Nurse the Hate: Hate Omicron

 

It's all about Omicron now.  I am traveling again, just in time for every frenzied Omicron Variant protocol to be shoved in place.  I took a covid PCR test in Ohio on Friday morning so I could get the results back in a 72 hour window for when I need to have it in hand to present it in Portugal upon entry so they can allow me to take another covid test for when I land on Monday.  I am in London right now, where I had to upload evidence of a covid test that needed to be taken upon entry.  That was purchased from a pharamacy chain called "Boots", which doesn't sell boots, but they do deliver covid tests to your hotel.  The Royal Mail provided a confirmation email which cheerfully stated that my covid test would be arriving at my hotel "between 732a-1032a" the day of my arrival, which was all the UK needed to wave me in.  It is now one day later and that covid test has yet to arrive.  I have been obeying all covid protocols, with a mask mandate back for all public indoor spaces, including the pub where I had a "game mince pie" and about 174 people stood in the main floor shoulder to shoulder maskless knocking back Peroni pints.  Not to worry, because I took a covid test to ease the fears of some people I was meeting which came back negative.  The meeting held in a public space where we were expected to be masked, which is fine, but we are also surrounded by 692 unmasked people. 

I am flying to Portugal tomorrow morning, and with my Ohio covid results email in hand, hope to be able to land in Porto where I will be expected to take another covid test and then schedule one for my Portugal departure, as well as one for my re-arrival back in the UK as a double whammy to be compliant for my UK arrival/US departure 24 hour window.  The UK results will come after I have left the UK, but hopefully are OK for the totally unclear USA admissions policy.  It should be noted I am vaxed and boosted, show no signs of having covid, and am one of the only people playing ball on the mask policy.  One does what one has to do with a foe as frightful as... OMICRON!  

I have done a large amount of plinking around on the internet to learn about this hot new variant.  I heard a breathless report about how it has surfaced in Connecticut and California.  I also heard about how "science" is going to stop this from going everywhere, but I think we all know that it's already there anyway.  The thing I couldn't figure out is why we are supposed to be so scared.  The cases don't seem to be more severe, and in fact, are being reported as "like a common cold" amongst people that are vaccinated.  The covid rate went from "orange" to "purple" in London, making it one of the highest infection rates being reported in the planet at 64 per 100,000.  That does make it a .0064 chance I come in contact with someone with covid and then whatever my latest boost does to combat that.  Once again, I am having a hard time understanding why I am going through all this hassle when it could be avoided if the rest of the population took the medicine to turn this into what it is for me... a bad head cold.    

The odds of me getting covid are low, but not as low as getting a sure fire winner with the Miami Dolphins over the Giants.  As soon as I saw that Miami was giving the Giants 2.5 on the release of this line, I jumped on Miami.  It's a simple idea.  The Giants are fucking terrible and have been playing worse.  The Dolphins are sort of shitty but have been playing better, reliably defeating their shitty opponents.  Then I heard the good news that the Giants are starting Mike Glennon at QB instead of concussed Daniel Jones, which is somehow a downgrade (sorry Mike).  To use a fabulous Vegas term, there is a "lot of steam" on Miami right now, which concerns me.  I am in at Miami -2.5 but the line has shot to -6.  

I like Pittsburgh +4.5 today.  Yes Ben Roethlesberger looks like he's 87 years old out there, and yes they just got destroyed by Cincinnati.  This is EXACTLY why one needs to be on Pittsburgh.  A defense like the Steelers that just got embarrassed last week will be putting forth tremendous effort against a Ravens team that frankly can't score.  I keep hearing rumbling about how "something is wrong with Lamar", the kind of "wrong" that no one wants to say publicly.  He has played like shit for a month and had that mysterious illness keep him out of a game.  Without Lamar playing well, the Ravens have nuthin.  Let's be counterintuitive and take the shitty Steelers +4.5.

Season record:  19-26