Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Wandering Across An Eleventy Minute Wednesday Window
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
Readjustments
It was a good idea and a much-needed break.
We would spend the weekend in North Georgia, anchored at a vrbo (vacation rentals by owner) near Athens.
Step one was to drive to Milledgeville and see our son at Georgia College State University. If his homework was under control, he would come with us. The vrbo we rented had two problems.
As we were parking near Benjamin's dorm, we got the message - the owner had to cancel our stay because the fuse box went out and would not be repaired until after the weekend. We were all dressed down and no place to go.
No matter. We would readjust. We made reservations to stay at a motel in Milledgeville and travel up to see points north from there.
As soon as we settled into that motel room, the whole motel lost water. We went to Benjamin's dorm room to "freshen up." Later that evening, the water was back on.
The projected weather was rainy, so we didn't know how much we could see. We adjusted our plans to indoor things, but by the afternoon, it had cleared up enough for us to take in the State Botanical Gardens.
In fact, the sun was out and hot, and we were dressed wrong for that, but we readjusted the best we could.
All in all, for all the readjustments we had to make, we had a good time. It was a nice visit with our son and seeing new and familiar places, even if we didn't get as far north as originally planned.
Biggest surprise - did y'all know that Covington, Georgia, had been taken over by Vampire Diary fans? They were all over and had big tour groups and such. Apparently, the show is filmed in Covington, disguised as Mystic Falls. And here I thought Covington was famous for being the film location for The Dukes of Hazzard? Times and circumstances readjust everything, I guess.
Speaking of readjusting, this is my first post since Monday, March 22nd. No matter how I plan to accommodate my blog writing, things happen to mess that plan up, and I have to readjust.
Be patient.
I will get my groove back.
Somehow.
Stay safe,
T. M. Strait
Monday, March 22, 2021
A Season Delayed
I so want to get tax season over with.
But no such luck.
The IRS has delayed the individual tax deadline to May 17th.
Even though I have been semi-retired, I have been generally respectful of major tax deadlines, particularly centered around March 15, April 15, and October 15th. This has not always been easy, especially in the spring, when Alison usually has a week-long break in early April. So, we never went anywhere, or spent much time together, during that period.
This year, I can't do it. I have to buck tradition, The sudden month delay has caught me exposed.
Now that major parties involved are or will soon be vaccinated, we set in stone our plans to visit family in Michigan. On the way back, we will visit my son and daughter-in-law in metro Atlanta.
Benjamin gets out of school on May 7th. We want him to be able to get a summer job, and once he does that, he is not likely to be able to travel. And this is the week that my sister has been able to set for us to come to Michigan.
Do I feel a little guilty about leaving the week of the deadline? Yes.
Is it going to make me cancel my plans, and have to potentially wait another year to go to Michigan? No. It's been far too long since we've been up. The grand-niece we saw at almost one year old is now in school. And there are three more (grand niece and grand nephews) we've not even seen.
Sorry, IRS. Please forgive me, Higginson and Paulk.
I know the deadline changed, but I'm going to need to make this trip.
Saturday, March 20, 2021
The Miracle at the 33rd Parellel : Saturday Political Soap Box 271
It's a miracle!
A true BLUE spectacle!
A miracle come true!*
A miracle based on the hard work of Stacey Abrams and associated groups that worked their tail off for multiple years to make it happen. A miracle that Republican officials stuck to the truth and would not be bullied by the great orange narcissist.
And look at what was achieved!
Trump is in Mar-A-Lago, rummaging the buffet lines. Mitch McConnell has been reduced to a noisy impotent hen.
And for the first time in YEARS, a major piece of legislation has passed that has its benefits directed to the working people of the United States, with nothing special going to major corporations and the very wealthy.
I about wept with joy hearing Senator Raphael Warnock's first Senate speech, eloquently defending voter's rights. That's MY Senator! From MY state! Best political moment ever since I moved to this state in 1978.
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Second Shot Soliloquy
I should have known better.
The only two times I've had flu-like symptoms were a few days after I took a flu shot. And I've only had two flu shots, so that made me two for two.
So, I should have known I wouldn't be one of the lucky ones to have no reaction.
I had my second Moderna shot Monday. It wasn't too bad, some minor chills, some dizziness, a little tiredness, a tiny bit of nausea. Being semi-retired and checking that there wasn't anything urgent in the office, I decided not to go in after my shot. I knew I would be fine by morning.
Well, it's Tuesday morning now, and quest what? I have more serious chills, some congestion, and a fever. Last check, my fever was 100.9, not too high by some people's standards, but high for me considering my usual morning temp is around 97.
I feel bad that I may have to beg off work again. I fear I might give fuel to the anti-vaxxers. Even semi-retired, it's around the time of year that others are quite intense about coming in.
Make no mistake. I do not expect this to last very long. If it subsides, perhaps I can come in today. I also have church treasury work I have to do.
I shouldn't have been surprised. But historically from me? It kinda makes sense.
Anyways, I'll see if it drops in the next hour. Maybe I'll even post an update.
Everyone needs to get vaccinated. It's the only way out of this nightmare.
Stay safe,
T. M. Strait
UPDATE 3/17
There is a woods. Right now, I am in a better part of the woods. But I am not out of the woods.
My feet dropped some, so I charged ahead to work, first my church treasury job, and then my CPA job. I endured as long as I could and then went home. My fever rose to 101.7.
The good news is that I took a couple of Tylenol (acetaminophen), and my fever dropped! I cannot recall when Tylenol worked for me, so it was a bit of a surprise.
This morning I have a much lower fever. My mind is cloudy, like I took some PM medicine or melatonin. I alternate between hot or cold.
But the journey through the woods is getting better, and I can see myself out of them very soon.
UPDATE 3/20
Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Tax season has been kicking my posterior maximus.
But...I feel great! Really, higher energy than normal! Earlier, I barely had the energy nor mental concentration to do CPA work. Since Thursday, I've had too much energy and mental sharpness to WANT to do CPA work.
I guess no matter what the circumstances, I'm not really wanting to do CPA work. Surprise!
But I feel wonderful being on the other side of the vaccine divide.
Saturday, March 13, 2021
He Never Woke Up: Saturday Political Soap Box 270
He never woke up.
Not once. Not one second.
Five years ago, when Trump descended the escalator with a torrent of hate directed towards immigrants, I thought, since he had earlier been disgusted by Sarah Palin, and although a devout Christian Conservative, he had left the 2008 Presidential line blank, that meant he wouldn't tolerate Trump.
Well, if he had those qualms, surely he would understand how terrible Trump was. Trump is basically Palin dialed up to eleven.
It got to the point where we could no longer talk about politics. I got too upset - he got too defensive.
So I backed off. I gave him space. He was a bright, intelligent man, caring and loving towards his family. Surely, at some point, he would wake up.
No, I didn't think he'd stop being Christian Right. But I did think, naively, that the accumulated horror of the narcissistic in chief would eventually wake him up. Not that he would become progressive, or hell, even a Democratic or even Republican centrist, but just understand what a monster Trump was.
I waited patiently for some sign that he understood, that he had made a mistake, and realized how damaging Trump was.
He didn't. Not with children in cages. Not with ignoring and accelerating climate change. Not with Trump praising dictators and dissing democratic leaders. Not with so much suffering caused by Trump's inept leadership (or lack thereof) on COVID-19, even as it affected his own family. Not even as Trump incited a violent insurrection on the capital of the United States.
I saw a sign that showed me that he had not changed, a sign you would only have if you voted for him and continued to support him.
He never woke up.
Is it my fault? Because I gave him space and did not try to persuade him? Or would that have just aggravated the rift between us?
I don't know.
Yes, his side lost. Yes, President Biden and the team are doing amazing things, more than I expected given Biden's moderate Democratic Party roots.
But I'm sure he knows none of this. He probably knows about Mr. Potato Head, Dr. Seuss, the biting White House dog, and some things I don't know of, like maybe about prayer in school or babies being ripped from the womb and then smothered.
I know I should be happy. After all, progressives made a lot of gains in the election. Georgia voted blue in the Presidential and Senate elections. Our biggest problem is no longer Trump or McConnell - it's Joe Manchin.
But I like him, and I worry about what his lack of change may mean. 74 million people voted for someone who is arguably the worst person in American History.
I'd like to be confident, but I know these bromides -
The Empire Always Strike back.
When a bear is wounded and cornered - that is when he is at his most dangerous.
Republicans still control most state legislators, and they will continue to gerrymander and suppress voters.
I had hoped that he would wake up.
He did not.
God help us all.
---------------
The second part of this is my largest copy (plagiarism?) ever.
Whenever confronted by Trumpers, my heart beats too fast, and I stumble trying to remember all of Trump's malfeasances. This posted list helps me remember his avalanche of crimes, incompetence, and downright nastiness.
I should memorize this. I probably won't, but it's good to have handy.
Please! Help my soul. If you previously voted for Trump but are now awake and regretful, please let me know.
Give me hope for the future.
I owe my Trump-supporting friends an apology.
Thursday, March 11, 2021
Yes, Sir'ee They're Pips!
Oh, he’s Slim Chiply
The guy you see
On the Paramount Potato Chips
Bright red sack
He’s the flavor deputy
Protecting crispness in every pack
They’re nutritious
And so delicious
Yes, sir’ee they’re pips!
Paramount Potato Chips
Ever get old commercials stuck in your head?
This is the one that's stuck in mine. Almost all the time.
I've tried to share it with Alison and the boys, more times than they care for me to do. But..whoops...there it is.
They were made in Flint, Michigan, just 30 minutes or so from where I lived. According to the interwebs, they ceased production very badly.
Alison collects old tins, so if anyone has a line on one, let me know.
Man, too much research. Eleventy minutes already gone!
Stay safe!
Stay chippy!
T. M. Strait









