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<\/center><\/p>\n<\/a>— 1 —<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n COVID shot #1.<\/strong> Daniel got COVID shot #1 on Monday. It was actually a good experience and the staff at the Skagit Regional Health Vaccine Clinic were incredible. They distracted Daniel by letting him play with gloves, alcohol wipes, and band-aids while they were prepping the injection. They can’t physically restrain him, so they had me bear hug him while they quickly gave the shot. Afterward, they led us to a room where they let Daniel open and close the door as much as he wanted for the 15-minute wait. He was quieter the next day, but suffered no serious side effects.<\/p>\n <\/a>— 2 —<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n 41st birthday.<\/strong> My 41st birthday was Wednesday, and it was a really quiet day. I worked with students on my two favorite classes to tutor this quarter, and my dad made me dinner. It was a workday for me so it was absolutely OK that it wasn’t a huge family event.<\/p>\n <\/a>— 3 —<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Family gathering.<\/strong> All of the grown-ups in my household and twin brother’s household have been vaccinated (and Daniel has had shot #1), so I’m going to get to see my brother, his wife, and their son for the first time in 15 months for a communal birthday gathering. Getting to see everyone is worth all the staying home, quarantining, and masking-up since last March.<\/p>\n <\/a>— 4 —<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n A boring life.<\/strong> Honestly, I have a pretty boring life these days because I’m either doing school with Daniel during the day or working with my students. On Wednesday when Daniel doesn’t have school, I work 5 hours straight in the middle of the day. I rarely leave the house except for groceries and medical care because I don’t have the time to even grab coffee. (Caffeine withdrawal is brutal, y’all! Thankfully, my Coca-Cola habit helps.)<\/p>\n <\/a>— 5 —<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Reading.<\/strong> I’ve finished all of the Margaret Maron books about Deborah Knott and I’m reading the prequel. I don’t recommend the prequel, but I recommend the rest of them highly. I’m trying to decide which book on my TBR pile\/list to be read now.<\/p>\n <\/a>— 6 —<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n NaNo prep.<\/strong> I’m trying to put together notes and a framework for a NaNoWriMo attempt in November, and I’m having an interesting time with what to name the county where my piece will take place. Washington has a lot of place named after things in the local indigenous language, and the name I want to use refers to the linguistic group. I’m making a serious attempt at this because I might want to publish it someday, so this is kind of a big deal.<\/p>\n For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" — 1 — COVID shot #1. Daniel got COVID shot #1 on Monday. It was actually a good experience and the staff at the Skagit Regional Health Vaccine Clinic were incredible. They distracted Daniel by letting him play with gloves, … Continue reading