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 I made an effort to get stocked up on some things before the worst of the holiday rush hits. Still had to deal with fairly long lines but the traffic was flat out crazy. Lots of people driving like fools. This is really my least favorite holiday. I mean, it's the pits. Too crazy. I don't want to be a total scrooge about it, but it's hard to find any redeeming value in the shopping frenzy. Buy this and buy that. Don't people ever have enough stuff? Because of the crowds and Omicron, I've been careful about masking. I don't see many other people doing that around here. I hope they're ready for the inevitable consequences.

In fact, social distancing seems to be out the window as well. Bad idea. VERY bad idea. 

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 Well, considering the blasting some states  got yesterday, our mild temps and moderate winds were pretty good. I had some late evening quality time outdoors. Glass of wine. Book. The usual thing.  Did a Kant refresher. That was very important. The Critiques are something everyone should be familiar with, although the reading can be tough going, but some synopses are available, and those cut through the ponderous verbiage and give you the essential points. Food for thought in times like these.

Sometimes the best advice I can give myself is this: RELAX!

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 Windy and dusty again today, but not all that bad. It actually seems to be somewhat humid. A little weather change is on the way, and a 20% chance of rain has been reduced to 5%. It just won't rain here. That's not a good thing. Lubbock is getting drier and drier. Nobody seems to be much concerned about that, but they probably should be. I could check on the status of our surface water sources, but I'd rather not know. I might panic.

From official sources, you will never hear anything but optimism and no problems regarding Lubbock's water resources. Of course. Anything else would be bad for business. 

Lake Alan Henry is close to full, but...

Lake Meredith

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 But it doesn't bring out the worst in everyone-- not everyone gets caught up in the holiday insanity. You can never go wrong by keeping things simple. KISS. Especially at THIS time of year. Covid seems to be an on-going crap shoot. At any time, a future variation could produce the worst case: highly infectious, able to evade current vaccinations, and much more deadly, making people much sicker for longer periods of time, with significantly greater mortality. No one can say this can't happen, and no one can give the odds, for or against. Not a comforting thought by any means. 

Will Covid be the sort of thing that brings about a "paradigm shift"? Who can say?

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 There's something about this season that really seems to bring out the worst in people. 

That has not always been true. This has not always been a stressful time. But shopping is a terrible experience. The traffic seems crazier than usual. "Happy holidays" is kind of a bad joke. "Merry Christmas" is an excursion into pure fantasy. For most people the whole thing seems to be kind of an ordeal, doesn't it?