crazy mad panic attack

Wow.

I evidently cannot immerse myself into the CDC website anymore.

After about three hours there earlier, looking at various graphs of COVID data for the ten states I once monitored, I thought I was okay... but I was not.

It greatly disturbed me to see those curves rise again for daily and weekly cases of people who had been infected by SARS-CoV-2, people who then developed the Coronavirus Infectious Disease, people in Georgia, Florida, Michigan.

 

This one is for Georgia, with number of cases in August - as classrooms reconvened in person - on a par with the great madness of earlier this year.

Here is the data for Michigan, which seems to mirror the curves of Georgia, but with some really high variations for the data - with peaks of more than 15,000 per day - since school began in the fall.

For Florida, the case is more dire, with the peak for the number of new cases at school time - more than 20,000 per day - more than surpassing any other time since the pandemic began.

It's certainly clear when spring break occurred this year, isn't it?

The graph for California is here, making it obvious what a difference it makes when the majority of the population gets vaccinated against this virus.

Sure, their numbers of daily new cases are still more than 5,000 per day, but, considering their huge population, that's not bad.

California looks especially nice compared to the graph for the number of cases in the USA as a whole.

The people across the country need to study what that the population of that West Coast state is doing differently and try to emulate its good example.

 

After giving a good hard look at those graphs, comparing the current effects of the continuing pandemic for those states, I then started checking out their death rates, and then studying their vaccination rates, and I thought I was okay... but I was not.

How do I know I was not?

I stopped to have lunch and watch a little tv, as I tend to do about 5 PM.

Then, when I rose from the couch to take my plate into the kitchen, I nearly fell down because I was so dizzy.

It was as if I was suddenly very drunk, with the room seeming to whirl around me.

So I sat back down... and that's when I noticed I was having trouble focusing and I could hardly take deep breaths.

Was I having a heart attack?

No, there was no pain in my jaw or shoulder.

Then, feeling the need to pee, I went to rise again... and had to hold onto the wall to make it to the bathroom without falling from the dizziness, and then hold the wall again to make it back to the couch.

So... very... dizzy.

It was as if I had taken something with codeine in it.

Then I recognized I was having a panic attack.

After all, this is not the first time this has happened over the last few years.

What to do?

I laid back on the couch, head on a pillow, feet up, and stayed still for the next hour, letting Steve Harvey's voice calm me during the two episodes of "Family Feud".

I could feel the tension leaving me.

So, what had brought the panic attack on?

Well, it was not solely due to the graphs.

I've been getting increasingly twitchy about the reception scheduled for tomorrow night, where I will be one of eighty people gathered in the ballroom of the American Legion on Bull Street to eat and drink and dance in celebration of Jim and Lauren's wedding.

I have no idea who all will be there, but I can guarantee that I will not know most of them.

Since March of 2020, the most people I have been around was at Chelsea's wedding last month... but that was all open-air, with good spacing, and with me being around mostly people I already know.

That will not be the case tomorrow.

If not for my pledge to provide a ride for Carolyn, I'd probably back out.

However, I don't feel that I have that option, as it would leave her with no means of getting there, and I know she has been looking forward to it for two months.

Actually, giving her that ride is also a stressor, as she is always sick with her chronic bronchitis and I don't want to catch that, either.

Sigh.

At least I recognize what my problem is.

Now, to continue having a restful evening...

and look forward to seeing old friends again tomorrow.

lack of control is getting old

Yesterday, the physicist and I dined at Kayak Cafe Midtown.

I had already looked at the menu and brought two Lactaid tablets to allow it.

Yes, I had not had eaten cheese in what felt like forever!

So, the Olympic Greek Salad - the large, at that - was what my taste buds longed for!

That's what I had, too, feeling that I had taken precautions to overcome any repercussions from that lactose-rich choice.

How silly of me to think I had complete control!

By the time we left, I had wondered if I should have hit the bathroom before rejoining my car, but did not.

Sure, I made it home in time to prevent an abdominal mishap, and the glass of Lactaid milk I immediately drank did settle down those beginning twinges of intestinal distress - but not before having a cramping session with the carbon dioxide released as the bacteria in my gut rejoiced in the feast of milk sugar from that cheese.

Still worth it, in my book - just look at all that feta, scattered so liberally on top!

With the two pots of lime cilantro dressing, it rather looked like a robot, didn't it?

Maybe that's just my take on it, as I've indulged greatly in science fiction of late.

(smile!)

The bfe told me that the students were aggravating him, the other faculty was aggravating him, and the school was aggravating him.

"I'm sure," I said, "everyone is ready for life to go back to normal, whatever that ever meant. More than anything else, folks miss that sense of control over what is happening around them, and right now, everyone just feels that everyone else is out of control."

"Control," he replied, "that's it exactly."

I had nodded. "Exactlly. Even though in truth the only things anyone has control over are their actions and their reactions to events around them."

That settled, we had gone on to talk of tv shows (he really likes "Turn", about spies during the Revolutionary War; I spoke of "Alter Ego") and movies (I really talked up "The Wolf Of Snow Hollow", hope he'll see it). 

I told him about the two comedy-horror films I'd watched that had absurd amounts of nudity that I thought he'd appreciate (those would be "Graveyard Tramps" and "Deep Murder").

As this is November, I brought up NaNoWriMo. Apparently he had a girlfriend once that did that and it wasn't a fond memory. So I told him of the Southern Hemisphere's alternative, Kiwiwriters, that takes place in July and that I participated in. I also told him the characters pretty much did whatever they wanted to every time I sat down to write and that I had ended up not liking any of them.

He's a big fan of Kurt Vonnegut's work and we started talking about novels and characters. Kurt had a character that appeared in several of his novels and he decided he'd "like to meet that character as himself"... and so he wrote himself into one of his novels, for the express purpose of conversing with this character he'd written of so many times!

How very cool is that, right?

Surprisingly, the bfe's a fan of Tom Robbins, too! He was talking about "the book where all the action takes place inside a pack of cigarettes" and I recognized it at once as "Still Life With Woodpecker", one of my favorites (for more reasons than just because of the Camel cigarettes on the cover).

Before we separated, I dug into my butterfly tote and produced: a t-shirt bought years ago! I remember asking his size and he'd said XL; so I'd ordered it and put it away "safely". I'd recently run across it and wanted him to have it - no one else I know would understand it. As it is, it's long enough ago that I don't remember the details, but I remember a few things:

each of the 16 colorful symbols spread all over the shirt mean something in a grand unified theory of everything that is based on symmetry.

That's all I've got!

He was touched to (finally) receive it; I hope he'll wear it next time we meet.

Maybe he'll even explain it to me!

(smile!)

Today, I had lunch with Dawn!

Remember that her phone was not receiving my texts or calls?

Well, that's in the past, and we were finally reunited!

Back at The King & I, too, and back to our Wednesdays!

I asked about her and Koz's BYOP; nope, they decided the numbers of COVID infections and people dying in September were too scary and had abstained from the party.

They hadn't even decorated the house and yard, something they've done with great joy for the past decade.

I asked about her and Michanne's planned trip to Chicago; nope, the trailer they were going up to fetch was no longer available, so they scrubbed the mission.

Dawn had made a trip recently, though, down to Florida to help out a friend and former coworker who was going through a messy divorce and was utterly overwhelmed (my words, based on the description Dawn gave of the situation).

(I love that phrase: utterly overwhelmed. Every time I unsubscribe from an email list, and they bother to ask why I'm leaving, utterly overwhelmed is what I type in. I should have mentioned that to Dawn; I think she would have liked it.)

Dawn was there for a week, helping her friend get paperwork organized, get the preteen kids organized, get the house organized, get meals organized.

Organization is where she truly shines and this was an opportunity to do so and help someone feel more in control of her life and her situation.

As I told Dawn, this was also an opportunity for Dawn to feel more in control.

She has not worked for over a year now and is more than ready to have that part of her world back up and running. Now, she does food-related volunteer work: making meals at the homeless shelter, being part of Meals On Wheels.

After our long overdue luncheon, after we parted with hugs, I walked to my car, looking up as I did.

Justthatfast, a song popped into play on my mental jukebox!

"The Simpsons... do doodo doodo doo do, doo doo doo do!"

I just had to bust out laughing!

What a marvelous release!

Right place, right time!

That blue sky -

those swirly, fluffy white clouds -

what else could it be than a joyous reminder from the universe that life was moving as it should, 

no matter how we silly humans preferred.

Here's hoping we all have a better sense of control of our worlds in 2022.

(smile!)

done before 0710 GMT

"Sure, my lass, I'll play along. Just what be ye talkin' 'bout this time?"

I just had a 'conversation' with the folks at Blue Apron... and apparently that was with someone in England!

"I see. You just may be confused -"

- no, I'm not! The 'conversation' was recorded and the time stamp was Greenwich Meridian Time. That's England!

"You're showing your age, my dearie. GMT is now called Greenwich Mean Time, and has been since the middle of the 19th century."

Whatever. I'm right about that being in England!

"Well, love, it's actually throughout the United Kingdom, not just the one country -"

- fine, fine, fine! The point is: I just 'conversed' with someone across the ocean! And that person was able to take care of business for me, lickety split! And here's the proof!

-----     -----     -----

 Chat started on 17 Sep 2021, 06:40 PM (GMT+0)
(06:40:50)     *** Faustina S joined the chat ***
(06:40:50)     Faustina S: How do I cancel my membership?
(06:40:56)     Customer Experience: Thank you for reaching out. A member of our Customer Experience team will be with you shortly.
(06:41:52)     Customer Experience: We are currently experiencing higher than normal chat volumes. We appreciate your patience as we address each inquiry in the order that it was received. Please provide us with your full name and phone number, along with a brief description of how we can help. A member of our team will assist you as soon as possible. If for any reason you are unable to get in contact with a team member, please try again later. Thank you.
(06:43:06)     Faustina S: Faustina S, 912-691-0728. I want to CANCEL my membership. What do I need to do to make that official?
(06:55:45)     *** Julisa L. joined the chat ***
(06:56:02)     Julisa L.: Hi, my name is Julisa, and I'm with the Blue Apron Experience Team. I’m very sorry to hear you would like to cancel your account. May I please have the email on your account? Once I receive your information, I'll be able to assist you with that.
(06:56:21)     Faustina S: f@net
(06:56:53)     Julisa L.: Thank you. While I pull up the account, can you provide some feedback on why you wish to cancel today?
(06:58:25)     Faustina S: I do not cook often, as I dine out more with friends. So, I really do not need to continue this service, especially as it requires me to check in frequently to avoid having unwanted shipments.
(06:59:40)     Julisa L.: I understand. In case it helps, our Heat & Eat recipes will include single-serving meals featuring some of Blue Apron’s top-rated recipes with the same high-quality, fresh ingredients you’ve come to expect. These meals will arrive at your door microwave-ready to heat up in 5 minutes or less in a recyclable tray - no prep work or clean up required!
(07:00:22)     Faustina S: I do not have a microwave, so that is not of use for me.
(07:00:42)     Julisa L.: I understand. Allow me one moment to get this canceled for you.
(07:00:51)     Faustina S: Thank you.
(07:01:14)     Julisa L.: Your account is now cancelled. You'll receive an email confirming the cancellation, which includes instructions on how to reactivate your account and cook with us again in the future.
(07:03:08)     Faustina S: Very good! Thank you, Julisa, so much for making this so easy!
(07:04:12)     *** Faustina S has rated the chat Good ***
(07:04:32)     Julisa L.: Thank you for your time. Have a great day!
(07:04:52)     Faustina S: You, also! Goodbye!
(07:05:58)     *** Faustina S left the chat ***

-----     -----     -----

"Wow... you canceled your Blue Apron account? But didn't you still have three free meals to be sent to others for a trial membership?"

I did, and, I did. Sadly, I had no one wanting to try out this service, so every time I logged in, that '3 free meals' header was there to taunt me. But that wasn't why I left, of course.

"Of course not, that would be trifling. You left because the pandemic is nearly over and you're going out more with your friends -"

- um, no, the pandemic continues on, with the latest victims being my friend Josie and her husband, of all people.

"Ack! That's more folks you know who got vaccinated and still managed to get COVID!"

Right?! Plus, Helen Downing at Asbury Memorial Church, among others, and my baseball friend from New Jersey, Gene Perrone. Oh, and quite a few folks on Christina's side, including her Aunt Tammy and that whole Ooslander bunch.

"Great googly moogly."

I have a theory about how that has all come to pass.

"I would expect so."

As I told Josie, I think it's because of the nature of the vaccine. Here's that 'conversation'.

-----     -----     -----

Jo W
Sept 6 7:47 PM  ·
I got the vaccine. I got the variant. I got well. I got the vaccine. Get yours.

Faustina S
? You had COVID???

Jo W
Faustina, yes, and now Kenny is getting to the end of it. Mild compared to flus I have had in the past. We were both vaccinated in March.

Faustina S
I'm hoping I can get a booster, rev my immune system back up. I think the medical field is going to find that the mRNA shots have a time limit that usual vaccines - that have some part of the virus in the shot - do not.

Jo W
Faustina, probably so….

Faustina S
And, if I'm reading your post correctly, you have been re-vaccinated?

Jo W
No - we may get a booster

Faustina S
That's a good move. I am sure the mRNA that was in the previous shots is not still manufacturing the spike protein for our body to recognize the coronavirus when it enters. I wonder how long our body allowed that mRNA to keep doing that? I wonder if they have a test to see if the spike protein is still present in our blood? That way, they would know when to give a booster.

-----     -----     -----

"That sounds like a good theory, about the mRNA getting shut down after a while. None of the other mRNA molecules keep non-stop making all those proteins the body uses, so why would it be expected that this specialty mRNA would act differently?"

Indeed. As I had explained to my cousin Lynn, the molecule in the vaccines is not any different from the many constructed from our DNA to make all the proteins our body needs, like collagen and keratin and insulin and lactase. The only difference in any of these mRNA molecules is the order of the codons, and that is specific for the protein to be built. And, the major difference for the mRNA molecule in the shots is that it is coded to build a protein - that spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus - which is not otherwise known by our body, as it does not serve a purpose in our everyday life. That means our DNA does not have the recipe for that spike protein, which means it cannot transcribe the mRNA molecule that would build that spike protein. That's why we had to get the vaccine, so our body could build the spike protein, all by itself and not attached to the coronavirus, so our immune system could 'see' it and fight it.

"Nicely said. I think I may have actually been able to follow along with that line of thought."

Thanks. As I always tried to do with my students, I choose plain English rather than science-speak whenever I can. Really reduces the fear factor, right?

"Jolly well right. Now, don't you have laundry to do?"

Not today! Maybe next week!

"Alrighty then! Ta ta!"

happy new year!

"Um... okay, I'll play along, although you seem to be a bit over four months early."

Silly rabbit! I'm not referring to the calendar's version of 'new year'.

"Sure, sure. You begin your personal 'new year' on your birthday, and sometimes you make note of the Chinese New Year, or some other celebration. So just what is it this time?"

Today marks the first anniversary of the local cinema re-opening!

"Oh, my, has it only been a year since "Inception" was on the screen?"

It has.

"Well, I know this date is very special for you. How are you planning to mark it?"

I actually have options, believe it or not. There are two movies playing right now that deal with the dream or real premise, just as that first film had. Moreover, both are science fiction, just as it was. Plus, both are playing at that same cinema that dared to open its doors on that Thursday a year ago.

"Choices! So good to have choices!"

Agreed. Especially as the pandemic is again a full-scale rager, sending unvaccinated twenty- and thirty-somethings to ventilators in crowds, filling up hospitals as if they were night clubs. I find myself almost holding my breath every time I pull up the cinema schedule, waiting for the day it's again closed.

"Let's hope that doesn't happen, but I know what you mean. Still, you haven't yet answered my question of how you're marking this day."

Okay. The two contenders were seen this past week, which, as you know now, was the last A*List week of the 'cinema year'.  Sunday, I'd had an only-"R" double header, catching both the Aretha film and the other new Jackman movie.

"Yeah, I was there for those. What a shame that the multi-generational black family in the first two rows was giving absolutely no "RESPECT" to the woman on the screen. They let the too-young children play with their phones, with the volume up, even when Aretha Franklin was singing. I wonder if they caught the irony of their actions."

Actually, I think one of the mothers did. She walked over to where her mom was, playing with one of the toddlers, and had her turn off the phone.

"Well, you could have complained."

Yes, but then I would have missed part of the movie. It was good, don't get me wrong, but no way will I sit through that overly-long production again. I mostly just wanted to cross it off my list, in case Jennifer is up for an Oscar.

"Heard. And the movie with the Australian in it?"

Well, he's in two, you know. He has a bit part in "Free Guy", but him and his gorgeous voice are featured in "Reminiscence". Both movies are most definitely science fiction, both movies definitely deal with people who have difficulty separating reality from fantasy, and both have fabulous story lines and excellent actors.

"Hold up! You saw the Ryan Reynolds movie a fourth time?!"

Of course I did. This was its one and only week in Big D.

"But it's only been playing for a week!"

Uh, no, it's been on the silver screen in Savannah since Thursday, 12 August, which is 2 weeks ago, kinda sorta.

"I see. So, you're saying you've done well to restrict yourself to only 4 viewings?"

You know it! Remember, I've been waiting, like Deadpool has, for two years for this movie. Two, oh-so-long, years. Seriously. As I said before, I was relying on its presence last December and had planned to watched it EVERY DAY. Seriously.

"Yeah, I get it. It's like you and "Batman" all over again."

For sure, or me and Deadpool, or me and R, or me and Wolverine, or me and... well, you get the picture.

"Oh, yeah, I get it, nice and clear. You dig fictional men."

Not quite. I dig romantic fictional men. 

(smile!)

"Yes, dear. Well, whether you choose Guy or Nick tonight, enjoy, as I know you will."

Thanks, g'friend. I knew I could count on you to understand.

what a difference retirement makes

At the end of my fabulous day yesterday, as I left the cinema on Stephenson, I noticed that my odometer was nearly at a special mileage.

By the time I reached home, it wasn't quite where I wanted it, so I circled the block.

Ah, there it is!

2 1 9 2 1 9 

Looks rather nice, doesn't it?

What a wonderful way to commemorate the Sunday I'd been given!

It made me wonder, though, as to how much mileage I may have put on, especially with regards to not only the cessation of trips southward to the university, but also the lack of holidays I've had since the pandemic struck.

So what might have been another occasion marked by my odometer?

How about that night that found me out at the Armstrong campus for the first SERMACS planning meeting that I attended?

Yes, given that the results of that ACS event have been on my mind recently, that occasion will do quite nicely!

The mileage then, on November 12, 2018, was a sparkling 202000.

As I said, that will do quite nicely.

I was actually a bit shocked.

Here's why: 219219 - 202000 = 17219.

Bear in mind, that earlier mileage was almost three years ago.

That means my car has only gone 17,219 miles over a period of 33 months.

The last time I assessed mileage change was last October.

It was sitting at 214400 then.

So, in the past ten months, I've driven a whopping 4,819 miles.

Geico would be so proud of me.

That's an average of less than 500 miles per month.

Sigh.

No wonder my feet are itching to travel.

the variants of fall

Between September 1st and October 1st of 2020, four mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus were determined to be the causes of the increases in COVID infections and deaths and became classified as variants of concern.

The work was done by researchers investigating changes in the structure of the spike protein, the component of the virus by which it gains access to our cells.

The first mutation of concern was the Beta variant, also known as B.1.351, was first detected in South Africa, where it rapidly became the dominant strain.

By week's end, another mutation of concern, the Delta variant (or B.1.617.2) was the one rapidly filling India's hospitals with dying patients.

By the middle of September, the Alpha variant (or B.1.1.7) showed up as the dominant mutation and cause of increased, and more deadly, COVID cases in the United Kingdom.

Then, in October 2020, Japan was the prey for a fourth mutation of concern, the Gamma variant (also known as P.1).

What was it about these variants that had enhanced the virus's ability to spread more quickly and result in more deadly and serious onsets of COVID?

Among the changes were these three: K417N, E484K, N501Y.

Stay with me, okay?

The numbers refer to placement in the spike protein's primary structure, which is the order of amino acids in the molecule.

The first letter is the amino acid which had been there; the last letter refers to the amino acid now substituted into its place.

Each amino acid has characteristics (acidity, basicity, hydrophilic, hydrophobic, ionic), based on the identity of its unique side chain, that affect its interactions with other portions of the molecule, leading to the tertiary structure of the protein.

That tertiary structure governs how the protein interacts with cells in the human body.

Now, back to those three mutations.

In all three instances, the amino acid is changed into one with very different side chains, making it very different in chemical character at those sites.

So, why would that matter?

All three changes are in the receptor binding site on the spike protein.

Let me emphasize the key message.

All three changes are in the receptor binding site on the spike protein.

That's what makes these variants so scary.

These mutations on this protein allow the virus faster access to the replicating sites in our cells, allowing faster build-up of the invading virus, which enables faster progression of the virus from infection to lung-killing status.

That means someone who has been infected by any one of these variants of concern will go from asymptomatic to full-blown COVID in much less than the two weeks standard.

Remember this diagram of the need for keeping a congregation of alligators always at hand?

That topmost line shows that a single infected person, not practicing social distancing, can infect two or more withing 5 days of falling victim to the original SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Those 2, in turn, infect another 2 each in five days, with the spread growing exponentially as the days go on.

With these four new variants of the virus, a single infected person can now come into contact, and infect, five people instead of the standard two people, leading to greatly increased numbers of people hospitalized and dying as each of those five in turn infect five others.

Let me break it down this way.

Before, the numbers increased in this pattern every five days: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, with 64 people within a month's time.

Now, the numbers increase at a faster pace every five days: 1, 5, 25, 125, 625, 3125, ending up as 15626 within a month.

That's terrifying.

So is this table.

This is only the data acquired by studying the primary structure of the spike protein in those who tested positive for COVID.

The first vertical bar is for the first two weeks in May of this year and shows that the vast majority of infections that month were from the Alpha variant (though it is important to note that virus was not the only one causing COVID in those patients).

Each bar represents data collected during a subsequent two-week span.

All data reflects a variety of coronavirus variants are at fault for the COVID infections.

However, the highlighted dark-orange areas are for those people who had the Delta variant, and those are the dominant strain, even surpassing the percentage of cases attributed to the Alpha variant in the beginning of May.

 

Savannah has already resumed mask-wearing by all in public places.

Yes, even those fully vaccinated are to wear masks.

I urge everyone to do so.

And, if not yet vaccinated, please get that shot.

The United States needs to reach herd immunity, and that won't happen without more people stepping up to serve the needs of their country.

Please.

a letter to my cousin lynn

Dear cousin Lynn,

You wrote the following on facebook:
Lynn L.
"PS... I want one person to describe in detail the “science” of it all!
I’m a college educated person who learned how to read scientific articles and be able to discern the the fact from the fiction!"

As no one else had stepped up to the podium, please allow me to do so.
Here is the science. The vaccine contains the mRNA which is encoded with the identity of the protein spike that SARS-CoV-2 uses to inject into our cells. 

That piece of mRNA allows our cells to manufacture copies of that protein so that our immune system can recognize and attack that protein. 

That means that the next time our immune system encounters that protein in our body (as in when the virus has invaded), our immune system is ready for it and can counteract, to keep it out of our cells.

Now, if our body is invaded by a large number of virus entities, then our immune system is not able to block all of them, which can result in a mild case of COVID (COronaVirus Infectious Disease). 

However, thanks to the vaccine having prepped our body for such an attack, we would not end up on a ventilator fighting for breath on our way to death. 

Those who do not have the vaccine have that scenario as a very real possibility in their future. So, I advise everyone to get the vaccine. 

Death by coughing is a painful way to leave this Earth.

Please bear in mind that I have a PhD in Analytical Chemistry. 

Now retired, I have 24 years of teaching general, organic, and biochemistry to future nurses, rad techs, and others in the medical field.
I have researched this very question, as well as attended some excellent lectures on this new type of vaccine. 

Heretofore, all vaccines worked by injecting the actual virus, usually in a dead or deactivated form, into the body so the body's immune system would recognize the actual intruder.
The vaccines being used to prevent COVID are a new type, using mRNA to allow our own body to make JUST THE SPIKE PROTEIN, not the entire virus. 

(You may recall from biochemistry that mRNA contains the recipe for a single protein, thus our body contains many different mRNA molecules for building the many different proteins (hemoglobin, collagen, keratin, insulin, to name but a few) that our body needs all the time.)

Because we are not exposed to the entire COVID-causing virus, the new type of vaccine cannot assure us complete immunity from that disease. 

However, this new type of vaccine does provide our immune system with a preemptive measure by allowing a recognition as "enemy" for any entity with that spike protein attached to it.

Forewarned is forearmed, right? Getting the vaccine is the best way to become forearmed against SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2).

flying off to cali... cali... cali

Last month, after a long phone call about Ronnie and loss and pandemic, Paul and Cathy invited me to come see them... and I accepted.

Within a week, I'd actually purchased tickets, taking a giant step toward normalcy and an even larger leap away from shelter in place.

Now, within an hour, I'll be stepping off the plane at Oakland and into Paul's car.

This will be our first in-person meeting since their visit to me in 2014.

That's far too long to go without seeing friends-who-are-family.

I took this photo to make sure he'll recognize me, with the smiling-moustache mask I changed into while in the Dallas airport.

I'm also wearing the t-shirt I'd bought in the Oakland airport, on my first visit to them, back in February of 2008.

Speaking of Dallas, I had a nice, three-hour, stretch there.

Originally, it was to be almost two hours, giving me a good break to get a bit of dinner - necessary, as Southwest didn't provide meals.

After a big bowl of tofu, beans, and rice from Moe's, I walked about and stumbled upon this Lil Love's Lounge.

Very nice, with fun graphics on the wall and a soft floor!

And what did I do to keep occupied?

I played sudoku, naturally, with the game book I'd purchased at the dollar store a few months ago.

The first two were done in Savannah, one before boarding, the other as the plane taxied.

The other four were during the 3-hour, 30-minute flight between Texas and California.

Not that puzzles were all I did... but they were certainly the most calming.

After all, they're part of my new groove.

Now, pardon me, but the plane should soon be landing... El Cerrito, here I come!

i thank You, God!

1 year of coronavirus, in graph

At the beginning of April of 2020, finding myself becoming increasingly alarmed at bare, naked, numbers being bandied about in the news and needing some sense of perspective about what those numbers meant, I began graphing, looking for patterns, looking at trends.

I initially was doing so for just four states, interested in watching for a spike in April after the Easter/Passover holiday. Relieved, there was not one two weeks after that event.

I eventually settled on ten states to monitor on a regular basis, several times weekly, gathering data through the CDC website as well as those states' DPH sites.

At the end of nine months, I posted a review of the presence of COVID-19 in this country.

At that time, there was an alarming rise in the total number of cases of people infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in all ten of the states, with the most horrific being for California, Texas, and Florida.

Now, as I study the years' worth of data I have accumulated, there is a pattern emerging.

Following each steep and sustained rise in number of infections, a plateau appears.

That period of slow, steady growth in numbers occurs for a period of months, then another steep and sustained rise takes over.

That second sharp increase has reached another plateau for most of the states, except for Michigan and Pennsylvania. For those two, the pattern is lagging, with their steep rise occurring while the other states have a relative lull in the action.

June of 2020 was the month of that initial steepening, with it finally ceasing its reach for the stars and starting to level out by the end of August. Well, mostly, with a little variation between the states. CA, TX, and FL have certainly led the charge, whereas MI and PA have dawdled behind a few weeks each time.

So, what is to be made of all of this at this juncture in time?

In three months, we're due for another climb.

That's my forecast.

Hopefully, another 175,000,000 Americans will be fully vaccinated before that.

That's the minimum number still needed to get us to herd immunity.

I've done my part, completing my second dose one week ago.

By this time next week, I can be regarded as fully protected from death by coughing.

Sure, I can still get infected by the coronavirus...

but not so badly that I would need hospitalization and might die.

i thank You, God.

I already know many of my friends and family have been vaccinated with at least the first dose of the two-shot series of either Pfizer or Moderna, being able to mark them safe soon from death by coughing.

i thank You, God.

Soon, I hope to be able to count all I know as fully vaccinated.

What a wonder that will be!

Soon, I hope.

feeling blessed...and safer, thanks to science

On Tuesday, I received the second shot of the Pfizer vaccine.

So far, so good!

Then again, I am a scientist, so I knew how to minimize any reactions.

 

First, I increased my protein intake for two days prior to the shot in the arm.

I wanted to make sure my amino acid pool was full!

After all, it's difficult to build antibody proteins if the pool level is low.

I knew that those proteins, and others, would need to be constructed if I were to rendered safe from severe COVID infection.

The vaccine to prevent death by coughing contains messenger-ribonucleic acid, mRNA; I know that molecule to contain a recipe to build a specific protein.

(Hooray for 24 years of teaching biochemistry!

There are two other types of ribonucleic acid, rRNA and tRNA, but they do not contain recipes for building proteins.

The tRNA transports the individual amino acids to the protein-building site in the cell.

The rRNA is the key that turns on the protein-building site in the cell.)

This particular mRNA molecule is encoded to build the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the part of that beast that is able to delve into human cells and lead to massive infection, eventually leading to death by coughing (i.e., COVID).

(It is important to note that the structure of that spike protein has been known since February 2020. Knowing that primary structure, which is the order of the amino acids in the entire spike protein molecule, was the start of developing a vaccine to fight the coronavirus.

In a manner akin to having a fancy dish at a restaurant and recreating that meal at home, it is first necessary to know the ingredients of the dish (which amino acids).

Then, as any good chef will attest, the order in which those ingredients are combined makes the difference between a good meal and a fabulous meal.

That's how a recipe is developed, in accordance to the order of combining ingredients.

The mRNA molecule is that recipe, formed by first listing the order of the amino acids needed, then referring to the Genetic Code table for the order of nucleotides required to make that recipe a reality.

The magic of this vaccine, as well as the one developed by Moderna, is that it contains this mRNA, to build that protein, without the rest of the coronavirus being present.

This incredible bit of mRNA acts as a master chef in the kitchen of our cells, cooking up that spike protein and then releasing it into our bloodstream.

Bwah ha ha!
That's when our immune response kicks in.

Recognizing that the protein is not a usual resident in our body, our immune system reacts to the stranger-danger (antigen), tagging and bagging it with an antibody and thereby denying it entry to our cells.

Hooray for lymphocytes!

Specifically, hooray for B cells!

Hooray for the decades of science research that enabled the development of these two vaccines!

The 1950's provided the double-helix structure of deoxyribonucleic acid, more commonly known as DNA.

The structure of mRNA molecules became known in the 1960's, as well as the correlation between that structure and the order of amino acids in the proteins constructed.

(Bear in mind that each mRNA serves as the 'recipe' for one specific protein. Thus many mRNA molecules are required to build all the proteins (hemoglobin, progesterone, collagen, insulin, immunoglobulin, lactase, myosin, etc.) needed by the body. All mRNA molecules required are built from DNA during transcription, so that means DNA can be thought of as the master cookbook with all the recipes.)

Genetic engineering came along in the 1970's, with the development of the first recombinant DNA molecule, and truly served as the basis for the vaccines used to combat the current coronavirus and its variants.

That work led to research in the late 1980's on the DNA in simple life forms, such as bacteria, with the first insight into clustered, regularly interspaced, short, pallindromic repeats (now called CRISPR) which arose as an immune response toward an invading phage.

(Nice to know invaders don't just go after us higher forms of life, isn't it?)

In the 1990's that work then led into genome editing, which, simply stated, involves the changing of DNA by insertion or removal of portions of it.

Enter Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, the winners of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, based on their 2012 work with genome editing using CRISPR, those DNA bits found in the 1980's in bacteria. They developed a gene-editing tool that has allowed scientists around the world to better resolve genetic mysteries.

Perhaps, one day, cures for each type of cancer can be developed using this methodology!

For now, we have these new vaccines to fight the pandemic which has held the world hostage for well over a year.

Hallelujah!

So... even though these mRNA-enhanced vaccines appeared as if the research had been rushed, in truth the research had been building for decades.

The real trick had been ramping up for mass production of the vaccines.

That feat was accomplished by throwing money at the issue, lots and lots of federal funds for the production and distribution of the vaccines, free of cost, to every red-blooded citizen of the United States that was willing to roll up their sleeve.

Hallelujah!

 

Second, I made sure I was well-rested before the vaccine, and have continued to allow my body to have plenty of sleep.

Why have I done so?

While I sleep is when the body makes all of these proteins that are required to keep me functioning, and now it had new recipes to include.

 

So, more protein and sleep before the shot, more protein and sleep afterward.

The day of the shot I had soreness in my arm near the injection shot, but it wasn't bad.

The shot itself was given in such a tiny needle that I hardly even felt it - truly, I have had mosquito bites that hurt worse!

The day afterward, my arm was tender near the injection area, but only if I touched it.

The shingles shot was much more painful, and red and hot, for almost a week.

Now, three days in, I barely register any pain for this anti-COVID vaccine.

Hallelujah!

Off I go soon to the movies - it's finally Friday!

Even better, there are new movies to be seen!!!

Tonight it'll be Michelle Pfeiffer in "French Exit", about a woman moving off to Paris to finish out her life... tre bien!

Tomorrow, I'm looking forward to "Godzilla vs Kong" and I'm doing it the way it was meant to be: larger than life and rocking the chair in the BigD way!

What about Sunday's movie, to round out my A*List trio at the AMC?

I guess we'll have to wait and see!

It's good to have choices!

Hallelujah!

put on yer easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it

... but forget about any parades.

Seriously.

We're still in a pandemic and, as slowly as vaccinations are occurring, we're likely to stay in pandemic mode for months yet.

Sure, the President is excited that more than 150 million doses of vaccine have gone into arms, and so am I.

But, doing the math, that means, at most, 75 million Americans are fully vaccinated.

At most.

Doing the math, that means, at most, 22% of the USA's population are fully vaccinated.

At most.

More people need to step up and get the vaccine.

Now, folks can even drive up at a mass vaccination center and don't even have to get out of their car or truck or SUV.

More people need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk, of being an American citizen fully invested in making this country better.

It isn't like folks are being asked to roll up their sleeve and donate blood; just roll it up and get a quick little jab from a very tiny needle.

Let's work together to stop the deaths from COVID.

Please.

Okay, how about some graphs to encourage people who are floundering or waffling or just plain being a baby about needles?

(By the way, thousands of people with diabetes use needles daily - daily! - to monitor their glucose levels or administer insulin.)

This graph has the total number of COVID-infected people since the start of the pandemic, concentrating on the first three months of this brand-new year.

As can be seen here, three of the ten states I monitor already had more than a million cases when 2021 dawned. 

In fact, on January 1st, sunny California began the year with more than 2.5 million people who had been infected by SARS-CoV-2 and developed COVID. Now, at the end of this third month, that West Coast state has added another cool million to that sum. That's an additional 1,000,000 cases of infection in not quite 90 days.

How appalling.

Texas and Florida both started out with around 1.5 million infected citizens of their respective states.

Texas has added one million more since then; Florida, thankfully, has not added quite a million, lagging behind by about a quarter-million.

Good for Florida.

Pennsylvania, Georgia, Tennessee, and Michigan each began their 2021 with more than 500,000 cases of people infected by the coronavirus.

Of the four, Pennsylvania is the only one that has doubled its number.

That would be another half-million in less than 90 days.

Georgia and Tennessee have kept close company with their numbers, as if one of them is serving as the pacer for the other in this mad race.

I expect both to pass the million-people mark fairly shortly, with Michigan close behind.

That leaves Alabama, Louisiana, and Oklahoma all at the bottom, all starting just below the half-million, all just above it now.

All total, for these ten states, 2021 began with about nine million people who had been infected; now, that sum is at least twelve million.

For only ten states.

Mind, that's with no major holidays or even nice weather in many of those states.

Now, spring has sprung and Easter and Passover are here.

People are flocking to airports, restrictions are being lifted, and the general mood is one of gaiety and mirth!

Are we to infer that life can return to 'normal'?

Are there no new clouds of cases threatening rain on egg hunts and backyard parties and religious gatherings?

Let's take a look at where not to travel.

How are these ten doing with their cases per 100,000 population?

Well, honestly, like in the above graph, this one shows the order of the states to be the same from January 4th to March 29th, the end dates on which I gathered the data.

Tennessee leads all: it had 9 people infected out of 1000; now, it has 12 people infected out of every 1000.

That 30% increase is seen for all ten over this almost 90-day period.

Ranking them from most dangerous to visit to least, that would be Tennessee, Oklahoma, Alabama, then, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and California, with Pennsylvania and Michigan at the bottom, having at most 8 people of every 1000 having been infected.

So far, the graphs have looked at overall numbers, which include those since all of this began here in the States, with the influence of new cases accumulated.

But what about those new cases?

Well, here are the 7-day totals of new infections, since January 4th of this year up to yesterday, for seven of my ten states.

(I chose not to show California, Texas, and Florida because their values for the first six weeks were so far above the others that no meaning could have been discerned.)

I would like to say that have a clearly marked decreasing trend in numbers of new cases, I would very much like to say that.
However, I cannot say any such thing because something is obviously amiss in Michigan and Pennsylvania for the last three weeks.

At the start of 2021, Georgia had almost 70,000 new cases per week ; now, that number has dropped to around 10,000 new cases per week.

At the start of 2021, Georgia had the most new cases, followed by Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Alabama, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Michigan, with those latter four hovering around between 30,000 and 25,000 new cases per week.

Almost 90 days later, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Louisiana are all at 10,000 new cases or less per week.

Pennsylvania, however, is up to 25,000 new cases per week!

Michigan is even worse, at more than 30,000 new cases per week!

I asked my ex and he spoke of sports games causing their rise in numbers.

What craziness.

So, what are my holiday travel plans?

Zero, zip, zilch.

I'll be staying in town this coming weekend and minding my 3 w's.

I'm going to the Savannah VA Center shortly for my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, then I'm going to treat myself to a lunch I don't have to cook.

I look forward to being able to dine with fully vaccinated friends and family by the end of April; by that time, my body will have had the two to four weeks required to generate the antibodies needed to protect me from death by coughing, i.e., development of severe COVID if I should become infected by the coronavirus.

Hence, my continued attention to the 3 w's.

(smile)

Oh, for those wondering about some data points being missing for the past few weeks, do not fret that I have been ill and unable to obtain data.

I have decided to only collect data on Mondays henceforth.

I had been collecting on Mondays and Thursdays, but once weekly is all I can abide to look at these numbers.

Truly.

And now, time to head off for my appointment!

10 percent done, just 60 percent to go

I realize that I have been holding my breath, figuratively, for almost a year, in fear of hearing that a loved one has developed COVID, in fear that they might die.

That is no way to live, but my mind is stuck on that scenario playing out.

Now, I breathe a sigh of relief every time I find out someone I know has received the vaccine...

then I find out they think they've received a virus-killing cloak that will shield them and make them impervious to harm.

Sigh.

They're ready to go paint the town red, hoping from bar to bar!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, y'all!!!

It doesn't help that the looney toons that run the new Plant Riverside District are planning a big party, hoping for beer-guzzling guests galore, whether local or not, come one, come all and let's have a good ol' fashioned superspreader event!

It's not even like the numbers of new infections has gotten to zero.

Not hardly.

I caught the news yesterday and here's the scary sight that awaited.

Almost 1500 new cases per day for seven of the last ten days.

And yet, folks are ready to take a break from the pandemic, put on some green beaded necklaces and a shamrock pin and pretend it's 2019 again.

Oh, I wish I could...

but backward in time is not the direction allowed in this universe.

We can only move forward, ever forward, in a world still staggering through a pandemic.

Sigh.

Here I wait for my turn to receive one of the three vaccines approved for emergency use by the FDA, sighing in relief every time someone I know steps up and gets their series of shots - more and more often because someone who had an appointment welshed on it, leaving a dose of life-saving vaccine to be thrown out if not placed into a willing arm.

Sigh.

The next thing I know, the newly inoculated one starts making plans to do this and do that and forget about the mask and hey, let's have a big party!

Honestly, do these vaccines not come with reading material so the one with the shot in the arm has a clue what it means for them?

Either no reading matter is given or no time is taken to read it.

Almost unanimously, the inoculated one believes the vaccine kills the coronavirus.

Sigh.

So, I explain as Dr. Fauci did at the Town Hall Zoom last week that the vaccine prevents the person from developing COVID - COronaVirus Infectious Disease - if they become infected by the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus.

Period.

That's the whole point of the vaccine: to keep the inoculated one from developing the life-threatening disease.

Period.

The vaccine does NOT kill the virus, nor does it keep the inoculated person from spreading the virus to people who have not yet had the vaccine.

The vaccine keeps the inoculated one from developing the life-threatening disease.

Period.

Moreover, those inoculated need to wait a minimum of 14 days, and preferably 28 days, to allow their body time to build up a good supply of the antibody needed to prevent the disease from occurring. 

That means no carousing with hooligans, doing Jello shots and whatnot, immediately after that second vaccination takes place.

The inoculated one needs to wait at least two weeks - there's that number again - for their body to manufacture what's needed from the instructions in the vaccine molecules.

The inoculated one needs to eat plenty of protein - to give their body plenty of amino acids to build with - as well as get plenty of sleep, as that is when the body is able to build complex molecules without the boy's owner interfering.

Seriously.

Meanwhile, the inoculated one still needs to follow the Three W's: Wear their mask, Watch their distance, Wash their hands.

The CDC has posted new guidelines for those who have been fully vaccinated, guidelines which allow those so inoculated to gather in groups with others who have received the full vaccine series.

To date, the United States has thirty-four million people who fit that description.

That's roughly ten percent of the population.

To reach herd immunity status, at least seventy percent of the population needs to be fully vaccinated.

That means we have another sixty percent of the American population that needs to be rendered immune from COVID.

Roughly, that's another two hundred million people that need to step up for the good of this country and the good of the world to get vaccinated.

I'm ready to do my part...

can I please get an appointment for the vaccine?

looking in the mirror

I might almost believe the pandemic was over, as busy as I have been of late...

almost, but not quite.

That's because all of the events have been via a 15-inch screen, not in person.

Even those events which have been live, like the performance of "Alice In Wonderland" a few weeks ago, have left me feeling as though I were watching television...

but with people I know on the screen.

Since then, I've deliberately scheduled more zoom events, hoping to acclimate my mind to this facsimile of reality, as the pandemic will be persisting longer than hoped by many.

I'd like to be proved wrong on this, I really would.

Sigh.

C'mon, folks, get the vaccines when they become available for your age group!

Even then, continue to practice the three W's, bearing in mind that vaccinating 70% of the population of the USA is going to take most of the year, as it all has to be done one person at a time, one dose at a time... and then has to be repeated for each person.

So, for 328,000,000 people, that means there will have to be 656,000,000 vaccinations, with each person taking up roughly 15 minutes per visit... so, for 70% of the total to be made safe by the vaccine, that will require 15 minutes X 459,200,000 visits, for a total of 6,888,000,000 minutes. 

Don't like the look of that number?

Okay, let's make it hours, so that would be: 114,800,000 hours.

Now, let's say the vaccination visits are being scheduled for 12 hours per day, that means the process would take 9,567,000 days to accomplish, if only one place was doing the shots.

Fortunately, there are many more places that are doing so.

However, to get the necessary herd immunity benefit going in our favor by June - and to prevent the massive increase in infections seen last year - just how many places would need to be dishing out anti-COVID shots?

Well, including tomorrow, we have 98 days until June 1st.

That means the United States of America would require 97,623 locations to be distributing the vaccines into arms, 12 hours per day, weekends included.

Now, what if each site had three people administering the shots, working those 12-hour shifts, how many vaccination locations would be required?

Well, then we're down to 32,541.

Of course, all of that would depend on the manufacturers of the vaccines keeping up with production in order to keep those sites fully supplied.

It would also depend on the people with appointments arriving timely and departing just as timely so the next people can get in.

Even so, each center, with three people administering shots, every 15 minutes, for 12 hours per day, would only be able to vaccinate 144 people per day...

and that's hustling, keeping a steady flow of people in and out...

with the manufacturers producing 4,685,904 doses per day....

and getting them distributed to those 32,451 vaccination sites.

It is truly a logistical nightmare.

That's why I know, as a scientist and analytical chemist, that the pandemic will be persisting through the summer months and into the fall.

The numbers bear that out. 

Please, someone, prove me wrong.

I'm not saying that vaccinating people is not a good thing...

because it truly is a most wondrous thing...

but, it is a slow process when there are so many people.

Patience is still needed before life can ramp back up again -

before concerts, theatres, and sporting events can have live audiences again -

before bars, gyms, salons, and restaurants can be full and profitable again -

before students can have teachers close enough to touch again...

patience.

So, I continue interactions with others via Zoom and Vimeo and YouTube and facebook.

Patience.

That's not particularly a trait I am known for possessing...

but, I am trying to acquire more of it.

Sigh.

the 3 double yous

I guess the good thing about cold weather that people can see their breath... 

as well as see the breath of anyone who talks to them...

and see how far that hot, germ-laden, breath travels into someone else's space.

Terrifying, isn't it?

WEAR YOUR MASK.

Seriously.

 

WATCH YOUR DISTANCE.

 

That's a safe course of action, too.

 

 WASH YOUR HANDS.

 

 It's that easy to keep those you love healthy.

263

That's how many lives in Savannah, Georgia, have been lost to COVID since the first person in the USA was diagnosed as infected by SARS-CoV-2 on January 21, 2020.

I have known two of those people, one from my extended family (Lee MacEwen), one from my classmates at Jenkins High (Janice Hammock Johnson).

In addition, I have known three people who were infected but recovered.

Now that the Moderna vaccine is available here, I know one person - Cathy MacGowan, a fellow professor - who has been fortunate enough to snag a shot when someone else canceled at the last minute.

The most surprising thing, to me, is that I have not known more people in those three categories, especially as rampant as the disease has been in the Peach State.

That dark blue line with the squares? That's the number of new cases per week for Georgia, seen here rising to greater heights than during the November election. That's because of the Senate run-off election, in which more people voted than had in the General Election.

Yes, that's right: more people voted for the two Senate seats than had for the President.

Because of that bit of lunacy, Georgia has had more than sixty thousand new cases per week for three weeks now. 

Yes, I said Georgia.

I would expect such shenanigans from Texas, the brown lead dog with the triangular spots; they just flat don't follow instructions.

I would even expect those exorbitant numbers from orange-laden Florida, home of theme parks and other tourist draws, during the holidays and regular days.

As for sunny California, I had to omit their data from this graph, else it would have so swamped out the numbers that nothing useful could have been discerned.

But, such ridiculous values from Georgia?

Then again, given the R-rated, ultraviolent, political ads during family and children's Christmas programs, I guess it was to be expected that the voters would turn out in droves, driven from their homes by the threat of being thought un-American if they did not go to the polls.

At least Michigan's dark green triangles and Tennessee's dark blue circles are both shifting in a continuous downward direction.

Surely Georgia will follow their lead, soon.

Mask up, y'all.

Wash your hands well and often.

Keep your alligators patrolling your perimeter.

We can do this, together.

Tonight, I will be participating in the honoring of those who have died from COVID.

I'll be standing on my porch, light on at 5:30 PM, ringing every bell I own.

I already have them at the door, waiting to be sounded.

Now, though, I need to do laundry, then go to the grocery store.

Chores still need to be done, maintaining the groove, pandemic or not.

In a way, that's reassuring.