I think Edda might go back to in-person school in March. They are arranging for all the staff of the special needs kids to be vaccinated first and I think Edda’s beloved teachers and paras are getting theirs this week, or maybe they have already gone last week. Edda is qualified in Maryland as group IB Tier 2 and I preregistered her for a Montgomery County clinic. It’s a little bit iffy as I think Edda, as a 16 year old, qualifies only for the Pfizer vaccine, but she’s turning 17 in March. But that still might not help with the Moderna. We’ll see how it goes. Even if she isn’t vaccinated, I think we’ll send her back if the variants don’t take over and the vaccines turn out to be completely worthless. I’m hopeful.
My parents got their first dose last Friday. They qualify to get theirs now as they are both almost 80. They were initially vaccine hesitant (they are kind of uber-late-adopters, not never-adopters) and wanted to wait a long time until they got theirs, but I think after they figured out that I didn’t die from mine (thanks mom and dad for having me be your genetic guinea pig!) and they started getting texts from their friends that they had gotten theirs, they were excited to get in line. Kind of. (I have heard many many frustrating stories from friends about how tough these appointments are to get for their elderly parents, I had offered my parents only website links and not my direct help in trying to get an appointment.) My parents got intel from friends that a clinic was happening at a high school down the street from their house and they went over and told them that they were 80 and asked if they could get vaccinated. The staff said that they had to make an appointment online and then my dad said that they didn’t know how to use a computer and that it was really cold outside (it was) and couldn’t they help them out? And they did. My parents got the Moderna vaccine.
I remember so well how angst ridden I was throughout Vince’s college application process. So much so that I had to remove myself from the process and leave it in Jeremy’s hands. Vince had many weekends where he was immobilized in bed, dreading actually doing the applications. I was so hung up about so many things, I could not let it go. I couldn’t let it play itself out without driving myself crazy. It was not fun. But I’m so pleased with how it turned out and I would not have predicted this at all. Earlier this year, UC Davis announced they were going to have a four year degree program for people with intellectual disabilities, which of course, means a lot to many of Edda’s friends and community. Now, it turns out, Vince is going to the university using the most innovative strategies in the country to manage covid. It warms my heart that we are sending Vince and supporting this kind of inclusive & innovative school. And Vince is really starting school now. He’s met friends that now he seems bonded to, he’s gone through some academic hiccups/struggles. He’s sure he’s at the right college. He’s figuring out how to manage both an increase in school work demands with new friendships. It’s a delight to see him grow in this way.
And finally, a Kiki spoof on Bernie’s meme. Mittens provided by Johanna.
I love how your dad knows nothing about computers. I’m glad people were kind to he and your mom. Fingers crossed for Edda!!! Tell Jeremy we feel his pain about the vaccine. It is a mess here. Obviously being a high tech city does no good. Sigh. I’d read that about Vince’s school which made me so happy. Love the KIKI Bernie!