Risk Assessment
I no longer feel like I have the ability or the tools to adequately gauge my risk of contracting Covid.
Posts Tagged "coronavirus"
Rapid Tests and PCR Tests
“Put simply, if you test positive on a rapid test, you almost certainly have Covid-19. If you test negative, in some cases, you might still test positive on a PCR test, which is much more sensitive because it tests for genetic evidence of the virus.”
Christmas, Interrupted
After a quick huddle, Liz and I figured it would be best if we headed back to Chicago. As much as we wanted to stay, there were a few risks involved. While our contact with Jasmine was limited, we were somewhat close (I did get to give her a hug at one point).
So whether we got it or not remains a question. We could remain in Indy a bit longer, but staying potentially increased our chances of contracting Covid.
Another risk: if we developed symptoms or started to get sick, Stacey potentially would need to them take care of us and/or we’d be unable to make it back to Chicago until we recovered. And in terms of self-isolating, we’d all end up having to restart the clock based on the last person to exhibit symptoms.
Covid Vaccine: Booster
So more waiting. And then another hour goes by. The staff answering the phones were giving estimated wait times to people, saying things like “an hour and a half” and then eventually “two hours.” And overhearing this, several of us in the waiting area laughed out loud. And in response to hearing “two hours” held up three fingers to one another. And began calling out “more like three hours” loudly, to one another.
A Day Outside
It’s been a while since Liz and I did this, any of this, and it was great. No real deadlines, no rush, just ambling around.
Liz and I spend too much of our time at home, sitting at a desk, working. And to carve out a full day where we did the exact opposite of that… felt really good. And in many ways, felt like a reminder of a normal day.
Scotland
To be honest, I still have a sense of trepidation about Covid. I’m having a hard time adjusting my thinking to the idea that everything is ok or normal again, or at least a kind of vaccinated normal.
It’s hard to know if I truly feel it’s safe to travel. Or if I want to travel so badly, that I feel it’s safe.
New Games
It was a lazy Saturday for us today, and I ended up with an itch to get some new board games for us to play. Liz and I have a very small collection of games, and I’ve gotten a little tired of the ones we have.
So I venture out to our nearby toy store (Toys et Cetera), and spent a good while browsing their wares.
The Delta Variant
“The original Coronavirus variant has an R0 of ~2.71. Alpha – the ‘English variant’ that caused a spike around the world around Christmas – is about 60% more infectious. Now it appears that Delta is about 60% more transmissible yet again. Depending on which figure you use, it would put Delta’s R0 between 4 and 9, which could make it more contagious than smallpox.”
A Downtown Chicago Story
This was my first visit downtown again in… a year and a half. I snapped this photo right before walking across the street, and looked up to see this guy standing a few steps into the intersection, yelling “Hey!” loudly and repeatedly.
A Return to Lula Cafe
Liz and I decided to use a rainy Sunday as our excuse to trek up to Logan Square, and to have breakfast at one of our old favorite spots: Lula Cafe.
Covid Hair
But for me, the act of cutting my hair is almost like an admission that things are back to normal. And deep down, I still feel like we are far from normal. And that I don’t yet know what the Fall brings.
The Tyranny of Spreadsheets
“When used by a trained accountant to carry out double-entry bookkeeping, a long-established system with inbuilt error detection, Excel is a perfectly professional tool. But when pressed into service by genetics researchers or contact tracers, it’s like using your Swiss Army Knife to fit a kitchen because it’s the tool you have closest at hand. Not impossible but hardly advisable.”
Birthday Party for Jake
I ended up arriving between waves, as one set of folks were leaving and another showed up. We had a ton of rain (and some tornado sirens) earlier in the day, but by the time the party was underway… there wasn’t much more than the occasional slight drizzle.
Goodbye, Shyamal
I’m super bummed to see Shyamal leave, as he’s one of those rare devs that kicks out a tremendous amount of code, and it’s all high quality stuff. He’s also got a savvy ability to see things at the 10,000 foot level, and has a good sense for not just project deliverables but the whole project overall.
Travel Day, Michigan
By all accounts, this was our first vacation in a long while. And our first, true travel since the pandemic began.