Day 35 - Governor Newsom imposes new restrictions

Do we really have a vaccine??

Are we really supposed to believe we have an effective vaccine against Covid-19 simply because big pharma told us so?  Based on a few assurances from Pfizer and Moderna – “My vaccine’s over 90% effective.”  “Well, mine’s 94%!”  “Ok, now mine’s over 95% effective!” – the world is saved?  I find this absolutely unbelievable, yet nobody is expressing skepticism about any of this.

For the past 20 years, Purdue Pharmaceuticals misled doctors and pharmacists with their false claims of non-addictive Oxycontin and nobody did a damn thing about it.  As a society, are we collectively forgetting this?  A few free golfing trips, some dinners at the French Laundry, and doctors bought this bullshit hook, line, and sinker, writing scrips for Oxycontin and Hydrocone from their Purdue-stamped prescription pads with abandon, for millions of patients:  Patient: “Gee, Doc, I don’t know if I should take a painkiller every four hours for the rest of my life.”  Doctor: “There, there, patient.  Don’t worry your pretty little head about anything. I’m a doctor.  AND, Purdue says this medication is NON-ADDICTIVE!!  Isn’t that wonderful? What could possibly go wrong?” [both the patient and doctor laugh uproariously].

Millions of people either died or became addicted to opioids based on Purdue’s false claims. The end result, you ask?  Purdue, the company, pled guilty to three felony counts: 1 count of conspiracy to defraud the United States; and 2 counts of conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute.  Newsflash everyone: corporations don’t serve time in prison.  What about a manslaughter charge for knowingly misleading the public and causing hundreds of thousands of deaths and the worst opioid crisis this United States has ever seen? And the Sacklers…the owners of the family-run company?  They get to keep their billions and escape culpability because, see, it was the corporation that killed people, not them.  Their sole punishment was a severe tongue lashing by the Congressional Committee on Oversight and Reform when they refused to take responsibility as they hid behind their Zoom squares.

Now, I ask you…do you really believe that Pfizer and Moderna have created an effective vaccine just because they said so?  Albeit, they have the backing of the FDA, CDC, and Faucci, but remember their flawed comments?  “Hey everyone - China’s got this.  It’s not coming to the US” and “Masks don’t work.” Honestly, why would anyone take Director Redfield seriously? He’s a sloppy, disheveled, piece of shit who looks like he hasn’t washed or ironed his suit in weeks. When he testifies in front of this or that congressional committee, it’s impossible to determine whether he’s awake or asleep, and that’s when he’s talking!!  Can’t we find somebody better than this?  And I’m not talking about Atlas, Trump’s “Covid Quack.”  I refuse to put “Dr.” in front of his name.

I have been scouring the internet looking for reports from Pfzier and Moderna about the Covid-19 vaccine and have found nothing.  After Astrazeneca made the mistake of showing their data, Pfzier and Moderna are mum.

L. has always thought that a Covid-19 vaccine would be similar to a flu vaccine –only capable of inoculating people against a few strains of the virus and hopefully the powers-that-be had the foresight to pick the correct strain for the winter season.  What a surprise to hear that the UK has uncovered a new, especially virulent strain of Covid-19?  So much so that Prime Minister Scrooge canceled Christmas. Shit…the UK probably caught it from the US.

Is anyone daring to ask the question:  What about the 100 million vaccine doses that are scheduled for delivery to the American people?  Will the vaccine work on this new strain of Covid-19?

Yesterday, Faucci told the American people, “Hey everyone. Don’t worry about the new strain of Covid-19.  The UK’s got this.  It’s not coming to the U.S.”

I’m relieved (not).

Sunday. 12/20/20

9:00 – 11:00 - I’m up so I go downstairs to say good morning to the dog.  She’s still sleeping, although she found the time to poop in front of the front door again.  Outside and she goes potty, then inside for more rotten turkey – dogs are immune to botulism – and I heat up my coffee. I go upstairs and resume reading, Raising a Rare Girl.

11:00 – 12:00 - Shower. Lotion. Covid-19 uniform.

-L. leaves for the grocery store.

12:00 – 1:30 - I do the dishes and have some of the chicken chili I made the other day.  This recipe’s a keeper and L. likes it to!  I will add it to the rotation.

I finish Raising a Rare Girl.  Thumbs up for this memoir. The parents have a daughter with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome or “4p-“ and they’re told by countless doctors that their daughter will either a) die or b) have a horrible life and be a drain on society.  Mom happens to be an English lit professor and knows how to turn a phrase so the book is well-written; Dad is an Episcopalian priest. It’s an interesting contrast as she’s kind of frenetic and he’s very Zen. Mom takes a deep-dive throughout parts of the book concerning the history of disabilities and how the definition of “normal” is constructed.  Turns out, the definition of normal was created by two white, hetero-normative males, who referred to themselves as scientists, created eugenics, and developed a  suspicious bell curve that they decided to apply to everything, including body type and IQ.  These concepts were eventually appropriated by Hitler and the Nazis [sounds like a sick rock group] as they systematically ran experiments and exterminated the disabled.

Highly recommend.

1:30-2:30 – Walk the dog.

2:30-3:30 – Personal admin.  I check email from both colleges and College No. 2 wants me to teach an online Summer class [no problem], while at the same time telling me that my Winter Session class, due to start on 1/4/21, will probably be canceled for low enrollment [great].

3:30 -8:00 – Yard work.  Lots of leaves, but I’m also an “ornamental gardener” when it comes to my own yard, which means excessive attention to detail and micro-managing all aspects of the yard.

-L. arrives and I help her put the food away.  She tells me about her adventures yesterday, helping R. with his live stream performance and his concert at MOMA-Lancaster. Interesting. L. gets to hear live music whenever R.’s band performs or practices.  I’m jealous.  In the Covid-19 era, music is taboo.

8:00-8:45 – I water my plants.

8:45-9:45 – L. has graciously given me an hour of her time for personal admin – I refer to this as “housekeeping” when I address my students – and we discuss the slides she is converting for Spring Semester and the audio lectures that I need her to email to my personal account. We talk about our plans for Xmas Eve, Xmas Day, and a possible mother-daughter day.  Then, she helps me order a present for her Dad and sends a text requesting an appointment with the dog groomers.

9:45-10:45 – I ordered two stained-glass sculptures for my yard and they arrived in huge boxes.  It honestly takes a full hour to unpack them, set them up,  and then break the boxes down.

11:00-12:00 – I pull down the treadmill and do a 1 hour HIIT speedwalking app with anaerobic intervals.  Extremely difficult and I start stiffening up immediately.

12:00-1:30 – I respond to a few emails from College No. 2 and start compiling tax information for my tax appointment in two weeks.

2:00-3:00 – I take the dog out, kill the Xmas lights, and lock up.  Night time routine. Bed.