Seasonal Encroachment Disorder

Not that it’s creeping closer day by day, but there’s a mutant strain of COVID in England and while countries in Europe are shutting down air, ferry, and Chunnel traffic to and from that country, we’re doing … nothing?

Oh, and a good friend, a member of my Tucson book club, just tested positive in spite of taking the same precautions Donna and I have been taking. She’s asymptomatic and with luck will stay that way, and of course we’re all checking in with her on the regular.

Chin up, though. Maybe once all the GOP #fuckers who used their prominent positions in government and the media to pooh-pooh masks and quarantines have finished cutting in line, Donna and I can take our place behind those who truly need the COVID vaccine and eventually get it ourselves. February? March?

So far we’ve put up no decorations, if you don’t count the lighted dachshunds in the breezeway. Oh, we’ve done our gift shopping and mailing, and I might even wrap some presents today, but as for trees and wreaths and lights and such, we’re sadly deficient. But we’ll see … last night Donna invited our bubble friend Mary Anne over for clam chowder on Christmas Eve (here I thought I’d get away with not making it this year) and today she asked me to back the truck out of the garage so she can get to the bins of Christmas stuff. I may hang a few lights yet.

I guess I’m in charge of setting up our neighborhood’s annual general meeting. I thought about holding it outdoors in the circle at the end of our cul-de-sac and bounced the idea off other HOA board members, who liked it, but have since come to realize our anti-mask contingent poses too great a threat to the rest of us, so we’ll have to do it via Zoom. I wonder what the participation level will be and if it’ll be enough for a quorum. Well, that’s January’s bridge to cross. Gotta get through the holidays first.

This isn’t meant to be a hot take or anything, but does anyone else see Disney’s “The Mandalorian” as a cynical money grab, recycling greatest-hits scenes and characters from the original “Star Wars” movie? I’m surprised there’s no laugh track. Lazy stuff IMO, bound to get worse in future seasons. Boba Fett my ass. Who ever gave a shit about that jerk in the first place? Lord help us if Disney gets the rights to “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and decides to reboot the series.

Clearly I’m out of sync with the holiday season. I resolve to work on my attitude in the few days remaining before Christmas. I never considered the possibility before, but looking back at some of my earlier pre-Christmas blog posts*, maybe I have a touch of seasonal depression. Well, at least I’m in good company, right?

* Actually, I see I came pretty close to recognizing said depression in my post of Dec 15, 2018.