I'm not sure if I mentioned this in  my last post (I probably should have read it before posting this one, sorry!), but a close friend of mine has to test twice a week for Covid, so I figured it was safe to invite her over for Christmas.  It's also her birthday, so we celebrated that too.

Before she came out, I called my folks Christmas morning.  It's not the same as being there with them, but we talked about when I would be able to go up there.  Unfortunately, my dad believes a lot of what is on conservative television/websites and he has decided he doesn't want the vaccine, even though he's in the group that should have it.  I can only hope that enough people where they live get it and they reach herd immunity and he can be safe.  Maybe it was for the best that I decided against going to stay for Christmas?  Sometime after the inauguration is probably a better plan, pandemic or no pandemic!  I'm looking forward to it.  I haven't seen them in such a long time.  

Later in the day I made a roast with roasted potatoes ('cause, come on, you have to make roasted potatoes when you make a roast!) and a flourless chocolate cake for her birthday dessert and she brought amazing sides.  Mushrooms in a cream sauce with tomatoes and spinach, Mac and Cheese with peppers, Mashed Cheesy Buttery Cauliflower, and Roasted Broccoli.  Add that to the hummus and pita chips with chips / salsa, PLUS we had mimosas! ...... conservatively, I think I probably gained 10lbs from Christmas alone.  In my defense though, I didn't have breakfast or lunch and we ate all of that over the course of about 8 hours. Yikes! For the first time in a few years, I guess I'm going to be like the rest of the bloated, overfed Western World and back on an eating program January 2nd.  Nothing crazy though!  

We watched Wonder Woman 1984.  It was okay.  I think I probably would have liked it better on the big screen.  You don't notice as many things when you aren't looking at everything at once.  Does that make sense?  The acting was great, but to be honest, I expected a bigger part for Cheetah. Plus I figured she was going to be scary or at least kinda vicious.  I think I also thought it would be more 80's.  Or at least more accurate 80's.  They made the criminals at the start of the movie kind of dumb.  I don't think folks were  that stupid back then, at least not from what I remember. It also needed to either have more stuff explained or edited out entirely.  Maybe they'll come up with a better edit when they do the DVD?  A director's cut or something?  It wasn't a waste of time or anything..... just kind of "meh".

Later, after Wonder Woman, we scrolled through Disney Plus and watched some fun stuff (Forky Asks a Question).  I saw they had a bunch of superhero movies.  If you can believe it, I haven't seen any of the Marvel movies, apart from the first Iron Man, so after I finish up watching all of the episodes of The Office (it leaves Netflix on 12/31), my friend is having me watch ALL of the Marvel movies.  Jeez, there are 20 of them!  I re-watched Iron Man already, so 19 to go.  Yikes.  Disney Plus has a playlist that helps with what order to watch them in.  So far, everyone I've talked to about it has told me that Captain America: Winter Soldier and Thor: Rangorok (sp?) are the best two out of all 20.  I asked her if I needed to watch Iron Man 2 and she said no, except that it's the movie that introduces Black Widow, so I may want to watch it for that. I tried watching it once before and kinda never finished. Ah well, I guess now's as good as any to watch them, it's not like there's much else to do.  I certainly don't want to do chores or take down my tree just yet.

Work tomorrow.  BAH!  Lot's of last minute year-end stuff.  I've got three client meetings/calls scheduled all fairly close together, which I usually avoid, but they gave me no choice.  I hope they don't run long.  I also have a wild card client I was supposed to talk to this afternoon at 3pm (when I'm usually logging-off for the day), but they didn't answer their phone at 3pm or 3:30pm, so I left a message for them to call me at the office in the morning.  Fingers-crossed everyone calls me as planned and we can get their stuff taken care of.  I don't want to push anything back closer to the 31st, it's too stressful.   

Well, I think I want to stop looking at a computer.....

Be safe out there folks!

Well, Thanksgiving went well.  Quiet around the house, which was nice.  I'm used to not doing anything on that day since I always work the next day and this year was no different.  I got the usual invitations to go to small gatherings at friends' houses, but I stayed home.  I thought is was weird that folks were still inviting me over during this pandemic, but it was nice.

This morning I had to call my parents and break the news that I wont be able to visit for Christmas.  They took it better than I thought they would.  I know it's the right thing to do, but I'm still sad.  This is the first Christmas in my life I won't be spending with them, and who knows how many they have left?  I hope they have a lot of Christmases ahead of them, but what if they don't?  If I could make the drive up there, I would still have gone.  My bubble is small and (knock wood) I don't have the virus and no one in my bubble has had it either.  My original plan was to start working from home mid-December, get tested, then isolate for a few days, rent an SUV at LAX and make the drive, return the car to the airport closest to my parents' house and then rent an SUV to drive home, work from home, get tested and then go back to "normal".  My dad was adamant that he didn't want me driving through the mountains in the snow and ice, so that plan was rejected.  

We decided I would (if allowed) go and celebrate the holiday in late January/early February, once the lockdown is lifted and the vaccine has been administered to older people, as well as the front line workers.  Being that they are both in their 70's and both have some health issues, I'm hoping my parents will get theirs sooner rather than later (both doses).  The population size where they live is nowhere near what it is here in Los Angeles, so I hope that works in their favor as far as availability goes.  I'm guessing that my demographic won't be in line to get anything until July or August at the earliest.

When I was breaking the news to them, my dad (a proud  GOP supporter), who never really talks to me about politics, other than a few jibes here and there that I ignore, went on about how **IF** Joe Biden wins the election, we are going to lose all our rights and how this is all the democrats fault and how much he hates Governor Newsome (and my mom hates their governor).  I'm thinking "They just told me that it's probably safer to put it off and now it's about politics?  and BTW, what do you mean **IF**?  Biden DID win the election, over a month ago!"  I didn't say anything, but I wanted to, LOL.

I guess a doctor they know told them or one of their friends that it's not as bad as the news says and not to believe what they see, then in the next sentence they told me how two hospitals are out of beds.  What?!??  I told them about a client of ours who is in their mid-80's with cancer was discharged from a local hospital, but then started having issues 2 hours later, so they called 911, the ambulance took him back to the hospital he was just discharged from and they couldn't take him because they were out of beds.  He had to go two cities over to a different hospital!  

I was told a couple of days ago that the asshole who lives downstairs that has been having all the barbecues and parties with no face masks or social distancing throughout the pandemic contracted Covid.  I told the guy who told me that it may make me terrible person, but I don't feel bad for him one tiny bit.  He hasn't taken this seriously and he put people at risk, including himself.  I guess he's okay now and I doubt he learned his lesson, 'cause like I said, he's an asshole.

I'll keep wearing my mask and being safe.  Hopefully, that will be good enough.  

I'm sad.