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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
November 26, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
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November 26, 2020
 
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Page A-4 Shelton-Mason County Journal — Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020 TIMES Dating in the age of plague friend of mine let’s give him the nom de guerre f Ivan - resumed the pursuit of finding a potential love mate about six months ago, almost tWo years after splitting with his wife, a woman he met in the analog realm. Like many daters, Ivan has gone digital. I see Ivan at least once a week and he sometimes gives updates about his treks into the swipe-left, swipe- right, skip-ahead, nope, nope, nope, yes, should I? world of online dating. Ivan has a view into a world I know little about. I wasn’t a dater, I was certainly no player, and I found a woman who also was not much of a dater. On top of that triple-bank shot, Mrs. Ericson and I found each other in the workplace, a treach- erous place for love to take root. It’s seems old-timey when we tell people how we met. But I can see online dating’s benefits. A couple nieces of ours have found mates that way, and those two nephews-in—law are real keepers, as my father used to say. Last Sunday night, Ivan told me he had spent two hours on a video chitchat that afternoon with a prospect who lives in Portland. He said she referred to herself as a “singer/songwriter” and that she works as a marketing direc- tor for a nonprofit organization. Ivan found a singer/songwriter working for a nonprofit group in Portland. What are the chances of that? I had several questions about this two-hour-long encounter, including whether either of them had to excuse themselves for a bathroom break. They did not, Ivan said, but that must be awk- ward during a first video—chat date, and what would you do if someone took— the laptop into the . bathroom to continue the conver- sation? Ivan said he’s been on about five to 10 dates in which he has either walked with or sat outside with someone he found online. He hasn’t remained: in contact with any of them, but he said, he’ll probably talk to the singer/ songwriter again. He’s had about 15 to 20 instances of chatting online with a potential match, but it’s like fishing. You get a few ' By KIRK ERICSON nibbles, you hook a few, and very few make it into the boat. ‘ Sticking with the fishing theme, to attract the type of fish , you’re trying to hook, you have to tailor your bait to the fish you seek. Just like anglers have their woolly bug- gers and curly tail grubs, online dating has its methods of attracting the fish you desire. You might try posting some of these lures: I Sapiosexual: One' who finds intelligence at- tractive or arousing. I Pansexual: Gender- blind sexual attraction to all people. I Demisexual: Sexually at- tracted to someone based on a strong emotional connection. I Poly: Seeking relationships with more than one partner si— multaneously. I Ethically nonmonogamous. This one is when all parties are appraised and give full consent to whatever activities are scheduled — or arise — in the course of said activities. ~ v Thicc: body type (the new curvy). ONS: One—night stand. Bae: term of endearment to- ward loved one. “I have to go to urban diction- ary a lot,” Ivan said. In the interest of journalism, I went to match.com and set up an account. The first question I was asked was “Hi, Kirk. Ready to get real?” I answered a question about height, and then was asked about,“ my body type. Several options were offered, but I was torn be- tween “slim/slender” and “aver- age,” until I remembered a George Carlin quote someone sent me last week: “Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.” ' I clicked “slim/slender.” Then I uploaded a picture of our dearly departed family dog and concluded by answering a prompt: For fun I like to: Constantly dwell on every mistake I’ve ever made, and I’m looking for some- one who enjoys same. Must not be repelled by toe fungus. So far, no nibbles. I Contact KirkEricson at kirk@masoncounty.com. Winnflilaawmn‘iy ileum-nail USPS 492-800 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton—Mason County Journal, PO. Box 430. Shelton, WA 98584. The Shelton-Mason County Jour- nal is a member of the Wash- ington Newspaper Publishers Association. GUEST COLUMN Sports needed more than ever ver since I was lucky enough to E become the executive director at the Washington Interscholastic Ac- tivities Association, I’ve told our staff and'membership that we are in the memory-making business. Those memories can be made in any town, large or small, in any sport or activity, at a midweek practice, a senior night, or a state championship final. As a former coach and teacher, I had the opportunity to be a part of those memories and I’ve seen firsthand that high school is de- fined as much by what you learn outside of the classroom as what you learn inside it. . Coaches and athletic directors, along with those of us at the WIAA, have long championed the value of education-based athletics and activities. Everyone" has heard how competition can build; charac- ter, teach discipline and life lessons, and connect students with peers and their communities. These are more than just talking points or “coach-speak” because now, in the absence of these extracur- ' ricular activities, it has never been clearer how much they are needed. Parents can see the outsized toll this sudden change in life has taken on our kids. It has diminished our sense of joy, created anxiety over our safety and well- being, and stolen what will soon be a full year of our lives. While there is conclusive evidence about the physical dangers of this virus among certain age groups and demographics, the Governor’s Office and Department of Healthmust factor in the effect restrictions have on our students’ By MICK HOFFMAN mental and emotional health. A University of Wisconsin study found in July that about 68% of 3,243 student- athletes surveyed, which included Washington students, reported feelings of anxiety and depression at levels that would typically re- quire medical intervention. That was a 37% increase from prepan- demic levels. We are fighting a— disease we have never seen before and one we know little about. This fall, schools in Washington chose not to offer sports and activities in accordance with the governor’s recommendation. At the time, we had little information on the risk of ' extracurricular activities in relation to COVID-19. Now, research from around the country allows us to make decisions on real data. The University of Wisconsin found that, in a sample of 30,000 high school athletes, only 271 COVID cases were re— ported, with 0.5% of those cases traced to sports contact. In New Jersey, EDP Soccer managed 10 youth soccer tournaments in the state as well as multiple soccer leagues along the East Coast. In 18,500 games, no COV- ID cases were attributed to participation. Right here in Washington, Seattle United Soccer Club had 1,930 boys and girls participate in its programs this sum- mer for two months of training. In total, two of those players contracted the virus and both of those came from community transmission, outside of sport. see SPORTS, saéé’A—E [____ Publisher: Tom Mullen Front office: Dave Pierik, Office Administrator Karen Hranac. Customer Service General Manager: John Lester Design: , 'Lloyd Mullen, Creative Director Advertising: Delivery: All regular editorial, advertising pubushed weekly by the ShemnMason County Journal SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Theresa Murray, Ad Representative Jon Garza and legal deadlines are 5 pm. the at 227 W. Cota St, Shelton, Washington. $62 per year ($43 for six months) David Olson Monday prior to publication. Newsroom: Niel Challstrom Justin Johnson, Editor Gordon Weeks, Reporter Kirk Boxleitner, Reporter Kirk Ericson, Columnist/ Proofreader lsabella Breda, Reporter/Social Media for Mason County addresses and $75 per year ($55 for six months) outside of Mason County. ' Mailing address: PO. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584 Telephone: 360-426-4412 Website: www.masoncounty.com Periodicals postage paid in Shelton, Washington. To submit a letter to the editor, Composing room: email editor@masoncounty.com. William Adams, Advertising Owned and published by Design and Technical Support Shelton-Mason County Journal, Inc.