Y2/D289 - Home Again & Happy New Year!
Dec. 31st, 2021 06:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatI somehow managed to get back home safely, without any major issues. A bit of a feat actually, considering I spent the whole trip terrified I'd break down in a coughing fit. It was touch and go there for a bit on the plane - we were sitting at the Savannah Airport Terminal for about thirty minutes, for reasons, which I was not privy too. (I mean it was the Savannah Airport not JFK. A thirty minute wait at JFK's terminal would have made more sense - which did not happen.) And I had a tickle in the back of my throat. I desperately wanted to cough. And I couldn't. I was on a full flight with a 13 year old on one side of me, and a 17 year old across the aisle. The steward was staring at me from the front of the plane. I was sitting at 2D. So second row back.
I coughed. People stared. And suddenly I felt I had to again, so did this weird choking thing in my mask. Coughing in a mask is not a pleasant experience, you swallow the crap. I extricated a cough drop and sucked on it, it almost didn't work, then miraculously it did. And I basically sucked on cough drops the entire flight home. Did eat a kind energy bar, in between, and finished the water I bought at the airport.
Told the guy next to me that I was boosted, vaccinated, tested negative, but have allergies - and he said no problems, I completely understand, don't sweat it.
God. I live in a world that I'm terrified of coughing in public now. Or sneezing. Or blowing my nose. I had a coughing fit that I did not tell you about - in the middle of Publix in Hilton Head. Mother and I'd gone grocery shopping, and I was helping her find something, when I had a coughing fit in the middle of the produce section.
Mother: Go to the medical section.
I run to it, hunting a place to cough.
Mother: No no, find your eye stuff. (Contact solution that I was running low on).
I do. I point at it. Then I flee outside the building to a secluded section where I can hack in peace without a mask on. Then blew my nose. Got a new mask and waiting for mother a bit, before going back inside.
There's other things out there besides COVID, such as allergies, colds, respiratory circulatory virus, bronchitus, pneumonia, and the flu. Some are contagious, some aren't. Also asthma. And I'm allergic to a lot of crap.
Anyhow, I survived and made it home without a coughing fit, blowing my nose in public, or getting booted off a plane or out of a cab. The cab had a plastic shield between us anyhow - it's bullet proof and to protect the cabbie from crazy people.
Flying during a pandemic is a nerve-wracking experience. Any travel during one is nerve-wracking, I don't know how people did it. Mother backed off of pushing me to see me brother - since she figures I was stressed out enough just flying home.
***
To get to the taxis from JFK, you have to go up three escalators, walk through a kind of moving sidewalk ramp or skywalk to a set of elevators, go down three floors, and then hunt the line. When I exited the elevators, there was this huge line that wrapped around the median with elevators. I asked if it was the taxi line, they shook their heads and pointed.
It took me a minute to figure it out - it's the line to get rapid tests before heading into the city. (No I didn't get one - I already paid through the nose for a test. And I have one At-Home Test Box in my closet. Plus they offer free tests at work.)
When we passed Coney Island Hospital on the way home in the taxi - there was a line that went around the building for - you guessed it - testing.
Today 339,853 have been test in NY State, of that number, 76,555 tested positive, with 22.53% infection rate.
And tonight in Time's Square they've limited the crowd to 15,000 (keep in mind it's usually close to 2 Million).
Happy New Year!
**
After I got home, I went out again to get groceries from Flatbush Coop and Frontiere Health Store. Which is about a 20-30 minute walk, depending on traffic. I took off my mask for the walk - there wasn't that many folks, and I was alone most of the time on the sidewalk. When I wasn't, I pulled up the mask - but its hard to get it outdoors. Gray, gloomy day in New York. Was a gray day in Hilton Head too - when I left, with mist over the water. But prettier. Winter in New York can be grim, everything looks dead. If it rained or snow melted, the ground looks kind of gungy. Muddy, stained, and woebegone. Desolate even. Winter without snow in the Northeast is rather depressing. Particularly on gray gloomy days like today.
[Ah, I've the cough I had at the tail end of 2019 -2020 again. Lovely. Thank you so much, Mother, for the Christmas Gift. It takes me forever to get rid of coughs. I may have to contact the doctor and get either a chest x-ray or an inhaler. I visit my family - I catch a cold. Oh well, at least it wasn't COVID - according to the tests.]
Flatbush Coop had a line wrapped around the building - just to get in. Everyone wearing masks. One guy had on an air filteration system mask that I kind of envied. At least it was in the 50s, so I wasn't cold - kind of hot actually.
**
Tonight, I talked to mother (who is missing me), sent happy new year's messages to folks. Had Pizza - Against All Grains (it's basically a cheese bread pizza and the only gluten free pizza that I like). And rented "Free Guy" from On Demand, which bro rec'd as the best film he'd seen this year.
Free Guy starring Ryan Reynolds, Jodi Comer, Joe Kerry, and Takiti Wakitia - directed by Shawn Levy, is kind of a cross between Tron, The Truman Show, and Ready Player One. Although I liked it a whole lot better than either Tron or Ready Player One, and in some respects better than the Truman Show, which I felt took itself too seriously. It's about a Non-Player Video Game Character played by Reynolds, who becomes self-aware. (When we were watching another Reynolds film last night - Red Notice, mother asked who Reynolds was - and I said he's an actor who's been in a lot of comedies, and is kind of a lighter version of Jim Carrey without the silly putty face - or an understated Jim Carry. I actually like him better.)
"Red Notice" is not as good as Free Guy. It's okay, but the banter gets annoying, and the only person who can act in the film is Reynolds. We basically have Gail Gadot and Dwayne Johnson looking pretty and tough, and well Reynolds as comic relief.
Free Guy is kind of brilliant, and made me happy. It says a lot about our society, identity, and reality. And having dealt with a father who can't quite figure out his own reality on a day to day basis - I found it weirdly comforting. In other words, it's light satire, as opposed to dark satire such as Don't Look Up.
I did however feel an overwhelming urge to kick or shoot Takiti Wakitia's character in the head repeatedly throughout. He kind of takes annoying to a whole new level.
***
Anywho, I'm tired. My cold is still with me, dammit. But I got home at least without infecting anyone (it's no longer contagious and its not COVID). So going to bed, to read and sleep.
I'll see you all on the other side...with any luck 2022 will be better than 2021. Mother can't wait for 2021 to be over. I just hope 2022 will be better - it's not like it has to work that hard to be better. The bar is rather low actually. All it has to do - is do nothing. I mean have absolutely nothing of consequence happen. That would be nice. A nice quiet, normal year, with no big events. Can we have that?
I am however feeling very grateful. I got to see my parents. Not only that, I got quality time with both of them, hugged both of them, and was able to sit in the sunshine, and visit the beach. Granted I got a chest cold, but the chest cold did result in me - extending my stay - so that I got to spend quality time with my Dad, and see the beach with my Mom. We didn't focus on food, presents, doing things like movies, plays, shopping, entertaining or any of that stuff. We just enjoyed each other's company, and that was enough.
I'm grateful for that. It was a gift. Along with the beautiful weather.
As my cab driver (by way of Jamaica) stated on the way home - "I'm grateful to be alive and healthy this year, with my family, with my job, able to work, and live my life - this is a gift."
Happy New Year.
Random Photo of the Night comes your way via Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. (Mainly because New York is kind of grim and desolate at the moment.)
I coughed. People stared. And suddenly I felt I had to again, so did this weird choking thing in my mask. Coughing in a mask is not a pleasant experience, you swallow the crap. I extricated a cough drop and sucked on it, it almost didn't work, then miraculously it did. And I basically sucked on cough drops the entire flight home. Did eat a kind energy bar, in between, and finished the water I bought at the airport.
Told the guy next to me that I was boosted, vaccinated, tested negative, but have allergies - and he said no problems, I completely understand, don't sweat it.
God. I live in a world that I'm terrified of coughing in public now. Or sneezing. Or blowing my nose. I had a coughing fit that I did not tell you about - in the middle of Publix in Hilton Head. Mother and I'd gone grocery shopping, and I was helping her find something, when I had a coughing fit in the middle of the produce section.
Mother: Go to the medical section.
I run to it, hunting a place to cough.
Mother: No no, find your eye stuff. (Contact solution that I was running low on).
I do. I point at it. Then I flee outside the building to a secluded section where I can hack in peace without a mask on. Then blew my nose. Got a new mask and waiting for mother a bit, before going back inside.
There's other things out there besides COVID, such as allergies, colds, respiratory circulatory virus, bronchitus, pneumonia, and the flu. Some are contagious, some aren't. Also asthma. And I'm allergic to a lot of crap.
Anyhow, I survived and made it home without a coughing fit, blowing my nose in public, or getting booted off a plane or out of a cab. The cab had a plastic shield between us anyhow - it's bullet proof and to protect the cabbie from crazy people.
Flying during a pandemic is a nerve-wracking experience. Any travel during one is nerve-wracking, I don't know how people did it. Mother backed off of pushing me to see me brother - since she figures I was stressed out enough just flying home.
***
To get to the taxis from JFK, you have to go up three escalators, walk through a kind of moving sidewalk ramp or skywalk to a set of elevators, go down three floors, and then hunt the line. When I exited the elevators, there was this huge line that wrapped around the median with elevators. I asked if it was the taxi line, they shook their heads and pointed.
It took me a minute to figure it out - it's the line to get rapid tests before heading into the city. (No I didn't get one - I already paid through the nose for a test. And I have one At-Home Test Box in my closet. Plus they offer free tests at work.)
When we passed Coney Island Hospital on the way home in the taxi - there was a line that went around the building for - you guessed it - testing.
Today 339,853 have been test in NY State, of that number, 76,555 tested positive, with 22.53% infection rate.
And tonight in Time's Square they've limited the crowd to 15,000 (keep in mind it's usually close to 2 Million).
Happy New Year!
**
After I got home, I went out again to get groceries from Flatbush Coop and Frontiere Health Store. Which is about a 20-30 minute walk, depending on traffic. I took off my mask for the walk - there wasn't that many folks, and I was alone most of the time on the sidewalk. When I wasn't, I pulled up the mask - but its hard to get it outdoors. Gray, gloomy day in New York. Was a gray day in Hilton Head too - when I left, with mist over the water. But prettier. Winter in New York can be grim, everything looks dead. If it rained or snow melted, the ground looks kind of gungy. Muddy, stained, and woebegone. Desolate even. Winter without snow in the Northeast is rather depressing. Particularly on gray gloomy days like today.
[Ah, I've the cough I had at the tail end of 2019 -2020 again. Lovely. Thank you so much, Mother, for the Christmas Gift. It takes me forever to get rid of coughs. I may have to contact the doctor and get either a chest x-ray or an inhaler. I visit my family - I catch a cold. Oh well, at least it wasn't COVID - according to the tests.]
Flatbush Coop had a line wrapped around the building - just to get in. Everyone wearing masks. One guy had on an air filteration system mask that I kind of envied. At least it was in the 50s, so I wasn't cold - kind of hot actually.
**
Tonight, I talked to mother (who is missing me), sent happy new year's messages to folks. Had Pizza - Against All Grains (it's basically a cheese bread pizza and the only gluten free pizza that I like). And rented "Free Guy" from On Demand, which bro rec'd as the best film he'd seen this year.
Free Guy starring Ryan Reynolds, Jodi Comer, Joe Kerry, and Takiti Wakitia - directed by Shawn Levy, is kind of a cross between Tron, The Truman Show, and Ready Player One. Although I liked it a whole lot better than either Tron or Ready Player One, and in some respects better than the Truman Show, which I felt took itself too seriously. It's about a Non-Player Video Game Character played by Reynolds, who becomes self-aware. (When we were watching another Reynolds film last night - Red Notice, mother asked who Reynolds was - and I said he's an actor who's been in a lot of comedies, and is kind of a lighter version of Jim Carrey without the silly putty face - or an understated Jim Carry. I actually like him better.)
"Red Notice" is not as good as Free Guy. It's okay, but the banter gets annoying, and the only person who can act in the film is Reynolds. We basically have Gail Gadot and Dwayne Johnson looking pretty and tough, and well Reynolds as comic relief.
Free Guy is kind of brilliant, and made me happy. It says a lot about our society, identity, and reality. And having dealt with a father who can't quite figure out his own reality on a day to day basis - I found it weirdly comforting. In other words, it's light satire, as opposed to dark satire such as Don't Look Up.
I did however feel an overwhelming urge to kick or shoot Takiti Wakitia's character in the head repeatedly throughout. He kind of takes annoying to a whole new level.
***
Anywho, I'm tired. My cold is still with me, dammit. But I got home at least without infecting anyone (it's no longer contagious and its not COVID). So going to bed, to read and sleep.
I'll see you all on the other side...with any luck 2022 will be better than 2021. Mother can't wait for 2021 to be over. I just hope 2022 will be better - it's not like it has to work that hard to be better. The bar is rather low actually. All it has to do - is do nothing. I mean have absolutely nothing of consequence happen. That would be nice. A nice quiet, normal year, with no big events. Can we have that?
I am however feeling very grateful. I got to see my parents. Not only that, I got quality time with both of them, hugged both of them, and was able to sit in the sunshine, and visit the beach. Granted I got a chest cold, but the chest cold did result in me - extending my stay - so that I got to spend quality time with my Dad, and see the beach with my Mom. We didn't focus on food, presents, doing things like movies, plays, shopping, entertaining or any of that stuff. We just enjoyed each other's company, and that was enough.
I'm grateful for that. It was a gift. Along with the beautiful weather.
As my cab driver (by way of Jamaica) stated on the way home - "I'm grateful to be alive and healthy this year, with my family, with my job, able to work, and live my life - this is a gift."
Happy New Year.
Random Photo of the Night comes your way via Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. (Mainly because New York is kind of grim and desolate at the moment.)