Classics

It's been three years since the Cluster held the last Capitol Hill Classic, and since as a family we tended to spend our Pandemic time baking in lieu of running (Katherine clearly being the exception), some of us might not have been in the best shape for a race. However, we are nothing if not supportive of PTA fundraisers and free snacks, and so we duly registered for the race (and drafted Katherine).

Nora and I volunteered to check in runners on Saturday morning, which meant that while we were a mere three blocks from the Supreme Court, we weren't able to participate in the "Bans off our Bodies" protest (though I did wear my "Nasty Woman" t-shirt as a sign of solidarity). We then headed to Nora's DCYOP concert and met up with the family for dinner, after which we convinced Aunt Katherine to spend the night so we could get to the course bright and early for Sunday's race.

We signed Katherine up for the 10k, which has always kind of been her nemesis (the Classic is usually her first run of the year, isn't her standard distance, is always weirdly humid and they don't call it Capitol Hill for nothing...), but despite her grumblings, she had her best showing yet. The rest of us were only up for the 3k and ended up splitting into two groups – Nora and Allen vs Owen and myself. Nora had the best time of the four of us, beating Allen by a second; Owen and I were a full 2 minutes slower, though I suspect Owen's decision to run in 1) sweatpants; 2) wool socks; and 3) an N95 mask, may have been a factor).

Anyway we survived. Now we just have to start training for 2023!

(To see all the Classic pictures click here)

DCYOP Stars

After a morning of volunteering to sign in runners for the Classic, Nora had quick pitstop at home to have lunch, shower and change into concert attire before heading over to the U-DC for their DCYOP spring concert. The concert was for beginning to intermediate string ensembles with a special guest virtuoso.

Nora wasn't a huge fan of Fiesta Mexican, and while they liked Power Shift, their clear favorite on their program was She Will Hang the Night With Stars, which was based on a poem by Oscar Wilde which includes the line,

Nature....she will hang the night stars so that I may walk abroad in the darkness without stumbling, and send word the wind over my footprints so that none may track me to my hurt: she will cleanse me in great waters, and with bitter herbs make me whole.

Enjoy!

Mama Birds

In a surprise twist of fate (or the Gregorian Calendar), Mother's Day and Sharon's and my birthdays were a full five days apart and their celebrations were naturally fell on separate weekends. This meant two weekends of celebrating Sharon and I! (Which maybe my 49-year-old liver could have done without.)

We headed up to Katherine's on the Saturday before Mother's Day for dinner and drinks, which somehow culminated in me falling asleep on Katherine's couch, waking up at 4 am, going to bed and then emerging around 11 am – just in time for brunch. I then spent the next several hours putting together a puzzle (which didn't have any edge pieces because Katherine decided to store them separately and then forgot because apparently that's a thing) while everyone else prepped for the real celebration -- a painting party.

I'm not sure if my hummingbird didn't turn out so well because I was still feeling the prior evening's effects, or if I'm really just that terrible at wingspans, but regardless we had a wonderful time.

(To see all of our artwork, click here.)

Spring Breaking

We've been traveling a lot lately, so instead of using the kids' Spring Break for a weeklong adventure in some exotic locale, we opted to spend a long weekend in New York and then devote the rest of the week to dragging Owen to local college campuses to jumpstart the college visit phase of his childhood. He was less than thrilled. In order to make the process not entirely painful, we recruited his friend Gabriel to join him and then teamed the visits with a fun counter activity (granted some were less fun and more utilitarian). 

American was up first and was the only visit that also included a tour (note to parents: Spring Break is when all the accepted students tour campus so maybe don't try to book tours the week of). The boys weren't really into the tour itself (too many people and a too perky guide), but it at least gave them a reference point for the rest of the week, and for Owen it was a nice reprieve before his dental appointment later that afternoon.

Next was Johns Hopkins which in theory involved the whole family and the Telfair-Chas, but in practice meant that Nora hung out and read on the Decker Quad while the rest of walked around campus. The boys primarily perked up outside the biochemistry building when they happened upon a number of liquid nitrogen tanks on its loading dock as well as picking up some handouts from Hopkin's Consent campaign to decorate their friends lockers at school. Once we finished our self-guided tour and picked up Nora, we headed out for lunch followed by a trip to the Baltimore Aquarium before returning home and heading to the Kennedy Center for Mean Girls.

The boys finished the week with a trip to Maryland and a semi-guided tour by one of Allen's Center for Global Sustainability colleagues. Despite the size of the campus, it was the boys favorite (and the cheapest of the three). But the after-tour was clearly the best part of the day, when we all met up for some axe-throwing. While everyone made at least one hit, team "Anti-Geneva" dominated team "Future Axe Murderers," winning all three rounds and even making the final "kill shot" (though some people contributed more than others).

The next day we headed up to Katherine's for a day (or rather, an afternoon) of yard work in preparation of the most epic Easter Egg Hunt ever (or at least the most cash rich one we've ever participated in) followed a lovely Easter dinner at Mom Mom's. 

The kids had one last day off of school (officially for teachers to enter grades; unofficially for the kids to all submit negative COVID tests before returning, so Owen and his Duke friends organized a morning of climbing followed by lunch and a movie, and graciously allowed Nora to join. The kids returned pretty exhausted, but pretty happy and ready to start the final term of the year.

(To see all the Spring Break post-New York pictures, click here.)

Giving Regards to Broadway

It had been nearly three years since our last trip to NYC (though Owen had been more recently, with a drama club field trip back in 2020). We'd actually had to cancel a trip during the Pandemic and while we'd gotten our musical theater fix via the Kennedy Center, it wasn't the same. So, with the whole family fully vaccinated and boosted, infection rates... at least lower, and the end of the term, we decided a return was long overdue. And while we might have been a little apprehensive about it, going to Broadway is like riding a bicycle – only now it requires proof of vaccination and a mask.

We started off the kids' Spring Break with an early train to the city in order to drop our stuff off at the hotel, check out the insane line at the Stardust Diner before opting for lunch at a pizza place near the theater in order to make the matinee of Dear Evan Hansen (which was on both kids' wish lists but was clearly Owen's favorite). Afterwards, we formally checked into the hotel and then headed out to Central Park and a lovely dinner overlooking Columbus Circle.

The next morning, the kids indulged me for a chilly constitutional along the High Line. They weren't really into it (it probably would gone over better had Nora had actually packed a coat...), but after a stop at Starbuck for a well timed mocha, Nora perked up and agreed to venture into Washington Square to see the arch (and a pseudo college tour of NYU) before heading back to the hotel to regroup before dinner and our show.

Nora had been waiting years to see Six (the global sensation), which ironically was supposed to open on Broadway the night the lights went out for the Pandemic. Having listened the soundtrack endlessly and even an interview with the writers, we were a little worried that the show couldn't possibly live up to Nora's expectations. But our fears were meritless – we hadn't seen Nora that happy and excited (it didn't totally translate on film) in a long time (topping the night off with gelato flowers probably didn't hurt either...).

The next morning we got donuts and headed to Central Park for some climbing and a lovely walk before Nora stepped in dog poop. Thankfully, there was a bathroom nearby, Nora was wearing zippy pants, and it was warmer than it had been the day before. We cleaned up, grabbed lunch, headed back to Penn Station and took the train home (to start the rest of Spring Break).

(To see all of the NYC pictures, click here.)

Junior Honors

When we found out Nora was nominated for the National Junior Honor Society, I tried to reminisce about my own experience being a member in high school, but my only recollections of our activities was a picture for the year book and a blood drive. Apparently, America's youth has much higher standards because for induction to the Junior Honor Society, Nora had to: write an essay, write another essay, participate in some team building exercises, attend lots of meetings, have a headshot taken, find a quote about one of the pillars of the society, take an oath, and then finally be inducted.

It was a lot, but it was also the first school ceremony Nora's had at Stuart and it was pretty exciting to see them and their friends acting normal at a school function (albeit while wearing masks). Plus there were cupcakes! 

Opening Day!

It's hard to believe, but the last time the Nats had an Opening Day with fans in the stands was three years ago. It's crazy to think back to how different the team was then, with Scherzer and Turner, Zim and Rendon, and so many other beloved faces for the team that would go on to bring us our first World Series Championship! Now we're finally back, never having had the chance to properly celebrate that World Series with an Opening Day as World Champions, raising the pennant in front of a raucous crowd, cheering our returning heroes... Instead we're finally here with a team that is a shadow of it's former self, Strasburg is off somewhere rehabbing his shoulder, Turner and Rendon are playing on the west coast, Zim is retired, and Scherzer is here, but our cheers for him are just wistful reminders of days gone by as he doffs his new Mets cap and disappears into the visitors dugout...

Sleepless Nights for WGIII

Back in 2018 I went to South Korea as part of the US delegation for the approval session for the IPCC Special Report on 1.5C. It was an intense but rewarding experience, and the State Department convinced me to sign up again and serve on the US delegation for the IPCC Working Group III Summary for Policymakers approval. This time the meetings were on Zoom, but even though there wasn't any travel involved the 'jet lag' was just as bad if not worse than the in person approvals! The virtual meetings were spread out over two weeks and needed to accommodate participants in time zones all over the world. The first week our meetings started a 6am and went until 7pm, with 3 hour sessions and 2 hour breaks (assuming we didn't go over...). On Sunday we rested, then the second week we started with meetings from 1am to 2pm. Realizing how much work was left, on Thursday we went from 1am to 7pm, but enough countries complained that we stopped a 2pm again on Friday. Really though they just wanted us to get a little rest before the final push with a marathon negotiating session from 1am on Saturday until 4pm on Sunday! All told it was 174 hours of work over the two weeks, but we approved the report! Now I just need to rest up before doing it all again for the Synthesis Report approval in September ;-)

Pandemic, Week 105 (End Times)

This week, Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky, addressed a joint session of Congress, requesting additional aid and that the US be a leader in peace – the result was an additional $14 billion in US humanitarian and military aid as well as armed drones. Two Fox News journalists (a cameraman and a "fixer") were killed by Russian fire in Ukraine. Dolly Parton was nominated, and quickly withdrew her name from consideration, for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, stating that the nomination may inspire her to actually record a rock & roll album at some point in the future. The NCAA Basketball Tournament began with a number of surprising losses in the first round.

The world reached 470.3 million COVID cases and 6.1 million deaths this week, of which the US accounted for 81.4 million cases and 998,000 deaths. 255 million Americans (77 percent) have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 217 million (65 percent) are fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, both Pfizer and Moderna are seeking FDA approval for a fourth booster shot, DCPS made masks optional in its schools, China and Hong Kong are having a surge in COVID deaths while a new and more contagious version of the Omicron variant is emerging in Europe, and the newly signed US budget omitted funds for COVID-19 aid.

Jeff arrived on Sunday night to briefly to crash at our place before an interview on Monday (after which he returned to NYC). Jacqui went home on Tuesday. Adam and Molly came over for dinner on Wednesday to inspect our new paint job. And on Friday, Nora stayed home and built a ukulele while the rest of went to Duke to hear the DC premier of William Levi Dawson's 1934 work, Negro Folk Symphony and then hear Owen play, with the members of the Duke and Post Classical Ensemble (PCE) orchestras, Louis Moreau Gottschalk's La Nuit des Tropics. Saturday, we returned to our regular routine with DCYOP for Nora and climbing for Owen (followed by a party for Owen and some gnocchi making for Nora).

But the big event of this week, was the decision to end our blog series on the Pandemic. Back in March 2020 when the initial wave of COVID was starting, there were suggestions that kids should journal about the Pandemic so they could later reflect on their experience. Knowing that neither of our children would elect to do so, I decided to write a weekly summary of what was going on in the world and how we were dealing with it. I naively thought it would last six weeks or so and that we might still make our Spring Break trip to Harry Potter World. 

I was mistaken.

A lot happened in the past two years. Schools closed and sort of opened and then opened some more. There were protests and elections and less than peaceful transitions of power. One war ended and another began. We lost someone we loved. And at times, we really struggled.

But of late we've shifted to a new phase of the Pandemic – the schools no longer require masks (though both our kids are still opting to wear theirs); the federal government is working on its reopening plan and Allen and I are figuring out our new schedules; we've flown twice for two separate ski trips and in a couple of weeks we'll be taking the train to NYC to take in some shows on Broadway. And while who knows if the Pandemic will ever really end, for now we're going to stop making it our main focus and instead return to our regular programming.

Though we will never forget.

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)

   

Pandemic, Week 104 (Park City)

This week, President Biden banned all Russian imports of gas oil and coal in response to the war in Ukraine while Senate democrats have proposed a bill to offset rising gas prices by suspending the 18.4 cents a gallon federal gas tax. Russia continued its attack on Ukraine, intensifying bombing near the port city of Mariupol, including a maternity hospital. Vice President Harris is traveling to Poland and Romania to discuss humanitarian aid to Ukraine after the US rejected an offer from Poland to transfer fighter jets to a US air base for Ukraine. The Florida "Don't Say Gay" bill, which limits what students can be taught about sexual orientation and gender identity advanced to the state senate, prompting Disney (with some prodding) to announce it would suspend all political donations in Florida in response. The Endurance, which sank in the Weddell Sea in 1915 during Shackleton's failed Trans-Antarctic Expedition, was discovered by a robot roughly 10,000 feet below the water's surface.

The world reached 457.2 million COVID cases and 6.1 million deaths this week, of which the US accounted for 81.2 million cases and 994,000 deaths.  254 million Americans (77 percent) have received at least one vaccine dose with 217 million (65 percent) being fully vaccinated. DCPS announced that masks would be optional at schools beginning Wednesday, March 16th.

It was a bit of a crazy week for us. We had the entire family over for dinner Sunday to show off the finished paint job. Tuesday, Owen had a concert at Duke. And on Wednesday, we took the kids out of school for to celebrate conferences and a professional development day by heading to Part City with the Telfair-Chas.

Once again we were blessed by the snow gods, for while Salt Lake City hadn't had any major snowfall since December, it received roughly 20 inches right before we arrived.  While it took a while for everyone to motivate the first day (the four level bunkbed might have been a contributing factor), we eventually all made it on the slopes (though some of us stayed out longer than others). The next few days involved some pretty great skiing (aside from some unanticipated moguls, limited eating options due to labor shortages and a somewhat unpredictable gondola), some down time in Park City, and a lot of hanging out. The final day, Allen had actually covered over 50 miles on the mountains (Owen clocked in somewhere in the 40s, I was a little less and Nora stayed home and finished reading Neverwhere). And while leaving was pretty rough (8:30 am flights are always hard but the morning of daylight savings, made for some pretty grumpy travelers), it was totally worth it.

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 103 (The Reveal)

This week, President Biden addressed the nation in the State of the Union where he discussed the situation in Ukraine, his plan to curb inflation, promoted previous economic relief programs and called for lowering prescription drug costs and funding veteran health. The United Nations issued a non-biding resolution demanding Russian end the war, while over a million Ukrainian refugees have fled to Poland, Hungary and other former Eastern Bloc nations. A temporary ceasefire to create corridors to evacuate children, women the sick and injured ended abruptly as Russia resumed bombing multiple Ukrainian cities. Donald Trump won the CPAC straw poll after addressing the conservative action committee where he called Vladimir Putin smart and out leaders dumb.

The world reached 445.5 million COVID cases and 6.0 million deaths this week, of which the United States accounted for 80.9 million cases and 984,000 deaths. 254 million Americans (76 percent) have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 216 million (65 percent) are fully vaccinated. In addition, 95 million Americans have received a booster shot, including (as of this week), Nora. Meanwhile, six members of Congress tested positive for COVID ahead of the State of the Union.

We crashed after returning from Portland Sunday, and then immediately started the process of unpacking the house as the painters rushed to finish. The kitchen cabinets were re-installed Monday, John's space was completed Wednesday, and Thursday was spent doing touch-ups before Katherine came over to set up John's rooms while Allen and I finished putting the rest of the house together (well mostly, Nora is still dragging their feet a bit in their space...) just in time for John and Jacqui's return on Friday. Now we get to enjoy it for a few days before we head to Park City for another ski trip... 

(To see all of this weeks pictures, click here).

Pandemic, Week 102 (Hoodies)

 

This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine as the United States and other NATO nations issued sanctions against Russian and increased aid to Ukraine. Germany announced it was halting certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, without which, Russian cannot pipe gas through the Baltic Sea to Germany. President Biden nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court, making her the first African American woman to be nominated. The PBS Kids show Arthur about an aardvark in third grade has ended after 25 years. 

The world reached 435.3 million COVID cases and 6.0 million deaths this week, of which the US accounted for 80.6 million cases and 973,000 deaths. 253 million Americans (76 percent) have received at least one vaccine dose and 216 million (65 percent) are fully vaccinated. Uganda introduced a bill which would fine persons $1100 or receive a jail term of six-months if they refuse the vaccine. Hong Kong will require all of its 7 million residents to undergo COVID testing in March. Queen Elizabeth II tested positive for COVID.

 

So while the world (or at least parts of it) were literally blowing up, schools were closed for February break and the painters had moved onto our living quarters, we decided that rather than watch paint dry for a week, we would head out to Portland to visit my college friend Cecily, her family, and her cabin on Mount Hood.

We flew out on Saturday and spent the night at what the kids dubbed, "the murder house," an airbnb in a lovely neighborhood, devoid of any real furniture. Things rapidly improved when we met up with Cecily and her crew for brunch the next day, took in a few local sights, and then headed to the mountain and the Tamarack Lodge. Cecily and her boys stayed the first night, which resulted in an epic round of Cards Against Humanity - Family Edition, followed by a day of sledding, snow shoeing, more Minecraft than advisable, and lunch before they headed back to the city for school and work, and we settled in for another 18 inches of snow. 

The next morning we headed to a chilly (read negative six degrees) Mount Hood Meadows for a full day (2/22/22) of powder (and more than a few developing moguls) on the slopes. Wednesday was more of the same – with some family skiing followed by the boys going off to tackle the upper parts of Heather Canyon while Nora and I went mogul hunting. We ended up calling the day a little short so that the kids could work on some homework, and the adults could rest their aching muscles. Thursday we opted to sleep in and only do a half day of skiing – which was a good choice given it was snowing on the mountain and visibility was less than ideal. The boys decided to ski all of Heather's Canyon, which was essentially skiing into the void in the upper parts (good thing they were already familiar with it) and felt pretty good about themselves afterwards. The visually challenged pair of Nora and I (the former couldn't wear their glasses with goggles and the latter chose not to), made our way slowly down a series of blues and blacks, stopping at each sign to verify where we were going, before eventually meeting back up with the boys for a final family run (that of course involved moguls). 

On Friday, the Williams joined us for a full day at Timberline which included multiple runs down the magical mile, a snowcat up to Palmer Glacier (and several snowball fights during the thirty minute wait), followed by a run down the longest vertical terrain in the United States (albeit with a break midway for lunch at the lodge – kids!). Afterwards we headed back to the cabin for dinner followed by a candlelit path to a massive bonfire and a few rounds of Sushi Go Party! (Nora won) before crashing for the night.

The next morning we packed up the cabin, stopped in Hood River for lunch, and then hung at the Williams's to do dinner, laundry, Breath of the Wild, and pat the bunny before heading to a far less murder house airbnb for the night and then flying home... to our substantially more, though not completely, painted home.

 

(To see all of our Mt. Hood pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 101 (Loverly)

This week, tensions escalated on the Ukrainian-Russo border after Vladimir Putin oversaw major military exercises of Russia's nuclear forces and shelling began in eastern Ukraine. A U.S. District Judge denied Donald Trump's petitions to dismiss civil suits regarding his role in the January 6th Insurgency. NASA and NOAA released a report which found sea levels on the coasts will rise, on average, 10-12 inches by 2050. The Diocese of Phoenix has declared thousands of baptisms (and any subsequent rites) "invalid" due to a priest mistakenly using "we" instead of "I" when actually baptizing individuals for years (the priest has subsequently resigned). The Women's Olympic ice-skating final, which has been embroiled in controversy over allowing a 15-year old Russian skater who tested positive for banned substances to compete, was held with the disputed skater finishing fourth and calls to revisit both the eligibility and scoring rules. The Los Angeles Rams won the Superbowl.

The world reached 423.2 million COVID cases and 5.9 million deaths this week, of which the US accounted for 80.0 million cases and 959,000 deaths. 253 million Americans (76 percent) have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 215 million (65 percent ) are fully vaccinated. Disneyland and Tysons announced that they are loosening mask requirements as has DC.

This week we briefly celebrated the Superbowl at Katherine and Lee's (which means we were there long enough to eat and submit our Superbowl quizzes, but not long enough for Allen to collect his winnings), before heading home to finish packing up the house for the painters and ourselves for our stay at an Airbnb. Valentine's day was spent eating leftover hamburgers in the new flat while we watched Olympic curling. That's pretty much how the week went: the kids would sleep in a bit (both of their commutes were 10 minutes shorter from our temporary digs), Allen would turn on Olympic curling as we all left (the kids to school and myself to Steve & Megan's as a proxy home-office) and it would still be on when we returned. In between, he would pop-in to see how the house was shaping up.

On Wednesday, Allen, who had been lamenting the aging process and the degrading of his eyesight from 20-10 to 20-20, got glasses! Thursday, John (who'd been staying at Katherine's to avoid the painters) headed to Dallas for a planned visit with Jacqui. And on Friday, we moved back in among the drop-cloths for one night before heading to Portland for a week of skiing (assuming the 20 inches of expected snow don't prevent us from making it to the mountain). It will be interesting to see what the place looks like when we return...

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 100 (Plungers)

This week, President Biden called Vladimir Putin to argue for diplomatic solutions to remove Russia's 100,000 troops on the Russian-Ukrainian border and warned of severe consequences should Russia invade. The National Archives requested that the Justice Department investigate Donald Trump's handling of Presidential records after 15 boxes of materials were discovered at Trump's Florida residence (including "love letters" from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un) while other official records had been torn-up. A Louisiana District Court issued a temporary injunction preventing the EPA from using the "social cost of greenhouse gasses" when calculating the cost of emissions and instead using Trump-era metrics. The Consumer Price Index indicated prices have risen 7.5 percent this past year, the highest rates since 1982. Marjorie Taylor Green claimed that Speaker Nancy Pelosi was spying on members of Congress with the aid of the "gazpacho" police.

The world reached 410.8 million COVID cases and 5.8 million deaths this week, of which the US accounted for 79.3 million cases and 943,000 deaths. 252 million Americans (76 percent) have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 214 million (64 percent) are fully vaccinated. California, New York and Oregon all announced lifting of mask mandates. Truckers continue to block the Ambassador Bridge in Canada to protest vaccine requirements. Deer in New York City were found to be infected with Omicron.

It was a weird week for us. John returned home from convalescing at Katherine's, but then returned to Katherine's prior to visiting Jacqui, taking Ducky with them. Ducky's departure (as well as John's) were related to our plan to have the entire interior of the house painted over the course of 2.5 weeks, which meant we had to spend much of this week boxing up stuff and removing things from walls. Nora's school was one of several DC schools that received bomb threats this week and had to be briefly evacuated (Owen claimed he heard Duke had one too but instead of evacuating, they just had two "buff" guys for security – we're not sure any of those details are correct). We had Billy over for dinner and to admire Owen's gaming abilities (and shame our frames per second).

But the big activity this week was Allen and Nora's participation in the Chesapeake Climate Action Network's annual Polar Bear Plunge. Allen participated in last year's virtual ice bucket option with the Quaking Quakers, and Nora so enjoyed dumping cold water on their father, that they lobbied to participate in-person.

Initially, it wasn't clear how polar the plunge would be as temperatures were a balmy 60 degrees when we arrived at the National Harbor Saturday morning. But by the time all the speakers had spoken (including giving a shout-out to the top fundraising team, the Quaking Quakers of Washington), the party paraded to the beach and the plungers disrobed, the wind had picked up and there was a definite chill in the air. Allen and Nora plunged into the Potomac with the first wave of polar bears, splashed around in the 40 degree water, and then ran to the shore (which caused Nora to fall and submerge a bit more than intended). After drying off and changing clothes (including Nora appropriating my shoes because in a rookie mistake, we neglected to bring backup footwear for the plungers to change into), we headed home for warm showers (because while the Potomac's water quality has improved, you probably still want to rinse off after a dip in it) and then headed to Union Market for a celebratory lunch for their efforts which raised over $1,300 to help pass climate policies which, as Nora said, "In hindsight was fun."

To contribute to Allen and Nora's fundraising page and help #KeepWinterCold, click here.

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 99 (99 Problems but Allen's Birthday Ain't One)

This week the U.S. conducted a raid in Syria that killed the leader of ISIS. Recovered documents indicate that Donald Trump wanted Homeland Security to seize voting machines six weeks after he lost the 2020 election while telling attendees at a rally that if reelected he would pardon those prosecuted for the January 6th Insurrection. The EPA plans to reassert its authority to restrict mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants. The Washington football team announced its new name, the Commanders. The New York Times purchased the free on-line word game Wordle. Quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL at age 44. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on Groundhog Day, suggesting six more weeks of winter.

The world reached 394.1 million COVID cases and 5.8 million deaths this week, of which the US accounted for 78.0 million cases and 926,000 deaths. 251 million Americans (76 percent) have received at least one vaccine dose and 213 million (64 percent) are fully vaccinated. While there are signs the pressure from Omicron is starting to ease, COVID related labor shortages resulted in New Mexico bringing in the National Guard to work as substitute teachers.

Our work on John's bedroom continued this week, with even Mom Mom helping out. But while John's bedroom was looking better, John himself was feeling a bit rough, having aggravated his back from a fall a few weeks earlier. Even with a new mattress – which doesn't have a hump in the middle – John was having trouble sleeping and was in a fair amount of pain, so he headed up to Katherine's to see an orthopedist and start some PT while the rest of us finished his room. We're hoping to trade-in Duck for John's return later this week.

The rest of the week was spent celebrating Allen's birthday. After last year's socially distant celebrations, it was nice to be able to meet up with Brad & Marlo for a drink before having a lovely meal at Del Mar on the actual day. Then on Saturday, we all gathered at Mom Mom & Grandpa Don's for Don & Nora's escargot (well, maybe not everyone gathered for those) and some amazing brined/smoked/grilled tomahawk pork chops courtesy of Katherine & Lee. After presents and a few too many glasses of wine, we headed back to Katherine's to enjoy the Olympics, and maybe a few more drinks.

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 98 (Double, Double Toil and Trouble)

This week, Justice Stephen Breyer announced his forthcoming retirement from the Supreme Court, resulting in President Biden reiterating his intention to nominate a black women to the Court while conservatives protested basing the appointment on race. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban announced an online pharmacy for generic drugs that would offer steep discounts. Amy Schneider, the second winningest Jeopardy player and first trans-woman champion, was defeated by a Chicago librarian after 40-day winning streak (and roughly $1.4 million). In protest of Joe Rogan spreading vaccine misinformation on its platform, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell removed their music from Spotify.

The world reached 373.0 million COVID cases  and 5.7 million deaths; the US accounted for 75.5 million cases and 907,000 deaths. 250 million Americans (75 percent) have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 212 million (64 percent) are fully vaccinated. An additional; 87 million (41 percent) have received a booster dose, including Owen. Meanwhile, seven Virginia school districts have sued so stop Governor Youngkin's mask optional order. Former Vice-President candidate Sarah Palin's defamation trial was postponed after she tested positive for COVID, although her status did not stop her from dining out al fresco in New York City. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was criticized for saying at an anti-vaccine rallythe Jews had more freedom during the Holocaust than un-vaccinated Americans, during Holocaust Remembrance Week.

Not much happened this week until Friday, when John asked me to help him make his bed. This prompted my rearranging and removing some furniture from his bedroom, and then texting Katherine to ask her opinion about getting him a new bed. That escalated to contemplating new furniture for the entire space and Katherine joining us for dinner, a purge of roughly half of John's clothes in order to downsize his storage needs, and cocktails. The next morning Katherine and I met at IKEA for a shopping spree followed by removing all of John's furniture, assembling a new bed, ordering a new mattress, assembling a side table (that we subsequently decided to get rid of), rearranging furniture again, and creating a lengthy to-do list for before (and after) the painters arrive to make John's bedroom a more manageable space.

All of which is why he will probably never ask me to help him make his bed again.

Pandemic, Week 97 (Loose Ends)

This week Senate republicans (along with with Senators Manchin and Sinema) defeated efforts to change the filibuster rules, resulting in Democrats not being able to force a vote on the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. Tensions continue along the Russo-Ukrainian border while "lethal support" from the United States arrived in the Ukraine for defense against a Russian invasion.  Conservative MPs are calling for the resignation of Boris Johnson due to a party held at Downing Street during a strict lockdown. Indonesia moved its capitol from Jakarta (which is sinking) to Nusantara, on the island of Borneo. The M&M candy characters were revamped to make them more inclusive, upsetting one Fox News Hosts who finds the new versions, "less sexy," Actors/comedians Meat Loaf and Louis Anderson died this week as did Former Vice President Mike Pence's pet rabbit (and gay icon due to a segment on Last Week Tonight) Marlon Bundo died. 

The world reached 349.6 million COVID cases and 5.6 million deaths this week, of which the US accounted for 71.7 million cases and 889,000 deaths. 251 million Americans (76 percent) have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 210 million (63 percent) are fully vaccinated. A federal judge in Texas blocked the vaccine mandate for federal workers (the Department of Justice is appealing). Virginia's new Governor, Glenn Youngkin, reversed the state's mask mandates for schools, prompting lawsuits in some school districts. Australia deported unvaccinated tennis player Novak Djokovic just before start of the Australian Open after his second visa was cancelled because he was a threat to public health and order.

We spent the week finishing things. Nora submitted their DCYOP video jury and their National History Day source documentation. Owen had his in-person Duke jury (complete with tuxedo) on Wednesday and spent the rest of the week catching up on assignments before the end of term. Allen and Elaine completed the appropriately maddening Van Gogh Starry Night puzzle, which due to the number of hours and profanities associated with its assemblage, we have decided to have it framed rather than ever take it apart. 

But most importantly we finished the week with a lovely dinner at Steve & Megan's where Steve and Allen discussed optimal meat temperatures and sears, Megan advised Nora and I (particularly on what constitutes a "stiff peak" stage) as we made Nora's first ever chocolate soufflé, and Gabriel and Owen (and ultimately Nora) watched Community episodes while playing video games.

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.) 

Pandemic, Week 96 (Duckin' Out)

This week, President Biden gave a speech in support of changing the filibuster rules in order to pass voting rights legislation, only to have Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema announce that while she fully supports the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, she just can't support allowing legislation to pass with less than 60 votes. The Supreme Court ruled against the vaccine mandate for employees at large businesses, though the mandate for most health care workers was upheld. The US Mint released new quarters featuring writer and activist Maya Angelou, the first Black woman to be featured on the currency. Actor and comedian Bob Saget died.

The world reached a total of 326.8 million COVID cases and 5.6 million deaths this week, with the U.S. accounting for 66.7 million cases and 873,000 deaths. 249 million Americans (75 percent) have received at least on dose of the vaccine with 209 million (63 percent) being fully vaccinated. COVID hospitalizations have doubled over the past two weeks in DC, Puerto Rico and 15 other states. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and West Virginia Governor Jim Justice both announced they had COVID.

This week, after a spate of negative rapid tests, both children returned to school for a full week of public education (for Owen it seemed like even more, since Omicron has resulted in a shortage of metro workers which in turn meant that metro resorted to its weekend schedule, which in turn meant that Owen spent a lot of extra time either waiting around for buses or just walking from Duke to Dupont Station). To brighten our spirits, Ducky returned for a visit while Katherine acclimates her new foster dog Zena. And to get away from Ducky (and get in some east coast skiing before our big trip to Mt. Hood next month), Allen and Owen headed out to West Virginia on Friday night to join the Sodermans, the Pitter/Changs, and Megan at a lovely mountain lodge before returning on Sunday ahead of Snomicron II (while Nora and I hunkered down with a puzzle, some amateur electrician-ry, and a "10k" – as opposed to a marathon – of The Crown).

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 95 (Snowvid)

This week the DC area had its first substantial snowfall in years – up to 12 inches in parts – delaying the reopening of schools and stranding hundreds of cars along I-95 for over 24 hours, including Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. President Joe Biden addressed the country on the one-year anniversary of the January 6th insurrection where he condemned the violence, called out the "web of lies" and implored the nation to make sure it never happens again. Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry survived an assassination attempt. Elizabeth Holmes, the former CEO of blood testing start-up Theranos was found guilty on four counts of defrauding investors. Actor and activist Sidney Poitier and director Peter Bogdanovich died this week.

The worlds reached 305.8 million cases and 5.5 million deaths this week, of which the US accounted for 60.8 million cases and 859,000 deaths. 246 million Americans (74 percent) have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 208 million (63 percent) are fully vaccinated. The FDA and CDC authorized boosters for children 12 to 15 years old, which means that once both kids have fully recovered from COVID and Nora has reached 5 months from their initial dose, we can finally get the kids boosted. Tennis player Novak Djokovic, who received a medical exemption from COVID vaccination in order to play in the Australian Open, is being refused entry by the Australian government for his failure to demonstrate he couldn't be vaccinated due to medical reasons. The Supreme Court heard arguments challenging the Biden Administration's vaccine mandates for hospital and nursing home workers as well as private-sector employers with 100 or more employees.

We spent the week detoxing and recovering from our long weekend at Katherine's, the kids COVID diagnoses, and what locals are calling "snowvid" or "snowmicron." DCPS pushed back the school start date to January 6th and required that all students upload a negative rapid test result before returning. So we dutifully braved the icy streets to pick up homes tests for the kids (and some mail-in ones for us adults) and commenced with testing Wednesday morning, only to find that while Nora was negative and cleared to return, Owen was still positive and couldn't go back to school until Monday the 9th (which would be 10 days after his positive PCR test). On Thursday, Nora braved a frigid walk to a surprisingly well run re-entry process at school while Owen slept in and did some remote learning, only to have classes cancelled the next day after another 3 inches of snow blanket the area. We spent the unanticipated free-time working on thank-you notes, desiccating marshmallows, taking down the X-Mass decorations, and catching up on The Crown and Dr. Who.

So now we are waiting for the adult test results, hoping Owen's retest is negative, and aspiring to a less COVID-y week.

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 94 (Here's To Another G*d D**n New Year)

This week an unprecedented wildfire burned through Boulder, Colorado destroying hundreds of homes. President Biden had an hour long call with Vladimir Putin, warning that the US would respond decisively to an invasion of Ukraine, while Putin warned the imposition of sanctions could result in a complete breakdown of US-Russia relations. Ghislaine Maxwell, longtime girlfriend of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein (who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial), was found guilty of trafficking girls as young as 14. Comedienne and television icon Betty White died three weeks short of her 100th birthday.

The world reached 289.7 million COVID cases and 5.5 million deaths this week, of which the US accounted for 55.9 million cases and 847,000 deaths. 244 million Americans (73 percent) have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 206 million (62 percent) are fully vaccinated. The CDC announced that people with COVID who are asymptomatic can reduce their quarantine period to just 5 days (down from 10). The CDC also announced that no one, even the vaccinated, should take a cruise.

We started the week in Iowa in the aftermath of our Christmas celebration. While Steve & Becky left Sunday morning, Dave stuck around another night, allowing us to see Spider-Man: No Way Home with him (our second Spider-Man movie with uncle Dave). While we originally planned on driving back Tuesday, the weather looked a little ominous, and so we decided to leave Iowa on Monday ahead of some freezing rain (after a brief stop to pick up John and say "hi" to the Fawcetts) and take two days to drive home. Once we got home, we quickly unloaded the car and unwrapped presents before crashing, and then awoke the next morning to our scheduled PCR tests, just to make sure we hadn't picked up COVID since our rapid tests before we left for Iowa. The expected wait time was 24-36 hours so we thought we would have results before seeing Chris, Elise and their kids the next day (nope), or before fake Christmas with Mom Mom and Grandpa Don (no again). It gave us a little pause, but everyone felt fine and we'd been so careful! So we forged ahead, certain that we would have the results before we celebrated New Year with Nancy & Danny and all of our glorious fancy pant-ary (alas, no). Still, we really thought it would be fine and so went ahead and rang in New Years with a marathon of games (though not the full repertoire Katherine had planned) with Nora emerging victorious. After some of us didn't wake up until after noon on New Years Day followed by spending hours selecting (and then re-selecting) our beach house for Christmas 2022, some puzzling and the realization by Katherine that we didn't have school or work the next day, we decide to spend one more night at Katherine and Lee's. And that's when we learned in the early hours of January 2nd (a full 96 hours after we tested and exposed ourselves to all sorts of people), that in fact, Owen and Nora tested positive for COVID.

So we are (finally) quarantining. On Monday, we have to pick up rapid tests from Nora's school since the kids can't return to school Wednesday without a negative test, after which Allen and I will probably re-test (our December 29th tests came back negative) and also have John verified. Our apologies to everyone we recklessly exposed ourselves to, and hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come in 2022.

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 93 (A Holly, Jolly Christmas)

This week Joe Manchin announced that he would vote "no" on the Build Back Better bill, despite months of negotiations with the White House. In response, the United Mine Workers of America have asked him to reconsider his position. Stop the Steal organizers provided the January 6th Special Committee with communications with GOP members from the time, including Representatives Paul Gosar and Mo Brooks. In response to an increase in extremism in the military, the Pentagon has announced that they will hold service members accountable for their views expressed on social media. President Biden announced that the pause on student loan repayments will be extended to May 2022. The James Webb Space Telescope which is designed to capture infrared light, from galaxies far, far away, was launched into space. Santa came.

The world reached 279.8 million COVID cases and 5.4 million deaths this week, of which the US accounted for 53.0 million cases and 838,000 deaths. 242 million (73 percent) Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine while 205 million (62 percent) are fully vaccinated. Omicron is now the dominant strain of COVID in the US, accounting for 73 percent of all new cases. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser reinstated the mask mandate while DC Chancellor Lewis Ferebee announced that Winter Break would be extended two days in order to distribute rapid tests so that all students can be cleared before returning. The DC council then passed a law that all eligible DC students – including those in private and charter schools – must be vaccinated by March 2022. Meanwhile, President Biden held a press conference where he announced the White House would mail as many as 500 million at home tests beginning in January.

We headed to Iowa this week, but not before the kids finished school. Well, sort of. DCPS announced that Nora's school would be remote starting Tuesday due to the number of positive COVID tests. Meanwhile, Owen, who has to ride the metro and bus to school where he's surrounded by COVID-spewing instrumentalists, was open for the whole week. So we decided we needed to verify we were all negative before exposing ourselves to the midwest. Despite a dearth of COVID rapid tests in the DC-metro area, Allen was able to find some abandoned rapid tests in our bushes, which we dutifully took and verified we were all negative and then packed up the car Wednesday night.

We left DC around 5:40 on Thursday morning (we may have had to circle back to pick up a forgotten item which delayed our initial departure) and made it to Iowa on Thursday night, where we were able, after two long years, to reunite our kids with their cousins (who spent the visit talking loudly, playing games and having various jam sessions). Kara wasn't able to make it in person due to a sick kitty, but Dave was able to represent the Colorado Zimmermans. We ate lots of goodies, drank probably more wine that advisable, and just generally enjoyed everyone's companies, for the first time since 2019. Hopefully, we can all (including Kara) do it again for Thanksgiving 2022.

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)

Merry Christmas!

 Here's your 2021 Crossword Puzzle Solution.

Pandemic, Week 92 (and the Ensembles Played On...)

This week the House voted to hold former representative and Trump chief of staff, Mark Meadows, in contempt of Congress for failing to appear before the January 6th Committee. Meanwhile, a trove of text messages and other documents sent to Mr. Meadows regarding the the January 6th insurrection were made public. Former Minneapolis policeman and convicted murderer Derek Chauvin pleaded guilty to violating George Floyd's civil rights in May 2020 when he knelt on Mr. Floyd's neck for nine minutes. A NASA spacecraft, the Parker Solar Probe, flew into the sun's atmosphere and produced recently released images of the sun's corona. Supply chain issues has resulted in a shortage of cream cheese, prompting Kraft to offer customers $20 to forego making holiday cheesecakes. Noted author and feminist bell hooks died.

The world reached 274.5 million COVID-19 cases and 5.4 million deaths this week, of which the US accounted for 51.7 million cases and 827,000 deaths. 241 million Americans (73 percent) have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 204 million (61 percent) are fully vaccinated. A number of colleges (including Cornell, Harvard and Stanford) announced that they were returning to online classes due to recent outbreaks and Omicron surges. Prince George's County schools also announced they would be virtual until January 18th.

This was our week of musical holiday celebrations. On Sunday, we joined Allen's colleague Jeb for the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC's Holiday Show. Jeb, as both a member and supporter of GMCW, scored box seats for us where we enjoyed  tap dancing elves, a cappella carols, and some impressive (and exhausting) choreography to the 12 Rockin' Days of Christmas as we were wished a Merry Everything. On Thursday, it was Owen's turn for his first in-person concert at Duke Ellington since he started going there last year. Mom Mom and Grandpa Don joined us to hear Owen perform in both the String Ensemble and the Orchestra, as he was cheered on by some very enthusiastic friends in the balcony. Owen celebrated the successful performance by wearing the Union Jack trench coat that Allen made for an old Halloween costume for school the next day. We were a little nervous that Nora's DCYOP concert, just two day later, would be cancelled due to Omicron concerns, but we managed, with Mom Mom and Grandpa Don joining us, to get it in on Saturday afternoon (by showing proof of vaccination and sitting socially distantly in the audience) just under the wire. Now we just have to see if they make the last three days of school before break and heading off to Iowa...

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 91 (Teatime)

This week, the US announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics in protest of human rights violations (athletes will still attend). Angela Merkel stepped down as Germany's Chancellor after 16 years. The Justice Department is suing Texas over its redrawn Congressional map, arguing that it was drawn to, "deny or abridge the rights of Latino and Black voters." Inflation rose 6.8 percent in November, the fastest rate since June 1982.  The Senate finally reached an agreement to raise the debt ceiling. Tornadoes ripped through at least six states, killing more than 70 people and destroying at least one town in Kentucky. Former Senator and Presidential Candidate Bob Dole died at age 98. Fox News had its 50-foot artificial Christmas tree set afire outside its New York City office by a mentally ill man.

The world reached 270.0 million cases and 5.3 million deaths of which the US accounted for 50.8 million case and 818,000 deaths. 239 million (72 percent) Americans have received at least one does of the vaccine and 202 million (61 percent) are fully vaccinated. New York City announced a vaccine mandate for all private employers.

Sunday, Nora and I had our annual tea with Jacqui – where Nora for the first time, ordered from the adult selections – followed by my getting a pedicure with friends, as Owen joined the teens at Meeting to complete his volunteer work for the Shoebox project and provide resources for the homeless in our own version of a Tale of Two Households.  On Monday, Allen and I spent 4.5 hours selecting paint colors for the house interior while Jacqui and John enjoyed cake and the company of one of Jacqui's close friends. On Wednesday, we finally had our neighbors (of 10 months) over for a fire and some mulled wine. Thursday, Allen met up with his co-workers for a holiday happy-hour. And the rest of the week was spent prepping for the crush of holiday happenings next week...

(So see all of this week's pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 90 (Out and About)

This week, the Supreme Court hear oral arguments on the Mississippi case, Dobbs vs Jackson Women's Health Organization, which attempts to ban abortions after 15 weeks (despite fetus's not being viable at the time). Based on the questions posed by the majority of justices, it appears that abortion access secured by Roe v Wade is very much at risk. Former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has agreed to provide documents and a deposition for the Select January 6th Committee. The US government averted a shutdown after passing a CR keeping the government funded through February 18th. Television personality and health supplement hawker, Dr. Mehmet Oz, announced his candidacy for Pennsylvania's open Senate seat, even though he's been a resident of New Jersey for thirty years. A Michigan teenager and his parents were arrested after the 15 year old killed four students and wounded seven more – with a gun purchased by his parents the previous week as an early Christmas present – the same day that his parents refused to remove him from school following a conference with administrators regarding disturbing notes and threats they had discovered that morning. The parents subsequently fled the area after being charged with manslaughter, though they were eventually apprehended. Barbados declared itself a republic, ending its colonial relationship with Great Britain.

The world reached 265.7 million COVID cases and 5.3 million deaths this week, of which the US accounted for 49.9 million cases and 809,000 deaths. 235 million Americans (71 percent) have received at least one does of the vaccine, with 199 million (60 percent) fully vaccinated and  45 million (23 percent of those fully vaccinated) have received boosters, which as of this week includes Allen and myself. President Biden issued travel restrictions to seven African nations following outbreaks of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. A federal judge in Texas blocked the President's nationwide vaccine mandate for healthcare workers arguing that it would require approval by Congress.

We had a busy week. Allen attended a conference all week, via Zoom, that started each day at 7:00 am. Wednesday, Allen and I went to our first live show in over two years, catching the New Pornographers at the 9:30 Club playing their entire first album, Mass Romantic (fun fact, the show we saw in November 2019? The New Pornographers at the 9:30 Club). The next day, I got my COVID booster, Jacqui arrived, and Allen and I were joined by Brad & Marlo for our second live show in over two years, the New Pornographer playing their entire third album, Twin Cinema, at the 9:30 Club (after Owen gave Brad a live cello performance). On Friday, Allen got his COVID booster while I muddled through work and crashed heartedly at 5:00 pm. On Saturday morning, Nora and I headed to DCYOP while Allen and Owen ran errands and picked up Gabriel for some morning Minecraft. After Nora and I returned, the whole crew headed to Meeting to participate in the annual Shoebox Project (which this year was actually backpacks because, COVID). Three hours and 140 backpacks later, we dropped Gabriel off at his house and Owen decided to join him, which meant he missed pâté and cheese with John and Jacqui, but got some extra Minecraft in, so...

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)