Whinging

We are allowed to eat at outdoor seating in restaurants, now, in my state.  The one restaurant with good shady outdoor seating near me closed permanently.   The timing is poor because if it isn't raining in Maryland in the evening it is 90 degrees and humid.  I am hoping the re-open momentum is irresistible now.

Layoffs at work.  While my section is busy making money for the company 24/7, lots of other parts of this very large corporation have been shuttered, and they need to save money, and to do that they need to dip everywhere.  It's the story everywhere right now, I am sure.

Well, except local governments and public universities.  While they COULD have laid off the more sinecure-ish positions, they didn't, and are going on the tried and true business model of begging for a bailout.  I hope they fail.  If they DO fail they still won't can the sinecures.  Regulator rules arbiters and diversity enforcement specialists will keep their jobs, but firemen and school teachers will lose out. Just my guess.

You could fire 50% of the non teach admin types randomly at any university and have no impact on the quality of education and research.  That's been my position for a long time.  And it's win win for everyone.  Even the laid off admin types.  Cuz some of them will change careers to something less... parasitic?