The week gone by — Dec. 5

It was a room that had probably heard a million stories, and more than a few lies.

At least that’s what I assume. I’ve never been to an Elks meeting — although the local chapter sponsored a team when I played Little League — but those are the kind of things that happen when folks get together socially.

Because of the vaccine

I finally saw “No Time To Die.”

Suzi and I went to the local theater with the plush, reclining seats, and since it was a matinee — we arrived just as the previews were starting — I enjoyed a pizza for lunch before the movie began.

I’m a huge fan of James Bond movies, and I enjoyed this one. Without spoiling the ending, I will say that it left me curious about what direction the franchise will take when the next movie comes out in another couple years or so.

It feels … so … close

“Are you a mom?” asked the cashier at The Odyssey Bookshop as she rang up Suzi’s Mount Holyoke College T-shirt.

Even though Suzi and I have long been old enough to be the parents of college students, I’m pretty sure it was the first time she had been asked, and I think she was a bit taken aback.

“I’m … an alum,” she said after a slight hesitation.

The annoying person in the office, automated

My phone rang.

Since I was expecting an important message — I’m basically in the fourth of these stages — I bolted from the laundry room to answer before it went to voicemail.

Suzi, having no interest in taking a charge, deftly stepped out of my way.

End of a season … start of what’s next

It was a beautiful afternoon for a baseball game — sunny, bright and pleasantly warm — but I decided to switch from the T-shirt and shorts I had been wearing all day to a long-sleeve shirt and jeans.

After all, the midafternoon start would mean a finish early in the evening, so I figured it would cool off once the sun started to go down.

As it turned out, between sitting in shadows and a slight, but steady breeze, I was happy about the decision starting in roughly the second inning.

A series of random observations (and baseball … and fireworks)

As Suzi and I stood by the rail, the fireworks went off behind the fence in right-center field.

The display had the usual excitement of the initial colorful explosions, followed by a series of small and medium bursts leading up to a finale that always looks like a last, desperate attempt to shoot everything off before someone comes to stop them.

Fireworks are among my favorite things, but I hadn’t seen them live in more than two years. Some things have happened in those two years — the obvious stuff everyone knows about, but other things closer to home.

Just ask, and I’ll show you

Suzi announced that I may have a reason to pull my vaccination card out of my wallet.

Briefly, my mind wandered to unexpected travel or a shots-required concert that she had ordered tickets for but I didn’t even know about it yet.

It wasn’t either of those things. Instead, it was that The Bushnell in Hartford would be requiring attendees to be vaccinated for any shows through Oct. 31.

There’s also a mask mandate, which I’m not thrilled about, but I’ll deal with it.

It’s complicated … but I watch anyway

My earliest memories of the Olympics are from 1980.

I was 7. The Winter Olympics were in Lake Placid, and people were talking about a big hockey game between the Americans and the Soviet Union (or maybe they called them Russians), who were not only really good, but an enemy of some kind.

But the Americans actually … won. I recall this being a big deal.

Remember regular, ‘ordinary’ days?

Paperwork … always paperwork.

So even though it was a regularly scheduled physical — pending the results of the standard bloodwork one morning next week, I’m healthy, although because of a change in age guidelines my doctor recommended something that starts with “colon” and ends with “-oscopy” — I was filling out paperwork.

OK, it was a minor annoyance at worst, but as I was checking to make sure I hadn’t missed anything, I noticed on one of the forms I had written the right date … but the year as 2019.

Soccer in the rain

The result was pretty much a foregone conclusion, but for those interested in the details — the U.S. women’s soccer team beat Mexico 4-0.

Sisters Kristie and Samantha Mewis — the pride of Whitman-Hanson Regional High School in Massachusetts — opened the scoring, with Kristie setting up Samantha.

Christen Press scored two goals, and Tobin Heath connected on a rocket shortly after coming into the game, scoring right below where we were standing.