Just a thought… Great achievement is usually born out of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness. [Napoleon Hill]

You can watch a video version of this journal on my Facebook page, or here on YouTube.

Monday. Spring. For us, the first full day yesterday meant having the fireplace log on the TV and trying to think warm thoughts amidst the mass of covidiots who are still out there protesting because they have to wear a piece of cloth or paper on their faces.

I can’t say any more here than I’ve already said…just that in the city of Kelowna, BC, where one protest of several hundred unmasked people took place yesterday, my dad is literally wasting away in a seniors’ residence. But that’s okay right? He’s 87 and obviously he doesn’t matter, when what really counts is being able to party with your bros and to hell with the rest of us.

The variants are spreading to the point where a third wave is looking more like a matter of not “if” but “when” and some of us are worried sick about those we love. Our friends. Our parents. Our children. Each other. Yeah, never mind. What a bunch of privileged sucks who have no idea what hardship really is. So…I’ll move on.

I had a four-way Zoom call with my sisters yesterday: one who lives in the Ajijic area of Mexico (near Guadalajara) with her husband and just got her first vaccine – tremendous news in that she lives with lupus – and my other two sisters, who are both in Kelowna.

We talked about the usual things: updates on how we are, what’s up with Dad and some ongoing mysterious withdrawals from his bank account that he has no idea about, Colin made a cameo to say “hi” to the coven, and then we wrapped up on a joking note, as we almost always do.

My younger sister Leslie, who, along with her husband Paul is doing bang-up business with a new concierge delivery service they named Better Call Paul (my idea, thank you!), was talking about wearing a mask so frequently: the pains and pluses. I told her to remember how much she’s saving on lipstick, even though I should talk. I still wear makeup when I go out and am constantly washing masks that look like the Shroud of Turin except with foundation or tinted powder.

Then she added that because she doesn’t spend much time in front of a mirror, she often forgets tweezer duties (and the girls on here will know exactly what I mean). We joked about how when Covid is over, maybe we’ll unmask, only to discover we all have the equivalent of hockey playoff beards. But I told her to look at the bright side: those whiskers could be acting like Velcro to keep her mask in place.

Right?

God, you have to laugh. When so many people have real hardships, you just have to. Like a pal of mine in the ER the other day who was getting medication on the spot for some severe pain. Two other guys were also in there and one was getting constantly contacted by phone. His ringer? A train whistle. I’m not even kidding. If it was me next to him, I’d have politely asked him to please put his phone on vibrate. Then if he refused, I might have been tempted to knock that Orange Blossom Special right out of his hand.

Honestly, if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. And really, haven’t we wasted enough makeup already?

Take good care and I’ll be back with you here on Thursday.