Did my parents miss a trick?

Suzi and I hadn’t been dating very long when we went out to dinner with my father and brother.

Even in that relatively early stage in our relationship, she knew that it was a requirement to comment on my distaste for vegetables and salads Every. Single. Time.

So when I moved or refused whatever greenery was on offer, she said something to my father, and he replied that if he really wanted to, he could still make me eat it.

I, in my late 20s at the time, didn’t dare say anything.

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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.

And then, there were two (shots)

“Did he miss?”

Between barely feeling the needle for no more than a second and the strange sensation immediately afterward like someone pouring warm water down my side, I actually did wonder for a moment if the guy whiffed.

Then I realized that if he had, the Pfizer vaccine would be running down my arm, not my rib cage.

One shot down, one to go

Her name was Erin.

As Erin pulled the needle out of the box and put on her rubber gloves, I had the same thought as after the attendant pointed down the aisle toward her table, only more intensely.

”Oh wow … this is actually happening.”

Maybe … that’s ‘normal’ in the distance

Looking at the beer list over our head — the one that started with “Get Maxxinated!” — Suzi said she found the one for me, which is interesting, since I don’t drink.

”Passionately Sour.”

After an excellent lunch of chicken schnitzel and mashed potatoes, I had my mask on since we were about to leave, but my mouth didn’t need to be visible for Suzi to see what I thought of her suggestion.

The waiting … oh, the waiting

I’m not saying I’m desperate, but am I going to have to go on a dating app to get what I’m looking for?

Granted, it’s going to be pretty tough to sell this to Suzi, but maybe she’ll have less of a problem with it if I say I’m looking for both of us.

False spring … and hope for better days

I decided I was going to risk it.

I was going to wear a T-shirt on our walk … and shorts.

I even made sure it’s a Syracuse shirt for their big game against Virginia.

The week gone by — March 7

“Are you here for a COVID vaccine?” asked the young woman just inside the doors of the CVS.

”Sadly, no,” I replied, which got her to chuckle.

As I suspected, that was the reason why the pharmacy’s parking lot was full at 1 on a random Friday afternoon.

Things will be ‘normal’ someday … whatever that means

The other day, as I was again contemplating the question of how we can send a man to the moon and store all of the world’s information in a device small enough to fit in the front pocket of the jacket I was wearing but not develop a snowplow that creates massive snowbanks at the end of every driveway (see also: umbrellas that don’t disintegrate in the wind), I had to stop so I could get more gas for my snowblower.

The week gone by — Jan. 17

I talk to my grandmother and parents in New York every Sunday night.

Last week, I made sure to tell them as much as I knew about the state’s updated COVID vaccination plan, which was being opened to residents over 75 the next day. (My grandmother is over 80.)

I had to let my mother know because, even though I didn’t know the details, I assumed there was an online element, and my grandmother doesn’t use computers.