Minor good things today::

• I made a muffaletta sandwich for lunch.
• A guy probably half a decade or more my junior called me "young man" at the dollar store.
• I've caught up on the backlog for all files I have on hand before the editors can send any back to me for additional changes.

I've been going in for testing every two weeks here in LA, Pix has been doing the same, and we alternate weeks, so at any given time one of us has been tested in the past 7 days. Results take no longer than 48 hours, and the last few times we have gotten our results in 24 hours.

I can't help being as resentful as fuck (not of any of you, of the system) cause I know of people here who have gone to get tests, waited hours, given up because they are sick with something & only in the last week did it appear the rapid test became avail to genpop.

Lily Bean says thanks for the dramatic kitten audio. She was very interested.

Bird report: we had to tape paper outside the window because we disliked waking with the sunrise due to endless rapid beak tapping the window. It's really noisy. That bird just won't quit! This has gone on so much the cats are bored.

If I was going to work on campus, I would probably have access to all the free testing I could wish. I'm happy to trade that for not working in the soon to be epicenter.

Give that kitten an Oscar!

That bird just won't quit! This has gone on so much the cats are bored.

Wow, that is some determined bird.

I dread the mass opening of schools so much. My home county is distance learning only. They originally planned a phased reopening "when health conditions permit", but they have revised that to "parent choice" with the conditions permitting staying. eta: no one local thinks it will happen this year at all.

Anyone who has been a teacher, volunteered in school, rode a bus, or even remembers being in school knows this is a recipe for disaster. (alas the people making decisions in DC never experienced this or willfully are forgetting) Little ones won't be able to stay compliant with any safety rules, and the older ones will sneak off to corners to make out or smoke, well maybe that was just my experience. They talk about multi-generational homes in the cites, um, have they been to the rural communities, extended family is still very much a thing everywhere. I was worried in Spring about how bad things would be by summer, but that is nothing compared to what we are going to see by the end of September.

But, of course, Putin now has a vaccine so surely he will share it with his buddy to keep him safe.

I am taking the State conflict of interest course (to become a poll worker on election day), and the guy doing the narration has an amazing MA accent. I love it!!

oops ... never mind

Omg this puppy. Will not shut up. I am so tired. How am I supposed to work today? I let the puppy out of the crate at 7am because he wouldn't hush and was awake. Fed him. And he has not stopped whining and barking since then. 30 minutes later. Aaaaaagh. (When out of his pen he only wants to bite me. That's it. Just bite. Just me.)

Since I am at work this week and we have no social media on our computers, I am afraid I am going to miss the VP announcement.