Author: MichelleMcHatton

I'm a writer. I'm also a wife and a parent who works too much and lives too little. In addition to writing I also love to read, listen to music, travel, cook, I enjoy looking for bargains at flea markets or thrift stores, Christmas, football and of course writing! How did I come up with the title of my blog? Two things: 1. I live in New England (duh) and 2. Canadian singer Alan Frew once arrogantly told me to "get a New England life"--again--DUH! I already HAVE one!
Number 199

Number 199

by MichelleMcHatton

Hopefully this will be the last time I have to post this. Because Tom Fucking Brady said today that he has now retired “for good”. A whole year to the day after he originally “officially” retired. And then 40 days later changed his mind. One losing season (his first ever) and a divorce later, and here we are. Posting this again for real this time, Tommy baby.

Tom Brady retired from football today. Not that anyone was shocked by the “official” announcement, as we all surmised it on Saturday.

To think we knew Tom when he was nothing but a wet-behind-the-ears 24-year-old with a beat-up blue pickup truck who couldn’t dance his way around a Duck boat.

Thanks for the heart-wrenching and often heart-stopping moments, the many championships and the memories. Even if Tom doesn’t care to remember or acknowledge New England in his retirement speech, New England will always remember and acknowledge him.

Although he went from a humble QB who had to quickly learn his way around the NFL field to a cocky, sometimes selfish QB who thought nothing was good enough and felt he could let his teammates know it if he didn’t like what they did, nobody can argue that Tom will go down in history as the best QB of all time.

I will always remember the day my husband told me that Drew Bledsoe had been taken out of the game the day before and was replaced by Tom Brady. I wasn’t really following them at that point and I asked, “Who’s Tom Brady?” and my husband replied, “He’s nothing special”. At that time he really wasn’t. Special isn’t something you are; it’s something you become. And “special” is what Tom Brady eventually became.

It’s sad that Tom forgot where he came from. He forgot draft day when team after team passed him by. When he threw things in anger because he hadn’t been selected yet. When he moped along the sidewalks of San Mateo because he hadn’t been selected yet. He forgot that the Patriots selected him at 199. He forgot he got his true chance through nothing but pure fucking luck. It’s sad that in the end he didn’t remember how he got to where he truly is. But fame can often do that to a person.

Yes, I understand the speculation of why Brady left out mentioning the team he led for 20 years and the fans who adored him for the same amount of time is because he plans to sign a one-day contract and retire as a Patriot. Whether that actually happens still needs to be seen. It still doesn’t change the fact that he didn’t even mention New England fans in his good-bye speech.

One thing Tom Brady forgot in his retirement speech was to remember that to have an ending, you need a beginning. And the 20 years he spent in New England was one hell of a long, beautiful beginning, especially for someone who only mentioned the franchise and fans he has played with for the past 24 months in his retirement speech, as if they were the team he had captained for 20 years. I feel bad for Tampa fans. They only got to experience two years of greatness, mostly on the downside. We got to experience 20 great years, mostly on the upside.

I will always be a Patriots fan. Nothing will ever change that. And although I lost respect for Tom with how he divorced himself from New England, and has acted like those 20 years never existed, I know nothing can erase what he brought to a down-and-out, never-going-anywhere franchise. For that I, and many fans, will forever be grateful.

I wish Tom Brady the best of luck in all his future endeavors and happiness always with his family.

Thanks for the memories. It’s been a hell of a ride.

It’s Official

It’s Official

by MichelleMcHatton

Saturday I officially became one of the 1.43 million people in Massachusetts to become infected with Covid. Well, I didn’t get infected on Saturday. I actually hadn’t been feeling well since Monday. But Saturday was when I was tested and they told me I was positive. I was lucky enough to have symptoms which allowed me to be tested at an urgent care. Because if you don’t have symptoms, they won’t test you there. And to find an at-home test right now is like trying to win the lottery.

Anyway, my biggest complaint? The sneezing. I don’t think I’ve ever sneezed so much in my life! Friday was the worst. I don’t think there was an hour that passed without me sneezing. So of course the sneezing has led to a very runny nose which I’m constantly blowing and have now developed a very sore nose. I do have a slight cough, but I’ve had worse coughs with an ordinary cold. In fact, I’ve had worse ordinary colds. And I have a hoarse throat so I now sound like Brenda Vaccaro. But I’ll take it.

I know many have questioned the term “mild symptoms” and everybody’s different. One person’s mild symptoms aren’t going to be as mild as another’s. To me, what I’m experiencing are very mild symptoms. Like I said, I’ve had regular colds worse than this.

The pseudo-doc at the urgent care told me that I should quarantine for five days from onset of symptoms. I told him that the visit to the urgent care was the first place I’d been in the past ten days. Then he told me that after that I should wear a facemask for five days. I told him I wear a facemask all the time when I go out in public.

Then the next day someone from the Public Health Dept. in my town called me and told me that any family members in my home could go about their merry way unless they had symptoms also. Which made me think “really”? Because they have been exposed for the past week to someone with Covid! What kind of irrational thinking is that? Thanks CDC! But not to worry because really nobody in my household has gone anywhere for at least a week.

This whole thing does have me thinking, however. How do I know when the Covid is gone? I can’t get my hands on an at-home test. And if I did and I still tested positive, what do I do? Keep testing myself with tests I don’t have? If I don’t feel well enough to go out to a store, even with a facemask, which I wear anyway, why would I even think about going out?

So I’m going to base it on my sneezing. When I stop sneezing, or when a day passes without any sneezing, then I’ll know I’ve overcome Covid. Then again, prior to Covid I did sneeze at least once a day. So maybe that won’t work either.

by MichelleMcHatton

Shortening isolation time from ten days to five days isn’t going to make the coronavirus crisis any better. But it will make some businesses happy. And confuse people, as well as infect many more.

Mailing 200,000 at-home coronavirus test kits to school teachers and school staff isn’t going to make the coronavirus crisis any better. Today is Wednesday. Hope they’re not being mailed regular USPS mail. You’ll be lucky if you get them by next Friday. Remember there are only two more regular mail days this week. And if you’re lucky to get one in time and test positive on Sunday? Guess who won’t be in school on Monday. And that’s just for the teachers and staff. And I doubt everyone will get one.

Waiting in a long line to get tested isn’t going to end the coronavirus crisis. Especially since you’ll be told that you can’t get tested because they just ran out of tests. And tomorrow isn’t going to be much better.

Running around in public without wearing a mask isn’t going to end the coronavirus crisis. But there’s a good chance it could get you sick. Especially if you aren’t vaccinated.