I had half a pbj for dinner last night because there was absolutely nothing in this house--or in my mind, either--that appealed, and I had to take my meds. I can't remember my last pbj. This one was pdgood!

I've been looking at raclette recipes on Pinterest in lieu of eating...I'm currently too heavy to really exercise, so having to start with diet. Sigh.

Confession: Earlier this evening, walking home, I came upon a gigantic unbelievable chonker of a raccoon trundling up a side street in the direction of Haight. The raccoon, naturally, froze and then panicked and then darted under the nearest security gate and into a side alley. And then I spent the next ninety seconds pleading with it to please understand that I didn't want to harm it or poke it or even try to pick it up (without consent, anyway) and that all I wanted was for it to understand how deeply adorable it was, to own it and take pride in it.

The entire time it glared at me with a please stop making noises at me stinkeye, until I gave up and went home. I don't think I fooled it for a second; I think it knew the entire time that what I really wanted was to convince it to let me snoodle it.

In conclusion, I may be just slightly unbalanced.

(I wouldn't actually snoodle a raccoon. But it's been going on half a century since I last read Farley Mowat, and I'm astonished at how desperately I still WANT to.)

Toddson: I am the designated notes-taker for all lab meetings, I assume because I type fast and am an admin-person (rather than a scientist-person.) I regularly have zero idea what people are talking about because they use acronyms and names of fancy pieces of equipment I have no reason to know beforehand.

I have whoever is running the meetings save the agenda on a shared folder. I build the notes from the agenda. During the meeting I basically transcribe what I am hearing as best as possible. Afterwards I edit (and delete most of the chatter to try and get to bullet points.) Then I save it with "track changes" ON and send a hyperlink to all the managers and make them review it. Honestly, usually only my direct supervisor actually bothers - but since she makes all edits/updates/revisions directly in the document, I can see what they were as I accept the changes, and sometimes that leads to mini side discussions (like what an "elution tube" is and the difference between a QIASymphony and a QIACube.) Once a quorum of managers respond that they have reviewed and edited the document, I update it to finalized for distribution. Or sometimes it just hangs out on the shared drive until the next meeting comes around at which point I "finalize" the previous meeting notes whether they've been reviewed or not.

If you are only beholden to one manager, I highly recommend sending them your notes to "review" and make whatever edits or updates they feel are appropriate (if you aren't already). One- they can correct anything that you technically can't understand, and (perhaps more importantly) it gives them responsibility to provide constructive feedback, even if it's just in the form of edits. You can't be expected to know what someone wants if they won't fracking tell you. *sighs and shakes head*

• also shakes tiny fist at Texas*

So on Monday SC will open up the next phase of vaccines which includes people 55 and older and people who have certain pre existing conditions (including obesity) and front line workers.

Not anyone who works in the public just certain workers and then mid April it will open to people 45 and older and essential workers.

I'm trying to decide if I should use the fact I fall into the obesity pre existing condition to get the vaccine or wait until mid April. I seem to be relatively safe at work but McMaster has also lifted restrictions on mass gatherings and late night alcohol sales so I expect to see a jump in infections because of this.

Get it s soon as you can, would be my choice, askye, especially given that you're working live in public.

Definitely get the vaccine, askye.

Get the vaccine. Every person who gets it helps make things safer.

Plus, you know, spring break and Easter are coming up, and infections are for sure going back up.

I will get it. It's just a matter of when. Matthew's mom is excited to get hers. Her niece is going to set up her appointment online.

erin, thanks for the advice ... that's largely what I do - take notes during the call, write them up, review while I listen to a recording, then pass on to my boss who makes whatever changes he wants. My big problem is that I hate it and find it incredibly boring - I'm almost falling asleep during the re-listening. Also, I don't care about the issues and just want to do it so my boss stops complaining.

I saw Dolly Parton got the vaccine in a video; she revised "Jolene" to "Vaccine" before the doctor came in and gave her the shot.

In semi-related news, I heard that Mississippi is also dropping all virus-related restrictions. I saw a comment that Texas is giving up on regulating everything except uteruses (uterusi?).