Y2/D261...Tired..the Week Kicked My Butt
Dec. 3rd, 2021 09:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatOh well, at least next week will be shorter - have next Friday off. And then one more week until I take off to see my Momma. Off for the last two weeks of December.
At work we keep wondering if the Omnicron variant will lead to working remotely again. I doubt it, if the Governor, Mayor, and the idiot at the top of Crazy Org's food chain have their way - we're not going back to the remote or work from home scenario any time soon. But we've all signed a petition requesting it.
Apparently we were brought back because the head honcho felt it was better if folks worked together, in person, then apart, remotely.
Me: Basically he gave the same argument, you gave.
Mother: Except you made a very good case for remote work. So, a good case can be made either way. On the one hand, you don't have the three hour commute..
Me: It's actually an hour and a half each way.
Mother: Three hour commute round trip, which is wearing. You can work longer, and ..
Me: I get more done. I'm more productive. And I can work later, or earlier. Also ..
Mother: You sleep better, and don't have to get up quite so early, less wear and tear. But on the other hand, if you go into the office, you talk to people face to face - like your manager today, and can interact with folks. You see them. The in person contact is important, I think.
It is. As Chidi pointed out a while back, if you live alone, it can get lonely...you can feel isolated. And somewhat adrift. I did. There were days that I felt the walls closing in. I listened to music - just for some noise.
The office has energy. My apartment doesn't.
As for the commute? I'm reading more. Started reading The Murderbot Series, which I picked up off of Amazon Kindle for free. (They were having a sale, it's normally $35. Which I can't afford. I have the sequel for free on Audio book.) Finished three books - three. This is a feat. I don't remember the titles or much about them, but I finished them. They were romance novels. The last one was somewhat comical - and I figured out who the villain was pretty much within the first fifty pages of the book.
It had a mystery - but the central focus was the romance. Not the best at banter or sex scenes, but funny all the same - kind of farcical.
Whenever I complain about my job - it occurs to me that life could be worse. I could be a writer of articles/columns on a soap opera for a webzine. (Ugh. That would be painful. I love soaps, but they are kind of nonsensical as is the fandom. Buffy it's not.) Or worse, a station cleaner. Yesterday - someone left a gross mess of fries, ketchup and food on the steps in the Fulton Street Subway Station. People are slobs. It's amazing how clean the subways are now - and they've completely retired the old orange and yellow seated cars, which were kind of scrungy.
**
Had a meeting with BYT Manager today, who told me a bunch of stuff about her managers, and what's going on, and how things work. Then told me not to tell anyone. Truth of the matter is - I'm so brain dead at the moment, that I honestly can't remember half of what she told me.
The plus side of this new regime - is I finally get to procure hot political projects worth millions. So, good news? I'll be very busy in January - which I told my manager that I was fine with - since I prefer to be busy in January. (I've had too much down time in January in the past, and January is depressing with down time. Being busy helps.)
I'm no longer being sidelined. They can't, they are understaffed, and losing folks right and left. Everyone is understaffed and overworked, and moral is at all time low. I'm convinced that if we could get away with it - we'd walk out in unison and stay home, and let the agency implode on its own. But alas, we need our health insurance, weekly paychecks, etc.
***
Mother: Your niece is back in the United States.
Me: Yet not home, home.
Mother: She made it to Dulles Airport, through security, and customs, and to her gate. Apparently she's in the air to Albany.
Me: Oh thank god. I was worried she'd get stuck in England.
Mother: She didn't. Got her test 24 hours prior, was negative, and got on the plane. Her boyfriend's picking her up from the airport.
Me: Her parents couldn't be bothered? I'd have insisted.
Mother: I don't think your brother had much choice, her boyfriend insisted that he pick her up, and your brother invited him to join them for dinner.
He was off to pick up dinner when I talked to him.
Later..
Mother: Your niece is home finally!
Me: You told me that.
Mother: No, home home. Your brother just texted me.
Me: You didn't trust her boyfriend to pick her up from the airport?
Mother: I like to have everything nailed down - you know that.
This is true.
Now whether my niece can go back to London and her courses is up in the air. According to mother this was her first trip on a plane by herself.
My brother and I did our first trips a few years younger.
***
Oh, if you want to watch scenes from Get Back - the Peter Jackson Beatles Documentary - you can on Youtube. Folks have posted various clips.
First? How'd Peter Jackson convince Paul and Ringo to release the footage of Get Back and do the Documentary
And here's Creating the song Something in the Way She Moves.
I still need to see part 3, I took a break from it after last weekend.
Me: I realized something watching the Beatles documentary. I prefer Paul, liked George, but Ringo and John got on my nerves.
Mother: Oh, I agree. The other two didn't do much for me. I never saw John as being that attractive.
Me: Well he got better looking as he got older (glasses and long hair helped oddly). John also has this thing about the Rolling Stones, he kept mentioning to the camera - 'and your hosts for this evening are The Rolling Stones."
Mother: That makes sense though, after all the Rolling Stones were their competitors. They were both British Bands at the same time - around the same age, and in competition.
Me: But very different bands. The Stones were sexier, and more of touring band, the Beatles were more of a recording band that was mostly interested in the creative process of creating songs and music, while the Stones love to perform live in front of an audience.
Mother: Yes, I would agree. They are still touring.
Me: But haven't created any new songs in ages, it's just the same ones. You'd think they'd get bored, but nope nor does the audience. So their sound never changed or evolved, while the Beatles were constantly creating new songs, and hated singing the same ones over and over. They wanted new stuff - they stopped touring partly because they just wanted to create and touring got in the way of that. It's why they have such a vast song book.
People who prefer the Stones - are into watching live music and don't really listen to the songs, or are into the "songbook", while those who are into the Beatles - are into the songs.
Wales weirdly agreed with me. She's more into the Stones - but she like the presentation and the live music. I like the Stones too - I've got all their music, but having listened to both religiously - I can say the Stones don't have the breadth or depth of music that the Beatles do for the reasons stated above.
**
I'm happy for the weekend. Sleep in. Maybe write. Watch television. Maybe clean and recaulk my bathroom or do laundry.
Work makes one appreciate weekends more.
***
COVID AND NEWS ITEMS
* According to NY1, whose been discussing it the last few days, the City is requiring all private schools to vaccinate their employees or all non-public school teachers to get vaccinated. The Catholic Church was annoyed, they are supporting the vaccine, but are afraid of losing employees.
* The Soap Opera Actors on other shows (other than GH) who'd been avoiding vaccination, changed their minds and got vaccinated after GH went ahead and got rid of the two idiots that refused. One of which was a major character making a six-figure salary. Apparently they weren't willing to take the same risk.
* Amy Klobacher, Senator, is proposing a new bill on the Senate Floor that legislates Roe vs. Wade, and provides women with autonomy over their own bodies. Go Amy. But you might want to do away with the fillibuster first, and get rid of all the male Republicans in the Senate.
* Allegedly the NYS Excelsior Pass will include the Booster on it - with the Pass Plus option. (Note it doesn't work.)
Rest of the Governor's email can be found
Yesterday, five cases of the omicron variant were discovered in New York State. As I said last night with Mayor de Blasio and New York City public health experts, we knew the variant was coming and we are ready to handle it.
We are not defenseless. We have the tools, let's use them: Get vaccinated, get your booster, and wear a mask. To quote our new Health Commissioner, Dr. Mary T. Bassett: “I have enormous hope about our ability to tackle this big picture.” And I couldn’t agree with Dr. Bassett more.
Let's dive in.
UPDATES IN OUR FIGHT AGAINST COVID
WELCOME, DR. BASSETT! We need tested leadership and experience to improve health equity and access across the state, and I'm proud to have Dr. Bassett leading the New York State Department of Health during this critical moment. Keep up with Dr. Bassett on Twitter and with the Department of Health on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
BOOST UP, NEW YORK. I'm grateful for the 80.9% of adult New Yorkers who are fully vaccinated -- we've come a long way! With the holidays approaching, now is the time to get vaccinated and get the booster dose to protect yourself and your loved ones. This week, we launched a six-figure campaign -- Boost Up, New York! -- to encourage New Yorkers to get their booster as soon as they can. Find a vaccine and booster site near you: ny.gov/vaccine.
PRIORITIZING TESTING. Testing allows us to keep our communities safe and prevent the virus from spreading, and thanks to the White House's newly released COVID-19 Winter Plan, we are able to break down barriers and make it easier for New Yorkers to get tested. Find a testing site near you.
THE LATEST ON THE NUMBERS
THIS WEEK'S COVID TRENDS. As of December 2, 2021, there are 3,107 New Yorkers hospitalized with COVID-19. Our 7-day percentage positivity average was 4.85%, which is up from 3.82% last week.
Per the CDC as of December 3, 2021, 91.2% of adult New Yorkers have at least one vaccine dose. So far, 30,164,634 total vaccine doses have been administered, and 159,560 doses were administered over the past 24 hours.
Well, most adult New Yorkers are vaccinated now - 91.2% according to the CDC have one dose. Over 30 Million Doses administered. And oh, we have a new head of the New York State Department of Health - Dr. Mary Bassett.
(Now, if we could just get a new MTA chairman, life would be great.)
*The news regarding Omnicron variant is troubling, but I'm not sharing that - you can trouble yourselves on your own...I'm sharing this instead:
Are there lessons from earlier in the pandemic that apply to this moment?
I think a big one is that the scientific process takes time. It can be fluid and unpredictable, and our understanding of the virus is continually changing. We cannot expect quick answers tied up neatly with a bow, and as hard as it is, we need to exercise patience.
Uncertainty has always been a part of our lives in one way or another, but it’s difficult to imagine a time when it has taken center stage in this many ways for such an extended period of time. I can’t speak for anyone else, but what has helped me become more comfortable is to try to focus on the here and now. It’s a cliché, but the concept of taking it one day at a time and living in the moment has become essential, because it can be overwhelming to fixate on what might happen in the future.
What are your other tips for dealing with uncertainty?
Practice mindfulness. Meditation can teach you that while there will always be external stressors, you don’t need to be dominated by those problems. Being mindful can help you remember to return to the present when you become distracted, which can be useful in curbing ruminative thoughts. [Here’s a guide to mediating.]
Cultivate “flow.” The state of mind where you become so engaged that time seems to fall away is also useful during periods of uncertainty. Flow doesn’t come when you passively watch TV or listen to music. It’s more of a blend between work and play. For some people, things like yoga or gardening might generate flow. For others, it might be a jigsaw puzzle or cooking an elaborate meal.
Focus on what you can control. When the news of Omicron surfaced, I was initially very concerned, and the continual churn of anxious thoughts became exhausting. Most of my worries centered on my daughter, who recently turned 5. So I decided to get her some better fitting masks because I noticed her current ones kept slipping down her nose. Then I scheduled an appointment for her second dose of the Covid vaccine. Those two simple actions helped me feel calmer.
Work weirdly has helped. Staying busy, having something else to focus on, and something meaningful. Writing in this journal. Mindfulness meditation. Walking. And I think I may take up art again - now that I've grown bored of taking photos of things.
I've also backed away from the news a bit. It's alarming, frustrating, and endlessly annoying, with brief moments of hope. Also not overly trustworthy. I tried to watch the Alec Baldwin interview - and realized fifteen minutes into it - that I can't watch him any longer. He comes across as a narcissist, and plays the victim. Crying on a dime. I thought while watching - he's an actor, how can I believe anything he says or does? Also why is he doing this?
Anyhow...the week is over finally. I've made the decision that I am not going to wimp out on my plans to visit my parents at Xmas, if my co-workers can go to Aruba, Florida, and other spots during this pandemic, I can got see my Mom and Dad.
Random photo of the evening..
At work we keep wondering if the Omnicron variant will lead to working remotely again. I doubt it, if the Governor, Mayor, and the idiot at the top of Crazy Org's food chain have their way - we're not going back to the remote or work from home scenario any time soon. But we've all signed a petition requesting it.
Apparently we were brought back because the head honcho felt it was better if folks worked together, in person, then apart, remotely.
Me: Basically he gave the same argument, you gave.
Mother: Except you made a very good case for remote work. So, a good case can be made either way. On the one hand, you don't have the three hour commute..
Me: It's actually an hour and a half each way.
Mother: Three hour commute round trip, which is wearing. You can work longer, and ..
Me: I get more done. I'm more productive. And I can work later, or earlier. Also ..
Mother: You sleep better, and don't have to get up quite so early, less wear and tear. But on the other hand, if you go into the office, you talk to people face to face - like your manager today, and can interact with folks. You see them. The in person contact is important, I think.
It is. As Chidi pointed out a while back, if you live alone, it can get lonely...you can feel isolated. And somewhat adrift. I did. There were days that I felt the walls closing in. I listened to music - just for some noise.
The office has energy. My apartment doesn't.
As for the commute? I'm reading more. Started reading The Murderbot Series, which I picked up off of Amazon Kindle for free. (They were having a sale, it's normally $35. Which I can't afford. I have the sequel for free on Audio book.) Finished three books - three. This is a feat. I don't remember the titles or much about them, but I finished them. They were romance novels. The last one was somewhat comical - and I figured out who the villain was pretty much within the first fifty pages of the book.
It had a mystery - but the central focus was the romance. Not the best at banter or sex scenes, but funny all the same - kind of farcical.
Whenever I complain about my job - it occurs to me that life could be worse. I could be a writer of articles/columns on a soap opera for a webzine. (Ugh. That would be painful. I love soaps, but they are kind of nonsensical as is the fandom. Buffy it's not.) Or worse, a station cleaner. Yesterday - someone left a gross mess of fries, ketchup and food on the steps in the Fulton Street Subway Station. People are slobs. It's amazing how clean the subways are now - and they've completely retired the old orange and yellow seated cars, which were kind of scrungy.
**
Had a meeting with BYT Manager today, who told me a bunch of stuff about her managers, and what's going on, and how things work. Then told me not to tell anyone. Truth of the matter is - I'm so brain dead at the moment, that I honestly can't remember half of what she told me.
The plus side of this new regime - is I finally get to procure hot political projects worth millions. So, good news? I'll be very busy in January - which I told my manager that I was fine with - since I prefer to be busy in January. (I've had too much down time in January in the past, and January is depressing with down time. Being busy helps.)
I'm no longer being sidelined. They can't, they are understaffed, and losing folks right and left. Everyone is understaffed and overworked, and moral is at all time low. I'm convinced that if we could get away with it - we'd walk out in unison and stay home, and let the agency implode on its own. But alas, we need our health insurance, weekly paychecks, etc.
***
Mother: Your niece is back in the United States.
Me: Yet not home, home.
Mother: She made it to Dulles Airport, through security, and customs, and to her gate. Apparently she's in the air to Albany.
Me: Oh thank god. I was worried she'd get stuck in England.
Mother: She didn't. Got her test 24 hours prior, was negative, and got on the plane. Her boyfriend's picking her up from the airport.
Me: Her parents couldn't be bothered? I'd have insisted.
Mother: I don't think your brother had much choice, her boyfriend insisted that he pick her up, and your brother invited him to join them for dinner.
He was off to pick up dinner when I talked to him.
Later..
Mother: Your niece is home finally!
Me: You told me that.
Mother: No, home home. Your brother just texted me.
Me: You didn't trust her boyfriend to pick her up from the airport?
Mother: I like to have everything nailed down - you know that.
This is true.
Now whether my niece can go back to London and her courses is up in the air. According to mother this was her first trip on a plane by herself.
My brother and I did our first trips a few years younger.
***
Oh, if you want to watch scenes from Get Back - the Peter Jackson Beatles Documentary - you can on Youtube. Folks have posted various clips.
First? How'd Peter Jackson convince Paul and Ringo to release the footage of Get Back and do the Documentary
And here's Creating the song Something in the Way She Moves.
I still need to see part 3, I took a break from it after last weekend.
Me: I realized something watching the Beatles documentary. I prefer Paul, liked George, but Ringo and John got on my nerves.
Mother: Oh, I agree. The other two didn't do much for me. I never saw John as being that attractive.
Me: Well he got better looking as he got older (glasses and long hair helped oddly). John also has this thing about the Rolling Stones, he kept mentioning to the camera - 'and your hosts for this evening are The Rolling Stones."
Mother: That makes sense though, after all the Rolling Stones were their competitors. They were both British Bands at the same time - around the same age, and in competition.
Me: But very different bands. The Stones were sexier, and more of touring band, the Beatles were more of a recording band that was mostly interested in the creative process of creating songs and music, while the Stones love to perform live in front of an audience.
Mother: Yes, I would agree. They are still touring.
Me: But haven't created any new songs in ages, it's just the same ones. You'd think they'd get bored, but nope nor does the audience. So their sound never changed or evolved, while the Beatles were constantly creating new songs, and hated singing the same ones over and over. They wanted new stuff - they stopped touring partly because they just wanted to create and touring got in the way of that. It's why they have such a vast song book.
People who prefer the Stones - are into watching live music and don't really listen to the songs, or are into the "songbook", while those who are into the Beatles - are into the songs.
Wales weirdly agreed with me. She's more into the Stones - but she like the presentation and the live music. I like the Stones too - I've got all their music, but having listened to both religiously - I can say the Stones don't have the breadth or depth of music that the Beatles do for the reasons stated above.
**
I'm happy for the weekend. Sleep in. Maybe write. Watch television. Maybe clean and recaulk my bathroom or do laundry.
Work makes one appreciate weekends more.
***
COVID AND NEWS ITEMS
* According to NY1, whose been discussing it the last few days, the City is requiring all private schools to vaccinate their employees or all non-public school teachers to get vaccinated. The Catholic Church was annoyed, they are supporting the vaccine, but are afraid of losing employees.
* The Soap Opera Actors on other shows (other than GH) who'd been avoiding vaccination, changed their minds and got vaccinated after GH went ahead and got rid of the two idiots that refused. One of which was a major character making a six-figure salary. Apparently they weren't willing to take the same risk.
* Amy Klobacher, Senator, is proposing a new bill on the Senate Floor that legislates Roe vs. Wade, and provides women with autonomy over their own bodies. Go Amy. But you might want to do away with the fillibuster first, and get rid of all the male Republicans in the Senate.
* Allegedly the NYS Excelsior Pass will include the Booster on it - with the Pass Plus option. (Note it doesn't work.)
Rest of the Governor's email can be found
Yesterday, five cases of the omicron variant were discovered in New York State. As I said last night with Mayor de Blasio and New York City public health experts, we knew the variant was coming and we are ready to handle it.
We are not defenseless. We have the tools, let's use them: Get vaccinated, get your booster, and wear a mask. To quote our new Health Commissioner, Dr. Mary T. Bassett: “I have enormous hope about our ability to tackle this big picture.” And I couldn’t agree with Dr. Bassett more.
Let's dive in.
UPDATES IN OUR FIGHT AGAINST COVID
WELCOME, DR. BASSETT! We need tested leadership and experience to improve health equity and access across the state, and I'm proud to have Dr. Bassett leading the New York State Department of Health during this critical moment. Keep up with Dr. Bassett on Twitter and with the Department of Health on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
BOOST UP, NEW YORK. I'm grateful for the 80.9% of adult New Yorkers who are fully vaccinated -- we've come a long way! With the holidays approaching, now is the time to get vaccinated and get the booster dose to protect yourself and your loved ones. This week, we launched a six-figure campaign -- Boost Up, New York! -- to encourage New Yorkers to get their booster as soon as they can. Find a vaccine and booster site near you: ny.gov/vaccine.
PRIORITIZING TESTING. Testing allows us to keep our communities safe and prevent the virus from spreading, and thanks to the White House's newly released COVID-19 Winter Plan, we are able to break down barriers and make it easier for New Yorkers to get tested. Find a testing site near you.
THE LATEST ON THE NUMBERS
THIS WEEK'S COVID TRENDS. As of December 2, 2021, there are 3,107 New Yorkers hospitalized with COVID-19. Our 7-day percentage positivity average was 4.85%, which is up from 3.82% last week.
Per the CDC as of December 3, 2021, 91.2% of adult New Yorkers have at least one vaccine dose. So far, 30,164,634 total vaccine doses have been administered, and 159,560 doses were administered over the past 24 hours.
Well, most adult New Yorkers are vaccinated now - 91.2% according to the CDC have one dose. Over 30 Million Doses administered. And oh, we have a new head of the New York State Department of Health - Dr. Mary Bassett.
(Now, if we could just get a new MTA chairman, life would be great.)
*The news regarding Omnicron variant is troubling, but I'm not sharing that - you can trouble yourselves on your own...I'm sharing this instead:
Are there lessons from earlier in the pandemic that apply to this moment?
I think a big one is that the scientific process takes time. It can be fluid and unpredictable, and our understanding of the virus is continually changing. We cannot expect quick answers tied up neatly with a bow, and as hard as it is, we need to exercise patience.
Uncertainty has always been a part of our lives in one way or another, but it’s difficult to imagine a time when it has taken center stage in this many ways for such an extended period of time. I can’t speak for anyone else, but what has helped me become more comfortable is to try to focus on the here and now. It’s a cliché, but the concept of taking it one day at a time and living in the moment has become essential, because it can be overwhelming to fixate on what might happen in the future.
What are your other tips for dealing with uncertainty?
Practice mindfulness. Meditation can teach you that while there will always be external stressors, you don’t need to be dominated by those problems. Being mindful can help you remember to return to the present when you become distracted, which can be useful in curbing ruminative thoughts. [Here’s a guide to mediating.]
Cultivate “flow.” The state of mind where you become so engaged that time seems to fall away is also useful during periods of uncertainty. Flow doesn’t come when you passively watch TV or listen to music. It’s more of a blend between work and play. For some people, things like yoga or gardening might generate flow. For others, it might be a jigsaw puzzle or cooking an elaborate meal.
Focus on what you can control. When the news of Omicron surfaced, I was initially very concerned, and the continual churn of anxious thoughts became exhausting. Most of my worries centered on my daughter, who recently turned 5. So I decided to get her some better fitting masks because I noticed her current ones kept slipping down her nose. Then I scheduled an appointment for her second dose of the Covid vaccine. Those two simple actions helped me feel calmer.
Work weirdly has helped. Staying busy, having something else to focus on, and something meaningful. Writing in this journal. Mindfulness meditation. Walking. And I think I may take up art again - now that I've grown bored of taking photos of things.
I've also backed away from the news a bit. It's alarming, frustrating, and endlessly annoying, with brief moments of hope. Also not overly trustworthy. I tried to watch the Alec Baldwin interview - and realized fifteen minutes into it - that I can't watch him any longer. He comes across as a narcissist, and plays the victim. Crying on a dime. I thought while watching - he's an actor, how can I believe anything he says or does? Also why is he doing this?
Anyhow...the week is over finally. I've made the decision that I am not going to wimp out on my plans to visit my parents at Xmas, if my co-workers can go to Aruba, Florida, and other spots during this pandemic, I can got see my Mom and Dad.
Random photo of the evening..
no subject
Date: 2021-12-04 05:05 pm (UTC)The areas closest to the office are not safe, or healthy. I no longer walk around work place's neighborhoods. And the areas closest to the second train are too expensive.
Plus there's no guarantee right now that we'll stay there and won't be moved again.
Thanks on the photo.