I haven't given blood in a long time, the last time I gave blood-- which granted was over 20 years ago-- I ended up managing to get home and then passing out for an indeterminant length of time when my then boyfriend came over to check on me and discovered the front door of my apartment wide open and me in the bedroom completely oblivious.

so Ive been very reluctant to try giving blood again.

Theo, I hope you'll feel better soon.

I'm up very late. Since it's been announced that the lockdown will get worse (and no news of governmental support has been announced yet. We figure it'll take them a few weeks to get to it). I'm trying to tell myself not to organize a neighborhood mutual aid. I know how to pull these kind of things. I need another phone with another number and some flyers and some ads on social media and to make some calls and get hands on deck and create some spreadsheets and a network. I can. But there will be a price to pay with grad school and/or my work, and I fought long and hard to get to where I am. And I need the paychecks. But I also can't see the financial disaster that is waiting to happen and do nothing about it.

So here I am, at almost 1:00 am. Thinking.

Hello! I am alive and lurking. Things got a little weird in the spring and I was trying to stay off the internet as much as possible.

I'm currently in the 2nd week of a 1-week vacation to visit my dad. He came down with a UTI, so I've been his 24-hour nurse for the last week. He's 92, so the antibiotics took their time and did a number on his gut. Besides that he's got constant pain from arthritis. He's a little worse every time I come home...I'm heading back home tomorrow, and he's mostly on the mend, and at the end of his anti-Bs.

I'm still working from home, which I love, but I fear it's going to come to an end soon. I think the open office is killing me.

The COVID news is good. The Atlantic Canadian Region has formed a bubble...anyone coming in from outside has to quarantine for two weeks, but locals are free to move around. Masks are mandatory inside public spaces. Schools have opened. Nova Scotia has had only about 20 positive cases since the beginning of July. We thought there would be a spike with the arrival of university students, but I think they only counted for 2-3 cases. We can't figure out why we're doing so well. I guess there's something to be said for being small, remote and the economic centre of absolutely nothing.

I'm reading most of the time and thinking about your guys all the time. I'm mostly over on Instagram, and a bit on Twitter.

Shir, I totally get that dilemma. Just a thought - can you bounce the idea off a couple neighbors, see if there's anyone who has the time to do the heavy lifting, maybe with you advising from experience if necessary?

I realized that my ankle is hurting more at home than during the day because I'm using the stairs quite a bit, whereas I was able to take the elevator at work. Moreover, it only hurts descending, I guess because of the muscles et cetera that were strained, so that the 'going up' ones are pretty much fine.

Bodies are so weird, y'all.

What Chris said, shir—maybe see if you can offer advice but not run it yourself? Put on your own oxygen mask first.

Meanwhile I walked into my guest bath and discovered the bottom corner of the big mirror (which goes all the way along the wall/vanity, it's a half bath) was broken off, and the mirror was leaning away from the wall held up only by the towel rack on the other side. Wtf?! I tried to take it all down for safety but it seems attached on the other bottom corner (but nowhere else). Madness!! How are mirrors usually attached to the wall? Who do I even get to fix this? I don't want to hire someone or do it myself, and buy a new mirror, for a space I'm almost never in. But I definitely dont think it's safe as-is! I moved it a little so it's now leaning back towards the wall and a bit tilted, but I'm afraid I'll suddenly hear a crash and walk down there and go "shit there's glass everywhere!"

Hi Sue! I think we are birthday buddies, so I was thinking of you! It is nice to see you. I don't understand instagram....

Hey Sophia! Happy Birthday! I think your birthday is the day after mine (the 20th.) It's quite amazing how many people I know with Birthdays this week. Virgos stick together?

It's totally normal in the middle of a pandemic to go drink hot chocolate in your car in the parking lot of a Dunkin Donut's when your husband comes home from a meeting because you just have to get out of the house, right?

Happy belated, Sue. Good to see you. Sorry it wasn't the greatest vacation, but good you could be there for your dad. Good news about the Covid rates around you! Here in the Adirondacks it is super low too, and people are very diligent.

So here I am, at almost 1:00 am. Thinking.

I hope asleep by now, but what chrismg said for sure.

Was the mirror maybe glued to the wall, meara?