Month: November 2021

Thursday’s Theme Music

Inhabitants of Earth, rock on! Rock on! And just like that, David Essex and his song of 1973, “Rock On”, plays in the morning mental music stream.

Hi there. Today is Thursday, November 18, 2021. Many folks are excited because Black Friday is upon us. Once a casual phenomena focused on one day of the year — the day after Thanksgiving as a day dedicated for gift shopping — Black Friday is acquiring mythic status among shoppers and retailers. I saw a banner from some large company that declares that Black Friday begins tomorrow, November 19. I know from the past that Black Friday sales are often extended to the following week, and that Black Friday sales often include the Saturday and Sunday after Friday. In other words, Black Friday is almost a new month in U.S. culture.

Despite growing BF hype, the sun came at 7:06 AM and will be out of my area at 4:48 PM. It’s windy again as weather fronts continue their quest to rule the weather. Temps are up to 56 F after dropping to 36 F during the night. It’s cloudy but rain probably isn’t part of Thursday’s plan.

Besides David Essex swimming through the music stream, I have Florence + the Machine playing “Shake it Out” from 2011. The latter came from thinking about dreams. As I did, the lyrics, “I like to keep my issues drawn, but it’s always darkest before the dawn,” came through. Then came the rest of the song. It’s Florence’s voice, though, that really holds me. It’s also a song about rebirth. Rebirth is a big facet of my life philosophy. *cliché alert* Every day is a new one, another chance to begin again, to be reborn in some way. Doesn’t always work but doesn’t thwart me from trying.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax and booster when you can. Here’s the music. I’ve already got coffee, so I’m good to go. Cheers

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Jab Boost – Day 2

My wife and I received a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine booster shot on Tuesday. It little affected us that day.

Day 2 was different.

It’s nice to have retrospect. We were both experiencing pain and stiffness in our shot arms (left for both) by the end of day 1. Both of us were heavily hydrating but I was constantly drying out. By day 2, I noticed a drop in energy level, dry and burning eyes — seriously, I kept splashing my face and added drops to my eyes twice — and diminished concentration. Writing, where I’m juggling twenty sharp objects in my brain, was a flawed and troubled endeavor. She, though, had it worse. Her energy level went off a cliff and nausea rolled up on her. She took several baths to address a general assortment of aches and napped for almost five hours in late afternoon. Her appetite was done, although taste and smell weren’t affected.

My energy levels have jumped back up today, though I did spend an extra hour in bed this morning. The jab site remains stiff and sore but I’ve applied a topical CBD cream to it, which helps tremendously. My wife remained in bed longer. She reports her eyes are tired but she feels a lot better.

So, small matters for us. Nothing significant, and certainly worth enduring if the vaccine and boost reduces our chances of being severely impacted by COVID-19. Must say, though, watching Dopesick on Hulu did little for our moods. Born in the fifties, we remember different corporations being exposed for lying to protect profits and image throughout our lifetimes, like Ford, the Pinto, and exploding gas tanks. We also recall times when government malfeasance, through individuals betraying their public trust to enrich their situations, was exposed. Remember how doctors were paid to say that cigarette smoking wasn’t bad for you? Ha, ha, what kidders! Do you remember Enron? What about Love Canal? Should we discuss the Dupont C8 scandal? Other scandals involving real estate and financial markets of more recent memory rise through my consciousness when we talk about companies lying and government oversight failures.

So here comes Dopesick. Based on Beth Macy’s nonfiction book about the opioid crises in the U.S. with sharp focus on the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma, the limited series shows how an FDA cog manipulated a warning label that claimed Oxycontin was non-addictive, and then the battles by doctors, patients, families, communities, and the DEA to get the FDA to admit they fucked up and find accountability for Purdue and the Sacklers. Well, the Sacklers escaped prosecution and stepped away with tens of billions of dollars from the swath of death and destruction they spearheaded. The company went bankrupt and no longer exists. They’re paying out billions to states to help deal with the opioid crises but it’s a shitshow.

So, I do understand why some people are skeptical of the vaccine, FDA, and the corporations behind it. There’s been sufficient lying and failures for many to wonder.

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Floofmate

Floofmate (floofinition) – 1. Animal or human’s position during an interaction which stops the other from moving.

In use: “The cat employed love eyes, a loud purr, and air biscuits to pin Rosie to her chair (with him on her lap) and gain floofmate.”

2. Animal or person who is a companion to another animal, or an animal who accompanies a person.

In use: “Scooby the little Yorkie and Loki, the big black cat, were constant floofmates, not just to one another, but to Beda, helping her in every aspect of her life at home, always there, no matter what was going on, unless it involved the vacuum cleaner.”

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A Writing Dream

I fell asleep in bed thinking about a scene. Those thoughts immediately transported me to a dream where I was at a desk, trying to type. I then rose from the desk and walked to the other room to get coffee. A noise distracted me, drawing me down a hall. The hall was considerably darker than the rest of the house, skinning me with edginess. I was questioning who was in there and whether it was safe to go down the hall. I looked for a suitable weapon but went on without anything.

Coming out from the other end of the hall, I was outside. Across the way, I saw three people. Two confronting a third. I took a few steps toward them, then halted with the realization that I was witnessing the scene I’d been writing. I moved closer to them, trying to hear, and then shifted. Suddenly, I was more akin to a camera, focusing on one person, moving in on close-ups, then flashing to another as the conversation bounced around.

At that point, I started awake. After parting my eyelids to anchor myself, I snuggled deeper. Darkness enveloped the bedroom. I was warm under the covers. My trusty sleepfloof, Tucker, drew up and rubbed his head on my exposed hand. I kept lethargically petting him, floating in and out of sleep and the dream, writing in my head, and writing in the dream. When I awoke this morning and remembered that, the sheer level of writing overwhelmed me. I’d completed that scene and go on to three others. The effort spent me, though. Trying to type it up, it all burst in on me. I typed fast, hanging on to words and moments, straining to keep up.

My brain feels overwhelmed. I need more coffee.

1

Wednesday’s Theme Music

A stick, a stone, the end of a poem, the beginning of the day, the end of the night.

Hello. Welcome to the new, improved, Wednesday, now with better flavor and new packaging.

Today is November 17, 2021. Last night’s temp dipped to 32 F under clear skies. By sunrise at 7:04 AM, it was back up to 41. But with that rise came a stout series of winds jostling the trees, rattling the windows, and urging the cats, get back into the house. A high of 56 is in the cards if we play them right (yeah, like we can do anything, right, but hold onto the cards as the wind tries blowing them away) before sunset at 4:48 PM.

“They call me the working man, guess that’s what I am,” was bubbling through the morning mental music stream today. Don’t know why the Rush song from 1974 has been called up. I’m not a working man; if anything, I’d call myself a non-working man, a label I attached to myself way back in…well, 1974, when I graduated high school. It might be the guitar solo that sprang to mind. It’s a pretty nifty turn by Alex Lifeson, the Rush guitarist. I’ve always enjoyed the group, but again, sadly, we lost the drummer Neil Peart, last year, and the group says they’re done touring.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax and booster when you can. Stay healthy in general, and keep pressing forward. Here’s my coffee — hot and black — and the music. It’s a ‘live’ version found on the net that entertained me. Enjoy. Cheers

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The Boost Jab

My wife and I received our boost jab yesterday.

We’d been trying to get it since approval came out. As J&J was our initial shot, we desired a Moderna booster. CDC and studies showed that improved our level of protection. Finding the Moderna booster was easy; making an appointment was more challenging. While several sites claimed they could do what we needed, their actual processes failed to meet the promise. Calling was like chasing snowflakes in a storm. We did call 211 to see what the state could suggest. They couldn’t hook us up either. Exasperating.

Then, we read on NextDoor that the Presbyterian Church was giving the boosters. They included the phone number. I immediately called and we were slotted in. The program isn’t being done by the church, but by Wellness 2000, a corporation contracted by the state. The church, less than a mile from our house, was the venue. This church is always doing great things for the community, from helping to feed the homeless, to opening their doors during the winter to provide them a safe and warm place to sleep, to opening their church in the summer, when the smoke is a health threat. I’m not a member of their congregation, but I applaud their approach to community.

My appointment was for 12:05 PM yesterday. My wife’s was five minutes later. I arrived at 12:01 and was immediately greeted by two women at a table. They processed me, updated the paperwork, then bade me sit until called. 12:03, I was called. 12:03, I was done. Impressive organization and efficiency.

The shot, given by Beth, an RN, was so quick, it left little impression that I’d been jabbed. After waiting fifteen minutes to confirm I didn’t have a severe reaction, I waited five more minutes for my wife, and we were finished.

Twenty-one hours later, I feel great. The injection site aches. My arm complains about being raised above shoulder level. That’s all I feel.

My wife feels the arm issue, but she’s also complaining of nausea and mild congestion. She does suffer an underlying condition, RA. I hope she recovers quickly and easily. Fingers crossed. Meanwhile, I feel fortunate to have gone through this so painlessly. Hope others have an experience like mine.

Cheers

2

The Prophecies Dream

I was invited to participate in a picnic with a number of families. It wasn’t a large gathering, perhaps thirty people. Adults and children, both sexes, very casual, being conducted at a tall apartment building where the all lived. I was invited specifically to answer questions about prophecies. In the dream, I thought nothing of it and felt quite prepared to answer questions and explain prophecies.

First, though, we ate. Mountains of food – BBQ chicken and ribs, salads including potato salad, corn on the cob, burgers and hot dogs, along with plenty to drink. The food was great and I ate my share, though I was warned to save room for dessert. A presentation by a couple people followed. Then, I was asked to explain why what they’d prophesized in the presentation was wrong. Before I could speak, though, dessert was called for. Everyone walked and milled about, finding themselves a piece of pie or cake. Several men approached me and asked if they could quiz me on some other prophecies because they’d heard me speak before. Sure, no problem, I said. But before that could take place, they were interrupted by their children and the little meeting broke up.

I waited to answer questions but everyone went down to play whiffle ball in the backyard. Adults and children were playing. It was a crowded, narrow green field with a white split rail fence to one side. They talked me into playing. The rule is, you were at bat until you hit the ball into the field of play. I was first up and hit the first pitch, a long line drive that only managed to be a single. Getting to first base, I laid down while the next person took his swings. He finally got a hit but I wasn’t paying attention by then. I finally managed to leap up to run but instead said, “Know what? This just proves that I shouldn’t be playing. I’m sorry.” I walked off then, going back upstairs.

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Tuesday’s Theme Music

Sun, glorious sun! Warm and bright sunshine. Makes me feel so fine.

Yes, the fog is gone. The cats and I were out at sunrise (7:02 AM), exulting that Tuesday, November 16, 2021, was fog free. A caveat was injected, though: sunny, but not overly warm. The temperature was hovering at 37 F at that point. It’s since climbed to 45 F. They claim it’ll scale the thermometer all the way to the mid-fifties today. Looks like solid walking weather. I’m planning a late afternoon excursion but will carry a flashlight in case I’m out there after 4:48 PM, when the sun does its disappearing trip. Good to have a flashlight when you’re out in the dark. Besides the cars who won’t see you and will whack you, bears and cougars have been spotted in the area. I’ll hold the flashlight up to my face so that they can see who I am, should I encounter them, and reassure them that I mean no harm and don’t appear too tasty.

Today is jab day for wife and me. We received the J&J vax months ago. Today we go for the Moderna booster. We’re excited.

My spirit has been juiced to audaciously high levels today. The song running in my morning mental music stream is “Roll with the Changes” by a little band called REO Speedwagon from 1978. It’s a fast-moving rocker with encouraging lyrics, though it has been posted as the theme music a few years ago.

So if you’re tired of the same old story,
Oh, turn some pages
I will be here when you are ready
To roll with the changes, yeah, yeah

h/t to lyricsdepot.com

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax and booster when you can. Now coffee is singing in the other room, “Keep on brewin’, keep on brewin’.” I’m gonna go see what that’s about. Have a better one. Here’s the music. Cheers

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