The Week Before Christmas and All Through the House

...it looks like a chaos bomb went off.

I've barely made a dent in the unpacking, I can't find my address book to save my life, and my mind's so frazzled I've had to reset most of my internet passwords.

Well, the passwords needed to changed anyway. A lot of them were pretty old.

So my house is filled with moving boxes instead of wrapped boxes, and the living room looks more like a warehouse depot than the pretty picture above. It's okay. The important thing is all the COVID-19 precautions we've been taking means we're together and healthy this holiday season. For that, I thank all the gods.

Also, Genius Kid will be arriving sometime this weekend. He's being super careful--to the point he refuses to stop and spend the night in Memphis which is the halfway point. "I'm not taking the chance of bringing COVID home to you and Dad by staying in a hotel."

If you see people sleeping in their cars at rest stops along the freeways, that's what their trying to do. Keep their family safe.

Pfizer's vaccine was rolled out this week, but we have a long way to go before the pandemic is over. A Sgt. Esterhaus always said, "Let's be careful out there."

Stuck at Home

First of all, a shout out to some unsung heroes who aren't getting any kudos in the coronavirus epidemic--the folks that work in the utilities fields. Do you have natural gas, electricity, and/or water in your house? What about phone service whether it be cell or landline? That's because these people are still going to work and doing their jobs. So a big thank you to these workers!

I don't think I had that much of a social life until I started rescheduling or postponing some activities. And I'm sitting here right now, questioning whether I should cancel my dentist appointment next week.

Also, Carrie Vaughn's latest book, The Immortal Conquistador, dropped last Friday for those looking for an awesome read. It's the latest in her Kitty Norville series.

If you're sitting at home fretting about finding good information online, I suggest reading Bob Mayer's blog. Bob is ex-Special Forces and a longtime writer. His Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide is a start if you weren't ready for a long stay at home. There's a lot of scams out there right now, but in Bob, I trust.

Finally, I blew off writing yesterday after the twelve hours of will-we/won't-we have voting in Ohio. It wasn't just the Democratic primary on the ballot. There were several school levys. With school cancelled in the entire state until April (for now), I'm keeping my fingers crossed that our local district can reopen its doors once it's safe to do so without the operating levy it desperately needs.

I contacted friends and talked with writing colleagues for a good chunk of the day. I did get a little bit of editing done, but I really need to buckle down on the current wip.

In the immortal words of Sergeant Esterhaus from Hill Street Blues, "Let's be careful out there."