Well, we’re having weather in Texas again this week. Not snow, but ice. But it’s winter, and that’s supposed to happen a time or two, so we just deal with it.
Here in the 21st century, we do have more faith in weather forecasting than when I was growing up in the previous century. On Monday morning, I got a call from the office of Karl’s doctor saying his appointment on Wednesday had been canceled because the office was closing on account of the weather.
That was timely as Karl called me right after that to say his flight out of San Francisco that evening had already been canceled, and it may be Wednesday before he could get a flight back to Dallas. Clearly, he would have plenty of time to call the doctor’s office and reschedule that appointment. Funny how things work out sometimes, isn’t it? It was like the Weather Gods were saying, “We’re going to inconvenience you, but here’s something to do while you wait.”
As it turned out, Karl got a flight back that arrived Tuesday night, so the most dangerous part of the trip was driving home from the airport with the roads covered in ice. But all’s well that ends well, as they say.
I’ve obviously hit the stage in life where the closing of medical offices has more direct bearing on my life than whether or not the schools are open. I didn’t have to reschedule any doctor’s appointments, but shifting lunches to next week and beyond got challenging because my lunch pals did. One of those things about getting older that no one ever tells you.
As for the schools, the Dallas Independent School District started shutting down on Monday, which I find completely disrespectful. Students and parents today get to skip out on the tension we experienced in my day when those decisions were made at the last possible moment.
We didn’t get to find out on Monday afternoon that schools would be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. No, we had to get up on Tuesday morning just in case they were going to be open, and do the same damned thing the next day. These young folks are pampered today, compared to the anxiety we got put through back in the “we don’t trust the weatherman” days.
Now, we’ve gotten through January, and I understand some folks did it without drinking. “Dry January,” they call it. I really don’t know what to make of this, but bully for those who do. It just strikes me that those who need to refrain from unhealthy drinking might go dry in a month that doesn’t begin when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve. Besides, January is one of the 31-day months, so just postpone to February, which is the shortest month. Baby steps, you know.
My “Dry January” is moving into February, not that I’m abstaining from alcohol, but I’m consciously limiting my consumption of news, particularly of the cable news variety. Basically, I need the answers to three questions on a daily basis. First, has anyone gotten around to indicting Trump? Did Biden fall down, figuratively or literally? And, finally, has George Santos resigned? If the answer to all three is “no,” then I’m pretty much done.
This leaves me more time to drift around the internet to find news that is amusing but doesn’t get much attention on the boob tube. Krysten Sinema dines with Kevin McCarthy—horrors! Mitch McConnell tells Rick Scott he’s off the Commerce Committee by text—the nerve! Marjorie Taylor Not-so-Greene stokes the culture war and spreads misinformation—who’d a thunk it?
Having gotten my fill of that, I can move on to even more fun things. Thanks to some piece of social media, I’m not sure which, I’ve been seeing snippets of Friends, which I never watched. But if an episode can be reduced to the one or two minutes that were really funny, I can do that.
I’ve also discovered that what lands in our Spam folders may be inappropriately disparaged. After all, I’ve won two smart TVs and a KitchenAid stand mixer just this week. Someone identified as “Massive Manhood” wants to make sure I get “Maximum Sexual Benefits” for Valentine’s Day. There are treatments on offer for ear ringing, foggy vision, knee and joint pain, arthritis and erectile dysfunction. This last one provided by “ED Fix,” who should probably solicit in concert with the aforementioned Mr. Manhood. After all, what good is one without the other?
Of course, these are scams, but it is irritating knowing how stupid they think we are. It is scary knowing that people fall for this malarkey. But how different is it really from the other Spam that floats in, but doesn’t get assigned to a folder?
