Grateful

 I know I spend a lot of time on my blog, and social media and other places, sharing all my woe and misery. In all honestly, I do it because it's the only place I can vent my true thoughts and feelings without fear of reprisals or having it used against me. No filter, it's generally how I see life on most days. But then there are times, like right now, that I can block out all of the noise and hear things I don't always hear.

I am lucky. 18 months ago I was put on "furlough" because of the COVID pandemic. I didn't "work", but was able to keep it together enough to keep a roof over my head and food on the table every night. When things started to subside in the summer of 2021, I was able to grab a position in an area that I wanted to work that was ready to go full steam ahead in reopening. It meant picking up and moving (again), but it was something I had done so many times before that it seemed like second nature.

And then I landed. The amazing people who were on my staff were so professional, talented, and dedicated. Even when the major hurdles were thrown at us (which they definitely were), we handled them. My team understood when I wasn't able to be there because I was handling something else. My team understood when a vacancy happened in the org chart I needed to fill it until we found a replacement. We worked together, we trusted each other to get our jobs done, and we pulled off what many others may not have been able to achieve.

And so we land to today. As I've told others (including my boss), I think we are so close to where I want to bring us professionally. One or two more key people and we'll get there. Instead of just getting the job done, we'll do it better than it's been done in the past. People will see it and be amazed.

90% of the time I like the people I work with on a day-to-day basis. Even more so at one of the two locations I oversee. We all work towards a common goal. We all respect each others opinions and are free to express them in a non-judgemental environment. But more importantly... not only are they are good at what they do, but they are good "people". And at the end of the day, that's what is important to me.

I had to check...

 

I woke up this morning achy, but I didn't think anything of it because at my age that happens. Headed to work and had a massive coughing fit during a meeting. It was so bad I had to excuse my myself and leave the room. As the day went on, I started to feel upset to my stomach with a bit of congestion in my chest.

So, by 1:00pm I had put all of the pieces together in my mind and thought I might have gotten COVID. So, I bolted out of work straight for the drug store and picked up an At-Home test kit. Two swabs up my nose and 15 minutes later it looks like I'm negative. I'll take a few Aleve, lay down on the couch, and see if I feel any better later.

So... here's my stance on the whole COVID thing. It may be a hot take and not fully thought out, but here it is.

I've had my initial shot, the second dose, and a booster. I'm not in the greatest physical condition, but I feel I'm good enough to be adequately protected. To this day, I still wear a mask where mandated (without objection) and choose to wear a mask in situations that I feel more comfortable. I'm good with anyone who feels the way I do.  In the future, I'd expect to be tested as positive at some point... but with my vaccinations I certainly don't mind anyone who chooses to wear a mask in any situation. 

In short, I feel like at some point I'm going to get tested positive for some variant of COVID. I also feel my three doses of Pfizer will keep me protected enough to keep me out of the hospital.  If (and when) medical professionals like my personal doctor tell me to get a booster then I will. If she believes I'm covered adequately then I'll trust her.

At this point, if anyone contracts COVID to the point where then end up needing hospitalization then it's their own fault. They've had enough advice from enough medical experts. If they choose to listen to pundits on Fox News or other channels of disinformation, then they deserve to face the consequences of their decisions, including death. I'm tired of people not taking responsibility for their actions. 

Today's memory

 

So... this popped up as one of my FB memories today.
I'd say that I still agree with it.

Why the hell not?

So.... I've been thinking a lot since my recent trip to see all of my "real" friends last month. Not only did their friendship make my soul feel better, but they also gave me the advice and support I was needing after the last few years. It's Sunday and I put in a few works hours today. My "California" tan is starting to peel away. I went to the driving range on Thursday... hitting golf balls for the first time in about 18 months. It was pretty brutal until I found something that worked. Maybe I'll play a real round of golf if I get a chance in mid-May. I can't thank everyone enough who took the time to hang with me. Even though we are spread across the globe, I felt like we were all together... even if in spirit only. Hopefully we can all get together again in person soon.

One

CSI Bemidji

Under the best of circumstances I would probably be considered a "domestic disaster." I let the dishes pile up in the sink, the clothes pile up in the laundry basket, and the dirt pile up on the carpet. It's not so bad that I'd be embarrassed if someone dropped by (not that they ever would), but it could be a little less messy and a little more tidy.

But today was going to be my day. By the time 10:30am had rolled around, I had:
1. Fought off the urge to unpack the golf clubs and go to the driving range,
2. Fixed the crank handle on the bedroom window
3. Gotten one load of laundry in the wash machine and one in the dryer,
4. Polished both pairs of dress shoes,
5. Taken out the trash & recycling,
6. Loaded up the dishwasher to run after the laundry was complete.

With about 45-minutes until the clothes in the dryer would be ready, I got out the vacuum cleaner to hit the living and dining rooms. I made my way around the dining table and near the kitchen without trouble and as was moving onto the living room when this occurred:

CSI: Coffee Stain Incident

As I was maneuvering between the coffee table and sofa, the cord for the vacuum cleaner hooked around my half-full coffee mug and yanked it off the table and onto the carpet. It was just like every episode of CSI that you've ever seen. The coffee splattered everywhere. In addition to the big pool on the off-white carpet, it was on the sofa, on the lamp shade, on the wall behind the sofa, on the wall across the hallway, on the closet door, under the end table... you get the idea. It looked like one of those crime scenes that Marg Helgenberger and the crew from CSI Las Vegas would roll up to and start taking photos, fingerprints, swabs, and analyzing the blood spatter pattern.

No Marg never did show up,
but a guy can fantasize can't he?

Well, vacuuming ended prematurely and the race to clean up the mess began. A half-roll of paper towels and a half-bottle of Resolve later, I think I've got things under some semblance of control. The splatter marks are gone, but it's going to take a couple more treatments on the big spill before that is back to looking semi-normal. I guess that teaches me not to fight the golfing urge on an unseasonably warm Sunday morning/afternoon. Maybe Marg is at the golf course... I better go investigate.