Big Blue Huddle

Quote from: MightyGiants on July 12, 2020, 04:14:37 PM
Please tell me that the FL governor has at least mandated the use of masks and rolled back dangerous indoor activities like eating out, movies, gyms, and bars


Stay safe my friends

Not that I am aware of.  I do know the local mayor of Jacksonville, City of Fernandina and County of Nassau have all mandated masks indoors and when you can not be at least 6 feet apart until 30 July.

I do not believe Bars, Gyms and Theaters are closed, but many of the dining establishments are still going - and have stayed - carry out or delivery only.  There is only one, that I am aware of, that has indoor dining and they have many tables with chairs on them for distancing.

And the governor wants schools open 5 days a week.  We had a great plan where schools would be split shifts and if parents wanted 50% or more virtual learning, it would be available.  Now, with the governor's statement, that threw a wrench into everything.

I saw some southern counties basically say screw that, we're doing what's best for our students and staff. . . .I wonder if other counties will follow suit.

Quote from: MightyGiants on July 11, 2020, 02:10:43 PM

Jim,

We both had to issue corrections, does that mean we are getting old?   

Considering yesterday was my birthday, I

I stand corrected.  With all that

Quote from: MightyGiants on July 11, 2020, 09:23:04 AM
Sometimes I forget that there are people who let the news networks decide what they will learn about in terms of what is going on.  I mean I listen to news radio getting ready every morning and read a morning paper (while I eat breakfast) for general situational awareness but beyond that, I use online news aggregators to see what is going on and what information is available.   The thought of sitting down and listening to CNN, MSNBC, or FOX "News" is a foreign concept to me because it seems like such an inefficient and poor way to learn what is going on.

I can not tell you when I last watched ANY of these channels. . . I only watch local news, turning it off for world news or nightly news or what ever it's called.  After an hour of local news, I ask myself "WHY" because, depending on the time of the year, it's a total waste of time.  For instance, in the summer and fall - a 30 minute segment might have 10 minutes of weather and 20 minutes of jaguars.  Maybe a minute or two of a shooting.

Lately it is have gloom and doom covid wall to wall, with the exception of maybe 5 minutes of weather now that we are in hurricane season.

Quote from: MightyGiants on July 11, 2020, 09:14:04 AM
Jim,

On the testing, are they testing all comers or only those with symptoms?  Also, I remember you were in law enforcement.  Do you still have that kind of information?  I am curious if the hospitals have had to supplement morgue space with refrigerated trailers as they did in NY and NJ.  I know that treatments have improved since my area got hammered, but I am seeing that you guys are seeing a spike in deaths.

They are testing everyone and anyone who shows up.  They have even opened up three new testing areas in Eastern Jacksonville area.  They now have a total of 6 or 7 testing areas Jacksonville wide.  A coworker sat in line two Sunday's ago for 5 hours just to get tested.

No, I am out of law enforcement and I have not heard anything about needing extra space like NY. . .and trust me, the way the local media hypes and overkill's every single story they think is necessary to overkill, we would have heard something if they were doing it.

I cant speak to Sarasota county, but I am thankful that the restaurants in Nassau county have a conscience.  We have had a few voluntarily report that a worker was tested positive and then voluntarily close down for a week to deep clean and retest the rest of the staff.

Those that are open, have so much plastic around the workers that you feel like you are walking into a "clean room" and I can only think of one that is open (or was two weeks ago - we haven't been back yet, maybe today) for indoor seating with major spacing between tables.  Very few have outdoor seating and the rest are take out only.

Nassau and Duval counties have a lot of testing going on and there are probably 60% (or less) positive in results.  I know this because my wife works for the Director of Chronic Diseases for the Florida Department of Health in Duval and is the one who is processing ALL the test results that come in.  And trust me - they are coming in in droves.  She comes home brain fried each day.  She gets anywhere from 80 - 120 test result reports, each upwards of 100 pages.  About 20 pages or so are her "normal", what use to be day-to-day work: HIV, Hep, TB etc.  the rest are Covid test results and there are probably 60% (maybe a little less) that are positive.

What we see here, living in "ground zero" is not indicative of what is being reported.  In the department where I work, there are maybe 3 or 4 that have it (out of 218 employees) and not one of them are in the hospital.  The local news is reporting that there are 26% of the hospital beds open and available in the entire state.  Edit: 26% of ICU Beds available state wide

QuoteFor brevity's sake, I get it. I'm old school though... I spell everything out. I'm a Grammar Grump

Me too.  I even go to extremes.  Some of my texts are like War and Peace.  It probably would have been faster and easier to just call the person, but I so hate talking on the phone.

Sunday night, I watched "Please Don't Eat the Daisies". . . I honestly thought I saw it before, but nothing was triggering any memories.  I wasn't born when the movie originally came out, but I had to look at my wife and ask "how did husbands survive in the 50's?" with the way David Niven was treating Doris Day.  All in all, it was a good movie to watch for the acting and conversations.  It was nice to watch a movie with no violence (although Doris Day would have been justified. . . . ) no chases and no CGI.

I think I saw an add for Rooms 2 Go.

But - to get the thread back on track (sorry for derailing it) - I don't watch very many movies, but I did see Megan Leavey.  Really good movie about a "misfit" for lack of a better word who join the Marines and thanks to a punishment, she got involved with the K9 Units. 

The story follows her and her K9 to the sandbox and her struggles afterward.  I was pleasantly surprised I liked the movie.

Another movie I recorded this weekend and need to watch (at least I hope it's the right Movie) is Star Wars - The Force Awakens.  I am not a Star Wars fan, but I recorded this for one reason:  the last seen where the girl finds Luke Skywalker.  I will probably fast forward to that part of the movie.  The only reason I want to see it is because it was filmed in probably the most northern inhabited town in Ireland - Malin Head, County Donegal.  That is the town where my great-grandparents came from when they came to American in 1913.

Thanks for the reminder Jim.  Love Passion.  Might have to find it to watch it after we walk the Stations of the Cross Friday Afternoon.

Havent seen Paul, Apostle of Christ yet, but big fan of Jim Caviezel so I am looking forward to it.  Maybe I'll check out the local theater to see if a) they are showing it and b) can I see it before the Stations.

On a side note but still Good Friday related. . . .when did they start marketing it as "Spring Black Friday"?  I saw a commercial stating that the other night and it didn't sit well with me.

Hidden Figures is good. 

Weeze - it is almost Easter, that means The Ten Commandments.  Short of when I was out of the country, I don't think I missed watching at least a part of it since I was in elementary school. 

Funny thing: Holy Saturday about 4 years or so ago there was a Pet Expo at an insurance company property here in town.  Wife and I were having lunch at one of our favorite restaurants across the street.  After lunch, we wandered around and ended up coming home with a 3 year old German Shepard.  Poor thing didn't have a name and we spend all afternoon trying to figure out a good name for him.  Wasn't until that night - I was watching The Ten Commandments - when my wife said Moses!  The shep looked up and wagged his tail.  From then on, he is Moses.  The first of two pets named after a character in a show we were watching the night we rescued them. . . .

To touch on Christmas (time) movies that are always playing in our house this time of the year - 5 versions of A Christmas Carol.  I love both the Sims and Scott versions, We throw in the 1938 version for good luck.  My wife loves the Patrick Stewart & Kelsey Grammer versions.

Follow that up with a must in our house: Scrooged with Bill Murray and of course A Wonderful Life.

Other "honorable" mentions that we like to watch are Christmas Vacation, Grinch, and while not technically a Christmas movie, it does take place around Christmas time - Better off Dead (I usually watch that one alone or with the boy when he is home. But all know "I want my two dollars!)

I was floored the other night when we watched the Sims (1951? version) - On the info for the movie, under cast and crew, it listed the "Undertaker" being born in 1879.  Granted, the movie came out 66? years ago, and most of them have long since passed on, but sitting here in 2017 watching an individual that was born in 1879 just blew my mind.  I didnt have the heart to look at the birthdates of the actors from the 1938 movie.

Jim

The book you are thinking of is Salem's Lot.  That is the first Stephen King Book that I have read (I have read all of them up to the Dark Tower Series).

Thanks Lenn - I wanted to see it, but have been let down with most of the Book-to-Movie translations of King Books.