Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021
Today it felt like spring is just around the corner. The sun was shining, temperatures around 14C, no wind.
Of course, I know this is just an early sign and the weather will fool me once again, as it has every year since I have lived in the DMV area. A warm sunny March makes one think winter is over, just for it to come back again in April. Well this year I am prepared. I refuse to be fooled. I shall not go and buy herbs at American Plants and plant them in April, no, this year I shall diligently wait until May 2nd.
After another early start, courtesy of working on Africa time zone, I took a break around 13:00 for my swim – 46 minutes whoa -, than ran through my training script, finding it too long and repetitive, so I will need to revise and shorten it in the morrow, after which I met my French neighbor for a walk. One hour of additional exercise enjoying the warmth of the sun.
I have no idea how she puts up with my horrid attempts at speaking French, but she does. My tenses are all over the place and I clearly lack a diverse vocabulary.
EM and I are in good space. She has reverted to seeking my advice and we talk a lot. She really likes the IE Madrid program, but is still uncertain about life in Segovia, which would only be for a year, as the last three years are on their Madrid campus. I feel we may be getting closer to decision. She has also submitted her History IA and received feedback. The coming days she will need to incorporate it, which leaves only the math IA to be completed and then she is basically done with high school as MCPS has decided on the non-exam route. This has spurred her to look for a job to get out of the house and earn some fun money.
Today EM interviewed with the "Y" and she is reasonably confident they will make her an offer. If so, she would start there as a lifeguard in two weeks; once the paperwork has been completed.
I am immensely proud of the young adult I have raised. She is thoughtful and considerate, organized, and diligent. Based on last nights conversations I feel she has a head on her shoulders she uses to think. She is having conversations with the BF about him following her to Europe for a semester or an internship that EM’s dad may help secure. Good for her! I am still hoping though she will diversify. The young man sadly lacks the ability to reflect and fact check. He also has his life planned out – very narrow and stationary, not the global citizen I raised. I doubt she would be happy in that small life he has planned for himself with his parents. I do hope it is not jealousy speaking. I will just need to have confidence in her.
On the virus front the news is generally encouraging. In our county, where everyone is wearing a mask and is super careful, numbers are very good. For the USA overall, not so much. 63k new infections were recorded today and testing has decreased by 30%. The US total is at 29.4 million. Numbers are way down from the peak in January but have not been dropping for two weeks now. In light of this States like Texas, Iowa, Minnesota and Missippi fully reopening and dropping the mask mandate statewide seems insane. Cases plateau at levels higher than last summer with daily new infections reported about the same as China reported over the entire pandemic.
2000 Americans die every day. At the same time a vaccine will be available to everyone by the end of May now that Merck has agreed to produce the JNJ vaccine. Why can GOP governors not keep things shut and maintain mask mandates until the end of May? We have endured for a year, surely two more months are doable. These actions are not just a danger to those four States, but to all Americans. Medical personnel is exhausted and at their wits end at this stupidity.
The stupidity of the Catholic church is also not helping. Bishops are now advised to not take the JNJ shot because fetal cells are used in its production. These are typically from aborted fetuses.
While the US is grappling with containing the spread, Europeans are declining the AstraZenca shot, risking it all for so many. Millions of AstraZeneca shots are unused. They should allow anyone who would like a vaccine to register for AstraZenca, regardless of priority groups and those wanting a specific vaccine can just move to the end of the line. I am reasonably sure, there would be a significant uptake. The only result “shopping”for a vaccine has is to give the virus a head start.
It is mind blowing how openly racist and entirely undemocratic the USA actually is. The GoP’s reaction to election losses: making it harder for people to vote and they even admit this in front of SCOTUS. State legislators are set to pass hundreds of bills targeted at voter suppression.
This is not my country.