2nd dose of Pfizer today

In Dover, DE. I felt the needle this time, but just like a standard flu shot. No issues thus far....but it was only 5 hours ago.

Waited in the drive-thru event for about 30 minutes.

Thought about Trump and the hundreds of thousands of people who died b/c of his inaction and/or counterproductivity and general assholism. I hope that we, as a nation, have learned from this.

Discussion with an Uzbekistan-American friend today re: immigration

This woman is married to a Trump-humper but considers herself "independent."

She asked me what I thought about the "open borders" policy of the "new government" and said that illegal immigrants have been flooding into the country since the new government took over. And wanted to know what I thought about that. Also said that she fled a "socialist" country and wanted to know how I felt about socialism. A lot to unpack.....

After much back-and-forth, it turns out that she is in favor of "opening the borders" if there is some kind of work program/legal path to citizenship. With all the infrastructure projects, there should be lots of entry-level work. If people break the law, they could have their papers revoked.

And she's in favor of a national healthcare plan. And a clean environment (which requires government regulations). And unions.

Living with her Trumper husband and having Faux News on all the time has clearly colored her take on things

GOP Argues Government Shouldn't Decide Which Bridges Succeed or Fail (The Onion)

[link:https://www.theonion.com/gop-argues-government-shouldn-t-be-deciding-which-bridg-1846591823|

Metallica Cunning Stunts (fake accident)

I saw this tour and I must say...I fell for it . Looking at the video close up, now it seems fake. But they set it up well--well in advance of the "destruction scene," they were seemingly experiencing technical difficulties with one of four giant arms that went up and down with pyrotechnics & lights attached. Then they sent roadies and techs up there to try to "fix" the problems, right in the middle of a song that you *knew* would have explosions. I was very worried about the roadies

"Accident" starts around 5:30

[link:

Southwest pilot caught bashing liberals in SF

He could be in trouble, whoever it was, b/c it violates FAA rules about having non-flight-related conversations below 10,000 ft.

Pixies (Planet of Sound Live)

I like the Pixies but have never had a good concert experience with them (saw them twice). When they opened for U2 in Philly a long time ago, I remember that we were sitting practically in front of a speaker and I felt like I was going to die from the loudness. But this looked like a good concert....

[link:

Got tested for COVID after vaccine

I had the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine one week ago. Unfortunately, I had a sore throat and sniffles and felt really tired on Thursday. I decided to call out, forgetting that you can't just call out anymore. My employer required a COVID test, so that led me to a mini-ordeal of finding a test that would allow me to get back to work as quickly as I could. Walgreens said results would be in 3-5 days. Ugh. Community testing sites around me said 48-72 hours. Medexpress said 24-48 hours, and usually results the next day. Staff at Walgreens told me that Medexpress would be expensive, but I went there anyway. I only had to pay a $20 copay, which I'm pretty sure I can get reimbursed for.

They did the up the nose test--which made my eyes water---and I sat for 15 minutes. Instant results were negative. I went home and slept for 3 hours, then started to feel better.

Felt fine yesterday (Friday) and they called with the results (also negative). I kind of was feeling that I had a cold or something and didn't even think to worry too much until I was told I had to take the test.

I was worried that the vaccine might have given me a positive test result, but thankfully it did not.

So I only missed 2 days of work and inched closer to my second dose (April 3rd). I cannot wait!

My vaccine experience

Got the Pfizer 1st dose yesterday in Dover, DE after failing to find a J&J. I've had no effects that I can tell--although I feel tired, but I had a crappy long week and had to get up early so I'm not sure what's related to what. No injection site issues and, during the actual injection, I couldn't even feel it. I usually feel a pinch during flu vaccines and I almost did not believe that the guy actually injected me---but my friend watched it go in and assured me that I had gotten the vaccine.

So far today, so good. We shall see how the second dose goes in early April.

Any pet insurance recommendations?

I have a new puppy named Millie (almost 6 mos) that is a mixed breed (looks mostly like a black lab) and was considering signing up for pet insurance--after my expensive experiences with my buddy Hudson's cancer care.

Prices seem to range from $40-60/month and I'd love to hear actual experiences with different companies if anyone can share.

Thanks!

Why Delaware may end requiring students to pledge allegiance to the American flag