Something COVID, Something "MU"...Whatever the case, we need to keep pace -- LLI 2.0

WHO's on First, What's on...A lot going on here, from references, of course, to the ongoing, what-we-thought-we-were-almost-done-with pandemic due to CV-19 (in the form of an old tribute to a bride-to-be), to a shout out to WHO in the context of the famous Abbott and Costello comedy routines, to the current Olympic coverage (where several world records have fallen already, in case you're not keeping 'track'), and finally with a walk back to a previous post dedicated to the "Larry Lee Invitational" -- WOW! 

Alphabet Soup, here's the scoop: From A-Z (well, actually "Lambda" so far) and from Wuhan to Peru, and on to Tokyo (where we have experienced "From the thrill of victory to..."), we have you covered, in any case. In cases of the original virus, to the new varmints, I mean variants, that have been responsible for the recent recurrence, resurgence of cases of CV diagnosed throughout the world, which in turn has been responsible for the highly unwelcome return of CV protocols, including "whatever the case, cover your face". This, concurrent with WHO's attempt to shroud the regions, locales of the world where the virus(es) seem to have originated by reverting to the Greek alphabet (also the origins of the Olympics, talk about coincidence...even more eerie is the city in Greece that started it all was  Athens). Sounding like something out of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code yet? Coincidence, conspiracy? In any case, we have already become familiar with the now labeled "Delta" variant, which was first identified in India, code name B.1.617.2, which has been found to be more transmissible, and therefore the new foe to us all. And on its heels, came the "Columbia" variant, which apparently originated in Columbia, but showed itself under the microscope in Miami, Florida. What gives here?! I thought, WHO told me, that we weren't gonna interrogate the virus regarding their 'country of origin', but instead assign them a Greek letter and second, doesn't C come before D, except after...now it really is sounding like Abbott and Costello. In any case, we have moved on to "Lambda", code name C.37, which seems to have originated in Peru -- "Oops!...I did it Again" --Free Britney! ...Soooo many metaphors here, hope I haven't lost you yet...Well, in any case, we're movin' on to Mu, just before Nu...the Mu Nu is a chapter of the Psi Phi fraternity, not to be confused with the Mu Nu Omega chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority...WHO NU? In any case...

Shout out, "walkabout":  The latter being associated with the indigenous Aborigines in Australia, but also referring to "an informal stroll among a crowd conducted by an important visitor"...the combination having occurred during a recent walk with my daughter and three-year-old grandson who usually could be counted on to drive his trike at Olympic, even world record speeds, on this particular day, at the most inopportune time (underlined for emphasis, foreshadowing), strolled rather than rolled, stopping and peeping at every living thing by his roadside...which gave my daughter the opportunity to also notice and shout out to a neighbor donning a "We Beat COVID-19" t-shirt, "Hey, you're gonna have to trade that it for another now..." All of which, collectively, harkened me back to last August (the 20th to be exact), when I posted here "No Rest for the Weary", in which I introduced you to my cross country team mate Larry Lee, whose warped (in my now psychologist's mind) sense of humor compelled him on the next-to-the-last interval on any given workout, to go out at Olympic, even world record speed, to dare us to chase him, which inevitably meant we would have little to no gas in the tank for the last interval of the day. He finally explained that it was his way to teach us not to take the last interval for granted, to not hold anything back...kinda where we're at now, eh? WOW! Lots of ground, alphabet, geography, athletic endurance events covered here, all in one post.

The alpha...the omega...Frequently in our society associated with the Book of Revelations in the Bible, it actually predates the Christian reference to deity, as the descriptor of the goddess Hestia in ancient Greece...when a new colony was established a flame (as in "Olympic")  from Hestia's public hearth would be carried to the new (Nu) settlement...full circle, from A/alpha to...from Greece to Tokyo, back to Greece, and on to...Paris (?). Well, that's the end of today's revelation here. In any case (whether upper, lower, Greek or...), we ourselves realize we are still in a stiff competition with an enemy that is not yielding easily and we all have to work together to succeed in this quest. All the countries, all our communities, all individuals, all we can muster. Whatever the case, let us finish this race.