Friday Five: Frank's Positive Outcomes to Covid-19

Hello Friday people! Today is an annual treat for me and you - every year, Frank writes a birthday guest blog for me (see 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013), and while so very many things are different this year, that is not one of them. We're still out here doing this. So much of the past five months has been taking a big pile of shit and molding it with our bare hands into something more visually appealing that smells much less. Frank is on that forward motion bright side train and I am here for it. 

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So, yeah....42 was....holy shit! I am sure that a lot of people feel just like I do about this past year especially the 2020 portion of it. I can honestly say that I have not skipped one single emotion and they have all been to the extreme of their limits. I have ugly cried, rage laughed, rage broken stuff, rage cleaned, rage purchased, rage...well you get the point. Each year I feel very blessed that Steph asks me to make a guest post on my birthday. Most years are easy to think of a fun topic or something insightful about my life. This year my hope is to bring a list full of positivity and optimism after quite a few months lacking in both. There has been a lot of loss and hardship for me, my family, and my Framily (stolen from Steph). Far too much to comprehend. Yet here I am on my 43rd birthday feeling like I have the world by the balls in spite of losing my career, a visit from Mrs. Rona that knocked my wife on her ass and threw our home into chaos, and the loss of some dear people in my life. So here are the 5 things that are positive outcomes to Covid-19.

1. My marriage is stronger than ever. The two weeks between March 20-April 5 were like a bad dream. I lost my job, my wife Amanda’s hospital floor was converted to a Covid-19 floor, and she caught the virus. I have only been that scared once and that was when my daughter was born. We managed through the first 14 days by Face Timing each other over meals, keeping me and Eva as separated as we could in a small home so we didn’t get it, and all the while throwing my daughter an amazing 6th birthday parade two days after Amanda being diagnosed and explaining to Eva that her school was closing and Daddy was going to be the new teacher. We managed to laugh and keep each other positive and now months removed the shared battle scars leave me knowing I have a marriage that can legitimately take on ANYTHING! Together we kick major ass and will continue to do so.

last photo a snippet of one from Evan Leslie Images 

2. Time with Eva. In the beginning she was my only reason to stay positive. When Amanda got sick it was just me and her for 14 days. I was her only friend, her teacher, and essentially a single parent. Those 14 days together was the largest amount of uninterrupted time we had together since she was born. I used to work a ton of hours and would only see her an hour a day and weekends. It was a huge adjustment for both of us and my stress level was way unhealthy. We quickly became partners in it. She stepped up big time to help me through everything and we have had so much god damn fun. My hope when faced with the challenge was that she would look back at this time as crazy but mostly as a wonderful time spent with her pop. Thank you Mrs. Rona for giving me this time with Eva. It may never happen on this level ever again and I will honestly cherish it.

3. I have the best village. It's no secret that I am a family man. I don’t view family strictly as blood. People like Steph are more family to me than most of my blood relatives. They say it takes a village and when we needed one, they stepped up for us. Looking at pictures and videos of Eva’s Birthday still overwhelms me. The love that was thrown at us that day, only two days after Amanda’s positive test, turned a disaster into one of the happiest events in my life. If anyone wants to know what it's like to have a village like mine take a look at that Facebook post.

4. Summer off. Hasn’t happened since 1995 and I am enjoying every second of it. I'm very tan and very mentally well!

5. New Career. I am happy to announce that I will be pursuing my Master's degree in Education at Rutgers Camden starting in August. I was devastated with how my company handled my exit when this pandemic hit. I was an original employee and was responsible for building the company from the ground up over the last 10 years. My success was my downfall. What a tough pill to swallow. To be thrown away so easily simply over not wanting to pay my salary that I worked so hard to EARN! My main responsibility at this company was to teach. I loved that part of my job. I really loved homeschooling Eva. While all the other parents were stressing I was wishing I could take their kids and teach them with Eva. So, after a lot of thought, guidance, and my wife saying, “You need to fucking do this. I don’t care if I have to work extra!” (See number 1.) I am so happy to be making this 180. I truly feel like I was meant to do this and the support and help I have already received is overwhelming. The comeback will definitely be greater than the setback!

I know this was long, but I have to take the opportunity to thank Steph for all of her love and support. We have been framily for a long time and as always Steph and Mike were there for us in unmeasurable ways all while going through terrible loss and stress themselves. We love you and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

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Thank you Frank for your guest blog every year. This year, fuck! I'm happy we weren't putting this out back in April when shit was much harder (although we are funny in our rage while also, like, raging) and am super pumped for what's ahead for you this year. Frank and Amanda and Eva are the first friends we saw in person aside from my sidewalk coffee with Michelle and it was such a relief - after all they'd been going through, to just see each other in person like you alright? Yeah. You alright? Yeah. Okay, let's sit on the beach and fucking breathe. Frank also neglected to mention that he raised over $1200 in three hours for Food4Staff during the height of the Covid crisis in NJ, feeding front line workers at hospitals. We are so fortunate to have friends like Frank for over 25 years and I feel even more fortunate to count Amanda as one of our people too. 

Happy weekend all!

Thursday Thoughts - where do we go from here now that all other children are growin' up and how do we spend our lives if there's no one to lend us a hand

1. Heading back to the shore early today after being in Philly since Monday. It's disorienting to come back here. Like all of my stuff is here, but I haven't seen it or used it in a month, so why do I even still have most of it, and what is a commute? I was in my office Tuesday for a dentist appointment and to take one for the team to mail some shit out to people since I was already going to be in there. 

2. Teeth are important and all but let's be real the real reason I was home this week was to get my motherfucking hair done and I feel less like Tom Hanks Castaway style and more amazing. Thanks Kristi! Also my salon felt as thoroughly safe as my dentist office. I’m happy to be a patient and customer at places that are top notch - Dr Yurovsky in Center City and Sensational Scissors in Penndel. 

3. I also used an oven for the first time since June 22-ish (baked cilantro lime chicken and broiled salmon) and had sushi for the first time in the same. I will be having sushi again when I return next week because MFD did the ordering and the picking up and this was much different and less than what I had in mind. And I went to Marshalls, which is the only store aside from little shops that I missed being able to access in person. I buy most of the shore house shit there, and since I've been limping along with some stuff this year I decided to pop in Monday. I got three things I needed, but they didn't have three things they would typically always have. It was pretty bare and it made me sad. Maybe someday. 

4. Dog photos - rarely requested, usually included. 

5. I have MFD's car again. He's had mine for a while, and now this fuckery. Something about sirius is overriding the entire car system. Phone, My Car, navigation, media, nothing works. It says this or channels updating. No way was I driving it back to the shore like this. He is taking it in tomorrow. Doesn't everyone have dog hair, dust, and sand illuminating their cars?

6. I do love a delivery. Who’s with me? I got my latest Harriett's Bookshop order via mail (the Zora Neale Hurston side eye tee, I die) AND hand delivery of a print from a local black artist (check out Black Genius Spells on IG) who will actually be in residence at Harriett's for a month. It was awesome talking to Jas and I can't wait to see her stuff in person at the shop. What you see here is a little freebie from a new piece, the actual print is in the poster roll, you'll see that after I get the basement room together the week of 8/9. 

7. MFD is running for office again and I haven't said anything about it. Consider this the notice. He got on the ballot as a write-in candidate. I am personally removed from this run. I support him, if you would like to know how you can support him I will direct you to the appropriate places and people, I will write letters for him, I believe regular people running is important, and I believe in a better way for us here in the Northeast, but I also believe in self preservation and my availability and accessibility on the last go round came at great personal cost with much tongue biting that took me too long to reconcile. We all have work to do in movements that will achieve ways of life that are important to us and my role is not the smiling, mostly silent role of the candidate's wife. I don't fit in that box. The dirty, greedy, manipulative, threatening, backhanded bullshit and intimidation tactics I saw when he ran in 2018 and when friends have ran since - from the opposing party but also from the Philadelphia and state democratic party players - is not for me. If he gets support from the party this time, great, maybe they have seen that the old ways cannot hold. If he doesn't, we can talk more about how even in a post George Floyd world upholding white supremacy and padding individual wallets is valued over human rights. I don't owe anyone silence. Black Lives Matter. Period. 

8. Read this today from John Lewis, given to the NYT to publish on the day he is laid to rest, which is today. What a man. 

8A. Because I can't put this in with John Lewis. Today trump suggested delaying elections in November. trump supporters, your idiot has torn the fabric of this nation to shreds and set it on fire in less than four years with the help of a do-nothing Senate, your constant excusing away and defending, and your vocal or silent support of his every hateful, calculated move which allows him to continue to push the envelope to authoritarian rule. In the land of the free, home of the brave? Say it isn't so! It is, and it's on you. You can shove your flag up your ass, because under this administration it stands for fascism. The supporters of the candidate against free and open elections are anti-American. Are you a supporter? If you were a supporter but don't support this, what are you going to do about it?

9. Reminder 

10. E-cards 

Now you go. 

The words following the hyphen are the song I am listening to when I start the Thursday Thoughts post. This week is Where Do We Go From Here? by The Alan Parsons Project

Hello from The In Between

That's what I've been calling where we are now.  The In Between. Still applicable: Life in the Time of Corona. Quarantine Diaries.

So The In Between, where we are certainly adrift. We're allegedly out of quarantine, but not really. Nothing is as it was before March. Not for me, anyway. You wouldn't know that in a lot of places. 

Over four months in, we have the people who have still not left their homes and judged others who have done anything. 

That’s not realistic.

We also have many who think they're the only ones doing it right, even if they're doing it like this: ANOTHER DULL QUARANTINE WEEKEND AT HOME, TARGET, CHIPOTLE, HOME DEPOT, AND OUR NIECE’S GRADUATION PARTY

That’s not realistic either.

I think most of us are doing the best we can, calculating risk and cautiously moving about in this world. There are some slip ups. There will be. This is the most realistic.

Some people are doing the worst they can,  sharing shit from a doctor that thinks demons cause illnesses and touting her as a Covid authority. Including your president and his son. 

We're at war over masks. Americans who are anti-mask (lol) seem to think this global pandemic is only happening in America. They say this is political, and planned. They cannot see the rest of the world, or they don't want to. 

We also have the mask police, who think anyone in their line of vision should have a mask on regardless of their proximity or lack thereof to other people. 

We're at war over school and expectations of teachers and students to be physically placed in situations the White House, federal and state governments, major league sports, and most companies will not place themselves, their employees, or their patrons in. I feel like constantly screaming. Yes, Karen, kids DO belong in school, and that's where they would be if there had been some sort of coordinated federal response on a level of other countries, but we are America and we bucked the system and kept having parties and refused to wear masks and here we are with a fucked up and uncertain fall looming. Thanks for that, everyone who has been kicking and screaming like toddlers. 

We think we're headed for another shut down over flu season. 

Some small businesses remain shuttered - I was in Liberty Place yesterday in Philly, and most food court restaurants are still closed, some it looks like for good - so this is still hitting the people at the lower end of the pay scale the hardest. Many people are still not back to full time or full earning potential. And the federal government has done nothing to prolong extra unemployment benefits or pivot or create jobs or fucking anything. People are still out of work with no prospects and it's not because of the goddamn Governors that are trying to keep people safe. We should have done literally everything differently in this country. Our government is failing us. The White House is a black hole. What has Congress been doing? People cannot afford to live and eat right now, and a lot of us are ignoring that so we can fight with each other online over wearing masks.

And of course people are still sick, recovering, dying, getting, spreading. We are years away from knowing the ins and outs of Covid.

We think 2020 is absolute shit but also we've learned some things and loved some things. 

Me personally? The last time I wrote about coronaland in depth was Things I Want to Remember on June 10, and if you type quarantine in the search box on the left if you're on a computer, you'll find more. I usually recall what I've written, but one of the side effects of this is not great recall. 

My brain is working better than it was. 

My mood has evened out. There's a lot less fight or flight happening. 

I've gained weight that I probably won't lose. 

I'm drinking less coffee than I was. 

I'm reading more. 

When I buy something, I'm trying to buy from a black person, black women in particular. 

I'm flexing work hours more. 

Still feeling lucky to have a job where I can work from home, and to do so for a company that's been extra great throughout. 

I'm so fucking furious at a lot of things in this country. The fury increases as we approach Election Day. Please make sure your voter registration is solid, and that you  have a plan to vote in person or via mail on Election Day. 

I'm in Philly until tomorrow, my first time since June 22 or 23. I had a dentist appointment yesterday and TODAY IS MY MOTHERFUCKING HAIR APPOINTMENT. My last one was February 26. To say I am looking forward to this is the understatement of the year.

But being in Philly itself is disorienting. 

I head back to the shore tomorrow until 8/8, when I'm back in Philly for a week with plans to whip this house into shape since I'll go back to the shore in mid-August and stay there for the fall. As of this week, my office is closed to in-person operations indefinitely - until the Governor lifts telecommuting recommendations which I don't think will happen this year. 

I've settled into a TWTW post on Monday and Thursday Thoughts on Thursday with a few other posts peppered in here or there. I always link to them in my Instagram profile and share them on FB as well. This is an extra for this week, and Frank will be here Friday to share his annual birthday blog post - his actual birthday is today. Happy birthday Fronk! 

I'm trying to appreciate the good that has come from this and just operate as best as I can. How are you doing? Really?

TWTW - the one that felt normal-ish

Friday I was up and moving by 6 for a dog walk/feed, picked up laundry at the wash & fold, got OPC and watched some surfing, and put out some work fires right away before settling into a groove. It was a busy day, Thursday was too...but I spent lunch scraping the last of the adhesive off the tile entry of our apartment. Debbie arrived after 7 and Bruce was so freaking excited he could not contain himself for a long time. Like, long. 

Saturday Started early when Bruce woke up at 5;30 and discovered Debbie was still there and could then not go back to sleep out of excitement. I did a little snack prep, then did turnover with help from Debbie at various points, and we hit the beach around 2:15 and lingered late, until after 7. It was a nice day! I started a new book and we devoured caprese when we got back. We did face masks and I painted my nails (Orly Trendy) and we watched Dirty Dancing. Close to a perfect day! MFD arrived late and woke me up trying to watch the TV at midnight. Rage rage rage

Sunday We all had coffee, I battled driveway sand, and then Debbie and I hit the beach at 9 and saw an awesome butterfly on the walk down. We meant to stay until 11:30 and wound up staying until after 4. Debbie got lunch from Farmstand for us, and MFD brought me a book because I finished mine and we rented an umbrella. Which does not have SPF like mine and my face got lit up. Debbie left around 6:30 and I was one with the couch, hiding the shame of my face burn from the world. 

Modest food prep: tuna for sandwiches, caesar salad, cut up veggies, limes for my water, onion dip, cut up cheese, the aforementioned caprese. On that summer food prep flow. 

I drove back to Philly this morning, I have the dentist tomorrow and a freaking hair appointment Wednesday! So I'm disoriented and feeling behind today. It was nice to see the old dogs. It's the longest we've been apart in quite a while. Maybe ever. 

Thursday Thoughts - as free as the wind and hopefully learning

1. A series of unfortunate events: Tuesday, lunchtime. I had been putting errands off because it's been too hot. I thought it was bearable and set out to do them by bike but alas, it was not. Sweating like mad. The sign I was picking up was so big I had to balance it on my handlebars. I have been wanting to get a Bungalow Bowl for months, but the one near me cut its hours due to Corona and the order times were always super long for pickup and I kept forgetting and not placing orders in enough time to stave off hanger. Tuesday was my lucky day, I chose an off hours time and ordered well ahead, everything was beautiful. I put my precious Here Comes the Sun bowl in my bike basket but due to the aforementioned sign I could not ride with my hand on it like I normally would so it bounced and spilled within seconds. Two blocks later I tied my bike to my porch, ran inside like my ass was on fire to corona wash my hands, ran back outside, scooped that shit back into the bowl, threw it in the freezer, and freaking ate it. Later I poured hot water and dish soap in my bike basket and called it a day.  Josie Grossy reporting for duty. Also. I freaking hit my head on my counter, saw stars, and had to lay down for a half hour in a dark room. It was all worth it. 

2. Did you like that one, with the fuckery? Yes? People always like stories when things go wrong because as long as it doesn't result in serious loss or injury, it's amusing. Let's do another. Yesterday I fed Bruce and Ben around 4 like normal. A half hour later, I was stepping to the left to grab a box cutter and my heel went in Bruce's ceramic bowl and started to slide swiftly on the vinyl floors, not nearly as gracefully as Dottie Hinson. I swear my life flashed before my eyes. I am sort of okay. Twenty years ago I would have been totally okay. 

3. Speaking of floors, every year since 2012 has been the year we were going to redo the floors in the Philly house. And never did. Something always came up. They got worse and worse, literally without varnish in most spots. This was going to be the year! Then coronavirus. WELL we finally got them done for a song this week, just took them back to natural wood. I am super pleased and can't wait to see them in person next week. The photos are not true before and afters because MFD is not a blogger. Sorry about it. 

Done! The dark spot is the dining room chandelier shadow.

The kitchen was mostly inaccessible during this project.

Kudos to MFD on managing his floor and shed projects up there this week - the shed project was also supposed to be done back in February in anticipation of his mom moving in but coronavirus and my mother-in-law passed away and here we are in July but in any case we have our shed situation sorted which we also mentioned doing soon when we moved in in...2009. The guys who did the floors? They came and took our old plastic sheds, so it was an awesome neighborhood connection for a great price and the spur of the moment job worked out well. Which is totally compliments in MFD's favor - I do not do well with "oh, can you have everything on your first floor moved out in less than 24 hours?" But he does and he did. 

4.  Mask Monday or Friday is one of my favorite WFH life things. No longer taking up weekend time on that shit. I can do my work with a mask on just as easy as without. I love this mask but it's the first time you're seeing it because I look like I have just assisted Dexter with a murder project but then I thought it's corona land, give the people something WTF to laugh at. It's good, I swear. Frightening but good.  

5. Wednesdays are on the rise for my favorite weekday day of the week because I've been flexing 10-6 work hours and going to the farmers market and taking care of some other biz. This week that was getting OPC, taking a long walk and checking out all the blooms, enjoying farm fresh eggs from my neighbors, cutting up fruit and replenishing my lemons/limes I go through like crazy, chilling with Natalie Merchant and incense like it was 1992, wiping down the bath, dropping cardboard at the recycle center and laundry at the wash & fold. It breaks up my week and I like the groove. I feel accomplished before I start work and that bleeds over into accomplishments during the day. 

6.  How to tell my niece has been around: my crystals and sea glass are out.

7. Have you heard of the people doubling down on all lives matter and blue lives matter and have no problem saying either but still can't say black lives matter? Keep going. 

8. I don't know why people do not understand why governors are requiring food sales and not just booze. Booze makes you looser, unable to see what six feet is, forgetful. Don't act like you don't fucking know that and make a hurrhurr the government is fucking crazy and we are smart like OMG so you don't get covid if you eat AND drink but you can get it if you only drink sure government you are killing America, God. Welp, someone is stupid, and you can probably look closer than further for that person. Come the fuck on, everyone. It does spread much easier standing shoulder to shoulder with people with no masks and you can't wear them when you're drinking. Don't be giving bars that are doing proper distancing and what they need to do food-sales wise to remain open a fucking bad name by acting a fool. Also Fearless Leader now says covid is bad and to wear masks so wear a fucking mask. Another also. If you wanted kids back in school and sports back in the fall you should have fucking listened in the spring and kept being careful through summer and worn a goddamn mask without endless bitching and not busted out like hyenas and maybe they'd be back in school safely for everyone. You should also vote for people who put people in charge of the Department of Ed that don't fucking defund schools. I am tired of people not connecting any of the dots. It's not that hard. We had to cancel fall girls weekend and I am fucking livid that everyone couldn't just buckle down at any point and this shit is just going to go on and on - here. In America. Because we cannot look around the world and take fucking notes on how to stop the spread. 

9. Reminder 

10. E-cards 

What's good?

The words following the hyphen are the song I am listening to when I start the Thursday Thoughts post. This week is More Than This by Roxy Music

She Seeks Seashells

I head to the beach after work. 

I bring a book, but I don't always read it.

I wear a bathing suit, or I don't. 

MFD is there too, fishing, or he's not.

I have a mesh bag to collect my treasures, and if I forget it, I use whatever else I have. 

I'm pleased when low tide approaches or arrives between the hours of five and nine.

I wander up and down the tide line, slowly.

Shell seeking.

One of my Gamma's favorite books was The Shell Seekers. 

I learned to be a shell seeker from her, and my mom, and my aunts. 

Seeking specific shells. 

The kind I like.

Every shell seeker has their favorites.

But also some smooth, lots of times translucent rocks worn so soft from tumbling in the ocean.

Who needs a rock tumbler? 

Use the Atlantic.

And sea glass, a major prize.

When I find a lot of pieces I put them all in my palm and take a picture to share with my niece. 

A blissfully blank mind.

Only the sound of waves, and laughing gulls, and snippets of conversations that don't concern me.

The light washes everything honey gold as the sun goes down. 

Alone.

Peace. 

Happy birthday to my friends Mr. Chris and Dawn today!

TWTW - the one of work and rest

Friday I saw MFD and the old dogs off early and did a 7-4 shift (I try to do 7-3 most Fridays I'm not on a deadline), then picked up laundry, got some necessities from the hardware store, and stayed up late finishing a book.  

Saturday Kim dropped off coffee for me before she headed out of town. It was so nice to spend time with her, Libby, and Steve last week, especially in the midst of this goddamn virus. I'm looking forward to seeing Debbie and Laura soon too. The guests leaving were great, they were literally a last minute booking as I had a cancellation on Wednesday and they booked that night. I love when things work out especially in the year of covid-19. I geared up in my cleaning clothes and did my thing - I've been doing projects or extra cleaning in the house around my cleaning crew coming because we lost so much of the spring so turnovers have been sweaty and exhausting. This week in addition to the normal shit I do with towels and bedding and attention to areas that need it, I cleaned out and reorganized the storage closet in the kitchen, swapped out the toaster and kitchen trash can, and swapped out the outdoor ottomans and cushions. I attempted to save the old outdoor ottomans but no dice. They're usable for my apartment but not guests. The outdoor cushions are a regular swap at certain points in the summer.  Anyway by the time I'm done turnovers this summer, I am like, fucking done. Especially when it is extremely hot like Saturday. I needed Gatorade, which I never drink. I got a shower, painted my nails and toes (OPI Lost My Bikini in Molokini and Significant Other Color on nails, Essie One Way For One on toes), and ordered dinner - enough food for Sunday too. 

At night I took a long walk with Bruce & Ben back by the bay - they are flower creepers too. It was Night in Venice weekend, which is jam packed and has huge catered parties all over. That was cancelled of course. I hope the businesses here can survive this year. 

Sunday Another humid AF day. I was at the beach from 9-11, and my hair was literally wet even though I did not go in the water. I enjoyed my coffee there, came home and lounged and read inside all the live long day (check out 28 Summers by Elin H) with no guilt for doing nothing or not going outside unless absolutely necessary. Around 8 I went up and got froyo for National Ice Cream Day (ish). Which is of course necessary.

It was my first weekend alone in quite a while, MFD usually comes back at some point but he's been busy with work so I'm solo for a while down here. How was your weekend? 

Thursday Thoughts - Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you

1. It’s me.

2. I was off yesterday, and aside from that I spent a few hours on the beach with my BFF and got Kohr Bros on the way home. It was great! I did not open my computer once all day, for any reason. I also did the farmers market and dropped laundry off, but those are not typically in the great category. 

3. I’ve arrived at my lazy summer meals quite early for me, and I blame this on quarantine overcooking. We’re on lunch meat and pasta salad with farmers market veggies. What are your easy summer meals? I got a freaking awesome basil plant at the Farmers Market, fruit & veg of course, delicious key lime pie, and tie dye masks. Caring about the health of others, but make it fashion. We also had the gas company out, as our guest smelled gas...and who comes before the gas company? The fire trucks with their sirens. No leaks, just the inefficient hot water heater. Better safe than sorry, especially in 2020, amiright? 

4. I wrote and shared this on Facebook and sharing here too. I’m tired. We cannot ignore things we all learned in school because we have been brainwashed by Cult 45 or Fox News. If you did not learn about the Bill of Rights in school and how it protects citizens and why government has no say in the right to assemble so they can’t okay it or cancel it like a fucking parade or concert associated with the city, please tell me your school district, location, and graduating year in the comments because I’m contacting them to inquire about their curriculum at the time you were in school. It's time for this to stop.

5. Kim and I were discussing my upcoming haircut yesterday. Less than 10 days, people! Anyway I was saying how I want to chop my hair but not until the fall and this came up as five years ago like my own memories were listening to me.

6. Dogs this week

7. After work shit this week. I am now the type of person who goes to the grocery store at 9 pm in her bathing suit. I just want to be clear about my lifestyle at this point. 

8. Other things I'm feeling this week. Looks like we have quite a long way to go on systemic racism, wondering how people feel being walled in this country with no ability to go elsewhere because of mishandling of this pandemic and toddler size tantrums from adults over wearing masks. Changing team names is good but where is the money? As Dorothy's lead in photo says, I'm tired. 

9. Reminder 

10. E-cards 

That's all I've got.  Aside from a belated blog happy birthday to Gena yesterday. 

The words following the hyphen are the song I am listening to when I start the Thursday Thoughts post. This week is Wonderwall by Oasis