Year 2 - Day #51

I'd say lockdown - but we're not really locked down. It's kind of hard to fully lock down the United States for any lengthy period of time. The fact we were able to lock down at all - kind of surprised me.

Anyhow, I realized today that my difficulty with calling or talking to folks, is I don't really have much to say. Nor do I really want to know what they've been doing. I just want to talk about things I like to watch on television, what I think about this or that, and share photos of flowers, mostly flowers at any rate.

Decided to take a break from the noise of the world. The world is really noisy.

Mother: Well, yes, particularly if you are living in a city. It was noisy talking to your Dad outside the other day - a plane flew above us.
ME: No, I meant metaphorically noisy. Information noise. All the people telling me what to do, what I need to accomplish, what they've done, what they've accomplished, that I should have a significant other, or a family or this or that...
Mother: Oh yeah, there's a lot of that.
Me: Exactly. I decided to turn them and the brain off for a day. My headspace app said, if you don't like the state of your mind, take a break from trying to change it.

Also, finally, got in a walk. Considering I had to do laundry today - that was an accomplishment. I don't usually get in a walk on laundry day.

I went out of my way to take the below photo. Two people passed me, actually three on a narrow sidewalk, but I went back after they passed, and stood, and took the photo, anyhow. Why? I identified with the flower. (Well that, and I kind of was taken with it - I wanted to take it home and cuddle it. Which is impossible of course - it would die. So I took a picture instead.)



I told mother that people want me to do something with my photos.

Mother: what?
ME: make a book, frame them, get a better camera..
Mother: Why do people do this? Why do you have to do anything? Or have some end product for them to enjoy? Why can't take them and enjoy sharing them on social media?
Me: My thoughts exactly. I have no interest in doing much of anything with it.
Mother: I get it. You just like taking the photos and sharing them. If people like them great. If not, no problem.
Me: Exactly. I have no ambitions for grandeur. Besides it's a hell of a lot of work to publish a book of photos, or frame them, with little return. Why bother? Takes all the joy away from it.

See? This is why I talk to my mother twice a day, she gets me. Most people don't. It's aggravating but true. It's also why I'm still single.

The down side of taking photos of flowers - is I'm allergic. And sooner or later, my allergies catch up. Like right now. I was fine earlier, but all of a sudden my sinuses decided - wait we were out in the pollen - why aren't we wheezing, coughing and being all congested - must get on with that, pronto.



While it was sunny this morning, it was kind of overcast this afternoon.

After feeling a bit lost in regards to my work yesterday, I decided to check things out today - and figure out what was outstanding, and what was currently in the pipeline. Basically I wanted to know if I was behind on anything, owed anybody anything, and what was within my control. Apparently I'm not behind on anything at the moment. Other people are. And I'm more on top of my work load than I'd thought. I just don't have a lot of it - but this isn't on me - that's on the folks assigning the work to me. I have no control over what gets assigned to me or why.

Union was interesting. Remember in September, when I had to get Reasonable Accomodation, because the idiotic union was ordering us back into the work place? Well that's changed. Union got what it wanted from Crazy Org (a pay raise, and job security for all its representatives, so it's not fighting any longer on the whole telework from home bit). Now it tells us that the extension of the telework from home agreement to May 19 was to coincide with the economic re-opening of the State. (I think that's a bit ambitious of our leadership, but I've no say in these things.) Anyhow, they said - they can't tell us to go back to the office, that's up to our managers. A huge 180 turn from the fall, when they were ordering us back into the office, managers be damned. This year is definitely less anxiety inducing than last year - I'll say that much for it. (Outside of my parents that is - I'm constantly worried about them. So much so, that I really don't have the emotional space for much else at the moment.)

Mother informed me that I could probably drive if I put my mind to it. (I don't think she realizes that I've not driven in 25 years, and can no longer remember which foot to use for the break and gas. I think it is the right foot - since right side. But what pedal is which?) It's not the same as riding a bike. A bike is easier to figure out.

Speaking of bikes - this is why I am annoyed at the cyclists in my area, they insist on riding on the sidewalks.



I saw one poor woman walking with a cane, who had to get on the grass because of the dingbat cyclists. It's not permitted, but they do it anyhow.

In a bit of positive news...NY State now has 59% of adults with the first dose of the vaccine and over 46% with both doses. We're getting closer. And they are pulling out all the stops to convince folks to get vaccinated. A local mall in Albany is offering discounts, so too is Urban Wash in NYC. They've also decided to waive the patents on the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which were paid for by US taxpayer dollars - basically, the US federal government paid Pfizer and Moderna to develop the vaccines, they didn't do it on their own. So the federal government can make the decision to waive patents on the vaccines - to make it easier for other countries to duplicate them. [Oh, about 60-70% of Asian American Adults have been vaccinated - they are the highest racial demographic, with White Adults next at 49%. Black and Latinos are at the bottom. The Asians, have the folks who taught themselves to translate the vaccine information into Vietnamese and Cambodian - so that those immigrants, the largest Asian faction in the city, could get it.]

Also, if you get vaccinated - you can get a free ticket to a ball game. Assuming of course you've not gotten it already. Not that I want to go to a ball game - I didn't go before the pandemic. Oh, and it turns out I was wrong about Broadway - The Lion King, Wicked, and Hamilton all plan to re-open their shows in the fall. So musicals will come back along with plays.

They are trying to figure out how to do it - though, considering this is the longest Broadway has been shuttered, and they have never had to deal with a pandemic before now. The other difficulty is how does New York bring back the tourists? So they are doing small artist performances around the city.
And the Brooklyn Public Library remodeled its interior during the pandemic - so it's re-opening with all sorts of nifty changes.

***
The social justice arm of my church keeps talking about a Censorship Forum in emails. While, in the background, Trump has been banned from Facebook - they held up their ban, after Twitter chose to do it indefinitely - stating none of Trumps Twitter accounts would be accepted. Also Trump is now trending at the same rate he was long before he became President, or at that lower level. As President he was trending at 50 Million or more, now its more like 3.5 million if that. While the Republican Party is eating itself alive over him and their desire to destroy anyone who disagrees with them.
Watching their slow implosion is not quite as enjoyable as I'd expected. I keep wishing they'd hurry up and finish already. I'm impatient. I want them all gone.

Regarding Censorship - they want to discuss Cancel this Book - the Progressive Case Against Cancel Culture And, something or other by some conservative pundits who I've never heard of. I don't know, part of me just is kind of paralyzed with not caring all that much, the other part is intellectually intrigued.

The NY Times asked that subscribers share what they've done or seen that has brought them joy or helped them flourish in some small way. I decided to tell them about my walks around Greenwood Cemetery, taking photos. (I left out the part about how I don't have to wear a mask - since the Cemetery does require everyone wear masks all the time, it's just most of us take them off when no one is around or within shooting distance, and throw them back on when people are.)