I’m trying to hold onto that this-isn’t-what-I-planned-but-that’s-okay feeling I had the other day. Really really trying. But . . .
daaaaaammmn
The plan, the corrections, and how it all went to hell in a hand basket:
12/14
email from my brother
He and SIL will spend Christmas with her family in Cadiz, KY, Dec 23-26. Can we do our family Christmas 12/22 at my house after work? No because of crazy long commute. Fam Christmas is set for their house, lunchtime, Dec 30.
12/20
text from my brother
Want to visit aunt in northern KY 12/28? Sure. (I really don’t want so much social interaction/possible exposure, but aunt has cancer, stage 4, it spread to her liver, who knows how many visits she has left. I’ll test before we go, double mask. I don’t want to risk passing on anything to her.)
12/21
text from my brother
SIL’s dad has pneumonia and covid. So we’ll have our fam Christmas 12/24 and visit aunt 12/26.
12/24
We have Christmas. Well, 4/5 of us do. Mom has a cold. (When Mom has any illness her body decides the most efficient way to purge germs is diarrhea. So while a cold is no biggie, she can’t exactly participate.)
12/25
text from my brother
Mom is better. She ate with no issues. We’ll give her a couple of more days. Visit to northern KY back on for 12/28. My niece will come over 12/26 so she can help me put together my Christmas present.
12/27
text from my brother
Uncle in northern KY had possible exposure. Waiting on Covid test results. Visit maybe in February?
Meanwhile at work today there were only four staff (two FT, two PT) covering the circ desk plus everything else for nine hours. Which is doable as long as nothing weird happens. And weird shit always happens at a short-staffed public library. Tomorrow there will be five of us for eight hours, which still limits what non-circ duties we’ll have time for, but it’s much better. (Note: no staff are out for anything related to Covid. And I offered to go in today if needed, especially if anyone else called in.)
Plans change. Covid, especially the omicron variant, is insidious, even when you take precautions. But even the fully vaxxed and boostered, wearing their masks, seem to fail at the biggie: limiting exposure.
Please limit the social events you attend. Wear a mask when you have to be around people. Assume everyone has Covid cooties. Because frankly my calendar looks like a football locker room blackboard; you know, the one in the background in sport-themed commercials? With all of the Xs and Os and arrows and whatevers? Yeah, that’s the kind of mess I have going on and I’m tired of it.
Look at your local or state health department’s red zone recommendations. I’m sure they’re telling you the same thing I am.
Wear a mask (correctly)
Get vaccinated and get your booster when it’s time
And stay the fuck away from everybody else
Happy New Year
p.s. (Because I love postscripts.)
Remember. You aren’t just being coughed on by the guy standing too close at the checkout; you’re being coughed on by everyone who coughed on him.
Seriously, work out your possible exposure like those 80’s hiv charts. Include everyone you have to interact with (school, work, family). Then the people you choose to interact with (friends). Then everyone at events you attend, everyone you encounter shopping, etc. Yeah, it’s a hellalot of cooties. So maybe zoom book club and skip the movies out for awhile.
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