lady shortage

I scheduled a video call with Taller Woman for later this week because I was supposed to have two yesterday, one with the Siberian Siren and one with the Tickler. The former flaked, the latter texted me to say she was too tired and needed to reschedule. Le sigh.

And what reminded me to get in touch with the Siberian Siren? Reading "Uncle Vanya" by Anton Chekhov. I'm pretty sure the Russians invented emo no later than 1900. And either they're from outer space or I got hold of a clunky translation.

Ah well, it was a good weekend for circumflatulation and bike riding.

of a dastardly deed and dementia

Late last month I saw a New York times article recommending pulse oximeters as a way to detect COVID-19 sooner than other methods. So I ordered one, natch, from (no, I don't feel great about it) Amazon. There were many, many brands and vendors to choose from, none of whom I recognized.

Well, the arrival window came and went. And then another few days. I contacted the seller, a partner of Amazon's, and despite graphics that said "US stock", the email was clearly not written by a native English speaker. A few more days went by, which meant that I could demand satisfaction from Amazon itself. They approved my refund with impressive speed, and it should hit my bank account soon. I've reordered from one of the "Amazon's Choice" sellers.

The original seller obtained a tracking number from the US Postal Service, but never actually shipped anything. My guess is that they know that's enough to fool Amazon's fraud detection algorithms.

Moral: In these desperate times, there are plenty of scammers out there, and some of them are stealing from people who deserve to be stolen from.

It isn't news that my mom lately believes that somebody has been breaking into her house and leaving things in her desk. It's only a small news item that she thinks she's being followed. What's newsworthy is that she was unclear that Evil Sister's daughter E is her granddaughter. What's entirely unsurprising is that she's been saying that E is the one who's unclear on her relationship. Sure, Mom.

On the one hand, ES is right and we can't let her live on her own for much longer. On the other, we don't have the money to put her in dementia care, and with COVID-19 such places are deathtraps.