I know it’s cliche by this point, but 2020 has been, and continues to be the best practical case for evidence of time dilation in terms of relative perception in recent memory. Psychologists and physicists will be writing papers on this for decades.

Remember Four Season Total Landscaping? That was only three weeks ago.

In any case, glancing at my calendar says that it’s 1 Dec, so the end, however far away it may feel, is in sight. I’m rather relieved. In a couple of weeks, I’ll have a nice extended break from bureaucratic nightmares, and at least a symbolic end to a ridiculously long and eventful period in history. I say “symbolic”, of course, because this Whole Business™ is far from over, and even if the vaccine news is as optimistic as everybody wants it to be, it’ll be a good year (at least) until it gets wide distribution. Get used to the masks and the distancing, folks; it’s here to stay, especially if people, like I see everywhere, keep wearing their damned masks wrong and just prolonging this crap.

My friends released a song about it yesterday, in fact:

Okay, that’s just me promoting my friends’ music, which is totally allowed, but yeah; wear your mask, wear it right (over the nose, please), keep your distance. It’s getting worse now that winter’s setting in, and so many people ignored recommendations over Thanksgiving. My state, which isn’t doing all that badly comparatively, is seeing significant increases in infection, and my county schools have rolled back to full-time virtual learning, because schools are a serious vector, especially when my neighbors keep electing idiots like this (yes, satire, but only barely).

But yeah; the end is nigh. Thank $Diety. And yes, I’ve been all over the place with this post, but that’s the way it’s going to be. I’m being pulled in a million different directions by different stressors, lots of my friends are suffering for all kinds of reasons, and it’s hard to blame malicious intent on a virus. I’m trying, today, to laugh about something, even if it’s a dark, sarcastic laugh, because otherwise I’ll just collapse into weeping. Also, my sprained ankle hurts like hell.

If you’re able, go find something to laugh about; hopefully it’ll help.