I did turn on the impeachment trial coverage today. It's disheartening to hear the announcers talking about Republican Senators who are not paying attention. They said that one was looking at a map of Asia and writing in the country names. Really?!? I had teachers who would have thrown an eraser (remember the days of chalkboards?) at that guy and hit him in the head. I did learn a new word, though: prebut. It's rebutting before what you want to rebut is introduced. Prebut. I like that.
It is probably not surprising, but Americans' perception of the risk of contracting covid-19 is the lowest it has been since October. When asked how they would view the risk of returning to pre-pandemic behavior right now, 9 percent said there would be no risk while 25 percent said the risk would be small. The people least likely to see covid-19 as a risk were (no surprise here) ages 18-29 (58 percent) and (again no surprise) Republicans (49 percent). On the flip side, though, 76 percent of those who had been vaccinated still saw covid-19 as a risk.
Speaking of vaccinations, Dr. Fauci says that by April we could be at "open season" for vaccinations. Anyone who wants to be vaccinated can then be vaccinated. I hope he's correct, but I'm not that optimistic. I did see "fully vaccinated" defined as having had both shots with at least two weeks having passed since the second shot. At the same time, I saw guidance that one should assume protection may start to wear off after three months.
Covid case numbers are declining or holding steady in all 50 states but the national numbers are not what could be considered "good." More states are loosening restrictions, something that may not be a good idea. Germany is extending its lockdown despite a drop in the number of cases. The British government is said to have plans to introduce mandatory quarantine and prison sentences for travelers who lie on entry forms. I have to say that this sounds pretty drastic and I'll believe it when I see or hear more details about it.
Psychiatrists are warning of a "tsunami" of eating disorders. The isolation of lockdown has people feeling out of control. Food becomes something that can be controlled, something that can compensate for the lack of control felt in other life things. Since reading this, I've been trying to figure out whether I'm just repressing a sense of no control or if I'm just coping with it really well. Does it matter that I've said not entirely jokingly that my 2020 began in May 2019 when my mom started having health problems? Only about a month after we got her squared away in assisted living in January 2020 the pandemic reared its ugly head. I did stick to my guns about leaving my job, but still it took over a year to actually end being on call. Have I just accepted that there's not as much control in my life given everything that's happened in the last almost-two years? I'll have to give that some thought.
It's snowing again, leading off what could be five days of snow, sleet, freezing rain, and wintry mix. I didn't realize how last year's non-winter (we had less than two inches of snow spread out over the whole season) bummed me out. It does help that I have no reason or desire to drive anywhere. I love watching the snow fall, and I love walking in it. The snow is slowly building up on the branches of the dogwood tree outside the dining room window, and I love watching the change from brown to white branches. It's calming.
As I've been typing, the House impeachment managers have rested their case, opening the door for Xpot's attorneys to being their defense tomorrow. The CNN talking heads said the final vote might even be taken on Saturday. I don't think he'll be convicted, but I might consider it a win if more than six Republicans vote for conviction. I do have champagne ready should that happen.
