Escape Pods

For something that is now so ingrained into our culture, only once before have I blogged about podcasts.  That was back in 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when we all craved for new entertainment content.

There are so many more podcasts out there now.  Some are good, some are bad, and some only exist to make money for a producer without any social value.

I don't have time to listen to all of the podcasts I'd like -- there are too many of them, and/or their running time is too long.  (In the same way no movie needs to be longer than two hours, no podcast needs to be longer than 45 minutes.  And this is coming from someone who never listens to the commercials, nor listens at less than 1.5x speed.  To me, an hour-long podcast equals a three hour-long movie, and no one has the time or content to remain interested in that.)

As mentioned in 2020, my main go-to podcasts are those from the Freakonomics Network.  They have several now in addition to the main weekly podcast, including a newer one called The Economics Of Everyday Things.  It's about how some industries work, anything from Girl Scout cookies to car washes to body part sales(?).  Plus, it's always less than 30 minutes long -- see last paragraph.

A longer, similar podcast is called Search Engine, which is a deep-dive on a hodgepodge of topics that we might never think about.

For politics, you can't beat Pod Save America, hosted by the former Obama speechwriting crew.  If you don't lean progressive, a more middle-of-the-road podcast is Hacks On Tap, hosted by former democratic and republican political operatives.  (Mike Murphy, the republican, is as witty as they get.)

On the lighter side, I prefer Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend, in which he interviews mostly other comics.  His shorter fan-interview offshoot, Conan O'Brien Needs A Fan, is also great.  No one is funnier and more likable than Conan.

I know, I know, there are so many more that I'm sure would be great to hear, including some I've never even heard of yet.  (That doesn't include true crime or cold case stories, which I don't care about.)

This is as far as I can go in my current pre-retirement world.

Dear Graduating Class of 2024

Congratulations, Class of 2024!  You got to start your journey during the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020, and now many of you are, or should be, ending it during the year democracy may die.  What is it with you?

Never mind that.  Think about this.....I've often said that all possible graduation commencement addresses may have already been given.

Think about the tens of thousands of speeches given every year by valedictorians and featured guests, over decades, and it's hard to believe every theme hasn't been covered.  I've been doing this annual post since 2012, and I'm not even going to pretend I haven't repeated a theme, or at least infiltrated one.

With that in mind, my advice to you this year will be an addendum of advice I gave from last year.  In 2023, I talked about how being 'woke' was generally a good thing, not a bad thing.

Which brings me to now, when we've seen small but noteworthy protests on college campuses over the Israel-Hamas war.  More specifically, the protests allege Palestinian genocide by Israel for its bombardment of Gaza, and ask for the war to end.  Some of the protests have not been peaceful, and have disrupted graduation ceremonies.

Look, it's good that you twenty-year-olds are so concerned about genocide that you'd want to actively protest about it, and bring awareness to an issue for which you care.  That's good woke.

However, it's dumb that some of you would protest in a way that threatens or physically harms people or property.  That's bad woke.

And to what end do you protest?  Once you've brought awareness to the issue, and maybe got the college trustees to meet about defunding some part of their endowment, you should declare victory and leave.  How does ruining graduation ceremonies for yourself or others advance your cause?

Also, let's face what should have been an obvious truth -- after graduation, when campuses empty out and there are no cameras to record you, the protests were going to end.  They would have ended soon anyway, as our very short American attention spans lost interest.

So to the Class of 2024 I say, choose your wokeness wisely.  There will be plenty of reasons to be offended in life.  If you're ignoring or amplifying all of them, you're doing it wrong.  

What's The Harm

Have you ever wondered why so many people care so much about things that do no harm to anyone?  I have, and it’s recently been a recurring theme politically, professionally, and personally.

Starting with that former one, in Iowa and other republican-led states, politicians and their activist buddies are primarily focused on passing laws that hurt the LGBTQ community.  Why?  How are they or anyone else being harmed by library books, drag shows, or gender-identity causes?

The answer is they aren't harmed, but they're scared -- not only about change, but about losing money, power (same thing), and religion (also the same thing!).  Fake conservatives want no threats to their straight white Christian world.

Moving on the the professional front, I work with vendors who need authorization forms.  That's no problem, until they start requiring a specific manner of delivery.  We've long ago entered the digital age, and the COVID-19 pandemic made it even more common, but I still work with vendors who require original documents.

Who is harmed by accepting verifiable electronic signatures?  I guarantee these companies are going to digitize the document anyway!  I suppose the answer here is, some companies will only do things the way they've always done them.

Finally on the personal level, I've experienced an increase in the already-high number of people who want to make everything about themselves.  No conversation can be had without them taking it over, for nothing can be more important than what they or their loved ones do.

They'll even complain when told good news, if it isn't given at the time and place or their choosing.  A family / friend getting more attention harms no one; it only interrupts the desire of some for affirmation from others.  (Thanks, Facebook!)  Those who represent the 'some' should be avoided.

My conclusion in all of these items is pretty libertarian: If it harms no one else, why do you care?

We Care How You Care

Many years ago, my late mother became a resident of a long-term care facility.  While it was hours away from where I lived, over three years I still spent dozens of hours visiting her.

More recently, my wife's parents have also been, let's say, voluntarily relegated to a similar long-term care facility.  This time, it's quite near where I live, and in a short time I've already spent many hours there.

These care facility visits have made me, in my own mind, enough of an expert to know a few things that work and don't work -- not for the residents, but for the loved ones who visit them.

First, we want to have enough caretakers there to help.  Finding employees to work at these facilities wasn't easy before the COVID-19 pandemic, and it's even harder now.  But figure it out -- no resident should have to wait too long for help the basic activities of daily living.

Next, we want everyone to show kindness.  Of course, there will be days that workers there are stressed, and short of time, and basically don't want to be there.  Let's just keep that to a minimum, and be as pleasant as possible to those who have no choice but to be there.

Finally, an overlooked on one for a financial-focused person like me -- let's have staff that understands the health care provider / insurance administrative labyrinth.  By this I mean a staff that can understand and explain it, and doesn't allow it (or them) to make obscene profits off of the elderly.

I have more knowledge about how medical providers and insurers operate than most, and I still struggle to understand the rules and costs.  The residents of care facilities are already losing their independence, let's not let them unnecessarily lose their money.

2023

I promised to be less optimistic in my last annual list of things I'd like to see happen next year.  For the most part, that turned out to be a good idea.  Let's review the 2021 list, with comments in ALL CAPS:

More mandates and life complications for the unvaxxed, making more of them get vaxxed.

I SUPPOSE MORE GOT VAXXED, BUT NOT FOR INVOLUNTARY REASONS

Cryptocurrency regulations.

CLOSE BUT DIDN'T HAPPEN, BUT IT'S A LOT MORE LIKELY NOW THAT BIGSHOTS LOST BIG MONEY IN THE BANKRUPTCY OF FTX.

Prosecutions and convictions of Trump administration / organization officials who had roles in the 1/6/2021 insurrection.

CALLING THIS A YES, BECAUSE ALTHOUGH IT DIDN'T HAPPEN YET FOR ADMIN FOLKS, IT DID FOR MANY OTHER INDIVIDUALS.

A Winter Olympics that actually happens.

CHECK.  BUT IT WAS SORTA BORING.

An executive order, at the least, to loosen federal rules on cannabis.

YES THIS DID HAPPEN, BUT IT'S ONLY A PYRRHIC VICTORY WITHOUT ACUTAL LEGISLATIVE ACTION.

A top-tier Minnesota Vikings football team.

12-3 AS I WRITE THIS, SO I GUESS IT'S A YES?

A loss of market cap and credibility for Facebook/Meta.

A GIANT YES.

Me playing golf at a famous course / resort.

NO.

A decline in residential home buying.

ANOTHER GIANT YES, THANKS TO HIGHER INTEREST RATES.

A repeat from 2020 – me traveling to the final four U.S. states in which I’ve never set foot.

75% YES SINCE I GOT TO 3 OF THE 4.  ONLY ALASKA LEFT NOW.

Now for my new annual list of things I'd like to see happen next year.

A rising stock and bond market.

That Vladimir Putin is purged as a leader.  Any mysterious and/or violent way is acceptable.

Newly remodeled bathrooms in my house.

Me attending a major sporting event.

Elon Musk leaves Twitter, or I leave Twitter for another similar service.

Drought relief for the western U.S.

Me getting a golfing hole-in-one or eagle.

MAGA-death, and a crop of moderate presidential candidates for 2024 who aren't aged 70s or 80s.

More acceptance and usage of plant-based proteins.

Show Me Your Homework

The COVID-19 pandemic drove many white-collar industries to allow employees to work from their homes.  Two years later, most of those employees continue to work from out of the office on at least a part-time basis.

This ‘work from anywhere’ economy has made employers and employees consider whether productivity is as high now as it was back when most commuted to and worked from an office.  More often than not, the answer is different depending on your point of view.

Almost without exception, I hear employees say they are as productive.  They say that’s because they work more hours due to no commuting, or they aren’t distracted by water cooler conversations, or they are simply able to work outside of the normal 8am-5pm workday.

But the employer answer, and I think the correct one, is that there’s no way workers are as productive working from anywhere as they are working from the office.  Just the lack of peer supervision and accountability is enough for one to realize there isn’t as much getting done, nor getting done as quickly.

I’ve worked in large offices, small offices, and from home.  While I like to think I’m wired in a way that it made no difference, I generally got more done in less time by working in an office environment.  Sure I worked more hours, but that’s because I wasn’t as efficient in what I needed to get done.  And while the office has its distractions, everywhere else has as many, or more.

Employees want employers to think they’re as productive, because they want to keep their newfound flexibility to basically work when they want.  They’ve convinced themselves they somehow work harder and smarter outside of the office, by saying they do.  They're basically lying to themselves.

It's great that we've evolved into a hybrid work environment society; I'm all for it.  It's better for families, and better for overall life balance in general.  Just don't tell me as much is getting accomplished.

Dear Graduating Class of 2022

After two years of restrictions, it seems we re-emerged to a more normal time of high school and college graduation ceremonies.  So without further adieu, time for my annual address:

To the graduating class of 2022,

So, did it seem normal?  Your senior year, I mean.

The last two graduating classes had their senior years ruined, or at least interrupted, by a pandemic.  Yours was more like the pre-pandemic days, with the possible exception of having to wear a piece of cloth over your face from time-to-time. (But curiously, not when you were jammed together at extra-curricular school activities.)

If it did seem normal, I hope you enjoyed it, because if you're doing it right, that should be the end of your 'normal' for a very long time.  You'll either be going to a different school or starting a job.  Either way, the salad days of letting your family take care of you are over.

I had to say should be over, because these days, a great many of you will still be living with your family.  I'm well aware of the reasons why -- too many expenses, not enough income, blah blah blah.  These are things you could have mitigated with a little planning and grit.  And perhaps one more thing.....a better job by your family.

Yep, if you aren't ready to graduate, I want to say that's all on you, but I can't do that anymore.  There are too many complicit parents / families who are more than willing to let you stay at home for as long as you want, with virtually no accountability from you.  It's beyond weird that this happens, but it's almost become routine, and the pandemic made it even worse.

So you're probably asking, why should I make life hard on myself when I can live at home with free room and board and car and laundry service and probably much more?

I have one good answer -- because you're missing out on the prime fun years of your life!  That bulletproof age that exists around your early twenties, when you're young and can be both responsible and irresponsible at the same time.  You aren't going to get the most out of that by living at home.

Go to college.  Get a job.  Find roommates, or for that matter, just a mate.  But for the love of god, don't let your family allow you to stay in the same house where you grew up.

Don't let that be your normal.

Predicting Predictions

People like to make predictions, and thanks to our social media obsessed culture, there's no lack of trolls individuals willing to publicly express their predictions about matters both silly and important.

Most of these predictions deserve to be ignored of course.  They're just opinions, probably ones that no one asked for.  A better reason to ignore them, however, is the predictor probably isn't educated on the topic, much less an expert on it.

The COVID-19 pandemic made things even worse, as millions of people became epidemiology experts overnight, and consequently made a lot of (wrong) predictions about what would happen.  Lately, millions more have become experts on Ukraine, Russia, and war atrocities, and they will almost certainly be wrong on their predictions about that conflict.

Meanwhile, the unsolicited, ignorant predictions keep coming, thanks to the shamelessness of the individuals and companies who profit from the clicks they generate on the internet.  They don't care about the accuracy of their predictions, even though they know a lot of them will be provably wrong thanks to the forever nature of social media and videotape.

So if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?  Here are a few general predictions I want to make about the future that I believe will become fact:

• There will be unexpected news. Some of it will be good.  Some of it will be bad.

• Some countries / companies will strengthen in the next year. Others will weaken. These will change from year to year.

• A new book will say the rules no longer work and everything has changed.  Another new book will say nothing has really changed and the old rules still apply.
  

• Media 'pundits' and 'influencers' who are not subject matter experts will ignore that and still tell us what they think about those subjects.

You Make Me Sick

After two years of pandemic living, following generally accepted guidelines for social distancing, and getting vaccinated, COVID-19 finally broke through my defenses earlier this month.  I tested positive, my diagnostic confirmation arriving without fanfare via text from a lab.

I haven't had the flu for over 20 years (yes, I've been counting), and I'm vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19, so I expected mild symptoms, and a return to feeling normal within a few days.  Regrettably, it wasn't that simple.

While I did have mild symptoms, I had every single one of them, including congestion, cough, low-grade fever, and fatigue.  Let's just say the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.

I'm left to wonder what it would have been like without being vaccinated.  No doubt worse, maybe not hospital-worthy, but who knows?  I'm in reasonably good shape for my age, not overweight, no hypertension or other comorbidities, and COVID-19 sucked.  More than a week later I still have a very minor cough with congestion, and my energy isn't entirely back.

Now, however, I mainly feel resentment, specifically towards the unvaccinated.

I realize everyone reacts differently to COVID-19.  I also realize that unvaccinated people over 50 with other health concerns have a much higher probability of being hospitalized with it and dying from it.  Yet most of them aren’t taking even the simplest precautions.

They are taking unnecessary and uncompensated risks.  Unfortunately, some of that risk is transferred to vaccinated folks like me.  Without them as science-denying hosts, COVID-19 would have nowhere to go, and there would be no variants to keep attacking everyone else.

If they’d get a couple of free shots and show some concern for others, I probably wouldn’t have gotten sick.  What’s not to resent about that?

My wish for them is that one day, COVID-19 holds them accountable in a way that doesn't affect those in the vaccinated world.

2022

Last year I implied that 2020 was the worst year of everyone's lifetime, you know, pandemic and all.  This year started with the promise that COVID-19 vaccines would make 2021 relatively normal.  I should have known better.

With that in mind, I’ll try to be less optimistic on my annual list of things I’d like to see happen next year.  But first, here’s this year’s annual review with comments in ALL CAPS:

A non-pandemic world where people live without fear of contracting COVID-19.

A HARD-ROCK SOLID NO.

A less-friendly social and legal environment for those who help spread malicious propaganda and conspiracy theories.

A SOFT-ROCK SOLID NO.

A Summer Olympics that actually happens.

YES, BUT IT WASN’T THE SAME WITHOUT CROWDS.

Revelations and prosecutions of Trump administration / organization officials who broke laws.

YES ON THE REVELATIONS, NOT SO MUCH ON THE PROSECUTIONS (YET).

More time to read, more time to listen to podcasts.

THANKS TO AN ONGOING PANDEMIC, THIS WAS PROBABLY MORE TRUE THAN NOT.

An easy integration of administration and technology between Charles Schwab and TD Ameritrade.  (A rare professional ask in this annual list.)

THEY DIDN’T EVEN BEGIN THIS YEAR.

A full return of college and professional sports.

THIS IS A QUALIFIED NO, GAMES WERE STILL POSTPONED AND CANCELED.

The Minnesota Twins to break their streak of 18 consecutive playoff game losses.

NO, BECAUSE THEY'D HAVE TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS FIRST.

Less interaction with people who make every conversation about them.

YES, PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE ON THIS.

An awesome vacation.

DID MAKE A FUN TRIP TO SOCAL AND VEGAS IN SEPTEMBER.

For 2022, I want to experience this:

More mandates and life complications for the unvaxxed, making more of them get vaxxed.

Cryptocurrency regulations.

Prosecutions and convictions of Trump administration / organization officials who had roles in the 1/6/2021 insurrection.

A Winter Olympics that actually happens.

An executive order, at the least, to loosen federal rules on cannabis.

A top-tier Minnesota Vikings football team.

A loss of market cap and credibility for Facebook/Meta.

Me playing golf at a famous course / resort.

A decline in residential home buying.

A repeat from 2020 – me traveling to the final four U.S. states in which I’ve never set foot.

Denying Math > Denying Science

Mostly due to a former wannabe fascist president, the U.S. is stuck in deep political divide, one that has morphed into a divide on practically every other socio-economic issue.

This politically-driven divide is at its dumbest over the COVID-19 vaccine.  While the pandemic has killed over 800,000 Americans, and the vaccine has killed none, the anti-vaxxer crowd cares more about going along with their like-minded group.  In short, they prefer to deny science in order to ‘own the libs’ by getting sick or dying. 

Every once in a while, though, the anti-vaxxer crowd wants to do more than deny science; they also want to deny math.  This is usually manifested by them pointing out that even vaccinated people are getting infected, then showing some kind of data where the infected vaccinated group percentage continues to increase.

It’s such a stupid, specious argument.

Let’s first establish that the vaccines are between 75%-90% efficacious.  None of the vaccine developers ever said they were curative (although the anti-vax crowd wants you to think that).  The vaccines are meant to reduce the number of infections, reduce their symptoms, and minimize deaths.

Then let's establish that while we don’t have nearly enough people vaxxed in this country or world, that number goes up every day.  As that number increases, and the number of unvaxxed people decreases, it is a mathematical certainty that there will be a higher percentage of vaxxed people who still contract COVID-19.  Taken to the limit, if everyone was vaccinated, then the percentage of vaxxed people who become infected will increase to 100%.

Meanwhile, this anti-vaxxer math-denial belies the fact that the percentage of hospitalizations and deaths will continue to increase for the unvaxxed population, regardless of what the vaxxed people do.

In the end, science and math facts aren’t going to matter to a cult-following group.  If you’re willing to believe someone who tells you the earth is flat, it’s likely you’ll also believe 2 + 2 doesn’t equal 4.

It Never Rains In Southern California

After a one-year hiatus caused by COVID-19, I just returned from a Fall excursion to some part of the country where I've never been.  This year, it was to the San Diego / La Jolla region of southern California.  My observations:

• It might have simply been coincidence, but the weather was fantastic.  It was in the upper 70s daily, with a cloudless sky.  The sun felt warm, but was offset by the light, cool Pacific Ocean breeze.  It was the stereotypical 'San Diego' weather that makes one wonder why they don't move there permanently.

• Took the high, arcing bridge from San Diego to Coronado Island, which is mostly known for its naval air station and for the Hotel del Coronado of movie fame.  The island is small, and an hour-long bike ride can get you around the entire inhabited area.  It's basically a tourist trap, with a nicely-kept beach.  The hotel itself is a major draw -- a massive, old structure with lots of friendly folks willing to sell expensive items to both guests and non-guests.

• La Jolla itself is a trendy, knob-shaped area with beautiful ocean views.  It's also an expensive place to live -- the median price of a modest residence there was around $2.5 million.  It's also not an exaggeration to say the majority of cars I saw there were luxury models.  There were lots of open-air eating and drinking establishments, most of which had that chill, wine-drinking type of vibe.

• About 10-15 miles north of San Diego, the Torrey Pines area has plenty of trails to walk and sights to see.  Most will stop at the ‘gliderport’ on the cliffs above the Pacific to watch paragliders swoop up and down, and back and forth along the coastline.  It's an awesome sight for those who've never seen it in person.  Many may have seen the gliders on TV during telecasts of professional golf tournaments at nearby Torrey Pines Golf Course, a gorgeous public venue and also a great place for lunch.

• Speaking of cars, the per capita ratio of Tesla models in the San Diego area was stunning.  They were everywhere.  I presume it's a combination of high gasoline prices ($4.50 per gallon was the average) and the feeling of exclusivity one might crave living in SoCal.

One COVID-related item was that California has an indoor mask mandate, and people were very compliant, as you might expect from any area that relies on tourists.  Contrast that with Iowa / the Midwest where I live, where wearing masks isn't encouraged much less required.  The result is that while the Midwest has always considered itself a safer place to live, right now from a pandemic perspective, it's clearly safer to live in California.

Gone Days Of Summer

August has long been considered the primary vacation month of the year in America, especially for those with children at home.  It's the one warm-weather month in which structured summer activities for kids are generally over, but school hasn't yet started (for most).

It seems to me that this year, the second August of the COVID-19 pandemic era has resulted in more time off for more people than ever before.  I'll take it one step further and say it seems a lot of folks simply decided to take the entire month off from their normal work schedules -- whatever that means these days.

My perception is based on an unofficial tally of certain random things being at an all-time high:

• People needlessly bragging about their August vacations on social media.

• Number of 'out of the office' responses I get to work calls and emails.

• No production of otherwise live TV shows, and/or vacationing TV personalities.  (Some of this comes from the Summer Olympics, which generated hundreds / thousands of hours of new content, and kept other channels re-running old material.)

Yes, a lot of people missed out on their summer vacations last year, and that wasn't going to happen this year.  They also probably wanted to compensate for the time and money saved during their stay-cation last year.

But I also get the feeling that the pandemic has changed things to a more European-style, don't-work-too-hard-in-the-summer here.  With people 'working' from anywhere, they have more latitude about when, where, and how they work.

Maybe, just maybe, we have a new summer way of doing things, one I wish we'd had when I was younger.

Full disclosure:  When it comes to this blog, I also took August off!

Dear Graduating Class of 2021

Another crazy, pandemic-altered scholastic year in the books.  One thing still the same, however, is my annual message to graduates.....

To the graduating class of 2021,

Wow, what a final year of school that was, huh?!  You probably spent more of it learning online than in a classroom or lecture hall, depending on whether you lived in a 'red' state or a 'blue' state.  (You'll learn more about the color of states one day, as we run up to the second civil war.)

Was the year really so bad?  For you and for your parents, yes, yes it was.  Regardless of whether you were in high school or college, not being able to fully enjoy all of the curricular and extra curricular of that senior year had to suck.

On the other hand, your sacrifice, such as it was, allowed academic society to function during a pandemic in a way that didn't endanger more lives.  You aren't getting a medal for that, and not many will remember how your senior year was less than it should have been because of it.

Which brings me to my main message -- get used to it.  Meaning get used to not being praised, much less rewarded, for making sacrifices.

This is going to be a theme for most of your life.  Your work bosses are going to take the praise you want, and give the grief you don't want.  That's also going to suck, but like the pandemic, it also won't last.

If you keep your nose to the grindstone and work hard, you'll eventually be noticed and get what's coming to you.  And another silver lining is, you now have a headstart on how to excel by working remotely, the new way of the future.

Let me put it into a different perspective:  The generations before you also had to make sacrifices that ruined their senior years.  These included things like living through -- and being victims of -- race oppression, economic depression, and war.  Imagine having to go overseas to dodge bullets instead of going to homecoming dances or kegger parties.

Unfortunately, those real, major sacrifices didn't garner them the praise they deserved either.  (Some of them did get medals, like purple hearts, if you consider that an acceptable reward for being hurt, or losing a limb.)

So, Buck Up, Class of 2021!  You got the shaft, similar to the Class of 2020, but at least you got a graduation ceremony.  And it doesn't give you permission to live in your parents' basement forever.

Thinning The Herd Immunity

One of the more recent entries in the COVID-19 pandemic lexicon is 'vaccine hesitancy'.  This is the term for avoiding / refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccination for a variety of reasons -- more on that later.

Vaccine hesitancy / avoidance / refusal has become the latest politicized issue in a pandemic full of them.  Republicans are generally rejecting vaccines while Democrats generally can't get vaccinated soon enough.  Unfortunately for both groups, not getting the COVID-19 vaccine is bad for everyone, since there will be no way to achieve herd immunity without a near 90% vaccination rate.

The reasons given for this hesitancy range from the ridiculous (the government is injecting people with tracking software) to the sublime (afraid of needles).  Regardless, the vaccine hesitancy group is, among other things, selfish.  They constitute a group of societal free-riders, essentially getting the benefits of a world where others are sacrificing, without making any sacrifices of their own. 

More unfortunately for the Rs in that group, however, is they will suffer the majority of future hospitalizations and death.  Pre-vaccine, everyone generally shared the consequences of those idiots who chose to behave recklessly (although front-line health care workers suffered more).  Post-vaccine, the harms of the COVID-19 virus will increasingly fall on the vaccine hesitant.

So, the pandemic outcomes are now bifurcating.  Those willing and able to get vaccinated will be OK, while the unwilling, science-denying, free-riders will eventually get the virus, and a certain percentage of them will be hospitalized and/or die.

Maybe herd immunity actually means we have to thin the herd somehow.

Irony Is Wasted On The Stupid

Since the start of the year, states have been grappling with the procurement and end-user delivery of COVID-19 vaccines.  (States are doing this because there was no national plan, thanks to the incredible collection of dumbasses in the prior presidential administration.)  It's very similar to how the entire pandemic has been handled, which I've compared to the Wild West.  There are no laws, only unenforced guidelines that many people simply choose not to follow.

Most states / governors have tried to establish sensible vaccine distribution guidelines that seek to inoculate frontline healthcare workers and older-aged Americans.  However, some states have now decided to open vaccine eligibility to those under age 65 if they have an underlying health condition that heightens the risk of severe illness from COVID-19.  This seems benign enough until you look at what is considered (by our Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to be a qualifying health condition.....

The most objectionable condition has to be those who currently or previously smoked cigarettes.  Those who choose to pollute their lungs, not not mention the air that we all breathe, get bumped up in this line.  What a travesty, spending a life-saving vaccine on people who are willingly shortening their lives every day of the week -- plus increasing everyone's health care costs while they're at it.  Bravo, CDC.

Another questionable condition has to be obesity.  Yes, I realize there are illness-based and genetically-based reasons why some people may become clinically obese. Even conceding that, this means many others who became obese simply by eating too much of the wrong things and not exercising, will be able to get a vaccination before others who made healthier choices.

Leave it to the government to nudge people away from living a healthy lifestyle by rewarding those who don't.  They should call it the 'anti-survival of the fittest' policy.

The bigger irony is, this pandemic would have hospitalized and killed many fewer Americans to begin with if its citizens had healthier diets / lifestyles. Now to add insult to injury, anyone who has spent a lifetime staying fit by eating right, not smoking, and being active, is going to pay a price for that by being made to wait to be vaccinated against a deadly virus.  Who knew that being healthy could be such a vice?

In the words of the great playwright Oscar Wilde, “Irony is wasted on the stupid.”

Apple Watch Watch

I bought myself an Apple Watch for Christmas.  At least that's what I told myself and others, I really didn't need a reason other than I've wanted one for a while.

When wear-able technology first became available to consumers, I wasn't a fan.  I couldn't get past what people were doing with their Fitbits, something I thought was a fad (mostly correctly) and an intrusion on others' lives, namely mine.

Over the past couple of years, I've noticed how my kids have used their Apple Watches.  There did seem to be a definite convenience to getting a digital notification by a simple vibration on the arm, and being able to disseminate its importance with a quick turn of the wrist.  Plus, it was so much more than a Fitbit, since it integrates with Apple Store apps.

Of course, for those who feel they must use it for health reasons, it includes a fitness monitor that lets the wearer know if they're being active enough.  While I don't use that feature, it's fine for others who need the motivation.  More importantly, it lets the the owner share that information with other Apple Watch users upon request and acceptance, which lessens the chance anyone will share that unneeded info with me!

One of the more recent concerns I had about the Apple Watch was the unusual feeling of having something on my wrist.  I hadn't worn a watch regularly for a couple of years, and saw little future reason to do so during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Turns out that wearing a watch is like riding a bike, and I picked it up again without even thinking about it.

So thumbs up for the Apple Watch.....another technology product I didn't know I needed until Apple invented it and told me I needed it.

2021

The worst year of virtually everyone's lifetime is just ending.  This should make it very easy to complete my annual list of things I'd like to see happen next year.  It will also make it very difficult to review what I wanted to have happen in 2020, and see a near total failure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Let's start with that review, with comments in ALL CAPS:

Me traveling to the final four U.S. states in which I've never set foot.
HAHA -- I RARELY TRAVELED OUTSIDE OF IOWA, OR EVEN OUTSIDE OF THE DES MOINES METRO AREA, THE ENTIRE YEAR

A new president-elect and a corresponding surviving, independent, democratic republic.
ONE WINNER AND ONE PROBABLY WINNER -- IT WILL STILL BE A FEW WEEKS TO PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN'S INAUGUARTION DAY TO SEE IF THE REPUBLIC ACTUALLY SURVIVES.

More chances to make a hole-in-one (which means more time to play golf).
GOLF WAS ONE THING THE PANDEMIC DID NOT ALTER MUCH, BUT I DIDN'T PLAY OFTEN UNTIL AFTER MEMORIAL DAY.

Widespread acceptance of plant-based meats on restaurant menus.
PLANT-BASED PROTEINS DEFINITELY EXPANDED THEIR FOOTPRINT, BUT NOT IN RESTAURANTS WITH LIMITED-TO-NO CUSTOMERS.

The Minnesota Twins to break their streak of 16 consecutive playoff game losses.
ACTUALLY WENT BACKWARDS ON THIS.  THEY MADE THE PANDEMIC-SHORTENED SEASON PLAYOFFS AND THEN PROCEDED TO LOSE ANOTHER TWO GAMES TO BRING THE STREAK TO 18!

Consolidation in the video streaming service industry.
THIS ALSO WENT BACKWARDS, THERE ARE MORE STREAMING INDUSTRY PARTICIPANTS THAN EVER, AND MORE TO COME THANKS TO THE PANDEMIC.

A Summer Olympics without scandal.
I GUESS YOU CAN SAY THIS HAPPENED, SINCE THE OLYMICS WERE CANCELED.

Greater federal regulation of Facebook, and less people using it to show me pictures of their food.
THERE WAS MORE EMPHSIS ON REGULATION, BUT FACEBOOK IS BASICALLY SELF-REGULATING, WHICH IS TO SAY THEY AREN'T DOING MUCH.

A new artist who brings back the sound of classic rock.
THIS WAS ALWAYS A PIPE DREAM.

That I never order from a bar that tells me it has no Crown Royal Apple.

I WAS NEVER AT A BAR TO ORDER ALL YEAR, SO AGAIN, TECHNICALLY THIS WISH CAME TRUE.

Now for 2021, let's see these things happen:

A non-pandemic world where people live without fear of contracting COVID-19.

A less-friendly social and legal environment for those who help spread malicious propaganda and conspiracy theories.

A Summer Olympics that actually happens.

Revelations and prosecutions of Trump administration / organization officials who broke laws.

More time to read, more time to listen to podcasts.

An easy integration of administration and technology between Charles Schwab and TD Ameritrade.  (A rare professional ask in this annual list.)

A full return of college and professional sports.

The Minnesota Twins to break their streak of 18 consecutive playoff game losses.

Less interaction with people who make every conversation about them.

An awesome vacation.

The Sound Of Silence

Last week I mentioned 'curated fan noise for televised sports' was something for which I'm not thankful.  It's really more than that.  I hate it.

This curated fan noise has been around for a long time.  Fox Sports is the biggest purveyor of it, and they have the volume turned way up.  For years, if you watch their NFL broadcasts, you can barely hear the announcers over the fake fan noise.  And if you listen closely, you can make out the same noises in sort of a rotation.  It's embarrassing, and just another reason to hit the mute button.

This Fall, because there are few if any fans allowed at football games, TV networks decided to add this fake fan noise to a new level, adding it to (almost) all broadcasts.  The NFL went so far as to say the fan noise was recorded from actual fans of the teams playing.

For me, this is insulting to watch / listen to.  I don't need fake fan noise to help me watch a game.  Who does?  I'd rather watch the game with the actual noise, even it there isn't any.  Actually, I'd rather watch a bunch of games at once with no audio at all, like it is at gambling sports books.

I get the idea of trying to give the at-home viewer the experience of being at the game.  But if the games are silent during the COVID-19 pandemic, then give me the real deal quiet.  

The Most Thankless Year Ever

In the year of a once-in-a-century pandemic, it's never been easier to come up with my annual list of things for which I am not thankful.  The only reason this list isn't longer than usual is my own editing, not because I ran out of items.  In random order:

COVID-19.

Chinese wet markets and bat-eaters.

Candidates who lose elections and refuse to concede.

Large wedding parties and receptions.

Adhering to 'no shirt, no shoes, no service' as a health issue, but then refusing to wear a mask.

Tik-Tok

The Tiger King documentary.

Conspiracy movements.

Cults.

People who don't accept nor understand math and science.

Spectator-less sporting events.

Curated fan noise for televised sports.

Having more than one state named Dakota.

Social distancing.