Phase Five Begins

 

Yes. My comic book project continues. I know. It's been a long time. It's taking a lot of time and concentration. But I'm finally on Phase Five, which is quite far along.  I'm refining what I want my core collection to be, the ones I retain after the mass sale.

The comic above is fairly recent and is the first issue introducing Naomi, whose origins and powers bear some similarity to Superman. A CW show about her started two weeks ago, and it's pretty good. It's produced by the outstanding Director and Creator, Ava DuVernay (she made one of my favorite movies, Selma, and the Oscar-nominated Documentary, 13th). I'm enjoying the program, despite its only 4.0 rating on IMDb.*

I've had to hold this comic book out of my mass sale because its value is hard to figure out.   It's been published since my August 2021 guidebook, and values from other internet sources have been all over the map. I have about a half dozen comics in this position.

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The numbers of COVID cases in the two counties, Ware and Pierce, where I spend my time, have skyrocketed to their highest levels. Even people who have behaved reasonably throughout this have come down with the Omicron variant. My immediate family has escaped it to this point, but there is no guarantee that will continue. Public schools around here have been terribly lax, and a good number of the new cases I know about come from them.

And as the cases rise in our area, the percentage of mask wearers is plummeting. Outside of some retail personnel, it looks to me like only 5 to 10% of people are wearing masks.

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It is clear to me that Democrats have given up on doing anything to protect schools. The public polling is all against them, and they don't have the courage to challenge it.

I don't want schools to be shut down,  But to do that, you have t have teachers and as many students as possible vaccinated. In addition, you have to require mask-wearing.

But a significant minority won't allow that. They want schools open. They want little or no precautions taken.

I get it. Schools are not about education. It's about warehousing kids so you can go to work, sort of free daycare.

The hard truth is that many are prioritizing their ability to go to work over the safety of children and the community.

Again, I don't want schools closed. I want precautions taken. But even that seems a step too far for many.

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I was ecstatic to see Georgia beat Alabama in the National Championship. Their great underdog quarterback, Stetson Bennett III, comes for our town of Blackshear - indeed, his family is in our neighborhood. I don't know them, but Alison has at least a passing acquaintance with the family. They are good people, and his emergence is one of the best sports stories of recent times.

I was disappointed that it was not Michigan beating Alabama for the championship, but that did not take away from their extraordinary season. First, starting unranked and then finishing Number 3 in the nation! Then, beating Ohio State! Finally, winning the Big Ten Championship! Awesome year!

To my former co-worker, a big Bama fan- be patient. You'll most likely be back next year. The Wolverines? I hope not, but it may be another 25 to 30 years in the wilderness. 

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Well, I guess I better get back to my comic project. The sooner I finish, the sooner I can get started on something else!

Occasionally yours,

T. M. Strait

*there is a large contingent of right-wingers, particularly right-wing comic book fans, who swarm Imdb and downgrade any show that dares to be diverse.  They especially hate what they call SJWs (Social Justice Warriors), a concept that  I see as a positive and this group sees as a negative.  To fully address it here would require tripling the word count of this post.  I did address it in other posts and will address it more in the future.

The Newest Marvel/DC Blockbuster! Omicron vs. Southeast Georgia!

 IT'S HERE!

(probably).

When I heard the name of the latest variant, I thought, "Man! That sounds like a Marvel Super-Villain!"

Close!

There was a Hydra base by that name. in the comic 2020 Rescue. The base was infiltrated by Pepper Potts, and she succeeds in destroying a good part of the base. Pepper Potts is a secretary and love interest for Tony Stark (AKA Iron Man AKA Robert Downey, Jr.). In the movies, Pepper Potts is played by Gwyneth Paltrow.

So, yes, in a way, in the Marvel Universe, the world was saved from Omicron by Gwyneth Paltrow. Who had that on their Bingo card?

It's also interesting to note that Hydra is a long-running evil organization in Marvel, with the mantra,  Hail, Hydra! Immortal Hydra! We shall never be destroyed! Cut off one head, two more shall take its place! 

Yeah. That's a pretty good description of COVID, don't cha think?

Not to be outdone, DC has an actual villain named Omicron! He appeared in World's Finest Comics #296 - 300 in 1983. World's Finest was a comic that featured both Superman and Batman, so this dude must have hated both of them. I'm still researching what his powers are - kinda sounds like our COVID Omicron! It's doing something, but we're not quite sure yet what.

Omicron has torn apart most of the country. Has it got to Southeast Georgia yet?

Well, cases have gone up recently. As a result, our color-coding has gotten darker. But the state system has broken down, and I haven't seen a County update since Wednesday 1/5!

But y'all know how well-behaved this area is - I'm sure we'll all stay safe!

Ok. probably not. I'm just praying that it continues to be milder than earlier waves. It is much more contagious, so I fear that everyone who lives around here will get it. Hopefully, many cases will be asymptomatic to extremely mild.

In the Marvel Universe, the Omicron base did not survive long (and was beaten by the Goop lady!) In the DC Universe, Omicron terrorized mankind for five issues and then was written out of existence.

May we be as fortunate!

Dark Steps Across a Shadowed Land

 I went out today

Headed down the way

Dark steps across a shadowed land

Track marks left in crimson sand

Treasure me here

Forget me there

I can no longer meet you

I can no longer greet you

The town is a buzz

The people are scuzz

They spread their poison with glee

They know not what  I see

Maybe it was too soon

It's still the time of the loon

Everyone's in their maskless glory

Spreading their germ-filled story

They're not ready

Life's not steady

I don't want to live in fear

But I am surrounded by madness here

I finish my roam

I head back home

Across the burning sands I tread

Leaving where sanity has fled

What about next week

Is that too soon to seek

Will it have played out by then

Or will it still be too early for zen

Too soon

Too. Soon.

So I wait 

So, I. Wait.

Not Just Doing My Own Thang

 Oh, hippies!

Time has aged us all.

But, you know, some of that hippie thang still lives on with us.

Unfortunately, for the most part, not the good stuff.  Not the environmental concern (that does exist, but I wouldn't attribute it to the hippie culture).  Certainly not the so-called liberal politics.

Am I of the generation where I could have been a hippy?  Close enough, I guess.  I was a teenager in the late sixties and early seventies.  But I never was.  I was always straight-laced (!) and fairly conservative, from a personal appearance and conduct level perspective.  Most of the hippies I knew in high school weren't peaceniks and protestors.  For the most part, they were hoodlums and roughnecks, more concerned with getting high than with treating other people well.

And that is what has survived of the hippie culture to this day.  Not an effort to reach a helping hand and strive to make a better planet for all, but just a general impulse to do your own thang.  Want to smoke dope?  DO YOUR OWN THANG!  Want a looser definition of marriage and sexual responsibility?  DO YOUR OWN THANG!  Want to party? DO YOUR OWN THANG!  Want to make money and buy the things you want?  DO YOUR OWN THANG! Want to worship Jesus by rocking out and speaking in tongues*?  DO YOUR OWN THANG!

The hippie movement flowed naturally into Reagan and the age of greed.  Some of the hippies became yippies - young professionals consumed with doing their own thang.

And some of those aging hippies are Trump supporters.  Why?  Because he is the poster child for selfishly DOING YOUR OWN THANG. As long as you blindly worship Trump, or at least let him DO HIS OWN THANG, enriching himself by grafting YOU.

I am not dismissing hippies altogether.  I know a few who are decidedly progressive, who care a great deal about the environment and social/economic equity.  But, I'm sorry to say, they are outnumbered by those who DOING THEIR OWN THANG means first and foremost prioritizing themselves and their own enrichment,

So, let me make it clear.  Me wearing a mask in public is not me DOING MY OWN THANG.  It has nothing to do with personal preference, or "you do you, Tom," or prioritizing myself.

I wear a mask in public because of YOU.  I care about YOU.  I care about doing what I can to halt this awful pandemic, this horrible virus that has infected AT LEAST 1 in 5 of the people of Ware and Pierce Counties, that has killed almost 300 people in our rural landscape. So I take it very seriously.  

Yes, I am vaccinated.  No, I have not gotten COVID (to date).  Yes, I am careful, or as careful as I can be given the behavior of others.  But I know about the potential of breakthrough cases.  And I know, despite my caution, I could get one of those breakthrough cases.  And I am very afraid that when I contract it, it will be too mild for me to catch the symptoms, and I, therefore, run the risks of infecting others.  And with the super high rate of unvaccinated around here, I run the risk of infecting one of them.  I could be responsible for someone else getting it, and their case might not be so mild.  And I cannot handle being responsible for that.

I am not DOING MY OWN THANG.  I am not simply choosing pepperoni on my pizza over peppers.  I am not trying to follow the drumbeat of my own drummer.

I am trying to do the RESPONSIBLE thing, the CARING thing, the thing that HAS TO BE DONE if we are going to get out of this terrible pandemic.

Get vaccinated.  Wear a mask.

This isn't MY THANG.  If we're going to make it out of this, it absolutely has to be OUR THANG.

*This is not meant as a negative reflection of Pentecostals or the long tradition of the speaking of tongues in Acts.  I recently read a book where some hippies were forming churches that did this.  Maybe I could have thought of a better example.  Maybe I'll edit it later.  I don't know.  Just don't obsess over the wrong thing.

School Starts: The Power of Love

 The power of vaccination is the power of love. It shows your commitment to the health and well-being of yourself and, more importantly, to all those around you. According to the school calendars I saw, students in Pierce and Ware County start back August 4th. I continue to pray that every teacher and staff person is vaccinated.

Masking may seem unpleasant, but while the Delta Variant is surging, and so many remain unvaccinated, it really is the smart thing to do. The local school systems and the Governor (Kemp. DeSantis) are not like to make masks mandatory, but if you are a parent, I urge you to support masking for the sake of your children and for the sake of all.

No one wants to be dragged backward into the pandemic. We all want to move to a different stage. And the best way to do that? Get vaccinated!

I'm not trying to be political. Honest! But the science is clear. The way out of this is masking and vaccination.

If we don't, we run the risk of even more virulent variants emerging. And I fear one of those may endanger our greatest treasure - our children.

So....

Mask up.

Get vaccinated.

Love,

T. M. Strait

Leading Them to Water

This is Ellie. 

After a brief visit outside in the Georgia heat, she came in panting.  I thought, "This dog needs some water."

So, I called her over to where the dog's water bowl is.  She stares at it for a minute, looks at me, and then walks away.

What's the saying?  You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink?

Don't worry.  Ellie is fine.  She eventually drank water, on her own time and impulse.

Not so in some cases. Sometimes there are dire consequences in refusing to drink the water.

And such as it is with the unvaccinated.

It doesn't matter how easy the access to vaccination is.  They will refuse to follow the path.

It doesn't matter how you talk to them.  You can be persuasive.  You can be friendly.  You can appeal to them based on your friendship and love for them.  They will listen to other, darker voices from their highly filtered and conspiratorial news sources and highly stacked social media feeds.

And sadly, it doesn't seem to matter that, in many sections of the country where the vaccination rates are low, cases are surging again.  That 99%+ of the hospitalizations and deaths are of the unvaccinated. For them, personal liberty trumps social responsibility.

Yes, Biden is President, and he bears responsibility for resolving this crisis and leading us out of this mess.  Our rollout of the vaccine has been among the best in the world.  Finally, we're number one at something again! His COVID bill has focused big dollars on vaccination and support for the medical community. Unfortunately, it has shored up weaknesses in our economic system.

But in the end, Biden and for those of us who care, we can lead people to the vaccine, but we cannot make them take it.

And that puts all at risk, as the virus continues to spread, and unchecked variants take over, variants that are more communicable and deadly.  Variants that may eventually break through the vaccine barrier.

We are in a race between vaccination and variants.  And if we don't achieve herd immunity through vaccination, we are going to lose that race.

I'll end with a plea that if anyone has successfully led someone to the vaccine and persuaded them to take it, please share your story and tell us how you did it.  We all need a little bit of hope right now.

Post-Pandemic (?????) Monday Musings

 Is it over?

I don't know.  

But everyone around here is acting like it is.

And I don't just mean those who never acted like there was a pandemic.  I mean EVERYONE.

Stores may have around 10% masked.  In some stores, the employees are unmasked.

There are no crowd size limits.  The picture above is symbolic of the crowds to come.  Georgia and Florida already have held crowded sporting events.

Even my church, which had been super cautious, creating one of the safest environments in the area, has now gone unmasked.

And I don't even know what to say.  The CDC is indicating that vaccinated people are safe from getting or giving COVID-19.  So, it is logical that vaccinated people would not have to wear a mask. It is also logical that unvaccinated people would continue to need to wear a mask, particularly in areas with low vaccination rates (South Georgia - I'm looking at YOU).

That's great, but there is no way to distinguish who should be wearing a mask in public settings and who no longer has to.  And, for the most part, if you're so irresponsible as to not be vaccinated*, you probably haven't been wearing a mask anyway (unless forced to).

The numbers do indicate a downward trajectory.  This is across the entire nation and even Georgia.  But it is not gone.  Georgia COVID deaths remain well above 100 each week.  Ware County jogged down a month ago but now has stabilized at about 15 to 20 new cases a week.  Pierce County has dropped more, to only a handful of reported new cases each week.  There is a possibility that Pierce County just stopped counting.  I really feel like only the more serious cases were ever reported out in Pierce, that the numbers have been at least partially repressed.  

It's not only church.  I've had more organizational meetings start back up. I've looked at the social calendar for June that Alison is keeping, and it's busier than it's been in more than a year. It's making this introvert very queasy.

I've had nightmares about attending church with no restrictions, and those dreams have come true. The actuality was not quite a nightmare, but it did take some getting used to.

I've had nightmares that I tried to get back into the theater, but nobody wanted me there.

It's hard on a social introvert like me.  It takes me weeks and months to feel secure around people.  I now have to start over with that process of re-engaging with people.

People have to be patient with me.  I have to think hard about how much and how intensely I want to re-engage.

And I also have to think about whether it is really over.

I don't know.

Please continue to be as careful as you can out there.

And if you haven't gotten vaccinated yet, please do so.

*there may be a small number of people who have valid medical reasons not to take the vaccine.  I don't know what those reasons might be, but there may be a few who fall into this category.

June 1 Biden Premium Update

 I promised that I would keep up.

I promised to maintain a Biden Premium, using the same analysis methods as I did with Trump.

Let it fall where it may.

If it doesn't show an improvement from Trump - well, all my Trumpeteer friends can dance around me and deride me.

I am not going to repeat all the math calculations.  I have shown the methodology several times, and if you are interested, you can find and read some of the earlier Premium posts.

To summarize:

Trump's Final Premium

288,285

That is the number of COVID deaths over what would have been expected based on our population, plus doubling it because....well, we have some people who don't listen very well.

Biden's May 1 Premium

11,513

This represented a substantial slowing of rate from the previous administration.  It wasn't ideal - there was still a lot of resistance in the country.  But it was lower than the premium from just a couple weeks prior, which I estimated at 17,000.

Biden's June 1 Premium

(1,615)

Wait.

What?

Why is that number in brackets? And in red?

Because it's a reduction.  It's BELOW what we would expect, based on the same criteria I used for Trump.

That's right.

The US is now doing BETTER than you would expect, not WORSE.

Thank you, President Biden.

Back in the Wednesday Wandering Saddle

 

Whew!

Formatting problems fixed!

Anyone who wonders what I'm talking about should look at the previous post.  Somehow, it flipped to HTML view instead of compose view.  But I figured out how to flip it off and return to compose.

ARRRRE YOU READY TO WANDER?

Woke up.  Got out of bed.  Dragged a comb across my....naw, I didn't do that.  What do I care what my hair looks like when I get up?

The first thing is to let the dog posse out and prepare their food bowls. I also do the cat creature.  I have to put her up on a table in the study to eat it, so the dogs won't get to it.  She is now too old and fat to jump onto the table, so I have to lift her up/

Ellie and Cocoa Bear get dry food, as does Pixie, although hers is a different food with smaller pebbles.  Boss-A-Man gets a mix of easy-to-chew-softer foods, as Boss-A-Man has very few teeth left.

I take Cocoa Bear for a walk in the mornings.  My foot/leg pains are acting up right now, so it's a bit of a challenge.  I know I don't get enough exercise, so as excruciating as it may be, I still feel the need to barrel through it.  Walking is painful, but I don't think it makes things worse.  I could be wrong.

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I'm trying to discipline my work schedule to help give myself a little more routine.  I am taking Wednesday and Friday off.  This does not always fit the workflow, but I am determined to do it unless there is an emergency deadline.

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Mask policy has completely disintegrated wherever I go. I can't even say what's right or wrong anymore.  I will still wear a mask in most public situations.  

I was in Kroger Monday, and the sign in front now says that vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in the store.  I wore mine anyway, out of habit, mostly.

While looking at a display of prepared fruit, a guy nearby saw me and started to engage in conversation.  He told me that he had done nothing to protect himself through this whole pandemic and had not gotten sick.  He attributed this miracle to God.

Disregarding the theological issues, one thing was clear.  This man was obviously unvaccinated, and he also was not wearing a mask.  

And that's the way I think it will be.  Most of those you see with masks are vaccinated because they were responsible enough to care about themselves and others.  In my opinion, the majority of those unvaccinated were not caring enough to wear a mask before - why should they now because we're on an "honors" system?

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Speaking of going into maskless situations, I plan to attend an OHC Writer's Guild meeting Thursday night.  I have some fear and trepidation, but I will do my best to control that.  I also intend to do all I can to avoid leadership positions.  I don't need the stress.

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I have had recurring dreams about being in public situations, and no one except me is masked.  Most of these have involved our church.  That nightmare came true last Sunday.  We had a vestry meeting Thursday trying to reestablish mask policy, accommodating the shifting guidelines of the diocese.  I thought that we had decided to continue wearing masks rather than putting special conditions on the unvaccinated.

That's not what happened.   On Sunday, it was decided before everyone got there that everyone there was vaccinated, so we didn't have to wear masks.  I tried to keep mine on for a while, but I soon gave up.  It's very confusing.  I know, for me, the mask may no longer be necessary, but it's been a way of life for over a year.

I'll get over it.  Eventually.

Wanderingly Yours,

T. M. Strait

Invasion of the Unvaccinated!

 

Look, I get it.  The CDC is following science, and the scientific evidence leans heavily towards vaccinated people being protected, both from getting serious cases and giving serious cases to others.  So, it makes sense.  Those who are vaccinated do not need to mask anymore. Not outdoors.  Not indoors.

That's just great.  I mean, really, it is.  The country has shown remarkable progress in the last few months.  Cases and deaths are lowering.  We are on the right trajectory.

Our vaccination rate is the best in the world (boy, it feels like a long time since I could say the US was number in anything positive!).  Almost half the country has received at least one dose.  This is not herd immunity yet, but it doesn't factor in those who have had COVID and may or may not have developed temporary immunity.  So, we may be even closer than we think.

Here's the situation.  Vaccinated people do not need to wear masks, except where mandated by local governments or private businesses.  Unvaccinated people should continue to wear masks and follow cautious protocol.

And there's the rub.

People responsible enough to get vaccinated have had no trouble wearing a mask, and many will continue to be extra cautious and show support.

People, who at this point remain unvaccinated, were probably not responsible enough to wear a mask in the first place.  Some of you reading this may live in more responsible places, but here where I live?  It's always been the wild, wild west.

How will they enforce this?

Short answer - they won't.  They are leaving it up to the "honor system."

HA!

This may be extreme, but there is no honor among many (but not all) of the unvaccinated.  

A store puts up a sign saying that if you're vaccinated, you don't need to wear a mask, but if you're unvaccinated, please wear a mask.  Hear that chortling in front of the store?  That's the unvaccinated laughing at the whole concept.

Most reactions will be one of the following:

I'm not wearing a mask.  They don't know whether I'm vaccinated or not, and because it's an honor system, no one will challenge me on it.

OR

Mask?  Are they kidding?  Why should I start wearing one NOW?

The reaction will definitely not be what the CDC is hoping for:

Oh, my!  I guess I have to put on my mask!  I wish I was like the vaccinated and able not to wear one.  I know!  I'll get my vaccine shots, so then I can go maskless too!

Yeah, CDC.  I hate to break it to you, but most people aren't wired that way.

I don't have a solution to this.  It may be a stage we have to go through.

I wish people behaved better.  It would help speed the fading of this deadly virus.  We are still in a race with variants.  But there is no reason to think the irresponsible are suddenly going to start being responsible now.

For me, I'll continue to wear my mask unless I'm with a group that's fully vaccinated.  Is it overdoing it?  Is it too cautious?  Maybe.  

But I know what side I want to err on.

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.

Random and Insidious

 It is random.

This disease, this plague, this virus, this pandemic, is random.  It is infecting millions, but the severity of cases seems random and capricious.  

Some who get it barely know they have it.  Some are sick for a few days, home with mild symptoms.  Some have the worst flu/cold/virus of their lives, tussling with it for a couple of weeks.  Some are hospitalized.  Some have symptoms that persist for months.  And some die.

The most vulnerable among us are most at risk.  But that is not universally true.  One of my church's youngest, most vibrant vestry members succumbs to the disease.   Just yesterday, a young father loses his life after a month of struggles, with his loving wife and family pulling out all the stops to save him, trying to make our stubborn, inert medical system respond to his needs.  Young children have died.

It is insidious.

This disease, this plague, this virus, this pandemic is insidious.  Many who get this can shrug it off and get fooled into thinking it's not that big of a deal.  But it's there.  And it is deadly.  And millions worldwide, including 425,000 plus Americans, have died.

Some people walk through the madness, unmasked, without a care for themselves or for others.  Maybe they have some special immunity I don't understand.  Maybe their case was so asymptomatic that they didn't know they had it.  

As horrible as this is, somehow it falls below the recognition that the nation is in crisis.  Maybe by now, they know somebody who has died.  But somehow, they dismiss it as an unfortunate aberration, or maybe it's not really a COVID death.  I'm sorry.  If you have a heart attack while you have COVID or are recovering, that's a COVID related death.  

Random and insidious.

With COVID variants coming, it may become more contagious.  It may affect children more.

We need to mask up, wash our hands, and socially distance.  This is not a game.  This not a matter of personal liberty.  This is life or death, and we need to take it seriously.

I mask.  I socially distance.  I need to do better at hand washing.  I don't do it often enough or long enough.  So there.  I admitted my imperfection.

I also screwed up getting the COVID vaccine.  I wanted to wait until some of the older, more at-risk people I knew were scheduled. 

Which means I didn't call until this morning.  Where I was told that scheduling vaccine appointments were currently "on pause."

My bad.  I am not perfect.

I will wait until availability is announced again.  I am more concerned about those around me than myself.  My son is at college, and although he is cautious, others around him are not.  Someone close to me works in an environment that is...somewhat lax in its approach to this crisis.

I worry.  And I wait.

My heart and soul are crushed by the pain and sorrow I see around me.  My mind and spirit are devastated by the lack of caring I see around me,

Random and insidious.

All my thoughts, love, and prayers to everyone, and that we can pull through this pandemic soon.

It's Time to Say Goodbye to 2020

 It's time to say goodbye to 2020.

I'm not sad to see you go.

A year of an out of control pandemic that took the lives of over 1.8 million lives worldwide, including approaching 350,000 here in the United States.

A year when an out of control narcissist and dictator-wannabe tried to challenge our most cherished institutions (you know, like Democracy).  Ultimately, he was not successful, but that's not to say he didn't do considerable damage on his way out the door.

A year of the weird and the wild, including murder hornets, mysterious monoliths, the Tiger King, and so much more.

A year when we discovered the brave, courageous hearts of so many of us, as so many risked their lives to maintain our healthcare system, to protect us, to keep us in groceries and basic supplies, to educate our children.

A year when we discovered how horribly divided we were, as 74 million voted for the most unfit leader in American history, one clearly responsible for the severity of the pandemic we have and are experiencing here.  They ignored all that and voted for him anyway.  Worse, millions ignored health protocols, refusing to wear masks, and insisting on gathering together, exposing everyone to greater danger and death. For these people, personal liberty was more important than social responsibility. And that is the most monstrous truth about 2020.

Some of the things that faded in 2020 and may or may not come back, at least not to where they were - movie theaters, indoor restaurant dining, cruise ships, attending worship services.

Some of the things that increased in 2020 - restaurant drive-thrus, grocery pick up and delivery, ZOOM meetings, Netflix and chill, absentee ballots and early voting.  

As we come out of the pandemic in 2021 (fingers crossed), I think some of our changes will stay.  The trend towards fast food pickup and delivery increased before the pandemic - it just accelerated already existing trends.  A new model for opening movies, via streaming services, was discovered, and it may replace movie theater attendance, at least enough to make it difficult for many movie theatres to remain viable.  Cruise ships were disease Petri dishes even before the pandemic - they should fade away, but I can't say for sure.  Attending church is, frankly, a developed habit, and many marginal church-goers may have been broken of that habit,

I'm not fond of meetings, period, but ZOOM meetings I have particular trouble with.  I don't like the idea of being seen like I'm part of the Hollywood Squares, and I have a hard time even figuring out when to break in and talk.

On a personal level, I worked part-time, and Alsion worked full-time.  That wasn't much different for us.  COVID-19 swirls around us, closer and closer. We are prayfully thankful that Alsion's parents and other vulnerable people we know have remained safe.  But we do know people who have been sickened and a few that have died.  

Our area has been particularly stubborn about COVID protocols, and as a result, the number of cases here has continued to increase. It was a great joy to see (via GPB - Georgia Public Broadcasting) our local county's school football team win the state championship in an exciting and instant-classic overtime game.  It was heartbreaking to see so many there ignoring COVID safety protocols.

But 2021 is almost here.  A new year, offering new hope that we can turn things around.  There are vaccines.  The orange clown will soon be gone, vanished to one of his crappy resorts, and we can ignore his twittery bellyaching.

Tonight, my family will play board games, fix homemade pizzas and icebox lemon pie, watch a movie or two, try to find something entertaining on to watch the ball drop (usually flipping back and forth between several programs), try to keep the dogs calm while neighbors mess with fireworks, and then stagger in to bed a few minutes after midnight.

Goodbye to 2020!

Don't let the door hit ya where the Trump vote split ya!

Prayers and love to you all from the Strait clan for a better 2021!

Christmas in the Time of COVID: #3

 

On Christmas Eve, I want to take this opportunity to thank all those frontline workers who are doing so much to help us through this pandemic.

Thank you to all the healthcare workers that are doing so much to help us in these times, when we get sick with COVID or anything else.  They are working long hours and are often the only human contact many of our beloved family members see when in ICU or other parts of the hospital.

Thank you to the police and firefighters who continue to protect us.

Thank you for the delivery people, whether it be Christmas packages or fast food, needed medicines or a letter from a loved one. They are keeping us connected during these dark times.  

Thank you to the retail clerks that keep our stores open so that we get food and vital supplies.

Thank you to all those in industry, keeping important products coming, including food processing, PPE supplies, hardware supplies, and so much more.

Thank you to those who are assisting with charities to provide relief for the increased number of Americans living with food and/or shelter insecurities.  

We owe all of these people a great debt of gratitude, but we can repay them with more than that.  We can -

Wear our masks.

Socially distant.

Frequently wash our hands.

Reduce unnecessary travel, including Christmas travel to family and friends.

I know that last one is hard, but hospitals have reached or exceeded capacity in many areas of the country.  The more stress on our medical system, the less we are able to take care of everybody. And that increases the number of people who will die.

It is exciting news that vaccines are here.  But it will take several months for those to really improve things.  Meanwhile, we must do our best to protect each other, particularly those who have done so much to help us.

Merry Christmas, y'all.

Let it be a time of love and joy and caring for one another.

Christmas in Covid Times 2

 

Sphinx-like, our Christmas guardian, Ellie, is here!  Protecting the Christmas tree.  You know, the one that will stay up through Epiphany.  

Early we are, but we're all home.  We might as well get into the Christmas beer.

CHEER!  I mean CHEER!  My bad.

I really don't drink much beer.  Maybe a couple a year.  On average.  And I'm not sure I've had one this year.

Alison and I occasionally have a glass of wine, almost always Moscato, three or four ounces once or twice a month.

We really don't drink much.  A secret about this country is that our history is rife with booze.  Seriously.  A lot of our events have been influenced by liquor.  It would make a Russian blush.

Anyhoo, back to Christmas.

Our plans this year are modest,  We'll only see people we've been around before, and that will be social distanced and well-masked.  

Alison's mother, Benjamin's MeeMaw, will come over Christmas Eve for the annual Potato Soup meal.  We usually have a second soup, but this year we'll have a Boston Butt.  For dessert, we've got a bread pudding made for us by a fellow church member.

We will have the annual viewing of Elf.  This year, we got a preview by attending WACT's wonderful production of Elf: The Musical.

We will attend Christmas Eve Mass.

Christmas morning, MeeMaw will be with us as we open our stockings.  Then we will have a Christmas breakfast featuring Christmas Sausage Pie.

Upon breakfast's conclusion, we have the opening of the gifts.  This used to take a lot of time, as we went one gift at a time.  Now, as Benjamin is older, there are fewer gifts and less production around them.

After that, we will play with the toys we got.  This also has become subdued over the years.  There's only so many games you can play with new socks.

Christmas evening will bring an Italian supper at Alison's Dad's house.  It will just be us, Alison's Dad and Glenda, and Alison's step-sister with her husband and their son, Graham. Every caution will be taken.

Other?  I want to read.  I'm in a huge but interesting book about President Grant, written by the same guy, Ron Chernow, who wrote the Hamiltion book the musical is based on.  I also want to see what Bond movies I can while they're being offered on Amazon Prime (they're taking them away on January 1st).  Currently, I'm halfway through Moonraker, which is in about the middle of the Roger Moore years. Is Moore a better bond than Sean Connery?  No, but the Moore movies are still fun and gadget-filled.  I love the gadgets.

What I don't want to do is think about Trump.  Sadly, he won't go away, continuing to do destructive things that put our democracy at risk. It's hard to ignore him when he's considering martial law.

Nevertheless...

Merry Christmas!

Christmas in the Time of Covid 1

 

I'm not going anywhere.

That's the first thing to know about Christmas in COVID times.

We were going up to the Atlanta area to see my son Doug and my daughter-in-law Paige, but we are putting it off for now after discussing it with them.  It's disappointing, but it is not worth the risk to them and to us.

I normally go to prison on the last day of the year to observe and audit the prison's commissary. Due to Coronavirus concerns, our firm is not doing that this year.  Prisons have been a hotspot for coronavirus transmission.

My workplace is restricted this week due to employee concerns and outbreaks related to a staff member's family, so only a small group covers assignments that have to be covered - I am not in that group and will be home this week.

We continue to go to Church and look forward to Christmas Eve mass.  Our church has been extraordinary in deploying safety measures, and it is much safer going there than in any place in the area (except maybe the public library). 

We go to the grocery store when we have to.  The mask-wearing there is mixed, but we do our best to maintain our distance.  We eat restaurant food only about once a week, and when we do, we bring it home.

Christmas will be just us and Alsion's mother, Rose, with whom we are the only people she is in contact with.

I have not been in plays for quite a while, the last being Murder on the Orient Express well over a year ago.  I don't normally have that long of a break, and it does make me antsy.  There have been at least three plays I wanted to do but passed on due to COVID concerns.

Last night, I had a dream where I was in a play again, and I performed well, except that I did not come out for two scenes that I was supposed to be in.  They were filming that night for a documentary, and I became the focus of it, as an aging actor who should not be performing anymore.  Such are my fears of what it may be like once I can be in plays again.  I fear the theatre has moved beyond me and doesn't need me or want me anymore, that my whole theatre career was nothing more than a forgotten illusion.

In the same dream, I was also going back to college, one that was a couple hours away, and that midterms were going on the same week as the play.  I kept missing classes and realized that I had never studied for the tests and had no idea what was on them.

So, in my dreams, my acting career is a sham, my academic abilities gone.  All the pillars that made me me were disintegrating. 

Fortunately, I woke up before I lost anything else.

I look forward to the virus being under control.  I pray the vaccines work, that new strains (such as the one emerging in Britain) can be contained and vaccines remain effective against it, that people use precautions until the vaccines take hold.  

As a shy person who took months and years to build up the confidence to be around people, I will not rebound back as easily as some. Please be patient with me.

Christmas time is almost here!

It's a Holly, Jolly Harley Christmas! A Crowley Story

 

I know what they're saying.

Still, it's Christmas.  And Christmas at the Harley clan means big family gatherings.  There are so many of us that some years we rent out the Dixon Hall out near the lake. 

Not this year.  We're going to meet at Grandpa Harley's farm.  If the weather is nice, we'll meet outside.  We got picnic tables and a tent, a big tent that sometimes our church uses for revivals.  If the weather is bad, we'll just gather inside, screw the precautions.

It won't be as crowded as some years.  Aunt Fresca and her entire family won't be there.  She's our family liberal, and she's a maskaholic.  She's a nurse and overly sensitive if you ask me.  I mean, haven't some of the hospital personnel been vaccinated?  Maybe not here.  I hadn't heard yet.

That still leaves several dozen people who will descend on Grandpa's farm on Christmas afternoon.  My brother Chuck will once again dress up as Santa; Chuck's a big guy, even for Santa, topping out somewhere over three hundred pounds.  It'll be too late to ask Santa for presents, but not too late to hug and kiss him.

Nobody will wear a mask.  Maybe Charlene.  She likes to be dramatic, a real hypochondriac telling us all the time about her diabetes and heart condition, all the while she's shoveling chocolate candy under her mask.

Someone who won't be there is Grandma Harley.  Except in spirit.  Sadly, she passed away two weeks after Thanksgiving.  Did she have COVID?  I don't know.  Grandma had a lot of problems, so it could have been anything. There was a positive test, but there are a lot of false positives out there.  That's what I heard on Newsmax - a lot of unrelated deaths are being attributed to COVID because the doctors are trying to push up the numbers so they can get more money and stuff. 

The funeral was the last time the family got together.  The funeral people, Davis Funeral Home, insisted everyone wear a mask at the viewing.  They didn't have the power to control New Life Baptist Church, where a massive service was held.  After that, New Life closed for a week, but it's up and running for Christmas.  Pastor Dan says it would be ungodly not to hold Christmas services. I confess.  I didn't go.  I'm a devout Christian, I swears, I just didn't go very much.  Yes, sometimes I want to stick it to the libs and atheists and show up, but then it gets to Sunday morning, and I just go, "Not this Sunday.  I'd rather take it easy.  It's been a long week operating the trash truck, and I need a break.  Maybe next Sunday."

Grandpa's children, all six minus Fresca, confabbed about whether and how to hold the Harley Christmas party. Grandpa insisted it was what Grandma would have wanted.  She wanted to look down from heaven and see all her family gathered for the most important day of the year, the day Jesus was born, and began his journey to sacrifice himself for our sins. 

Darlene, the youngest of the bunch (and my Mama), suggested putting up the revival tent and centering outdoors.  Grandpa reluctantly agreed, although he said he would spend as much time as possible in the parlor amidst the photographs and lingering scent of his beloved wife.  And, outdoors or not, he expected people to come to see him and pay tribute to her memory.

Me?  Yeah, whatever.  I'll go anywhere.  Family trumps fear.  Ha! See how I used the word trump?  Ain't I clever?  Just like the name of the one true President who rules us all, the real winner of the election.  Can't believe that Kemp was in cahoots with Hugo Chavez putting in a bunch of rigged voting machines.  What were the machines called?  Dominatrix?  Something like that.  And now there's supposed to be a runoff where two Republicans have to be in a runoff with Radical Liberal Atheist Democrats?  I know.  Warnock is some kind of preacher, I guess, but it ain't no proper church.  Not like New Life.  It preaches socialism, gushing money to the undeserving, and advocating getting rid of our cops.  Well, I'll show them!  The hell if I'm gonna vote in that rigged mess!  Ain't worth my time!

Masks are a show of weakness.  It smells of cowardice.  And I won't be a coward.  I won't have wimps like Pretend President Biden tell me what to do!  I got personal liberty to do and go where I want!  I ain't no health hazard!  I been around people since the start, and I ain't sick!  Well, not right now, anyway.  There was that time just before Thanksgiving, but it wasn't much, and screw you if I was going in for a test. Nobody was gonna stop me from Thanksgiving and seeing Grandma Harley, and you know?  I'm glad I did because it was my last chance to see her.

And now, with our presents opened and our stomachs ready for a big old meal, it was time to go to the big Harley Christmas party.  The weather is a little cold and windy, so we may spend more time inside than otherwise.

But that's okay.  Life is too short to live in fear.

Way too short.

I Am Not a Germaphobe

 

I am not now, nor have I ever been, nor will I ever be, a germaphobe.

I started out rocky.  I had all the diseases typical of my generation—mumps, chickenpox, measles, both hard and soft.  I had pneumonia twice.  I had mononucleosis. 

The hard (or German) measles I got as a Kindergartener almost killed me. Our family doctor was worried whether I would pull through.  I just remember being very sick for a very long time.

People with rough childhood illnesses often become germaphobes, especially those who've had scarlet fever (which is one I do not recall having).  

I'm not sure why it didn't turn me into a germaphobe.  Once I became an adult, I've had very few illnesses, except for the type of hepatitis you get from food contamination when I was 27.  Flu and colds have been mild and infrequent.

I have had a strong immune system, and I believe, right or wrong, that my childhood exposures helped improve my immunities.  So, I used less caution than most.

I have been in a number of plays where people all around me were getting sick, and I got nothing.  And that's with taking no special precautions.

I have missed very few workdays in my life.  Well, at least from illness.  My last major flu was in 2000, my first tax season.  For better or worse, I worked through it, even with temps approaching 103.  I finally went to a care clinic, and they gave me a Z-Pac (a rare trip to Antibiotic World).  I asked how long I should stay out of work, and the doctor said I was already past being contagious, and I should just keep going to work. So, back I went, fever and all.

I did not get a flu shot until about three years ago.  I'm not an idiot or anti-vaxxer.  I recognized that, as good as my immune system has been, I was aging and not super-human.  The first two years after the shot, I did develop a mild flu/cold.  Again, nothing that kept me out of work.

So, please pay attention.

I am not approaching the pandemic as a germaphobe.  Right or wrong, I'm not super worried about getting it myself.  But I am deeply concerned about passing it onto others.  

It is a deeply insidious disease.  Many who get it sail right through.  Others wind up with severe symptoms, and some wind up hospitalized. And some, about 2 to 3 %, die.

I am not germaphobic.  I am woke.  I realize the damage this virus has caused, and will cause if it remains unchecked.

I care about other people.  I don't want us to go through a true herd immunity process that will result in the death of millions.

I don't want to put Alison's Mom & Dad, both of whom have other health problems, at risk.

Personal liberty is not the issue.  My immunity system and cavalier attitude towards catching things is not the issue.  

The issue is caring about other people.  The issue is doing what one can to mitigate the harm and death this virus is causing.

So, I do what I can.  I wear a mask. I socially distance.  I participate in no activity where people are not following basic human decency and caring.

Perhaps I should have been more cautious in the past.  I can see that now.  The best I can say, except for the 2000 incident, I've never gotten anything to give to anybody.  But now I understand better about asymptomatic transmission, and I've rethought my former attitude.

This does not make me a germaphobe.  

It means (I hope) I am somebody who gives a damn about other people.

Let the Parade Pass You By

 

It was Benjamin's birthday weekend.

And for his birthday (now 20 - no more teenagers!) he likes to go to Chamblin Bookmine.  I am a bookstore connoisseur, and for my money, the Bookmine is as good or better than any bookstore I've been in, including the Strand in NYC and Powell Books in Portland, Oregon (this is especially true for used books).  Masks are required, and it's not very crowded, so social distancing is easy.

To get to Chamblin in Jacksonville, we travel a road that takes us past the town of Callahan. We had to detour around the town of Callahan because they had a Christmas Parade.  

Yes, for real.  A Christmas Parade, in the middle of the most virulent part of the Pandemic.  A parade where masks were few and far between,  A parade where social distancing was non-existent.

I glimpsed the main drag of the parade, and it was packed.  Thousands crammed together, and all I could think of was a Hieronymous Bosch painting, displaying the horrors of the apocalypse.

In the picture above, two of the paraders have masks on - well, costumes, at any rate.  Few, if any, are detectable in the crowd.

Here is another crowd shot.  Shriners in their funny little vehicles.  And, they're maskless, of course.  As is the vast majority of the packed crowd.

An unmasked 97-year-old veteran rides a bike through the parade.  I admire him.  I admire his service.  I pray that he stays safe. I'm not positive, but I think he may have a mask below his chin.  Perhaps he put it on when people got closer.

Kudos to the girl in front with the candy bucket, who is wearing a mask, and the one person in the audience I could see wearing a mask (you could play Where's Mask-O and see if you could find it too).

No, I did not take these pictures.  I stole from the interwebs, using Callahan Christmas Parade 2020.

And no, this isn't the only Christmas Parade going on around here.  Blackshear had theirs last night. Waycross will have theirs on December 12th.

There are events all over.  Some done safely, others not.  There are plans for an ice skating rink (yeah - South Georgia and ice skating - try not to think about it too much).

And yes, outdoor events, particularly if masked and not too crowded, are safer than indoor events.

But indoor events are going on too. Some area churches have complete disregard for public safety.

If God is telling you to not wear a mask and behave as if there is no Pandemic and that your personal liberty to live and worship as you please is paramount, disregarding the safety and well-being of others - I hate to break it to you - but THAT AIN"T GOD TALKING TO YOU.  You have seriously got your spiritual wires crossed up.

For those of you who still care to protect themselves and others - don't give up!  Let this parade pass you by, and take care of yourself and your loved ones.  

Just because everyone else is behaving like a self-centered lunatic doesn't mean you have to join in.

Wear a mask.  Socially distance.  You don't have to be a hermit. Use caution, and give a damn about others. That's all we're asking.

Thanksgiving ala Pandemic

 

Look, I'm going to try to be overly judgemental here.  But, please, do what you can to keep you and your family and loved ones safe.

Confirmed cases are rising across the country, as is the number of deaths.  We may not have yet hit the peak, and bad behavior at Thanksgiving could make it even worse.

Obviously, this should not be the year of large, maskless gatherings held indoors with people in close proximity.

I can't over lecture because we will have some small gatherings, but we are using every precaution that we can.  

This morning, we will have brunch with Alison's father and his wife.  It will also be attended by Alison's stepsister, and their toddle son.  It will be outdoors, with separate tables and masks as much as possible.  These are all people we have been around before.

Thanksgiving Day, my middle son, Doug, and his beautiful spouse, Paige, will be at my house for a brief visit.  They will be our only visitors. The work from home, and have used the utmost caution, and we will continue to do so as they visit us.

After Thanksgiving Day, we may have a visit from Alison's Mom, Rose.  She wears a mask and will sit more than six feet from the rest of us.  These are tentative plans. If she does not feel comfortable, we will send her food, and Alison will visit her.  Alsion has been around her more often than the rest of us.

Is this a perfect plan?  I don't know.  But I daresay we are using more caution than most.

Until a vaccine becomes common, we still have a few more holidays to get through.  If we can just be cautious a little while longer, I think it will pay off in the health and well-being of those around us.

Stay safe.

Love, 

Tom, Alison & Benjamin