Coronavirus Diaries Day 7 - "Take one for the Team"

-
In my 40+ years on earth, I've said some pretty stupid things, some mean things, some funny things, some touching things, and some downright wrong things. One particular time sticks out for me.

I was in college, sophomore year (or second year to all you UVA students) and we were ready to take our first test in Mass and Energy Balances, the first class all Chemical Engineering undergrads have to take. I learned from the older students in the major that the professor, Dr. Conger, graded on a curve. So, in a more arrogant and bombastic version of me (still basically a teenager), I tell the rest of the class while we're waiting in the hallway to go into the exam,


"Guys, I know only half of you actually want to be engineers and a even smaller percent of you actually want to be chemical engineers, so I want you all to forgo any partial credit you may get answering a question partially and just fail completely. You need to "take one for the team" and lower the average so the rest of us can get a better passing grade." Yeah, I was pretty arrogant.


Why that story? Because Dan Patrick (no not that Dan Patrick) the Lieutenant Governor of Texas suggested that grandparents be willing to sacrifice their lives to save US economy... He literally said, "No one reached out to me and said, 'as a senior citizen, are you willing to take a chance on your survival in exchange for keeping the America that all America loves for your children and grandchildren?'" Patrick said. "And if that's the exchange, I'm all in."

The US economy does not get my last full measure of devotion. Especially considering my socioeconomic group are not the target beneficiaries of this economy...

Comments

  1. Joe FlatstickMarch 25, 2020 at 2:00 PM

    Wow, you really said that out loud? Did you get any curse words hurled at you?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God Forbid You Get Splashed at a Splash Park

-
Image
I took my favorite son (note only child) to the splash park today because it was hot and he loves water. No brainer from the activity perspective. So I pack a towel, wear some swim trunks and a shirt (because the abs aren't beach ready) and of course the child, and arrive at the splash park.  Deep within the recesses of the splash park were some sights to behold (and some I wished I hadn't). The air was thick with chlorine and denial. I won't delve too far into the body positivity movement but there are some parts of the body better left concealed else casual glances could turn fatal. Though my most egregious complaint stems from a single individual who was seated in a seat at the very edge of the splash pad just overlooking pair of water jets. She was reading a book and appeared to be oblivious to the commotion of overstimulated children and exasperated adults around her. One such child stopped to play at the water jets in front of the lady, only to splash her and thus aro...
Read more

New Restaurant and a New Goal

-
Went to brunch with the family to celebrate my niece's going away to college ( UVA ). Good school but a bit heartbreaking as a Hokie... But that's for another blog post.  The restaurant:   Mama Chang First impressions:   Good curb appeal, lots of space and good flow in the restaurant, ambiance was spacious and airy, furnishings were simple yet effective. Service:  Not good. Waiter did not ask if we had been in the restaurant before, did not ascertain our familiarity with the cuisine or make any recommendations. Also, I would have liked to know how small the small plates were and how big the big plates were. We then had our water delivered to the table and went a long period of time without seeing our waiter again. We were so concerned we wouldn't see the waiter for a long period of time again, the next time we saw him, we rushed through to get our order in without a lot of coordination and ended up ordering multiples of the same dish. When delivering our order, ...
Read more

Took a Soundbath Today, Not Bad but still needed a Shower

-
Image
  This is the sound of your brain being cleaned... For the uninitiated, a soundbath is a deeply immersive, full body listening experience that intentionally uses sound to invite gentle yet powerful therapeutic and restorative effects. The goal of the experience is to invite deep rest and relaxation and explore self-inquiry and self-discovery. I took a Pure Barre class with wifey today and after the class was the soundbath. I have to say it was very relaxing. I heard the tones and felt the harmonic resonance emanating through my body. According to my wife, she couldn't hear the tones over my snoring. Safe to say it was extremely relaxing.  Would I do it again? Perhaps, but not immediately after a workout. Speaking of workouts, I did sneak in a two-mile power walk during lunch. Gotta keep moving!! The weekend is here and I hope to have some good reports of the driving range and brunch. Until next time!
Read more