Dr. Evil and I are holding March 11th as our pandemicaversary, because that was the last time we dined in a restaurant. We have a favorite brewpub that is a real pain in the ass to patronize when OU is in session, so we scurry on over as soon as the semester ends, or breaks begin. Last year, we were a little reluctant, because spring break coincided with the early days of covid, but we decided to go ahead. Sitting in the dining room that day last March, I looked around at how closely packed the place was. Every throat clearing or cough went straight up my spine. I knew this was it: we were going into bunker mode. In the year to come, we got take-out pizza once in Autumn, and take-out Chinese just a couple weeks ago. I used curbside grocery pickup until after the state mandated mask wearing. Our face-to-face interactions have been limited to Dr. Evil’s folks, and a single visit from a nephew in July.
I’ve intentionally buried the lede here. Today is the first day those over 50 become eligible for covid vaccinations here in Ohio. Friends, I have a shot scheduled for this coming Tuesday, and I feel like it’s Christmas or something. I anticipated problems with the state’s website (nope), a significant delay in obtaining an appointment (nope), and an inconvenient inoculation site (nope). Feeling pretty fortunate here, and I hope everyone who hasn’t yet gets to experience this feeling very soon.