And in a separate post: you know, I may start to accept did that I live in a crazy place and in crazy times. Here goes the story: on Thursday afternoon I was trying to understand how to get back from work home. Here are the basics: there are three ways for me to commute back back home. There were also two demonstrations on roads next or on my way back home, and I was also trying to understand which of these options is not only avoiding traffic but is also keeping me safe as possible considering that there are still on occasion air raid sirens and if I'm on the bus that's less than ideal. I pretty much came to conclusion on how I should go - while also handling a work crisis that could have been completely avoided if someone would have shared info with me when they had it two weeks ago and that I asked for - but that's another story.

An hour later I heard the news that there was a shooting incident (random crime, not war related) on the way that I thought to take home. At this point it was like, okay, I'll just randomly pick and see what comes up because obviously I cannot plan for every scenario. And at this point I managed to say, okay, maybe getting back home from the office shouldn't be that complicated or to require pen and paper to calculate risks and options.

(The random way I eventually picked back home went smoothly).

Whoa, Shir, that’s way too much brainwork just to try to get home safely. Love to you! And thank you for thinking of me. Dad’s funeral is today and I’m hoping the roads are ok for everyone who’s planning to come. It’s very cold out but sunny so hopefully not icy.

Good thoughts your way, Susan. I’m glad your care providers communicated with you, at least.

Thanks for all the comfort and reassurance, y'all. I'd been beating myself up a bit for not being able to control my anxiety better, because I know I do have anxiety issues, especially around health. But y'all, along with Dylan, the one coworker I confided in, and the nice care navigator nurse from yesterday, managed to convince me that it's perfectly normal to be scared and on edge in this situation, which I needed. I mean, I've got enough stress without adding stress about being stressed!

Anyway, I figure for the next two weeks I'll just do my best to live my normal life, but with chocolate, potato chips, and comfort rereads as needed. I currently have a somewhat above average number of self-improvement projects of one kind or another going--finishing and editing my NaNoWriMo manuscript, seeing a new therapist, training to be a lay Episcopal preacher, etc. And if the biopsy was scheduled for next week, I'd probably take a break from all of those, tbh. But it's two weeks, so I figure if this thing turns out to be benign, I won't have lost the rhythm of all that work. And if it's NOT benign, well, then it will be time to figure out what things I need to set aside, hopefully only temporarily, from a place of knowledge.

Sending you love, lisah. It sucks so much.

Susan, absolutely normal to be anxious. Sounds like you have a good plan for moving through the next two weeks.

Shir, that is a terrible risk assessment to have to make every time you go anywhere. I’m glad you got home safe.

Feeling a lot like s2 Angel these days. I’m up, I’m down, I’m good, I’m bad, I’m a barrel of dead monkeys.

Floating on the house boat in Marathon. So relaxing. We didn’t tell DH that the AirBnb was a boat and he was thrilled. I have to figure a way to have our work all remote so I can live down here. I always feel at home.

((lisah))

Susan I hope that the nurse is right and this is nothing to worry about .

Duchess (M's cat) bit me Thursday night. It was mostly my fault for putting my hand too close but she did not want to let go. I washed it out really well and used alcohol etc. But today it was swollen so I used the free Doctor on Demand I have through work and got antibiotics and a cream prescribed but sent to my work Wal Mart not the one closest too me and I meant tocall and have them transfer it over but I got busy with some things...the dr said I should soak my hand in warm soapy water and it felt a lot better after. And did that time blind thing and the next thing I know it's too late. Tomorrow I'll have to get it and take the antibiotic and apply the cream as soon as I can. I have neosporin on it right now.

Take care of it asap, askye! Nothing to take lightly.

Yeah cat bites can be bad!

Am at the airport but at least this time I remembered some masks and didn’t have to buy them here!

Had a fun night at Cobb's Comedy Club last night for Sketchfest.

Phil got me tix and we had good seats up close to watch comic actors like Tony Hale, Jennifer Tilly, Thomas Lennon, Larraine Newman and others reading from celebrity memoirs to hilarious effect.

The best bit was probably when they did dueling points of view from Debbie Reynolds, Eddie Fisher and Elizabeth Taylor's memoirs about the scandalous, marriage wrecking affair.

Tony played Mike Todd announcing across a dinner table to Elizabeth Taylor (Jennifer) "As soon as you're done with that I'm going to fuck you."

Thomas Lennon was great as Burton weirdly defending the utterly cuckolded Fisher as he yelled at Elizabeth Taylor: "My god, woman can't you see how much he loves you? If you don't go to him immediately I'm going to take him upstairs and fuck him myself!"

(These are all direct quotes from the various memoirs, so nothing was added or iprov-ed.)

Jennifer was also great, pinch hitting for Pamela Adlon (who had Covid) and reading Melissa Gilbert's memoir where she stalked Rob Lowe after he dumped her for Nastassa Kinski. Biggest laugh: "You don't fuck with America's sweetheart!"

Tony Hale was fantastic throughout, wringing comic bits out of the official bio of Sandy (the dog from Little Orphan Annie). He's surprisingly handsome when he's not playing Buster on Arrested Development.

Got to meet and talk with Dave Foley after since he's got another Sketchfest thing today with Jennifer that we'll be attending today, and he knows Phil and Jennifer from the poker world.

It's always a little weird to get sucked into the penumbra of Jennifer's celebrity. She had four of her hardcore Instagram followers fly out from Pennsylvania for the show, and she took so much time after to make sure she met and talked with them and they all got pictures with her. And then when we were walking to dinner in North Beach seven Japanese tourist dudes surrounded her and wanted her to sign 8x10 glossies and Funko pop dolls. She was very gracious and patient with all of them.

Anyway, it's been fun poking around SF with them, and I'm looking forward to them meeting Matilda this afternoon. I'm at the tail end of my cold with just some chest congestion but it's definitely sapping some of my energy, so I'm looking forward to some restful days after two weekends in a row of heavy socializing.

I thought I was exhausted after my Keys trip, but now that I've read David's post I am even more exhausted. Sounds like so much fun.