Texas Re-Opening Announced

[Chuckie Finster 23,040]

I'm waiting for this to happen to me.  My response will be a simple "how in the fuck does it affect you?  Mind your fucking business"

Family friend witnessed an unmasked Trumpkin walk into a grocery store yesterday and immediately yell “what are you looking at?!” to a masked old lady who hadn’t said a word.

[Grade of D as in David 13,255]

4 minutes ago, Chuckie Finster said:

Family friend witnessed an unmasked Trumpkin walk into a grocery store yesterday and immediately yell “what are you looking at?!” to a masked old lady who hadn’t said a word.

Man those trumpkins are such alphas. I'm assuming there were no infants or toddlers they could bow up to?

[Okie State 3,889]

Family friend witnessed an unmasked Trumpkin walk into a grocery store yesterday and immediately yell “what are you looking at?!” to a masked old lady who hadn’t said a word.

Snowflakes.

[otisdog 365]

55 minutes ago, pyrohornIII said:

That article someone linked last week was great at explaining this.  Not only is airflow part of the equation, but time of exposure.  You have to be exposed to any concentration an amount of time relative to that concentration.  That's why wearing the masks inside businesses is a courtesy towards those who have to work in those confined spaces with low air turnover.  So on one hand you have people  praising these front line workers and on the other hand condemning them because wearing a mask impinges on their freedom.   

I sensed some tongue in cheek humor in the use of nazis, otisdog, was i wrong?

You were not...was a bit obscure for some.

[otisdog 365]

41 minutes ago, pyrohornIII said:

I think his phone autocorrected live into I've.  

true...I corrected it, then didn't save the correct.

Edited May 25, 2020 by otisdog

[Fudge Nuggets 19,453]

I like wearing my mask because it proves I’m better than the idiots.  I don’t think I’m ever going mask less in confined public spaces again.  No sarcasm. 

[Fudge Nuggets 19,453]

3 hours ago, bad_teammate said:

Mask protocol gives me an excellent excuse to wear bandana like an Old West train robber just like I used to when I was a kid. 

win-win

I’m going to get me a six-shooter for full effect.

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

48 minutes ago, pyrohornIII said:

I think his phone autocorrected live into I've.  

 

10 minutes ago, otisdog said:

You were not...was a bit obscure for some.

Ah, that explains; for some reason, autocorrect didn't occur to me.

Yes, between the confusion over the first few words, it went whoosh over my head.

[Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand 13,625]

3 hours ago, bad_teammate said:

Mask protocol gives me an excellent excuse to wear bandana like an Old West train robber just like I used to when I was a kid. 

win-win

It really goes great with my double finger pistols move and snappy catchphrase "Suck on bleach, baby dick!" *pew! pew!*

[SaucyJack 3,519]

Swingers Club had full mask compliance last night. 
Not so good with social distancing; plus some handcuffs.  

[Wanker Bob 379]

you would think the idiots who go on about wild conspiracies and deep State and the government trying to take away their freedoms would relish the opportunity to walk around anonymously with their face fully covered and the government camera systems with the fancy face recognition software unable to track them. 

But no, they want to risk death and be giant assholes so they can protest the right for the government to track them. 

I haven't seen any trumpkin BS aggression yet but I don't live in the sticks and I'm a 32 yr old 6'1" 215 with less than 10 percent body fat so not in the coward's target demographic for fuckery. 

[tantric superman 4,668]

I like wearing my mask because it allows me to talk like Bane.

[gmr548 16,695]

you would think the idiots who go on about wild conspiracies and deep State and the government trying to take away their freedoms would relish the opportunity to walk around anonymously with their face fully covered and the government camera systems with the fancy face recognition software unable to track them. 
But no, they want to risk death and be giant assholes so they can protest the right for the government to track them. 
I haven't seen any trumpkin BS aggression yet but I don't live in the sticks and I'm a 32 yr old 6'1" 215 with less than 10 percent body fat so not in the coward's target demographic for fuckery. 

Humblebrag a little forced, but I'll allow it. 5/10.

[Wanker Bob 379]

4 minutes ago, gmr548 said:

24 minutes ago, Wanker Bob said:

you would think the idiots who go on about wild conspiracies and deep State and the government trying to take away their freedoms would relish the opportunity to walk around anonymously with their face fully covered and the government camera systems with the fancy face recognition software unable to track them. 
But no, they want to risk death and be giant assholes so they can protest the right for the government to track them. 
I haven't seen any trumpkin BS aggression yet but I don't live in the sticks and I'm a 32 yr old 6'1" 215 with less than 10 percent body fat so not in the coward's target demographic for fuckery. 

Read more  

Humblebrag a little forced, but I'll allow it. 5/10.

I'm nowhere near rich so I needed some way to get some hot ass. 

[Snake Diggity 4,714]

On 5/24/2020 at 11:35 AM, mchookem said:

basically, we are just headed for an 'every man for himself' approach.

if you're lucky you live somewhere where the majority of people realize covid didn't magically disappear and it's best for everyone if you still take reasonable precautions. i am happy to live in Austin right now. 

The last 2 days, Travis County had their lowest daily hospitalizations in the last 3 weeks.  I have been disappointed with how much traffic and activity I have seen the last month, but that stat is very encouraging to me.

[Francisco 2.0 32,586]

2 hours ago, pyrohornIII said:

  I went to the local Brookshire Bros and this trumpkin I know told me how sad it was I was wearing a mask.   

People are dicks; that's not going to change.  The few times I've worn a mask in public where someone mask-less glared at me or whatnot I just start a fake cough attack and they avert their eyes, or even start to move away from me.

 

 

[Anastasis 23,717]

1 hour ago, Snake Diggity said:

The last 2 days, Travis County had their lowest daily hospitalizations in the last 3 weeks.  I have been disappointed with how much traffic and activity I have seen the last month, but that stat is very encouraging to me.

Yeah me too. 
 

wonder why Hugo wasn’t posting tweets about it here as part of his active measures though. 

[CowboyFred 1,162]

18 hours ago, Snake Diggity said:

The last 2 days, Travis County had their lowest daily hospitalizations in the last 3 weeks.  I have been disappointed with how much traffic and activity I have seen the last month, but that stat is very encouraging to me.

Yup 2 consecutive days of drop to 83 and 82 but back up to 90 for the 25th according to the Travis County dashboard (if I read it correctly).  it will probably stay in that region (80-90ish) until there is a spike or it begins to drop to which I think the former is much more likely.

 

[CowboyFred 1,162]

16 hours ago, Anastasis said:

Yeah me too. 
 

wonder why Hugo wasn’t posting tweets about it here as part of his active measures though. 

??

[crash_davis 23,469]

I spent the glorious weekend on the Frio. Nary a mask in sight. No social distancing. No fucks given by anyone. My daughter mentioned to one of her friends about the lack of social distancing on the bus to take tubers to the drop off site, one lady reponds, "what, that fake virus bullshit?" 

Talking to people from Dallas, Houston and many places from Texas, it sounds like Austin is the only place in the state that takes this shit seriously. The rest of the state seems like they couldn't give a fuck.

Which leads me to the question, why the fuck are we going through the motions when no one in the state seems to give a shit. All those assholes will also soon visit Austin this summer. At this point, we're just whistling past the graveyard.

 

Edited May 26, 2020 by crash_davis

[David Dennison 19,529]

17 hours ago, Anastasis said:

Yeah me too. 
 

wonder why Hugo wasn’t posting tweets about it here as part of his active measures though. 

Give it a couple of weeks. Also, check back in September.

But we're probably all good. It's cool.

[Anastasis 23,717]

4 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

Give it a couple of weeks. Also, check back in September.

But we're probably all good. It's cool.

You must be a real blast to be around at happy hour. 

[Doc Sam Beckett 5,904]

20 hours ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

I like wearing my mask because it proves I’m better than the idiots.  I don’t think I’m ever going mask less in confined public spaces again.  No sarcasm. 

No shit 

[Chooky 13,340]

19 hours ago, tantric superman said:

I like wearing my mask because it allows me to talk like Bane.

"You think darkness is your ally? You merely adopted it. I was born in it. Molded by it. You ain't dark, bitch. I'm dark af."

Exact quote

[Guest Lobo]

1 hour ago, crash_davis said:

I spent the glorious weekend on the Frio. Nary a mask in sight. No social distancing. No fucks given by anyone. My daughter mentioned to one of her friends about the lack of social distancing on the bus to take tubers to the drop off site, one lady reponds, "what, that fake virus bullshit?" 

Talking to people from Dallas, Houston and many places from Texas, it sounds like Austin is the only place in the state that takes this shit seriously. The rest of the state seems like they couldn't give a fuck.

Which leads me to the question, why the fuck are we going through the motions when no one in the state seems to give a shit. All those assholes will also soon visit Austin this summer. At this point, we're just whistling past the graveyard.

 

I really hope a bunch of people don't visit Austin this summer.  We're doing on okay job here and I'd like it to stay that way.  I mean, we could use the hotel and bar revenue, but summer is never really a big economic draw for Austin.  Even our convention business is traditionally really slow in July & August.  Our tourism/convention/event/sports dollars come Sept. 1st-Dec. 1st. and then Feb. 1st-Jul. 1st.  Now bars could use a nice jolt in July but that ain't gonna save them.

Plus, in all seriousness---there's really nothing going on in Austin in summer proper.  Even during a non Covid summer, there's no festivals, no sports (other than RRE), usually some good one-off concerts, but that's about it.  Most people nostalgic for Austin that come in the summer do the same thing either rent a boat on Lake Travis or go swimming at Barton Springs and then spend the rest of the visit bitching about how all their favorite restaurants are gone.  I'll save them all the trouble of traveling here to our sheepish masked community, I'll send you a newsletter of everything you loved that's now gone.  Levity aside, there's nothing going on in Austin this summer.  We're gonna be the last city to allow concerts 'n shit this summer.  Stay home or go tubing.  

Edited May 26, 2020 by Lobo

[crash_davis 23,469]

1 minute ago, Lobo said:

I really hope a bunch of people visit Austin this summer.  We're doing on okay job here and I'd like it to stay that way.  Plus, in all seriousness---there's really nothing going on in Austin in summer proper.  Even during a non Covid summer, there's no festivals, no sports (other than RRE), usually some good one-off concerts, but that's about it.  Most people nostalgic for Austin that come in the summer do the same thing either rent a boat on Lake Travis or go swimming at Barton Springs and then spend the rest of the visit bitching about how all their favorite restaurants are gone.  I'll save them all the trouble of traveling here to our sheepish masked community, I'll send you a newsletter of everything you loved that's now gone.  Levity aside, there's nothing going on in Austin this summer.  We're gonna be the last city to allow concerts 'n shit this summer.  Stay home or go tubing.  

People visit Austin because their hometowns suck. Most hotels are booked to capacity on most summer weekends, no events or concerts needed. That shit will happen again this summer. They'll go to bars, they'll got to restaurants, they'll hang out with other locals. Shit will get spread here regardless of how well we try to protect ourselves. At this point, I'm with the fuck it crowd. No sense for us to be diligent when 90% of the rest of the state are doing their damndest to spread the shit. We can't build a wall.

The white walkers and the army of the dead are coming.

[Guest Lobo]

I guess I never spend much time downtown in the summer, didn't realize it was so chalk full.  Great, tourists fucking up ratios.  

[Snake Diggity 4,714]

Only upside is that if we don’t see a spike within 3 weeks then we probably won’t see one at all until fall.  So if we end June without Texas being a major hotspot then July - Sep should be all good, and we’ll be rolling the dice in Oct/Nov if there’s not an established treatment or better test/trace in place.  Dec-Feb could be really ugly given the summer might be giving everyone a false sense of security.

[Anastasis 23,717]

18 minutes ago, Snake Diggity said:

Only upside is that if we don’t see a spike within 3 weeks then we probably won’t see one at all until fall.  So if we end June without Texas being a major hotspot then July - Sep should be all good, and we’ll be rolling the dice in Oct/Nov if there’s not an established treatment or better test/trace in place.  Dec-Feb could be really ugly given the summer might be giving everyone a false sense of security.

 

I agree with this, especially the short term read.

 

Why does everyone take a second wave for granted.  I know that a bunch of people point to Spanish Flu, but the influenza virus has certain characteristics that make it highly seasonal. Why should we assume that a second wave will happen.  I think that we should be prepared for the possibility, but it seems like this is almost taken as gospel at this point. 

[TXSG8R 3,362]

14 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

 

I agree with this, especially the short term read.

 

Why does everyone take a second wave for granted.  I know that a bunch of people point to Spanish Flu, but the influenza virus has certain characteristics that make it highly seasonal. Why should we assume that a second wave will happen.  I think that we should be prepared for the possibility, but it seems like this is almost taken as gospel at this point. 

I think the % that are still open to initial infection, its transmissibility, and the more people are indoors for longer periods once it gets colder/wetter makes it very likely.  Plus you know, johnny freedom saying fuck masks and its all fake.  

[Biff Tannen 46,163]

Got the "it's just like the flu!" from a customer today.  He was from Murfreesboro, TN.

[gmr548 16,695]

 
I agree with this, especially the short term read.
 
Why does everyone take a second wave for granted.  I know that a bunch of people point to Spanish Flu, but the influenza virus has certain characteristics that make it highly seasonal. Why should we assume that a second wave will happen.  I think that we should be prepared for the possibility, but it seems like this is almost taken as gospel at this point. 

I agree that we won't really know until the later part of the year.

Confluence of factors indicate a possible resurgence in the fall: The virus is here and continues to spread, relaxing restrictions and changed behavior as the summer goes on, more people inside once the fall rolls around, schools reopened, possible seasonality based on other respiratory viruses... People's behavior is probably the single biggest thing, but I think it'd be irresponsible not to plan on it coming back. If it somehow doesn't, then hooray.

[gyroprotagonist 2,597]

I had kept hearing how Home Depot was such a shitshow during this whole mess.  Made first trip in probably 10 weeks to get some sprinkler repair  fittings to fix a busted pipe.  it was early in the morning, but it was not that bad.  would say 70% were wearing masks, they were enforcing where to stand to check out.  

Whole Foods near my house was 100% masked for staff and patrons.  But they were out of pork shoulders, so eff them.

[The Dog 44,854]

35 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

 

I agree with this, especially the short term read.

 

Why does everyone take a second wave for granted.  I know that a bunch of people point to Spanish Flu, but the influenza virus has certain characteristics that make it highly seasonal. Why should we assume that a second wave will happen.  I think that we should be prepared for the possibility, but it seems like this is almost taken as gospel at this point. 

The assumption is that it's spread the same way as the cold and flu, so in the winter it will spread more easily: https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/qa/why-is-the-flu-more-common-in-the-winter

Also, the Spanish Flu scenario is what worries everyone - the virus had mutated into a more deadly strain and was spread by soldiers in close quarters during World War I. https://www.history.com/news/spanish-flu-second-wave-resurgence

Edited May 26, 2020 by The Dog

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,729]

2 hours ago, crash_davis said:

I spent the glorious weekend on the Frio. Nary a mask in sight. No social distancing. No fucks given by anyone. My daughter mentioned to one of her friends about the lack of social distancing on the bus to take tubers to the drop off site, one lady reponds, "what, that fake virus bullshit?" 

Talking to people from Dallas, Houston and many places from Texas, it sounds like Austin is the only place in the state that takes this shit seriously. The rest of the state seems like they couldn't give a fuck.

Which leads me to the question, why the fuck are we going through the motions when no one in the state seems to give a shit. All those assholes will also soon visit Austin this summer. At this point, we're just whistling past the graveyard.

 

Hard to generalize how people in Dallas or Houston are handling this. Both city areas are the size of small states. I live in Central Houston and see most people wearing masks in the stores. I would assume Cypress is the opposite.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,729]

2 hours ago, crash_davis said:

I spent the glorious weekend on the Frio. Nary a mask in sight. No social distancing. No fucks given by anyone. My daughter mentioned to one of her friends about the lack of social distancing on the bus to take tubers to the drop off site, one lady reponds, "what, that fake virus bullshit?" 

Talking to people from Dallas, Houston and many places from Texas, it sounds like Austin is the only place in the state that takes this shit seriously. The rest of the state seems like they couldn't give a fuck.

Which leads me to the question, why the fuck are we going through the motions when no one in the state seems to give a shit. All those assholes will also soon visit Austin this summer. At this point, we're just whistling past the graveyard.

 

Hard to generalize how people in Dallas or Houston are handling this. Both city areas are the size of small states. I live in Central Houston and see most people wearing masks in the stores. I would assume Cypress is the opposite.

[Okie State 3,889]

Went to HEB in Katy last weekend and I'd guess it was around 70-80% wearing a mask. Most in the 20-30% had on Aggie shirts.

[gmr548 16,695]

Hard to generalize how people in Dallas or Houston are handling this. Both city areas are the size of small states. I live in Central Houston and see most people wearing masks in the stores. I would assume Cypress is the opposite.

Yeah, most of Dallas proper or inner loop Houston resemble Austin more than their own suburbs. And Williamson County is behaving closer to Collin County than it is to Austin. It do be like that sometimes.

[Continental Op 3,934]

It's not about knowing how things are going outside of Austin. It's about telling yourself that you are cool because you live in Austin.

[gmr548 16,695]

The assumption is that it's spread the same way as the cold and flu, so in the winter it will spread more easily: https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/qa/why-is-the-flu-more-common-in-the-winter
Also, the Spanish Flu scenario is what worries everyone - the virus had mutated into a more deadly strain and was spread by soldiers in close quarters during World War I. https://www.history.com/news/spanish-flu-second-wave-resurgence

The reason that 1918 flu strain spread the way it did is that the most severely ill patients from the warfront were transported home to their countries and the lightly ill were effectively quarantined from society on the frontlines. Usually it's the opposite - the severely ill are knocked on their ass at home or in a hospital and it's the lightly impacted out spreading.

Fortunately this pandemic is definitely the latter - asymptomatics and mildly ill people spreading generally means less viral load, and if there are multiple strains, it's the one that is leaving people up and moving is the one spreading. So a mutation towards a more lethal/serious form would seem unlikely, at least when comparing to 1918.

There are a lot of reasons to expect a fall resurgance though. And the alternative would be one coming sooner, not never.

[RDCanecutter 26,879]

Got a letter from the Juco that we'll officially open classrooms 1 June 2020 because Guvnah MeeMaw said so. Y'know, pack all the teachers and kids inside some recirculated air and Pretend It Away.

My pulse spiked and I found myself composing an Outlaw Country song. Then I kept reading.

In some of the finest "Obedezco pero no cumplo" tradition, the school prez said we'd be following that directive, and by the way, every single thing that could be kept online would be kept online, as it was when we were physically closed. And anything that wasn't already online will be moved online if we want it to.

Oh, I want it to.

Unverified scuttlebutt has it that this is somehow connected to Auburn and Alabama want students physically back on campus ASAP. ka-ching ka-ching.

[RDCanecutter 26,879]

4 minutes ago, Continental Op said:

It's not about knowing how things are going outside of Austin. It's about telling yourself that you are cool because you live in Austin.

It used to be cooler to live in Austin, back before ____________________ and __________________.

[royiv 9,781]

33 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Hard to generalize how people in Dallas or Houston are handling this. Both city areas are the size of small states. I live in Central Houston and see most people wearing masks in the stores. I would assume Cypress is the opposite.

Was going to say the same thing. Central Houston where I live everyone is wearing masks. Friends that live in Spring Branch or further out bitch that no one is.

[Wanker Bob 379]

The "it's just fake or like the flu" crowd, even though it's already killed over 100k Americans on American soil in a little over 2 months, will only change their tune if it kills or seriously hospitalizes them or someone close to them. We're already seeing that with the stories of people who didn't take it seriously then only when they spent 2 weeks in the hospital or had their relatives die they said they were wrong. Hospitals could be overrun and thousands of tens of thousands a day dying in this country and unless they are personally hit by it they won't acknowledge it. That's just where we are as a country. 

This thing is already probably over 30x more deadly to Americans as 9/11 but because there isn't some brown skinned enemy for the morons to latch onto it gets ignored. 

[Okie State 3,889]

I definitely wouldn't say 'nobody is'. Quite a few are everywhere I've been that is indoors. I also don't sit there and count though. I go about my business and GTFO.

[F250 29,199]

I was at HEB last week in the canned aisle, I needed to restock on tuna and sardines. This old man was standing in the way without a mask and inspecting the potted meat. Dude would pick up a can read the label and put it back then get another. I kept my distance as I impatiently waited for him to finish up.

He let out a giant ACHOO!!!! The kind where you can see the droplets spray out and they did spray all over the cans on the shelves. Then he starts coughing like he is hacking up a lung.

Everyone else in the aisle reacted like this.

 

[Continental Op 3,934]

29 minutes ago, Wanker Bob said:

The "it's just fake or like the flu" crowd, even though it's already killed over 100k Americans on American soil in a little over 2 months, will only change their tune if it kills or seriously hospitalizes them or someone close to them. We're already seeing that with the stories of people who didn't take it seriously then only when they spent 2 weeks in the hospital or had their relatives die they said they were wrong. Hospitals could be overrun and thousands of tens of thousands a day dying in this country and unless they are personally hit by it they won't acknowledge it. That's just where we are as a country. 

This thing is already probably over 30x more deadly to Americans as 9/11 but because there isn't some brown skinned enemy for the morons to latch onto it gets ignored. 

Actually there have been zero deaths and the only reason we have 100k deaths is that hospitals are just coding all deaths as COVID 19 because they get more money for that or something.  At least that's what I've seen some bigbrained geniuses saying elsewhere.  

[Grade of D as in David 13,255]

1 hour ago, RDCanecutter said:

Got a letter from the Juco that we'll officially open classrooms 1 June 2020 because Guvnah MeeMaw said so. Y'know, pack all the teachers and kids inside some recirculated air and Pretend It Away.

My pulse spiked and I found myself composing an Outlaw Country song. Then I kept reading.

In some of the finest "Obedezco pero no cumplo" tradition, the school prez said we'd be following that directive, and by the way, every single thing that could be kept online would be kept online, as it was when we were physically closed. And anything that wasn't already online will be moved online if we want it to.

Oh, I want it to.

Unverified scuttlebutt has it that this is somehow connected to Auburn and Alabama want students physically back on campus ASAP. ka-ching ka-ching.

I'm waiting for Alabama or Oklahoma to have an undefeated season going into late November and then having an outbreak that sidelines half of their team.

[Wanker Bob 379]

12 minutes ago, Continental Op said:

Actually there have been zero deaths and the only reason we have 100k deaths is that hospitals are just coding all deaths as COVID 19 because they get more money for that or something.  At least that's what I've seen some bigbrained geniuses saying elsewhere.  

That's the extreme political polarization taking hold. 

You have to be a special kind of stupid and brainwashed to believe hundreds of millions across the world, including countries that completely hate each other, are all in on a giant conspiratorial lie. 

[Grade of D as in David 13,255]

17 minutes ago, Continental Op said:

Actually there have been zero deaths and the only reason we have 100k deaths is that hospitals are just coding all deaths as COVID 19 because they get more money for that or something.  At least that's what I've seen some bigbrained geniuses saying elsewhere.  

I see you frequent the DT thread