Unofficially Summer

Yesterday was Memorial Day -- the official unofficial kick-off of Summer...at least in the Great Lakes states this has always been the case. This year it also has evidently been the unofficial end of Covid-19, based-upon the actions of a disconcerting # of people. I fear a steep learning curve waits just around the corner.

In Michigan, as in much of the US, people loaded-up their vehicles and campers and headed to the usual tourist hot-spots. Northern MI and the Upper Peninsula (aka "the U.P.") were open for business, as their infection numbers have remained low. Yesterday traffic was backed-up as travelers hit the toll booths before crossing the Mackinac bridge to return to quarantine. 2 SYMPTOMATIC people from out-of-state also made their way up to Traverse City...and then were tested positive. One was hospitalized, one had to quarantine alone in a hotel room for 2 weeks. Stupid shits.

As nauseating as those photos of the bridge traffic were to see, places outside of MI were experiencing their own shitshows. Mobs of mask-less people people flocked to crowded destinations without elbow-room. As easily as the 'rona spreads on cruise ships, in 2-3 weeks we can almost certainly expect outbreaks all over the place.

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It's only a matter of time before I give up and completely unfriend a few remaining conspiracy theorists on FB, as well. The one who was homeschooled and completed only 2 years of CC doesn't surprise me -- she's the same one who shared a BS video when I was on chemo (the video was some garbage doctor claiming that something like 96% of people who undergo chemo die. 100% of people who undergo life die. I'm not sure what this clown was trying to prove. Nothing about that claim was factual. Not undergoing chemo/immunotherapy for advanced cancer is pretty much a 100% death sentence in a relatively short time). Surprise, she is also an anti-vaxxer!

The ones who really get my dander up are the RN who believes anything Trump spouts (including debunked claims of dangerous meds miraculously curing infected patients) and the public school teacher who latches onto conspiracy theories and will not let go, not even when her sibling and other educated people spell-out why those making the claims are not to be trusted (people with direct connection to Trump who are clearly working to undermine epidemiologists and avert attention from Trump's shit handling of the situation since day 1) and/or share links to peer-reviewed studies that present reality.

2 days ago should have been my first duathlon of 2020. In spite of having gained at least 10# in the past couple of months, my runs have slowly been getting faster. I'm back into the 11 minute average pace range, which doesn't sound fast (and would probably be nearing 10 minute range, without the weight gain), but I've been stuck in the 12 minute range (or slower) since I was first undergoing chemo 3 years ago. My outdoor gravel rides have been strong. I feel like I could have had a really good race. It's surreal that I'm still trying to outsmart Death, only now...Death isn't in the form of rogue cells in my body, but danger from others that I can't control. In some ways Cancer was easier.

Speaking of that Devil, I'm only 2 weeks away from my next port-flush and bloodwork, then 3 days later I have my next CT scan. The events of this past holiday weekend and locals clearly becoming rapidly less careful to prevent Covid-19 spread have me pretty nervous about going out amongst others. The last time I was out in public was for a port-flush. That was mid-April. It's a good thing I don't really miss most public interactions. Nor do my spouse or kid (the kid sees plenty of people in his essential job, though he does miss his GF and we miss her parents, too). Mostly we miss going to the movies. If I had to pick one public activity that could be resumed without risk of picking-up that virus, enjoying a big-screen movie or two every month would be it.

Fxck Cancer!