I know it's weird, but I'm pretty grateful I lost my parents at a time when I could be there for them and we could celebrate their lives properly. (And that I didn't try to manage a demented parent through Covid protocols.)

I've thought this often over the past year when friends had to be apart from their loved ones. I was able to be with both my parents when they passed. It is always awful, but I know it would have been worse to be kept away.

My heart swells a little bit more with every single person who reports getting jabbed.

So much this! Every single time it sends a spark of joy.

I'm sorry work is so fubar'd, Consuela. I hope your dinner with niece and fiancé is a delightful distraction.

In happier news, Jeni's ice cream has created a flavor, Strawberry Pretzel Pie, to honor Dolly Parton.

I think she may have been somehow waiting for the dress

You may well be right. She needed that checked off her list to be at peace. My condolences to you and Maria.

That's what we (Irish Catholic) call the wake, or viewing--where the person is laid out and people come pay their respects in the couple days prior to the funeral.

Indeed. Many of my most vivid memories from my childhood were Irish wakes at various great aunt and uncles homes with the deceased in the living room and lots of drunk crying and/or laughing relatives. It was quite fascinating as a kid.

I'm sorry, Sophia.

I can report a slightly sore arm and throat the day after being vaccinated; just enough to tell me it's working without being too much of an inconvenience. No X-Ray vision or Carrie-like ability to wreak havoc so far.

I can also report that I've killed so many flies since the weekend that I now know what they smell like. Spoiler alert: it ain't good.

I'm so sorry, Sophia. Maria is fortunate to have you with her.

Any public vaccine administration I've heard about in NY has been shockingly efficient - mine each took under half an hour. The frigging Javitz Center is quick. The National Guard and FEMA seem to be staffing and organizing very well. I cannot speak personally to drug stores, but have heard nothing bad. Rescheduling is probably unnecessary.

I’m going to Javitz in an hour for my second shot. The first time I had to wait over an hour; I hope it goes faster this time.

I did it again! Hit post instead of Read New. This just started happening like a week ago, so I can't blame it on the board change. My fingers just clicking where they please on their own! So editing to actually say something.

Anyway, all things are okay here. Busy. Doing construction. Working on increasing my step count, which is now targeted at 6000 a day, which I often beat, but started at 2000 a few weeks ago. Feeling positive and hopeful, yet still find myself gritting and grinding my teeth during the day. Wondering when I'll feel calm again totally. It's been a long time.

Working on increasing my step count, which is now targeted at 6000 a day, which I often beat, but started at 2000 a few weeks ago.

Excellent work! That's great progress already. I average [checks phone] 7,642 over the last year, but I'm usually close to 10,000 on most days (I don't run on the weekends which pulls down my average).

Feeling positive and hopeful, yet still find myself gritting and grinding my teeth during the day. Wondering when I'll feel calm again totally. It's been a long time.

We're seeing Emmett tomorrow for only the fourth time in the last year. And two of those times were in a parking lot for Thanksgiving and Xmas. I'm also hopeful. When Matilda can go back to school in person, and they re-open the Muni trains it will begin to feel normal again.

Unfortunately, Matilda is not going to be back in school this year, but she's starting to make friends from her Jewelry class and starting to do things with them out of class.

I’m going to Javitz in an hour for my second shot.

Hell yeah! In two weeks you can get back to the doorknob licking you've been missing.

I'm glad Matilda's made some new friends!

My first shot was scheduled for 9:15 in the morning. I got there around 8:45, had the shot before 9:00, and left around the time I was schedule to start. There were a number of people there, but they were moving us through pretty quickly. I hope things go as fast next Monday, when I'm getting my second shot.