As AALL joins other organizations returning to in-person conferences and meetings this year, perhaps you were wondering whether Karaoke with Ken would return as well. The short answer is “Not this year.” To begin with, as a retiree, it is uncertain that I would attend later annual meetings after 2019. Like many other retirees, without an employer paying most of my expenses, I would have to weigh whether it would make financial sense to attend. But I did not even reach that question this year.

COVID makes public karaoke outings a risky proposition, even at present. Singers cannot really perform while wearing a mask. Asking friends and colleagues to attend would be asking them to take on a risk that for the past two-and-a-half year I have not been willing to risk. But that is not my primary consideration.

My wife Lisa was struck with a serious illness in January, one that takes all our effort to face. If you would care to know the details, we are posting information at https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lisahirsh/journal/. The first post is at https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lisahirsh/journal/view/id/61eae5ddacd8c01e148b56a0 or you can pick and choose posts. You’ll find very detailed information about what we have been doing for the past four months.

Travel is out, and we are very careful to keep risk of exposure to COVID as low as possible. So I definitely will not be at the meeting this year. I cannot say whether there will again be a Karaoke with Ken outing, so I am saying that we’re on hiatus. After all, Sean Connery lived to regret it when he said that he would never play Bond again. And if 2019’s event turns out to have been the last one, it was a great way to wrap up twenty-two years of great fun.

To those of you attending the annual meeting this year, I wish you a terrific time in Denver. I’ll be thinking of you.