Nostalgia I

 

I was riding in the streetcar to work today and I saw a man about thirtyish get on with a stroller with a kid in it and another kid who was ambulatory on his own.   The older kid sat in a seat and the Dad held the stroller and stood.  For some reason the dad didnt want the little kid in the stroller touching a metal bar across the window.  He kept saying "no" and then he pulled the stroller away from the window so the kid couldnt reach the bar. But the kid was still trying to stretch out of the stroller and reach the bar.  Whatever, kids like to touch stuff or push buttons or stuff like that. I couldnt think at first why he didnt want the kid touching the bar, but then I thought he was pretty smart because you know it is flu season and you figure that so many sick people are still going outside and they touch the hardware in the street cars and then someone else picks up the germs.  You know little kids always put their hands in their mouths too, so it is easily passed on.  Come to think of it it was pointed out to me how much even adults touch their eyes and mouth during the day even every couple minutes, so we arent much better.  

But the point being that here was a dad. Here was a dad being a dad to the young ones.  

I thought about my days 10 years ago when I pushed the big baby buggy and

held another kid by the hand and we walked down to the park at the train station.  I still remember quite clearly being very conscious of being the only person walking under the viaduct while the cars went by.  Not only the only one walking, but a dad with a carriage and kid holding my hand.  But I wasnt the first to be in such a situation.  No no.  In fact I was impressed in the 90s a good friend brought up his son alone.  And he was a foreigner bringing up a kid alone as a Dad.  How tough that must have been? 

I remember even then, after we got to the park, I guess the littlest one wanted to follow her sister. I think it was that day that her older sister climbed to the top of the rope pyramid. (Pictured above in the upper right corner)  She was three and over, probably four.  The younger one wanted to climb the ropes too, but she couldnt even get on the first rung.  

The point being that it was fine. It was a nice day, I had fun.  I remember it fondly. I dont know what was wrong with me bringing the kids to the park.  Just the walking to and from the park along the busy street got my nerves shaking.  

Well, I hope this guy on the street car didnt feel conscious carrying his kids around. I hope he had a nice Saturday out with them, maybe took them to a park for the couple "warm" hours (this is the beginning of January, so warm is relative) in the day.  I hope he watched them and helped them climb the bars and get to the top and afterwards maybe some french fries from a restaurant or better some fruit slices.  I hope he had a nice day that he will remember for much longer than ten years. 

Be strong dads.  This is not weakness being out with your kids. The opposite. It is stronger to be a dad to your kids.  

FLU time again is back

 Hi folks. I hope the new year 2022 is starting out well.  I did nothing that I normally do on the first of January this year.  I stayed in bed all day and watched an old sitcom.  I did not eat the soup with the scales in it , or where you have the fish scales under your plate.  So maybe,... no, it has never worked in the past.  So I didnt really care HOW I started the new year this year.   

I would like to say though that I think the year will be heading back to normal as we progress.  I know you might be saying I am crazy.  200 000 new cases of covid in one day in France.  The US averaging 500 000 new cases a day when the last biggest day was 250 000.  1.5 million new cases in the whole world every day. It is still going strong and especially now as the Northern hemisphere is going through winter cold season.  But you know... besides this... I think things will be heading to normal through this year.

Let me explain.  

I always get the flu.  Every year.  I got the flu vaccination one year. I got the flu that year too.  The shot gave me the flu and I got it pretty bad actually.  Then I decided I didnt want to take the flu vaccination after that. As a result.. I got the flu every year.  

When it was later, it came in December. If it was earlier, I got it in November.  But I can remember that I have had the flu every fall for the past at least 5 years if not ten.  Even longer.  That one flu shot I did get took place around 17 years ago.  

Every year.  For a long time. 

Until last year, 2020.

I did not get the flu last year.  Why not? Well because everyone had covid.  Everyone had a face mask on and we werent breathing on each other.  We had lockdown since the beginning of the flu season till the end. I had a normal open retail for about 5 weeks total.  There was very little contact between people.  I met very few people except my family.  And they met no one either.  So there was not much flu.  Some types of flu disappeared even.  They became extinct from what I understand.   I did not get the flu.   Wasn't that crazy?  

One year forward and guess what happened this year?  Bingo.  I got the flu again.  

My wife had stopped booking vacations for Christmas vacation because EVERY YEAR someone in our family would be sick during that time.  But in 2019 we took a long vacation and no one got sick and in 2020 no one got sick even though we were home all Christmas vacation.  So she thought the curse had been broken.  So she booked a small New Years 4 day weekend skiing trip for the whole family this year in 2021.  

The Curse wasnt lifted. I got sick and had to stay at home.  We lost the money on my booked bed and ticket.  Rats.  Rats moreso that the flu is back.  I was in bed for 4 days and STILL had the stuffed nose. I thought it would be a 3/3/3 cold but so far the last three lasted 5 then 6 days and there was an extra three of "still not that great, still not better".  (I got a PCR test and it was negative so it wasnt covid, not even omicron).  And that was a doozy of a flu. The middle three days were terrible, kind of terrifying even.   I think I will try the flu vaccination next year.  Remind me in the Fall to get one.  Remind me that the flu I got now was very scary.  I dont want that one again.   

So, flu is back. The Christmas flu ruining our holiday is back.  How more normal can you get than me getting the flu during flu season?  Nothing. So that is why I say things will start to return to normal this year.  Me getting the flu is as normal as normal can be. 

Cheers.  

Thanks for reading. 

Hope you indeed will have a better year. 

Wishing everyone for the new year wealth and more importantly HEALTH for the full year

Listened to this CD at least three times while writing. Very nice strings and guitar downtempo.  Be reminded that I only listen to CDs or Vinyls I have or have for sale soon.  This is a cd I have. It is from 2002.  I do not listen to stuff on internet during writing.  And mostly only new stuff that i have to think about buying.  

Whoops first time I couldnt find the picture for it.  I guess I have to take it myself.