The Swamp

This seems bad...

good luck duff!

And yeah, young people were/are flocking to bars. They are certain they cannot die from it.

My daughter was telling me a week ago about the problem with the frat guys at UW.

Well, kind of funny...

Herman Cain, who attended Trump’s Tulsa rally, hospitalized with covid-19

🤣🤣🤣

Her ex husband is California Governor Gavin Newsom.

She's literally the only thing bipartisan in DC.

Can’t repost this anywhere else because our neighbor appears to be in the midst of a blowout party and my wife and I are both “friends” with him.

But that’s perfect.

Though I have to acknowledge his dedication because the power has been out on his side of the street since a crazy ass storm rolled through at around 8 last night.

Just got back from a week at the beach. The first few days we were there (Monday, Tuesday), it really seemed like the governor's declaration of masks required was making a difference. The little convenience store I go to for beer had probably 50% masks in it, where they were pretty much non-existent (other than me) the previous week.

Well, that was long over by the weekend. If you were visiting from another time, you'd have had a hard time telling any difference between this weekend and any previous Fourth of July weekend.

Granted, our condo is surrounded by beach trailer parks and there were a LOT of Trump 2020 flags flying in there. (One lonely Biden flag too!) Basically, get outside of cities and white people just don't believe in this thing. Or at least they aren't willing to make a bit of personal sacrifice to deal with it.

It made me think of the famous marshmallow experiment and the idea that you can actually predict kids' future success by whether they are willing to forgo immediate pleasure to get more in the near future. Well, my beach place is surrounded by mouth-breathing marshmallow grabbers.

Cross-posting as this one is a must read when you all get a chance:

Shirley wrote: ↑Sun Jul 05, 2020 8:43 pm Just got back from a week at the beach. The first few days we were there (Monday, Tuesday), it really seemed like the governor's declaration of masks required was making a difference. The little convenience store I go to for beer had probably 50% masks in it, where they were pretty much non-existent (other than me) the previous week.

Well, that was long over by the weekend. If you were visiting from another time, you'd have had a hard time telling any difference between this weekend and any previous Fourth of July weekend.

Granted, our condo is surrounded by beach trailer parks and there were a LOT of Trump 2020 flags flying in there. (One lonely Biden flag too!) Basically, get outside of cities and white people just don't believe in this thing. Or at least they aren't willing to make a bit of personal sacrifice to deal with it.

It made me think of the famous marshmallow experiment and the idea that you can actually predict kids' future success by whether they are willing to forgo immediate pleasure to get more in the near future. Well, my beach place is surrounded by mouth-breathing marshmallow grabbers.

We are trying to figure out our August vacation. Do you mind saying where you were? PM if you don't want your business out there. We are looking at Wilmington beaches, but also thinking about going up into the mountains for a lake house situation.

My sense is that the beaches on the east coast from Jersey on down are just going to be too crowded for their to be decent safety precautions. What was so nice about Cape Cod and surrounding is that just about everyone was wearing a mask. The further south you go, I'm seeing a lot less people practicing social distancing and wearing masks.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Mon Jul 06, 2020 9:25 am Cross-posting as this one is a must read when you all get a chance:

I worked (briefly) with Fallows at the New America Foundation. He's basically Dan Rather if you took Rather's celebrity out of the mix. Thoughtful, kind, extremely wise.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Mon Jul 06, 2020 1:05 pm

Shirley wrote: ↑Sun Jul 05, 2020 8:43 pm Just got back from a week at the beach. The first few days we were there (Monday, Tuesday), it really seemed like the governor's declaration of masks required was making a difference. The little convenience store I go to for beer had probably 50% masks in it, where they were pretty much non-existent (other than me) the previous week.

Well, that was long over by the weekend. If you were visiting from another time, you'd have had a hard time telling any difference between this weekend and any previous Fourth of July weekend.

Granted, our condo is surrounded by beach trailer parks and there were a LOT of Trump 2020 flags flying in there. (One lonely Biden flag too!) Basically, get outside of cities and white people just don't believe in this thing. Or at least they aren't willing to make a bit of personal sacrifice to deal with it.

It made me think of the famous marshmallow experiment and the idea that you can actually predict kids' future success by whether they are willing to forgo immediate pleasure to get more in the near future. Well, my beach place is surrounded by mouth-breathing marshmallow grabbers.

We are trying to figure out our August vacation. Do you mind saying where you were? PM if you don't want your business out there. We are looking at Wilmington beaches, but also thinking about going up into the mountains for a lake house situation.

My sense is that the beaches on the east coast from Jersey on down are just going to be too crowded for their to be decent safety precautions. What was so nice about Cape Cod and surrounding is that just about everyone was wearing a mask. The further south you go, I'm seeing a lot less people practicing social distancing and wearing masks.

Ocean City MD didn't have a whole lot of people wearing masks in the hotel lobby where I stayed. The restaurants were crowded (I only picked up carry out). The beaches weren't crazy crowded, but we stay in a hotel that isn't anything special, so the beach tends to have less people.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Mon Jul 06, 2020 1:05 pm

Shirley wrote: ↑Sun Jul 05, 2020 8:43 pm Just got back from a week at the beach. The first few days we were there (Monday, Tuesday), it really seemed like the governor's declaration of masks required was making a difference. The little convenience store I go to for beer had probably 50% masks in it, where they were pretty much non-existent (other than me) the previous week.

Well, that was long over by the weekend. If you were visiting from another time, you'd have had a hard time telling any difference between this weekend and any previous Fourth of July weekend.

Granted, our condo is surrounded by beach trailer parks and there were a LOT of Trump 2020 flags flying in there. (One lonely Biden flag too!) Basically, get outside of cities and white people just don't believe in this thing. Or at least they aren't willing to make a bit of personal sacrifice to deal with it.

It made me think of the famous marshmallow experiment and the idea that you can actually predict kids' future success by whether they are willing to forgo immediate pleasure to get more in the near future. Well, my beach place is surrounded by mouth-breathing marshmallow grabbers.

We are trying to figure out our August vacation. Do you mind saying where you were? PM if you don't want your business out there. We are looking at Wilmington beaches, but also thinking about going up into the mountains for a lake house situation.

My sense is that the beaches on the east coast from Jersey on down are just going to be too crowded for their to be decent safety precautions. What was so nice about Cape Cod and surrounding is that just about everyone was wearing a mask. The further south you go, I'm seeing a lot less people practicing social distancing and wearing masks.

Indian Beach, NC. It's right between Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach on the same island.

Our beaches really don't get that crowded, at least not in the way you're envisioning a crowded beach. If you're willing to walk 100 yards from the public entrance we use, you can easily get plenty of space with nobody else within 50 ft or so. And if it's not a holiday weekend, it's even easier (you can get a wide swatch of your own beach). Also, while folks aren't wearing masks on the beach, I don't actually consider that a big deal. It's outside, there's a constant breeze and a bright sun. It's not ideal virus conditions.

Just don't go sit in a restaurant.

Totally agree. Beaches aren't usually crowded unless in an urban area or right in front of a large resort. More like managing your micro environment vs a particular area or state. Plus the constant breeze.

Oh, gotcha, I know Indian Beach. We've stayed at Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach in the past. (along with Wrightsville and Topsail.)

Yeah, we like that deal where if you just hoof it a little, you can find your own patch of sand. Thanks for the insight.

Joe K wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 4:43 pm

rass wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 4:01 pm

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 1:53 pm I wouldn't be surprised if Brazil ends up with the gold after all is said and done.

Absolutely. Bolsonaro is Trump unleashed and unrestrained

Bolsonaro personally organized and participated in anti-social distancing rallies, at a point when every other major country was enforcing restrictions. Add his idiocy to the fact that Brazil has huge cities, with lots of urban poverty, and it's a recipe for disaster. Who know if we'll ever get an accurate count of Brazil, but even based on the reported figures Brazil is second to the U.S. in total cases, with the numbers climbing rapidly.

Hey! Guess What...

Pruitt wrote: ↑Tue Jul 07, 2020 10:29 am

Joe K wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 4:43 pm

rass wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 4:01 pm

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 1:53 pm I wouldn't be surprised if Brazil ends up with the gold after all is said and done.

Absolutely. Bolsonaro is Trump unleashed and unrestrained

Bolsonaro personally organized and participated in anti-social distancing rallies, at a point when every other major country was enforcing restrictions. Add his idiocy to the fact that Brazil has huge cities, with lots of urban poverty, and it's a recipe for disaster. Who know if we'll ever get an accurate count of Brazil, but even based on the reported figures Brazil is second to the U.S. in total cases, with the numbers climbing rapidly.

Hey! Guess What...

I thought Bolsonaro tested positve months ago, like a day after posing cheek to cheek with Trump. Was that just one of his minions? If that's the same article I read this morning, it was hilarious. I don't wish illness on anyone, but I think Bolsonaro getting serious symptoms will save thousands of lives in Brazil. Get that moron to change his stance.

Unless he dies, it's more likely a "see, i survived it it isn't so bad"

A_B wrote: ↑Tue Jul 07, 2020 3:32 pm Unless he dies, it's more likely a "see, i survived it it isn't so bad"

I think a couple weeks in the hospital might do the trick, but whatever it takes...

A_B wrote: ↑Tue Jul 07, 2020 3:32 pm Unless he dies, it's more likely a "see, i survived it it isn't so bad"

Yeah, this is one situation where I feel no guilt whatsoever in hoping someone dies, hopefully in a lot of publicly visible pain and misery.

"We have never seen any patient, let alone an elected official, soil themselves as frequently and with as much volume as President Bolsonaro did those final 48 hours. May his soul rest in peace."

I get that people worry about karma and stuff, but does that really apply when you're talking about wishing that pure evil is snuffed out?

While they (Trump and Bolsonaro) aren't on Hitler and Stalin level, they are causing hundreds of thousands of people to die unnecessarily.

Fuck them.

There's definitely a level of evil where you can't be anything but happy when someone dies. Counting the days until Rush Limbaugh kicks it. Gonna pound some cold ones that day.

Yeah. Like its wrong if you hope Barron dies just to (theoretically?) hurt Trump, but hoping Trump himself dies is rooting for a borderline inarguable net positive. Same reason I was quite fine posting the "rest in piss" tweet about a Sackler dying.

Probably the worst person I wouldn’t wish to actually die is George W Bush, even while he was in office. In office it’s not a net positive to have Cheney as president instead and out of office he’s not really a net positive to the world if he’s dead like Trump or Limbaugh.

I won't give a shit when he's dead, but I'd absolutely have Rove and Cheney waaaaaaay ahead.

mister d wrote: ↑Tue Jul 07, 2020 5:37 pm I won't give a shit when he's dead, but I'd absolutely have Rove and Cheney waaaaaaay ahead.

I had a business lunch with Karl Rove’s brother once (while Bush was in the White House). It was a little weird being that “close” to someone so evil.

I'd love to see Trump catch Covid-19 and writhe in embarrassing pain, but I don't want him to die before the election, and become a martyr for the right-wing racists.

A drone light show in Seoul to encourage people to stay vigilant.

TL; DR: Viral infections suck.


First off, my apologies to everyone for missing last week’s Swampcrash. But I have a good reason for missing it. I’ve been sick as hell for the last 11 days.

Two Thursdays ago, Mrs. Sabo and I went for a four-mile hike. It’s an easy hike and one we’ve done many times, so I was surprised to wake up Friday morning very sore and stiff. I did some stretches, which did nothing, and also did a yoga routine to get things going. That too was ineffective. Friday evening, I started feeling pretty tired, so I went to bed a little early.

That’s when things really went downhill.

I slept more than 10 hours that night, and I woke up Saturday feeling horrendously lousy. I had no energy whatsoever, a substantial headache and the muscle aches increased. I started getting a dry, hacking cough, but that only lasted a few hours. I spent all of Saturday sitting on the couch in a semi-conscious state. Naturally, I started thinking about Covid-19 and if I had contracted it, as my symptoms matched some of the Covid-19 symptoms. (To be fair, Covid-19 symptoms cover just about everything, so it was easy to guess I had the virus.)

Sunday was worse. I still had all of the above, but then I added the brain fog/confusion symptom just for fun. But that is far from fun. It’s pretty scary to be asked a question and not be able to provide a coherent answer. Two nights ago before dinner, Mrs. Sabo asked I wanted any condiments with dinner. It took me about 15 seconds to give her an answer because my mind simply wasn’t working and I couldn’t say any words. All I felt was blankness.

Two Mondays ago, I went and got the Covid-19 test. I was told it would take 2-7 days to get the results. In the mean time, all I could do was rest. I can’t sleep during the day for whatever reason, but I always went to bed early. But sleep didn’t seem to help. I would wake up in the same state, extremely fatigued, mentally drained and achy. I felt like an 80-year-old man, and I walked slower than one.

Some of you know Mulligan is a chiropractor and nutritionist. He sent me some whole food supplements last week and I started taking them. I very slowly started to feel better, but the symptoms kept me from doing anything substantial. Last Saturday morning, I woke up and felt much more energetic, but still foggy.

I also got my Covid-19 test results. They were negative.

Seeing the test was negative, I was even more confused - and scared - than before. If it wasn’t Covid-19, then what the hell do I have? I’ve since learned these Covid-19 tests have a false report rate of about 20 percent, which statistically is a HUGE variance. Given my symptoms and all, I’m convinced I have/had the ‘rona.

I slowly felt better, and come Monday morning, I decided I would try to work. I lasted three hours before I cratered again. And I cratered HARD. I couldn’t do much more than navel gaze and sit in a chair. I went to bed early Monday night, thinking a long sleep would help.

Wrong. After 10.5 hours of sleep, I woke up feeling worse than the day before. What the hell is happening to me?

Frankly, I still don’t know. But I started feeling better yesterday afternoon, and I woke up this morning with the most energy I’ve felt since last Friday. I’m working today, and I hope I can finish the work day. But DAMN this is rough.

And to answer the obvious questions:

- Yes, Mrs. Sabo and I have been keeping our distance as much as possible. She’s been so awesome helping me with this. I can see the utter worry in her face, but she’s never expressed concern. But I can tell this is getting to her. Fortunately, she’s displayed no symptoms at any point.

- Yes, we were wearing masks whenever we were in public. But a substantial number of people around here aren’t wearing them. I’ve never seen my idiotic neighbors ever wear a mask, even though they leave the house multiple times a day and have cars come and go all of the time. Did I mention an 85-year-old woman with a heart condition lives there, too? Fucking morons.

Jesus, man. I hope you feel better quick.

Damn, Sabo. Take it easy and best wishes for a quick recovery.

Yeah, feel better soon. That really sucks. Hard to imagine you didn't have the coronavirus to be honest.

Hope you feel better Sabo!

Is there any chance you hit your head or whiplashed/jacked up your neck where this could be post-concussion?

One other thing considering you said you had just gone on a hike would be Lyme disease?

Feel better man

That sucks completely.

Hope you feel better soon.