Matthew's Mom sounds like a real handful, and it's probably helpful to realize that he's really blowing up over a half-dozen other things, it's just that it was the curtains that set him off.

Here's a good thought, at least one that cheered me up a bit. You may have seen some dire reports that getting Covid-19 results in an immune response that drops off pretty quickly. That doesn't mean a vaccine is impossible, what it means is that it will be good for a limited duration.

That's not ideal, but we already have a slew of vaccines that need 'boosters' that we're used to routinely getting, like tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis), measles/rubella, even rabies. So the result that you may be adding a twice-yearly coronavirus booster shot along with your once-yearly influenza shot. Once and done -- like the smallpox or polio vaccine would be ideal, but we'll work with what we can do.

I ned to share some grossness with you all. I've noticed lots of flies around and I hate flies, so I got an outdoor fly catcher at the hardware store this weekend. It's a plastic jar that you dump some powder in and then half fill with water and it has a lid that the flies get in but can;t figure out how to get out of and the powder is some sort of fly attraction thing.

SO, I put it on the deck outside my door - idea is that it will catch the flies before the get into the house.

It's working. REALLY well. It's been out three days and there is like an inch of flies floating in it and still lots swarming it. I was going to dump it out and put in a new packet today, but when I went to pick it up I noticed the whole top layer of flies is all still moving. The liquid isn't poisonous, it needs them to drown and there are so many flies already in there, they are not getting to the water to drown.

It's so gross. I think I am going to go dump some more water in, close it up and put it in the garage. They should die overnight and I can put in a new packet tomorrow.

I am about to put out a similar device for mosquitos.

Ew ew ew ew ew! But also yay, I guess

Well, gross, but yay for something that works.

And congrats to askye for getting her forms.

Also, may I remind you that today is Bastille Day? including a link to that scene in Casablanca, just for ambiance.

msbelle, can you link me to said grossness for purchase? One of the dogs knocked over and broke my Japanese mosquito pig so I am in the market.

My county board held a hearing about a possible mask ordinance last night. Half the tavern league turned up (unmasked, of course, including the owner of a bar who had to shut down due to a recent outbreak with his patrons). We're done as a species, folks. We're just done.

I got to talk to some young patrons about manga today so that cheered me up.

Last time I went to the grocery store (a few days ago), I'd say about half the people were wearing masks. That's way up.

Timelies all!

I'm currently going in to the lab 4 days out of 5. Our lab space is not the biggest, so trying to social distance is a challenge.We're all masked, so that's something, I guess...

I am, as they say, all alone by the telephone. I answer calls and tell people everyone else is working from home and direct them to the appropriate email address (I have them send to team addresses, in the hope that someone will actually answer). I don't wear a mask in the office except on the rare occasions someone else is in.

Everyone here is masked for the most part. The internet service guy came to the house today to give me a new modem. The 3 of us here and service dude chatted about 45 minutes while he did his thing. All of us were masked, and no surprise, we all could breathe just fine.