The new hammer is molnupiravir, named after Thor’s hammer–Mjollnir. I’m just glad they didn’t call it mjollnirvir.

We can’t see ahead. I threw away my crystal ball months ago. But we can look back and it’s clear that COVID-19 is still here, still affecting our lives more than we ever expected. Instead of a return to “normal,” 2021 is turning out to be a year of adjustment. We live in an era of negotiation

CNN recently ran an article called, “5 countries that are opening up and living with Covid.” This caught my attention immediately. Which countries? I asked. Does that mean people are just walking around like it’s 2019? Open up in comparison to what?

Podcasts abound on the subject of COVID-19. One of my favorites is Dr. Osterholm’s weekly podcast from the University of Minnesota. Lately he’s remarked that his crystal ball has grown cloudy. I answer back that I threw mine away–

Yes, that apostrophe is in the right place. I’ve spent the weekend in a writer’s retreat, as in one writer. Namely me. The original plan was a few days in Lake Tahoe, but they had to evacuate and everyone was going the other way.

We weren’t expecting this. Last summer we expected things to be cancelled: school, sports, the Olympics, the Hollywood Bowl season, the Rose Parade. Now we’re approaching fall with caution and contingency plans. Yes, we plan to meet in person, the first email says. A few weeks later, it’s yes, but. . . maybe . . . no, not yet.

Throwing away the crystal ball has turned out to be unexpectedly liberating. When you admit you don’t know what’s coming next, you are free to speculate. And it looks like everybody is joining in the game.

Back in 1956 when my family was about to travel from Iran to India we had to get a series of shots. Some, like the series for plague, were new to me. Others, like cholera and tetanus, were booster shots. The first booster shot hurt more than I expected