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Day #280
The cookies I ordered from Etsy still have not arrived - they were ordered through Stamps.com and USPS. Stamps.com is notoriously slow. Everything that has used them as a delivery service in lieu of UPS, takes forever to arrive.
Do not use Stamps.com to deliver items to people.
Not unless you want the person on the other end to wait longer for it to arrive, and cost more in shipping.
After listening to the Governor via FB, because I missed most of the briefing wandering around Greenwood Cemetery this morning, I decided to donate money to Toys For Tots - you basically choose a bunch of toys, and the US Marines wraps and delivers them to families. Basically you choose and buy them online, and the US Marines plays Santa for those in need. (By the way, the US military serves more than one purpose - they help in emergencies, they deliver toys to the needy, they do search and rescue missions, and they protect us from people who want to kill us. It's important to remember that - I think. There's a tendency to demonize people and professions and institutions, forgetting that people are more than one thing. I keep reminding myself of this on a daily basis. I refuse to let the internet and the world infect me its righteous hate.]
It was another lovely walk around the cemetery. Quiet too. No sirens. Just the sounds of some tree trimming, and birds, and a few people walking about.
For the most part though - birds.
I walked for about two hours soaking up the peace and quiet. The stillness.
Winter has a kind of quiet and stillness - that doesn't quite exist in any other season. The soft white of the snow, against the green grass, and dark brown tree trunks. The wind not quite as crisp against my cheeks as yesterday. But the sun warm enough to peel off the sweater underneath my jacket and stuff it into my bag.
Couldn't go much longer than that - feet, hips and back began to ache - arthritis most likely, and well shoes not being the best on the planet.
But two hours equaled three miles, so not bad. I walked longer on Monday - 4.4 miles, and 2.4 miles on Tuesday. Considering I can't do much walking at all tomorrow and Friday, due to storms.
Fudge came - not as good as mom's but close enough. It states on the cover that it should be eaten within 2-4 days. Not an issue, I devoured it within two. It wasn't that much, less than a pound. Plus, more is coming tomorrow, from another vendor - we'll see if its any good. I'm debating making my own, but if I do - I'll eat too much of it. Besides its not really the fudge I want but the comfortable memories of home, Christmas, and family that it brings with it. My mother used to make fudge and put it out on the back porch where it was cold, to chill. We'd sneak pieces when she wasn't looking.
New York vs. the Corona Virus
New York is still a mite peeved that the US Federal Government refuses to do anything about the virulent strain in the UK, or put in national travel restrictions, and mandates in place regarding masks, etc. But hey, some good news - it managed to convince all three major airlines who were traveling to and from the UK - to instill testing guidelines, and test their travelers prior to coming to New York airports. It also has its research labs testing all the COVID samples to see if the UK train is in any of them. (We test over 249,000 people a day - it's not hard to get samples. New York doesn't understand why the Federal Government isn't having everyone tested prior to traveling and insisting upon this protocol - since New York is able to do it daily.)
New York's Governor addressed the upcoming year in his press conference stating that we can't go under a lockdown for an entire year. We barely survived nine months of it. We won't survive another 9 months. And will have to start to think about how to do things post-covid, which may involve rapid testing protocols and vaccines.
[I found him amusing actually - he ranted about the nitwits who want herd immunity in the federal government, and stated, he personally would want to take a vaccine first before taking all of those risks. I swear the man has lost all patience with the Federal Government - he now views them as his enemy.
He also mentioned the additional dosages in the Moderna Vaccine, it has a 11 instead of just 10.
Governor - this is different. But it is a good different. As opposed to a bad different. And in a year in which most of the things that have been different have been really bad, it's kind of a nice change of pace.]
They figured out that the reason New York is lower in cases than the rest of the nation is because most people didn't travel during the Thanksgiving Holidays in NY. (We didn't. Everyone I know - stayed home and did Zoom.) They didn't have the large gatherings, just small ones with the people they were already living with or that were in their "pod". As a result, the uptick in cases in NY is relatively low in comparison to everyone else - we're at about 5.68% in comparison to places like Florida, Kansas, North Carolina, Texas, and California.
Meanwhile in other news, France apparently has re-opened to the UK - mainly because shutting down it's boundaries caused a lot of unexpected havoc. 1500 trucks were stranded. Oops.
Watching this thing play out around the globe, and how humanity continues to fumble in various ways - is fascinating from an objective perspective.
Congress vs. the President or rather the GOP vs. the President
Regarding the stimulus package - as expected the President threw a temper tantrum of sorts and refused to sign it.
[Caveat - I'm emotionally invested in it - because it is giving Public Transportation over $46 billion, and crazy org, $4 Billion. I want that Christmas Gift, damn it.]
Mother: So, what are your feelings about the President's decision to veto the Defense portion of the Stimulus package?
Me: The Defense portion? I thought it was just the $600, he wanted $2000, which was hilarious since that's what the Democrats wanted - the GOP pushed for $600.
Mother: No, he also took exception to the whole Defense spending section, the money for the Smithsonian museums and the $600.
Me: Weird. He's probably catering to his supporters who went wild over social media when biased publications like Business Insider reported they were only getting $600 while Defense was getting millions, and Smithsonian was getting over $2Million.
Mother: The GOP pressed for those things. Also, I'm not sure he understands how government works - or that the stimulus is also the US Government's Operating Budget, they need some of those things to keep us running.
Not that I completely agree with the GOP.
Me: Well, I'm not completely in favor of just handing out money to people.
It's like a college kid asking mom for one month's rent -
Mother: No, it's more like a college kid asking Mom for money to go skiing. Most of the people getting that stimulus check don't need it.
Hence my problem with it. But the US public is insanely self-centered. They want the extra cash. Some, granted, desperately need it - but it's a stop-gap measure. They'd be better served if the Federal Government gave it to State and Local Governments to reinforce measures to keep their housing services intact, and jobs intact. By sending random checks to people - you're just throwing money in the sky.
But most people don't see that - mainly because they don't understand how government works and can't see past their own pocketbooks.
I'm not crazy about the money spent on the Defense Budget - but I do understand it, and it does need to be there - to keep certain protections in place. We're very vulnerable at the moment. But, I agree it's excessive.
What's surprising is Trump is vetoing it for those things - which basically means he's attacking his own party. He's vetoing the items the GOP requested and wanted. And he's basically killing the people running for election in Georgia on the GOP's ticket. But hey, the Democrats are happy - they wanted all the things he requested. Pelosi (House) and Schumer (Senate) have both stated - "oh, sure, Trump. We totally agree - we'll amend the bill exactly the way you want - tonight. Not a problem."
That said, they do have enough votes to override his veto. But they have to vote to override it. And it would be interesting if the Democrats block the override.
Politics continues to be insane in the US, but I'm certain - quite entertaining to everyone else.
Sigh. The 2020 roller-coaster ride from hell continues.
Do not use Stamps.com to deliver items to people.
Not unless you want the person on the other end to wait longer for it to arrive, and cost more in shipping.
After listening to the Governor via FB, because I missed most of the briefing wandering around Greenwood Cemetery this morning, I decided to donate money to Toys For Tots - you basically choose a bunch of toys, and the US Marines wraps and delivers them to families. Basically you choose and buy them online, and the US Marines plays Santa for those in need. (By the way, the US military serves more than one purpose - they help in emergencies, they deliver toys to the needy, they do search and rescue missions, and they protect us from people who want to kill us. It's important to remember that - I think. There's a tendency to demonize people and professions and institutions, forgetting that people are more than one thing. I keep reminding myself of this on a daily basis. I refuse to let the internet and the world infect me its righteous hate.]
It was another lovely walk around the cemetery. Quiet too. No sirens. Just the sounds of some tree trimming, and birds, and a few people walking about.
For the most part though - birds.
I walked for about two hours soaking up the peace and quiet. The stillness.
Winter has a kind of quiet and stillness - that doesn't quite exist in any other season. The soft white of the snow, against the green grass, and dark brown tree trunks. The wind not quite as crisp against my cheeks as yesterday. But the sun warm enough to peel off the sweater underneath my jacket and stuff it into my bag.
Couldn't go much longer than that - feet, hips and back began to ache - arthritis most likely, and well shoes not being the best on the planet.
But two hours equaled three miles, so not bad. I walked longer on Monday - 4.4 miles, and 2.4 miles on Tuesday. Considering I can't do much walking at all tomorrow and Friday, due to storms.
Fudge came - not as good as mom's but close enough. It states on the cover that it should be eaten within 2-4 days. Not an issue, I devoured it within two. It wasn't that much, less than a pound. Plus, more is coming tomorrow, from another vendor - we'll see if its any good. I'm debating making my own, but if I do - I'll eat too much of it. Besides its not really the fudge I want but the comfortable memories of home, Christmas, and family that it brings with it. My mother used to make fudge and put it out on the back porch where it was cold, to chill. We'd sneak pieces when she wasn't looking.
New York vs. the Corona Virus
New York is still a mite peeved that the US Federal Government refuses to do anything about the virulent strain in the UK, or put in national travel restrictions, and mandates in place regarding masks, etc. But hey, some good news - it managed to convince all three major airlines who were traveling to and from the UK - to instill testing guidelines, and test their travelers prior to coming to New York airports. It also has its research labs testing all the COVID samples to see if the UK train is in any of them. (We test over 249,000 people a day - it's not hard to get samples. New York doesn't understand why the Federal Government isn't having everyone tested prior to traveling and insisting upon this protocol - since New York is able to do it daily.)
New York's Governor addressed the upcoming year in his press conference stating that we can't go under a lockdown for an entire year. We barely survived nine months of it. We won't survive another 9 months. And will have to start to think about how to do things post-covid, which may involve rapid testing protocols and vaccines.
[I found him amusing actually - he ranted about the nitwits who want herd immunity in the federal government, and stated, he personally would want to take a vaccine first before taking all of those risks. I swear the man has lost all patience with the Federal Government - he now views them as his enemy.
He also mentioned the additional dosages in the Moderna Vaccine, it has a 11 instead of just 10.
Governor - this is different. But it is a good different. As opposed to a bad different. And in a year in which most of the things that have been different have been really bad, it's kind of a nice change of pace.]
They figured out that the reason New York is lower in cases than the rest of the nation is because most people didn't travel during the Thanksgiving Holidays in NY. (We didn't. Everyone I know - stayed home and did Zoom.) They didn't have the large gatherings, just small ones with the people they were already living with or that were in their "pod". As a result, the uptick in cases in NY is relatively low in comparison to everyone else - we're at about 5.68% in comparison to places like Florida, Kansas, North Carolina, Texas, and California.
Meanwhile in other news, France apparently has re-opened to the UK - mainly because shutting down it's boundaries caused a lot of unexpected havoc. 1500 trucks were stranded. Oops.
Watching this thing play out around the globe, and how humanity continues to fumble in various ways - is fascinating from an objective perspective.
Congress vs. the President or rather the GOP vs. the President
Regarding the stimulus package - as expected the President threw a temper tantrum of sorts and refused to sign it.
[Caveat - I'm emotionally invested in it - because it is giving Public Transportation over $46 billion, and crazy org, $4 Billion. I want that Christmas Gift, damn it.]
Mother: So, what are your feelings about the President's decision to veto the Defense portion of the Stimulus package?
Me: The Defense portion? I thought it was just the $600, he wanted $2000, which was hilarious since that's what the Democrats wanted - the GOP pushed for $600.
Mother: No, he also took exception to the whole Defense spending section, the money for the Smithsonian museums and the $600.
Me: Weird. He's probably catering to his supporters who went wild over social media when biased publications like Business Insider reported they were only getting $600 while Defense was getting millions, and Smithsonian was getting over $2Million.
Mother: The GOP pressed for those things. Also, I'm not sure he understands how government works - or that the stimulus is also the US Government's Operating Budget, they need some of those things to keep us running.
Not that I completely agree with the GOP.
Me: Well, I'm not completely in favor of just handing out money to people.
It's like a college kid asking mom for one month's rent -
Mother: No, it's more like a college kid asking Mom for money to go skiing. Most of the people getting that stimulus check don't need it.
Hence my problem with it. But the US public is insanely self-centered. They want the extra cash. Some, granted, desperately need it - but it's a stop-gap measure. They'd be better served if the Federal Government gave it to State and Local Governments to reinforce measures to keep their housing services intact, and jobs intact. By sending random checks to people - you're just throwing money in the sky.
But most people don't see that - mainly because they don't understand how government works and can't see past their own pocketbooks.
I'm not crazy about the money spent on the Defense Budget - but I do understand it, and it does need to be there - to keep certain protections in place. We're very vulnerable at the moment. But, I agree it's excessive.
What's surprising is Trump is vetoing it for those things - which basically means he's attacking his own party. He's vetoing the items the GOP requested and wanted. And he's basically killing the people running for election in Georgia on the GOP's ticket. But hey, the Democrats are happy - they wanted all the things he requested. Pelosi (House) and Schumer (Senate) have both stated - "oh, sure, Trump. We totally agree - we'll amend the bill exactly the way you want - tonight. Not a problem."
That said, they do have enough votes to override his veto. But they have to vote to override it. And it would be interesting if the Democrats block the override.
Politics continues to be insane in the US, but I'm certain - quite entertaining to everyone else.
Sigh. The 2020 roller-coaster ride from hell continues.