Life in Silly Valley

Vaccination is happening! Gradually, starting with my parents a few months ago, my family and friends are getting their shots.  On a Tuesday at the end of March, I got my first dose of the Moderna vaccine. Then four weeks later my second. As of May 10 I am considered fully vaccinated! My appointments were at a mass vaccination center about 25 miles away set up by Sutter Health where I am a patient. Sutter Health is a 'not-for-profit integrated health delivery system', a mouthful for basically what feels like the national healthcare systems I've experienced in Canada and the UK, but instead is fueled by the private health insurance quagmire that is American healthcare. As I drew near on that first time in March I was feeling quite  blasé about getting vaccinated. But as I started following the avenues of orange cones and digital displays signposting the way to the vaccine center,  a tingle of surreality kicked in . I've done a few drive-through COVID tests in the last...

I've come to recognize something I'm calling the Trump hangover. The day after some crazy *&$# goes down I wake up feeling groggy with an empty sour stomach feeling. Too much adrenaline, too little sleep. But I think it also comes from having borne witness to something really despicable, a feeling that there was a rip in the fabric of reality. But then in the cold harsh light of the new day there is a realization that, despite that rip, nothing is really going to change.  The kids started back at online school on Monday and today both schools sent out emails about yesterday's events. From Thing Two's middle school: From Thing One's high school:  Despite all this excellent advice, we haven't had any really deep heart-to-hearts with the kids as yet. We streamed ABC news all day yesterday and they would dip in and out, watch for a while, ask questions, and then go back to their homework or talking with friends. At first most of the footage was of people milling...

  I woke up this morning with a sense of dread. Not because I thought January 6 would become an infamous date in US history, but because I knew I faced the herculean task of putting away the Christmas decorations.  Around 10am I sat down to do the job and decided a good distraction would be to watch the live stream from the joint session of Congress to count and confirm the electoral college votes. This is the final stage in this crazy, long drawn-out American election process. I thought there might be some rousing speeches from Democrats, some reprehensible speeches from Republicans vying to win over the Trump base and become the next populist leader. Over the past week there has been a lot of speculation about whether Republican Senators and members of Congress would protest the votes - a common and allowed part of the process - and whether Vice President Pence had any authority to challenge or even change the vote count in favour of Trump. But despite lots of liberal hand w...

 A friend of mine had an unusual 50th birthday request. She asked her friends to send her letters that included a story about someone elderly we have cherished. I decided to write about my Grannie and thought I'd share what I wrote.  My Grandmother was the first person I thought of as being old. My earliest memories of her are from when I was four or five and she was sixty. She seemed like a fairytale grandmother with silver grey hair and wrinkles when she smiled, but I realize she was only ten years older than I am now. She was a remarkable role model for how to age. She had strong opinions about how to make the best of her time: keep mobile by walking everywhere and practicing the Alexander Technique; keep the mind active with writing, conversation, playing cards, reading murders and Shakespeare. Most of all she had an insatiable curiosity for people and their stories, especially young people with backgrounds very different to her own. She fearlessly explored new places, n...

It is somewhat reassuring that the most read story on the BBC website right now (10.41am PST) is 'Johnny Depp leaves the Fantastic Beast Franchise'. Outside America, the world really does continue to turn and banal celebrity gossip rules the day. Stories two through five are about the US election though so I guess 'the world is watching' as the ABC news anchor George Stephanopoulos keeps saying, initially proudly, now resignedly.  I started the day crying while watching t he Late Show with Stephen Colbert from last night. I wasn't crying with laughter; I was genuinely moved seeing this measured comedian moved to tears when he spoke about Trump's statement from the White House last night.   Perhaps getting my news from a late night comedian's opening monologue is equivalent to reading celebrity gossip, I just don't know anymore. It is hard to make judgement calls, where to focus attention, there is just so much crazy going on.  In case you missed it Trum...

The morning dawned foggy here in Northern California and then gradually cleared to blue skies, which mirrored the state of the US election.  After the polls closed on the east coast we got sucked in to ABC News election coverage. As we watched the early tussle over Florida it became clear that there was not going to be a 'blue wave' for Biden or even a clear win, and deep gloom set in. Other states seemed to be leaning towards Trump with huge margins. Even the journalists seemed amazed, though this was the exact 'nightmare' scenario they had been warning us to expect: long delays while mailed-in ballots were counted, states breaking early for Republicans because election day votes would be counted first, followed by Biden closing the gap as mailed-in ballots were counted.  It was hard to stop watching even though there wasn't much happening apart from a lot of talking heads talking about how there wasn't much happening. We suffered through the preposterous '...