organizing political movements, it makes sense that it isn't Flagsmasher anymore but an organization of Flagsmashers. They still had the same goal as in the comic (the eradication of national borders and an opening of the world), but now it has a very modern feel to it instead of just being a costumed super-villain.
Fantastic action sequence with Sam at the beginning, but the show did the quiet stuff (Sam and his sister, Bucky and his therapist as well as Bucky with the old man and Bucky with the bartender on their "date") really well. Have to balance the big moments with the human stuff to keep the series from veering too hard one way or the other, and this accomplished that.
And man, even with just the glimpse of his smarmy mug at the end, I know I am going to wind up HATING John Walker. His face is just so punchable.
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Post by The Captain on Mar 18, 2021 19:37:01 GMT -5
Not sure if anyone else collect stamps...but I think this is the most expensive stamp in the US post office right now, a face value of $26.35 for Priority Mail. Some indifferent people toss them out but these are highly sought after by stamp collectors as they are hard to find in good postally used condition, without any flaws.
Had 3 people begging me for some today, collectors on the other side of the world. So I'm trying to organise a good swap....as some places are getting their postal services back in check. There, I put it in an album.
My mom collected stamps for a while and I kind of did too by proxy. Never really understood the appeal of such a hobby, but that's just me. I'm sure some people look at folks like us who love and collect comics and are like "geez, what the hell is he doing with his life?" My dad is a stamp collector, so while I obviously enjoy collecting as well, that was one thing I could never get interested in. I inherit it when he's gone, and I already told him I'm selling it almost immediately and splurging on some crazy comic book buy. His collection has been appraised at between $35-40K, so I'm thinking something REALLY crazy that I've always wanted but never had that kind of money to buy.
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