March 16, 2020
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BobLee’s Survival Tactics for…
COVID19 and Corona-mania
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America has not been so discombobulated since Lucy & Ricky Ricardo had “Little Ricky” in 1955. With Everybody and their Crazy Uncle Earl telling you how to cope with COVID19… and its evil twin Corona-mania, I would be remiss to not post my BobLee’s Survival Guide… so HERE IT IS!
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I am tied for the last person you should ever take Health / Medical advice from … tied along with anyone appearing on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS, WaPo, NYT, The N&O, WRAL-TV5 et al.
I CANNOT tell you how to avoid getting “The Virus”. I CANNOT tell you – (1) – how to avoid having a tornado or a hurricane hit your house … or – (2) – how to avoid “being shot and killed on the streets of South Chicago” which is, apparently, still a Pandemic but “who cares?” Right?
The purpose of this Survival Guide is to offer alternatives for dealing with the severe daily life upheaval currently afflicting America. Of course, what works for me may not work for you.
As I did with Monsters on Maple Street… I am serious about trying to keep my overtly partisan socio-political opinions off of this page. Reserving those strong opinions for our SAIDWHAT? page. I respect everyone’s choices of Who To Blame for Whatever.
Publicly Blaming Whoever for Whatever is a unique “right” in our Capitalist Republic. One can do so without fear of being hauled off to a gulag in the middle of the night… so far.
Some of you who visit here regularly are suffering from terminal TDS – Trump Derangement Syndrome. There IS a cure for TDS involving a life style choice you are unlikely to make. I won’t even bother to mention it.
TDS-sufferers should NEVER go to our SAIDWHAT? page. There is not enough Purell Sanitizer in the Universe to protect you “over there”.
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With intense “social distancing” becoming de rigueur for all of us for the time being … I find myself uniquely adapted to this forced solitarianism.
Telling BobLee to practice “social distancing” is like threatening to throw Brer Rabbit in the briar patch.
Back in the mid 70s… interviewing for an entry level position with Marriott Hotels, I described myself as “a people person” – a popular catch-phrase back then. I recall that 50 years later because it was the last time I EVER described myself by that phrase.
I practice “social distancing” as a secondary religion. I believe in Personal Reclusiveness as a Life Style Choice with the passion of a Vegan … a Cross-Fitter… or a new AMWAY distributor.
I was fortunate to find “Blondie” 35+ years ago… who shares my passion for “social distancing” before it became a Woke term. Corona-mania might lead to millions of new devotees to our Just Leave Me Alone… Cult. It is highly addictive and contagious.
There was a period 10-12 years ago when I gave presentations to civic clubs on the Joys of Social-Distancing… until it dawned on me that being invited to anything described as a club gave me the heebee jeebees.
I am currently a member of a “group” of around 50 gentlemen that meets weekly. There are 5-6 others of my ilk. We have our own special table – like a little leper colony. The 8′ chainlink fence separating us from the general population is a bit much; but it works.
PLEASE … DO NOT tell me how much you love being a social gadfly “with oodles of dear friends you love to spend time with…”… and how I “oughta be like you”. YOU be like you and I’ll be like me.
Blondie and I used to have friends who had a boat on Lake George in Upstate New York. They invited us up for a weekend “on the boat”. We went… we didn’t care for it… they kept insisting we should “like it”. That was 33 years ago. No clue what ever happened to them… or their damn boat.
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As noted in “Monsters”… I have 100s of audible books stored on my IPhone and miles/miles of greenway trails to walk all by myself. Involving zero personal contact with anyone.
I recently downloaded – (1) -a 70 hour MP3 of the complete Sherlock Holmes collection … and – (2) – CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia … and – (3) – Tolkien’s Ring Trilogy… AND – (4) – several James Michener mega-novels. If I converted my Audible Library to toilet paper rolls … they would fill The Dean Dome Lower Level.
We have not turned on our living room TV in five days and counting… We stream Amazon Prime movies / documentaries on our IMacs.
With all the sports cancellations, the only two that caused me to blink were -(1)- MLB, of course … and -(2)- The Masters. I will “soldier on”. I have not filled out a March Madness bracket in four years…now five. Not bragging… just saying…
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For all the catastrophic social ills created by The Internet / Social Media this communications / information medium is perfect for the current situation. And… Perfect for Me.
Communicating “this way” with (most of) you folks over the past 20 years is a personal daily joy.
I “know you”and you “know me” in a fashion we have all adapted to. This will certainly continue thru and beyond the current circumstance.
I intend to post more frequently on both web pages… giving you something to look forward to several mornings a week. I have an on-going list of 20+ BLSays discussion topics that are as socio-politically “pure” as I can make them.
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FINAL NOTE: “Kid & Pastor Danny” up in Wisconsin are very concerned about various friends who own small businesses already being hurt by decreasing customer traffic. With hesitation, I suggested that she, Danny and their friends might consider one “minor” life style adaptation. Reduce their daily PBS / NPR listening by 60%.
She scoffed … then two days later – reluctantly – admitted that my suggestion had indeed improved their peace of mind … Score One for Dad!
Hang In There, My Friends! We Will Persevere…
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More BobLeeSays – CLICK HERE!
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BobLeeSays has been a continually functioning website since 1999… with over 2100 commentaries. BobLee is a BabyBoomer who ponders the HowComes of Life. He is NOT (1) “an Intellectual” … Nor (2) “a Journalist”.
Reader Comments are aggressively encouraged. In over 20 years, only six have been zapped.
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