Bfth's Boring Blog

  Everything you do in life involves risk.  You take a shower, you could fall (21.8 people above the age of 15 did in 2008).  You cook a meal, there's a possibility of burning yourself  (approximately 500,000 burn injuries receive treatment across the USA every year). You get in the car, you risk getting in an accident  6,452,000 car accidents took place on American roads in 2017).  Living is risky. But we can't let our lives be ruled by risk.   We couldn't live!  We are rational (for the most part) human beings and we live our lives making sensible decisions.  We do things to lower our risk.  We are aware when we shower that the tub might be slippery.  (Maybe we even put those little plastic like daisy things in the tub to grip onto.)  We are cautious when we cook, using a pot holder to touch hot items.  And while we can't always prevent a car accident, we are required to wear a seat belt so that if we do get in...

  Today is the first day of the last quarter of my son's sophomore year.  (That's a mouthful.)  When school ends in June, he (and everyone else in the system) will have had a full school year like no other.  Last year, he (and everyone else) at least had a little over half a year of normalcy before Covid-19 sent us into chaos and remote learning.  Looking back, I am so grateful for that slice of normal he had during his freshman year; that he at least got some semblance of "regular" high school life. This school year there has been no "regular".  Change is the norm.  He started out as he ended the previous year, all remote.  Then we changed to hybrid in November.  There were 3 cohort groups (actually 4 if you counted special needs, which I am not because they are their own exception).  He was (and is) in group A and went in every third day from 8:30 - 12:45 (if I remember correctly and my brain IS mush).  Eventually the three...

 Accountability:  it seems to be the word of the hour.  It's been an important part of my vocabulary for a long time.  I blogged about it all the way back in 2017 (all the way back?):  https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2017/11/accountability.html .  I still feel the same way today. When I say accountability today it reflects something different than when I first wrote the words.  As I sit here today I have seen accountability in action.  I hope it is a reminder and a movement forward.  Accountability can't be applied to just some; it applies to ALL.  We are all accountable for our words and actions no matter who we are.   For too long we, as a nation and as a world, seem to have forgotten that.  We've ignored accountability for some people.  We've turned a blind eye, something we should never do.  Something we CANNOT do any longer. In a country where we claim that all are equal, all need to be held accountable...

 During this pandemic I've been doing a lot more shopping online.  Most of it was NOT necessary.  It was a comfort thing (not unlike my eating habits).  I'm bored; let's look online and find something fun. It's way too easy with social media.  Ads pop up in my feed and draw me in.  That's what they are supposed to do.  What I'M supposed to do is not let my emotional (and often irrational) side take over.  Sure there is a lot of fun stuff out there.  Do I really NEED it?  (Let's be honest, most of the time I DON'T).  I do WANT it.  (At least at the moment that I'm looking at it.)  If I'm being smart and using common sense, I should look at what is drawing me in, RESEARCH it and then walk away for a while.  I should THINK about what I'm about to do, before I do it. However, there is that impulse.  I've got to grab it now.  I want it now.  It looks so cool; I NEED it now.  Honestly, I don't, but... I ...

Its sign season in my town again.  And in the surrounding towns as well.  They are popping up on lawns faster than daffodils.  That's because our local elections are less than a month away.  Of course there are STILL some left over signs from last year's election, to which I say TAKE 'EM DOWN!  We know who won; so there's no need to have it out there.  We may not remember who lost and we don't need reminding. These new signs, do serve a purpose; a very important one at that.  When it comes down to the local stuff, we don't necessarily know or hear about the candidates.  I CAN name all five candidates for our town council; well at least their last names. (I can also brag that I can name all five members of our current town council.  I don't know if that's cool or nerdy.)  These signs, mostly posted on the front lawns of our neighbors, remind us that an election is coming up and WHO is in the running. Lawn signs should not be the ...

That darned horn went off yesterday morning before 6 AM.  On social media, some people  complained about it.  It was early.  It scared the kids.  It scared the dog.  Why did the darned horn go off so early in the morning? It's a good question. I've been hearing that darned horn since I was a kid.  And I can actually remember being scared of it when I was a kid.  Seriously, one of my earliest memories is standing in the driveway afraid that the horn would go off.  (I don't know WHY I was afraid, I just know that I was. I was also freaked out by fire/police/ambulance sirens. The sound still makes me anxious.) So I understand.  The horn IS unsettling. And for some, it can be very frightening; I don't want to negate that. So what is this darned horn that I speak of?  It's an air horn that sits on the top of the town hall and it's used to alert the volunteers of the Fire Department and/or Rescue squad that they are in need. Why stil...

  Last week my husband was vaccinated:   https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2021/04/vaccine.html .  I have been waiting for my turn.  I thought it would happen next week when the eligibility opens up to all 16 and older.  Although I do have some "qualifications" that enabled me to get it earlier (I have high blood pressure that is kept at bay with minimal medication and I am overweight, so my BMI is most likely  ≥ 25 kg/m2), I have been waiting.  In my mind there are others who are in greater need than I am. Knowing that the date of lower qualifications was coming up, I started researching where I might go.  I really wanted J&J because of my allergies and I had found no adverse ALLERGIC reactions.  (Yes, I know that some people felt lightheaded and had nausea, which is something to be concerned about and taken seriously, but for me that is a lot more manageable than anaphylaxis.)  Last week we also got the news about the ...

  I've written about it numerous times:   https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-virus-diary-frustrated-friday.html ,   https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2021/02/to-man-in-teal-jacket.html ,  https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/this-man-is-angry-at-me.html  and  https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-virus-diary-responsibility.html  are just a few examples.  I bet you are tired of reading about it.  I'm a little tired of writing about it.  HOWEVER, during this pandemic (and we are STILL in the middle of it), we ALL need to act in a responsible manner.  That means WEAR A MASK even if you have gotten the vaccine. (Don't take my word for it:   https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html#:~:text=After%20you've%20been%20fully,places%20until%20we%20know%20more. ) Now I realize that there are some states that no longer require you to wear a mask.  (Pretty...

  We now into our 13th month of the pandemic.  Does anyone remember when we thought we were going to be in "lock down" for only 2 weeks?  When we were told by the powers that be that it was all going to go away?  (No politics; just remembering what was being said.) I bring this up now because yesterday I attended a seminar (virtual, of course) entitled "Coping with Pandemic Fatigue."  Isn't it a little late for that?  Shouldn't that have been on the agenda a year ago?  Six month ago? Pandemic fatigue IS still a thing.  And the session was helpful.  Several hundred people attended.  (Can you imagine what it would have looked like if it had been an in person event?) Clearly we are all still experiencing pandemic SOMETHING...be it fatigue, burn out, anxiety...you name it...we've all got it in one form or another.  (Or perhaps that should be many forms because they change on a day by day basis.  In some cases hour by hour or mi...

  Today my husband is getting his Covid-19 vaccine.  He has been waiting for this day for a LONG time.  (Haven't we all?)  He fits the current age requirement (currently 55+ in NJ) and has underlying conditions that make him eligible (high blood pressure and diabetes.)  He's understandably nervous, anxious and excited all at the same time. I know I will feel the same way when it is my turn.  I am still under 55 (at least for another 2 months).  Although I still take blood pressure medication, my dosage is extremely low and I only take it every other day.  (This is with the doctor's approval; and when I next go for a physical I may ask if it is still necessary.  I was much heavier when I started this regime.)  I do not know my BMI and it may or may not meet the current BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 requirement. (I'm not even sure what that means.)  Although I am still overweight (I want to say slightly, but I don't know if that's fair), I am...

  The 2nd Easter of the pandemic has come and gone.  Though I feel that it was an improvement over last year (https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-virus-diary-easter-2020-worship-walk.html ) it was still not what I wanted in the holiday.  It was, however, what I needed and was safe and respectful. I was able to attend (in person) a Maundy Thursday service.  Most of the attendees were on line (think there were only 8 people in the church sanctuary).  The service was also brief.  In the past a simple supper and hand washing before the service would have been the norm, but... Friday I was off to the NJ shore again to help mom with a visit to a new doctor.  (She could have done it on her own, but since I took the day off it seemed like a good idea.)  It was a busy day for me, starting with a Shoprite run at 6 in the morning (the usual weekly run)  and ended with an evening run to a different Shoprite.  In between (besides the doc...

It's no joke...I haven't written a post in over a week!  What is up with that?  Well it's mostly been because the first quarter of the year was wrapping up.  Quarter close is a big thing where I work...and this quarter it seemed particularly stressful.  I'm not sure why that was; usually it's 4th quarter which is the killer with 2nd coming in...well, 2nd.  My days were longer than usual.  (Yikes!)  I was pretty darned burned out by the end of them and every time I tried to start a new post at the beginning of the day...well, something would come up and I would get distracted and...No blog post!  (To be honest; no much of anything.  Don't ask my family how "snappy" I got during the day...and yes, that's putting it nicely.) But a lot has been happening in the past week and since this my "boring" blog, let me bore you with some of what's been going on and what I've been thinking about. The saying is that March comes in like a l...