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Y2/D234 - Milestones...
Nov. 5th, 2021 06:07 pmFor the first time since 2019, I purchased plane tickets to go see my parents. I've not seen them in almost two years. The last time I saw them was on December 27, 2019 or thereabouts. So I swallowed my fear and purchased plane tickets for December, around Christmas time.
It will be the first major trip, outside of that quick hop jump and skip to my brother's house in July, that I've made in two years. Also the first time I've left the State of New York in two years, and outside of that quick three day excursion to my brothers - the first outside of the city.
Mother is convinced she'll be driving by then, I'm afraid to hope.
So, I'll see my parents for Xmas. I don't really need much else. I might buy a candle or some ornaments while I'm there.
The only thing about COVID on the ticket information - was that Federal Law mandated that you wear a mask the entire time.
My co-workers are gallivanting around the country-side -- one is going to Arizona to see the sites next week, her and her boyfriend are renting an RV (she's in her late twenties, early thirties), and another is heading off to the Caribbean. Cubical mate gave his notice yesterday - and blindsided management, as predicted. After talking to the other two, I've a feeling he won't be the only one wandering out the door. They are driving people away.
We discussed it amongst ourselves at work today.
**
In other work related news? I got that project I'd been working on for over two years - awarded. Finally. SUCCESS! (I bought chocolate to celebrate.) Project manager thanked me for all of my hard work on it, and getting it awarded, finally. Only took two years. But yippee. I almost smacked my manager upside the head but I still got it through.
[I've only got four - eight years left, at this rate it may end up being five to six tops. Oh well, after next year? I get five weeks of vacation and five personal days.]
***
Tomorrow - hair appointment. First one since March. Afterwards, I may check out the book store in the area, or check out a boutique. Maybe call Wales and see if she wants to meet up.
**
Covid
* ( US Lifts Ban on International Tourists )
[I honestly thought the ban had already been lifted? I'm certainly seeing plenty of foreign travelers from my commutes in and out of the office. The office is located in the Air Train Building. Also, I'm beginning to think when I retire? I should pick a place with less tourists and travelers coming in and out of it constantly.]
* Pfizer says its antiviral Covid-19 pill vastly reduces hospitalizations and death. [Pfizer and Moderna are apparently competing with each other, Moderna got their pill out first. Not to be outdone, Pfizer created one. Everyone is creating pills now.]
* Eleven states sued the Biden administration over its vaccination mandate for large companies. [LOL! Let's guess which ones...it's the usual suspects, but strangely enough, not Florida or Texas. I'm surprised Kansas isn't there - although Kansas doesn't exactly have any large companies, and Tyson already complied. The idiots that did - have had the most deaths the last few months. Alaska's hospitals are so overrun, people are afraid to get injured (found that out from someone who lives in Alaska), and Missouri had the highest infection rate and death per capita this summer.]
"The lawsuit on Friday was filed in U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit by Missouri and was joined by Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. The office of Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat, also joined in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit came a day after the attorneys general of Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio sued to stop the vaccine mandate for federal contractors from going into effect. "
* Meanwhile, The city of Vienna will start to vaccinate young children as young as 5 without E.U. approval. [Apparently they got tired of waiting?]
* Chicago will close schools for a day to encourage vaccinations. [ That's what I call pulling out all the stops.]
* The U.S. government terminated its contract with Emergent, a troubled vaccine maker. [ They weren't able to come up with anything.]
* Latvia moved to make it legal to fire unvaccinated workers. [ Hee Hee. While the US is way ahead of them - it is legal to do that. We have very little to no employment rights. I don't think a lot of people know that? Our rights are far more limited than folks realize.]
* Thousands of U.S. intelligence officers are at risk of losing their jobs for failing to comply with vaccine mandates, The Associated Press reports.
[And here folks are worried about unvaccinated actors being fired from gigs.]
* In India, experts fears that gatherings for Diwali could prompt another virus spike. [Yeah, India's vaccination rate is fairly low.]
* A White House aide who traveled abroad with President Biden tested positive. [Probably be fine, if vaccinated.]
* New York City parents can now get $100 if they vaccinate their children.
The New York City Marathon returns this weekend, another milestone in the city’s long journey of recovery.[Well we're certainly making an effort. We also have vaccine mandates, unlike some nitwits out there.]
*In China, the city of Ruili has been under lockdown four times in the past year. China’s “zero Covid” policy has turned the city into perhaps the most tightly regulated place on earth.
Oh and...on a brighter note
* The native range for a Steller’s sea eagle is typically China, Japan, Korea and the east coast of Russia. A rogue eagle popped up this week in eastern Canada — about 4,700 miles away from home — tantalizing birders with its odd trek.
“It would be like an elephant walking up out of Africa into Scandinavia,” one birder said. “Like getting a call that the Rolling Stones are playing in a field behind a warehouse in the next town over.”
***
Random Picture of the Night..
[House with dog in Costa Rica Mountains]
It will be the first major trip, outside of that quick hop jump and skip to my brother's house in July, that I've made in two years. Also the first time I've left the State of New York in two years, and outside of that quick three day excursion to my brothers - the first outside of the city.
Mother is convinced she'll be driving by then, I'm afraid to hope.
So, I'll see my parents for Xmas. I don't really need much else. I might buy a candle or some ornaments while I'm there.
The only thing about COVID on the ticket information - was that Federal Law mandated that you wear a mask the entire time.
My co-workers are gallivanting around the country-side -- one is going to Arizona to see the sites next week, her and her boyfriend are renting an RV (she's in her late twenties, early thirties), and another is heading off to the Caribbean. Cubical mate gave his notice yesterday - and blindsided management, as predicted. After talking to the other two, I've a feeling he won't be the only one wandering out the door. They are driving people away.
We discussed it amongst ourselves at work today.
**
In other work related news? I got that project I'd been working on for over two years - awarded. Finally. SUCCESS! (I bought chocolate to celebrate.) Project manager thanked me for all of my hard work on it, and getting it awarded, finally. Only took two years. But yippee. I almost smacked my manager upside the head but I still got it through.
[I've only got four - eight years left, at this rate it may end up being five to six tops. Oh well, after next year? I get five weeks of vacation and five personal days.]
***
Tomorrow - hair appointment. First one since March. Afterwards, I may check out the book store in the area, or check out a boutique. Maybe call Wales and see if she wants to meet up.
**
Covid
* ( US Lifts Ban on International Tourists )
[I honestly thought the ban had already been lifted? I'm certainly seeing plenty of foreign travelers from my commutes in and out of the office. The office is located in the Air Train Building. Also, I'm beginning to think when I retire? I should pick a place with less tourists and travelers coming in and out of it constantly.]
* Pfizer says its antiviral Covid-19 pill vastly reduces hospitalizations and death. [Pfizer and Moderna are apparently competing with each other, Moderna got their pill out first. Not to be outdone, Pfizer created one. Everyone is creating pills now.]
* Eleven states sued the Biden administration over its vaccination mandate for large companies. [LOL! Let's guess which ones...it's the usual suspects, but strangely enough, not Florida or Texas. I'm surprised Kansas isn't there - although Kansas doesn't exactly have any large companies, and Tyson already complied. The idiots that did - have had the most deaths the last few months. Alaska's hospitals are so overrun, people are afraid to get injured (found that out from someone who lives in Alaska), and Missouri had the highest infection rate and death per capita this summer.]
"The lawsuit on Friday was filed in U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit by Missouri and was joined by Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. The office of Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat, also joined in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit came a day after the attorneys general of Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio sued to stop the vaccine mandate for federal contractors from going into effect. "
* Meanwhile, The city of Vienna will start to vaccinate young children as young as 5 without E.U. approval. [Apparently they got tired of waiting?]
* Chicago will close schools for a day to encourage vaccinations. [ That's what I call pulling out all the stops.]
* The U.S. government terminated its contract with Emergent, a troubled vaccine maker. [ They weren't able to come up with anything.]
* Latvia moved to make it legal to fire unvaccinated workers. [ Hee Hee. While the US is way ahead of them - it is legal to do that. We have very little to no employment rights. I don't think a lot of people know that? Our rights are far more limited than folks realize.]
* Thousands of U.S. intelligence officers are at risk of losing their jobs for failing to comply with vaccine mandates, The Associated Press reports.
[And here folks are worried about unvaccinated actors being fired from gigs.]
* In India, experts fears that gatherings for Diwali could prompt another virus spike. [Yeah, India's vaccination rate is fairly low.]
* A White House aide who traveled abroad with President Biden tested positive. [Probably be fine, if vaccinated.]
* New York City parents can now get $100 if they vaccinate their children.
The New York City Marathon returns this weekend, another milestone in the city’s long journey of recovery.[Well we're certainly making an effort. We also have vaccine mandates, unlike some nitwits out there.]
*In China, the city of Ruili has been under lockdown four times in the past year. China’s “zero Covid” policy has turned the city into perhaps the most tightly regulated place on earth.
Oh and...on a brighter note
* The native range for a Steller’s sea eagle is typically China, Japan, Korea and the east coast of Russia. A rogue eagle popped up this week in eastern Canada — about 4,700 miles away from home — tantalizing birders with its odd trek.
“It would be like an elephant walking up out of Africa into Scandinavia,” one birder said. “Like getting a call that the Rolling Stones are playing in a field behind a warehouse in the next town over.”
***
Random Picture of the Night..
[House with dog in Costa Rica Mountains]