Hitting the Wall

I got my second vaccination shot yesterday (yea!) and, about 8-9 hours later, I hit the wall physically. The pain started. The fatigue set in. The general feeling of being unwell overtook me. I had a rough night where I could only sleep for about two hours at a time before waking up in pain. I've spent most of the day today feeling crapped out also. No appetite, malaise, nausea. The second shot really hit me hard compared to the first one. Still, I'm grateful to be among the fully vaccinated now. It's a relief and I look forward to trying to get some aspects of my former life back on track: air travel, going to the gym, eating in a freaking restaurant. The things I took for granted before COVID came on the scene. But, for now, I'm taking it easy, keeping the Tylenol coming, and trying to work on feeling better.

Euphoria/Euforia

The title of this post is not in reference to the Chauvin verdict that came down yesterday (although I am happy to see the justice system working. No one should be above the law! Lock him up! But, I digress.

Euphoria/Euforia refers to a really good movie I saw earlier this week on Netflix about two Italian brothers and how their already strained relationship is strained even further when the older brother is diagnosed with a brain tumor. What a great movie! So much stuff on Netflix these days is sheer garbage. (Sorry...not sorry. It's true!) Euphoria (or Euforia, the Euro spelling) rises above the sea of sludge on Netflix and I'm glad I sought it out. Too bad it's leaving the streaming service at the end of April, but catch it if you can. The acting was excellent, the shots of Italy were wonderful, and the story felt very real. Yes, it's sad, but it's good too!

My Old School

One of the comedians I enjoy watching is John Mulaney. I’ve watched all of his Netflix specials and I think he’s entertaining. (I hope he’s able to recover from his recent stint in rehab also.) However, I was thinking about a bit he does on one of his specials about his disdain for the college he attended. He equated his alma mater to a hooker who had performed a service and been paid for that service, yet kept coming back to him for more money (via the alumni association). I watched this skit and thought it was typical BS that an upper-middle-class jerk would say. His attitude was so flippant and shrill and came from someone who never doubted that he would (a) not go to college and (b) not go to an expensive, top-ranked college (in Mulaney’s case, Georgetown).

 As someone who was glad just to be able to go to college, I’m glad to contribute to my alma maters. I appreciate the education I received as an undergraduate and a graduate student and I certainly don’t call the universities that I attended “hookers” for asking me to contribute to scholarship funds for underprivileged students or funds for campus facilities. (I draw the line at contributing for any kind of sports things. Those organizations can and often do get money from someone else.) I remember reading an article where Mike Bloomberg talked about how he could only afford to give his alma mater, Johns Hopkins, some small amount of money after he graduated, like $10, but he felt it was important to give what he could because he appreciated everything the school had done for him. (He certainly has come a long way from those meager donations because Johns Hopkins named their School of Public Health after Bloomberg.) I agree with Mikey B’s philosophy on this. Give what you can, but give and I do. No, I’m not giving enough to my alma maters to have a school named after me, but I think it’s important to support a school that supported you.

Some Good News

It seems harder and harder these days to find some good news, but here are a few of my own items to share:

1. Because I've been interested in learning how to write a screenplay, I've signed up for a course to teach me just how to do that. I'm looking forward taking the online course in a few weeks and I hope it turns out to be helpful.

2. Spring finally seems to have arrived in Chicago area. Does this mean I can put my winter coats, hats, and gloves away until next fall/winter? I certainly hope so. Just seeing flowering trees, the return of greenery, and feeling warmer temperatures around here are all welcome changes. Not that our winter was terrible (because it really wasn't), but it's nice to go outside and not have to bundle up in a huge coat, hat, boots, etc. just to take a walk.

We have to find positivity where we can these days. Small victories still count.