Should I stay (in) or should I go (out)?

[shewhomust]

That is the question of the moment, and I answer it on an ad hoc basis, not quite on a whim but asking myself is this something I can do online? and how much do I actually want to do it? I listen to news reports of rising infection levels, not to mention the daily death toll, and the lesser but not negligible threat of other infections, flu and that nasty cold that's going round, and think stay in; I consider those things that can't be done online, not to mention those which can, but are nonetheless returning to in-person mode, and think go out. The current tally of recent events is:

An appointment for which there is no real online equivalent:

We both had scheduled dental check-ups last week - and have been sent away with a further appointment in six months' time. Update on that mysteriously achey tooth I posted about in the summer: it is still there, but very much less insistent, and I hardly notice it.

An event I wasn't really tempted to attend in person:

This is the weekend of the Lakes Comics Festival, and we are not there. Sessions tend to take place in very enclosed spaces - and nothing in this year's programme really caught my eye.

An event I was quite tempted to attend in person:

We were quite late to discover that Hartlepool Folk Festival (for which we have tickets rolled over from previous, cancelled iterations) was happening as a hybrid one-day event. By the time we did, we had made alternative arrangements. Given that line-up, had we not been committed, we might have gone along; as it is, we are struggling with the technology which will give us access to the online concerts (the problems are at both ends, ours and theirs) but we persevere.

A hybrid event, both online and off:

Those 'alternative arrangements' involved Durham's Book Festival: J. was struggling to access an online interview with Pat Barker, and since we had bought a digital season ticket - and already watched and enjoyed an event with Francis Spufford - we suggested she come to lunch and we would watch it together. Of the two events, the Pat Barker worked better, an actual face-to-face interview (and a rather more skilled interviewer), though it lost points for being not only recorded but recorded back in August. Of the two novels, I'm more likely to read the Francis Spufford, though I liked Pat Barker's recognition of the Greeks trapped before Troy by hostile winds as the original lockdown narrative.

durham_rambler and I also went in person to a Book Festival event around a study of African Lives in Northern England, because we know some of the people involved in this project, and wanted to support them. Even in the theatre's studio space, this was more people than I have been in company with - oh, since the pandemic began, and I was not entirely comfortable with it. An interesting presentation, though. Killer fact: the first African community in Britain was at Burgh by Sands (even with any caveats you want to add, that's a great line); edited highlights as a leaflet; unexpected bonus Paul Robeson (made multiple visits to the North East, though I think this clip was included in the presentation for the sheer joy of it):

Watch on YouTube

Still to come:

An invitation reluctantly accepted

tomorrow's pub quiz returns to the pub, and while I'd be happoer to carry on meeting online, the Quizmaster seems keen to return, and to demonstrate to the pub management that there really is support for this. Oh, well...

An invitation declined, and a counter-invitation accepted:

My cousin A. writes that he and his partner will be visiting Sunderland on Saturday, and would we like to join them for the traditional post-match dinner in the Italian restaurant? No, without hesitation, we would not like to spend Saturday evening in a busy restaurant. But would they like to come here for Sunday lunch? And they would, and I'm reasonably happy about this. It isn't entirely rational to fear infection less when you are with people you know, but at least there are fewer of them. Plus, it will be a pleasure to see them ...

Not really optional:

The partner of one of my oldest friends has been suffering from cancer, and died earlier this month. The funeral is next week, in Shrewsbury, and since we can get there (we have booked a hotel in Crewe, before and after, which breaks the drive) we will. Of course.

This post is a mixture of diary entry, purely for the record, and thinking aloud, process not product. The result isn't terribly interesting, but it can't be helped. Some posts just turn out that way.

Comments

[anef]

We are currently dithering over whether to go to Novacon. I am watching Kwasi Kwarteng denying that the Govenment is watching and waiting while the number of people infected with covid is expected to double in the next 5 weeks. "No, we are not just watching and waiting, we are actively monitoring the situation".

[shewhomust]

The Government will not save us: it's up to us to lock ourselves down (or not, as we choose). I admit I'd be very hesitant about attending a convention - but then, I'm probably doing things that you think unwise, too.