mass gathering

 Covid numbers are way up, higher than I'd expected, even here in Vermont. Like most of the country, we're surging to at around the worst case numbers have ever been. Peaking, or still going up? I don't know, but of course, BJJ class tonight was sweatier and more crowded than ever. I've honestly never seen so many people attend BJJ. The boxing class is often this crowded, but unlike that class, we proceeded to then roll around on the floor with each other.

And as if that's not bad enough, we round robin rotate partners a few times to free roll at the end of class. 'Free rolling' is essentially submission sparring. A 'submission' is when you twist someone's arm or choke them, until they concede defeat. I never know who's reading this, but I suspect roughly none of them use the handy wikipedia field on my blog, let alone google anything. People just misunderstand what a person means entirely, and move on. Me, I Google about twenty things a day.

I've been trying to ignore covid numbers though, because it doesn't change anything for me. Whatever happens, no matter how bad, this is what we can expect to be the status quo for a while. We already have vaccines. Now we're going to wait for better vaccines? Fuck that. I'll take getting covid over going back into hiding, thanks. The likelihood that I'll be fine makes it an easy calculation.

For those that won't be fine? You've got to protect yourselves, but you've also got to let people live their lives and make their own decisions. I'll wear a mask when appropriate - when it will help or where it's required, but we can't wear masks while free rolling. Even if they stayed on, it's comical to think a mask would provide any protection to people rolling around on the floor trying to strangle each other.

I am a bit concerned as to where this is going. They seem to realize we can't go back to state mandating  masks and social distancing, but I don't think they understand why. Some places are requiring masks, and that's fine, but I don't know what the state will do. For once, I'm happy to have a Republican governor. 

We no longer have anything to look forward to. Waiting for the vaccine was bad enough, but now what is there to even wait for? Better vaccines, more variants, rinse and repeat, ad nauseam. So, stay updated on your flu and covid boosters. Beyond that, we've got to let people live their lives.