Life In the Time of the Virus: Redux

Chair Car by Edward Hopper, 1965

 I've come down with Covid again, and that's been my excuse for the past three weeks.

"You want to do lunch?" "Sorry, Covid"

"How's the deadline coming along?" "Sorry, Covid"

"Have you mowed the lawn recently?" "Sorry, Covid"

"Did you know your shed was on fi-" "Sorry, Covid."

I picked up this lovely strain at GenCon, and until I tested positive thought it was a bad cold (Protip: It is NEVER just a bad cold). GenCon was a textbook spreader event - 71,000 people, a minimum of masks, and a huge, packed exhibit hall. The resulting debacle swept through the creative community, taking out a lot of the professional class (and those that evaded it came back with some other form of con crud). One of the booths blamed a particular creative as "Patient Zero" as they showed up from the earlier San Diego con already infected, and had to bail, but I think there was more than enough opportunity from everyone else who was slowly shuffling through the show floor.

Despite that, it was a very pleasant convention. I saw a lot of friends (and to my knowledge infected none of them), and overcommitted to helping out on a number of panels (Saturday I had five panels and book signing, so that when I felt the first symptoms on the flight back Sunday, I was kinda expecting some bad news). I was on the waning side of my latest vaccination, though, and while I kept masked in crowded, public areas, there was more than enough opportunities outside of the exhibit hall to pick up something nasty. 

The culprit was likely the new hotnesses in the Covid family - FliRT, an Omicron variant, or LB.1, which was a related variant (We're still giving them cute names). Those are the two big contenders right now. And just so you know, there's a spike right now in the virus from checking wastewater (though not from hospital admissions or deaths). It seems milder but still miserable. I rolled through a cascade of cold symptoms (head, throat, chest, doubling back to the sinuses), stuffiness, lack of appetite, headaches, and exhaustion. And that last one was the worst - a continual mental fuzziness (brainfog) that still has not fully dissipated. I've tested negative after about a week of the worst of it, but symptoms can persist for about two weeks afterwards. Lovely.

So for the time being, I'm doing a lot of Ricola and rest. Working from home, I've been able to take naps and then return to the task. I consider myself fortunate, but send out the warnings to others who have been dealing with this. In about a week I head off to Grand Rapids for another (smaller) convention. And I'm working on making sure I don't bring anything back from that on.

More later,

The Political Desk: Results

 Hey, wasn't there an election last week? What happened? Why so quiet?

Good question. And while I could blame a recent bout with Covid for my lack of response (and in fact, I will be blaming Covid for a number of things in the near future), I've pushed of reporting the results until I had more firmer ground to stand on. On of the things about Washington State elections is that we have all mail-in ballots. And while it a really convenient way to vote intelligently (you can do it at home, check out candidates on the internet, you can have wine while you're voting ...) it means that it takes a while for dust to settle. In particular since late votes can and do move the needle, particularly in close races.

And we had it happen in this case as well, so this is the most updated results, a week out. No promise that it won't shift a little more again. In general, Incumbents did well, Democrats did well. If someone has 50% plus, they're doing OK. 

Oh, and Boldface is used for the folk I recommended. 

US Senator: Marie Cantwell (58%) versus Dr. Raul Garcia (22%)

US Representative, 9th District: Adam Smith (54%) vs. Melissa Chaudry (21%) - This one is interesting as the Democratic incumbent is being challenged from the left as opposed to the right. Usually Smith is up against a conservative talk-show host. This one should prove interesting. 

Governor: Bob Ferguson (45%) vs. Dave Reichert  (27%) - Again, expected, but low totals for both, so both have work to do. The official State GOP-approved republican only got 10%.

Lt. Governor: Danny Heck (49%) vs. Dan Matthews (23%)

Secretary of State: Steve Hobbs (49%) vs. Dale Whitaker (36%)

Attorney General: Pete Serrano (42%) vs Nick Brown (36%) - The well-endorsed Brown has work to do, but the only other candidate in the race was another Democrat, who got 23% of the vote.

State Treasurer: Mike Pellicciotti (58%) vs. Sharon Hanel (41%) - only two candidates for the role. 

State Auditor: Pat (Patrice) McCarthy (59%) vs Matt Hawkins (41%)  - again, only two candidates. 

Commissioner of Public Lands: Jamie Herrera Butler (21.9%) vs, Dave Upthegrove (20.99%) This was a crowded field - 2 Republicans and 5 Democrats, and on election night the two GOP candidates (Butler and Sue Pederson) we ahead. Late votes tend to skew more left, but we still split among a number of candidates. Only over the weekend did Upthegrove catch and pass Pederson).  [Update: the final tally was close enough to require a hand recount (yeah, we have options for that), and UptheGrove took second by only 53 votes. And this is why you should always vote, folks.}

Superintendent of Public Instruction: Chris Reydal (39%) versus David Olson (31%)

Insurance Commissioner: Patty Kuderer (45%) vs. Phil Fortunato (29%) 

State Senator, District 11: Bob Hasegawa (95%) vs. no opponent 

State Representative, District 11: David Hackney (95%) vs. no opponent.

State Representative, District 11: Dave Berquist (80%) vs. Justin Greywolf (18%). Though the numbers are low, I'm glad to see the Libertarian wing fielding their own candidate. 

State Supreme Court: Sal Mungia (43%) vs. Dave Larsen (36%)

Final totals have a voting total of around 40%, which isn't horrible at all for a primary, but can always improve. We've managed to dodge the loonier candidates (some other parts of the state are not so lucky), and there I can vote against based on their positions as opposed to their propaganda. And with this, the Political Desk becomes as dormant as you lawn, currently, only to return with the rains in late October. 

More later,