Welcome to the fourth wave, brought to you courtesy of the Delta variant. The number of new infections is currently on the rise again in various parts of Canada and the United States, and I imagine the rest of the world as well. With so many now inoculated however, the new cases are more among those not yet vaccinated.

There’s a fair amount of anger and vitriol being hurled about on various social media platforms, aimed at anti-vaxxers and the like. One member of the Ontario legislature foolishly announced that he and his wife would not be vaccinated, causing Premier Doug Ford to promptly boot him out of the party for not toeing the line, thus forcing him to sit as an independent.

One of my next-door neighbours still hasn’t had his first shot. No surprise really, knowing well his conspiracy theory personality. At the risk of sounding cold…his funeral. And I just discovered today that a long-time lady friend across the street still isn’t double-vaxxed, and she’s around my age. She invited me over today to pick through some poetry related books that her daughter (about the same age as Jason) had. Tragically, she was a victim of the opioid epidemic, having died from an accidental overdose while attending university in Montreal a few years back. Some of the authors I wasn’t familiar with, but I managed to pick up a copy of Allen Ginsberg’s famous poem, Howl (and other poems), as well as Leonard Cohen’s Selected Poems 1956-1968.

Jason will be eligible for his second shot at the end of this month.

The big fear of course is that Delta will mutate into something more virulent, that the current vaccines will not be able to protect against. Amid much debate over whether governments (Quebec is going ahead with it) should institute vaccination passports. Many companies aren’t waiting for them to act, and are instituting their own mandatory vaccination rules for employees.

Canada’s border is now open to Americans wanting to enter the country for non-urgent travel. The U.S. however has chosen to wait till late September to decide to return the gesture.

And while all this is going on, Canada is gearing up for another federal election on September 20th. Feeling confident with the way he and his government have dealt with Covid, Justin Trudeau is once again seeking a majority mandate. After 6 years of governing (4 as a majority, then 2 minority), many including myself feel that he isn’t going to get it. Like any government, his has accumulated a lot of negative baggage over those six years, including broken promises and scandals of various kinds and degrees.

I’ve always contended that becoming Prime Minister is a matter of both looks (does someone look Prime Ministerial?) and ability. There are always of course exceptions to the rule. Trudeau has always had it hands down in the looks department, but his rich boy arrogance and mental ineptness have taken their toll on his image/legacy. His main contender, Erin O’Toole, of the Conservative party, though a year younger than Trudeau, is an older looking man, a little rounder in the middle, with graying hair and growing baldness, not particularly handsome, but so far is turning out to be an intelligent, capable and worthy opponent for the older Trudeau. O’Toole has made it clear right from the beginning that he’s all for Gay rights. Unlike his predecessor, Andrew Scheer, who was obviously homophobic. In the end it proved to be his Achilles Heel. Scheer always looked like a deer caught in headlights whenever Trudeau would confront him on the Gay subject or women’s reproductive rights. The Conservative party is populated by a combination of Progressives and far right-wing Neanderthals, wanting to return to the days when Abortion and Homosexuality were illegal. Most of the country of course would never stand for this.

Other than all that, aside from the endless heat and humidity, which has been steady for the better part of two weeks, things are going well, personally. If this is what Global Warming is going to be like for the next few years, think I’m going to move north to Inuvik, and take my chances with the Polar bears.

Had my first Zoom poetry reading yesterday. It went very well. There were about seven of us participating. Nice bunch of people, residing mainly in the Los Angeles area; I was the only Canadian. My computer camera worked well, and Zoom (so far) seems easy enough technology to master. I guess my next Zoom challenge will be to set up a meeting, even if it’s just with one person. My friend, Bonnie, in Edmonton, has shown an interest in communicating with me this way. It would be nice to get away from having a receiver pressed to my ear for long periods of time. Not that I communicate very often this way now. Most of my conversation takes place on Facebook and Messenger. The small print, however, is really hard on my eyes, and I (or others who point it out) have noticed increasing typos, despite my obsession with proof reading. My Cataract surgery in February can’t come fast enough.

Spent a nice five days up at friends Joe and Lyne’s cottage on the Quebec side. Unfortunately, Bowman (Val-des-Bois) wasn’t much cooler than Ottawa except for the last couple of days. The change of scenery however was great for my physical and mental health. Joe has a boat now, so we went out a couple of times...more good therapy. Lyne introduced me to one of her friends. Nice lady, but no sparks flew or phone numbers exchanged. At this point in my life, I no longer feel the need to be in a relationship. More than capable of taking care of myself, since I stopped chasing women a few years ago, I feel much better about myself. Women of course can pick up on this, whether it be in cyberspace or in the outside world. As the saying goes, “Happily single, but with an open mind.”

In any case, I told Joe if he’d like me back next year, I would probably rent a car and bring Jason with me. Jason would love it up there, and as Joe has Internet and satellite TV, J could use his smart phone. The last few times I went up, Joe picked me up and brought me back, and I hate taking advantage of other people’s kindness. By next summer, my eyesight will have hopefully improved with the surgery, and I won’t be so hesitant about driving.

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08/23/2021

Posted on 08/23/2021
Copyright © 2024 Chris Sorrenti