Picture above is Ranger (black dog on left) and Whitey (black dog on right)  on their last day Pax is the Pittie in the front he is still with us and took over for Ranger

Well, at least on paper, anyway. As all this has gone, Chris and I have been doing the podcast. On Sunday, we fired up a Discord server and proceeded to offer our listeners a chance into the world that is Chris’ and my brain. All in all, the 5 of us, we were able to have a pretty good discussion, and I am left realizing that in that format, I need to polish a little since I am still thinking in terms of a set person, not a group. The group was pretty good and made some tough points, and we find that we all have chewed some common ground.

We have been stuck on Covid because we live in a country that has truly lost its way. The loss is due to entitlement and failure to have, even a remote sense of community. We are far past the shitty response this country has had and the gross incompetence of a president and government in general. The administration gutted the CDC, places some religious nut bag at the helm, and then to add to more fun puts Mike fucking Pence in charge of the response and a gatekeeper to the information. All the information, of course carefully screened, to keep up good PR for the White House. Also, putting an economist as head of a response team to make critical decisions, not people with experience in epidemiology or hell, even medicine. Then a well-respected epidemiologist speaks up; the administration, instead of also working on forward motion with the virus, devotes energy to try and smear his name because it is bad PR.  I stand with Dr. Fauci, who has more medical knowledge that anyone who controls the microphone.

We never really had a plan. We made a show based on what the administration told us would be short, and the disease would disappear when it got warm. Once again, PR. Hell, if you gaslight people long enough, they might even buy that shit. After all, that’s what happens in abusive relationships. We believe the bullshit long enough that people start acting out because they can’t get a haircut or because they can’t see their favorite sports team or hell really can’t even go out to a sit-down dinner.

The people I do feel sorry for are those who felt the sting of this necessary lockdown, and instead of the government’s stimulus designed to help those businesses, it ended up the pockets of churches and Trump’s buddies.

In a bright spot, New Zealand is now free of any active infections for nearly two weeks. They can resume a somewhat “normal” life, even though a recommendation exists to maintain social distancing and other Covid precautions. Funny how, when you consult an expert and follow recommendations, shit works.

I sit and write this in the middle of the shift because the muse hits me at odd times, and I am also in a saddened mood because once again, I saw Ranger and Whitey and spent time with them, even if it is just a dream. The dream was due in part talking to a co-worker about dogs and cancer. It was time for him to help his dog make the trip from this world a gentle and peaceful one. I have cried buckets since then, which shouldn’t happen. Grief sucks, even two and a half years later, pain sucks.

Why is this impacting me? Well, for those who have service dogs, there is a time when you desire a response that helps you realize you are “headed in the wrong direction,” and the dog is there to guide you back. Except you are lost, and the situation keeps representing itself. My new dog is excellent, even if he did climb up on top of the 2×4′ outdoor flat iron grill (it was cold, let that breath out). He was also no Ranger. I shouldn’t compare them, because the new dog does a great job, I shouldn’t, but I do.

Boy Nursie-poo you are all over tonight. Well, I had the muse, and several things in the recent news were in my brain. Instead of doing couple-three pieces, I chose to do short bits in one piece.

Anyhow, we are a nation that is all grieving. Between the Covid, earthquakes, tornados, being stuck to dwell in our thoughts, working from home if we can and sometimes with a spouse that there is no break from, our dogs die, our families are sick or dying, Grant Imahara one of the MythBusters and a brilliant guy passed yesterday (RIP Grant), and hell even just regular shit. By the way. Forget about the coke boars, the murder hornets, and all the fun internet memes. Hell, we are even grieving about fucking haircuts and going to restaurants.

In a bit of karma or just being an ass and listening to the hype, a person who claimed Covid was a hoax died this week of Covid. His lastish words, “I was wrong; I thought this was a hoax.” (its funny Grammarly wanted to add a comma, and I am not sure he even knew what a comma is) Please do me a favor, get over your entitlement.  Stop listening to idiots about this; I know it’s tough to listen to your provider on lifestyle changes for hypertension, let alone this, but ya got to listen.

More coming later. Figured I would bang (get it) this one out and head towards others.

Be the kind of person your dog and your mom hope you are. Stay safe out there.