Got the second shot! Here we go, immune system, you’ve got this!
Tag: covid
covid-adjacent, trying to figure out current rules
I went out for a walk this afternoon and saw a lot more people than usual and a lot fewer of them wearing masks (until I got closer to the business-zoned streets), and with the recent change in CDC recommendations, I’ve been trying to find the current status of outdoor requirements in all the local cities, county, and state…and I’m not finding a clear answer.
Getting my second shot tomorrow, figure I’ll keep masking for the next 2 weeks anyway
Apparently if I go out walking to birdwatch or to get somewhere, I still need to keep my distance *and* wear a mask along the way, but if I go out walking to exercise, I only need to keep my distance. ???
Realized I’m stressing out over the vaccine appointment tomorrow because part of me is convinced Something Will Go Wrong before I can get to it.
And partly wondering if it’ll knock me out worse than the first dose did. (Serious fatigue for about 24 hours starting later that afternoon.)
Still, better and shorter than even a “mild” case of the actual virus, though!
Covid-adjacent
Also, the counter and kitchen staff are mostly wearing those standard disposable surgical masks, except one has a plain black cloth mask…and one woman has a mask completely covered with sequins. If you’ve gotta pandemic, pandemic in style!
Covid (+)
Wife got her first dose of the vaccine today. I’m scheduled for Monday. We made appointments through a provider that we’ve both been to before, so we were already in the system.
We deliberately staggered the appointments so if we both get hit by side effects, they probably won’t be at the same time.
school, parenting, covid-adjacent, violence reference
I’m not big on zombies, but I really like Mira Grant’s (Seanan Maguire’s) Newsflesh series. That said, there’s one story I don’t ever want to read again. The one set in a post-Rising elementary school, showing all the anti-zombie precautions the school takes…and then how they all fail horribly in an extended metaphor for school mass shootings.
This picture of individual barriers around each student’s desk…
Laminated hands and car desks: How schools are welcoming kids back
dentist, covid stats
I’m normally not nervous about going to the dentist, but I’ve got my second pandemic-era visit coming up today. You can’t wear a mask while someone’s working on your teeth.
On the plus side, looking at the covid case rates over time makes me feel better, as LA county is back down to roughly the same rate it was at during my last visit in September (itself postponed from July, which was clearly a good decision).
Covid-adjacent, school
Message from school district, which has been slowly opening up on-campus classes by grade and with precautions, mentioned an upcoming orientation for high school freshmen…because they haven’t been to on-campus high school yet. At all.
Four years later, we are all BBC Dad
Four years later, we are all BBC Dad via @verge
Thank you, Google Photos, for reminding me of the Last Normal Day(tm)
Thank you, Google Photos, for reminding me of the Last Normal Day(tm). That evening I came down with the flu and by the time I recovered, everything was shutting down for Covid.
Covid adjacent, office
It’s now been a year since I’ve been to the office.
Weirdly enough I kind of miss the commute. Not having to do it every day, but the excuse to get out, and having a physical separation between work and home mentalities.
They’re planning to keep most of the dev team remote once in person offices are a thing again. Just bring us in for meetings and stuff. Which will work better once the kid is back in physical school, too, because JFC the whining…
Probably ought to ask if they want the card keys & parking pass back for the old office.
covid-adjacent, mh, parenting
Local schools are bringing grades 4-5 back starting tomorrow, divided into two cohorts so that only half the students will be on campus (more to the point, in a classroom) on a given day. Got a text reminding parents to “dress your child for the weather” and I’m like — well, ok, it’s not like we’ve been spending a lot of time outdoors. Checked the forecast just in case and HOLY CRAP THEY’RE ACTUALLY EXPECTING RAIN TOMORROW
I’m torn between
AAAH! CROWDS! SUPER-SPREADER POTENTIAL
and
OK, studies seem to show that schools, with proper precautions, don’t spread any more than the communities they’re in
and
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME
and
JFC THIS KID NEEDS TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE ONCE IN A WHILE
Anyway, he’s not in tomorrow’s cohort and we’re still sorting out how this fits with his IEP but I’m so fucking tired of everything. I miss the days when my social anxiety was unfounded
covid-adjacent
new category for household chores: “at least my sense of smell is still working”
It’s weird how my photography has mostly turned into pictures of birds lately. I blame covid and iNaturalist.
It’s weird how my photography has mostly turned into pictures of birds lately. I blame covid and iNaturalist.
Covid vaccine, family
Parents managed to get the first dose of the Moderna vaccine. MIL made it through an asymptomatic case & has an appointment for a vaccine (I forget which one). Feels like *something* is finally moving forward
covid-adjacent, dream
Also dreamed that my employer was holding one single in-office day for everyone to pack things up for storage before we went back to remote work. Everyone was distancing but at some point we all realized that none of us were wearing masks
covid vaccine, snowstorm
Oregon healthcare workers stuck on the road in a snowstorm with vaccine doses they knew wouldn’t make it back to the clinic before expiring ended up walking up and down the road knocking on car doors offering the shots to other people stuck in traffic with them.
covid testing, variants
Cool: Even without specifically testing for the new covid-variant discovered in the UK, it’s possible to estimate an upper bound for its prevalence using standard tests.
Most covid tests look for several segments of the virus’ genome. Some of them look for one of the segments that’s changed in that variant. They’ll still match on the other segments, but not that one.
https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/30/22206522/coronavirus-test-variant-contagious-uk-gene
You Can Learn a Lot About Human Nature From Takeout Orders
You Can Learn a Lot About Human Nature From Takeout Orders https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/23/opinion/covid-restaurant-business.html
food, covid-adjacent, allergy mention
Honestly can’t be too upset at the grocery store substituting peanut butter ice cream (which would kill me faster than covid would) when they were actually able to include the Lysol spray can. I haven’t seen one of those since February.
Non-allergic neighbors got surprise ice cream.
Covid vaccine (+)
The Pfizer vaccine is being distributed in vials that each contain 5 doses’ worth. Or rather, at *least* 5 doses, to account for spills. Official guidance is now to go ahead and use the 6th (or even 7th!) dose in a vial if there’s enough left.
I’m reminded of the feeling when I got a 25th or 26th photo on a roll of film.