Joe Burrow isn’t playing in Cleveland Sunday.Among the many valid reasons for his well-earned PTO is, it will allow him some added protection against COVID. The Bengals have six positives now, including Joe Mixon.
Xavier has announced that fans attending men's basketball games either have to be vaxxed or show they tested negative in the previous 72 hours. They have to be masked up unless they’re eating or drinking.
More:Xavier will require vaccinations/negative tests, masks to attend basketball games
When the first viral wave hit for real last winter, I didn’t know many people who rode it. Now I don’t know many people who haven’t.
So?
Omicron isn’t generally devastating if you’re vaxxed times 3, apparently, and you’re otherwise healthy and not elderly.
As the virus mutates and mutates again, as the variants roll along like rush hour, I’m changing my mind some on how to try to control it. I will never suggest people don’t get vaccinated. Those people, in the main, are selfish and apparently don’t understand that their precious rights come with bottom-line responsibilities. And that they are a reason our hospitals are overwhelmed and our hospital workers are at their breaking points.
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I’m talking about dealing with the virus. I think we’re at the point when Live Your Life is good advice. Assuming you live it carefully and with concern for your fellow man. Get the shots, wear a mask when you’re supposed to. Don’t make a habit of going to big gatherings. But don’t live like a shut-in.
If you test positive and you’re asymptomatic, be a good human being and avoid others as much as possible. Quarantine 5 days. But live your life, yeah?
This isn’t a concession to the anti-vax people. I’d never do that. It’s yielding to what has become a fact of our lives. We’re not going to beat COVID, anymore than we’re going to stop the flu. We don’t have the national will, and even if we did, the virus still might win. It’s routing us now.
There’s no compelling reason to avoid eating at restaurants where you’re socially distanced. No reason not to find a Happy Hour and share it with a few friends, especially if you know they’re vaxxed times 3. Go to a movie, fly in a plane, watch a sunset on Longboat Key.
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There are even those who suggest getting Omicron isn’t all bad if you’re fully protected. You might feel lousy for a few days, but the immunity you build might be worth it.
Could be. Regardless, it’s time to call a truce and admit we’ve lost. Good on XU for making the ask of its fans. At this point, canceling games seems at best an ineffective overreaction.
How many NFL players who’ve tested positive this season were actually sick? How many were very sick?
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Haven’t heard. Maybe the league keeps them from talking about it. I’m not noticing players missing multiple games after they’ve tested positive.
When I had COVID at exactly this time last year, I felt like crap for a week, but I never missed work. I don’t think mine was an especially unusual case. It was like a bad cold with a little flu thrown in. I kept to myself, worked from home (as usual) and waited for it to pass.
Sounded reasonable then. Sounds reasonable now.
Now, then . . .
SMART MOVE TO SIT SAINT JOE . . . Nothing much to be gained by throwing his bruised body out there in the freezing cold. Especially since they might win, anyway. I’ll take your Case Keenum and raise you a Brandon Allen.
BY THE WAY. . . Has adding a 17th game to the season been a mondo bust or what? Exactly one game this weekend has win-or-go-home implications, Chargers-Raiders on Sunday night. Everything else is jockeying for seeding.
More:Doc: Reputations are made in the playoffs. Next week, Joe Burrow gets his first shot.
Conversely, last week was full of intrigue. More isn’t always better. Often, more is just more.
I HATE WASTING FOOD. From Vox:
Researchers have found that “expiration” dates — which rarely correspond to food actually expiring or spoiling — are mostly well-intentioned, but haphazard and confusing. Put another way, they’re not expiration dates at all. And the broader public’s misunderstanding about them is a major contributor in every single one of the factors I named above: wasted food, wasted revenue, wasted household income, and food insecurity.
I have this argument all the time at home: I have no problem eating so-called “expired’’ food. I trust my senses more than some label. If an otherwise fine piece of really nice sourdough bread has a little mold on it, I pull the mold off and eat the damned bread.
Who’s with me?
My wife and the erstwhile Kid Down The Hall won’t eat anything if the label says it’s expired. I guarantee you, thousands of dollars worth of perfectly good food gets tossed every year at my house.
Drives me insane.
I will eat week-old spaghetti if it tastes good. We freeze meat, soups and chili for months. I eat that. Never once gotten sick. Who’s with me?
More:Paul Daugherty: Pride and disappointment for Bearcats. Disappointment and pride.
STICK TO SPORTS. . . Jan. 6, 2021 was one of the worst days in the history of our democratic republic. Why anyone in a position of elected political responsibility would not want to investigate fully why it happened, prosecute fully the perpetrators and work to make sure it never happens again is beyond me.
Folks who aided in the riot, who abet it to this day, who think it was OK, for God’s sake, don’t deserve their citizenship. They’re closer to traitors than to the patriots they believe themselves to be. They believe The Big Lie to the extent they’d choose to ruin a nation that has been good to them before they’d consider facts.
Shame on them.
AND NOW . . .
Hey Michelle! Is mixing it up with Woody and Buzz . . .
Who else is just getting their heart rate back to normal after the Bearcat and Bengals games? What a great weekend to be a Cincy fan. Now, onto this weekend.
Decibel Korean fried chicken is opening a new location to add to the Eatery location in OTR Kroger. They’re having a grand opening celebration this Friday 4- midnight in Esoteric Brewing… Now that’s a perfect combo! Live music, beer and you have to try the Korean fried corn dog!
This will get your motor running… Cavalcade of Customs at Duke Energy. Some of America's coolest cars, trucks and motorcycles. Oh, and you might spot special guest “Greg Brady”. Friday 3pm-9pm, Saturday 10am-9pm & Sunday 10am-6pm.
Imbiber Dave says, Next time you’re in Denver . . .
Boulder & Denver were too much fun to not include a quick little part two. Our sojourn took us a bit off the beaten path, to a brewery on the North Side of Denver and just East of Boulder called Odd13 Brewing. Now if you’ve read this blog before, you probably remember how much I adore the scene in Ft Collins and Longmont, an hour North of Denver. These folks just know how to make really good craft beer, period.
Now it was cold and on the verge of snow this fine afternoon, so I immediately gravitated towards the expanse of Stouts on the menu. The El Jefe Con Leche was one of the best stouts I’ve ever tasted. Definitely would have enjoyed drinking these on my couch next to the fire for an hour or six. This was like all the best elements of an horchata at your favorite taco bar with the smoky malt of a perfect stout.
Next was the Espresso Chocolate Admiral Abyss. A milk stout that was far drier than a mocha, but just as satisfying. No wonder they sell both of these in 4 packs for the locals. The n00b is a perfect pale ale, and of course I love the reference to those new and often times less skilled video gamers. Your visit isn’t complete without trying the Superfan IPA, or just go ahead and completely destroy your pallet with their Double, called the SuperDuperFan.
Seriously, I could just swap out the brewery name and a few of the clever beer labels, and re-write this post for about 100 different stops within 100 miles. Pretty cool setup these mountain folks have.
Cheers!
TUNE O’ THE DAY. . . Tracked this one down last year, after I heard snippets of it on an ad for NFL merchandise. Try to ignore the dorky video.
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