Tag Archives: Masks

Halloween Must Be Saved!

That sounds like the name of an Ernest movie.

As you know, 2020 has been a nightmare. Starting in February, most major events were canceled, while those that were actually pulled off were done virtually–just not the same.

And now that we are heading into fall, the most sacred of nights for kids all year long–second only to Christmas Eve–Halloween is being threatened.

How ironic is it that those who downplay the seriousness of coronavirus and mock people who wear masks are determined to make Halloween happen, so their kids can go out in masks?

While my childhood Halloween memories are foggy, I do remember mom or dad escorting me around the neighborhood with my $2.99 costume with the hard plastic mask that made it so hard to breathe. But if struggling for air for an hour resulted in a bag of candy, so be it. Remember, this goes back to the days of pre-snack size bars, when if you got a candy bar, you got a real candy bar. Of course, there were those jerks who handed out raisins or apples out of concern for our health, but a couple of whack jobs sticking pins into those soon made them go away.

The tragedy of Halloween is realizing that you’re growing up. By the time your parents feel good enough about you going out by yourself, you only get a couple of years in before adults start giving you dirty looks, as if, “How dare you take candy meant for cute little kids!” Kids can be like cats or dogs. Cute as kittens and puppies, but once they grow up, some people are just done with them.

As to whether to allow kids to go out and solicit for candy on Halloween this year, I’m mixed. I believe they can be socially distant, just like some adults and come on, the whole thing happens outdoors!  Going door to door should be fine. But then, when they cluster on your porch, all excited and you have lean into that germ-riddled air to give them their rewards, that’s when it gets dicey.

I saw a brilliant idea this week on Facebook, the Candy Chute! (those from northern states prefer to call it the Candy Luge)  Either way, you get a long tube, suspend it so it can deliver your candy and then instruct each trick or treater as they approach to hold their bag at the end of that tube. Just drop in their candy and everybody wins!

Other considerations would be a Candy Cannon, leaving out a bowl of whatever you didn’t eat of that giant bag you buy, or in the more well-to-do neighborhoods, suggest that kids each “Trick or Drone.”

So, let’s put on the thinking caps and figure out something, anything, so that we can keep this annual fall tradition alive. Halloween must be saved!

Thousands of dentists across this great land are counting on it!

Tim Hunter (OK, “Haunter”)

 

Ban the Mask!

Frankly, we’ve got so many bigger things to tackle, debating on whether or not you HAVE to wear a mask seems–what’s the word–oh, yeah: stupid.

Those insisting that preventing the spread of the coronavirus is an affront to their personal freedoms most likely started out their lives folding their arms and saying, “I don’t wanna!” A certain percentage of poorly-skilled and insecure parents then probably said, “OK, Buffy, if you don’t want to, that’s just fine with me.”

I think we have finally reached the point where we need to turn this around. Work with me on this, but I believe that wearing masks should be banned and made punishable by 6 months in a germy prison.

This works two-fold. To start with, all of us who insist on wearing them would become the outlaws. Allow us to feel that for a while. We could be the despised, the ridiculed, the ones doing the wrong thing. Maybe that would inspire some of those currently refusing to wear masks to wear one. You know, reverse psychology, which a skilled parent uses when their child say, “I don’t wanna.”

And, perhaps, by making masks illegal, those with the infringed rights might have a little dab of logic permeate their brains. Because, when I say, “No masks” I mean nada. Nowhere, now way, no how.

So, pity the catcher in baseball and that first foul tip that comes his way at 100 mph. Or the hockey goalie having to defend a flying piece of hard plastic with whatever teeth remain in his mouth. Welders, sorry, but you’re going to have to scorch a cornea or two for a while. I mean, we don’t want those rights infringed.

Oh, and you’ll be able to spot the beekeepers a mile away with those lumpy faces.

That’s right, we all need to realize that requiring masks are part of a government conspiracy. I believe it was the 8th amendment to the Bill of Rights that said, “Thou shalt not weareth a mask.” Or, maybe I’m confusing that with the 10 Commandments. Whatever.

This past week, I interviewed the head of the Snohomish Farmers Market up north. She had asked for the interview with the hope of conveying to listeners that wearing masks is a STATE requirement. It’s not political, and they don’t want to have to be the Mask Police. They just want to sell you berries or something and not risk getting a fine themselves.

But I’m fully braced for my mask ban to be rejected. We’ll probably just continue in our fractured way, with politics being the factor on whether we wear a mask or not. Estimates are that if we continue on our current course, upwards of 200,000 Americans will be dead from the coronavirus by November 3rd, Election Day.

It upsets me that so many people ignore the science, ignore the statistics and believe COVID-19 will just go away, as the president has suggested. I can only go by what I believe to be true and I believe that if I wear a mask, and use a lot of caution for the next four months, I’ll be among those around to vote in the next election.

Tim Hunter

All Over The Board

I usually start the week looking for something that tugs after me and requires me to make my opinion known on the subject. I wanted to go so many different directions this week, that I decided it would be best to write a few mini-blogs within the framework of the mothership.

MAKING IT COUNT–In the course of writing 991 previous blogs, the theme of not taking one day for granted has come up before, but this week just slapped me in the face. I’m glad to be reminded because I plan to soak every bit of this life up while I can, but dang, I got the point. Can we lay low for a while?

  • Naya Rivera  My wife & I made it through the whole series of “Glee” when it was on the air. Naya was the edgy character, the rebel with spunk, the rival for Lea Michele’s character. A couple of seasons in, we heard of cast squabbles and eventually, she left the show for a while, only to come back. I didn’t know her from Adam, but from all reports, the last moments of her life were spent rescuing her son from drowning before she went under. It was an act that spoke volumes about her. And they were just going for a swim.
  • The Bothell Police Officer who found himself on patrol Monday night, having to pull over a vehicle which turned into a gunfight and resulting in losing his life. It’s the first loss of life in that department in 25 years and not only is the department, but the entire community is rocked. In the days ahead, we’ll hear of his circumstances and how he had the rest of his life ahead of him.

It takes training, but slowing down enough to realize what’s going on around you will definitely help you experience so much more than just trying to get to the next thing. Enjoy it all while you’ve got it.

WEAR THE DAMN MASK–The arrogance, the “I know better” attitude of the millions of mental midgets around the United States of America has me at a loss. What do you need to know? There’s a virus, it can kill you and while it may not kill you, it could use you as a conduit to kill someone you love. How this “Wearing a mask violates my rights” concept ever started is beyond me. But rather than go on about it, how about a couple of visuals.

First off, if we had only been better about masks and self-isolation from the beginning, I can only imagine how much better off we would be.

And as for having to wear a mask, you really should put your common sense to the test.

GET UP EARLY AND SEE THE COMET  In case you didn’t know, there’s a comet that is only visible right before sunrise and only through this weekend. It’s called the Neowise comet and if you think, “Oh, I’ll just catch it next time,” well, that will be in 6,000 years. I’m afraid the only people around for it the next time will be Keith Richards and Betty White.

Of course, if you don’t want to get up at 4am just to see a comet, you can always Photoshop one in, right?

OK, there you go. As I said, not a lot to say about any one thing, but things to say about a couple of subjects. And blog #992 is in the books. Thanks for the read.

Tim Hunter