Steven Harper's Blog, page 41
January 1, 2021
The Plague Diaries: Holidays
As I said earlier, my family opted out of face-to-face gatherings for the holidays this year. Everything was very low-key.
Yuletide was a solitary affair for me, as it often is these days. (I'm not part of a Pagan group, Darwin doesn't practice, and the boys have drifted away from it.) But the God was welcomed back as the light grows stronger anyway. Christmas Day, we set up a Zoom call with Kala, Aran, and Sasha and we opened presents together. (The present were delivered before-hand.) We did more Zoom meetings with other family later in the day. It was convenient--no long drives--but it wasn't the same as a regular visit, either.
New Year's Eve was also low-key. I made chili and home-made donuts and we watched the first Wonder Woman movie. Toward midnight, we turned on CNN to watch Times Square. The scene was weird. A handful of revelers were scattered about the gaudy billboards. The camera kept coming back to whole pile of people in Planet Fitness gear with those eerie blow-up people, also in Planet Fitness gear, in the background, all standing in front of Planet Fitness. I got the idea the event was sponsored by Planet Fitness. They also ran an interminably long, dull interview with Mariah Carey. She talked about her new book (clearly the reason for the interview) and tried to sound sage and wise, but came across as blithering and scattered. I got the impression someone else had unexpectedly canceled, and they asked her to lengthen her interview or something, because she sounded like she'd run out of stuff to say about two minutes in.
And then the countdown started up. Instead of a dropping ball, the camera focused on a giant electronic clock that also projected a Kia commercial on its face. I suppose someone has to pay for everything, but this struck me as gauche, even by American standards.
When the countdown hit zero, Darwin and I embraced, and I surprised myself by getting teary-eyed. Between the horrors of the pandemic and the awfulness of the presidency, this year has been so awful, and it dragged out so long. It was a huge relief that it ended. I went outside onto the balcony. Fireworks popped all around the lake, and a few a threw sparkles into the air.
I hope 2021 goes better.
comments
Yuletide was a solitary affair for me, as it often is these days. (I'm not part of a Pagan group, Darwin doesn't practice, and the boys have drifted away from it.) But the God was welcomed back as the light grows stronger anyway. Christmas Day, we set up a Zoom call with Kala, Aran, and Sasha and we opened presents together. (The present were delivered before-hand.) We did more Zoom meetings with other family later in the day. It was convenient--no long drives--but it wasn't the same as a regular visit, either.
New Year's Eve was also low-key. I made chili and home-made donuts and we watched the first Wonder Woman movie. Toward midnight, we turned on CNN to watch Times Square. The scene was weird. A handful of revelers were scattered about the gaudy billboards. The camera kept coming back to whole pile of people in Planet Fitness gear with those eerie blow-up people, also in Planet Fitness gear, in the background, all standing in front of Planet Fitness. I got the idea the event was sponsored by Planet Fitness. They also ran an interminably long, dull interview with Mariah Carey. She talked about her new book (clearly the reason for the interview) and tried to sound sage and wise, but came across as blithering and scattered. I got the impression someone else had unexpectedly canceled, and they asked her to lengthen her interview or something, because she sounded like she'd run out of stuff to say about two minutes in.
And then the countdown started up. Instead of a dropping ball, the camera focused on a giant electronic clock that also projected a Kia commercial on its face. I suppose someone has to pay for everything, but this struck me as gauche, even by American standards.
When the countdown hit zero, Darwin and I embraced, and I surprised myself by getting teary-eyed. Between the horrors of the pandemic and the awfulness of the presidency, this year has been so awful, and it dragged out so long. It was a huge relief that it ended. I went outside onto the balcony. Fireworks popped all around the lake, and a few a threw sparkles into the air.
I hope 2021 goes better.
comments
December 25, 2020
Wonder Woman 1984
Soooooo many Easter eggs in Wonder Woman 1984. A few I spotted (may be spoilery!)......--Young Diana dives into the water in a shot that exactly duplicates panels from the Perez comics, except in the comic she flies away just before she hits--and part of the movie is about Diana learning to fly--The origin of the invisible jet. (I still can't decide if this works for me or not, but it was still fun.)--A jar of jellybabies in the background of the oval office--The Middle Eastern prince who made the wish is from Bialya, a fake country created in the comics to be a wink at Libya and which evolved into a major source of conflict over the years--Diana flying by gliding on air currents as she did in the original comics--Diana riding the lightning as she does in the more modern comics--The mid-credits scene with Lynda Carter as Asteria--The gold armor, which made a brief (and unpopular) appearance in the comics--Antiope appearing in a flashback scene--Arabic lettering on the side of the Egyptian cars actually does read "Abydos," the city where the scene took place (I checked with a translator app)--Max Lord's investor is Simon Stagg, a character originally associated with Metamorpho but who got yanked into villain duty in other comics--After Diana reads the inscription on the Dream Stone and realizes what the artifact is, she mentions the Duke of Deception, a lackey of Ares who goes way WAY back into the old days of the comics.And that's not counting all the 80s references, of course.Also I noticed that shoes are a recurring image in the movie.--Several shots give close-ups of character's shoes, including (especially) Diana's armored feet--The first thing we see of adult Diana is her foot kicking a car away from a jogger--Steve is hugely fascinated with his new Nikes (and they continue to be the focus of several shots--some product placement at work, I'm sure)--In Barbara's first appearance, she has trouble walking in high heels. Later in the same scene, she comments that scientists probably shouldn't wear high heels, and Diana replies, "Some of us do." We then see Diana's ultra-high heels with a leopard (Cheetah) print, which Barbara remarks on.--When Barbara is assaulted by the guy in the park, she has trouble fending him off because she's wearing high heels. Later, when Barbara encounters the guy again, she's switched to sneakers, and she kicks the snot out of him. Not punches--kicks. With her shoes.--A custodian spills water in front of Barbara, and she agilely leaps onto a chair to avoid it, foreshadowing her new Cheetah powers. We get a closeup shot of her shoes, and the custodian says, "Thank god you're good in heels."
--When Barbara tries on a slinky new outfit, the camera spends a lot of time on her high-heeled shoes.Not sure what the shoe thing is about. That shoes can be both a shackle and a source of power, maybe? That shoes show who you really are?
comments
--When Barbara tries on a slinky new outfit, the camera spends a lot of time on her high-heeled shoes.Not sure what the shoe thing is about. That shoes can be both a shackle and a source of power, maybe? That shoes show who you really are?
comments
December 19, 2020
Dashing in December
In recent years, Hallmark (or Hallmark-style) Christmas movies have wormed their way into American holiday tradition. Their official name is "romantic holiday drama film," and Hallmark floods the network with them. They're universally awful--mediocre acting, cringeworthy dialogue, utterly unbelievable stories, unrealistic characters. The sets all look fake. And the story is ALWAYS exactly the same: Person A returns to their childhood home for the holidays and encounters a family problem (usually the upcoming loss of a family business). Person A also meets Person B. The two of them dislike each other, but while trying to solve the family problem, they fall in love. Also, at least one person dislikes Christmas. Person A and Person B have a fight at some point, and they split up, then, thanks to the intervention of a Wise Older Person, they realize their mistake and get back together. The family business is rescued. The Christmas-hating person learns to love Christmas. Person A decides to give up their career and instead stay home to run the business with Person B. Roll credits.
I can't watch these films, even if I remind myself that everyone EXPECTS them to be schlocky and awful. The writing is just too terrible. Also, Person A and Person B are always straight. No real LGBT representation. Very occasionally we'll get a Gay Best Friend, but he never has any real consequence, and there's no on-screen romance with this character. Hallmark did put out a film with a gay couple in it (THE CHRISTMAS HOUSE), but the gay couple weren't main characters; they were part of much larger ensemble cast. It's a step forward, I suppose, but a timid one, and not worth my time. So I avoided these awful things.
Until...
This year, Paramount (not Hallmark) put out a "romantic holiday drama film" called DASHING IN DECEMBER. And at its center are two gay men. They are the main characters, front and center, and clearly so.
I decided to watch it.
It was AWFUL. Every moment was dreadful. The guys were handsome, but the schlock dripped from the screen. It hit all the plot points I mentioned above, and was so predictable that I was able to call out the dialogue a moment ahead of the speaking character. As a bonus, we even had a straight female friend become angry at a gay character, not because he was gay, but because he didn't come out to her the way she wanted her to. (I've ranted about this awful trope elsewhere.) Terrible in every way that these movies are terrible.
And it was AWESOME.
Not because the movie was good. It wasn't. It was awesome because we have a holiday TV tradition that has INCLUDED US. Everyone else got schlocky Christmas movies, but not LGBT people. Now we have one, too. Just like everyone else.
To put it into perspective, imagine your mother knits, and every year at the annual family gathering, she gives everyone one of these sweaters--except you. Everyone puts on their sweaters and laughs about them and parades around in them. But not you. Mom disapproves of you, so she ignores you. You don't particularly WANT an ugly sweater, but when everyone else gets one, you are made to feel the outsider. At dinner, everyone talks about the sweaters and how sweet it is that Mom made them this year, even though they're awful and ugly. She makes them because she loves everyone. Except you. So you watch all the laughter and all the love from a distance. But then, one year, Mom has a change of heart, and you get an ugly sweater of your own. You get to participate in the tradition with everyone else. It's not the sweater that's important--it's being included.
The movies are a cringe-y tradition, but they're a tradition, and now they're a tradition that includes US. So thank you, schlocky Christmas movies! Please make more!
comments
I can't watch these films, even if I remind myself that everyone EXPECTS them to be schlocky and awful. The writing is just too terrible. Also, Person A and Person B are always straight. No real LGBT representation. Very occasionally we'll get a Gay Best Friend, but he never has any real consequence, and there's no on-screen romance with this character. Hallmark did put out a film with a gay couple in it (THE CHRISTMAS HOUSE), but the gay couple weren't main characters; they were part of much larger ensemble cast. It's a step forward, I suppose, but a timid one, and not worth my time. So I avoided these awful things.
Until...
This year, Paramount (not Hallmark) put out a "romantic holiday drama film" called DASHING IN DECEMBER. And at its center are two gay men. They are the main characters, front and center, and clearly so.
I decided to watch it.
It was AWFUL. Every moment was dreadful. The guys were handsome, but the schlock dripped from the screen. It hit all the plot points I mentioned above, and was so predictable that I was able to call out the dialogue a moment ahead of the speaking character. As a bonus, we even had a straight female friend become angry at a gay character, not because he was gay, but because he didn't come out to her the way she wanted her to. (I've ranted about this awful trope elsewhere.) Terrible in every way that these movies are terrible.
And it was AWESOME.
Not because the movie was good. It wasn't. It was awesome because we have a holiday TV tradition that has INCLUDED US. Everyone else got schlocky Christmas movies, but not LGBT people. Now we have one, too. Just like everyone else.
To put it into perspective, imagine your mother knits, and every year at the annual family gathering, she gives everyone one of these sweaters--except you. Everyone puts on their sweaters and laughs about them and parades around in them. But not you. Mom disapproves of you, so she ignores you. You don't particularly WANT an ugly sweater, but when everyone else gets one, you are made to feel the outsider. At dinner, everyone talks about the sweaters and how sweet it is that Mom made them this year, even though they're awful and ugly. She makes them because she loves everyone. Except you. So you watch all the laughter and all the love from a distance. But then, one year, Mom has a change of heart, and you get an ugly sweater of your own. You get to participate in the tradition with everyone else. It's not the sweater that's important--it's being included.
The movies are a cringe-y tradition, but they're a tradition, and now they're a tradition that includes US. So thank you, schlocky Christmas movies! Please make more!
comments
The Death of DC Universe
So DC Universe announced that it's undergoing a transformation. This is what corporations say when they cut back, and boy, are they cutting back.
Some backstory. DC Universe didn't turn into the powerhouse streaming service they were hoping for. (Well, yeah--they barely had anything on there, and new content was spread way, way thin.) Yeah, they supplemented it with e-comics, but they didn't have =everything= in DC's library available, and it wasn't really enough to bring in the subscribers.
Meanwhile, HBO-Max, another streaming service, has also been struggling. Even after teaming up with Hulu, they're barely staying aloft. This is why Warner has decided to stream movies to HBO-Max on the same day they arrive in theaters--they're desperate for subscribers.
Warner, the parent company for both HBO-Max and DCU, decided to fold them together. All the video content from DC Universe will migrate over to HBO-Max. DC Universe will be renamed DC Infinity, and turn into a comic book subscription and reading platform.
Why do I bring this up? Because I signed up for an annual subscription to DC Universe last year. I got it because the videos are great to watch while I'm on the treadmill, and I like super-hero shows. It auto-renewed for me in late October: $80. Now, not even two months into my subscription year, the videos have vanished. I got no notification, no email, no contact. Instead, I got a blank screen when I tried to call it up on my Roku.
I went to the web site, and the trumpets sounded and the overly-cheery announcements about the "transformation." There was nothing about how to cancel a subscription or get a refund. Which tells me they aren't as enthusiastic as they appear--companies that figure you'll love the new service don't hide this information.
After considerable hunting, I found a place to contact customer service and demand a refund. A few minutes later, I got an email that said, since I had paid for the subscription through iTunes, I had to take it up with them. More hunting ensued. I finally found a link at Apple to manage and cancel a subscription, but there was no option to demand a refund--you could cancel and "Your stuff will be available until December 2021."
Now I was getting pissed off. Some more hunting finally found a deeply-buried page to demand a refund, but you have to explain, in careful detail, why you deserve one from the almighty. I put in a polite, hint-of-legal-menace request. This was followed with an automated "we'll review your claim within 48 hours" promise from Apple.
We'll see what happens.
I doubt DC Infinity will survive. Without video streaming, they'll seriously tank, unless they sharply reduce their subscription rates. I don't feel much sympathy for them. With Warner Communication standing behind them, they should be an entertainment powerhouse. But they blew it. Let 'em fry.
comments
Some backstory. DC Universe didn't turn into the powerhouse streaming service they were hoping for. (Well, yeah--they barely had anything on there, and new content was spread way, way thin.) Yeah, they supplemented it with e-comics, but they didn't have =everything= in DC's library available, and it wasn't really enough to bring in the subscribers.
Meanwhile, HBO-Max, another streaming service, has also been struggling. Even after teaming up with Hulu, they're barely staying aloft. This is why Warner has decided to stream movies to HBO-Max on the same day they arrive in theaters--they're desperate for subscribers.
Warner, the parent company for both HBO-Max and DCU, decided to fold them together. All the video content from DC Universe will migrate over to HBO-Max. DC Universe will be renamed DC Infinity, and turn into a comic book subscription and reading platform.
Why do I bring this up? Because I signed up for an annual subscription to DC Universe last year. I got it because the videos are great to watch while I'm on the treadmill, and I like super-hero shows. It auto-renewed for me in late October: $80. Now, not even two months into my subscription year, the videos have vanished. I got no notification, no email, no contact. Instead, I got a blank screen when I tried to call it up on my Roku.
I went to the web site, and the trumpets sounded and the overly-cheery announcements about the "transformation." There was nothing about how to cancel a subscription or get a refund. Which tells me they aren't as enthusiastic as they appear--companies that figure you'll love the new service don't hide this information.
After considerable hunting, I found a place to contact customer service and demand a refund. A few minutes later, I got an email that said, since I had paid for the subscription through iTunes, I had to take it up with them. More hunting ensued. I finally found a link at Apple to manage and cancel a subscription, but there was no option to demand a refund--you could cancel and "Your stuff will be available until December 2021."
Now I was getting pissed off. Some more hunting finally found a deeply-buried page to demand a refund, but you have to explain, in careful detail, why you deserve one from the almighty. I put in a polite, hint-of-legal-menace request. This was followed with an automated "we'll review your claim within 48 hours" promise from Apple.
We'll see what happens.
I doubt DC Infinity will survive. Without video streaming, they'll seriously tank, unless they sharply reduce their subscription rates. I don't feel much sympathy for them. With Warner Communication standing behind them, they should be an entertainment powerhouse. But they blew it. Let 'em fry.
comments
Abbreviated Holidays
The pandemic is pulling on the holidays this year. Everyone in my family has agreed that it's not safe to get together for Yule or Christmas, so we aren't. It's going to an Abbreviated Holiday.
Today I did some baking. No-bake chocolate/peanut butter cookies. Rum balls. Haystacks. Fudge. Chocolate chip cookies (some of which I deliberately burned to a crisp because Darwin likes them that way). It was a nice way to spend a winter afternoon.
Tomorrow, I'm going to go down to see Aran and Sasha at their place. We'll stay masked and distant, with a window open to keep air well-circulated. We'll have dinner (I'm taking picnic food along) and visit a little, and I'll give them their presents. They won't open them, though. They can keep them out as a Yule decoration and be something to look forward to. They'll also get some cookies. Just a few. :)
Kala is having some medical stuff going, and will need some help at her place for a few days. She's already formed a COVID "pod" with Aran, so he can visit her. He'll also take some presents and cookies to her.
On Christmas Day, we'll hold a Zoom meeting so we can all open our presents together. It'll be abbreviated, but no less festive!
comments
Today I did some baking. No-bake chocolate/peanut butter cookies. Rum balls. Haystacks. Fudge. Chocolate chip cookies (some of which I deliberately burned to a crisp because Darwin likes them that way). It was a nice way to spend a winter afternoon.
Tomorrow, I'm going to go down to see Aran and Sasha at their place. We'll stay masked and distant, with a window open to keep air well-circulated. We'll have dinner (I'm taking picnic food along) and visit a little, and I'll give them their presents. They won't open them, though. They can keep them out as a Yule decoration and be something to look forward to. They'll also get some cookies. Just a few. :)
Kala is having some medical stuff going, and will need some help at her place for a few days. She's already formed a COVID "pod" with Aran, so he can visit her. He'll also take some presents and cookies to her.
On Christmas Day, we'll hold a Zoom meeting so we can all open our presents together. It'll be abbreviated, but no less festive!
comments
December 18, 2020
Dinah Update
After her surprisingly low-key visit to the vet and her regiment of antibiotics kicked in, Dinah perked up measurably. She started refusing the soft food (to Dora's eternal joy) and went back to hard food. She's more alert and active. I hadn't noticed how much she'd slowed down--the process was gradual--and felt bad that I hadn't taken her to the vet earlier.
We have the difficulty of giving her the antibiotic with the dropper, of course. I'll sometimes steal up on her while she's sleeping, abruptly pry her mouth open, and squirt it down her throat. She hates that, of course. I follow it with treats, but still. Then I mentioned to Darwin a time when I had a sick cat who wouldn't eat. I ended up smearing wet food on his fur. He glared at me and licked himself clean. I kept smearing, he kept licking, and this finally jump-started his appetite.
Darwin tried an experiment. He squirted Dinah's daily dose of antibiotic on her fur. She immediately licked every bit of it off. Brilliant!
So now Dinah gets her antibiotic, she hates us less, and everybody wins.
comments
We have the difficulty of giving her the antibiotic with the dropper, of course. I'll sometimes steal up on her while she's sleeping, abruptly pry her mouth open, and squirt it down her throat. She hates that, of course. I follow it with treats, but still. Then I mentioned to Darwin a time when I had a sick cat who wouldn't eat. I ended up smearing wet food on his fur. He glared at me and licked himself clean. I kept smearing, he kept licking, and this finally jump-started his appetite.
Darwin tried an experiment. He squirted Dinah's daily dose of antibiotic on her fur. She immediately licked every bit of it off. Brilliant!
So now Dinah gets her antibiotic, she hates us less, and everybody wins.
comments
December 15, 2020
Dinah and the Vet
It seemed to me that Dinah has been thinner lately, and possibly off her food. It wasn't possible to tell for sure--she and Dora share feeding space, and Dora pigs right down--but she felt . . . off to me. I did know that at her last checkup, the vet was concerned about tarter buildup on her teeth and I thought maybe her mouth was bothering her, so she wasn't eating as much. I started buying her canned food. This she readily tucked into, though again, it might've been because canned food is a treat rather than out of hunger. (Dora isn't allowed to have canned food, to her eternal despair. She watches from an enforced distance while Dinah eats her daily allotment. When Dinah is done, Dora is allowed to lick up the remaining crumbs. Poor meatloaf kitty can't figure out why she's so neglected.)
In the meantime, I made Dinah an appointment with the vet. It was a few weeks out, though--the pandemic lowered the number of patients the vet could see in a day. Nothing for it but to wait--and buy more canned food.
Also in the meantime, I got out the zip-up cat carrier, opened it, and set it next to the cat tree. Both cats have bad memories of the cat carriers. The last time we moved them, the news came suddenly, and we didn't have time to acclimate them to the carriers, meaning they were stuffed inside with no preparation--major kitty freakout! As a result, they both kept their distance this time. I started dropping Dinah's bedtime kitty treats in and around the carrier every night. I also took to giving her random treats during the day, but only in the carrier. That broke Dinah's fear, and within a couple days, she readily hopped inside whenever I shook the treats box.
Today was Dinah's appointment. I was teaching, so Darwin took her. He sprinkled some treats inside the carrier, and when Dinah hopped in, he zipped it shut. Betrayal! But Dinah took it well. He later reported that the only problem was that she meowed nonstop in the car. At the vet's, he unzipped the top of the carrier, and Dinah stepped out, dainty and ladylike, and explored the tabletop with mild interest.
The vet examined her and announced that some of Dinah's gums were swollen and tender and possibly infected. Her teeth were also badly covered in plaque, and her mouth was almost certainly causing her pain. Just as I thought. The vet gave her a shot of antibiotic and an eyedropper bottle with more. The swelling, he said, would go down and the pain would subside within a day. However, she needed to come back to get her teeth cleaned under sedation. (Cha-ching!) That'll be in January.
At home, Darwin announced that =I= was in charge of giving her the antibiotic twice daily. Great. When the time for her first dose came up, I found her sitting on the couch in a half doze. I filled the eyedropper, put it behind my back, and gently approached. I petted her and said soothing things like, "Nice, kitty. Such a good kitty." And then in a lightning move born from years of practice with cats, I grabbed her head, pried her mouth open, and squirted the antibiotic down her throat.
Poor kitty! Betrayed AGAIN! She fled, upset and outraged. But then I shook the treats box. She came right back. All was forgiven.
Tomorrow . . . more antibiotics . . . more treats . . . more betrayal. Stay tuned!
comments
In the meantime, I made Dinah an appointment with the vet. It was a few weeks out, though--the pandemic lowered the number of patients the vet could see in a day. Nothing for it but to wait--and buy more canned food.
Also in the meantime, I got out the zip-up cat carrier, opened it, and set it next to the cat tree. Both cats have bad memories of the cat carriers. The last time we moved them, the news came suddenly, and we didn't have time to acclimate them to the carriers, meaning they were stuffed inside with no preparation--major kitty freakout! As a result, they both kept their distance this time. I started dropping Dinah's bedtime kitty treats in and around the carrier every night. I also took to giving her random treats during the day, but only in the carrier. That broke Dinah's fear, and within a couple days, she readily hopped inside whenever I shook the treats box.
Today was Dinah's appointment. I was teaching, so Darwin took her. He sprinkled some treats inside the carrier, and when Dinah hopped in, he zipped it shut. Betrayal! But Dinah took it well. He later reported that the only problem was that she meowed nonstop in the car. At the vet's, he unzipped the top of the carrier, and Dinah stepped out, dainty and ladylike, and explored the tabletop with mild interest.
The vet examined her and announced that some of Dinah's gums were swollen and tender and possibly infected. Her teeth were also badly covered in plaque, and her mouth was almost certainly causing her pain. Just as I thought. The vet gave her a shot of antibiotic and an eyedropper bottle with more. The swelling, he said, would go down and the pain would subside within a day. However, she needed to come back to get her teeth cleaned under sedation. (Cha-ching!) That'll be in January.
At home, Darwin announced that =I= was in charge of giving her the antibiotic twice daily. Great. When the time for her first dose came up, I found her sitting on the couch in a half doze. I filled the eyedropper, put it behind my back, and gently approached. I petted her and said soothing things like, "Nice, kitty. Such a good kitty." And then in a lightning move born from years of practice with cats, I grabbed her head, pried her mouth open, and squirted the antibiotic down her throat.
Poor kitty! Betrayed AGAIN! She fled, upset and outraged. But then I shook the treats box. She came right back. All was forgiven.
Tomorrow . . . more antibiotics . . . more treats . . . more betrayal. Stay tuned!
comments
November 30, 2020
The Plague Diaries: Frigid Closing
We finally sold the house in Albion, and today was the much-delayed closing date. Naturally, after weeks of dry, warm weather, we got snow on the day we actually had a significant drive.
The roads were sloppy on the trip out. No biggie. We arrived at the title company and sat in the car until it was our turn to come inside to sign. That done, we had to stand outside in the frigid winter breeze to talk to the new owners about the house and things they should know about it. We got colder and colder, but we couldn't go inside to talk because COVID. Finally, the title company rep came out with our copies of the paperwork and we were able to leave.
The drive home turned immediately treacherous. The sun set, the temperature dropped into the low thirties, and the roads were wet from the earlier snow. We learned the hard way that bridges and overpasses were icing up. Darwin was driving when we went over a small bridge and the car jerked to one side for a moment before catching its grip again on the other side. This happened twice, so we cut speed to 45.
Then the train of accidents began.
An accident on this side of the road. An accident on that side. An accident over there. We passed a steady stream of rescue vehicles and their whirling lights. We passed one accident that must have happened mere moments before we arrived. One of the cars was upside-down, resting tilted on its windshield next to the median barrier. Lights and sirens were coming up behind us.
Darwin slowed down again and drove 40 for the rest of the trip. We made it home all right, but a bunch of people didn't.
comments
The roads were sloppy on the trip out. No biggie. We arrived at the title company and sat in the car until it was our turn to come inside to sign. That done, we had to stand outside in the frigid winter breeze to talk to the new owners about the house and things they should know about it. We got colder and colder, but we couldn't go inside to talk because COVID. Finally, the title company rep came out with our copies of the paperwork and we were able to leave.
The drive home turned immediately treacherous. The sun set, the temperature dropped into the low thirties, and the roads were wet from the earlier snow. We learned the hard way that bridges and overpasses were icing up. Darwin was driving when we went over a small bridge and the car jerked to one side for a moment before catching its grip again on the other side. This happened twice, so we cut speed to 45.
Then the train of accidents began.
An accident on this side of the road. An accident on that side. An accident over there. We passed a steady stream of rescue vehicles and their whirling lights. We passed one accident that must have happened mere moments before we arrived. One of the cars was upside-down, resting tilted on its windshield next to the median barrier. Lights and sirens were coming up behind us.
Darwin slowed down again and drove 40 for the rest of the trip. We made it home all right, but a bunch of people didn't.
comments
November 29, 2020
Mmmm . . . Sandwich
In addition to the humongous turkey, I bought a spiral ham for Darwin. A while ago, I bought some ham steaks for cooking, and Darwin ended up munching them down--it's a no-carb food, you see, and he likes it. He ate the ham steaks right quick, in fact. An entire ham is way cheaper than a few slices, so I bought one, carved it into chunks, and put the extra in the freezer so he can have as much as he likes.
Anyway, this evening I mentioned to Max and Darwin, "Don't forget that there's a lot of ham in the freezer. When you finish off a section of it from the fridge, get a new bag to thaw."
"Fried ham," said Max, who hadn't had supper. "And Miracle Whip. And cucumbers. That would be a great sandwich right now."
It did sound good. So what the hell, right? I sliced up a some ham and set it in puddles of melted butter on a griddle. While it was frying up, I sliced my home-made brioche and a cucumber. Thick, sizzling slices of ham in tangy sandwich spread with crisp cucumbers. It was dee-licious!
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Anyway, this evening I mentioned to Max and Darwin, "Don't forget that there's a lot of ham in the freezer. When you finish off a section of it from the fridge, get a new bag to thaw."
"Fried ham," said Max, who hadn't had supper. "And Miracle Whip. And cucumbers. That would be a great sandwich right now."
It did sound good. So what the hell, right? I sliced up a some ham and set it in puddles of melted butter on a griddle. While it was frying up, I sliced my home-made brioche and a cucumber. Thick, sizzling slices of ham in tangy sandwich spread with crisp cucumbers. It was dee-licious!
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The Plague Diaries: Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving in my family is the usual American deal--the hosting rotates among different households, though since I'm the reigning chef, I host more and more often in recent years. Discussion of who hosts what are usually conducted by group text. One person brings it up, touching off a storm of back-and-forth until the issue settled. This year was shaping up to be no different.
Then the pandemic struck.
In early October, it became clear that COVID-19 wasn't going anywhere. Infection and mortality rates plateaued, then started to climb again. I became more and more uneasy about the idea of eating and socializing with upwards of 20 people. Darwin and I are both over 50 and diabetic, which puts us in the high-risk category. Other people in my family are high-risk as well.
Finally, I talked to my mother and told her I didn't really want to risk Thanksgiving. She readily agreed and said she'd been thinking the same thing. Turned out the rest of my family felt the same way. And so Thanksgiving was canceled.
A side note: I want shake the people who moan, "Woe is me! We can't POSSIBLY cancel Thanksgiving this year! We HAVE to see our family! How DARE the government say we can't meet?" These immature, selfish snowflakes say they can't survive a year without seeing Aunt Betty? Right. Meanwhile, most of my family is in medicine. Every single holiday while I was growing up involved the questions, "Who has to work this year? Who won't be here?" Every. Single. One. We NEVER had a holiday with everyone present. You can live for ONE YEAR without seeing Aunt Betty.
Thanksgiving wasn't ENTIRELY canceled. We decided it would be relatively safe to have Aran and Sasha over, since both of them aren't working and mostly stay in their respective apartments all day. But that was it.
I made an abbreviated menu and ordered the groceries, including a ten-pound turkey. But store didn't have any ten pounders left, so they gave me a 20-pounder for the price of a ten-pounder. My attempts at downsizing were sabotaged from the outset.
Then some weird fallout began. Sasha said he wasn't up to coming. Then came a twisty accident. Wednesday evening, Kala locked herself out of her apartment, and she called Aran, who had a spare key. He drove out to let her in and decided just to spend the night and drive up to our place the next day. (Kala works from home and is also good about social distancing, so Aran visits her often.) But on Thanksgiving morning, Kala woke up feeling ill with COVID symptoms. And Aran had spent several hours at her place. Sadly, we decided that Aran wouldn't be able to come over, either.
So we ended up with a giant Thanksgiving dinner, the first one in our new home, and only three of us to gather for it. The food was wonderful, and we counted our blessings aloud. The cleanup went faster than usual! (You take your advantages where you can find them these days.)
Meanwhile, we remembered Max had visited Kala about a week earlier, well within the incubation period. If Kala did have COVID, Max could have been exposed as well, which meant Darwin and I could be. (See how easily and quickly this stupid thing gets around?) We had to get tested.
Uneasily, I searched around and discovered the pharmacy just up the street does COVID-19 testing. You make the appointment online. I made one for me and for Darwin on Saturday. Max refused to be tested. I think he was freaking out about the idea of having it. I didn't push--our tests would suffice, since it would be all but impossible for one of us to get it and not the rest of us.
Saturday morning, Darwin and I drove to the pharmacy drive-up window. I thought someone would come out to administer the test in the parking lot, like it worked at the hospital Darwin and I went to the last time we got tested. But, nope! She passed us a set of self-administering tests. We swabbed our own noses, sealed the swabs in little containers, and dropped them in a special box. Now we're waiting for the results.
Kala and Aran also went for testing. Yesterday, Kala got her results back--negative. A major relief. It's still possible the rest of us could have it, but the odds just dropped significantly. We're still waiting for our results, though.
And that was Thanksgiving during the pandemic.
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Then the pandemic struck.
In early October, it became clear that COVID-19 wasn't going anywhere. Infection and mortality rates plateaued, then started to climb again. I became more and more uneasy about the idea of eating and socializing with upwards of 20 people. Darwin and I are both over 50 and diabetic, which puts us in the high-risk category. Other people in my family are high-risk as well.
Finally, I talked to my mother and told her I didn't really want to risk Thanksgiving. She readily agreed and said she'd been thinking the same thing. Turned out the rest of my family felt the same way. And so Thanksgiving was canceled.
A side note: I want shake the people who moan, "Woe is me! We can't POSSIBLY cancel Thanksgiving this year! We HAVE to see our family! How DARE the government say we can't meet?" These immature, selfish snowflakes say they can't survive a year without seeing Aunt Betty? Right. Meanwhile, most of my family is in medicine. Every single holiday while I was growing up involved the questions, "Who has to work this year? Who won't be here?" Every. Single. One. We NEVER had a holiday with everyone present. You can live for ONE YEAR without seeing Aunt Betty.
Thanksgiving wasn't ENTIRELY canceled. We decided it would be relatively safe to have Aran and Sasha over, since both of them aren't working and mostly stay in their respective apartments all day. But that was it.
I made an abbreviated menu and ordered the groceries, including a ten-pound turkey. But store didn't have any ten pounders left, so they gave me a 20-pounder for the price of a ten-pounder. My attempts at downsizing were sabotaged from the outset.
Then some weird fallout began. Sasha said he wasn't up to coming. Then came a twisty accident. Wednesday evening, Kala locked herself out of her apartment, and she called Aran, who had a spare key. He drove out to let her in and decided just to spend the night and drive up to our place the next day. (Kala works from home and is also good about social distancing, so Aran visits her often.) But on Thanksgiving morning, Kala woke up feeling ill with COVID symptoms. And Aran had spent several hours at her place. Sadly, we decided that Aran wouldn't be able to come over, either.
So we ended up with a giant Thanksgiving dinner, the first one in our new home, and only three of us to gather for it. The food was wonderful, and we counted our blessings aloud. The cleanup went faster than usual! (You take your advantages where you can find them these days.)
Meanwhile, we remembered Max had visited Kala about a week earlier, well within the incubation period. If Kala did have COVID, Max could have been exposed as well, which meant Darwin and I could be. (See how easily and quickly this stupid thing gets around?) We had to get tested.
Uneasily, I searched around and discovered the pharmacy just up the street does COVID-19 testing. You make the appointment online. I made one for me and for Darwin on Saturday. Max refused to be tested. I think he was freaking out about the idea of having it. I didn't push--our tests would suffice, since it would be all but impossible for one of us to get it and not the rest of us.
Saturday morning, Darwin and I drove to the pharmacy drive-up window. I thought someone would come out to administer the test in the parking lot, like it worked at the hospital Darwin and I went to the last time we got tested. But, nope! She passed us a set of self-administering tests. We swabbed our own noses, sealed the swabs in little containers, and dropped them in a special box. Now we're waiting for the results.
Kala and Aran also went for testing. Yesterday, Kala got her results back--negative. A major relief. It's still possible the rest of us could have it, but the odds just dropped significantly. We're still waiting for our results, though.
And that was Thanksgiving during the pandemic.
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