As per usual, these four day weeks are always busier than the usual five day package. Just seems like all the meetings and briefings and problems rear their heads at the office, along with more-intense-than-usual drama elsewhere. If the world cooperates, I’ll likely knock off a little early, though the world hasn’t cooperated so far, so we’ll see…

I have, however, made it through this extra-busy week full of all the things mostly unscathed.

Mostly.

I did get word from one of my bandmates that I shared the stage with all last weekend that they’d testing positive for COVID a day or two after the con. Thus far I’ve shown no symptoms, but I’ve taken a few steps these last couple of days to stay out of the way of crowded places, be extra-judicious about mask-wearing, and generally follow the CDC Quarantine and Isolation Guidelines because I’m responsible like that. Based on those guidelines, I’ll test myself today, if only to throw off the weird psychosomatic “do I feel less than ideal because I’ve been infected, or just because I’m really good at convincing myself that I was, and it’s just usual tired-of-all-the-work-bullshit stuff” effects.

In any case, because of said positivity, we won’t be playing Fantasci this weekend down in Durham, which is honestly fine – I’d see some friends, but it’s a heck of a drive to go for one hour-long set.

Apart from that, word has come to me that several acquaintances or relatives-of-acquaintances have passed away this week, which, frankly, sucks. Also, Madeline Albright, a heck of a public servant with an inspiring story, and someone in government I’ve always looked up to. Dammit.

On the better front, we had those new appliances we ordered months ago delivered and (mostly) installed. They’re pretty, stainless steel, and some of them are wifi-enabled, which is just weird. But, I’ll take the wins where I can get them.

Nothing really on the agenda this week; given that positivity stuff above, I’m keeping my head down until I know more. Probably the usual laundry and chorin’.

As for tunes this week, I’m taking advantage of the new queueing functionality in the bandcamp app, which lets you build playlists from or shuffle your collection and all that sort of thing. Thus, this week’s list is built up inordinately of friends and co-conspirators (apart from #13, anyway – bigger, but definitely indie), but y’know? That’s totally okay – my friends are pretty damned talented people:

1. “Sorry, Mom” – Mikey Mason
2. “Sedna of the Sea” – Leslie Hudson
3. “Love Me” – The Positronic Cats
4. “Don’t Sail There No More” – Misbehavin’ Maidens
5. “Producers Are Mean!” – Night Sabers
6. “Ocarina of Love (The Zelda Song)” – Madison Metricula Roberts
7. “Dance Dance Hero” – Foot Pound Force
8. “Con Crush” – David Tyberg
9. “Waltz” – Keely Burn
10. “Battle Hymn of the Nazi Hobos” – D.J. McGuire
11. “Bela Legosi’s Not Dead” – Summer Russell
12. “Stones Speak Commentary” – Rhiannon’s Lark
13. “Prayin’ For A Sweet Weekend” – Rock Sugar
14. “Happy Holidays Too” – The Doubleclicks
15. “Shiny Objects” – The Long Losts
16. “Dancing In The Car” – Leff Whitmire