To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there's no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other.


It's been an interesting week.

The new job has been progressing well; I am pleased to report that after four years away from healthcare and a desk environment, I've very quickly gotten back on the horse. My stumbling block seems to be the system. For a top-shelf EMR (Electronic Medical Records) it's very clunky and un-intuitive. My boss tells me that it's not designed for a single-doc practice, but rather a large hospital setting. Unfortunately, since she is a part of the extended Mt. Auburn/Beth Israel health network in this city, we're forced to use it instead of finding something that would suit the practice better. Maybe something to work on, but not at the end of my second week.


I'm up early this morning to finish packing and make our way over to nearby historic Concord, MA. Ye Olde Scout Troop is headed for a privately-owned island in the middle of Warner Pond, conveniently named "Scout Island". Javi is back from school, and this is going to be his first trip with the Adult Patrol. And yes, we're cooking up some fine things for the crew. But thinking of Scouting - I was back in my hometown of Saugus this past Thursday. We were laying to rest another member of my youth troop's extended family. Poor old Bruce E. got the Covid and didn't survive the encounter. While I regret the cause of the gathering, it did please me that I saw MY sainted Scoutmaster...the now 79-year-old "Mr. V." He is still in fine health and mettle, and I rather proudly flashed my Eagle Dad pin at him, and everyone else from the old gang that I ran across. But I fear that my old youth troop is not going to survive the year. They're down to 3 or 4 scouts, and in talking to the current scoutmaster, it sounded like they were all done. It's unfortunate because we're one of the oldest troops in the region (over 90 years old), but we have all learned that Covid doesn't discriminate.

But speaking of the current scoutmaster - he's also my connection to the Masonic Lodge in town, and after being dormant for over a year, they're starting to re-emerge and start things moving again. I had transmitted my application to join at the beginning of the same week last year that all hell broke loose, and I've been fiddling and diddling ever since. It seems like maybe I might get in this year after all.

And still thinking of Covid, I'm sure you're aware of the rollbacks that are starting to take place. Some local supermarkets have removed the one-way signs from the aisles (Not that any Boston driver paid attention to them anyway) and now some stores are going to stop requiring mask wear inside "For people who are fully vaccinated".

So who is going to check, verify, and enforce that?