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| Office in a Small City, 1953 |
The world is frozen.
The world is always in motion.
Month Seven has passed
and change is in the offing. Still working from home, but I have changed
positions. Crucible has been “sunset” (cancelled) and now I am working on a new
project for Amazon, of which I cannot speak.
However, this has
resulted in several changes. For the past 6 months I have been camped out in
the basement library with two laptops and my personal monitor. My desk has been
an old oak table purchased from Milt’s Woodshed in Walworth (Milt’s a
character, yaknow), and my chair has been a straight-backed dining room chair.
The table is littered with piles of games and vinyl record albums, and my
monitor has been perched on a couple boxes of the Dominion game. And that’s OK,
because I thought this was a temporary measure and we would be back in the
office soon.
But there may no longer
be an office for a cancelled project, and when my new team heard about the
strength of my computers, the feeling was that I needed some real firepower. So
I have a new desk chair, desk, laptop and tower, along with sundry additional
things. I took down the drafting table I had in the corner of my personal
office (I try to keep church and state separate as much as possible), and
installed myself there, which will be warmer during the coming winter months.
But it has been a weird feeling, sort of a permanent shift for me.
Oh. Also, got a haircut,
finally.
We have recovered from
the smoky days of previous month, and slipped effortlessly into fall, which in
Seattle terms means rain, windstorms, and the occasional clap of thunder. The
birds disappeared during the worst of the smoke, but seem to have returned,
though I don’t know if they are the originals or migratory versions that are
passing through. In any event, the hummingbirds are now at the feeder, and
chickadees battle over the fountain.
The outer world
continues. The Lovely Bride is wrapping up tax extensions from last year,
already extended by the government once. Spot shortages continue – the latest
is caffeine-free diet soda and shower cleaner. Also rubbing alcohol, which
people are turning into hand sanitizer and shower cleaner. The Lovely B has
gone to vodka for her mix. Which is OK, since I haven’t picked up any ginger
beer lately.
I actually got sick the
other week. It was probably a reaction to a shingles vaccine (I had gotten a
flu shot at the same time - why not go for two?), and it left me achy and
congested for a few days. The Lovely Bride had some back spasms and is now
doing physical therapy. But I have been stunned to discover that there is more
out there than just the virus. But at the same time, this has been the longest
time without some cold, flu, or other physical illness.
Not so for everyone in
the outside. And we humans like stories, and stories of hubris are particularly
appealing. The guy who swears there in no monster getting eaten by the monster
- that's a story that resonates. And those who oppose masks, social distancing,
and other measures while trying to live a life from before the coronovirus, who
then come down with it in droves is that sort of story. And you know, despite
the nature of such stories, I feel empathy for these folk, even though they
will likely survive it (through the very actions they despised before) but
learn nothing from the experience. Perhaps.
And so we row on.It is grey
and cool and fall is starting roll in. But at least the birds are back.
More later.