Umm… I suppose it is. And as early morning turns to midday, I assume we’ll move on to talking about the next not-entirely-ordinary (if not-entirely-unprecedented) thing that happens in some part of our city.

Aww, sorry for this introduction to our city. I assure you it really is quite safe, especially if you aren’t looking for or already involved in some sort of trouble. Admittedly, our downtown (where you are) is small, limited in its offerings, and has changed slightly for the worse since the start of the pandemic. Because of our geography, we’re a city of neighborhoods, and if you were to visit again, I’m sure this sub would be happy to recommend some more vibrant neighborhoods in which you might want to stay.

It’s important to be respectful of, and not damage, any property that isn’t yours, but one needn’t be reverent of buried organic matter. Those were real people, and now they’re on their way to becoming dirt again.

Allegheny Cemetery is one of the most beautiful (and my personal favorite) of all the parks in the city. It’s close to where I live and I love jogging and walking through it. I’m not going to go dancing on graves, but I’m also not going to avoid stepping on top of them, on rare occasion, because of someone else’s unfounded superstition.

Regrettably, no. Humpty Dumpty.

I’m the sole occupant of an inefficient 1370 square foot townhouse, built in 1910, with one shared wall and three exposed sides. My thermostat is programmed to alternate between 62 and 68 degrees (though it rarely gets above 60 on my second floor). My last bill, generated on 12/26, was $219, but I don’t think that covers the extra-cold snap just before Christmas. I expect a few $300-400 bills in the months ahead.

Yes, masks have been shown to reduce Covid-19 transmission, which in turn reduces deaths. At this point, there’s really a preponderance of evidence that says so. (Reduced transmission also means fewer overall cases and fewer opportunities for the virus to mutate into a variant that could be far deadlier or otherwise have more severe consequences than those of the currently-prevailing variants.)

Masks aren’t perfect, and some are better than others, but I’m not sure how this misconception that they have zero efficacy persists.