Thursday Thoughts: October

 

Random thoughts that have been rattling around my brain today:

• Stephen King is the consummate storyteller.  (Did I really need to say that?  The man is a legend.)  While I am not a fan of all his work (although maybe it's time I go back and give some of stuff I have previously read another try...a "bad" Stephen King is better than a lot of what's out there), I just finished Holly.  It was yet another one that I couldn't or didn't want to put down.  I had to, several times, because life...but it was so hard to do so.  His tale was totally believable (there is no supernatural aspect...which makes the realistic story all the more horrific) and timely.  
• Masks are making a comeback.  (Maybe I'm more aware of them after reading Holly since it takes place during early/mid covid times.)  Since mid-September I've noticed that traffic on my commute has become extremely congested.  To the point that the express bus is no longer an express.  (The commute to the office is never as bad as the commute home...like the 2 hour "express" ride when the road was closed off and the police had no idea how to direct people.  I thought I was going to end up two towns over with a 4+ mile walk.)  So I've switched to the local (which is less of a walk for me but requires a transfer to the city light rail).  The locals are filled with people.  (Not when I get on, but by the time I get to the city they can be almost full.)  After getting on a light rail train that was packed without a mask (and being nervous the whole ride), I make sure to have a mask with me at all times when I go local.  And I probably should for the express too.  More and more people are going places (like unnecessary offices) which make my commute LONGER and (in my mind) more filled with potential carriers.  Even leaving Covid, out of the equation, I don't want to get sick if I can avoid it and masking CAN help.  There has never been a time when I am the ONLY passenger wearing a mask and this morning, I noticed more people were wearing them. (Actually I noticed more people period...one of the reasons I take the 6:47 bus is because it tends to have less people getting on and off...not so this morning!)  In any event, there was a time when I thought I should get rid of all my masks.  (I did get rid of a few that were rather flimsy.)  In the height of Covid, a friend (who also happens to be a nurse), was making masks on the side.  She was very creative with her choice of fabrics, and I had masks for almost every season.  (Today I wore my Haunted Mansion "wallpaper" mask, while yesterday's sported the Wicked Witch of the West.)  I'm glad I kept them...and I think I'll be continuing to wear them as I continue to commute.)
• It's been a week since I heard from my insurance agent regarding the carrier for my homeowner's policy "report".  Her email pointed out 3 items that needed to be fixed/addressed to keep the policy in place.  One was BS (there is no leak under the sink), one was "iffy" (furnace is NOT 25+ years old, but I have no problem with having a HVAC company give it a cleaning and providing a report showing that it is in good condition) and one was semi-valid (they say the roof needs to be replaced based on a few photos taken by a phone's camera on a long selfie stick and I'm having a certificated roofing contractor take make a real evaluation).  However, the actual carrier sent me a letter on Monday saying they were cancelling PERIOD as of a date in November, with no option to make corrections.  I freaked out over that (I think have reason to freak) and my agent has said that I just have to make the updates and she's already submitted the photos I took to the carrier.  However, the carrier has NOT gotten back to her.  (She called on Monday.)  Apparently, her contact is on vacation and with coverage (ha!) that they are slower to respond.  I feel like the clock is ticking and this carrier is just trying to run down the clock.  Coverage at the shore is hard to get (the house is NOT elevated) and I don't know if filing a complaint with the NJ Dept of Banking and Insurance will help or not.  WHY does everything have to be a battle?
• My son is meeting with his advisor today.  (I know he's in one of her classes, but I don't know if he's ever met her one on one.)  It's time to start thinking about SPRING classes.  (OMG!  Talk about time flying.)  He wants to make sure he is taking the right things and is understandably a little nervous about all of this; especially as he/we had such a negative experience with 'guidance" in high school.  (What guidance?)  It doesn't help that I really didn't have a great advisor experience in college.  (What advice?  The best I got was from the head of another department; and to this day I still regret not doing a double major so that she could have advised me more.)  I'm hoping he'll share his guidance experience (or lack thereof) and that this will be a better one. (It's got to be right?)
• While I am not at home, there was a crisis:  my husband dropped the coffee pot and it shattered.  Thankfully this happened AFTER my husband had his coffee and he was cleaning the carafe.  So now he's off ordering a new coffee maker.  We DID have a spare, but that has been relegated to the shore.  (My parents were not coffee drinkers...hence my morning treks to Wawa whenever I was there.)  The latest is that he HAS ordered a new one (that comes highly recommended...I'll be the judge of that once I've had coffee) and it's supposed to arrive TODAY!?!?  (I am still amazed by all of this rapid delivery.)

Now, since I’m AT the office, it’s time for me to get MY coffee.  There’s a Nespresso machine that I am learning to use.  Unfortunately, the milk frother isn’t always ready when I am AND the best (in my opinion) coffee pod is one that is decaffeinated. I’ll get something caffeinated now and have a decaf “shot” this afternoon.  But a small one, because that (masked) commute home is never a short one!