Finished grades!!! YAY. A "friend" on FB put up a picture of his cut up mask with a comment about freedom. That ain't freedom, dude. And it got him an un-follow from me. LOL. I haven't had a cold in over a year -- largely due, I'm sure, to staying away from other people, excessive hand washing, and mask wearing. I hope shaking hands never comes back; I hope people stay home when they are sick.

I was scheduled to get my first vaccine on March 31, but that was the day after Rosie died and I was at the pet crematory. (I cry as I write that.) I rescheduled for April 21 and was relieved because classes would be over the day before the second shot, in the event of a reaction. On May 12, I got the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, and on May 13, I was one of the unlucky who had severe side effects. I think I didn't understand until it happened to me. It wasn't like the flu at all, "it flattened me," which is how someone described it in a Google search I did. My arm was sore Wednesday night, much more than it was after the first shot, so I should have suspected. If I had known, I would have skipped the second dose. I was pretty vaccine hesitant, but got it due the social pressure. Not that anyone said anything to me, but in my community, getting the shot is the norm. At minimum I should not have scheduled it until after grades are done, because the deadline is tomorrow, and I am stretched to the limit. The mask mandate is being loosened -- but like in this New York Times story, I think I'll keep mine handy.

I have learned that another grant I wrote was funded! $21,250 for a tree inventory. I am a skilled grant writer, and I need to find a way to transition from how I make my bread now (as Mark Twain would say) to grant writing. To that end, on Friday I am going to a web conference for a Regenerate New York forestry grant.

 I thought this year would be a banner year for posting here -- maybe not compared to those years when I wrote 200 or 300 times, but way more than in recent years. Now I'm not sure. I just don't feel like writing journal entries since Rosie died. Plus my schedule hardly allows the time. :-(

Semester nearly over (May 11) and then it will be grading hell.

I'm pissed that Dr. Fauci (according to commentary that slipped into my awareness despite my embargo on all news) is acting like there is a good chance J&J will be fired up again, no problem, move along, nothing to see here. Why do public health people have no clue how to overcome vaccine hesitancy?

I had two extremely bonded dogs, Howie (1980-1995) & Penny (1983-1999). After Howie died, Penny was never quite the same. She had happy times certainly, but mostly she did not get over it. We adopted Rudy (1995-2005) as a puppy, and although he was a salve to me and they got along fine, especially after he grew up (he tortured Edna the cat worse when he was a wild puppy), it didn't snap her out of mourning. When she died, I found comfort in thinking that she and Howie were reunited.

Harry isn't having an easy time handling the loss of Rosie. I knew they were close, and that he followed her lead, but I didn't expect this much impact. I knew she was alpha, but I didn't realize how much that mattered to Harry and made him feel safe. I want to get another little Beagle (I miss Rosie so much...), which is hard right now to accomplish. I haven't adopted another cat, and Teddy died in February 2020; very odd for me. I know I have to be careful in choosing an appropriate companion for Harry, after the Penny experience.

 

Tuesday evening our little circus dog Rosie rocketed up through the heavens, taking with her the broken hearts of two humans and her canine companion. Rosie was about 17 years old, adopted as a "senior" in 2012. I'm not sure what she was doing for the first eight years of her life, how she became a stray, landed at a shelter or why no one claimed her, but their loss was our gain. For the past nine years she brought so much joy. How could a 25 pound, 13-inch Beagle leave such a spectacular hole in the ozone?

I suspected on her last "Gotcha Day" (February 27) that we very likely would not have her for Gotcha Day #10 in 2022. She was not sick until very recently, but she slowly, gracefully declined over the years, and in 2021, it was more noticeable. Bob carried her down and upstairs (she would still try to do it though, and sometimes would get impatient and beat him to it -- most recently, two weeks ago). She became increasingly finicky, although she still ate and had a good appetite almost until the end.

We went back to Sienna Sky and had her cremated yesterday. Hard, but less so than burial.  Now I am so anxious, can't sleep or eat much. She was always with me as I worked on my computer, in this third floor office. Her empty basket is behind me as I type this.

Harry is so sad. She was alpha.

The pandemic and various personal issues have prevented getting another cat since Teddy died last year, though we have done some light looking; I know we will get another dog (Harry can't be alone) but not sure when.

She was so cute and precious, good-natured, calm, quiet, independent, smart. A couple years after we had her, she revealed that she knew tricks - sit-up, both left and right paws and she entertained every morning with a full routine. She loved the outdoors, much more than Harry does.

 

I have neighbors two houses away who are unusual. They live in a row house identical to mine. When I was on the village board people complained about them endlessly. They moved into the village from a more rural setting. They seem to be junk collectors. They also have a huge number of kids, mostly tweens. The kids are noisy and play constantly on the street. They have several dogs that they walk numerous times per day past my house. The bedlam causes all dogs in the neighborhood, including mine, to bark. The tweens trail by with the dogs on leashes, bouncing a basketball, skateboarding, toting a boom box. They are not on phones or tablets; they play games like tag. It is refreshing and joyful, even if it is also distracting especially while working at home and admittedly, annoying. Yesterday when the stream of tweens and pitbulls and basketballs paraded by, the image of a Dr. Seuss illustration popped into my mind. I'm not a proponent of cancel culture, even though I have always hated Disney and as a child I disliked cartoons on television unless they featured a dog character. But I must add that the picture in my mind's eye was not one of his canceled drawings. "...all the Who girls and boys, would wake bright and early. They'd rush for their toys! And then! Oh, the noise! Oh, the Noise! Noise! Noise! Noise!"

 

 

A note about the prior post: when I shared similar sentiments on Facebook, many friends commented sympathetically -- as if I was mourning. I finally had to jump in and explain that I was not sad about it at all. Also, yesterday, I became eligible for the vaccine!

 

One year ago today was the last time I was on campus. I plan to stay away for as long as possible - in fact, if I can manage to stay remote, I would like to do it until I retire.

Here is a dilemma. A couple days ago I read this on Facebook: "Tips is in need of a home.....We are here to help, all others will be deleted and banned.....We adopted 16 yr old Tula 10 yrs ago. She is a beautiful tiger striped cat with a very calm and timid personality. We are moving to SC this summer and there is no way we can bring her.. I'm looking for her to be the only pet as she deserves special attention in her late years. She has early stage of kidney disease with no meds required right now. Her numbers actually improved from last May. We will miss her terribly if we find good home , but believe it's in her best interest."

It is from Steve Caporizzo pet connection, he is a weatherman for the local ABC affiliate and an animal advocate. His page occasionally spins out of control, with followers judging and harshly criticizing pet owners who are seeking to re-home a pet. Sometimes the object of condemnation asks for the post to be deleted and takes drastic action with the unwanted animal. (Taking it to shelter, euthanasia…or maybe dropping it along the road*, choking it to death*…) The post quoted above would be a classic example. Steve deletes and bans anyone who comments negatively, and puts up a scolding post when it happens. He believes such dialogue does not help the needy animal, and of course he is correct. I don't join in because I can't stand the drama and also respect the page host's wishes. I really, really appreciate moderators who reduce or eliminate animosity in comments and try to facilitate a kind community. However, I also believe behavior such as the above quoted text deserves to be called out as unacceptable, immoral, and abusive, rather than normalized or condoned with a shrug that all is relative.

So here's my dilemma. Not whether to join or start a slugfest (I wouldn't, and it would get me banned anyway) but whether to unfollow Steve? I hate to do that, as I might be able to help someday (and in 1995, I adopted Rudy - a MHHS puppy who was on Pet Connection), but reading such posts greatly upsets me. The subject isn't of the "just scroll by" variety. It hurts me to know that such people are out there. At least I can share this here! Well -- move to SC, lowlife. NY surely doesn't need you.

Unrelated, except in the appalling behavior category: The media continues to hound the governor. I believe it is because of his requirement for police to create a plan by April. That lobby has risen up and will do whatever they can to try to bring him down.

 *Kidding, sort of

 

 This month I am eligible to retire, because I will hit 59.5 years old next week. Ironically, I am being considered for promotion in academic rank- my first since at the campus. And tomorrow those 60 or over become eligible for the vaccine; will miss that by 6 months!

I am pissed that Texas and Mississippi have rolled back mask mandates. What aholes the governors
must be. I'm happy about J&J vaccine, alarmed by St. Louis & New Orleans dioceses advising against. I oppose abortion but mostly feel that battle was lost in 1972 and in a democracy toleration is important. I thought all vaccines were based to some degree on aborted material, even if the cell chains go back 50 years and the connection is remote. I guess the J&J connection is more direct? Does that matter? This is actually a serious philosophical, moral and ethical debate (but sadly the media is too stupid and agenda driven to seriously and sensitively explore it). Is outcome more important? Does science trump those concerns? Does public health and the good of society overall take precedence? I oppose animal experimentation. Were lab animals used in the development? How should I feel then? What about a hypothetical - say if the research was not based on aborted material, but derived from Nazi science or unwilling prisoners or people of color? Would it still be okay?

This is true: It is COLD and windy. I forgot...yesterday was GBP's 19th anniversary! And I didn't forget -- but didn't post here, Saturday was Rosie's ninth Gotcha Day.

 Today I got another sales call from the newspaper hawking a four-day per week subscription. I told the
sales rep what I have been saying ever time I am pitched, that I have not read a paper copy in a
decade and cancelled my digital subscription a couple months ago because I must maintain my peace
in this stressful time. I unfollowed news sites on facebook, cancelled subscriptions and don't watch TV
news any more. I wasn't rude, and didn't share that I think 99% of journalists are scum.

 I am so, so happy our trends are going in the right direction again. I ventured out and got a haircut! 

I've stopped following news sites on social media, but last night I was so upset by the 11 o'clock news (I wanted & needed to see the weather) -- I resolved that I am no longer going to watch any news on television. I am following the weatherman on social media and will find out the forecast that way. I cannot be exposed to the unethical, snarky, blowhard full if itself media. F each & every one of them.

Warning, this post will be vulgar. The New York Times makes me feel like puking. Latest example...A front page story dissing the health department. As an outsider, I see it on a daily basis because of the "new normal:" The staff works 24/7 to contribute to the fight against the pandemic, and that snarky elitist scum J**** et al play "gotcha." I've never been a fan of its self-absorbed urban hipness POV; I remember once during a grad school presentation that I gave on Gould's Mismeasure of Man (for a class I now teach), I described the book as having been panned by the popular press (ie, the NYT), the (spacey, snotty) instructor interrupted me, all offended, to say, "the liberal intellectual press" and I shot back, "hardly, it's written for eighth grade reading level!" Years later, they were exposed for shoddiness when articles were written in Brooklyn that alleged to be eyewitness reporting from Iraq--complete with photo-shopped images! So not only are they grade 8 but unethical too. Well - the NY Times was once used to wipe asses in outhouses, and it still is used to train puppies, shredded to fill cat litter boxes, and line birdcages. In other words, it's only good for absorbing piss and shit.

I am annoyed at our local media again. It pisses me off that they focus on minutia in the past, instead of having a present or future orientation. There will be plenty of time when this pandemic is in the rear view mirror to review, reflect and opine about what could have been done better, right now we need to laser focus on beating COVID-19. We don't need legislative hearings about which column on the spreadsheet deaths should be entered in.

Despicable people: Rich Couple Accused of Taking Vaccine Doses from Indigenous Elders.

 

 Just now I noticed a post on Facebook from Mohawk Hudson Humane Society that said Major, who is one of the new first dogs at the White House, is a rescue, adopted from a humane society in Delaware. Wow!! That makes me so happy, raises my esteem!

There is a narrative that people have been drinking more during the pandemic. Is it true, I wonder? I have hardly been drinking at all. I thought about why, and I guess because I would have a glass or wine or two in restaurants while having dinner. It was totally social, and now I am ordering GrubHub and not doing any socializing. I ordered a bottle of wine with dinner on New Year's Eve and didn't even open it!