Good lord, JZ. He need to meet Bertha the Cluestick immediately. What a dick.

It pushes my buttons so intensely when a member of the clergy betrays his parishioners. And his family! I mean, I know he's defrocked now, but only because he got caught sleeping around, so one would think he would still have the integrity to at least pay his children's child support. Grrr.

I don't regret quitting smoking, but it does pinch a little to see it on the list of things that might move you up the vaccine list.

I'm glad you quit! I keep reminding myself you did, so I can eventually get there.

Between asthma (which in my mind doesn't count because I smoke), diabetes, and being an essential worker, I guess I could get vaccinated now? Except no one can, not even the first group -- PA's vaccine supply, at least in this part of the state, has been royally screwed. I think one of the county commissioners said recently they requested something like 20,000 and got 4,000. And this county is 85,000 people. So my parents in their late 70s haven't even been vaccinated yet -- no way I'm jumping in line. Plus, it's been a year, and I've been exposed more than once (and once while living with the infected) and I haven't gotten it, so my feeling is I probably had it at some point.

Sorry to ramble/rant. I'm thrumming with adrenaline because I just got off work for the first time in three weeks, and it took only 15 minutes to remember what a fucking bitch my boss is, and how whiny and entitled most of our customers are.

::spreads joy and love in conclusion::

How are you guys doing, Steph??

Pretty well -- Tim went back to work this past week. (I've been working, but cut my workload by 80% so I could nap a lot.) Almost all of the cold-like symptoms are gone, for both of us. I do have some lingering fatigue that's annoying (like, I'm exhausted AND my muscles are sore even though I didn't do a damn thing), but that's apparently normal at this point. If the fatigue isn't improving over the next couple of weeks, I'll call my doctor. But I'm going to be optimistic and say that since all the other symptoms have improved, the fatigue will, too.

That’s so good to read, Tep! Pretty decent superpower, on balance.

JZ, that is just horrific. I am so sorry he was ever a part of your lives. I'd spin him a spite, but no one spins a better spite than a JZ spite, so whatever you and yours have wished upon him I am sure is appropriate.

IIRC, there had been some strain with your son

Alas, it was never resolved, but I try and keep communication open in hopes that he comes to his senses some day and realized the damage he has done. I'm not cutting them out of my life, but I am not offering to help them with babysitting or anything either. We had planned to move closer to them, but I've told DH we move where it is best for us. 30 years of living for kids is more than enough.

Alas, it was never resolved, but I try and keep communication open in hopes that he comes to his senses some day and realized the damage he has done.

I'm so sorry--but I'm glad you are doing what you need to for self-care.

Timelies all!

I am scheduled for my second COVID shot on Tuesday.

We ordered dinner from a nearby Greek mezze place for Valentines' Day. Of course Mr. S ended up having a meltdown because he wanted mac-and-cheese, which is not on the menu there.(This while Gary was on his way out to pick dinner up. sigh...)

Wow, JZ, what a tool. Did he ever pay all his child support? Because if not I’d be nailing his Marin ass to his dock.

Dog continues to love snow. Snow continues to come down. But it’s juuuuust above freezing now, so maybe things start to melt? I shoveled the walkway three times already in the past 36 hours, don’t want to again. And would like to eventually be able to leave the house??

Laura, def for the best to do for you. They’ll come around or they won’t. I’m def jealous of my one set of cousins who all have kids and live within a mile of their parents and have sleepovers and babysitters galore....but I wouldn’t want that in my own family and you work with what you’ve got. Unlike the other set of aunt/uncle on that side, who got COVID after a road trip, and whose kids are taking their kids to wrestling tournaments in other states (!!!), at least my fam is taking COVID seriously. And my parents should be fully vaccinated now, I think.

meara, nope, he never did. I guess that's how he was able to afford a place in Marin.

I mean, I think he paid *some*, partly because it came out at some point that the church from which he'd been separated had been continuing to pay him a fairly large salary on the assumption that a good chunk of it was going to support his kids and the church got extremely pissed at him once they found out he was keeping all the chunks so he had to pay *that*, but definitely not all he's ever owed. He's also just not been very present for them.

I also just found out, rummaging around in Google, that his *first* job out of college was a paid position with the Reagan/Bush campaign. Which he has definitely gone to considerable lengths to keep very, very quiet about. I'd never known before, but an LGBTQ organizer tried to get him booted off the SF Interfaith Council a few years ago on the grounds that parading himself as a spiritual leader for the movement while keeping quiet about that incredibly toxic part of his history was a little shady; it doesn't appear to have worked, as he's now the executive director. Sigh.

In nicer news, Hec went out on a special trip to get me a little box of my favorite See's candy earlier today and also brought home red-and-white tulips, purple tulips and daffodils a little while ago; while he was out I Murphy's Oil'd the hallway, and between the flowers and the wooden floors everything looks and smells bright and springlike. Plans for the tail end of the afternoon include cleaning the guinea pig cage, cuddling the guinea pigs and maybe watching something trashy and true-crime-y while Hec naps and Matilda's out at a friend's house.

That sounds like a very nice evening JZ. If it should be capped by an asteroid that crashes to earth and only takes out one specific Marin condo, so much the better.