Friday, December 17, 2021

Some end of year pandemic random thoughts: the second year

Well, I wrote last year in 2020 that I hoped that things would get better. For the most part, things have not gotten better, in some cases they have gotten worse, and the outlook going into 2022 to be honest is not that great either. 

Since the last time I wrote on this, the Delta Variant of COVID-19 has been identified and named (named on May 31, 2021), and the Omicron Variant was identified and reported just last month in November (first reported to the World Health Organization on November 26, 2021). Things are so bad that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are now recommending strongly for anyone who is able to get a booster (third) shot of COVID vaccine, as long as it is NOT the Johnson and Johnson vaccine (see CDC guidelines here). To be perfectly honest, at the rate things are going we will run out of Greek letters to name COVID variants sooner rather than later. By the way, the U.S. reached the record of 800,000 COVID deaths, which is what happens when you have COVIDIOTS running rampant refusing to do things like wear a mask or vaccinate. The question is not if the U.S. will hit 1 million deaths, but when it will reach that grim record. The old saying of "what does not kill you makes you stronger" has evolved to "what does not kill you mutates and keeps trying to kill you."

Last year, I wrote my thoughts in no particular order as they came to me. I am doing some of that now, but I find that the categories I used last year are helpful now, so I am arranging my thoughts on that basis with an addition here or there. 

  • The college, my workplace, remains on mostly lockdown. There are some access exceptions, for example some researchers can come into our building by appointment, especially to visit Special Collections and Archives. Visitors must be wearing a mask while in the building, and technically they should be vaccinated, and vaccination status needs to be verified when they arrive (i.e. visitors need to bring proof). However, I will be perfectly blunt (which may or not irk any of my superiors if they read this), but I am not sure how consistently or not that verification is happening. 
    • The college went back to mostly normal operations in the fall term. This meant that students were back on campus. All students were required to be vaccinated or have a legitimate exemption, which here meant due to health or a sincerely held religious exemption (they had to bring documentation from their church). Employees were not required  but highly encouraged to get their shots. While most of them are vaccinated, we do have a few COVIDIOT holdouts who did not vaccinate, including members of our Child Development Lab (CDL, i.e. the campus preschool). We are all under regular COVID surveillance testing. For those of us vaccinated, we get tested once a month. The unvaccinated get tested once a week. So far, I've stayed healthy and negative. 
    • Classes resumed as I said mostly normal. Students were on campus, and they managed to finish the semester on campus. They went home for the holiday break last week. Naturally a concern may be if they bring the virus back in January, but I guess we will worry about that when we get there. So far, spring term is expected to be mostly normal, with masking protocols, so on. The higher ups say they are monitoring how Omicron develops, but unless something really major happens, I do not see us closing down and going back to fully online classes or such. We shall see how it goes. 
    • College is sort of talking now about better flexible/work from home option for some employees. I personally think this should have happened sooner, but no one asked me. Anyhow, there are some options that some employees can use now. This is not likely to affect me much, but I am happy for those who can arrange for a better work schedule. 
  • My work situation. Fall term was the first time I went back to teaching library instruction in the library along with the other instruction librarians. We still offer asynchronous information literacy modules to instructors who request them. A few professors use both options of in person library instruction and a module to reinforce. Overall, things went pretty well, and it was nice to get some semblance of normalcy in the Hard Times. We also resumed doing research consultations for students in person, but we did keep the option of doing consultations online via Zoom as well. Situation should be similar for the spring term 2022 (unless COVID causes changes, again, we shall see). 
  • Family. The Better Half has remained employed. She is still a fast food restaurant manager, and those people never really closed. She has been going in and working all throughout the pandemic without much of a pause. She is fully vaccinated (and planning to get her booster soon), wears her mask at work, but it can still be challenging. Her workplace did go down to drive-thru only, and by Thanksgiving this year they just returned to "full operations," which in this context means opening the lobby so people can also eat in the place, and the hours go back to late hours (they had reduced hours when the pandemic hit). However, they are not serving breakfast as they used to at this point in time. Overall, we remain grateful that we are still both gainfully employed and getting paid for the work. As for our daughter, she left the trading cards and collectibles store job. This was not COVID related; it was local store drama related that she figured it was best to depart before things got worse. Her manager boss was good, but he left, and once that happened, the drama increased to the point she walked out shortly after. She is exploring options, but we are confident she will get something new soon. She is also exploring some options to sell her art freelance, and in absolute need, the fast food place she worked in before has said various times they'd welcome her back with open arms. She will be OK, and in the meantime, she has our love, support, and a roof over her head. 
  • Travel. It was LOL last year, and it is still LOL this year. Other than short trips to do groceries or some minor retail, we have not done any leisure travel nor do we have any intention of doing so. Granted, travel restrictions have relaxed somewhat since last year, but we are just not willing to take the risk. In fact, when one of our relatives announced they were taking a cruise this month to the Caribbean, we cringed. If they are willing to take the risk, I just hope the Cosmic Joker casts favorable lots for them and that they enjoy their good time. That is definitely not something we are willing to do. 
    • While we will not have a formal vacation, we will have a bit of a staycation this month December. My last work day at the college is Tuesday, December 21, and I return to work for Spring term on January 4. The Better Half got some time during the week after Christmas. So we will be able to relax a bit at home, maybe do some small road trip to see something here or there nearby. 
    • I am also hoping while I am at home to get some good reading done. 
  • The year. 2021 remained a tense year much as 2020 was. Granted, there was no election, but the politics have still been tense and shitty. The current federal administration may be an improvement over the previous orange resident, but over time we are seeing that does not mean much. The pandemic is still a big focus of the news, and like last year, I try to limit my exposure to news. Also like this point last year, I can't wait for this damn year to end. 
    • The big terrible thing this month other than the pandemic was the big tornado in western Kentucky, part of a series of multiple tornadoes across various states. It was seriously devastating. Yes, a tornado in December. On a side note, maybe time to take things like climate change a bit more seriously.  
  • For me personally, as last year, reading and watching old television shows and movies has been a solace. Those who know me know I do not do movie theaters; I gave up on those long before the pandemic, and I have no intention of ever seeing foot in one. I have plenty to entertain me at home. My cartomancy studies have also been a source of solace and something to focus on. If you are interested and you follow me on Twitter, during the work week, I share my daily Tarot card draws there. I also continue blogging. I continue to do book reviews and a few other posts here at The Itinerant Librarian. I write cartomancy related content mainly over at Alchemical Thoughts including cartomancy deck interview spreads and other things.  The link to Alchemical Thoughts is on the right column of this blog. Last year I mentioned I might launch a new project, and I did. I now have a small  YouTube channel which I am hoping to use for cartomancy content and book content, like some small book reviews and book talks. I like the idea of having a video channel, but it has turned out to be a lot more work than I thought. It has also been a serious learning curve for me. That project remains very much a work in progress which I hope to expand in the new year. If you wish to check it out, here is the link
  • What I said last year about asshole COVIDIOTS "refusing to take precautions, wear a mask, etc." is still very applicable this year. Zero sympathy, and you can read the rest at the link above so I do not have to write it again. 
  • Academic conferences. The same from last year applies. I do what little professional development I can do online. I do not miss in person conferences, plus I save by not having the expenses of travel. 
  • Thanksgiving was the three of us at home this year, which was fine. Turns out we did the same menu of non-traditional food as last year: beef and cheese enchiladas and 7-layer bean dip. For dessert, we had the chocolate chip pie. A new second dessert was the pumpkin flavored cake with icing our daughter made from a friend's recipe which turned out very good. 
  • Christmas will also be the three of us at home this year. We did run a bit late putting up the Christmas tree this year; it got up on Wednesday, December 16. Work schedules meant little time with all of us at home to tidy up the place to do it, but we got it up. Feels a bit more like Christmas at home now. 
  • Finally, as I did last year, here is a list of things I am grateful for as we close 2021. 
    • We are all healthy at home (*knock on wood*) and so far no one has gotten COVID-19. Let us hope it stays that way. 
    • Do need to note that our elder cat, Isis, finally crossed the rainbow bridge this year. We loved her lots, and she was with us all the way from when we lived in Houston, Texas, which means she lived about 17 years. She was adopted from a shelter. Clio the second cat is still doing well. Towards end of last month, we finally decided to have a second cat again, and we now have a black kitten named Nyx. She is a stray the Better Half found by the fast food place. She is growing, thriving. We are grateful both for Isis having been in our lives and Nyx now. On a side note, we have not had a young cat in the house for a while during Christmas, i.e. the cats were fairly mellow about the Christmas tree. This year, Nyx is discovering the Christmas tree and the ornaments can be her personal toys, so now we are finding ornaments all over the apartment. Oh well, we are still happy and grateful she is here, and we'll do our best to keep the tree in one piece. 
    • So far, the Better Half and I remain employed. 
    • We have food on the table and a roof over the head. 
    • Through my cartomancy studies, I continue to meet new people in the community as well as learn more from those I have made acquaintance with over time.
    • Books and reading. Though reading may have slowed down, I am grateful I can still read for solace. I will be publishing my 2021 reading list and end of year report later this month or early next month. 
    • I am still grateful I do not need much, and that we are all together at home. 
Wherever you may be, I hope you are staying safe and as healthy as possible. I hope 2022 will be, if not better, at least a bit more bearable. If you read this far, feel free to comment within reason. Let me know your thoughts on 2021 and the pandemic or anything other in 2021. What are you grateful for? 
 
Stay safe. Paz y amor. 
 

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