And home again

 It was....an okay break. I think a lot of us are still dealing with unresolved issues/trauma from the pandemic; my brother and I rubbed each other the wrong way a bit, my niece was clingy and loud at times (why,  why, did the other relatives they visited give her a cheap plastic recorder when she doesn't even know how to play). The dog has gotten stubborn (if he didn't want to "leave it" when he was smelling something on a walk, he could not be budged). 

I didn't get much of anything done. Granted, I had a sinus headache for several days (hello dog allergy, and I guess that rules out a dog as a possible companion). 

I did do a couple things:

- Read over the proofs for the paper I had accepted over the summer, so I guess that's going to be a real thing

- Helped my mom put out the outdoor Christmas lights

- Picked up the two items that Jo left me from the attorney's office (pictures will be later; I'm tired). 

- Got my booster. Yeah, Jewel's pharmacy had no issues with boostering an out-of-stater who was technically below the age cutoff (though I guess that actually changed the day before I got the booster). I wound up with a fever and hives from it, so if future boosters become necessary*, I will have to plan on a day or two of not-feeling-very-good and maybe even have to take a sick day. (Honestly they should just normalize that, since this is a public health thing done PARTLY for the good of the larger society)

I did knit a bit on the pioneer-braid scarf. It's ugly, I don't know. I will finish it but I'm not sure I like it. I also knit some on the Oma's Sokken, which are much nicer and should be finished soon. 

(*and yeah, I am BADLY concerned about omicron; I presume the best-case scenario is going to be that vaccine-escape is not very bad, and we'll be able to have boosters maybe by (sigh) March or April. I'm not cancelling my Christmas travel plans yet but that's on the table in case it absolutely explodes here and travel seems unsafe. I hate this so much; I feel like I held up my side of the bargain in this (stayed home for like nine months, was careful otherwise, wore a mask everywhere, got vaccinated) but nothing is ever getting better, and every time I feel a tiny hope things are turning around, another bad variant shows up. I'm going to have to find someone to SERIOUSLY discuss (a) do I want to keep teaching if the rest of my career is going to be like teaching last year was - in a mask, "broadcasting" lectures online which is a SORRY way to teach online, but I can't - for my mental health - go to fully online teaching, which takes a different skill set to do well and (b) if I DO quit early, can I either survive on what retirement benefits I would get (I could retire with full benefits in 2029) or what other thing I could do to earn my bread (and get health insurance, that would be an issue too)

Maybe we'll get lucky? Maybe it'll be high transmission but low severity, and everyone will get it, and it'll be like a cold, but it'll burn through the population without much death? Or maybe it'll turn out that being triply vaccinated and somewhat careful is enough? I'm not sure I want to lock fully down again; I barely made it through 2020, and I can tell my mental health still isn't right.)

All of that said? I figure right now is the safest I'm going to be for a while - so next Saturday, after I've finished with the grading I have this week, and got my final exams fixed up, I am going to FINALLY go back to the yarn shop in Whitesboro (after nearly 2 years away from it!) and shop. I got a $250 "Christmas bonus" from work and after thinking about donating it somewhere (I am doing okay; my brother and I shared in the inheritance Jo left my mom - she felt it was the right thing to do, as we had helped her and been her friend as well) I decided to be selfish and use it on myself.

Not that I need more yarn (though I might buy books and some new needles and tools instead) but I need to GO there and have some new and different experiences - especially if, come January, we're not going to be able to go out much if there's another wave. 

I also need to figure out some additional gift for my mom. She doesn't knit much these days but still - maybe if they have a nice kit, she might like that? Or maybe I look around a little more. The other option, but I better jump on that fast, would be to order "fancy food" from one of the fancy food places to have sent to her

Anyway, here's hoping in coming days the news is less alarming and that it still seems like an okay idea to go see my mom for Christmas this year.

The trip back was  not so great. I was in an older sleeper car, and it was right behind the engine, and apparently the air intake (for the vaunted "increased airflow to prevent COVID transmission) got a lot of the diesel exhaust, and I could smell it all evening, and I wound up with a migraine as a result. I finally found a tube of rose-scented hand cream and smeared some under my nose (like CSI people do with Vicks Vapo-rub when it's a bad scene) to block the smell, but I was pretty miserable and turned out the light and laid down about 8:30. Didn't get a LOT of sleep but at least enough to drive back home safely. 

It's still the "airline food style" flex meals; I am guessing that's going to be for a while yet, especially with the new variant.