Last time I shaved was the day before the fire in Colorado. So, I guess I’m growing out a beard.

The girls are having a Jane Austen day and watching all the shows. I took the opportunity to knock some non-important stuff off my to-do list. I spent a couple hours cleaning all my fountain pens (some of which I’d unintentionally left shelved with ink) and sampled all my inks; as well as some other little items around the house.

We had snow last week and more snow coming the next two days (Sunday/Monday)

My spring semester starts on Tuesday. Here’s to hoping the Information: Representation, Processing, and Visualization class is as interesting as it sounds! Here’s also to hoping the professor understands we’re all working professionals and aren’t taking this one class as our full-time gig.

I saw this posted on Facebook and wanted to re-post it here because it resonates with me. I don’t really care to target this towards any person or group … it just reflects how I’ve felt towards some of the push back on COVID-19 vaccinations I’ve heard/read and is almost exactly how I feel about the most recent vaccine I’ve had in my life.

I’m fully vaccinated and have gotten my booster. No, I don’t know “what’s in it”. Neither this vaccine or the ones I had as a child. Nor do I know what’s in the 11 secret herbs and spices at KFC.

I also don’t know exactly what’s in Ibuprofen or any other painkiller– they just treat my headaches & my pains.

I don’t know what’s in tattoo ink, botox and fillers, or every ingredient in my soap, shampoo or deodorants. I don’t know the long term effect of mobile phone use, or whether or not that restaurant I just ate at REALLY used clean foods and washed their hands. There’s a lot of things I don’t know.

I do know one thing: life is short. Very short. And I, personally, still want to do things. I want to travel and hug people without fear, and find a little feeling of life “before”.

Throughout my life I’ve been vaccinated against many diseases: measles, mumps, rubella, polio, chickenpox, hepatitis, pneumonia, influenza, tetanus. We trusted the science, and never had to suffer through or transmit any of those said diseases.

I’m vaccinated. Not to please the government. Not to make other people do it. But I don’t want to:

* die from Covid-19
* clutter a hospital bed if I get sick
* not be able to hug my loved ones
* have to test routinely
* live my life in fear

I can’t say it any clearer.

This post has been day 47 of #100DaysToOffload