Tuesday night.

I took a long and scenic walking route to get some cider (it’s been a dry couple of weeks) and pick up one last thing from an Amazon locker. (It was a boring weekend, okay?) Along the way, I saw some people dining at outdoor patios… Pedestrians seemed evenly split: those still wearing masks, like myself, and those who looked like they were from another era: enjoying themselves with their faces unburdened by cloth. The risk of outdoor transmission is pretty low, especially if you’re not face-to-face with someone, but still. It was sweater weather again: so strange to see so many people all at once, not wearing coats, showing off their unique styles. The coming months will be weird as we still stay under various lockdowns and remain mostly unvaccinated.

Speaking of which… Apparently, if I drive out of Canada to get my shots in, say, Ohio, it’s unclear whether they’ll allow me back in, seeing as I’m still not a permanent resident. I contribute to the Canadian economy and pay my taxes, but their rules are strict: only permanent residents and citizens get to enjoy safe passage. (After which they’re supposed to quarantine.) Work permit holders such as myself may or may not get turned around at the border. Chances are, they’d let me back in, but if there’s even a 1% chance of failure, of losing everything I worked on over the last two years, I might as well wait. Once I get my PR, or once the border restrictions get looser, a lot of good things will happen in rapid succession. Until then, though… Blargh. Blargh, I say. It could take weeks or likely months.

Back to playing 7 Days to Die, I suppose. I know it’s not a productive way to spend time, but hey, it makes me happy. It’s also interesting to analyze myself from afar, to see which recurring mistakes I keep making. Last night, I could’ve built a quick ladder and climbed to safety instead of making a foolhardy last stand. The night before that, I almost starved to death while climbing a skyscraper: I finally found some leftover food, but there was a good chance that expedition would’ve been a one-way trip. It’s possible that I’m just trying to justify my bad habit to myself, but hey – there might be some value in seeing what I can learn. That, and I truly enjoy the “from rags to riches” aspect of the game, seeing as you start it by literally waking up naked on the side of the road.

In covid news, my sister in Los Angeles got her first shot of Pfizer. She’s 41, so it’s open for pretty much anyone. Her second shot will be three weeks away. I’m a bit jealous but mostly just happy for her. Things aren’t looking so good for AstraZeneca: US health officials said the data from their US trial might have included outdated information. AZ claimed 79% efficacy, but it appears that they cherry-picked the most favourable data, while in reality the results ranged from 64%-79%. That’s still fairly good, but they chose to lie. On top of everything else AZ did earlier – not testing on old people, messing up their dose regimens, etc, this is only the latest in a series of epic fails.

This makes their FDA approval less likely. This also raises some tensions here in Canada: we approved AZ weeks ago, and in light of this new and shady information, folks are asking questions. (Mostly along the lines of “WTF, eh?”) There’ll be even more distrust now, even as the top officials are saying no one should be concerned. What a goddamn mess. To be clear, I’d still take all the shots of AZ they’d care to offer, but I wouldn’t end my “plague diaries” chronicle until and unless I also got a shot of Johnson&Johnson or two shots (three weeks apart, please and thank you) of Pfizer or Moderna. This may take a while…

Stay safe, y’all.