This is my ramble about various topics. You will see them listed in reverse order that I write them so that the newest entries are on top.
NOTE: These are whatever I feel like writing. The content frequently expresses my own opinions and nothing should be considered an absolute fact. It's up to YOU to verify the validity of any thing said here.
Note also that I won't intentionally lie to you. I will always give this my best effort to be factual. If you have any questions about anything here drop me an email at:
- I am NOT looking for rants, critiques, or corrections. You can expect me to ignore any of these.
openSUSE Server Finished - Mar 2, 2022
I chased down the last thing I wanted to set up on the server - spam and virus scanning for incoming email. It was NOT easy to find good instructions but I did find some very comprehensive instructions that included everything I needed.
If you're looking at this post you are using the new server.
That's all for now ...
Back to Daily Walking - Feb 22, 2022
I did finally start back at the Natatorium this past Monday.
I didn't make my full 2 mile walk going back but I did make 1-1/2 miles so not too bad. It wasn't because I couldn't have done the walking, it was because my back told me it wasn't going to put up with it. Need to remember to do the back stretches at home BEFORE walking.
Coming out of hibernation soon - Feb 9, 2022
As quickly as it ramped up, the Omicron variant is ramping down. I expect to be going back to walking at the Natatorium next week sometime - maybe even Monday. It will depend on case rates falling at the rate I expect.
New (still used) Server - Feb 9, 2022
About a week and a half ago I finally got all of the pieces working on the 'new' server. You probably didn't notice - and that's the way it should be.
The new server is running OPENSuse Linux and is doing pretty much the same things the old one was doing. The good thing is that this will hopefully be the last time I have to start from scratch with a new server. OPENSuse comes in a few variants and I'm using the 'Tumbleweed' one that lets me roll with the release upgrades. Supposedly I'll be able to keep current without starting from scratch every time I want to upgrade.
Going Into Hibernation Mode - Dec 29, 2021
With the omicron variant of COVID-19 taking over and the Ohio confirmed case 7 day average approaching (and now exceeding) 10,000 per day I have decided to stop the daily walking sessions. I'm also limiting the shopping days (one or two) and doing them earlier in the day.
If this goes on as predicted I should be back to 'normal' by the end of January.
Walking at the Nat - Dec 20, 2021
Since April I've been walking at the Natatorium 5 or 6 days a week. My goal is 2 miles - 16 laps. I don't always make that much but most of the time I do.
When I started out I was doing around 3 minutes even per lap. After a month or so I was averaging 2:40 per lap for the next few months. Once in a while I'd get a lap or two doing little faster time.
Two weeks ago, for some reason, I started getting faster times and towards the end of the week I was at or under 2:30. That turned out to be not such a good idea though because last week I was struggling to get 8 laps in - and at a much slower time. I quickly realized that I had exceeded my limits and had over stressed some muscles that would require some time to recover. Things got better through the week.
This week is looking good. I'm keeping the speed down (around 2:50) and almost made it to 16 laps today.
Somebody Was Listening or Was I Lucky? - Dec 5, 2021
The Natatorium is now back to the normal background music. Maybe it's just luck but I'll take it either way.
One Last COVID-19 Post - Dec 1, 2021
This will be my last post about COVID-19 until there is some significant good news on the topic.
There are three classes of people on the COVID-19 front:
You've already got your vaccine (or really plan on doing it soon).
You're on the fence about getting the vaccine for whatever reason.
You're NEVER going to get a vaccine no matter what.
I'm not going to try to change anybody's mind who is in category #3. By now you have set yourself up in that category and are likely firmly entrenched there.
It's the people in category #2 that I want to speak to.
There are several solid sources of information out there. You have probably already read some of them. You may have also read some UNRELIABLE sources too. It's a matter of knowing which sources to trust.
Sources I Trust
Dr. John Campbell (on YouTube)
MedCram (on YouTube)
There are others of course but these are my go-to sources for information.
Sources I DO NOT Trust (to varying degrees)
Facebook (I don't really use it anyway).
Any other Social Media outlet.
Most news media sources (because the sometimes get it wrong and tend to sensationalize the content).
Politicians (mostly - they usually have their own agenda).
Thank You to:
The scientists who have been working hard to find the truth.
The health care workers who put up with this all and are still hard at work.
The front line workers who are there to help provide for all of our needs under very stressful situations.
Even the vaccine makers - even though they're at least partly in it for the money.
A Pre-New Year's Resolution - Dec 1, 2021
I promise to update more frequently.
Most days I get a 1-2 mile walk in for exercise. Right after Thanksgiving they started playing Christmas Music. Now, I like Christmas Music but NOT the same ones I heard for the last 40 years or so. My response is to turn off my hearing aids. This doesn't completely block them out but it helps. Maybe I'll try a set of headphones with my own music mix.
Winter is upon us and I'm ready for SPRING - or at least warmer weather. Alas, we're probably stuck with winter for another 3 months.
Booster Shots - Oct 23, 2021
If you haven't already gotten your vaccination for Covid-19 then you can skip the reset of this post - unless you are planning on doing so SOON.
I've got mine, how about you?
Now that all three vaccines (in the US) are approved for booster use and mix/match is also allowed which booster should you get?
Note: This is MY opinion based on what I believe to be factual information. Do your own research and/or consult with your doctor.
If you had Johnson & Johnson - You SHOULD pick either Moderna or Pfizer for your booster. Moderna seems to do the best job.
If you had Pfizer or Moderna - Probably best to stick with what you already had. I haven't seen anything saying mixing in this case makes a significant difference.
There are 'rules' for when and who can get the booster. Do your research to be sure what the current situation is.
Will the booster keep you from getting Covid-19? Maybe. That's because of how ALL vaccinations work. A vaccination effectively gives your body a heads up on how to fight the targeted infection. It does this in two ways:
It stimulates your body to produce antibodies for the infection. These work quickest against the infection and can get your body to make more antibodies if you are infected. They do 'fade away' over time and how long that is varies.
It stimulates your body to produce T-cells. These work like an instruction manual telling your body how to fight the infection. The T-cells, when activated, will stimulate the production of antibodies and trigger other immune system responses to fight the infection. T-cells are longer lived - generally for several years. The actual life varies. For the Covid-19 vaccine we just don't know how long they will last yet. Time will tell.
So you may still get the virus but your immune system will be ready to fight it off once you are vaccinated. All of the studies I've seen say that even if you do get an infection it will be less severe and the likelihood of hospitalization (and worse) are greatly reduced.
The vaccine only HELPS your body's immune system do it's job better. Don't forget to keep your immune system well stocked with the things it needs to do it's job - Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Zinc. They're all pretty inexpensive supplements and giving your body a little boost won't hurt.