The Fair and Other Summer Things

 

It's mid August. It's still hot as ever outside, but Summer is basically over! Where does the time go? Thanks to very little actual vacation plans I had so much vacation time to use that I took two Fridays off per month for the entire summer and that's the thing that made summer feel like an actual summer. An extra day off with no plans in particular, is glorious indeed. 

 

In June we went to the fair. After being cancelled for two years, it finally came back. I ordered my usual french bread pizza. It got more expensive, but I think it got larger too. It was a stretch, but I still ate the whole thing. MJ made me ride the zipper, which turned out to be just as awful as I thought it would be. I screamed bloody murder the entire time and it confirmed what I already knew. Rides are not for me anymore. I cannot believe it used to be one of my favorites. I don't think it's as crowded as it was the last time we went, but there were plenty of people there, and it was another positive sign towards things getting back to the way they were.

 

During the early days of the pandemic we were constantly hearing about the high number of cases, but didn't really know a ton of people personally that got it. A few, but not a lot. Well, now that we are out of the thick of the pandemic it seems like everyone we know is getting it. MJ got it last month. He felt awful, but it wasn't a bad case and he recovered well. It was about 24 hours before he realized he was sick and needed to test, so there was some serious exposure for me, but we separated as soon as we knew and I didn't get it. I finally had to take my very first covid test of the pandemic.

At the end of July we went to a wedding that was postponed for an entire year because of the pandemic. Getting dressed up was a lot of work for a casual person like me. I had to start from scratch because I had nothing. No dress, no shoes, no purse. Nothing! I just don't know how to dress up, and even though I had a whole extra year to figure it out I STILL waited too long and ended up with a black pair of shoes that worked, but that I don't love. On the day of the wedding I realized that the silver shoes I originally decided on (that I got for a very reasonable $43) was missing the piece that keeps the strap in place after you buckle the shoe. I had to make a game time decision on one of the three other black pairs of shoes I'd ordered online, but that I didn't really like that much. I didn't remember how much they all cost and I was pissed when I checked the next morning and saw that ones I chose were $100. I would pick the most expensive pair and I have no idea why I ever added them to my cart. So, $100 for shoes that hurt and I never want to wear again. Cool! Needless to say, those shoes came off by the end of the night. Being barefoot never felt so good. The wedding was beautiful and we had a blast. Half of our neighborhood was there. I spent so much time on the dance floor that my new nickname is Dancing Queen and I'm not even mad about it. The open bar was flowing. We hugged, and danced, and gathered with glee, but were hastily reminded that covid is always there, waiting for an opportunity to get ya.

Unfortunately, the bride and three other guests that we know of tested positive for covid. I guess that's just the way things are now. Then, I got suddenly sick two days after the wedding and had to wonder if I had it too. More covid testing, which freaking hurts by the way. It's more than just uncomfortable for me. I tested negative so I guess I was just regular sick not covid sick, but boy did it hit me hard. It took me almost two weeks to fully recover. My throat was sore, but the relentless coughing was the worst. Looking back I do think I had covid. My throat was like sandpaper the day after the get together with the bride and family and I lost my sense of smell. MJ made cookies and bacon and I couldn't smell either one! That is super unusual and I have never been sick like that. I just laid in bed for days.

I still have to wear a mask on the days I go into the office, our flights for one of our upcoming trips keep getting cancelled, and everything is very expensive right now, but for the most part things feel very normal. We finally have real travel plans! I mean, we've definitely done some travel, and we still aren't going to make it back to Europe this year, but a leisurely week at the beach is a great start. Even though summer is over, our travel season is just beginning. Work wise, the timing sucks, and that will be a source of stress, but to hell with it. I'm not letting it stop me. I'm excited about our plans, and can't wait to get out there.