The bears and libertarians book is really good, guys. You should read it.
Getting a haircut today for the first time since June, probably? It's definitely been longer than usual. Not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things but I'm looking forward to it.
If the radioactive atom decays, a hammer shatters a piece of glass releasing the lock on the room containing the barber.
Getting a haircut today for the first time since June, probably?
In RPG terms, Cyrus has yet to make his shaving throw.
I had my regular blood draw/check up with my hematologist/oncologist for the first time since COVID on Tuesday. This didn't make any sense in that COVID rates are higher than ever here, but I felt I couldn't put it off any longer. Also I figured they should have figured out the protocols by now. I rode in an elevator with several people for the the time since this started. And I had to take my mask off to have my temperature taken -- I don't get why they aren't doing the ear thing. Anyway, the preliminary blood test results were all at normal levels, so that was the good news of the day.
Covid is deadly but eat wax is unsettling.
Our 7 day average positive rate is back above 4% for the first time since early August. :(
Also, I just found out that a student who I met with several times last quarter and who was struggling, largely due to the isolation and inability to study with other students, dropped out of the program.
Good news...Baltimore just elected its youngest mayor ever.
The ballot initiative to expand commercial gambling in Maryland passed easily. Good, I guess? Between that and DC's psychedelic mushrooms referendum, I'm tempted to do some sort of Hunter S. Thompson style trip and visit a local casino after eating some. But that's probably a bad idea.
5 Glad to hear the good news, peep!
So, in the continuing saga of 2020 bizarreness... UNG was laid off and I told Rory how weird it was that my reflexive first thought was that they could move here if they needed a place to stay. Rory didn't think that sounded weird at all, and when I told my partner (not sure I ever gave him a name here...) how weird it was that Rory didn't think it was weird he responded that we could totally make it work if they needed help. We've gone soft.
I feel guilty for feeling like life is good right now. I miss hugs and would like to buy groceries without having to yell at people who won't wear masks properly. But all told, life is good. I like not having a commute. My partner working from home means he has more time to cook amazing dinners. The dog is greatly relieved not to be left home alone.
Two kids at our school tested positive. Very happy we declined the in person option we were given.
I felt like shit yesterday after sleeping two hours election night, even though I barely had anything to drink (1 Corona). I took the afternoon off and played golf with my kid but I was so tired I got dizzy when swinging the club.
Even before the virus, I found Modelo much better.
I've been feeling so exhausted from preparing for the worst, plus the hour falling back, that I have had NO trouble sleeping.
It's hard though.
Had my first COVID test last week. Provided by my employer in a pooled format. It didn't hurt the nose/sinuses but induced very powerful sneezing. Seems like that would be bad if I had COVID (I didn't).
I think that the UK might maybe have hit the peak of the second wave in terms of cases per day. If it hasn't already, my expectation is that it will do so by 8 November. The peak in terms of deaths per day will be a little later.
We're probably going to hit peak at Christmas.
I went to the pub last night for a final drink with friends -- sitting outside -- before we go into the second national lockdown (today). The pub was so busy they ran out of beer, and most other alcohol.
I also had my review at work, and it looks like I'm getting "promoted". The past year have largely been about me sharing management responsibility for the team I work as part of, which wasn't entirely by choice, but rather because our managing director thought the best solution to overwork was for us to share out the management responsibility, so that the management team could also still be doing lots of billable work. However, I think he's realised that things will go better if there's more clarity about who is in charge, in a strategic sense, i.e. me. Not a lot of extra money, but every little helps, especially since Mrs ttaM got made redundant.
9.1 is so great, Di. And to think his pseud is still UNG.
Congrats, ttaM! Although I'm sorry about the missus.
12: We are getting more asymptomatic testing and it's going to be a self administered nasal swab, not the nasopharyngeal one. I had one of those. One of the lab people had to keep reminding me to breathe.
Congrats, ttaM!
We decided not to go see my mom for Thanksgiving. It was the right decision, but still kind of a bummer.
We made the same decision, and it does sting. I could take the kids out of school for five days, but Jammies has to be in person, and the district has a rule about teachers not taking days off before holidays. Which is understandable, but kind of a bummer.
(OTOH, they made him go into work on teacher-parent conference day, so fuck 'em. No sympathy from me.)
Also: One of Jammies' students' mom called an intervention meeting to talk about his accommodations. Apparently there is a rule here that parents can invoke that no one leaves the meeting until the parent decides it's over. So Jammies was told to prepare stuff for a sub, for a few days. With this particular parent, Jammies was warned, these meetings have in fact lasted multiple days. (You don't have to sequester at a hotel, however.) Also, post-meeting, Jammies reported that the parent is not unreasonable, and we are inferring that previous meetings lasted for days for reasons that were justifiable for the parent.
24 last -- Meetings that last for days? For reals?
24: Oof. We have an increasing circle of educator friends (even Rory is contemplating a teaching certificate after a couple of months as a remote-learning nanny-tutor) and at least one friend who has a kid with an IEP. Such high stakes issues that depend so heavily on mutual good faith. Bless Jammies for being on of the good guys.
25: this one was five hours, but yep. There's a history of it going on for 2-3 days at times. Jammies was given the advice, "just start eating your lunch when you're hungry. Don't wait for a lunch break. Take snacks."
But you get to go home if it lasts a full work day?
If that non-linked site is right, Biden is down less than 3k in Georgia with almost 12k yet to count. S Abrams should just be invited to name whatever federal position she wants.
I mean any. If she wants to the first Supreme Court nomination, the answer should be yes. If she'd like to spend half a year on the 11th Circuit first, fine. Secretary of State? Anything.
I guess I should share my big good news here, belatedly: My sister has been given word that she officially no longer needs a liver transplant. She still has a ways to go with restoring proper renal function, but that is at least more solvable than a bum liver.
Other than that, I still have a job, so that's good. And my friends' film won an award at the local film festival that was judged by Bill Murray himself. And Ilhan Omar is still my Representative, so HA!
Biden trails GA by 2497. 4400 remaining votes in Clayton county to be reported by midnight. Previous round from Clayton Biden won 87-13. Biden will take a lead of about 750. About 8k in other counties, only one of which is red, but even there Biden narrowly won last release of mail ballots.
33: That's great to hear. Hope the kidneys recover as well as the liver.
37: 1775 now. 8-10k votes from heavily Democratic counties, but there are potentially 8k military ballots which have until tomorrow to come back in..
Did people mention this back in October when it was initially published?
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/caspian-sea-monster-ekranoplan/index.html
39: First Biden lead being reported in Georgia. Here's hoping it holds.
42: well, obviously.
33 is good! Natilo is well ahead of me. I don't have a sister who no longer needs a liver transplant.
Happy to hear your good news, Natilo