2021 - Fresh crap...

[bill_bly_ca]

It looks like the old addage of more funerals than weddings as you pass 50.

My boss last month.

Tony (Or we all called him Igor) Tony was a long time employee of Uniroyal when tires were the big industry in town. Tony arrived soon after WWII to the great white north from Hungary - Wore his Hunky badge proudly. Tony was just getting into CB radio when I met him in '94. He had a Cobra 2000 base station (A REAL impressive CB) and needed the somewhat limited functionality channel chip changed. I was really impresses as I had never worked on a 2000 before. We met face to face maybe 20 or 30 times over the next almost 30 yrs. He developed a lung capacity issue and died just after Xmas.

Peter - Peter was a fellow tech at DALSA for 5 years before being struck with Colon cancer - He was off on long term disability untill finally sucumming to the desiese @ 65 this past Sept.

Mary Anne - Marry Anne was a member of our Lions club and knew her for almost 20 yrs. Always the trooper doing the bingo drop off and pick up. Brain Tumor - Passed away this spring - We got her memorial tree in the national Lions Memorial forest out side of town here. 10's of thousands of trees there. Mary anne's cousin Wendy - Who was a club member for about 15 yrs - Died the year previous.

You know we all die, but it seems that if you make it past 50 you KNOW you will die...


Toss in Vicente and Betty White and well you know...


The 3rd shot for below 70's up here is a 1/2 dose and I can tell you I do feel a bet groggy after suiting up for team Maderna. Hopefully it just fades away through the day.

I just was sent out for Nacatomal - Picked up 3 from Jenny and Luis. Jenny was going to walk them over but Chilo could tell over the phone that they had the sniffles so I just drove buy with an open window pick up.

I am not going to have an Nacatomal as Chilo has a couple whole fish she is going to fry up - They look real good as she cleans them now. The label says they are sea bass.

Key West - Your rant on teachers Unions - We have a really powerful union here in Ontario. Teachers make really good (as in 75K and up) and retire at 55 and then supply teach until they are 65 - The union has a huge influence on the politics of the province. They make too much, work far too little BUT - The quality of the instructions is pretty good. Kids leave the Ontario system as fairly literate, mostly competent and somewhat good little beginning citizens. How much is too much to pay for a competent citizenry ?? I say we pay far to much but in contrast I would say the US pays far to little and it shows.

[KeyWestPirate]

Key West - Your rant on teachers Unions - We have a really powerful union here in Ontario. Teachers make really good (as in 75K and up) and retire at 55 and then supply teach until they are 65 - The union has a huge influence on the politics of the province. They make too much, work far too little BUT - The quality of the instructions is pretty good. Kids leave the Ontario system as fairly literate, mostly competent and somewhat good little beginning citizens. How much is too much to pay for a competent citizenry ?? I say we pay far to much nut in contrast I would say the US pays far to little and it shows.


Not the pay, it's the progressive takeover of the unions in the US.
Granted,, teachers are going to be liberals,, comes with the job, nothing wrong with that.

I used to be a JFK liberal,, although JFK would be considered a conservative now.

Teachers unions are huge cash cows for the democrats.
And much of that cash seems to have a progressive, or even Marxist, slant.

Somehow,, I suspect that there is a bigger middle in Canada,, and less fringe.
More room for honest debate around a position. Less yelling. More talking.

Coming into 2022, it's the moderate democrats who are threatened.
As well as moderate republicans. The fringes will survive and prosper.

So we wind up more polarized than ever.
That is not the majority of the electorate.

Rodney King's plea,,
"Can't we all just get along"
sounds more impossible every election cycle.

We don't get much "Canadian" in the US.
Even the BBC World News seems to ignore Canada.

Maybe it's less contentious, and more civil up there ?
Doesn't make for Breaking News but probably for a more tranquil life.

[bill_bly_ca]

So - Did I (we?) get hit with the Rona - Don't know - Can't really know - All of the test kits are allocated and PCR test sites full to people more afflicted than we are.

I had a co worker from the cube next to me test positive. That test was Tuesday evening. Thursday night I had congestion and some BCGBs (Big Chunky Grossly Bits) along with some grogginess.

Chilo had a sore throat and is a bit groggy with the odd dry cough.

In Chilo's work place there was a clear out of an associated building to the company (Not the production building, the engineering building) Wed at noon.

So one of us caught it in either or both places.

Now is it really Rona - Who knows. All of the rapid tests in the area were distributed to schools last week and it is almost impossible to beg one for probably the next 2 or 3 days.

My work ordered 1,000 tests and they should be in next Mon or Tues so I should be able to snag a couple of those to be sure.

I have to have no symptoms for 24 hours before I can go back. If this Was Jan 14 2020 I just would have sucked it up and gone to work <shrug>

One Cough elixir up here tastes like swill but it works, works real good. Chilo had never tried it before and I gave her a spoon - She cussed and did not talk to me for an hour.

[KeyWestPirate]

" . odd dry cough . ."

is one of the symptoms.
Omicron may be different.

I had a fever,, short lived,, dry, barking cough,, non productive.
Sore throat but only a day. Splitting headache,, briefly.

The longest and worst was the muscle aches, and of course,, the fatigue.
It never got into my lungs,, maybe I was lucky,, maybe the prophylactic azithromycin helped me.

Loss of taste and smell,, but it's something you don't notice because the other symptoms predominate.

But you are vaccinated,, so everything should be milder and less intense.


I picked up a Moderna booster this morning.
No reaction so far,, not even a sore arm, but I got nothing from the J&J either

The Novavax due out next month might be a game changer.
The efficacy is higher, and it's a more "conventional" vaccine.

As a side note,, Patrick Rodriguez (Cowboy) is still in the hospital.
He's been sick since before the end of year.
I talked to him today,, and he still sounds shaky.
But he was coherent and articulate.

[bill_bly_ca]

Well we managed to finagle 2 antigen tests

Chilo Negative - Nare a shadow of a second line.

Me - Positive but it took 12 min for line two to come into view.

My daughter who tested positive last week said it was Bam - Both lines for her - Mind you that was 3 days after she started noticing symptoms.

I took my test about 36 hours after my first recollection of something being up

We have one more test and I guess I will hold that for maybe Tuesday night

Still no loss of taste, no fever- Only sniffles and some upper raspatory BCGBs

As per the rules I can not return to the office until Friday and that is only if all symptoms are gone by Thursday

[KeyWestPirate]

So,, the vaccines do blunt the worst of the infection.

Patrick, unvaccinated,, was as sick as a dog for two weeks.
He is still in the hospital. And short of breath.

That's good news. I was looking at a list of known variants today. It's a long list.
Most were no consequence variations.


Your daughter's response might be the result of a younger, more robust immune system.
Or,, a heavier viral load.

But, look at the plus: The US is requiring a one day before travel test,,
>>>>>> BUT if you have been infected,, they will accept an antibody test for 90 days from date of test.

I don't know about The Great North, where they constantly talk about boots,, but here an antibody test is only $38
So getting back is more relaxed.

Going south,, you will still have to present results of a PCR test taken within three days to the MGAuans on arrival.

There are no testing requirements for land borders or seaports,, coming back into the US.

Some information on various US embassy sites has not been updated,, but it's been one day since Dec 31, 2021

CA remains either an antigen test or proof of complete vaccination.

Mexico continues to have no testing requirements.

These are the latest CR requirements (or better, lack of requirements).
Cruise ship passengers are required to be vaccinated.
https://ticotimes.net/2021/11/01/cos...-november-2021

Anyway you arrive, You will still need a PCR test within 3 days to enter Nicaragua.

[bill_bly_ca]

So we started poking around for travel from either San Jose or Liberia to Masaya on Ticabis and Nicabus. I got both of their Whatsapp info set up on chilo's phone. While Chilo called the first I mentioned "Just talk to them like you an older lady who does not know how to use the internet if they say to use the web" I then realized how true that was

So far texting with Nicabus (It looks like the number I found is Whatsapp text only) they say it is 4000 colonies for the ride and a 6000 colonies sir charge for the border.

We have 240,000 Aeroplan points and currently it looks like 40,000 points per person and $120 fee. We will probably spend a day in Tico land to get the tests.

So far the plan would be probably first week March to first week April, leaving before Samna Santa - But may finagle in the holy week if the tickets do not get stupid expensive.


Between now and then we have to work out the roof height of the 2nd floor - Single slant going from lets say 14 or 16 foot down to 9 or 10 foot at the other end, or an A type truss with 16' athe the peak and 9 or 10 foot at the sides.


The Chia is working really well - I am up to 0.17 chia earned in the pool but then a surprise 0.25 Chia that showed up in my wallet. If your farm is the winner of a block you get 0.25 of the won block with the pool getting the 1.75 of the block (coin) to be distributed to the block.

That won block is kinda like a lottery more than certainty. You get presented with block challenges at a rate of 250 to 300 a day - The PC process the challenges to your farm (the plots) and if the challenges are successfully processed, but not winning, before the clock runs out (about 40 seconds) you get a "point". If you process a challenge but the result takes to long you get a "too late". The amount of points at the end of each day (as per GMT) grants you a part of a block/coin. And nothing for the too lates. You can tell how good your farm is working by the amount of too lates vs points - I am typically getting mid 80 to mid 90's and rewards close to 50 cents a day.

I bought another 6TB drive for the plots - Now about 26TB of hard drives total - Which has yielded about $45 in 7 months. This trend _should continue_ to something like $35-40 per month when I hit maybe 50TB of drives. From that point on I will probably stop making new plots and just let it chug along at 1 or 2 bucks a day with the odd $25 prize dropping from the sky.

The latest family tempest in a tea pot seems to be Father in Laws grave in Managua. Chilo has paid the fees, and holds the papers/title to the plot but astringed sister in law is interested in it now and has been pestering siblings who still have contact with Chilo for the papers. This is the same sister who somehow managed to finagle MIL Rosa's burial plot title up here and have her husband burred on the plot - Especially disturbing to the remaining family members as they hated the wife beating dead beat SOB..

[el duende grande]

Omicron is blowing thru US faster than expected, CR the same. I may be traveling in March. CR and AZ should be cleared up. But of course nobody is predicting what comes next. It will get here when it gets here. Viruses are pesky critters.

Worldometer still has Nic pegged for later will hospital use (which I think is a better indicator than daily cases) skyrocketing from March 10 to end of April. And I can't imagine samana santa helping the situation. Looks like it is 10-16 April this year.

4 relatives in AZ got the bug with mild simptoms. The kicker with omicron will be whether it gives good immunity to itself and other variants.

[bill_bly_ca]

Well that was one heck of a Morning.

Coworker holding up the wall about 10' from his desk called out for help - Clutching his chest - I got him to his chair - Yelled to another to Call 911 - Called to another co-worker to attend to him as I called the First aid fellow, called reception to get the responsible person to the building - ran to get the AED and then awaited outside to waive in the ambulance. Then called his Wife to let her know what was up and eventually which hospital he was taken. The good thing as overheard by the EMTs that the pain is on the incorrect side for a heart attack - But he is on his way to the hospital in the region that is the heart and stroke specialty center.

He is just 3 yrs younger than me - Makes ya think...

He _should_ be OK - I hope - Just on the job for 6 months and was doing a yeoman's job - Top notch


We have a bunch of Truckers heading to Ottawa - Some from out west - Some from out east - Some from around here...

All of them are protesting to Canada's government, to change the US Government's mind, to allow unvaccinated truckers into the US.

Good luck with that

Getting pretty nasty but with over 80% of truckers vaccinated and the National trucking association against the entire hullabaloo, it is more theater than substance.

We have a good 5' of snow either side of the driveway from shoveling and 3' on the front lawn - The Dog is having a hell of a time plowing through it like a freight train - He loves it...

[KeyWestPirate]

"He is just 3 yrs younger than me - Makes ya think..."


We lost Patrick today. I had talked to him last week, helped him get some money to his GF in Palacaguina.
We talked about fifteen minutes, finally broke off when he said that he was out of breath.

He sounded good though. Articulate and lucid.

He went to the hospital on Dec 31,, as I remember.
He was pretty sick,, but it seemed like he was getting better.

He leaves behind (in Nicaragua) a small farm with a hinky title; a MC in the name of Laura Lewen,
who as you remember passed away last year.
A carta de Poder in his name . .. .

He promised the prometida his Nicaragua stuff, and the purpose of his January trip was to bring her to the US with him.
That last part is not going to happen.

The girl is dirt poor.
His MC is a decent Yamaha, I have no idea what the land is worth.

As I saw with Laura's death,, the vultures circle immediately.
To paraphrase Nancy Pelosi,, "why let a perfectly good crisis go to waste ...?

Patrick was maybe 50,, could have been 55.
Overweight a bit,, but he was a big guy.
Professional truck driver,, and part time Wheeler Dealer. Or vice versa.

My daughter tested positive last Friday,, picked it up in Florida in an ER where she went for a kidney stone.
She flew to Idaho, and then on to California where we had a memorial for a sister who passed away last year.
The usual symptoms but light and fleeting. You can see how a virus gets around.

A nephew had it last week,, sicker,, but no one expected anything to come of it.
His mother,, my sister,, is a nurse.


Makes ya think... all the loose ends.

[bill_bly_ca]

Good news - as the day ended yesterday I spoke to the Coworker's wif's boss (Long story of why from the whirl wind events of that morning) - He was on his way back from the Hospital after a battery of tests and a bag full of nitro pills.

The ambulance crew took longer than they should have - About 12 min. The issue is that with all of the big - O blowing through the region many EMTs are off and as well with the increased ER visits there is a longer cycle time for crews. Up here the ambulance crew needs to stay with the patient until they get a bed in the ER - This means a crew could be atending to a pick up for over 3 hours. There was a few times we were code red - That means no ambulances - in that case ambulances from neighboring regions would fill in if they could.

I do believe, from both discussions from acquaintances and just a general sentiment that the healthcare system will get more of the pie once we get our bearings again.

It is best described that we Elect our health care provider every 4 or so years wo also incidentally also manages the provinces infrastructure.

Watching the meat puppets talk on the tube this morning - 20% of the Canadian workforce will be retiring in the next 4 years, myself included. A good time to be looking for part time work.


It really depends on the genes you got at the birth lottery on how it hits you - Chilo is not suffering with it but it did put her on her but. Myself, if I did not catch Chilo's cold and have to check to get to work (which ended up in me not going to work) I doubt I would have connected the dots that I had it. Middle boy also tested positive - Just sniffles.

I do think is we did not get the show it probably would have replicated faster and caused more illness - no facts, just opinion

[KeyWestPirate]

I talked to Patrick's son this morning.

Cowboy was doing well on Friday.
He was eating like a horse and looked on his way to recovery.
That evening the hospital called Phillip (his son) and told him that Patrick had taken a turn for the worse.
Philip told them he's be back first thing in the morning,, hospital says,, you need to come now.

Patrick died that night.
Pneumonia

This was how people died during the 1917-1918 flu pandemic.
An immoderate immune response filled their lungs with debris,, and they died of bacterial pneumonia.


I don't want to rant,, but in the US it has become very difficult to get antibiotics.
Patrick's pneumonia would have had to been diagnosed as bacterial before antibiotics were prescribed.
Too late.
Had Patrick had access to azithromycin and dexamethasone early on in the illness,,
>>> he might have made it through.

God helps those who help themselves.
The rest are at the mercy of Dr Fauci

RIP Patrick Rodriguez

[bill_bly_ca]

Well we pulled the trigger.

Flights, on points, to LIR were non existent. So we fly into SJO on a Thursday end of the month and back soon after Easter.

We will probably get the test here on the Tuesday, to be issued on the Wednesday, flight on the Thursday morning and Tica bus the day after - May adjust that if we decide to stay a day extra in Ticoville to see Chilo's friend.

50,000 points and $560 in fees - $317 was ticket fees and $270 was airport fees.

Youngest started up work again today - Eldest and middle go to Calgary on Tuesday for a week

Jimmi came back with his input on the roof - We hope to have posts ready for the Convitec when we arrive. Maybe even see the roof skeleton started.

[bill_bly_ca]

Another couple weeks have passed.

Chilo has retired, again, this past Friday - She (Hopefully) finished her last day of full time work. Probably not picking up anything until after we return in late April. After that she will do odd jobs as they come up.

The lady we know in Tico land has not got back to us yet so we will probably pull the trigger on just Bus tickets and get the C-19 test here. I doubt DOS and Rosario will drop the requirement before the end of April. As others have mentioned we don't want to be kicked back at the Tico arrival so printouts of our Vaccine cards, the test result and a copy of the bus ticket will all be in hand.

Watching Sunday Morning on CBS (Have been for over 40 yrs I think) and sad to see that Hot Lips Houlihan passed away this week. MASH was a go to for me in the 70's and 80's

With the new "Cut off" Mar 1 2023 it now means next week will be the last full time March - Time to start finding out if the Mother Corp wishes to keep me on part time or if it is time to start looking for some sort of on line gigg. Trying to sell them on a 3yr Contract with a minimum of 3 yrs labour within that that contract (e.g. 3 to 6 months a year work) I would like to do that until I am 60 and then look again on what to do after.

Now it also turns to de clutter. I have far too many radios and have to sell off a bunch of those and maybe send a couple down. Tools to go down and up north. May have to tackle it a couple square foot as a time as when I seem to tackle a "room" I really just wnd up putting things in boxes and storing them away. This time have to do the "Need this, don't need that" sort.

Chilo is starting to wain on the land up North - Too remote, too rugged. I keep on telling her we need it until we figure what to do with the house in the city. If we are down in Niclandia for , lets say, 6 months of the year, we can't be leaving this place empty.

Of course all of that would not happen until we have a good year under our belt on this new arrangement. (e.g. 2024)

[bill_bly_ca]

Just bought the Tica bus tickets - That was pretty easy. $59US for the 2 of us leaving at 6 in the morning the next day. It is nice that it stops at the UNO in Masaya right across from the house (well 800m away)

It looks you fill out a form on their site and get back to you on registering in the hotel. We arrive around noon and our bus is the next morning at 6AM.

The PCR test reservation has been requested and should hear back tomorrow. That is the Kicker @$150 CDN each - But that would have to be done in any case.

You also need to pre-register with the Tico's online before you arrive with the forms.

We drop capacity limits on Tuesday, Masks are _almost_ certainly gone Mar 14. PCR tests to come home will be gone for return to Canada at midnight tonight (Feb 28 00:01)

[Mikeh]

If there's anything I can do from this end from Jinotepe, let me know.

An option open to you is to hold off for about half a year until travel and conditions here calm down a bit.

[bill_bly_ca]

An option open to you is to hold off for about half a year until travel and conditions here calm down a bit.

We need to get the 2nd floor squared away so that we have some hope of being set for 2023 - And there is a therapeutic value as well after bring cooped up for 2 yrs. Time for a bit of freedom but not in the Ottaway protest dip shit way.

So far it does not look that bad of a trek. With the PCR, the flight, the transit in CR we should have 7 hours of wiggle room and be dropped off within walking distance to either SIL or BILs place.

[Jonh]

It was Hotlips from the movie version, not the TV version. A shame either way.

[bill_bly_ca]

So today is Mar 1 - 365 days of full time work left.

After my previous boss took ill and eventually passed I fell under a guy I worked with in the early 00's - He, like my previous boss, has left me to my own devices to do the stuff that needs to be done. He is in a bit of a Conundrum and he has many reports that he manages quite closely, not to just let someone go off on their own. We get to talk today and I may be shuffled off to another boss. Or could be sent packing :-)

I am 30 yrs here (actually employed) on Nov 5 - Which will be 31.7 yrs after I was initially hired.


The house two down from us which sold last month (we suspect for something close to, if not over, 7 digits) is going to be another rental. ^ 6 Sikh gentleman jumped out of a mini van on Sunday to do a review of the house. This will probably make our neighbor blow a head gasket as he has been less than tolerant over the past 15 yrs and seems irked at the recent Sikh incursion into our neighborhood.


We have our PCR test scheduled for 2:30PM on the 22nd - With our crossing guesstimated crossing at just around 10 on the 25th we should have 6 hours to spare... Tight but not unmanageable

[Jonh]

Sikhs are the 7-11 people, not the 9-11 people.

[bill_bly_ca]

Tica bus terminal is reserved - You fill out a form on their site, they send you a PDF confirmation of your stay and you then confirm back. Easy peasy - We apparently have room #7 No deposit, but they probabbly put 2 and 2 together with our bus ticket.

Edward is asking if he can come up and stay with us around May - Not sure if it would just to get paperwork done or if he is going to work a spell.

Was faced with a $1.749 / L regular sign as I left work yesterday - Plugging it into an online converter it tells me that is $5.21US/Gal whic was only a penny off from my back of the napkin (Cdn Price*4) *0.78. In Vancouver it is $2/L = $6.24 US/gal

People are starting to sweat as they realise how close my Vay-Cay is - They are scrambling to find cover for me, but we will get it done - Have to bring a few up to speed.

True-dope is positioning to take Ukranians - The current number is "Unlimited" - My _guess_ is that we will end up taking 50,000 to 75,000 if not more - White Slav's are an easy sell to the cranky old white folk vote of Ontario, Quebec and a slam dunk win for the prairie provinces where Ukrainian lineage is something close to 8% of the countries' population, almost 25% of the parries.

Ukranian lineage even has its own Wiki Page

When growing we spent hours upon hours with the neighbor kids, the Sawikis who's parents were 2nd generation Ukrainians. My Dad always held the left over poinsettias for the "Ukes" for their orthodox Christmas.

[KeyWestPirate]

Tica bus terminal is reserved - You fill out a form on their site, they send you a PDF confirmation of your stay and you then confirm back. Easy peasy - We apparently have room #7 No deposit, but they probabbly put 2 and 2 together with our bus ticket.

Edward is asking if he can come up and stay with us around May - Not sure if it would just to get paperwork done or if he is going to work a spell.

Was faced with a $1.749 / L regular sign as I left work yesterday - Plugging it into an online converter it tells me that is $5.21US/Gal whic was only a penny off from my back of the napkin (Cdn Price*4) *0.78. In Vancouver it is $2/L = $6.24 US/gal

People are starting to sweat as they realise how close my Vay-Cay is - They are scrambling to find cover for me, but we will get it done - Have to bring a few up to speed.

True-dope is positioning to take Ukranians - The current number is "Unlimited" - My _guess_ is that we will end up taking 50,000 to 75,000 if not more - White Slav's are an easy sell to the cranky old white folk vote of Ontario, Quebec and a slam dunk win for the prairie provinces where Ukrainian lineage is something close to 8% of the countries' population, almost 25% of the parries.

Ukranian lineage even has its own Wiki Page

When growing we spent hours upon hours with the neighbor kids, the Sawikis who's parents were 2nd generation Ukrainians. My Dad always held the left over poinsettias for the "Ukes" for their orthodox Christmas.

Better than the Somalis we seem to get.

Of course any who want to come to the US can just walk across the southern border.

But they are used to that Canadian weather.

[bill_bly_ca]

Better than the Somalis we seem to get.

Of course any who want to come to the US can just walk across the southern border.

But they are used to that Canadian weather.

There is always more comfort in those who look the same as you. Even as "Whiteness" becomes the minority, the power base is still white (for now) at just a hair over 79% . Within the next generation and I half I believe that number will drop below 1/2. It does not worry me in the slightest, it is actually something I look forward to it. Just thinking of the 15 or so people I spend the majority of my work day only 4 of us are what you would coin as white and 2 of those are eastern European whites. The rest are middle eastern, Hindi, Philippines and main land Chinese.

I doubt that the US will be the end goal for this group. Canada is more of a multicultural hangout than the US model of melting pot where the social contract is more leaning to more of a cultural assimilation than to. They will just pass time here until it is time that they can return.

[el duende grande]

I bet you a dollar to a donut hole that most of the Ukrainians are never going back,. They would have left sooner if they had a easy place to go.

Now the 120,000 ethnic Russians who left Donbas for nearby Russia and Belarus will probably go back. Funny how the news doesn't mention them.

True-dope would take a ham sandwhich.

[bill_bly_ca]

So I am back under my same boss from 2006 to 2013 - She is kinda a hard ass but mostly trusts me to do whats right with out too much interference.

She is also very open to me working part time past 2022, which is nice. But being the eternal pessimistic optimist I see stagflation kicking all of North America in the nuggies and I will probably be left to float sometime in the new year.

Had to shimmy up the 40' tower Friday - An old fibreglass antenna needed to come down in a nice way before it fell. It was the first time in 10yrs I have been up there - All harnessed up but still gives me the willies to go up the tower. Debating on whether I put something back now or just take that one down and bring up north - I will just stew on it for now.

Our gas hit a peak of $1.849 /l for reg and Diesel hit $2.199 /l , it went back to $1.699 for yesterday. I doubt it will stay there for long.
I am pretty sure regular gas will be $2/l by the May long weekend.


Another change of the clocks last night - We are back to sunlight to 7:30PM and later every day up to June.