Suziecreamcheese Sings the Blues

I read today that the border control people are no longer testing the illegals for Covid. Actually, I’ve heard this more than once recently. I’m also hearing that there’s a “surge” in this new Delta variant that somehow manages to bypass the vaccine that was supposed to keep everyone from getting sick – unless you’re trying to kill Grandma and refuse to get it, then you can just go die in a corner, you selfish piece of shit.

I’m also hearing rumors of another impending lock down – because the first one worked so well.

Seriously, I know a lot of people (raises hand) who barely survived the first one and most likely won’t survive a second one. This is more than financial hardship, this is mental torture. I am a social being, when cut off from friends, I go into a mental place that I don’t like to visit, let alone dwell in.

I’m wondering, how many people will refuse to comply if this should happen?

I also wonder why in the hell we’re discussing a lock down when our borders are so wide open, and the people coming over are not even being tested for this supposedly highly contagious variant of the virus that was supposed to kill all of us last year. How does this possibly make sense to anyone?

The CDC is no longer monitoring cases of Covid diagnosed in people who’ve been vaccinated. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/health-departments/breakthrough-cases.html And yet we’re being told that the majority of cases that are being diagnosed are people who are not vaccinated. How the hell do they know that? If I feed Maverick a cookie, and my husband turns around and gives him 6, but neither of us tells the other one, how do we know how many cookies he’s had? He sure as heck isn’t gonna tell us!

I feel like I’m living in an alternate universe, where common sense has gone out the window and people spew so many contradictory statements in a few minutes that my head spins and they don’t even blink.

I’m praying every day that those who are blindly accepting the current state of affairs will wake up before it’s too late.

Yesterday I went to buy some twill tape to finish up an outfit for the most perfect baby ever born. I was going to buy twill tape, nothing more. I was NOT going to buy fabric.

So I bought fabric.

I cut out two tops and two pairs of shorts yesterday afternoon because, well, I bought fabric.

My plan for today was to spend some time studying – I’m taking a computer information systems course and the current topic is Access, which I firmly believe was invented by Satan. Tonight was dinner and diamonds with the dog ladies, always a fun time and much needed for my mental health, and it was my turn to make dessert. I planned a Boston Cream Pie because who doesn’t like Boston Cream Pie, other than Satan?

I took Maverick to daycare, did my usual morning routine, decided not to walk today because it was bloody hot and my feet were screaming at me half the night, so I made some phone calls. One of those was to the vet about getting Bravecto for Maverick. The not so nice receptionist informed me that they had to see Maverick since he hadn’t been there in 3 years. Ummm, I have receipts from about 2 months ago so if you haven’t seen him in 3 years, I think I need some money back! That got resoved and I made the cake and then my lunch. I usually eat in front of the laptop, check mail and answer student emails and scroll through Fakebook and just relax a bit.

The plan was to eat lunch, let the cake cool, study awhile, make the filling for the cake, let that cool, and sew for an hour or so before putting the cake together.

The universe laughs at plans.

While eating my lunch, and listening to Toby Keith’s new song, my laptop suddenly went black. I said some bad words and tried to restart the computer. The jump drives were blinking so something was working but that screen just stared at me in total blackness.

I teach online. I need a computer. After trying to buy one from Best Buy and encountering a total cluster f**k, I called Staples. Tech guy tried to fix the old laptop with no success, so home I came with a new one.

I hate setting up a new computer.

Several hours and a lot of swearing later, I have things pretty much the way I want them. Having dinner with good friends helped improve my mood, having Bear come to my rescue when I was melting down over everything going wrong helped even more.

Today I’m playing catch up with all the school work I didn’t do yesterday. I don’t ever want to hear a student complain about how much homework I assign, the class I’m taking has three times as much homework as I ever handed out. But I’ll get it done and do some sewing today too.

Because it takes more than a blank screen to keep me down for long.

For the next several weeks, the Bear starts work at 6:00 a.m. He gets up at 4:00 to give himself time to get functional before heading out.

My alarm (clock) is set for 8:00. My alarm (dog) tends to go off at about 7:30.

We are not morning people. For most of our marriage, Bear has either worked second or third shift, and I tend to take only afternoon or evening classes, although I’ve had the rare morning class (that usually doesn’t go well). However, we’ve adjusted to this early rising thing and although things are iffy until that second cup of coffee, we haven’t yet committed mayhem upon anyone or anything. (It was a close call this morning when Maverick was barking at a guy who said, “will he bite?” and I replied with, “I don’t know.” To that he responded, “well then I won’t approach.” I refrained from saying, “DUH!!!!!!” ) (In my defense, I’d had NO coffee!) (I did give him the look, though)

I’ve never quite understood people who are judgy about what time other people get out of bed. When the Bear worked second shift ( that’s 3-11 for you normal people), we would go to bed around 2:30 (that’s A. M.) and get up around 11. We ate dinner at around 1:00 a.m.

My sister, who personifies judgy (she should have been named Karen), would often make snide comments about how late we slept. And the thought of eating dinner so late made her just about pass out. (I would say she got the vapors, but I can’t quite see her fluttering about with smelling salts and a handkerchief) (I’ve been known to get the vapors at times, but that usually preceeds me falling over in a dead faint and scaring the bejinkies out of everyone in sight.) (That’s kind of fun, actually.) (I digress)

She’s now retired and has been for years. When I was in NY, I was told (often) that she gets up at 5:30. I refrained from saying, “what the f**k for?” Seriously, is it even light yet? And what is open? It’s not like you can go to the library or go shopping or go to the dentist or the doctor or really anywhere except all night diners and emergency rooms at that hour! (Are all night diners open or is the Kung Flu still got them closed down?) (I’m going to Hell for Kung Flu, I just know it)

When (if) I ever retire, I plan to sleep till noon every day, take a nap around 5, and then go to bed around midnight. I suppose at some point, I will have slept enough, so then I plan to just get up, get a coffee, and go back to bed with a book.

I have always been a failure in her eyes. My lack of enthusiasm for early morning hours is only one more of the many things wrong with me. (The list is long and grows longer with each passing year. I’ve given up keeping track.)

I’m not sure why people who get up early look upon the night owls as lesser folk. I just know it’s tiresome.

It’s been a long week. The good times are currently overshadowed by the bad times. I just want to be home. I want my Bear’s arms around me, I want my puppy to climb on me and knock me down and lick my face half off. I want to be where there’s no drama, where my friends love me because of who I am, not in spite of who I am.

I’m exhausted. I broke the carafe to my little coffee pot tonight so I can’t make coffee in my room in the morning. I was given orders to get a shower, go get coffee and bring it back to my room, and get functional before getting on the road. I don’t want to, I just want to go home. But the Bear will worry, so I will do as he asks.

There are hurts to heal – pain that I’m still processing – grieving to do, for a sister who will not again be part of my life. I hope she understands what she’s lost.

I’m pretty hard to anger to the point where I actually flash out but it happened tonight. I’ve been contradicted, interrupted, bit my tongue after snide comments about my friends, bit my tongue when I was told that the nasty person who happens to be my niece is “just like you.”

I don’t honestly care who anyone chooses to like or dislike, nor do I care about their reasons for such feelings. I expect the same respect from others. No one gets to dictate to me who I like or don’t, nor do they get to dictate that I never express my opinions.

It has been a difficult week. It ended last night with slamming doors and tears. I leave here tomorrow, once again leaving in sadness, and wondering why I subjected myself to this when I knew in my heart it was going to happen eventually. I told Bear I didn’t want to come, and I should have listened to my intuition.

There have been good days. Going on a 90 mile ride (one way) to find a nursery that only sells African violets, getting lost and endind up on Ann St so many times we thought we should rent an apartment and stay awhile, and buying too many plants but laughing so hard we almost wet ourselves – that was a very good day. Seeing an 80 year old cousin and reminiscing without being told my memories were incorrect was another good day. The visit to the 91 year old cousin was spoiled by constant and relentless contradictions, corrections, criticisms. (This started from the day I was born, I think, never stopped till I moved away and cut all ties, and restarted when I renewed those ties, only to grow in intensity over the past couple of years till if anything it’s worse than when I left 18 years ago)

So I’ll remember the laughter and put the rest behind me. And by next year, I may be ready to gird my loins and head into the battle again. (I love that expression, by the way) I know full well that I could slay the dragons, I could wreck havoc and leave them bleeding on the battlefield that they chose, but I do not choose to do so. I wonder if they’ll ever realize how much restraint I’ve shown over the years? No, they will only remember the few times I let loose and continue to think of me as “such a bitch.”

I have no plans today till later this afternoon, picking up my sister at 3:30 and having dinner with my oldest nephew at 4, so the day stretches before me, wide open for whatever I choose to do.

I should take the opportunity to work. I have a lot of grading to do for my students and work to do in the class I’m taking. I’m a week ahead in that one and I’d like to stay ahead. I have work to do in the class I’ll be teaching in another month as well. I have few distractions here, unlike at home when Maverick is demanding attention and there’s a lawn swing calling to me, and a plethora of books I’d like to read.

However, I have to go out to the store to get something for a light lunch, a jug of milk – I bring a small coffee pot along with me and make my coffee each morning, and my milk is nearly gone so it must be replenished. I want to make another trip to the cemetery to visit my parents. The cemetery is half way to the shopping plaza. Kohl’s is calling my name. But then again, I really don’t need anything, and it’s just more to pack to take home.

Phew, I think I talked myself into working. My friend is coming over later tonight and bringing me violet cuttings to hopefully grow, and taking cuttings from the ones I bought on our trip to the nursery. Where we got lost. And finally decided we should just get an apartment and live on Ann St since we kept ending up back there. (There was a detour that Stephanie* was not aware of and she kept trying to send us over a bridge that was closed. And non-existent. No bridge there, Steph, and my car can’t fly!) If you must get lost, I highly recommend doing so with my friend Bob, you will laugh till you have to pull over for fear of crashing the car because you’re doubled over and crying. I digress. He’s also bringing me fabric, so there’s no need for me to go to the store and shop for that.

However, I do need shelves for the violets I purchased so there’s probably a trip through the wonders of Amazon.

Two more days here, then off to visit another friend, overnight in that town, and then home on Sunday. I am ready to be home. I miss my Bear, and my puppy, and my friends. Family is wonderful, in small doses, once a year. I am grateful that I don’t have to experience larger doses, more regularly. (Yesterday’s WTF moment was when my sister informed me that I needed to get the Covid vaccine. I responded that I might eventually. She said, “well by then you won’t need it!” Pretty sure my face showed my “Hunh?” reaction, although the holes in my tongue got a wee tad bigger)

*Stephanie is my GPS. I didn’t name her so I’m not sure why she’s Stephanie, but “Stephanie, shut the f up, the bridge is out,” kinda rolls off your tongue!

Or so I’m telling myself.

We’re going to visit my oldest sister today. By we, I mean me and my next oldest sister. There are only the three of us left – two have gone to their respective eternal resting places many years now.

I’m trying not to be trepidatious. (There’s your big word for the day.) We’re leaving at noon, it’s an hour drive, probably visiting for no more than two hours, and then an hour back. She has not offered us lunch so I’m going to grab something before we go because I will get hungry and then hangry and then weepy and then straight into “if you look at me sideways and you don’t have food for me NOW, I will cut your eyes out and eat them with a nice chianti.” I know, hard to believe that anyone of my sweet nature could possibly turn into a raving, ravenous beast from Hell, but it happens. When the growl starts and the only intelligible words from my throat are “FEED ME NOW!” then SOMEBODY better be moving their ass to get me some damned food.

I don’t normally eat lunch till around 1. I’m going to eat lunch at 11. I will choke down a sandwich and pray it stays with me, because the other part of this story is that it’s meant to be 92 degrees, and we will either be sitting outside under an umbrella, or inside a trailer with little a/c. (I am spoiled, you all know that, shutty about it. I am no longer used to homes without central air or several working air conditioners. It’s 92 freakin degrees, people! Get the damned a/c working!)

I suppose the worst that will happen is I throw up or pass out. Le Sigh

I have to teach tonight. The internet here is spotty at best. Thank the Goddess for a fun group of students who will be amused rather than annoyed if I get booted offline.

Stay cool everyone, and don’t forget to hydrate!