John Flushing

Delete/ignore.

This was the photograph which I took at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in 2023, in the space between 44th Street and 45th Street (I think). The camera lens was pointed southwest. At first, I thought that the people in this photograph were all wearing Halloween costumes. I then began to wonder why they were wearing Halloween costumes. It was a little bit late in the season to be wearing a Halloween costume. Then, when these people sat on the concrete, and poured artificial blood onto the concrete, I realized that these people were protesting against something. Because this was the Thanksgiving Day parade, I assumed that they were protesting against all of the paid, professional turkey farmers (the farmers who work for Butterball, Hillshire Farm, Boar's Head, Oscar Meyer, etcetera). I then looked at the banner that they were carrying, read the inscription on the banner, and was amazed that the inscription did not read "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals."

I hate it when people do not clean up after their dogs. I just ordered a hamburger at a street festival a few minutes ago. After eating my food, I smelled something gross on the bottom of my shoe. I then spent several minutes in the public bathroom, using the soap, the sink, the toilet paper, and the toilet bowl, to remove Number Two from the bottom of my shoe. So gross.

I am watching the live New Orleans Mardi Gras parade on Youtube and wishing they had a similar parade in New York City. I doubt that the New York City Police Department would enjoy providing security for such a parade, however.

Alex Trebek will be sorely missed every time we watch Jeopardy. There will never be another like him.

I never heard of it.

My big rant before the coronavirus was walking into a store only to get told "THIS STORE IS CLOSED WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING HERE!?!?" If the store was closed then they really had no business leaving their door hanging wide open like that (sometimes, they even propped their door open with a block of wood). My other gripe was travelling to the food place, only to find that they were out well over half of the items in the menu (there was a Sunoco station in my area which was doing this almost every day). If half the items in the menu are rarely available, then these aforementioned items really should not appear in the menu in the first place (and if they are available for purchase, then they should be considered a special, not a regular menu item).

I already bought my mask years before the coronavirus. I do not know how to drive a car, and prefer to use the train-and-bus system (and/or walk) for transportation whenever feasible, regardless of how good the weather is (but sadly the public transportation here in the New York City suburbs is a joke). When I purchased this mask, I never imagined I would be wearing it on the bus, nor did I imagine using it at the grocery store. The impenetrable, rock-hard piece of plastic makes it more effective than most other masks, while simultaneously making it more expensive. Thankfully, there is no need for me to put this reusable mask through the washing machine.

I fail to understand how people are living their lives for the virus, by turning their face coverings into a fashion accessory. Common sense tells me that a mask is not a fashion accessory. Logic tells me that a mask is not a fashion accessory. A mask is not something that you get your sports team name embroidered onto. That would be like getting your sports team name embroidered onto your wheel chair if you cannot walk, or painted onto your oxygen tank if you have difficulty breathing, or painted onto your cast if you have a broken bone, or something equally horrible. A virus is not something you live your life for; it is something you try to find a vaccine for. I hate not being able to visit my loved ones in their living rooms. I hate this evil virus with every beat of my heart. How any sane, rational, logical person can, in their right mind swallow this bull crap is simply beyond me. Everyone should be looking forward to the day when a vaccine is created, and celebratory bonfires are lit all around the world, and every face covering and every social distancing marker goes up in smoke, when every mask gets destroyed in the bonfire. Everyone should want to say good riddance to the social distancing marker. Everyone should want to say good riddance to the disgusting, nasty mask. I cannot comprehend how people are getting their sports team names embroidered onto a nasty, disgusting, vile thing that really should be destined to go up in smoke.