I wish I was there this weekend instead of in this sick house! My poor son can't hold anything down but water, which he is consuming plenty of, and Theraflu. He tried sitting outside on the balcony, but even in the mid-80s he was too cold. I am keeping my distance!!

I'm going to point to this every time the "but everywhere has corner stores what's so special about them" debate comes around.

This is the one thing about New York I wish I had. Loosie eggs! Also breakfast sandwiches.

 Again, also, they get me half and half. Like, they don't normally carry it, but I asked, and they get it just for me :)

Bodegas are magic, I am convinced.

  but I think it would help her in the future if she does it. 

Yeah, people need confidence. I'm not always the best at trying things that scare me but I did learn how to travel by myself and it's a confidence boost I'm grateful to have. Maybe next time she'll try it.

 Yes, Floridians go to the keys for vacations. 

Hope your son recovers quickly.

I stupidly was Trader Joe's grocery shopping today and realized halfway through that I wasn't masked. I live pretty rural -- for all I say Joshua Tree has changed. The Palm Springs area is much more crowded and I intend to mask in any crowded area (more than the Rite Aid drive thru, basically). I need to get conditioned again to masking. As opposed to what I do now, which is avoiding people because people are so people-y.

I super miss the fresh cooked sandwiches available at corner stores on the east coast. I feel like there’s way more good coffee options out here but very few corner stores do a fresh breakfast sandwich.

Just dropped a recovering and no longer contagious ltc at Mom’s for the weekend. TCG is a little snuffly, but we’re pushing through with our weekend plans. We head to our hotel tomorrow and we have tickets to see the nominated animated shorts and live action shorts at a small movie theater there. And dinner reservations at a place that looks like it has some of my favorite local foods and nice cocktails. Tonight we go home eat charcuterie and buratta ravioli with pesto and watch the premiere of S3 of Yellowjackets.

Have a wonderful weekend, sj!! It sounds lovely.

National Park Service has removed the T and the Q from the Stonewall Monument. The goddamned STONEWALL monument. Where a black trans women threw the first brick.

I can't take this anymore. It's a relentless stream of bad news and evil fuckery.

Cash, that one is especially infuriating.

Yeah, Cash. That's appalling. I'm so disappointed in so many agencies. OTOH it's clear that any pushback at many agencies is being punished with immediate (if illegal) firing. I mean, the SES doesn't know how to change the language on the webpage, they had to have a GS do that.

flea, I'm sorry for your DH. My friends at EPA out here are telling similar horror stories. One friend is now a 14, another a 15, and they're both at risk of being targeted through the Schedule F thing.

I got my hair cut this afternoon, and my stylist just didn't know about any of this. It was shocking to me, but then I feel like I have to know what's going on for my own protection...

I'm finally caught up after being behind all week! No meara, but let's see what I can remember...

I can't believe no one commented on David's "crotch-mahogany" chest. It's like I don't even know you guys any more.

David, what school in San Diego is Matilda considering? If SDSU, then I'm pretty sure not driving would really be a problem. If UCSD, I think it's more manageable. I feel like I always see so many more international students in the UCSD area making SD's not-awesome mass transit work for them. I'm having lunch tomorrow with a girlfriend whose daughter (I believe she's 21 or 22) doesn't drive. I'll ask for her/their take on it (the daughter went to UCSD).

Steph, thanks for the info that the shingles vax is good for up to 7 years. I got it last year, but my oncologist recommended against shingles & covid vaccinations due to poor timing with my infusion meds this year. I was able to get a flu shot through a work thing earlier in the fall, but not the other 2. And I have been concerned about shingles. I can mask up and play hermit against flu & covid, but shingles is apparently already ... lurking ... in me since having chicken pox when I was 6. (So, does that mean that all the kids who are no longer getting chicken pox because of the vaccine no longer have to worry about shingles 20 or 30 or however-many years from now? Cool.)

I feel almost guilty for how much I'm avoiding the news lately, but ... I just can't. It's too much. But good luck to all of you who are fed or fed-adjacent. I'm sorry this national nightmare is hitting so close to home.

How bad is it that 45/47's fuckery has made me somewhat relieved for the cancer? Like all the shit that I may not have to live through. That's fucked up, right?

I just realized a few minutes ago that today is my work anniversary. 20 years! I feel like I might have remembered sooner if not for the WFH ever since my first surgery (May of 2022). Ah well, we'll see what the new owners do for a big anniversary. I had my 15th during the pandemic under the former owners. (Useless glass trophy, but there was a bit of cash too.) Maybe this will be my thing from now on - celebrating work milestones from my own house.

I wish to report that I am sitting in the library wearing a mask from a box I bought on the way here because of Steph's advice, thankyouvverymuch.

Except I need to find a new seat, because it is freezing right where I'm sitting.

Epic, avoiding the news is likely better for your health, which, frankly, I care more about than that you are caught up on the firehose of crap, hate, and cruelty they are spewing.