Fourth straight zed. You know me, I don’t get all conspiratorial and pull a full 1984, but sometimes the government is all, like, “hold my beer.” Seattle now has a hotline for reporting businesses that don’t comply with the new mask law, and has created an ominously named “Education and Outreach Team” to handle businesses that are in violation. It is a part of something called “The Department of Finance and Administrative Services’ (FAS) Consumer Protection Division,” which has been granted “enforcement authority over businesses that violate the mandate.” That sounds pleasant It is my understanding that we’ve always had a hotline for reporting violations of the law, but in fairness, that one’s 3 digits long and really hard to remember.
Small entry today, as we’re packing up and heading out this morning. 5-ish hours to the destination, and everyone’s goal is to make it without having to use the bathroom at some virus-infested backwater rest stop in the sticks. Much of the drive will be wide open countryside – Eastern Washington and that part of Idaho is not very populous, to say the least. It should be a beautiful drive. Bio-anatomically, The Boy and I shouldn’t have any trouble in the case that nature calls, but the ladies might struggle a bit. We did get a portable toilet – a sort of short TV Table with a toilet seat for a top, to which one can affix a “liner.” It isn’t very inviting. Smart money says that if it comes down to it, they’re going to opt for the rest stop. We have plenty of hand sanitizer and gloves.
My wife (family members need nicknames on blogs. Maybe I’ll call her The Italian) will be doing most, if not all, of the driving. She gets car sick easily, so driver is the best position for her. I’m not complaining. As the passenger I can reach back and punch the kids easier when they complain too much. Maybe I’ll keep the laptop handy and type up countryside impressions on the fly. Live-blog the pee breaks.
Karamazov is complete. I do appreciate the ending, the way it contrasted two different deaths and triggered thoughts of the novel’s first death much earlier on. How does a person’s life influence their death, and what do we learn from any of them? What constitutes a tragedy? Who deserves our respect and who among the living is even worthy of offering it?
Lighter reading for the trip this week, as I’m bringing the Mr. Rogers book, Kindness and Wonder. So far it’s just biography. The introduction was very off-putting, with a bunch of PC virtue signaling by the author over climate change that was very much not in keeping with the concepts of either kindness or wonder. But considering that the rest of the title is “Why Mr. Rogers Matters Now More than Ever,” it’s predictable that things might get a little preachy. It’s that “now more than ever” phrase, signalling compliance with the notion that at any given time, we live in the worst of all possible times. I’m just one guy talking here, but I don’t think Fred Rogers would agree that the need for kindness and wonder varies in degree from day to day, and depends on the state of the ice caps. But what do I know?
Don’t pee there, Comrade Citizen!
Andy Havens 
“family members need nicknames on blogs” Indeed they do.
Hope you & yours have a fabulous time. Take notes. And don’t forget to play the Alphabet game. A-Z. call out when you see the next letter on a road sign. Make up the rules as you go along. (Only 1 letter per sign?)
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The boy started complaining about being bored, so I suggested the alphabet game. “That sounds stupid.” Then I said “ooh, that cloud looks like a tank!” and we settled into cloud ID for a while.
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Sounds like a great adventure is about to commence. I love being being the co-pilot instead of the captain. You get to see so much more and you attention is not constantly on the road. Hand sanitizer is the ticket for using public facilities. There is always a bush too. Your trip sounds like a pleasant length. Not too long in the car and not too short. I grew up on trips from Ill. to Idaho. 2 hard days of driving before the days of AC in cars. Not a lot of fun, but mom was smart and always got a motel with a pool to cool us off and burn up the energy from being in the hot car all day. Look forward to hearing about your adventures. I think this trip will do all of you a world of good.
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I started out in Illinois, too. We had a big van growing up, couch pulled out to a bed in the back. We drove as near as Wisconsin, and as far as Florida once. Once. Those trips were wild. We did several trips to South Carolina, too, and had favorite hotels along the way, alwyas with a pool.
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