What pandemic? This pandemic.

SICK LEAVE DEP’T.

Indignity Has Covid Now

AROUND MIDDAY ON Sunday, Ashish Jha, who stepped down in June as the White House Covid coordinator, went on Twitter to quote-tweet a message from someone named Tulio, who'd written "With all of due respect, there is absolute NO CONCERN of Omicron EG.5 in South Africa or most of the world."

Jha wrote:

Largely agree with Tulio. At this point, not super worried about EG.5

We will get new variants. They will cause increases in infections

The answer is the same

Keep up w vaccines

Get treated if infected

Use masks and tests if you wish

And don’t worry about every new variant

About eight hours before that, unable to sleep at 4 a.m., I tested positive for what is presumably the Omicron EG.5 variant of Covid. All four members of the family now have it.

We did something normal—sent the older boy off to sleepaway camp in the Midwest, then sent his mother and brother out to bring him back when he was done—and now, under the terms of the new normal that Ashish Jha promoted on behalf of the Biden administration, we got the normal result, which is everyone losing a week of August flat on their backs with a fever.

I tried to get Paxlovid from my doctor but the delivery pharmacy texted me to say “Paxlovid  is currently unavailable from our suppliers.” I called New York’s official Covid line and did a second telemedicine call, and they were able to find a pharmacy that supposedly would deliver, though not for another day. I did get lucky, though; they said the hold times for Covid telemedicine calls were running around half an hour, but mine went through almost right away.

Less than a month ago, David Leonhardt of the New York Times wrote, yet again, "The pandemic is finally over." Not over in the sense that there isn't a highly contagious severe disease going around, mind you. But over in the sense that anybody cares or is doing anything about it.

Anyway, Indignity will likely be publishing on a limited schedule this week, and the Weather Reviews and the Indignity Morning Podcast are suspended until further notice. There was some thunder and lightning in the small hours of Saturday night into Sunday morning, but after that it's all a blur. Your Thursday MR. WRONG column, Part Two of the MR. WRONG After-School Special, should arrive on schedule.

Apologies for any typos or formatting errors. Your Creative Director is on vacation and your Editor is not seeing very clearly.

Wear a mask, please.

SANDWICH RECIPES DEP’T.

WE PRESENT INSTRUCTIONS for the assembly of the final sandwich from "Dame Curtsey's" Book of Recipes, by Ellye Howell Glover, Author of “Dame Curtsey’s” Book of Novel Entertainments, etc. Published in 1909, this book is in the Public Domain and available at archive.org for the delectation of all.

Raisin Sandwiches
RAISIN sandwiches are quite the thing to serve with lemonade or sweet punch and are made by cutting large raisins in half with sharp scissors, and removing the seeds. Lay the fruit closely together between the thin buttered white bread and moisten with a suspicion of brandy or sherry, but not enough to reach the bread and make it soggy. Cut the bread in fancy shapes.

If you decide to prepare and attempt to enjoy a sandwich inspired by this offering, kindly send a picture to us at indignity@indignity.net.

MARKETING DEP'T.

19 FOLKTALES collects a series of timeless tales of canny animals, foolish people, monsters, magic, ambition, adventure, glory, failure, inexorable death, and ripe fruits and vegetables. Written by Tom Scocca and richly illustrated by Jim Cooke, these fables stand at the crossroads of wisdom and absurdity.

HMM WEEKLY MINI-ZINE, Subject: GAME SHOW, Joe MacLeod’s account of his Total Experience of a Journey Into Television, expanded from the original published account found here at Hmm Daily. The special MINI ZINE features other viewpoints related to an appearance on, at, and inside the teevee game show Who Wants to Be A Millionaire. Your $20 plus shipping and tax helps fund The Brick House collective, a Publishing Concern featuring a globally diverse set of publishers doing their own thing, with interesting items and publications available for purchase at SHOPULA.

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