Sad, Sad Moment at the Oscars

This made me cry angry tears last night. So many of DH's work colleagues used to live in Kyiv.

A Reminder

Since I've been getting messages:

- No, Death in Double Mocha has not been published yet.

- No, Kickstarter rewards for the Death, Tiger Sharks, and Oakfield Parents Association levels have not been mailed yet.

- No, Invasion! has not been published yet.

I'm still dealing with paperwork from my mother's estate. People do not realize how much documentation is generated when someone dies in the United States. My brother, who's the estate administrator, was shocked when I told him it would probably take six months to deal with everything, and our mother didn't have a whole lot to begin with.

The universe tossed one last grenade on the flaming pile of poo that was 2022 when GK's car was stolen on Christmas morning. Again, there's a crap-ton of paperwork involved, even though the San Antonio PD recovered his car.

I keep telling myself, at least I'm not in Ukraine right now.  But I totally understand the Ukraine soldier's response to the Russian demand for surrender.

2022 can go fuck itself, too. I won't surrender either!

A Rough Week

This week has been insane on so many levels.

- Russia's invasion of Ukraine has turned into a war of attrition.
- We haven't heard anything from GK for two weeks. So either the shit's hitting the fan at the Pentagon, or GK's social life is picking up. I pray it's the latter.
- The stacked Supreme Court is making its first play to turn minorities into non-citizens.
- DH's dad has been officially moved to hospice care.
- Bella was sick all day Wednesday, to the point I almost took her to the doggie ER.
- I'm behind on proofing several things.
- I'm behind on finishing A Measure of Knowledge.
- I'm still working on getting Kickstarter rewards ready for the mail.
- DH asked me to go with him and his oldest sister to the attorney's office next week to make sure they've asked all the right questions about handling the FIL's estate.
- Spring allergies have been a killer, so the constant headaches haven't helped.
- The tornado that developed from last Tuesday's t-storms didn't touch down in the county, but there was a lot of straight-line wind damage on the west side.
- DH was on the way to the stadium for the girls' lacrosse game when the tornado sirens went off. Yep, the high school is on the west side of town.
- Installing the cabinets in the primary bathroom will be delayed again with the pile of work DH and I need to take care of this weekend.

So, yes, there's definitely a reason I was exhasted when I woke up this afternoon. I also begged him not to plan anything for Mother's Day, which bless him, he didn't. But I might ask him to pick up brunch, so I can finish A Measure of Knowledge.

I hope you had a much more relaxing week!

Plague, War, Taxes, and Snow

Coronavirus Pandemic Day 769
Known COVID-19 cases in the U.S. - 80,612,681
Known COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. - 988,558

This will be my last COVID-19 numbers update. A large amount of local and state government health and welfare departments have stopped reporting. The official number above are no longer accurate. And all this is being dropped as Omicron-b is wending it's way through the nation. I need to ask my own general practitioner about another booster when I go in for my quarterly checkup in June.

In the meantime, the invasion of Ukraine continues. Atrocities rise, and President Zelensky pleads for help from an uncaring world.

Today is Tax Day in the U.S., but the government is being incredibly slow in processing returns, even if you got yours in early and are due a refund. I don't mind paying taxes because I like good roads and good schools, but no one in Washington can pull their heads out of their asses long enough to compromise a tiny bit in order to get things accomplished. *sigh*

And then, I woke up to the picture above. The early spring flowers bloomed like crazy last week. These two little daffodils had some protection from the eaves, but the rest are frozen and drooping on all sides of the house. It's supposed to be sunny and dry tomorrow and Wednesday, so I'll try to get the rest of the pruning and trimming done.

I don't know about the rest of you, but as much as I like sipping coffee while watching the snow fall, I'm ready for some shorts weather!

Coronavirus Pandemic Day 741/Ukraine Invasion Day 26 - Travel? What Travel?

Known COVID-19 cases in the U.S. - 79,728,165
Known COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. - 971,087

Over the weekend, I've had more than one friend ask if I was going to any writer conferences in 2022. I've politely said, "I doubt it. I don't feel comfortable traveling yet."

What I really want to say is, "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

I literally cannot afford to get COVID-19 regardless of the variant. When I say I'm immuno-compromised, it means the  common cold lays me out for two weeks. The flu? Last time I had it, I was sick from complications from January to May. After using the toilet, I had to lay down on the bathroom floor to rest for 15 minutes before I could crawl back to my bed or the couch.

Believe me, I wish I were joking about the last part. But it's still better than getting blown up for going to a hospital to deliver my baby like in Ukraine right now.

Maybe I'm paranoid. Maybe I'm not. But I'm definitely not the only Gen-Xer making jokes about hiding under our school desks in case the nukes start dropping. We live roughly equidistant from five major U.S. cities. And that doesn't include the fallout from Chicago blowing our way. Our town is fucked if the current war goes nuclear.

The old fear is back. As I explained to GK the other night, I never wanted him or my grandchildren to feel the shadow DH and I experienced when we were growing up. In some ways, now it's worse because we're dealing with batcrap crazy people. Or person. Oh, let's name names. Vlad Putin is knucking futs!

So between the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and Vlad's finger hovering over a big red button, I'm not going anywhere for a while. I'm going to hide out at home like I've done for the last two years.

Because if I'm going to die, I want to be with my loved ones when I do.

Why Are We Repeating the 20th Century?

It's been a rough week on both the home front and in the world.

The FIL is in the hospital with a broken hip. Putin is ordering hospitals and theaters blown up. Omicron is sweeping through Asia.

And I'm trying to write the second book in what is supposed to be a lighthearted fantasy series.

I've been doing my best to stay off the news cycle, but it's hard to avoid everything. Family and friends have been calling and texting in their efforts to distract themselves. Last night, my sprinting partner and I ended up talking publishing industry gossip because both of us were worn out from our week.

And I can't help but wonder about the adage, "Those that forget history are doomed to repeat it."

My grandparents were all born in the '10's and '20's of last century. My oldest grandparent remembered the Spanish Flu and WWI. They all lived through the Great Depression, and it severely affected their views on money and food.

And they were all adults, married with children, when WWII broke out.

The other night, DH and I had to explain the nuclear war drills when we were in grade school. At GK's birth, I thought he wouldn't have to worry about that shit.

Boy, was I wrong!

I find myself watching repeats of  Friends. The '90's seem to be the one relatively stable time in my life. Which means only two of my grandparents ever saw any stability in their entire lives. Except the '90's was when their health really went downhill. They both passed in the next decade. So maybe their view may be a lot different than mine.

If you feel the need to do something to help Ukaine (and I don't mean harassing refugees by proselytizing them), may I suggest World Central Kitchen?

World Central Kitchen #Chefs for Ukraine - https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine

A Weird Week

DH and I are watching the news on the Ukraine invasion because one of his company's offices is/was in Kyiv. As I said on Monday, several co-workers are trying to get their families to Poland.

DH already volunteered to sponsor and host a family. We have two spare bedrooms. I'd planned to use one for my OOAK dolls. So I haven't unpacked any more of my material, thread, and Barbies and Jem dolls in desperate need of a makeover.

We figured out what needs to be removed, and we'll borrow the spare full-sized bed from my father-in-law's Victorian, so there will be two beds in the sewing room for extra kidlets.

Surprisingly, I've managed to get quite a bit done as far as writing and publishing goes despite being a news junkie.

The last thing I need to do for my upcoming Kickstarter is my introductory video. I hate being photographed or filmed, but this is a necessity. And first, I need to dye my hair blue. Electric blue.

I love being a blue-haired grandma!

Coronavirus Pandemic Day 720 - How to Make the World a Worse Place

Known COVID-19 cases in the U.S. - 78,931,739
Known COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. - 948,215

The world is still in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic when Vladamir Putin, the president of Russia and wannabe creator of the new Soviet Union, decided to invade Ukraine a week ago.

He couldn't even come up with a good reason. Instead, he came up with the lamest excuses/lies on the face of the planet.

DH's employer has an office in Kyiv. In a status meeting on Friday, my husband volunteered our house for any refugee co-workers and their families.

Right now, we know several families are headed for the Polish border. Some have decided to stay and fight. And they've lost contact with one person who lives in one of the heavily shelled suburbs of Kyiv.

So this week, I may not get much writing done. I'll be on the phone with my representatives in D.C. to see what we need to do to get visas for the children and get them out of the war zone.

If you can help, and I don't mean thoughts and prayers, call your congresspeople and the White House about extending emergency refugee visas to the people of Ukraine.

If you don't know who your congressperson is, you can find them here. Senators can be found here. And for the White House, here's their contact information.