Diary Day April 04, 2022
I got up a bit early. I had woken up even earlier but made myself sleep until closer to the time I think I should get up. I also decided to let the dog out early – he has been doing better with not barking at the neighbors behind us so I chanced it. it was also rainy and wet and he does not like that so he did what was needed then came right back in. no barking.
I made myself some breakfast, sorted the laundry, took my morning drugs, and played my morning word games while somewhat paying attention to the 1979 version of The Lady Vanishes – a re-make of the Hitchcock classic. So far, I don’t think it’s as good.
I dressed and went to work where I had to deal with gaps in coverage, one of them due to COVID. The dropping of the mask mandates all over is a problem because so many people were just champing at the bit to doff their masks. It’s too early to lighten up on this and have little to no sympathy for anyone who thinks wearing a mask is a hardship and hassle – especially in light of the alternatives. the pandemic is not over and the omicron BA.2 has taken over as the dominant variant going around in the US – with others on their way because precautions have been dismissed by the majority of people here in the US and every time the virus is allowed to propagate in a host body, it has a chance to mutate AND cause “long-haul” COVID which is seriously underestimated, understudied, underreported, and overlooked. I don’t want to turn this into a COVID rant, but I do not know how this is going to end if people keep putting their desire to have their faces bare first and act as if their behaviors have no impact on anyone else.
The work itself was sedate. At lunch, I let the dog out, checked in with the cats, made myself a nice sandwich, and just did my best attempt to relax. the weather was rainy and cold when I went to work but by lunch, it had turned to overcast and a bit warmer. I could not comfortably sit outside like my wife and I did the day before, watching birds, playing with the dog, and talking with each other. we went camping two weeks ago and I can still smell woodsmoke on my windbreaker. I want another fire – maybe tonight.
After work, I went home to find that the dog had gotten in the recycling again. he’s been bad about that lately for some reason. I scolded him and then worked in the garden/landscaping. the weather had turned very pleasant, sunny with a hint of clouds, no more rain. I have been battling a Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum) invasion for a couple of years now and dug up as many as I could before they went to bloom. my son came home near the start and helped me. the doggo loved being out with us. I did not change out of my work clothes first, just wanting to get it done and knowing it would not be strenuous. I did change my shoes though.
Once that was done, he and I talked about the near future a bit: his plans to go to Comicon in a couple of weeks, mine and my wife’s plan to take a couple of getaways for our anniversaries (first together and wedding), his need to help his mom move soon – probably, and some other sundry things. I started dinner and then sat him down to register him for the SAT. this was something we had been procrastinating on but could no longer put off. while we were in the middle of this, my wife came home. we finished up with the registration and I moved on to dinner proper.
We sat outside to eat because the weather was so pleasant. I ate too much as I have been doing lately and so I could not “bump” the volleyball with my son for fear of losing my meal. I did, however, take a walk with my wife and the dog. we walked around the nearby school and back. the doggo lost his mind when we passed by another dog on the way back – he loves other dogs but does not know how to be excited without making noises that sound very undoglike.
Back at home, we sat on the front porch to watch the sunset and only came in when the wind picked up and the temperature changed, marking our entrance into the terminator (i.e. the boundary between sunlight and shadow on a planet’s surface). It was just a bit too chilly for us. Both of our cats had been yearning through the windows – one immediately behind us, the other in an open bedroom window. We have been letting them out on the back patio recently because they really love rolling around, scratching themselves on the sun-warmed concrete. I’m sure we dashed their hopes of coming outside when we came in.
We then watched a short travel show and my son joined us for the first episode of the Marvel show Moon Knight. I was a huge comic book geek when I was young and used to collect that title so I have been jazzed to see it, especially with Oscar Isaac in the lead. I think he was a good choice. we enjoyed the first episode and discussed it after but then slid slowly into bedtime with the nightly routine: the dog uncurled to have my son let him out for the last time before bed, I lured the cats out with treats as usual, I took my night time drugs, made the dog’s blanket cocoon in the armchair in our bedroom, and crawled under the covers. the day had been a good one but somber in its undertones for some reason. maybe a fire would have helped