vovat | The Years Go On and We're Still Fighting It

I feel I should say something about seeing Ben Folds last Thursday, which I did in Morristown, New Jersey with Beth and Tavie. It was a fun show, and he provided some interesting commentary. He played "Still Fighting It," where he tells his son that "twenty years from now, maybe we'll both sit down and have a few beers," and it's been almost exactly twenty years since that song was released. Rockin' the Suburbs came out on the ill-fated September 11th, as did They Might Be Giants' Mink Car, although I'd gotten the electronic version of the latter about a month before that. Ben also talked about how the idea for the titular song on that album came from how there was a trend at the time of white guys singing nothing but angry songs, and how he couldn't identify with it. And "Effington" was one he largely improvised on stage. For the encore, he did an improvisational bit about New Jersey, and ended with "The Luckiest." I took a few pictures, but none of them came out very well, even though we weren't that far from the stage. I want to blame the lighting, but I could be totally off on that. The factors that make photographs look good are often beyond my knowledge, despite my having taken a photography class. In fairness, that WAS in high school, and before digital cameras were really a thing.

After the show, we went to eat at a nearby diner, where I appreciated that I could substitute fruit salad for potatoes with my omelet. I didn't like as much that there was grapefruit in it, but it was easy to avoid. I've noticed as of late that I just don't have as much of an appetite as I used to. It's most noticeable with pizza; I'd often order a large for myself (Beth's not a big fan of pizza), eat maybe three pieces, and then save the rest for later. Most recently, I only had one slice on the first day, and finishing the rest was more of a chore than a treat. And in general, I find my stomach getting upset over amounts of food that never bothered me before, and I don't really know why. I did have some changes in my medication recently, but I don't know that that's the reason. It's probably a good thing overall, as I don't have to spend as much to get full, but it means I have to adjust my eating habits.

While the concert required masks and proof of vaccination, Beth said she had a sore throat the other day, and noticed me coughing quite a bit. So we went to get tested today, and fortunately the rapid tests came back negative. Of course, there are still plenty of illnesses other than COVID, but we both felt better today. I'm really not that worried about it, but I still feel that the country in general just isn't that concerned with safety anymore. Starting this week, we can no longer work from home at my job, and I really don't know what they have to gain by taking that risk. I'll admit that I'm looking at it more from a perspective of not wanting to get up early every morning than of being afraid of getting sick, but: 1) the latter is still a legitimate concern for many people, especially considering that they're not requiring vaccines as long as those who don't get them get tested every week; and 2) if I'm still doing my work, why does it matter where I am at the time?