One of spouse's immediate coworkers travelled for Thanksgiving and was exposed to a covid positive person, so that guy is in quarantine. Closest call so far.

Spouse had another part of the interview process today. We are in the formalities stage, especially since he already went through all this scrutiny to get the job he currently has. We still don't know how many months we have left in this state, or where they'll send us when his training is done. It's a little bit like the military where you rank a list of places, but ultimately they put you where you are needed. Spouse and I are vagabonds. We're hoping to get back to Alaska, but for us, home is where the kitties nap. I am judging and ranking states based on their covid response and tattoo regulations.

I'm trying to keep from focusing too much on politics and current events here because we've all been getting mind blasted with bad news and worse news 24/7 for months. I don't have much of an outside life, so internal drama is more of a focus for me than normal, sadly. So much political division at the workplace, with family. It's tough when your life is tangentially wrapped up in fed politics, even if you don't want it to be. Almost forgot, if congress can't pass the budget by December 11, govt shutdown to look forward to. Spouse will work but paychecks will be withheld. Good times. We should be okay, but a lot of govt families are already struggling with income issues due to covid. I feel so badly for the govt contractors. What a thing to worry about right before Christmas.

I didn't expect so much of the pandemic to be opt-out if one chooses to stick their fingers in their ears. I guess movies & games dramatize world-changing events so much that we're all waiting for the gritty desaturated filter, ominous soundtrack cue and gently drifting crumpled papers to show up so we know when to Get Serious. The capitalist machinery just keeps on grinding, encouraging us to pretend everything is fine so we'll keep consuming. I don't know what's more disturbing, the "In these difficult times..." commercials or the commercials that firmly ignore it. I believe some people are threatened and angered by masks because it is a obvious indicator that everything is NOT OKAY.

The soundtrack of the pandemic has to have Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden. That music video is a mood. In the early months of the pandemic I would sing Black Hole Sun as a dark joke, and then during the summer I stopped because it was too real.

Now it has a manic edge like a hymn.

We went to pick up the raspberry pi order and the store was unexpectedly closed until 5pm for disinfecting. Bet someone got sick. Turns out the computer store is right next door to my favorite art supply store. Got a gorgeous piece of turquoise paper printed with a metallic gold damask like design. I'm gonna try to incorporate it in my Christmas cards. I tried to find the casein paints that James Gurney (Dinotopia) likes to use but shockingly they do not carry them. Usually they have everything.

James Gurney's really great art blog.

Went back to the computer store and it reeked of disinfectant and there were many slightly anxious employees like they'd had a team meeting. Easily the most impressive computer store I have ever been in. Got my order, got home, got the raspberry pi in the case, and now I am installing the OS to an SD card. Easy peasy. Tomorrow I power it up.