I caught Omicron and it was terrible!

Early this month, I fell victim to Covid, catching what I'm pretty sure was the Omicron variant.  I know I put myself out there with all my extracurricular activities, so it was only a matter of time until it made it to me.  As you see in the picture below, Omicron spiked towards the end of January in Arizona and my symptoms kicked in on Sunday, January 30.

The week before I had symptoms, I had a pretty busy week.  I celebrated a birthday with a friend on Tuesday going out for Korean BBQ and drinks.  On Wednesday, I went to the gym.  Thursday I had bowling league.  And Saturday I had a pool tournament for most of the day.  There's not really any way to tell what day I caught the virus, but if I had to guess, I think it's most likely from the gym.

The first two days of Covid were the worst (Sunday and Monday Jan 30-31).  On the first day, my throat was very sore, never before in my life has it ever hurt that much.  I was in so much pain that all I wanted to do was lie in bed.  I started having chills in the evening.  On the second day, I was so tired.  I had so much fatigue and could barely leave my bed.  All I wanted to do was sleep, but it was difficult to since my throat hurt so badly.  Even if I could fall asleep, it'd only be for like an hour or two until the pain woke me back up.  I finally broke fever that night and I woke up the next day dripping in sweat.

The third day (Tuesday Feb 1), I was less fatigued, but my body felt sore.  I still remember my right elbow being sore to the point where it felt like I had just worked out the previous day.  My throat was still sore and to make matters worse, I was coughing as well, which was extremely painful.

The fourth and fifth days (Wednesday and Thursday Feb 2-3) I finally felt okay enough to sit in my chair at the computer, so I was at least able to play a few games to pass the time.  It wouldn't last very long as I would want to go back to my bed and lie there, trying to pass the time by watching some movies in bed.

After 5 days, it felt like Covid had passed, although I still had a lingering cough that wouldn't fully go away for a couple weeks.  I also noticed that my sense of taste and smell had weakened, and wouldn't come back to full strength for a few weeks later.

I didn't get the booster and it had been 8 months since I was vaccinated in May of 2021.  In hindsight, I probably should have gotten the booster.  Who knows how much it would have helped lessen the symptoms.  Regardless, Covid was the worst flu experience of my life and I can see why some people feel the need to go the hospital from it.  I'm glad Omicron variant seems to have passed, but of course we have to assume that there will be another mutation coming later in the year.  I can't get boosted until 90 days pass, so I'll be patiently waiting for that opportunity.

Stay safe out there guys!

Bowled a 299- Game

I've been getting a lot better in bowling and you may recall that I ended the 2020-21 bowling season with my highest average ever, finishing with over 200 for the first time.  Last night, I did something that I never had done before: I started a game with 11 strikes in a row.  Usually in the past, I miss around frame 6 or 7.  That's also when the pressure starts building up because you realize you're halfway to a perfect game in bowling, which is 12 strikes to record a 300.

My nerves really kicked in on the 10th frame, in fact I don't even remember watching what happened to my teammates before my turn because I was zoning out so hard.  As I approached the lane on my 10th frame, I knew that everyone was watching.  I couldn't see anyone down the lanes to my left or to my right.  It's like I had the whole entire bowling alley to myself.  3 more strikes is all I needed to record my first ever perfect game.

My first ball went down the lane and perfectly hit the pocket and I could hear my teammate Butch yell out behind "GET UP!".  One strike down, two to go.

My second ball, I tried to stay focus, but had so much adrenaline in the system.  I let it fly and it wasn't as clean as the previous strike, but everything still went down smoothly.  I clapped my hands pretty hard after that and was then holding them up to my face, breathing through them as if they were cold and I was trying to warm them up.  Just one more strike to go.

The last ball of the game felt like an eternity.  I was up on the lane going through my pre-bowl routine and almost wanted to stop to take a sip of beer so that I could calm the nerves more.  I decided not to and thought to myself, "just get this over with".  I was throwing well all game, it should fall right?  I ended up extending my pre-bowl routine because I was so nervous, my body hadn't felt something like this...like ever?  I let the ball roll, it was a great ball, and in the end the only pin that didn't fall was the 10-pin.

And so my game ended, with a 299.  Not perfect, but literally the closest you can be otherwise.  It's my best game ever, and here's hoping that I can get it someday.  Everyone came over to congratulate me on the game, the bowling alley announced it over the intercom afterwards.  Some of the top bowlers came over to give me encouragement, telling me that it's happened to them before, or when and how that perfect game eventually came.  It was a definitely a wild ride and so unreal that a game could make you feel like this. :)

Anyway, here's the three throws in final frame of the game.  Thanks to leaguemate Crystal Kennedy for recording this.  Yeah, I don't like watching myself bowl and my pre-bowl routine was exaggerated because I was so nervous and it helped calm my nerves.  Until next bowling night!

 

Getting into Sports Betting...online?

My friend was recently able to convince me to try a sports betting app now that gambling is legal in Arizona.  I signed up on Fanduel and he and I both got $100 in bonus credit.  I honestly don't bet much on sports, other than Fantasy Sports where you put down say $100 at the beginning of the year and just see how things pan out on a weekly basis.  Or putting down $100 on a team to win the title and seeing how far they can go (like I did with the Chiefs in 2020).

With the Fanduel app, I mostly stick to $10 single-game parlays, but I only if I am able to watch the game in its entirety.  I also like to pick the prop bets for individual player performances tied to my fantasy teams.  So if they have a good game, not only does it win me some money, but it helps my fantasy team as well. :D

Here's a screenshot of my first parlay I won:

As you can tell, I have both Trae and Capela on my fantasy basketball team.  They both performed well and I won $50 as a result.  Honestly, I only hit these parlays maybe 20% of the time, so I've been breaking even so far.  I don't really expect to win big on these bets, but it does add another level of excitement to the game.  (Or frustration when you lose a bet by an assist or a point.)  I'm also learning a lot about betting in the process, regarding lines and lingo commonly used in these propositions.

Anyway, so ends 2021, another Covid filled year.  Hang in there everyone, it has to get better eventually, right?

Review: Bam Kazam in Scottsdale, AZ

A fun new "Escape Park" just opened up in Scottsdale this year, called Bam Kazam.  I stumbled across the place looking up escape rooms for when I was in Scottsdale this past weekend and was intrigued to hear about a place that offered an extended experience.  I don't usually write reviews about places I visit like this, but I had so much fun that I had to share and let my friends know so that they can check it out!

I describe Bam Kazam as an "Escape Park", but they call it a "Human Arcade".  Basically there are various themed games and each game takes up a section of the building.  Each game has 3 levels inside, where each level is basically a room.  You have to clear the first room to get to the next and so forth to finish a game.  If you fail in any room, you have to exit fully and start over at the beginning, just like a retro video game.  You can attempt each game as many times as you like until you are successful in completing all 6 games (a total of 18 rooms).

Each level can be completed in about 1-3 minutes and if you don't figure out the solution within 3-5 minutes, you will fail, so you also have to be quick.  The games have a mixture of puzzles that require both physical activity and mental acuity.  It's really unlike anything I've ever tried and I'd say they're way more fun than your conventional escape room.

My group consisted of 4 people and we booked 2 hours on a Sunday afternoon.  (Groups are a minimum of 3 people and a maximum of 6 people and there are clearly reasons why it's these numbers).  There are other groups there, so you might have to wait a short while for a room to open up, but we were always busy going back and forth between games.  The games were also really challenging and in fact, we only fully solved 1 game out of the 6 and in two games we didn't even get past the first level...

For $35 a person, you get 2 hours to explore and try the games.  I honestly don't think 2 hours was enough time to do everything successfully, but my guess is that they made it difficult so that you will come back to try again.

The place has grown steadily in just 4 months.  They had 4 games in August, 6 games as of October, and they are building 2 more games that should be ready by the end of the year.  That's 24 unique and challenging rooms!

I can't recommend this place enough for anyone living in or visiting Scottsdale, it's sooo much fun!  I can't wait to go back and I'll probably book 4 hours so I can try and solve everything the next time.  It's family friendly too, although I imagine if the kids are less than the age of 12, they might struggle or even one kid found the haunted game way too scary.  You also might struggle to make it through the physical rooms if you are very out of shape, overly obese, or don't have people in your group who can climb awkward structures well.  Some rooms are clearly not intended for senior citizens either.

Check out their website at: https://bamkazam.com and enjoy a new and unique experience!