JN.1??

I'm starting to see headlines about this new Covid variant but they seem sensationalized. I'm as vaccinated as anyone can be, but I don't know whether the latest vaccine offers any protection or what degree of protection. I've seen no signs of local hospitals under any strain. I suppose if you are in poor health, have numerous risk factors, and have not been vaccinated at all, you are likely to have severe illness if you are infected with JN.1, but even a case of the flu would be risky for such people. So, although I think, I just don't know. Wait and see. The latest winter storm does not seem to have any potential to bring us any particularly severe winter weather. There's nothing very much out of the ordinary in the extended forecast. No precipitation of any kind. But since weather forecasts are subject to change without notice, from day to day, who knows? Again, I must wait and see. 

The local "freedom to choose" one's energy provider is not likely to make anyone very happy. In fact, it seems that in every case one must pay a hefty deposit, enter into some sort of long term contract with a nasty early termination fee, and I wouldn't be surprised to find that most of the options available are actually mini-ENRONs, and likely to fold within a few years, leaving you dead in the water, with no electric service. Researching the many options is a time-consuming affair, and I think many do not realize how much they will have to pay upfront, and that their electricity will cost them MORE. I had about 12 cents per kilowatt hour with the local utility. I've seen options up to 16 cents, and the best deal I've found so far is at 13.9 cents with a $150 deposit. Most of these "companies" are more like brokers than generators and I expect rotten service. I called up one customer contact number and found someone who must have been in India. Local? What does local mean anymore? This is shit for the birds.