I watched the dueling presidential debates last night. Thankfully on my particular set up they ran one after the other so I didn’t have to miss one. Biden came across as a reasonable, caring man who has lots of great plans for this country. Trump was his usual blustering idiot who lied a lot while some fool endlessly nodded behind him. His moderator did an excellent job of not letting him get away with shit. I wanted to punch each and every one of these “undecided voters” in the face. And so it goes.
This week went a bit better than last. The BF had a talk with Bobby when I wasn’t there that he needs to get his act together, so his behavior was way better. It’s funny how enjoyable parenting can be if kids just fucking do what they’re asked, isn’t it? Jeezis.
The BF was offered that shitty low-paying job and I told him in not exactly these words that him taking this job would ruin my life, and he agreed. He knows these jobs aren’t practical; I think he just feels pressure to take on something “stable” even if it’s crap. But the hours away from home undercuts any stability, in my mind. I’m hoping he won’t keep interviewing - it’s a waste of time. He just can’t be out of the house 10-12 hours every day and run tickets all weekend at his other job for barely more money than he’s making on unemployment. It’s stupid.
Speaking of unemployment, I’m in this weird holding pattern where I’m obviously approved, am all set up online and have even certified for my first two weeks, but am missing some crucial paperwork that got lost in the mail (we’ve been missing tons of important mail in the last couple of months - my property tax bill, my water and electric bills, and now two letters from unemployment, all of which I saw in my “informed delivery” emails as coming that day but never showed up; my neighbor is having similar issues). I’m not sure what those two letters were - I assumed one was my unemployment debit card which is how I get paid, but then I called the bank and the recording said my card was just ordered on the 13th and mailed yesterday. So...? I’m still missing an account number. It’s all very confusing and stressful. I’ve tried to call unemployment to see if they can re-send whatever they sent me, but I keep getting hung up on, and it may not even be anything of any importance, being as my online account is all set up. Thankfully I’m not dependent on this money to show up right this second. I’d be so screwed if I were.
I got a bit rattled this week by a story of a swing dance event in SC (full of Trump supporters and only tangential to our scene) in September that defied common sense and went ahead anyway, so far infecting over 90 people and killing four. As you can imagine, the outrage is erupting all over. Then a discussion in our dance organizers group got pretty dark - in discussing plans for 2021, we all agreed any event before the summer probably shouldn’t go ahead...and one woman posited it’s time for us all to find new careers, that dance events aren’t coming back, ever. Oh, you can just imagine what a funk I was in after reading that!! I mean, it’s just an opinion and she’s no epidemiologist, but still...to hear someone voice your worst fears as a fact is truly jarring. What if Covid is with us pretty much forever, with our lives going on like this for years, decades...in which kids go back to school until numbers become untenable and then are stuck at home for months again, all concert venues and movie theaters and broadway shows close permanently, the travel and entertainment industry pretty much dead, forever? I mean it’s a crazy thought, but...everything that’s happening is crazy. We never thought an idiot like Trump could end up as President, we never thought it would be October and kids would still be out of school, I never thought I’d have to cancel one, possibly two events in a row...all of these things are my worst nightmare and yet we’re living it every day. The idea of endless superbugs ruining our lives and completely changing everything we do as humans forever does not sound that out of the realm of possibility at the moment.
But, maybe not. Maybe I can have an event next year with daily quick testing each morning. Maybe even if I have to cancel again I can have another virtual event to keep things going until 2022, and everything will come roaring back, and we’ll be fine (except for mountains of debt, but that’s another story). Biden is so close to being our president and everything will get better just having a rational, competent leader who believes in science once more. Everything is so close, and yet so far, from being good again.
I signed Theo up for a free virtual dance class and ukelele class offered through his school. I’m excited to get him into an instrument finally. It will be interesting how he does with it. He’s quite the little dancer so I hope he takes to the dance class, too. It’s time little brother had his own things to do separate from big brother. His teacher sent a message that in two weeks we’re to pick up his next package of workbooks/worksheets/etc, which says to me they’re planning on no school before January. Sigh.
In other news, shortly after Halloween my band is getting together to record an album, for which we’ll all be tested first so we can safely gather in a studio for a full day. I’m a bit nervous about opening my mouth to sing after eight months of silence...I’m going to have to do some practice beforehand. Also we have our first actual gig on the books for January - a socially-distanced outdoor concert to be filmed for a dance event. Unfortunately it’s the same weekend I booked a cabin in Lake Arrowhead - but I can just drive down for the day. An actual gig. Who’d have thunk it?