Saturday, August 22nd, 2020
Yesterday I met EM’s friend who is also a boy and turns out to be the boyfriend. Hours later I was asked if I would approve EM spending the night. I swallowed a bit, spoke to the mum and okayed it. A big step. However, I figure – remembering my teenage years – being restrictive is not preventing anything. To me it is important that she is safe, knows what she is doing, how to protect herself and then enjoy the experience of a relationship; and all of it. I was just a little bit miffed when I spoke to the mother that apparently EM has been spending a lot of time at their house recently and I had no idea.
I have little sympathy though for her recent melt down about not having time to get her website done, finish the summer math and English homework and send her application to the Y to work as a lifeguard. Especially since yesterday was a day full of entertainment and today seems to be pretty much the same; seeing she came from J’s house to Aikido class so we could go to the pool, then we watched a movie while we ate, and instead of working on her stuff I caught her watching a show on her laptop. And now her friend K. is here, and the girls are sitting out in the garden chatting. All good, but do not whine about not having time!
It was so strange to be home alone. It has been the first time in 164 days for more than the two hours EM spends at work two or three days a week. Not that I made much use of it, seeing I did not find out about this alone time until 22:00 last night and then headed over to the park for practice early in the morning.
I am finally feeling as if I am making progress with the Jo and am beginning to appreciate its versatility. It may yet become my favorite weapon, which had so far been the Tanto, I guess because it comes to me easier as the moves are closer to the partner practice we mostly do in class when the Dojo is open.
The news is dominated by US elections in the aftermath of the DNC and the virus news reports more spreads, now among young people returning to universities. The reason of course is always the same, no social distancing, no masks. The results of the motorcycle rally in Sturgis earlier in the months are now also becoming evident as they have trace people who had the virus back to bars and patrons have taken the virus back to their communities causing hotspots there; 35 here, 50 there and so on. Total infections worldwide today have reached 23.1 million cases of which 5.8 million are in the USA. Out of globally 803k dead the USA accounts for over 180k.