Vinegar helps counteract the toxin for most jellies. I also have friends that swear by bentonite clay, which helps absorb the toxin and soothe the rash, but I haven't personally tried it. It's definitely a good idea to look up what critters are in your waters, both for how to keep yourself safe and for you to avoid disrupting their habitats.
And congrats! I also taught myself how to swim. I recommend joining an open water swimming group if any are around your area, you can learn so much just by watching how they swim.
Who would've thought having a partisan executive appoint a partisan judge and by approved by a partisan congress would result in a partisan Supreme Court! My vote is for using a system similar to Tennessee's State Supreme Court. A commission of judges nominate a short list of candidates -> the governor appoints from the list -> after a year, there is a popular election on whether the judge should retain their seat.
For the Supreme Court, I'd modify it to: every federal judge elects the short list with Single Transferable Voting or Approval Voting -> President appoints one -> after a year, the populous has a retention vote. Also limited and staggered terms so appointments are distributed evenly across presidencies; must pass a background check & audit; criminal & civil convictions have mandatory prison time and fines are based off percentage of wealth.
Of course neither party (and definitely not the oligarchs) are going to push for systemic changes that could curb their power, so we all need to be united with a General Strike. In the past these have lasted a few days to about a month; I expect making the constitutional changes needed to save our democracy will take longer and meet greater resistance, so Mutual Aid Networks will be crucial to support the strikers and keep essential services running. You can start by plugging in with the ones in your community, they are already everywhere.