The Times They Are a'Changing

     . . . . Stupid North Dakota senate passes anti-mask mandate. ND’s gonna hang with stupid Texas, u betcha!

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I received my second Moderna dose just now, late afternoon.

The Stanton St. Ctr. where I got my shots is far better organized, faster and more efficient than the Walgreens pharmacies where el V and some others we know got his. No confirmation of either appointment made or appointment filled. No reminder of appointment sent, no confirmation of first or second doses.

Whereas at the lower east side center -- some abandoned large space -- I received all of those.

Between arrival and getting signed in, it couldn't have been more than 10 minutes, then the 15 minutes sitting in case of reaction.  As I'd arrived early I was out of there before my 'actual' appointment time! A fretful, indecisive April Shower followed me all the way back home while Friday night weekend rush hour traffic (at the same density as it was on a Friday night before the pandemic, again)  headed for bridges and tunnel. This was about a mile, well, rather more than that, but still quite walkable, A downpour would have been a miserable conclusion to the experience, thus very grateful that didn't happen.  I'd not carried a 'brolly, as rain was predicted for tomorrow, not today. When I got back home, the confirmation of second vaccination was in the email, with the batch# of vaccine from which the vaccine I was given was taken.  

Now, I wait and see what if anything happens.  Bottle of Tylenol here by computer screen. 

I'm trying to process that this has really happened, after the unspeakably frustrating, difficult and prolonged attempts and process to get appointments, we've both gotten our two shots, and in two more weeks we can meet a friend (outside) at our old watering hole, and have a drink. OTOH, I'm not sure either of us knows how to communicate in a purely social f2f situation any longer.  The only other person with whom we've had such interaction throughout all this is wonderful, splendid, anchor-rock, Ben. 

It's going to be another journey into the unknown, how we navigate the world in another two weeks. We are not back to normal -- despite the volume of vehicular traffic going into and out of the City, but we're no longer in the conditions within which we've existed for 13 months.

In the meantime Spring springs madly.  The tulips are up and blooming and are spectacular.  This year particularly about half of them seem to be the ruffled or 'pinked' variety (pinked meaning a kind of sewing shears used on fabric, not a color)