Banned Books Week kicks off this Sunday. Since WordPress allows me to schedule posts for publication, I set the next You Can’t Read That! banned book entry, already written and ready to go, to appear Saturday morning. It contains an updated version of my annual Banned Books Week rant, explaining why I rudely insist on calling book banning by its name.
If a momentous banned book story breaks between now and then, it’ll have to wait. Maybe Governor DeSantis will helicopter a load of confiscated high school social studies textbooks from Florida to California and airdrop them on the UC Berkeley campus. If so, it’ll have to wait for a future YCRT! post. Such are the joys of trying to keep up with the news.
My recent post about parental gay and trans panic prompted a friend to write privately. We had a friendly and interesting exchange via email, and with his permission I’ll share the high points:
- It was obvious to him I don’t know many gay or trans people
- He’s absolutely correct: I don’t
- The exchange, though, brought home to me how much they’re in my life (and yours, and yours)
What can I say? I despise stereotyping and prejudice in myself and others (with a huge personal carve-out for racists and the intentionally ignorant), and thought (think?) I’ve been doing okay on the LGBTQ front, but I’ll try harder.
Monday was annual flu shot day. As always, they asked if I wanted the high-dose version for senior citizens. I’m 75, for fuck’s sake. At some point you’d think they’d quit asking and just shoot it into my veins. I also got the new Covid Omicron-variant booster, and am now the proud possessor of not one but two Covid vaccination cards, neither of which will fit any known pocket in any known wallet.
For the first time since the universally-dreaded anthrax shot I received before deploying overseas, I was left with a painful knot in my shoulder. Covid shoulder, that is … flu shoulder was just fine. The knot lasted two days and nights. It wasn’t too bad when I was up and active, but when I went to bed it ached so much sleep was impossible. Tylenol helped, but not a lot. I wanted something stronger, but since I take a blood thinner for AFIB everything else is out.
Need some 800mg Ibuprofen tabs? I’ve got a bunch of ’em I can’t use any more!
Painful knots fade away and everything’s fine now. I don’t mean to scare anyone off getting the booster. Everyone reacts differently, and even if this one does leave you sore for a day or two, it’s worth it.
Cerberus and I went for a little stroll this morning. His heads and my horns are in fine form. Hail Satan!
