mallorys_camera | Armageddon WILL Be Televised

One of the problems with Remunerating is that it forces me to sit in front of a computer.

Which is connected to the Internet.

Where there are thousands upon thousands of stories about Ukraine—Russian Atrocities Against Ukrainian Civilians, World’s Biggest Airplane Downed, Kyiv Cat Café Refuses to Close, Kyiv on Heightened Alert, Are Kyiv and Kiev the Same?, My Mother—She’s in Kyiv, My Father—He’s in Kyiv, My Auto Mechanic’s Second Cousin—He’s in Kyiv, etc etc etc.

And since I have an attention span that’s roughly the half-life of Bismuth-212, of course I have to read them all.

And get majorly stressed out.

Anyway, by the time Putin’s Nuclear Threat broke into the headlines—followed by dire pronouncements from his pet propagandist: Why do we need the world if Russia won’t be in it?—I was a complete basket case and had to take to my bed to sip Margaritas and watch endless episodes of Law & Order.

I haven’t been sleeping well anyway.

This level of stress is practically unbearable.

Forgive me Gil Scott Heron, but Armageddon Will Be Televised.

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During commercial breaks, I made lists of the People Who Love Me.

My kids, definitely.

My cat—insofar as felines are capable of affection.

Neighbor Ed (after his own fashion) since all evening long he kept texting me poems by Billy Collins, and since his wife was in the house with him (thus easily available for conversation), one has to assume that it was my peculiar sensibilities he was seeking to connect with.

BB and Flavia.

The two Eleanors.

Barbara Angell.

asakiyume and

smokingboot

And that’s about it.

A short list!

And if they all die in the nuclear holocaust at the same time as I do, then who is actually gonna be there to welcome me when I crawl through that Tunnel of Light and reach that customs checkpoint on the Other Side?

My parents hated me.

My grandfather loved me in his own distant, floating, ineffectual fashion.

So, I think it’s gonna be my grandfather and my two favorite pets: Milo the Dawg and Sir Rutger L’Orange, my lovable doofus cat.

Not much of a welcoming committee, I fear.

But it will be good to see them again!

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Nothing much else to report.

Busy day today between Marissa tutoring and TaxBwana-ing.

Busy is good!