odditudes-and-weirdities

Since it's my birthday, I figured I'd catch everyone up on (the little?) that's happened in the last year. (I'll probably forget to mention something.) Like many of you, COVID-19 hampered and hindered some activities. At this time last year I was unvaccinated, a little too young to be targeted early for the vaccines. In March I got my first Moderna dose, and in April I got my 2nd Moderna dose. I had virtually zero reaction to the 1st one, but the 2nd one definitely stirred up a reaction. Fortunately the worst of it was over about 24 hours after the shot, and 48 hours after I felt essentially normal. I remember thinking at the time that life might go back to normal. In November I got my booster, this time the Pfizer shot. The reaction was similar to my 2nd Moderna shot. I didn't go out of my way to mix-and-match the Moderna and Pfizer shots; they were just the most convenient ones I could get each time. (I'm a little bit glad the Johnson & Johnson shot wasn&#

Happy King's Ransom Day!  On this date in 1194 King Richard the Lionheart was freed to return to England after his (extremely high) ransom was paid. Richard had been on his way back home from crusading when he was first shipwrecked, then captured by the Duke of Austria , and then placed in the custody of the Holy Roman Emperor , who then negotiated a ransom with England. A king's ransom is typically considered a large sum of money, and Richard's ransom was certainly large. It was described as 3 times the annual income of the English Crown, and the entire country of England had to absorb a 25% tax (perhaps on top of any normal taxes) to raise the money. Today is a day to think big in financial matters, whether it's to spend big, roll over money into an IRA, rebalance your portfolio, commit to setting aside substantial income for savings, etc.  By Anonymous - https://www.bl.uk/britishlibrary/~/media/bl/global/highlights/manuscripts/royal%20genealogy%20from%20steven%20to%