Covid Booster Shot #5

 

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it ... sign me up as soon as another booster is available. I want Covid to end and this is one way I am willing to help that happen.

Last weekend the CDC approved a booster shot which includes protection against the Omicron variant. Omicron B.1 was first detected in November 2021. Ten months later Omicron B.4 and B.5 have become the dominant variants. This booster protects against the original strain and Omicron B.4 and B.5. To me, it is a no brainer decision. I'm actually surprised when people tell me they are not sure if they are going to get it.

I'm going to lay out some of my thoughts:

1) I have avoided Covid thus far and want to continue doing so.

2) I know people who have recently caught Covid after years of being careful. I have not been careful.

3) I was talking to a woman whose 93-year old mother caught Covid and landed in the hospital for six days with it. A friend's father caught Covid in the hospital and soon died from complications. I do not want to be responsible for someone else getting it and possibly dying.

4) It is covered by insurance (no money out of my pocket).

5) We could time when we would potentially be sick from side effects.

As for the side effects, Don slept most of the next day. I still went for a walk with a friend and book club, but my arm was sore and I had a headache (Tylenol helped with both of those symptoms). It did wear me out. This was my first time having a Moderna booster (the other four shots were with Pfizer). Don has a stronger reaction to Moderna than to Pfizer (his first two shots were with Moderna, then two with Pfizer, now this). 

Who knew the debate between Pfizer vs. Moderna would rival the Coke vs. Pepsi or Stella Artois vs. Jupiler debates? 

Birthday Celebration

Two years ago we drove into New York City and walked around on my birthday. We were still very much stuck in a pandemic. I wanted to see New York to be able to remember what it was like when everything shut down. I decided what I wanted was lunch at a nice restaurant. As we were walking around the Meatpacking District we saw a restaurant overflowing with outdoor dining -- at the time, New York City had not reopened indoor dining, the vaccine was still a few months away. We stumbled upon Pastis, a restaurant overflowing with outdoor dining. Unfortunately, they did not have any openings. I turned to the hostess and said "but, it's my birthday" and gave a sad face. She asked me to wait 15 minutes to see if there was a no-show. 

Fortunately there was.

While there, I stepped inside to use the Ladies Room. I immediately felt transformed back to Paris. I wanted to return and dine inside. Last year, we did just that after we went to the Van Gogh exhibit. Unfortunately by going later in the day they were out of quiche, so I had to find something else to savor. It truly was not hard.

This year we planned the day around Pastis. I enjoyed my Quiche Florentine. It was just as incredible as I remembered -- light and airy, full of flavors, and onions sautéed to perfection. Don had a chicken sandwich that included and avocado -- a first for him. He is still on the fence about avocados. We topped off lunch with a chocolate mousse dessert. Heavenly.

We made reservations to visit The Morgan Library & Museum after lunch. The weather was perfect so we walked along the High Line and took our time. We arrived 20 minutes early. I'm not convinced we had to make a reservation, but they are strongly encouraged. They let us in early. It was not crowded.

I first learned about the Morgan Library while reading The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict, an historical fiction novel based on J. Pierpont Morgan's librarian (Bella de Costa Greene) who acquired most of his treasures in the early 20th century. She was passing for white and lived in fear of being found out. On a tiny plaque inside a temporary exhibit, it said JP Morgan knew her father (who was a black activist), and likely knew she was black. 

I'm glad my friend Nancy told me about the audio tour. Otherwise, I would not have noticed the QR code tucked on a sign in the first room. It had links to learn more about virtually everything in the rooms -- including the hidden staircase and the vault.

According to one of the links, JP Morgan had approximately 14,000 volumes. When I was cleaning out Honey Bunny's books someone estimated she had between 3,000 and 5,000 books. Too bad I could not find a place willing to take her collection as a whole and I certainly was not willing to create a library around it and charge admission to visit her mid-century home in need of repairs.

The museum had a couple of other exhibits taking place. One was about building the library: Building the Bookman's Paradise. Another was on the 100th anniversary of James Joyce's Ulysses. As part of this exhibit, they have a record of him reading his book (must be excerpts, or reading something else) -- a book on record long before audio books caught on. There was a link to listen to part of it on your own device.

Don really enjoyed Rick Barton's pen and ink sketches in Writing a Chrysanthemum. I enjoyed talking to the guard in the room. She loves her job. When the museum is quiet, she walks around and reads everything and studies the art. She is using the opportunity to learn.

The other exhibit was on Ray Johnson's photography. Of note, there were a couple of pictures we identified as from downtown Princeton. Don was attracted to his photo booth art -- reminded us of a subplot in Amelie. He photographed "real life" near his home in Long Island, NY. Between 1992-1994 he used 137 disposable cameras to capture images. He committed suicide in 1995 leaving behind hundreds of envelopes with developed film in them.

From there we walked to Central Park, then back to the theater district for dinner and to get ready to see Beetlejuice. As I paid for dinner and the show, those are considered my birthday treats to myself, rather than a gift. The best part of working is having my own income. This year I opened my own bank accounts and acquired my own credit card. About time I did some adulting. 

Another Broadway Ticket Win!

In 2016 Lin-Manuel and Hamilton made famous a tradition started by Jonathon Larson's Rent: offering last minute tickets at a reasonable price so those who couldn't afford Broadway ticket prices could still enjoy the show. With Rent, it became a cultural phenomenon for "RENT-head" fans to get in line super early to purchase a $20 rush ticket that day to see the show.

From Wikipedia:

RENT-heads[edit]

Rent gathered a following of fans who refer to themselves as "RENT-heads." The name originally referred to people who would camp out at the Nederlander Theater for hours in advance for the discounted $20 rush tickets to each show, though it generally refers to anyone who is obsessed with the show.^[28] These discounted tickets were for seats in the first two rows of the theater reserved for sale by lottery two hours prior to each show.^[28][29] Other Broadway shows have followed Rent's example and now also offer cheaper tickets in efforts to make Broadway theater accessible to people who would otherwise be unable to afford the ticket prices.

With Hamilton there were two options: the $10 lottery, and standing in line for rush / cancellation line tickets. In the beginning people would camp out for DAYS to get rush tickets. They finally had to put a stop to that, and set times of day when people could stand in line. The first time we tried for the lottery, Don won the tickets. Other times we stood in line for the rush tickets -- but never overnight.

Now that Broadway has reopened, we have been seeing more shows. In order to fund this habit, we are buying them via Rush tickets (both in-person and online), and the show's lottery. We have scored tickets to see Music Man (with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster), Mrs. Doubtfire, Plaza Suite, and most recently Beetlejuice (with Alex Brightman). I have had a few losses, but more wins than losses, perhaps because there are a lot of people not ready to return to, as the Hamilton lyric goes, "the greatest city in the world." 

What is frustrating is each show has its own set of rules. For Plaza Suite I learned at 2 pm I won tickets to the 7 pm show. I had one hour to purchase the ticket, then high tail it the train station. The adrenaline rush was awesome. I went by myself and floated to the theater. For Beetlejuice, we learned at 3 pm the night before the 8 pm show. We were already planning to be in NYC to celebrate my birthday with brunch at Pastis and touring the Morgan Library, so all we had to do was find things to do in New York, eat dinner, and see a show. 

The prices for the rush tickets have risen. $50 (including fees) is more common than Rent's $20. More shows offer day of tickets. To find out the rules, google the show you want to see with the words "rush tickets" or "lottery." The rules are often spelled out on their website, or through Playbill.com or Today's Tix. 

Living only 90 minutes from Broadway, this adds to the excitement. Since Broadway reopened, I have seen: Pass Over, Six, Harry Potter, Music Man, Mrs. Doubtfire, Paradise Square, Into the Woods, Plaza Suite, and Beetlejuice, with ticket prices ranging from $40 to $99. Paradise Square was my favorite -- see it if you ever have the opportunity. It had the total package: unknown story rooted in history, incredible dancing, moveable sets, powerful songs, and detailed costumes. It is a shame it closed so early. 

A couple of notes on Beetlejuice:

* The audience was really into the show! Some came dressed as Beetlejuice--wearing black and white striped outfits. Many hooted and laughed. I feel the lead, Alex Brightman, fed off of the energy. I read in the movie Michael Keaton adlibbed 90% of his lines. I wonder what percentage Alex Brightman adlibs on a regular night. The move the crowd responded, the funnier he became.

* I don't know how they did the set. In the early scenes the giant house was decorated as boring middle class Americana (which I do like), then it transformed to a sleek modern like, then to the funhouse Beetlejuice black and white style. This is a show that would be even more fun to watch from back stage. There were sets other than the house, including the attic and outdoors. 

* The second act seemed long. Felt like it could use more work to make it snappier. Maybe it needed more Alex Brightman. 

The show is high energy and lots and lots of fun. I just don't know how it would work without the lead. It is as hard to imagine as a remake of Aladdin without Robin Williams. Sure it can happen, but you need just the right person to carry it.

MusikFest 2022

Last year Don and I returned to MusikFest for the first time in many years. I left feeling down. The magic we used to feel was gone. The Red Elvises were now Igor and the Red Elvises, a fraction of their old selves. I was actually surprised when Don suggested we return. Even more surprised when he suggested we stick around for The Red Elvises, even though we were there on a Sunday night and had work the next morning. 

We had a later start than planned and missed the Unicycling Unicorn. I was more interested in seeing him than Don was, but I thought Don would be more interested in seeing him.

I could tell we really weren't into festing when our first stop was the running store. I ended up buying bouncy new sneakers with the hope they will get me excited about running again. (Spoiler: I've taken them out twice and they have not yet worked their magic, will keep trying.) I was impressed the salesman really seemed to listen to me. He did some free diagnostics on my feet, which gave him data to support what I had said, and then chose a few decent pairs of sneakers. I ended up buying ones Katie, a running friend, loves. May they eventually work their magic on me.

MusikFest has a wonderful app that allowed me to map out who was playing where and at what time and how to find them and what to expect when I do find them. Made me wonder how we managed to find great music in the 1990s without it when all we could do was open our ears and listen.

After putting my new sneakers in the car we went to hear Emily Drinker: a singer who blends folk, pop, and rock with a high-energy band. I enjoyed her so much I joined her email list, and hope to find her again. She is from the Philadelphia area.

After her set nothing was catching our interest, and it was too early for dinner, so we got some ice cream from the Penn State Creamery on Main Street.

Across the street from the ice cream parlor Acute Inflections was getting ready for their set. They ar a jazz duo who clearly has a lot of fun playing with each other. We listened for a little while, but were not really getting into their music. That happens sometimes.

We decided it was late enough to get dinner. As we were walking down Main Street we were surprised (and pleased) to see the Unicycling Unicorn. He had drawn quite a crowd on Main Street in what felt like a pop up performance. A couple of times he alluded that he wasn't quite feeling the performance and was nervous about getting on top of a 12-foot unicycle and juggle, but I thought that was just part of his routine and dismissed it. Then I started to follow him on Facebook. He really was having a rough week and it is quite impressive he did not fall off of the unicyle. I smiled through his show and was very glad we were able to see it.

Festing was looking up. We had a lovely dinner at Fegley's on Main Street, a place that has consistently served us good food. This is important to me because for years I would have awful gastrointestinal reactions no matter where I ate in Bethlehem. We loved the city, and even thought about moving there, but every year I would get sick. I finally stopped drinking the water and stopped having an issue. Ice cubes didn't bother me, but we tried a new place each year and had an issue. It allows me to enjoy the city, which matters.

After dinner we heard The Chiclettes, a girl band playing music from the 40s, 50s, and 60s. The music was familiar and fun, but it was getting late and we wanted to at least give Igor and the Red Elvises a try.

I'm so glad we did. Last year we were disappointed when only three songs into their set they started playing covers and did not return to their quirky rock and roll style we loved. On this Sunday night, the third song was a cover ("Venus") I turned to Don in disappointment and he said to give them another chance. Meanwhile, we kept moving away from cigar smoke followed by marijuana aromas. We sat back from the tent and bopped to their music (too loud inside the tent, and the rain was holding off). 

An hour later when they took their break, we regretfully left to go home. We had

a good time. While we are not familiar with their new music, it had their distinct "Siberian Surf Rock" flavor.

Maybe it is possible to go back after all. 

Maybe life is looking up post-pandemic.

Halfway Through College

Two years ago Ashley started college. We were in the beginning of a pandemic we had hoped was really at the tail end. Muhlenberg only allowed the freshman and select upperclassmen to move on campus. Many classes were still held virtually her freshman year. We lived with the understanding there was a good chance they would be sent home if they broke the many rules, or if Covid cases climbed astronomically. Meanwhile, they were not allowed to go home and we were discouraged from visiting.

One year ago Ashley returned for sophomore year. We brought in an exchange student. Partway through the year we were finally allowed to see her room lived in (vs. packed up). 

Today Ashley left with a carload of the necessities and moved herself into college. Tomorrow Don and I will bring the bigger items and finish the move in process. This year she is moving into the basement apartment of a house literally across the street from the dorm she lived in last year. She is sharing a room with Molly (last year's roommate) and Greg (best friend since the first week of college). She is moving in with confidence and happiness we didn't realize was possible two years ago when it was all the unknown.

The high school class of 2020, college class of 2024 had to become more resilient. They learned all their hard work would not pay off in the rewards they were always told to expect -- prom, graduation, celebrations, even having your yearbook signed. The didn't have the hoopla of freshman orientation weekend -- a time when many make the friends they have for life. They had to figure out ways to make those friends while hiding behind masks and keeping at least 6 feet away. I'm proud of her for making a great group of friends.

As Ashley starts her fifth semester at Muhlenberg, we'll move her into a new space for the fourth time. In only 15 weeks we will move her out again so she can go to Italy for a semester.

It really does go quickly.

Roller Skating Wednesdays

It has been a whirlwind few weeks. I started to write this post on August 10th, suddenly it is August 27th. In the meantime, Jaclyn's roller skating group has received some press from NJ.com and a color spread in the Star Ledger. 

As usual, I am getting ahead of myself.

A few years ago I was a frustrated stay-at-home mom working the gig economy before the gig economy had a name. I posted on Facebook I was looking for other people who worked from home so we could meet someplace and work from home together -- form a group of co-workers, even though we didn't work for the same company. Through that group I met Jaclyn. Jaclyn is a musician who plays flute at weddings and other special events. She was trying to build her business. 

Soon after meeting each other I started to work for The Bridge Academy, and had my own co-workers. We stayed connected on Facebook. 

Not long after we met, Jaclyn decided to take up roller skating. She posted videos of herself and friends skating all over the state. While I was intrigued, I was not courageous. It takes a certain level of confidence to go to an unfamiliar location and try something new. I did not have the energy to drive 60+ minutes, go on skates for the first time in over 15 years and be with strangers.

That was before Covid hit.

Cool line dancing I couldn't do
with my inline skates

Jaclyn -- leader extraoirdinaire

Meanwhile, Jaclyn kept skating. Kept making friends, Kept gaining confidence. Kept looking as if she was having the time of her life.

Through her connections, she learned there is a pavilion at Cadwalder Park in Trenton that has a smooth surface and lots of parking. She went with a friend who filmed her skating there. She invited a few friends. Seemingly each week the group doubled in size, to the point where she realized she had to make it legitimate.

My 20+ year old inline skates

Changes include:

• Your first week you have to sign a waiver.
• It is only open to skaters 18 and up.
• She has a permit, and police presence (and accepts tips to off-set the cost)
• People chip in for a pot luck.

Jaclyn created a great community. There are people who bought skates for the first time after learning about her group. There are people who have been skating for decades. There are people like me who dusted off our skates to join in the fun.

I think I have only skated once or twice since Ashley was born. If I continue to pick this up, I need to invest in quads. My inline skates are not made for dancing. I do have a couple of leads on skates. Unfortunately they all have a different sizing system.

I have gone twice. The first time I bumped into my neighbor. I was surprised to see her out of context. The following week I saw the art teacher at my school. I was not surprised to see her since I know she is a skater. The second time I left because I wasn't feeling it -- and that was before I saw someone there sporting a hot pink cast on her wrist and learned it was due to falling the week before.

I think I'll keep those wrist guards on, even if I am the only one wearing them.

It was fun. 

I want to go back.

One

I've recently been hearing the advice of "one" -- do one pushup, email one friend, clean one drawer. 

I emailed one resume.

It has only been a day. I don't expect to land the first job I applied for. But, I applied for it. Doing so reminded me of the time a supervisor stole my work and in retaliation I sent out one resume -- in those days by mail -- and landed that one job. I likely would have stayed there, but I left it for the job of being Ashley's mom full-time. 

One.

As Ashley returns to school, I'll continue to look for ways I can do "one" of something. May that "one" lead to "two" then "three." 

Book one vacation.

Write one blog post.

Attend one worship service.

Run one mile. 

The options are limitless.

An update: the One resume led to One interview which led to One second interview. Waiting to find out if that will lead to One job offer.

Second update: the second interview led to a sorry we decided not to hire you email. The day before I learned they were increasing the hours at my part time job to make me full-time, so there is that.