Some semi-regular musings on racing and life in a COVID-19 Pandemic Quarantine World
So this is our racing life now. Sitting around predicting when short track racing will happen again.
The prognosticators are many around the realms of social media. Some say before the end of May, some say 2021.
At least once a day I get a message from someone asking when short track racing will start again. I guess I should feel honored that people think I have the magic crystal ball that tells all, but my guess is as good as yours.
But there’s nothing wrong with debating the topic. It’s not like there’s any other racing topics to debate during these days of Quarantine Life.
Do I think racing will happen in May in Connecticut?
I shook up the Magic 8-Ball and the answer was: “Outlook not so good.”
Hey Magic 8-Ball, what about June? Any short track racing in Connecticut in June? Magic 8-Ball’s answer is “Cannot predict now.”
By the way, if you type Magic 8-Ball into Google the most commonly looked up question is: “Do Magic 8-Balls Really Work?” So if you’re wondering about some of the idiocy you see posted on social media, just put that little nugget into your internal hard drive and chew on it for a little while.
Ok, back to the when will racing happen again topic.
More and more it looks like NASCAR will bring Cup Series racing back in some form soon by hosting events at tracks without fans.
A lot of people on the The Facebook and The Twitter have brought up the topic of doing the same for short track events. But the fact is, it just wouldn’t work economically. Even if tracks could put together decently priced exclusive streaming, it’s just not a model that will feasibly work economically. The Cup Series can pull it off thanks to TV contract revenue and the attractiveness of live broadcasts to advertisers. Those things just aren’t feasibly in play at the short track level.
Here’s Your Sign
We’re going to channel our inner Bill Engvall here.
If you’re one of the people sharing the photo on your Facebook page of “Canine Coronavirus Vaccine” from 2001, well, here’s your sign moron.
It’s unbelievable that we’re now months into a global pandemic and there are people that still think the term “Coronavirus” was invented last December.
News flash folks: The word coronavirus is a general term for a group of related viruses. The word has been around for nearly 100 years. COVID-19 is a Novel Coronavirus, meaning it is a strain of coronavirus that has never been seen before in humans since this outbreak began.
Let’s put it in simpler terms. Budweiser is a brand of beer. Not all beer is Budweiser. COVID-19 is a type of Coronavirus, not all Coronavirus is COVID-19.
So no, a COVID-19 vaccine was not around in 2001. No it is not a magic elixir that is now being hidden by the government. Please just stop now.
Binge Watching
Our recent binge efforts took us to the mini-series Waco. The series, originally released in 2018, is now available on Netflix.
There have been some fantastic documentaries examining the 51-day standoff in 1993 in Waco, Tex. Between various government agencies and the members of the Branch Davidians and their leader David Koresh.
The Waco mini-series takes a deeper look – albeit dramatically – not only from the side of the Branch Davidians, but also at the disagreements going on between government agencies and even within the FBI.
The six-episode series is gripping from start to finish. Upon first glance it seemed the 47-52 minute episodes would be a little too drawn out, but in the end there’s nothing that feels too long about it.
Waco earns five out of five snacks on our Quarantine Snacks Rankings.
Waco
Digging Through The Archives
Today’s edition of digging through archives looks at a story I wrote in 2001 looking at the racing careers of the Christopher brothers.
In September 2001 Ted Christopher was on the verge of winning his first NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship and his legend was growing across the spectrum of short track racing. And at the same time his twin brother Michael was settling into life not fully encompassed with racing.
Shifting Gears – Christopher Brothers Changing Priorities – By Shawn Courchesne – Sept. 30, 2001 – The Hartford Courant
Ted Christopher will be honored by NASCAR Nov. 16 in Orlando, Fla., as the best short track racer in the country.
His 43-year-old twin brother Mike probably won’t be there to celebrate in the land of Mickey Mouse. Mike most likely will be home, babysitting, maybe watching Disney videos.
During the past two years, Ted’s success in racing has skyrocketed. Mike’s has not.
While Ted has compiled 18 victories in the past two seasons at Stafford Motor Speedway, including nine this year, Mike — third place all time at the track with 27 wins — hasn’t visited victory lane at the track since May of last year.
Two racing careers that for so long mirrored each other in the same way their faces do, now couldn’t be farther apart.
Today at Stafford, the track that has served as the backbone to both of their racing lives, Ted will most likely win his fourth SK Modified track championship. A good showing by Mike could move him to 19th in the final point standings.
And Ted doesn’t mince words when it comes to his philosophy on why they’ve drifted so far apart on the track.
“Two things that will change your life; one, get married; two, have kids,” Ted said. “I haven’t done either of them and my life hasn’t changed.”
Three years ago Mike married Jen. Two years ago Mike Jr. was born.
While Ted spends nearly every free moment on racing, Mike’s focus is no longer on the sport, but instead on his family and his car dealership, M & T Auto Sales in Plainville.
“One person can only do so much,” Ted said. “Satisfy his wife, satisfy his kid. He’s got a house. I’ve got a condo, I don’t worry about mowing a lawn or anything like that. All I worry about is washing my clothes. I don’t even worry about cleaning my condo. I’ve had a maid coming once a week for 13 years.”
Twice this season Mike has missed three consecutive weeks of racing, something unfathomable for most drivers, especially one who has been a fixture at Stafford since 1985.
“It was shocking to me, the first Friday night that he missed, because it was the first Friday night that I’ve ever known him that he wasn’t there,” Jen said. “I really couldn’t believe it.”
Of the 21 events this season at Stafford, Mike has driven in 12. In May, Mike went three weeks without competing after blowing a motor and in July it was another three weeks off after damaging the rear end. For most weekly drivers, either of these problems would have resulted in all-nighters to get the car ready again. For Mike, a three-time champion at Stafford, that motivation has waned.
“I just didn’t have the time and really didn’t want to put in the time to get things back,” Mike said. “I just took my time and was in no rush to get back.”
It was a situation that didn’t surprise Jen, who has seen Mike change since the birth of Mike Jr.
“In the past, when it was just the two of us, I did my thing and he did his,” Jen said. “If he was working on his engine all night, it was fine with me, I kept busy. But since we’ve had the baby, he’s tended to be home at night a few more days. Normally, Mike’s schedule was always work all day, come home for dinner and go back to the shop until 11 or 12:30 at night. When we had the baby he started coming home at 9 or 9:30 and then sometimes he wouldn’t go to the shop at all.”
Career Path
A trip to Stafford for what they thought was a race set the foundation for both of their careers.
As teenagers they shared a beat-up go-kart they would drive around in parking lots in Plainville.
At 18 years old, Mike and Ted hopped in their Camaro and headed to Stafford to watch the Spring Sizzler. They should have checked the calendar.
“We went up to Stafford, there’s nobody there,” Ted said. “We’re like, `What the [heck]?’ We missed the date; it was going to be the next weekend.”
They remembered that a buddy of Mike’s had told him there was a track — which they would later find out was in Pomfret — where go-karts raced competitively on Sundays.
“So we’re like, `Man, we’re halfway up there, why don’t we go try to find out where this go-kart track is.”’
Said Mike: “My buddy told me, `It’s up in the Northeast corner somewhere.’ We said, `We’ll find it up here somewhere.’ We kept driving around until we found it. It was in the back of this farm, down this hill. Next thing you know, we’re whipping out money, buying go-karts and that’s how it all started.”
By 1983 Ted was racing an SK Modified at Stafford. Two years later Mike started driving at Stafford.
Then the real fun began. Both of them quickly built reputations as aggressive drivers. And that aggressiveness wasn’t tempered when they raced against each other.
“We wrecked each other plenty of times,” Ted said. “To me, he was just a number on the track.”
Said Mike: “We were always fighting for the same piece of real estate out there. Only one guy could win. It usually got to the point where one of us was going to take the other out, or we just took each other out.”
Although Mike’s winning percentage has faded, he argues that he is still as talented as his brother.
“He’s no more talented than I am, he just happens to be in a great situation,” Mike said. “He has one more championship than me, he’s been racing longer than me and he spends a lot more money than me. Put Teddy in my race car on a Friday night at Stafford and put me in his car, I’ll do the same thing he does.”
Said Ted: “I don’t see that happening. He has a little bit of an ego trip that way. He’s close, but I don’t know if he’d do the same as I could.”
It’s a battle for supremacy that has raged, Ted said, since the moment they were born, or the moment he was born, which was seven minutes before Mike.
“I was out first, winning first,” Ted said. “It all started then.”
Family Man
Mike Jr. is sprawled across dad’s lap on the couch of their Wolcott home.
“You pooping again?” Mike said. “You stink. You want to go to the potty?”
With that, Mike Jr. scampers off to the bathroom.
“We’re trying to potty train him,” Mike said. “It’s going pretty good.”
Moments later Mike Jr. emerges from the bathroom, pants around his ankles. Mike can’t help but burst out laughing.
“Put your pants on,” Mike mutters through his chuckle. “We’ve got company.”
Ted has less weighty worries than Mike and that’s the way he likes it. His 7-year old German shepherd Troyer sits obediently in the meeting room of M & T Transmission, Ted’s business in Plainville.
“He hasn’t been eating that much lately,” Ted said. “I don’t know what it is, I think it might be because I changed his food.”
He laughs at the notion of having children.
“That’s too much of a responsibility for me,” Ted said. “I like it where I can yell at my dog here, leave him in the garage all day long. When I go off racing I can hand him off to my parents. That’s enough for me.”
Mike’s wife Jen says Ted is married to racing.
“Racing, work and everything else, I guess,” Ted said. “But I don’t know if I’m married to it or not. I mean, I enjoy it a real lot and I spend a lot of time at it, but I don’t know if I’m married to it. Some people would think that, I guess, because I race so often, but hey, that’s what I like to do.
“And come on, I have a girlfriend and she doesn’t bother me about it. That’s the best part about our relationship.”
Ted has been dating Quinn Wazorko, 21, for a year and half.
“Yeah, I know, she’s a lot younger than I am,” Ted said. “But she’s one of the most mature girls I’ve ever been out with, as far as strong, independent, doesn’t need me to be her strength. A lot of girls need that, I get sick of that part. I can do my own thing, she can do her own thing and we meet in the middle.”
Jen is hoping Ted will someday separate himself a little from racing and get married. He doesn’t see that happening any time soon. He broke off a five-year relationship a few years ago. He said it was, by far, the longest he had ever been with a girlfriend.
“She just had an agenda for when she wanted to be married,” Ted said. “I want to be married when I want to be married, not when the date hits that you think you have to. She was all worried because she was going to hit 30 and, you know, the biological clock thing.”
For Mike, playing dad is something that Jen, 27, said came very naturally.
“It was a little surprising,” Jen said. “He’s really done a good job of balancing everything. No matter what he does, he always makes time for Michael. He’s really impressed me for being such a great father. I think it surprised everybody else a lot more. I know people have said he’s changed. I can tell you he’s the most popular guy at the day care.
“He and Teddy both just have an aura about them and children have just always latched on to them and they both love children. That’s one thing that surprised me with Ted that as much as he loves children, he knows enough that it’s not for him because of the way his life is. He doesn’t want to change the way he does racing.”
Stay safe everyone. Keep positive. Help your neighbors if you can. And wash your damn hands.
Quarantine Chronicles….
Here we go … for the last 15 days, the USA death rate has averaged at 2,294 Americans per day, for 34,410 deaths over those 15 days. Prior to these 15 days, there was the ramp up. These last 15 days, the death rate has been at this plateau. There is no reason to think 🤔 the death rate will decline any time soon, there are plenty of people for the virus 🦠 to prey on and continue to spread. This death rate is during the social distancing, so keep that in mind. If social distancing is relaxed, that daily death rate will go up. We are in social distancing mode to contain the death rate.
As of this writing, the USA is at 46,902 COVID-19 deaths. On average, seasonal flu claims 31,000 lives per year. The COVID-19 is marching along at 2,294 lives per day. PER DAY!!!! At that daily average rate, that will be 68,820 lives per month. How many months will this go on? And remember, this is with social distancing.
Anybody feeling lucky?
I went grocery shopping today. Very disturbing to see the meat and produce departments with plenty of empty shelves, even regular grocery shelves were sparse. Got 🧻 though!!!
Take care. Be careful. Do no harm.
So we end the day with 29,973 new cases of COVID-19, and 2,341 deaths for the day.
True Ted did win the first SK championship but then Mike Won three. Late 80’s, early 90’s my recollection was Mike was smoother and more cerebral battling with ultra smooth Bob Potter while Ted was successful but more like the hammers Gunning and Anderson tended to be.
M & T Transmission, M & T Auto Sales. That just another car on the track nonsense is a load of crap. They were always close and competitive with each other at the same time. I don’t know about Ted but I did see Mike at the Southern Auto Auction frequently buying cars for his lot and he always seemed to have a gaggle of guys around him. Buying cars wholesale at auction in the middle and lower tiers is an art more then science. Mike always seemed to have a gaggle of guys around him no doubt attracted to his confidence and single minded focus for the task at hand. Maybe even trying to get an idea of what he was buying that day for clues on what they should be looking for. The Christopher mystique combining rough edges and white hot intensity was and is charismatic off the track as well as on.
This is a racing site and the Christopher twins are the focus but for me what these guys have done off the track is equally or more compelling. Auto sales is ultra competitive and hard to make a buck at and Mike I believe did well. Ted took on the ultra technical commercial transmission repair industry carving skills and a business out of nothing. He dies and Mike slides into the enormous vacuum created when a small business owner dies teaming with Ted’s widow and M & T Transmission continues on. In a highly complex business involving a high level of training and experience that is a huge story in itself.
It’s all history now. Mike a multi year champion way back and successful car owner now. Ted the local icon. Sometimes I think Mike is jealous of Teds acclaim frequently trying to convince people he was as good a driver. Then I look at Mike Jr. There’s nothing better then being a dad and sharing your passion with your boy and from what I see at a distance Mike Jr is a heck of a young man.
I’m sure Mike Jr wants to go racing as much or more then anyone else. However the delay due to the plague will benefit him in one regard. One the he may take issue I should think with one Mr. Shawn Courchesne for the image he has put in peoples heads.
“You pooping again?” Mike said. “You stink. You want to go to the potty?”
With that, Mike Jr. scampers off to the bathroom.
Moments later Mike Jr. emerges from the bathroom, pants around his ankles. Mike can’t help but burst out laughing.
“Put your pants on,” Mike mutters through his chuckle. “We’ve got company.”
Should this distant memory and image come up in the pits at some point in the future all concerned should be happy Mike Jr may have a more forgiving nature then his dad and uncle.
So, Dr. Rick Bright has lawyered up and is doing a whistleblower action. This is because Dr. Bright was outspoken against rushing to use hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as a therapy for COVID-19.
In case you forgot, Dopey Donald Trump, a proven idiot, promoted the use of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as a therapy for COVID-19. (Turns out Dopey Donald has an ownership position in a company that makes one or both of these drugs.) The use of this drug combo has increased death rates and has been stopped.
So Dopey Donald’s action against Dr. Bright, to significantly demote him and move him out of the way because Dr. Bright was right and disagreed with Dopey Donald was out of pure selfish spite. And since Dr. Bright is the best vaccine expert in America, sidelining Dr. Bright puts hundreds of millions of lives at risk.
Besides, Dopey Donald is so stupid, he thinks Dr. Bright’s name infers that Dr. Bright is smarter than he is.
This action against the country’s leading expert in vaccines sends a warning to the entire medical field that they had better obey Dopey Donald.
So, you thought it couldn’t get any worse? Give it a minute.
Dopey Donald wants to stop social distancing and related practices, and now he takes out the best chance of developing a vaccine. If you ever want to get out from under social distancing requirements, then we need a vaccine. Or you can go out and take your chances.
Dopey Donald is a pure narcissistic megalomaniacal sadist. And the best total stupididiotmoron.
Trump has been saying for weeks that the USA will experience only 60,000 deaths.
We could hit 50,000 deaths by the end of today. Then at 2,300 deaths per day, we’d hit 60,000 by Tuesday, April 28.
Mark that date.
Take your political garbage some place else. This is a website for racing information. We can read about Trump in other places. There is a place for everything and this is not about Trump. Everything is not about Trump. Great article Shawn.
Hey JimB, post a few links to current races in the region that we can discuss. Don’t hold back, post all of them. C’mon, make that list… I’m waiting.
Hey JimB, we aren’t racing because of Dopey Donald and his incompetence that led to his failure to act to contain the pathogen. 🦠 So we are discussing the cause of the societal shutdown that caused the shutdown of racing: Dopey Donald. Not only that, Dopey Donald wants to get more people killed by relaxing social distancing and acting against doctors and scientists that do not go along with him. Look up Dr. Bright. Dr. Bright, our leading vaccine expert, was moved out by Dopey Donald because he spoke out against Dopey Donald’s push to use unproven meds to treat COVID-19. Dopey Donald’s idea did not work. Surprised? 😲
Hey JimB, the USA is supposed to be the world leader, the best in everything, yet we are one of the worst in responding to COVID-19 🦠, many 💩-hole countries are doing far better. The USA is doing so bad, many other countries are sending help to us.
Hey JimB, you wrote, “Everything is not about Trump.” Trump thinks everything is all about him. He insists everything be all about him. He’s a narssisitic megalomaniacal sadist.
Hey JimB, Dopey Donald is your political garbage, you need to take him to the Trump Dump.
Hey JimB, this shutdown is ALL about Dopey Donald. Dopey Donald is making it worse by the day. Dopey Donald ignored all the warnings from the experts for many, many weeks. The pathogen was already spreading uncontrollably.
Hey JimB, here you go: https://www.npr.org/2020/04/21/837348551/timeline-what-trump-has-said-and-done-about-the-coronavirus
and this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkMwvmJLnc0&list=FLHlopQ6svucxzi8naQ-xlIw&index=7&t=0s
And for all the Deplorables out there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGfXiIXTpE0
that was a great article on the Christopher twins Shawn
thanks for posting it!
Great article Shawn. Ask your majic 8 ball where I can score a kilo of come and a cash of Jack Daniel please lol.
That’s a kilo of coke
In other news, my friend came home Wednesday, got to see him yesterday, through a closed window. We talked on our phone’s. He says he feels a little better each day, which is good. Just seeing him made my day.
Hope everyone is doing good. Stay safe, strong and sane
Rob p., liquor stores are open. Some are even delivering.
Senator Elizabeth Warren’s brother died yesterday from Covid. He lived in Oklahoma. Thoughts for out to Elizabeth and her family. Met her once, she truly is a great person.
I don’t race anymore. I am not saying that Trump is the problem or isn’t the problem. But the situation that we are all in is not really anybody’s fault. Other than maybe the people that created this virus. if that is actually the case. It is what it is and all that we can do is deal with it. if the entire country were to open back up or a month from now people are going to have to make some hard choices and things may never be the same until a vaccine is found. I am not saying that I support Trump or not. I did vote for him and he has accomplished some good things but he is a major NUT JOB. I think that most people here are tired of hearing it. So let it go because you can not change it. You can only adapt to what it is. Stay safe everyone and we will get through all of this.
Rob, glad you got to see your buddy! My wife and I are officially allowed back as part of the general population. (Whew!!)
For those interested, there allegedly is some actual racing going on this weekend. I read there were two short tracks in one of the Dakotas that are running with limited fields and fan access. I think it was 32 cars per division and 500-700 spectator tickets for each sold for it. I hope for their sake if it happens that they can pull it off with no issues.
Jim B., why don’t you take a stand and say whether Trump is or is not the problem? What are you afraid of?
Jim B. wrote, “But the situation that we are all in is not really anybody’s fault.” Really? You watch somebody light your house on fire, watch it burn for 10 weeks, then decide to call the fire department, and you say it’s not anybody’s fault? I was social distancing a couple weeks before the first White House announced the FIRST 15 Days of Social Distancing.
Jim B. wrote, “Other than maybe the people that created this virus. if that is actually the case.” Oh, Jim B. believes the conspiracy. Isn’t that cute. Even if “people” created this virus, 🦠 Dopey Donald did NOTHING until March 16, announcing people should stay home, social distance. China alerted the WHO on Dec. 31, 2019. There were reports from before Dec. 31. Senators and Governors were talking about before Dec. 31. They tried to raise alerts, Trump ignored them. I was wondering what was going on if this was ever going to get attention. But Dopey Donald was doing all he could to suppress it.
Jim B. wrote, “I am not saying that I support Trump or not.” Why not? What are you afraid of?
Jim B. wrote, ” I did vote for him and he has accomplished some good things but he is a major NUT JOB.”
WHOOPS THERE IT IS!!!! WHOOPS THERE IT IS!!!! WHOOPS THERE IT IS!!!!
Jim B. voted for Dopey Donald. Just admit you made a huge bigly strongly mistake. If you don’t want to keep hearing about it, you have to admit it. Once you admit it, it won’t bother you anymore. It doesn’t need a 12-step program and a Bible. Jim B., please tell what are some of those good things Dopey Donald did.
Jim B. wrote, “I think that most people here are tired of hearing it. So let it go because you can not change it.”
Sure it can be changed, it’s called Election Day. Trumpers like you don’t want all the craziness of Dopey Donald in the open, you want it all suppressed. Too bad.
I’m still stunned people were stupid enough to vote for Dopey Donald, but racism is a strong bond. The things people will do and put up with to watch all those they hate get hurt. So sad.
Well, Dopey Donald is why we are not racing and will not be racing anytime in the near future. He failed to protect American interests. Jim B., read the following carefully. Your boy screwed up strongly bigly. If you don’t like being reminded of your screw ups, like voting for Dopey Donald, don’t waste your vote next time. Even the people that voted third party are complicit in putting Dopey Donald in office. The 2016 election was an event to protect Americans from Dopey Donald. No way a third party candidate will ever get elected, so voting for a third party is a wasted vote that should have been cast to protect the Americans from Dopey Donald.
https://www.npr.org/2020/04/21/837348551/timeline-what-trump-has-said-and-done-about-the-coronavirus
Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
I am not saying that he doesn’t create problems. He didn’t create this one. If he had licked the country down in February what kind of protests and what not would we have had then. People are protesting lockdowns now and you can clearly see what this virus is all about. So many people just need to blame someone rather than taking responsibility for there own actions. It is a sorry state that we live in. Not talking about CT either.
He is most definitely not my boy. Do you really know that this situation would be any better if someone else was president ?
Great, great news Fast Eddie. You and your wife are a bright spot in my day.
Dareal, the coke if which I spoke can’t be purchased in a liquor store. Anyways keep on posting brother, I get more news from your posts than from the networks.
Jim B. Where’s that racing news? Come on dude give me some viable racing news. I’m waiting. Shawn, thanks for the story on the Christopher’s, great reading glad you keep RacedayCT up and running, and report on racing news as it does come up, in the meantime giving us a place to congrigate and express our frustrations. Keep up the great work. Everybody stay safe, strong and sane. Keep doing your part, it’s working to a point.
This is a perfect example of how stupid the scum bag is. Jim B writes a nice heart felt piece expressing his legitimate feelings that include the fact he voted for Trump but currently may have some doubts about some of his behavior. What’s the scum bag do. Attacks him. Basically treats him like you’d expect and raving liberal would. Insinuate Jim’s dodging something he had no responsibility to provide in the first place. That’s none of the scum bags business.
Then linking Trump to the failure of local racing to launch a fact the scum bag doesn’t even know is the case.. The hyperbolized load of crap placing every single thing real and imagined at Trumps feet.
DGF, the stupidest Democrat in the country.
Rob p., you can probably get the Jack Daniels delivered. 🥃
Great article Shawn, now if you could only get rid of the politics and the darealdumbfella would be a bonus!
Thanks Doug. We all know that if Hillary was president the virus would never had even gotten to this country. Just keep worrying about going to the race track. There is most definitely nothing more important to worry about that is for sure. I want to go to the track just as much as anyone but have way bigger things to worry about. And I am lucky enough to be working every day.
Dareal, you’ve got an Allie in me. What are all these others afraid of? Trump gonna track them down and fire them? They’re probably laid off or unemployed anyway. Look, when all is said and done Trump screwed up. He was told numerous times in December and January that the virus was coming, yet did nothing. Then he downplayed it for a month and a half, saying there were very few cases and they’d soon be gone, that was when there were 15 cases and no deaths. Now we’re approaching a million cases, and 60,000 deaths, and he continues to downplay the situation. He’s done nothing but impeed progress through this whole situation. Now he’s all hot and bothered to reopen the country, because of the economy, his precious economy. Experts have said the damage is done, any economical gains made since Obama took office have now been wiped out, and it will take many years to grow back the gains made since 2008, if we ever get those gains back never in history has the United States been as leaderless as it is right now. Donald Trump is a failure, he has been a failure his whole life and will continue to be a failure long after he leaves office. His daily press briefings have turned into mini Trump rallies. He cannot accept the truth, no more than he can tell the truth. And Pence ain’t any better. Face it folks, we are screwed, at least until November.
Hope everyone is staying safe, strong and sane. Keep doing the right thing, stay home. It’s helping. Experts say we are in the 2nd inning if the ball game, so hunker down, wash your hands, sanitize everything, and use common sense. We will get through this eventually, but only if we keep vigilent.
A friend of mine Kevin, lost his dad last fall, to a brain embulesm. After his dad’s death his mom’s health deteriorated. On my way home one day in January I saw the ambulance at her house. She was taken to the hospital suffering from dehydration. Kevin is the youngest of 4 sons. The middle 2 brothers are well off, but the oldest is nothing short of a money grubbing scumbag, who through the years had billed thousands from his parents. Kevin had quit his job a few months earlier to take care of his mother, and had moved back home. Shortly after her hospitalization, the oldest brother, along with his daughter, who worked at the hospital, made the decision to put mom in a nursing home. Shortly after that Kevin was told he’d have to move out as they were selling the house. Kevin called me tonight crying. I’ve known him all my life, and only saw him cry at his dad’s funeral. The nursing home where his mother is, is a 140 bed home, 130 patients, including his mom have Covid. Sinse this epidemic started, Kevin has sat outside his mom’s window, unable to talk to her, unable to give her a hug, or a kiss. The nursing home staff won’t give him any info, because the oldest brother has power of attorney. I am sad, I feel helpless. Kevin and I are like brothers, yet I can’t help him through this deviating point in his life. I can’t even invite him into my home, because he may himself have the virus. Talk about helplessness. Now I wait for that call, the call I’m dreading, you see, when we were younger, she was like my 2nd mom. She’d feed us dinner, do our laundry. She always invited me into her home. And after I was married, every summer she’d call to let me and my wife know the pool was open, and to come by any time. I think of my friends pain, having lost my mom, I know how he feels, yet I feel so so helpless. Any suggestions on how I can help my friend?
Rob P. So sad to hear this. Maybe Dareal can help you sort this out. Between the two of you it seems that you have it all figured out. I am sincere when I say it is sad but it is happening all over the world.
. “Now we’re approaching a million cases, and 60,000 deaths”
This is exactly why you can’t trust the DGF/Rob p hyperbole filter. It will reach 60000 for sure but no we are not approaching 60,000 deaths. It’s more like 50,300.
Is that part of the “service” you and DGF are performing here Rob p. Getting critical facts wrong. Generalizing and repeating vague talking points based on your recollections. It’s sloppy when you should be more precise.
Hey Rob, all you can do is be as supportive as possible through the phone and computer. Under the circumstances it’s an extremely inadequate substitute for what you would normally do, as from the sounds of things you’d be right there with him. I would bet he cares as much about you as you do about him and understands your situation. Thoughts and prayers to you, him, and his family.
Thanks Fast Eddie, at least you understood the point I was trying to make, and I’m so glad that both you and your wife are doing better.
Doug I misspoke when I said 60,000 deaths it’s 50,000 and we surpassed that. We are quickly approaching 1 million confirmed cases, and you know as well as I, that both the number if deaths, and cases is grossly understated.
The only thing keeping these numbers low is the lack of comprehensive testing in Los Angeles, they conducted, antibody testing. When the results came back and the number crunchers did their thing it was found that the number of Covid cases was actually 55 times higher than they had originally thought. 55 times higher, think about that for a second or two. It’s frightening. I try to do my best as far as accuracy, but this is an ever changing fluid situation.
I truly hope that everyone is safe,strong and sane, and you all use common sense. Even though the walls are closing in by now, please stay home if you can. If you need to go out take the proper steps to protect yourself. If your considered to be an essential workers, THANK YOU VERY MUCH for what your doing. This goes for everyone from doctor’s , nurses & hospital workers, down to supermarket and gas station employee’s. You are all very important during these trying times, so again THANK YOU ALL!!!
Oh, and please DO NOT ingest, or inject any form of disinfectant. IT WILL KILL YOU!
Remember the robot from Lost in Space? He’d go off like, “WARNING WILL ROBINSON, WARNING!!! DANGER APPROACHING, DANGER APPROACHING!!!!!”
🚨🚨🚨🚨 WARNING RACEDAYCT READERS, WARNING, DOUG IS TRIGGERED!!!!! 🚨🚨🚨🚨
Doug, how can you be so absurd? You got caught posting two identical posts with two different screen names, and you are pissed that you got caught and get called out for it. You are pulling a Trump with all your different screen names. And you get called out for it and then get pissed at those that caught you…ME!!!! 🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪. I’m loving every minute of your triggered state. Laughing my dupah off. You get caught doing 100 mph in a 35 MPH zone and blame the cop, right? 😝 And you expect to be trusted and respected after that? Nah, you are lower than Trump. You revealed your character.
It’s fun triggering you. So easy. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Just got a very pleasant surprise. My friend, the one who was in a coma for 13 days, and got out of the hospital Wednesday, just stopped by my house for a quick visit. He had just left the doctor’s office, and stopped by just to say hi. He has to wait another 26 days, then he’ll be donating plasma to help in the fight against Covid. He didn’t stay long, but for all he’s been through he looks good. Says he’s still a little weak, but his doctor told him he’d be back to normal soon. A bright Ray of sunshine on this final damp Friday.
Hope all is well with everyone, and that your all safe, strong and sane. Thanks for all the support people have shown in these trying times.
The Flex Seal guy says their new Flex Seal Paste sticks to anything, and seals instantly. Wonder if it would work on Trump’s mouth
DGF 3/9/20
I’m going to Thompson. Can’t wait. And it’s nice to know that Doug won’t be there.
3/16/20-White House formally announces policy of social distancing.
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/16/816658125/white-house-announces-new-social-distancing-guidelines-around-coronavirus
DGF 3/28
“I was social distancing long before it was announced and recommended. I was staying away from people in the grocery stores back when there was still plenty of paper goods, and shelves full of toilet paper”
I guess “long before” amounts to a few days for DGF. Or he’s doing the usual posturing while forgetting the bread crum’s he leaves.
Seriously Rob p, this is your ally? Too smart guys or two boneheads. I’d say the latter.
Rather be an Allie with Dareal, then a Trump supporter like you.
LIBERATE AMERICA. DUMP TRUMP
WeldingWonders is still triggered. 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
The JBS beef processing plant in Greeley Colorado reopened today. Originally when it closed, VP Mike Pence told the plant management that they would receive enough tests to test every employee. They received 125 tests. The plant employs over 6000 people. A handful of people who were showing symptoms managed to get tests at local hospitals. The plant was closed for a total of 9 days. Just another day in Trump land.
LIBERATE AMERICA. DUMP TRUMP
Your life could depend on it
I feel bad for all the high school seniors. Graduation from high school is a high point in life. In many cases graduation day may be the last time you see some of your classmates. This year there will be no Ponce and circumstance. No one will walk across the stage to receive their diploma. The valadictorian will not give their speech. No keggers going on.
Same goes for all the college graduates. Sad times indeed.
I was gypped out of Ponce and circumference in highschool also.