And I'll breathe the dust of cosmos and wild rosebud

[sovay]

Today is my father's birthday. There have been years when I did not celebrate it with him, but I was in grad school at the time, or in different countries. I've called him and sent e-mail. I should have put a card in the mail last week, but I had not yet adjusted to the new timing.

I would hate to be confined to my apartment and immediate environs for eighteen months. I would hate to be without museums and rehearsals and trips to D.C. to see my godchild. I would hate to be in these levels of pain. I have lost so many years out of my life already, I feel most of the time as though the majority of my life has been a waste of waking up; it would hurt very much to add to that. I would rather lose as much time as it takes to make sure of a vaccine and treatments that are not wishful thinking or snake oil than pretend it's safe when it's not. I appreciate my governor being one of the people who don't want to jump the gun. I still wish I'd been able to replace him with an ethical artichoke in 2018, but he might be working his way up to, as phi aptly identified, a turnip with common sense.

Today's installment of the New Decameron is Lila Garrott's "The Prudent Traveller's Guide to Venice (Excerpted), 1872," which I adore. It's so beautifully worked out and so matter-of-fact about how it reveals it.

Comments

[cynthia1960]

Hey, a turnip with common sense is a step up and certainly an improvement on the talking pile of poo in the WH.

[gwynnega]

Happy birthday to your father!

I'm hoping that with added measures like massive testing and contact tracing, it may be possible to (at least) have periods of time when it's relatively safe to go out, until there's a vaccine and treatments. Meanwhile, I'm glad your governor is displaying good sense.

[asakiyume]

I do believe things will improve even before the vaccine--I certainly hope so. Happy Birthday, Sovay's Dad!
A commonsensical turnip is a good evolution!

[julian]

Thank you, yes indeed. I have wasted enough time, and yet, the time that is happening now will not be a waste, just effing *frustrating*.

(I applaud turnips of this kind.)

[pameladean]

Happy birthday to your father! I feel for people whose birthdays occur during this mess. Mine was just before, and I don't know what things will be like next year for the next one.

I've been having similar thoughts to yours, although I think my space is less constrained and I have only intermittent chronic pain of a minor variety. But the depth of time in which so many necessary, desperately needed or desperately wanted things cannot happen, is daunting. I hope they will find a good anti-viral. I would feel so much better if we had a real federal government and not a sabotaging arbitrary mass of nonsense.

It's cheering that governors on both coasts are banding together to do sensible things. It's just all so slow.

P.

[choco_frosh]

Happy birthday, your father! And thank him again for me.

[thisbluespirit]

*sends virtual hugs*

[cmcmck]

I have a new great nephew as you know but I don't know when I'll get to see him. :o(