Head Tale

Saturday Snap – My Good Deed For The Week?

Last week, a buddy who lives nearby asked if I’d help him move a fridge.

Since I was picking up a free growler of beer he’d offered, I felt like I had to say “yes” (just kidding – I would’ve said “yes” even without the beer bribe!)

But I misunderstood what he was asking.

I thought he wanted me to help lift the beer fridge in his garage into his truck – quick and easy.

Nope, turns out my buddy – who arguably is one of the most engaged giving people in the entire city by constantly supporting various causes, helping out with fundraisers, finding ways to help the less fortunate – had somehow found someone giving away a fridge and offered to transport it to another woman who needed a fridge.

We went to the first house and it was a woman who was going through a divorce and clearing out her house. The fridge was HUGE but luckily my buddy’s brother was there wearing a “Powerlifting Saskatchewan” hoodie *and* with tools in his car.

It was still a bit of a battle to get the fridge out of the house but between the three of us, we managed to wrestle it out to the truck.

Then we got to the drop-off house and luckily (?) because the woman accepting the fridge had a son who uses a wheelchair, there was a ramp into the house and it was only going to the main floor kitchen right inside the back door.

So that part was a lot quicker and easier.

Oh, and then an unexpected encounter that’s maybe not so unexpected when you work in the library and get to know so many different people. As we were leaving, the woman got a different delivery – her supper – which it turns out was delivered by a guy who was a regular at the library I used to work at! “Do you live here?” he asked in confusion and I explained that no, I was just doing a different kind of delivery than he did. We briefly caught up then my friend and I headed back to Home Depot to drop off the dolly he’d rented, grab a quick beer at a nearby pub before calling it a night and heading home to a hot bath to soak my already aching back!)

¶ Posted 23 April 2022 § Humour § Jobs § Photo § SaturdaySnap § Work ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: health

Friday Fun Link – 2022 Sask Book Awards Shortlist Announcement

I wasn’t able to pop over for the live announcement like I usually do (and with current Covid stats in Sakatchewan, maybe that’s okay too?)

But nice to have an archived livestream of this year’s SBA shortlist announcement…

¶ Posted 22 April 2022 § FridayFunLink § List § MemoryLane § PopCulture § Saskatchewan § Video § Work ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: book, saskatchewan

Throwback Thursday – #tbt – Playground (July 2012)

¶ Posted 21 April 2022 § Family § MemoryLane § Photo § Shea § ThrowbackThursday ‡ Comments (0) °

One Month To Camping (Maybe?)

Watched the Nickle Lake AGM livestream tonight (one good thing coming out of Covid is increasing use of video for things like this) and very excited to think that we might be in our campsite in a month…if it ever quits snowing so we don’t have to dress like this at our campsite!

¶ Posted 20 April 2022 § Family § Photo § Saskatchewan § Shea ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: camping, cute, saskatchewan

Still Negative (And Some Random Covid News & Thoughts)

I’ve probably felt like I had Covid dozens of times over the past couple years – every sniffle, every scratchy throat – but the last few days were the first time I was *certain* I had it due to my symptoms – heavy cough, tight chest, fatigued, etc. etc. – along with the sense from social media and other conversations that *everybody* has Covid right now.

Except…

I’ve tested regularly, sometimes multiple times a day (as have the other three in the family) and, even if RATs aren’t as accurate as they could be (see below) and/or it sometimes takes a few days for a positive result to show up, you’d think *one* of us – the nurse whose gone into the hospital every day for the past two years, the librarian in a public facing role (who regularly hears patrons oversharing *why* they’re picking up Rapid Test Kits) or our two kids in two different schools who are eating unmasked with classmates or have some classmates/teachers not wearing masks at all – would have tested positive by now after a few days of feeling like this.

So anyhow, hopefully I’m not jinxing it by talking about it (the flip side is maybe we’re some of those handful of people who seem to be naturally immune to Covid?) but that has inspired me for another Covid-themed round-up…

How Accurate Are Rapid Tests Now? – CBC

Medical experts continue to warn that a negative result on a rapid test doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have COVID-19. New Swiss research, which is yet to be peer-reviewed, suggests some rapid tests have “significantly lower sensitivity” to Omicron than to the Delta variant.

We’ve been conditioned that rapid tests are almost infalliable but that story is changing as more variants appear and also, ironically, people who come into contact with Covid but are fully vaccinated, carry a lower viral load so the tests aren’t as reliable for showing if you’re positive, even if you have symptoms.

The technique you use in administering a rapid test to yourself or someone else also matters a great deal. And experts say a quick swish around each nostril is no longer sufficient, despite what the instructions in the box might say.

For a more accurate result, Hota recommends swabbing the bottom inside of both cheeks, then your throat, tonsils or the back of your tongue — “depending on what you can tolerate” — then swabbing both nostrils. The swab should go about 2 centimetres into each nostril, for several circles, she said.

This is borne out anecdotally as I’ve noticed a huge uptick in the number of people saying “I’ve been sick lately but I tested negative so here I am at work/this party/a family gathering” when the reality is they very well could be positive for Covid.

Counter-point – that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use rapid tests!

Don't give up on rapid tests! says @angie_rasmussen We spoke with an epidemiologist just now who says they have always had a 70% accuracy rate. He says just more cases now. And stay home if symptomatic but negative he says #covid19sk https://t.co/J8BKWdg57p

— Stefani Langenegger (@SLangeneggerCBC) April 12, 2022

(Oh, and interesting that only Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Manitoba (Winnipeg only) have public libraries listed as pick-up locations for rapid test kits when they’re a natural distribution point in my view.)

https://mobile.twitter.com/michaelmina_lab/status/1514114020940390400

Covid isn’t over but one of the few remaining reliable ways to know how things are going is wastewater analysis. And it’s not good…

The #COVID19 viral load in #Saskatoon wastewater jumps 743 per cent to reach the highest level ever measured in the most recent study.
Also a huge surge in #NorthBattleford (250 per cent) and an increase in #PrinceAlbert (56 per cent).#BA2 is dominant in all.#skpoli #COVID19SK pic.twitter.com/wSzq68RiYW

— Phil Tank (@thinktankSK) April 11, 2022

And new more transmissible and/or more potent variants continue to appear (its false to believe that viruses always evolve towards “less lethal”)…

BA.5 detected in South Africa. 84% growth advantage against BA.2 variant. It has the L452R pathogenic mutation found in Delta variant.

— Xabier Ostale (@xabitron1) April 11, 2022

How Did the US Become Numb To The Covid Death Toll?

On May 24, 2020, as the United States passed 100,000 recorded deaths, The New York Times filled its front page with the names of the dead, describing their loss as “incalculable.” Now the nation hurtles toward a milestone of 1 million. What is 10 times incalculable?

There are two basic understandings of Covid – it’s either a mild respiratory virus or it’s a vascular and neurotropic disease that causes microclotting and brain tissue loss and debilitating long-term effects for some…

Making sense of Ontario CMOH Moore's complacency about rapid spread of COVID in schools and elsewhere.

A thread.

There are two ways to understand COVID:

1. "It's only a respiratory virus, and if we can keep people out of the ICU, it's a win. Wear a mask if you want."

1/7

— Colin Furness MISt PhD MPH (@FurnessColin) April 11, 2022

People Are Developing Trauma-Like Symptoms As The Pandemic Wears On

But Cohen Silver said the pandemic was different. For one, there wasn’t a single event — it was more like a “slow-moving disaster” that “escalated in intensity over time” but doesn’t have a clear beginning or endpoint. And that makes it harder to categorize, or even recognize.

A MAGA judge overruled the Federal rule on masking on planes and other methods of transportation…

https://www.twitter.com/Liberal151/status/1516315865393860610

…literally effective the moment the ruling came down with no warning at all!

https://www.twitter.com/enchantedtamara/status/1516243551427997696

¶ Posted 19 April 2022 § Canada § News § Politics § United States § Wisdom ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: Covid, health, science

Music Monday – “They put you in a pinewood box/And cover you up with dirt and rocks/It all goes well for about a week/And then, your coffin begins to leak”

I think I first heard this done by the Pogues but this song has been around since WWI, popular with both soldiers and children!

Uhm, Happy Easter?

“The Hearse Song” – Rusty Cage

¶ Posted 18 April 2022 § Humour § MemoryLane § MusicMonday § PopCulture ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: history, holiday, music

Secular Sunday – Colonizer Jesus

Happy Easter!

I’m gonna say it: Sunday is two days after Friday, not three. Christians really fucked that one up

— pixelatedboat aka “mr tweets” (@pixelatedboat) April 17, 2022

¶ Posted 17 April 2022 § Infographic § Politics § SecularSunday ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: atheism, history

Saturday Snap – Happy Ninth Birthday, Sasha!

One thing I’ve noticed on Facebook is how many parents mark their children’s birthdays by acknowledging how proud they are that their child is kind and smart and funny and all that sort of stuff.

It’s almost like it comes out of a factory with how every kid has such similar qualities.

Sasha turns nine today and the truth is…all of those words apply to her too!

But beyond her kindness and intelligence and humour, there’s other qualities that are maybe a bit more uncommon which make her such a unique presence in our life – her quirkiness and her artistic side and her sassiness and her deep emotional empathy.

It’s hard to believe that the little peanut that slept on my chest in the middle of the night when she was restless as a baby is already nine years old!

Happy Birthday Sasha – we love you very much!

¶ Posted 16 April 2022 § Family § Humour § Photo § Sasha § SaturdaySnap ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: language

Friday Sad Link – RIP Mike Bossy (1957-2022)

Sad to hear that my absolute favourite NHL player of all-time, Mike Bossy, passed away today after a lengthy battle with lung cancer (almost unbelievably, one of the greatest goal scorers of all-time was also a heavy smoker, especially early in his career.)

How much did I admire Bossy? To this day, I used “22” as a login code at work in honour of him!

I’ve written about or mentioned Mike Bossy in various contexts over the years on this blog but here’s the quick version of why he meant so much to me:

When I started following hockey as a seven or eight year old kid, the Islanders were winning all the Cups so, while my friends liked the Leafs or the Canadiens or the Blackhawks or the Jets or the Oilers for various reasons (influence of a dad or brother or uncle, they liked a certain player, like the uniforms, etc.), I was (surprisingly?) the only one in my group whose favourite team was the Islanders.

And what a team it was – led by Bossy along with two Saskie boys, Trottier and Gillies on one of the greatest lines of all-time beside him plus an assortment of other amazing skaters and critical role players, they were dominant in a way few teams (yes, including the Oilers!) have ever been.

Passed over by twelve other teams in his draft year, Bossy seemed fated to join the Islanders.

In 1977, just six years from now, you will get the luckiest break of all time. Twelve teams will pass on you in the NHL draft. They’ll want nothing to do with you. They’ll think you’re too timid. They’ll think you’re not tough enough to score in the NHL. Or at least that’s what you’ll be telling yourself when you’re sitting in your lawyer’s office staring at the telephone, waiting for it to ring.

I loved all of the Islanders players of that era so much. There were sixteen players that played on all four Stanley Cup winning teams:

Denis Potvin, Mike Bossy, Bob Bourne, Clark Gillies, Butch Goring, Anders Kallur, Gord Lane, Dave Langevin, Wayne Merrick, Ken Morrow, Bob Nystrom, Stefan Pearson, Billy Smith, Duane Sutter, John Tonelli and Bryan Trottier.

…but even with the best money goalie of all-time, a Bobby Orr-esque stud defense man, a great playmaking centre and a prototypical power forward, Mike Bossy was something beyond any of them.

Very likely the greatest goal scorer in NHL history at a time when slight, skilled players weren’t always guaranteed success (of course, Bossy’s greatest rival, Wayne Gretzky, is another exception that proves the rule though Bossy still has the record for goals per game average (although tragically, part of the reason this is so high is his career was cut short by back injuries so his goal scoring didn’t drop as he got older like it did for other players. What was Gretzky’s quote? “I got nine goals in 70 games in my final season. That used to be a good weekend when I was young!”

Bossy didn’t like to be called a “natural” goal scorer though:

That’s something that will bother you for the rest of your life — whenever people ask you, “Why was scoring so easy for you, Mike?”

It was never easy. Your mother loves to tell people the story about how you scored 21 goals in your first mite hockey game. But even if that story is true, the goals only tell part of the story. Because your mom always leaves out the part about how much time you spent all by yourself out in the backyard rink, shooting at a wooden board. You don’t have a real net, so you practice by aiming for the black puck-marks on the board over and over and over until your feet are frozen. (Remember how mom would make you thaw your feet in cold water because hot water would “make your toes fall off?”)

RIP Boss.