By the time you read this I will have been back from my casino trip to Tulsa for a couple of days. Hopefully, and the Good Lord willing, I will not have brought back any post-casino crud with me. I'm not too concerned about COVID-19 because I've got two doses of that sweet nectar of Moderna coursing through my veins (Sadly: I cannot shoot plasma bolts out of my hands, so on that front the rDNA drug was VERY disappointing).
But, and I realized this a few casino trips back, there are still a lot of fairly disgusting people in this world and, especially in a casino, you and they are sharing tactile surfaces. And let's not even get into just how filthy money and casino chips are.....
Travelling.
Once they allow us to de-mask on an airplane I probably will. However, if I'm feeling a little under the weather I'll probably put a mask on myself while on the plane. This is something many Asian cultures did prior to the pandemic and it's not a horrid idea.
I'll also continue to wipe the headrest, armrests, tray table and seat belt handles down with a sanitizing wipe. I did that to a limited degree prior to the pandemic after reading several news stories and studies that outlined exactly what is living in your airport seat, especially on the tray table.
Given the reality of full flights, social distancing can be hard on a plane. And that's fine, but where I can I'll do what I can (angry fat-guy face on non-full Southwest flights, booking aisle and window on less than full flights on other airlines, to try and secure that blesses empty middle seat.
Hotel
I'm guessing Mrs. TPM will continue to spray down the toilet, pillows, bed and other high-contact surfaces in the future. Especially the toilets. Look, it's been a while since I've stayed in a room that has obviously just not been serviced by housekeeping, and when that happens I usually request a new room, but housekeepers are human and, as such, make mistakes or omissions from time to time. Better safe than sorry.
I'll also continue to shoot the inside of my vehicle with antiseptic spray before getting in should I valet. Just remember to tip your attendant and let them know that it's nothing personal.
Casino
One thing that we started doing, and plan to continue doing, is wiping down VP and slot machines with a sanitizing wipe before starting to play. At first, when surface contact was a concern, we did this for COVID-19. I decided to keep this around after noticing, in my heightened state of awareness, how many men used the restroom and did not wash their hands afterwards, to keep this practice going. Mrs. TPM carries a small pack of wipes in her purse, she pulls one out and I wipe the machine down prior to touching anything else. This will continue.
We're also going to keep the practice of using hand sanitizer after handling money. If you did not know, money is NASTY, carrying all types of bacteria and viruses that are highly transmittable. My hope is that the casinos continue the practice of having hand sanitizer stations scattered throughout the casino but, if they don't (and given their cheapness they probably won't) we'll be ready with travel bottles for easy cleanup.
I don't want to leave the impression that I'm going to live my life in a bubble. On the contrary, I'm not. Even during this pandemic Mrs. TPM and I got together, laid out our sanitation plan and stuck to it so that we could keep visiting casinos. We traveled 4 times in 2020 and have already had 4 trips in 2021 with 3 more to go.
It's just this: It's not me, it's you. Not "you" personally, I'm sure you have wonderful hygiene and wash your hands properly each and every time. But many people do not and, because of that, we're going to keep some things in our toolkit to ensure we're at less risk of catching the NEXT bad bug that makes it's debut.
Unless said bug is transmitted through Vodka and Whiskey consumption......then we're toast.
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