The booster shot – Scouting the Lake Fairfax hike – Our aging Congress – Lockdown in Austria – Sumner Zervos throws in the towel – Sale of the Trump International Hotel – Evening statistics
It is becoming more difficult to make daily entries when life has made at any rate a surface appearance of having returned to normal. Events occur periodically, of course, but they are becoming less and less influenced by the pandemic. Today, however, was an exception: I received my booster shot this morning. The process made quite a contrast to what I underwent for the initial vaccine. On that occasion I registered on the county website and then waited for weeks, wondering whether I would get vaccinated in time for the trip to Sequoia in June – and it must borne in mind that I had registered in February. When I received my shots at INOVA, there was a large crowd of people in front of me on both occasions. They were moved along very efficiently and my waiting time was minimal, but all the same the conditions today were very different. For today’s booster I logged onto the CVS website a couple of days earlier, selected an appointment time, walked into the store (it is less than a 15-minute walk from my house), received the booster very promptly, waited in the store for the specified 10 minutes, and walked back home. No one was ahead of me and no one was impatiently waiting for my booster to be administered so that he could be served in turn. It is, incidentally, a Moderna booster, while my other vaccination shots were Pfizer, but the two vaccines are compatible and some have suggested that a “mix-and-match” approach may be slightly more effective than relying upon one vaccine brand only. Outside of a slight soreness on the arm where I received the vaccine, there has been no other physical reaction.
This past Saturday I scouted the Lake Fairfax loop, which I will be leading a week from today. It is a modest hike, 9½ miles in all, with very mild elevation gain, but it is a pleasant amble and the drive to the trailhead is quite short for most people in the area. It involves a section of the Cross County Trail, which is muddy in places; but this coming week is supposed to be fairly dry and I’m in hopes that the puddles will not be troublesome on the 21st. The week before Thanksgiving promises to be fairly active, since I will also be leading a hike on the 20th for the Capital Hiking Club and a hike on the 23rd for the Vigorous Hikers. I have mentioned in earlier entries how being a member of a tightly-knit social group can encourage one to acquire unexpected talents. I can remember the days when I hesitated to lead a hike of any description, being extremely doubtful of my abilities to do so; but the influence of the Wanderbirds club impelled me to develop an aptitude that I probably would not have acquired on my own.
Patrick Leahy has announced that he is retiring. It is something of a shock that he has done so, for at 81 years of age he is practically a juvenile in his current setting, having been a Senator for a shockingly brief period of 46 years. Well, OK, I’m exaggerating, perhaps, but I’m not inventing: our Senate and House of Representatives are considerably older than those of any previous administration. It has now become the norm for our politicians to drag out their careers to the last possible moment, thereby converting the two houses into a gigantic Geriatric Club. In 1981, the average age of a Representative was 49 and the average of a Senator was 53. Today, the average age of a Representative is 57 and the average age of a Senator is 61. Fifty Senators and 141 Representatives are over the age of 65. So, incidentally, are 14 of our state governors. Two members, Senator Dianne Feinstein (California, Democrat) and Representative Don Young (Alaska, Republican) are 88. Some 44 congressional districts boast of representatives whose age is more than double the median age of their constituents.
Austria has mandated a new lockdown, but only for the unvaccinated. Austria has a population of approximately 9 million, of whom 2 million aged 12 or older have resisted getting the vaccine – a fairly substantial fraction, well over a third of those for whom vaccines are available (at this children younger than 12 cannot receive the vaccine). Unvaccinated people 12 and older may not leave their homes except for basic activities such as working, grocery shopping, or going for a walk. These measures have been instituted because authorities are concerned that soon hospital staff will no longer be able to handle the growing influx of COVID-19 patients. Other countries, in Europe at least, may soon follow suit.
Summer Zervos has dropped her lawsuit against Trump. Her fatigue from the incessant legal battle, which lasted over a period of five years, is understandable, but it is unfortunate all the same. The lapse of the suit is one distraction less that Trump has to worry about, which frees him up to do more harm elsewhere; and if there is any opportunity of doing harm, we may be assured that he will seize upon it.
A slightly optimistic note may be sounded by the news that he is selling the Trump International Eyesore – er, Trump International Hotel – close to the White House. It has lost about $70 million per year ever since he acquired it in late 2016 and his willingness to get rid of it may signify that his interest in Washington has diminished.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 254,519,497; # of deaths worldwide: 5,121,295; # of cases U.S.: 48,057,164; # of deaths; U.S.: 784,669.