Day #30 of Year #2 of the pandemic

[shadowkat]

I saw an article about the signs of the pandemic lasting longer...and thought, I don't want to know.

Although, the pandemic did prove that most office workers can work legitimately from home. All you really need is a lap top and a good wifi and you're all set.

It's a rainy day. We've a nor'easter apparently.

Today's impulse buy - courtesy of former Minister on FB - is The Essential World-Building Blueprint and Workbook with Fantasy Cover I got the print and digital version for $40.

Why?

Oh, I'm fiddling with science fiction and fantasy novels, and could use a little help in the world-building department. I might try drawing my fantasy creatures. Then maybe painting them.

All the information you need to develop epic fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, sci-fi and space opera worlds.

70+ pages of blueprints on how to build a world that readers can’t resist.

100+ pages of worksheets to guide your world creation.

Built-in project bible to track and organize your world all in one place. Never lose details or search for lost sticky notes and files ever again.

Prompts to make you think deeper about your ideas and explore new aspects of your world, story and characters.

Your choice of cover to fit your project (note: contents of each book are the same).

I'll let you know if it works for me or not. Up in the air at the moment.

***

I scanned the NY Times Corona Virus briefing - and..I don't really want to talk about it. Suffice it to say, for once, I'm happy I don't live in Canada. My Canadian friends have been struggling to get the vaccine. Although the roll-out in the US and elsewhere hasn't exactly been stellar - it's just better than in Canada and France.

Mother: Well, if Wales has been vaccinated maybe you can hang out with her.
ME: She hasn't been.
Mother: Surely by now?
Me: Nope. She's no clue how. And I can't help her - wouldn't know how to start.
Mother: Well your company helped you.
Me: And my doctor's office reached out to me finally. I told her to reach out to her doctor's office. I knew from the beginning it would either be through my company or doctor's office.

Crazy Org is desperate to vaccinate all its employees - it keeps adding sites.

***

Mother is bummed out. The only people in my family who aren't bummed out are my brother and his family. He's planting seedlings. And off to coastal Main tomorrow - Main is about 3 1/2 hour drive from where he lives. (I'm about 3 hours from him. The northeast is wonky in shape and distances.)

She asked how my little herb garden is coming along. The plants are sprouting. Just waiting for my curly parsely to emerge. It does take 14-21 days to sprout, and it's only bee 13. The others have sprouted thankfully.
I was most worried about the mint. They all look really cute. I talk to them. Mother was pleased. Yes, my new hobby is trying to grow things in an aerogarden.

***

Work is duller than dirt. I'm slugging along. It sucks having no control over your own workload and depending on others or waiting on them. Sent a how to guide to a co-worker yesterday - regarding a software application. (I wrote up how to do something in the application and sent it to them. I do a wide variety of writing at work. You'd think I'd be sick of writing by the end of the day - but no.)

Also read through new guidelines on responsibility - which appear to be the same as the old ones - except easier to read. Honestly they've changed the guidelines more times than I can count. Procedures and regs change constantly. No wonder its impossible to pass the Bar in NY. They can't make up their minds on the laws, rules, regs, and procedures.

***

According to the Governor - more than half of New Yorker's got vaccinated, yet I see 39%. That's not more than half. Although, we did get 12.6 million doses, and 26.4 % completing the series. My definition of more than half and the Governor's is not the same. I'm beginning to wonder if the Governor knows math?

Shrugs.

We're at the dregs of Tuesday's photos...

Comments

[mtbc]

I get to write some how-to documentation for work tomorrow. Should be fairly easy and pleasant.

[shadowkat]

Yeah, I didn't have to - but found it easier than trying to explain it to everyone by phone. A co-worker taught me the trick.

Hopefully yours goes well.

[deird1]

My Canadian friends have been struggling to get the vaccine. Although the roll-out in the US and elsewhere hasn't exactly been stellar - it's just better than in Canada and France.

Australia's is dreadful. We're all cowering behind our border control, hoping the vaccine arrives before the borders reopen.

[shadowkat]

Geeze. I thought Australia would be better for some reason? This distribution effort has been odd. Israel of all places had the best distribution of the vaccine. (No one knows about Russia, North Korea or China - they like to spread misinformation.)

Shouldn't they wait until the vaccine arrives before opening up again? No wait, that's logical and no one has acted logical during this crisis - or they've done it at random.

Hope it goes well. And you get vaccinated soon.

[deird1]

The thing is, our lockdowns have been done by the states; the vaccines are being handled federally. And while the state governments are fairly sensible, and have done a brilliant job of keeping us Covid-free, our federal government’s reaction to ANY issue is to put fingers in ears and chant “LALALA! I can’t hear you!” They’re screwing up the vaccine rollout in epic fashion.

[shadowkat]

I didn't realize you had the same issues as we did last year. Now, however, our Federal Government is actually really sane, while a lot of the States are nuts or all over the place in terms of lockdowns, masks, and virus distribution. Is Australia - States or Territories? I guess only Canada does Territories?

[deird1]

We have states and territories, weirdly enough. The states are all the places populated enough to need lockdown, though, so the territories mostly just let the rest of us do our thing.

Our federal government are fundy conservatives who think protecting the environment is for suckers. Whereas our states are mostly much more sensible.

[shadowkat]

Sounds similar to the US - more than I thought. (I should know some of this - my parents are information junkies and lived in Australia for about two years at the beginning of the 1990s. They thoroughly researched the country, and traveled throughout it. My Dad went there for work.)

In the US we have territories too - but they are small - Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam are territories. Basically just islands. One is trying to become a state. Also the District of Columbia is technically a territory - and it is also trying to become a state. (State's have power, territories have no voice or power at all.)

I have a feeling your territories have more say in the matter than ours do, though?

Our Federal Government used to be fundy conservatives (as you know - except nuttier than yours or anyone's really), but we managed to boot them out - and got a new one. (It was touch and go there for a bit. I honestly don't think the US would have survived if we hadn't given the old one the boot.)

[deird1]

Most of our territories are pretty small, but we do have two significant ones: the Northern Territory (where the outback and its tourist attractions are) and the ACT (capital city and centre of parliament). The ACT is obviously highly dependent on our federal politicians, since they all live there; and the NT is where most Aboriginal people live, and gets thoroughly ignored by the government because of it.

I'm pretty sure our federal/state/territory breakdown of power is pretty similar to yours; at least, I usually notice when it's different, so I think it must be mostly the same.

We are, for the most part, fairly similar in politics to the US – except that you guys are much more outwardly religious than we are. Our politicians are usually religious, but commenting too much on that would get them a tonne of bad publicity.

[shadowkat]

I think we are fairly similar in culture and politics- I remember noticing the similarities - when I visited. Sydney reminded me a lot of San Francisco (for example) - although I liked Sydney better.

Neither of us have treated the natives to our countries well (gross understatement, I know) - the American Indians aka the Native Americans (US's equivalent of the aboriginals) are in reservations, they have a say in the US Federal Government, but for the most part are ignored.

I also think there's a difference in taxes? Americans have issues with taxes. (Australia - I think is closer to Canada and Britain in that regard? With Universal Health Care.) Mainly because most Americans' either fled here because of the tax situation elsewhere or for religious reasons.