decisions, decisions

I am returning a pair of solid bike tires I bought as the size listed in the product description does not match what was sent. The tires are fairly heavy and bulky so I feel it would be prudent to put some buffer material in the box to keep them from thumping around when the box is transported.

Of the fitting buffer material I have on hand, I could either use a heart-shaped mylar Valentine's balloon, or 2 pieces of nice sturdy styrofoam.

I feel weird about putting a Valentine's balloon in the package, even though it would be a good way to get rid of it. (I would feel bad about throwing it away which is why it is still lingering around here in August.)

I feel oddly clingy about the nice sturdy styrofoam because when I wave them in my hands they make a nice breeze, and maybe they'd be good to use as a support for something.

So which shall it be? I think the balloon.

But the styrofoam would be more logical and it would be a good way to get rid of it too.

.

Ah hah! A third option has presented itself - a smaller box that fits inside the bigger box. But then I'd be getting rid of neither the balloon nor the styrofoam and this would be the perfect opportunity...

to facemask or not to facemask; the state of COVID-19

Since the pandemic started, I've worn a face mask when entering all public buildings and stores. There have only been a handful of times I forgot to do so, or remembered while in the store and then put one on.

I don't go out shopping very often - generally 4 to 6 weeks apart. Sometimes I stop and think, has the world changed since the last time? Is is still worth wearing a face mask to reduce the risk of catching Covid and getting long-term side effects? Is the risk low enough to dispense with the precaution? I haven't been sick with anything in 3 years and don't really want to break that streak. I don't care if people don't see my face; maybe I could go on forever like this. But I also feel self conscious, especially at first, and tend to avoid looking at other people even more than otherwise, when wearing a mask.

The South Carolina DHEC website that had been tracking SC COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations stopped doing so as of July and now only shows vaccination stats.

The CDC site still has a tracker:
United States COVID-19 Hospitalizations, Deaths, Emergency Department (ED) Visits, and Test Positivity by Geographic Area

A Positive Covid Milestone (2023/07/17)
"In a sign that the pandemic really is over, the total number of Americans dying each day is no longer historically abnormal."

But: Early COVID-19 Indicators Show Increase: CDC Data (2023/07/24)
"Coronavirus emergency department visits and test positivity are on the rise."

It's been 9.5 months since my last booster shot. Per the following CDC page, I'm not currently eligible for another.

Stay Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines
"New vaccines expected in fall 2023
On June 15, 2023, an FDA advisory committee met to talk about COVID-19 vaccines and additional strains of the COVID-19 virus. They recommended that COVID-19 vaccines should be updated to provide protection against the Omicron variant XBB.1.5 for use by the fall of 2023.

A couple weeks ago I decided not to wear a face mask in the first store I went in. I already had second thoughts while walking up to the entrance. What if I get stuck in line behind someone who is coughing and/or sneezing? It's always easier to have a face mask already on in a situation like that, than to have to consider other people feeling antagonized by my action of putting one on in their presence. But I knew the store wouldn't be crowded, so I went through with it, maskless. But I wore a mask in the next 2 larger grocery stores I shopped in.

The following week, my work supervisor told us he had caught Covid at a conference. He said it was his first time of having gotten it.