NOT Good Times

There was a Norman Lear developed television show from the 1970s that some of you may recall, that was called "Good Times".  The show was a socio-political drama/comedy (as are all of Lear's television programs that I am aware of).  It focused on the lives of a working poor family who lived in a large, run-down public housing project. Initially, it was a very good program, but quickly the program devolved into a show that focused on one character (who unfortunately became a caricature with a catch phrase of "Dyn[o]mite."  At that point, the program became a simple "slap-stick" style comedy of little substance.  

In this brief post, I mentioned "Good Times" because I was attempting sarcasm.... because I am grouchy and damn tired.  A variety of things have helped shape my mood:

• As I have mentioned before, I am a member of the "Parish Council" of my church.  This is fine.  But, this week, there have been TWO scheduled EVENING meetings.  One was on Tuesday evening, lasted 2.5 hours and really could have and should have been handled by a 15 minute e-mail. The other is tonight, and it is a Diocesan-wide meeting about an hour away from here.  It too is likely to ON and ON, when it could likely be handled in a brief e-mail or on Zoom. Tonight, I likely will not be home until 10pm. (sigh)
  
• I am angry because of some new exploits about a person I no longer talk about here.  This relative I no longer talk about was just horrifically rude and mean to my wife and to me.
  
• I am frustrated because NOTHING has been decided about the Department issues from last week.  This drives up my anxiety.
• I am now eligible to get the bivalent Covid booster (had to wait two months from the last booster according to CDC recommendations),  and I also need to get the flu vaccine.  And the "plan" is I will get both of these on Friday.  But, I am not feeling excited about being pretty much guaranteed to be "wiped-out" and feeling sick/feverish/exhausted and sleeping all day on Saturday (this is what happened with each Covid shot I have had in the past, so I suspect it will happen again.... and who the hell knows what the addition of the flu vaccine with it will feel like). The only "upside" is that getting sick on Saturday, means I should feel "ok" by Monday.
• I feel lonely.  I hardly get to see my wife these days.  This week has been and is especially grueling time wise, but then there are also the now USUAL issues of my MIL and my SIL that use huge amounts of the time my wife and I had been able to rely upon to be together

Other items:

• 11 miles again this morning (I am in such a dour mood at the moment, that the first thing that popped into my head after writing 11 miles, was "Who the hell cares?" I am not sure why it even matters.
• PCS = 7.  Likewise... her I am not sure if it really matters anymore if I continue to refrain.  
• TMJ still not gone.  It is about the same as yesterday.... which IS tremendously improved over initially..... but the pain is STILL there, aggravating my feelings and mood. 
  

I want to have time to relax.  I want to have time to be with my wife.  I want to have time to be with my siblings.  I want to go to a Halloween Party.  I want to go to a music concert (there is a very nice Jazz Quartet playing this evening that I had wanted to go see with my wife....but the *&(^ Diocesan Meeting makes it impossible.).  I would like unstructured, casual time.  I would like to go see a movie (nothing on locally except crass Halloween Thrasher type films at the moment in my locale). 

PipeTobacco