Friday, April 30, 2021

CoViD-19 Daily Data | Nova's Birthday |


We're all at my mom's house right now celebrating the night before Nova's 14th birthday. Crazy. We ordered a feast from 777 Noodle House, had a great strawberry filled cake from Pancho Villa, and now we're all in the backyard using my sister's Apple TV to watch the Billie Eilish movie on a projection screen. I haven't gone through email today at all, haven't looked at the news, though I did watch a little bit of the Padres game with my dad. I'll probably be up all night, because I'm always up all night, and I'll throw another post up if there's anything worth sharing. In the meantime, stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: Global Cases Surpass 150M | Biden & Harris 100 Days In | Danny Trejo Denounces California Recall | Photos: San Diego Zoo + New Elephants!! | Reopenings: Disneyland, Living Coast Discover Center |

Inhlonipho, a new bull at the San Diego Zoo to form a bachelor herd (Taken 4.29.21)

Last night I was looking at the press page for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and learned that there were two new elephants, with the goal of starting a bachelor herd. This explains why we saw the keepers "practicing" with the transport cage a few days after that dude went into Shaba's enclosure. One came from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and one came from Tucson. We skipped the elephants the last few trips, so I guess this news was from last week and I had to see them today. We also spend some time with the Bairds Tapir who was taking a nice swim with some ducklings. 

As you leave the Zoo, to add to the annoyance of the lady's collecting money for "charity", there's now an anti-vax COVID-is-a-hoax guy with an 8 foot vinyl sign that looks like the kind unions use when they're boycotting a developer. While he has the right to free speech, I wouldn't be sad if someone kicks his ass. I was watching the news and there are maskholes harassing workers at the Trader Joe's in Carmel Mountain and I will probably be going to jail for assault before this whole thing is over because I have no tolerance for these maskholes. At all. 

It was a pretty good day overall though my email took me forever today, so I'm sorry this post is so late tonight. Stay safe out there. 

Thursday, April 29, 2021

CoVid-19: CDC Verifies Effectiveness of mRNA Vaccinations On Seniors | Biden "America Is On The Move Again" | SD City Council: With Dems Like These... | A Travel Warning |

This was my first of many pandemic banana breads. (Taken 4.27.20)

It should've been obvious that when the CDC, and subsequently the State and the County updated their mask guidelines, that everyone was going to get it wrong. By emphasizing the "crowd" and focusing on trying to define what exactly is a "small or medium" gathering is, they once again completely blew it. KISS. Keep it simple, stupid. If you're outdoors and may engage or be around non-household people, just wear the goddamn mask. And if you've got kids, set an example and wear a goddamn mask. If you're walking down your block at 10pm and nobody is on the street, you're definitely fine not to wear a mask (vaccinated or not, really). They really blew if for places like the San Diego Zoo or other private spaces that will continue to require masks even though you now think you're exempt because you're not necessarily ever in what anyone would call a "crowd" at a Zoo or Aquarium. 

I said I would watch and comment on Biden's speech, but it was pretty much as expected, especially if you watch the daily media briefings. Hopefully he can push through his major infrastructure, jobs, and families plans through reconciliation because Mitch is a fucking dick and his party will do everything they can to stall shit until midterms. 2022 elections are going to be a really big deal. Maybe some of those old farts will just cease to exist by then. I kinda started taking notes, but instead I'm just putting through the links because it gets a little too nerdy for anyone who doesn't really care or who doesn't think he can get anything done with all these roadblock assholes around. 

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

CoViD-19: Your Vax Is Working | Workers Memorial Day | People Don't Wanna Return To Shitty Service Jobs | Cop Violence = Crime Against Humanity |

  

Baby Golden Takin (Taken 4.28.21)

There is so much news today. I'll have more to say after I get a chance to watch President Biden's speech to Joint Session of Congress and after I get through my email but even beside that, there's a lot of stuff. We went to the San Diego Zoo this afternoon and now Nova is at Derby United, but I feel like I've been online for hours today already and my brain might explode. I'm not going to share my pictures today because our trip was so brief and I spent most of the time waiting to see the baby Tapir but she didn't really make much of an appearance. 

Some things of note today is that the murderers in the Ahmaud Arbery were indicted for hate crimes, Rudy Guiliani's apartment was searched because of the investigation with his involvement with Ukraine, and today is Workers Memorial Day which should highlight all of the frontline and essential workers who died due to the pandemic who had inadequate safeguards, PPE, and lack of protocol. In other things I read today, there's some anecdotal evidence that vaccines may fuck with your period slightly (which I can definitely vouch,) but it is no reason not to get vaccinated or raise concerns. The County of San Diego opened a new bike pump track by my mom's house and a new campground in the Tijuana River Basin and The Handmaid's Tale returns this week (finally). Also, in Nathan Fletcher's media briefing he said that they're looking into 24-hour vaccination sites, so it's good to know he's reading my tweets. But the biggest news we barely heard about this week was that the the International Commission of Inquiry on Systemic Racist Police Violence Against People of African Descent in the United States issued their 188 page report and called cop on black violence a crime against humanity. I'm gonna dive into it, but the Guardian did a good piece on it and PBS Newshour had important reporting on police conflict here.
We have a very, very long way to go. Stay safe out there. 

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

CoVid-19: Outdoor Mask Guidance Updated | San Diego County Offers Walk-Up Vaccinations | Fauci Deep-Dive on Variants | Sea World Offers Free 4-Pack To Military/Veterans |

  

Today is Marine Mammal Rescue Day (Taken 3.9.2020)

I was thinking today how it's funny/not funny that 8% of people who get their first shot of Moderna or Pfizer vaccines aren't getting their second shots. There's a lot of speculation why, could be partially due to accessibility and to work/family obligations, but mostly people are attributing fear of side effects as the reason. I am pretty much knocked on my ass for two harsh days during my monthly cycle and I've had some really fun nights that resulted in some harsh pandemic hangovers. A couple years ago I had pneumonia. With my 2nd Pfizer I was sleepy. We were camping so that didn't help things, but I'm just saying there are way worse things, like actually getting COVID-19, than feeling shitty after a second dose of an mRNA vaccine. 
Today, as expected, the president and CDC announced updated mask guidance which really didn't feel like anything we didn't already know. Wear a mask when you're around people you don't know whether you're inside or out. They didn't really talk about kids but I imagine they don't want the backlash that would ensue if they basically said all non-parents can go party, while all parents should wait until their kids get vaccinated. I saw an estimate that they're not expecting the tween EUA until summer and little kids under 12 until next spring. That blows, to be honest, but I hope the estimate was just playing it safe. 
I didn't catch any real Psaki bombs today, but there was this one funny moment where she almost lost her cool with a reporter, like don't tell me how to do my job. Also there's a reporter from some Catholic paper that only ever asks about pro-lifers having to fund abortions so she shuts him down pretty handily every couple days when she even gives the chance for him to ask a question. Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: CDC Updates Camp Guidance; Expected To Update Outdoor Mask Guidance | Vaccines Must Meet People Where They Are | Census Changes Congress |


Masked Up at Bowlegged BBQ (Taken 4.22.21)

President Biden is expected to announce an update to CDC guidance for outdoor mask wearing so of course journalists have been non-stop reporting on this, questioning why it hasn't happened already and why it took so long so I'll say the answer Jen Psaki an Dr. Walensky and Dr. Fauci can't say: because Americans are stupid. Vast swaths of our population can't understand nuance. You can go outside without a mask on, but if you come within range of other people, the courteous thing to do is to mask up whether you're vaccinated or not. If you're vaccinated and around other vaccinated people, you can drop the masks. If you have kids around, everyone should still mask up because those little vectors can't yet be vaccinated and you're a grown up and need to set a goddamn example. This shouldn't be this hard. 

Monday, April 26, 2021

CoViD-19: US/CA To Share Resources With India, Sends 02 | City To Settle Excessive Force Case for $1.35M; Establishes Police Oversight Commission | Super Pink Moon |


I'm still working through today's email, so I'll probably bust out another post before the morning, but wanted to get this one out for the night. Me and Darren has a fun night in the speakeasy and then a lazy day of tacos and sitting in the sun in the yard and taking the kid and the dog out to a playground to run around and so they could play catch with their lacrosse sticks. Right now I'm watching this footage from a wildlife cam on a game trail and it is super cute. Also, the San Diego City Council votes on Tuesday about the new project for the California Theatre downtown. On top of demolishing a historical resource, the planning commission allowed them to get 8 construction regulation deviations and are getting away with too little low-income housing. I urge you to comment that the council should reverse the planning commission's approval. Fucking developer bastards get away with so much in this town. Oh, and I forgot to mention that today our property manager called to ask about the break-in at the construction site, so I got to explain why I wasn't going to call the cops on a trespassing black man at 4 in the morning. I told her about the other police incidents where the cops had guns drawn and I wasn't about to be a part of that or have it on my consciences. "Stuff can be replaced," she said. "I totally get why you didn't call." So there's that. Also, Darren says I should include the daily Psaki Bomb up here, so watch her elegantly castrate this reporter and hand his balls right back to him. His voice even peaks like he was sent right back to puberty. Stay safe out there.  

Sunday, April 25, 2021

CoViD-19: Get The Jab | Oscar Night | AZ Audit Chaos | Another Horrific AAPI Hate Crime | US To Support India's COVID Crisis |

 

I watched the Oscars tonight and then watched as people raged on Twitter about who should've won, the attendees being maskless. I don't know the specific procedures, but Jon Batiste said that he had to fly out early and quarantine for over a week to be able to attend in-person. It's fair to assume everyone was vaccinated and tested, too, so maybe we can quell the rage just a tiny bit. 

Last night while doom scrolling, I also followed a ton of threads about the US failure to aid India, which to me seems blatantly and patently false. Just like allocating extra vaccine to Michigan wouldn't get them out of their surge, the same seems true for India. People gathered by the tens of thousands for political rallies, dropped all common sense mitigations, and gathered by the millions for religious ceremonies after their leadership, just two months ago, declared their COVID battle won. Yes, people are suffering and yes they deserve compassion and aid, but it needs to come from all corners of the planet, and with a trumpish leader like Modi, this was certain to happen. While California can temporarily celebrate going from worst to first, it might serve us well to remember that seemingly small spread can explode within weeks, and the former mayor of San Diego would have us believe that we should just get back to pre-pandemic normal. It's disgusting, really. Follow this thing through, do your part, and let's really get into a safe place before we call it a W.
 
Last night I was playing around with math, something I do at night when I can't sleep. San Diego's population of 16+ residents is 2,689,348, of whom 904,478 are fully vaccinated. Over the past 3 weeks, we've averaged 232,063 doses administered per week, or 33,152 a day. At this rate, and my math isn't perfect because it's hard to say what the single dose J&J does to the mix, but at the current rate, and taking into account the 1,367,175 who have received a first dose and the 417,695 who have received no doses, all 16+ population could be fully vaccinated within the next 67 days. There was also a lot of talk about why the FDA hasn't approved the 12-15 year olds yet, and I still maintain that they're making sure the eligible adults get another week or two in to get first crack before opening one more age level which may ONLY receive the Pfizer dose if that EUA gets extended. Still, this doesn't account for increases/decreases in supply, but definitely gets us right in the sweet spot of the County's goal of 75% vaccinated in time to drop the tier system on June 15. My math isn't perfect, but that's all super good news, supposing we can fight hesitancy and get our friends and neighbors on board to get the jab. It's on all of us to encourage them to do so. Stay safe out there.   

Saturday, April 24, 2021

CoViD-19: It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over | Dire Circumstances In India | US Acknowledges Armenian Genocide |

The last time we did a San Diego River Cleanup (Taken 1.11.2020)

I found this article about how India was beating COVID from February 17th and it makes me incredibly sad and also really mad. "'India suffered through a lot and because it suffered through a lot, it's reached the other shore now,' said Ramanan Laxminarayan, an epidemiologist at the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy, a research firm based in Washington, D.C. and New Delhi. 'I don't see the prospect of a second wave in India. If it does happen, it will likely be a modest one.'"

There've been a lot of really bad takes on the pandemic, including my own, but so many have been really, really bad. Like deadly bad. I cannot imagine where we would be if things had gone differently in November, and India is paying a heavy toll because of their leader's negligence and irresponsibility.  

All this to wrap back around because a friend of mine asked me when I thought San Diego would get to the Yellow Tier. Obviously I'm not a scientist, doctor, epidemiologist or whatever, but my answer was that I think we're more likely to get out of the tier system when it is set to sunsets on June 15 because I don't envision, as more things open, that we can get below 2% positivity. I think that's okay because as we get vaccinated, we won't necessarily see high symptomatic infection, but I don't think COVID is going away. And hearing our shithead former mayor grandstanding and now that other awful, horrible person, who let's not forget, was responsible for killing a woman due to a car collision, launching a campaign for governor and I just can't even imagine where our state would be if we had been under their leadership over the past year and a half. Newsom certainly made mistakes along the way, but even so, I think we can acknowledge where he got it right. We can't let down now, even those of us who are fully vaccinated. Now if we can just open up to 12-15 year olds and get the County to expand vaccinations to a few 24 hour or nighttime locations, we may be able to get it done faster. Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: You Don't Want It; Long-Term Risks intense | San Diego Events For Saturday: Creek To Bay Cleanup, San Diego Book Crawl | Newsom Pledges To End Fracking | Gaslamp Shooting |


I said I'd throw in another post as I worked through my inbox, so here it is, and you get another San Diego Zoo selfie of me and D. Mostly I wanted to post because there's fun stuff happening on Saturday. Admittedly, I'll sleep through all of it, but there's a book crawl, a general environmental cleanup, and I think there's a free succulent swap at the church on Mansfield in Normal Heights, by Adams Avenue. There is still newsie stuff I wanna talk about, but maybe I'll save it for drunkie Twitter posts that will be deleted anyway. Sometimes I need to write, post, and delete for my own sanity. So it goes. More email and news to work through but I'm having fun with my dude in the speakeasy, so gotta run. Have a great weekend and stay safe out there.  

Friday, April 23, 2021

CoViD-19: ACIP Recommends Use of J&J Vaccine | Deb Haaland Brings Hope To Indigenous Peoples as Secretary of the Interior | SDHC Wants To Pay Your Rent | Photos: San Diego Zoo |

Malayan Tapir Baby at San Diego Zoo (Taken 4.23.21)

We can walk and chew gum at the same time, so the expression goes. That's how I was feeling this morning. I'm angry about the shooting in the Gaslamp last night and I don't understand why or how FLUXX is opening tonight and I'm worried about my God- sister going to Alabama in these COVID times but also crazy racially tense times and I'm so horrified by the images of India and cardboard hospital beds in Thailand and I'm mad that Reality Winner is still locked up and I'm hopeful that things are getting so close to being good here in San Diego with our accelerated vaccination rollout and free testing widely available. Happy, hopeful, sad, angry. Feeling it all at once, ya know? 

But today was a good day. We all tested negative, which wasn't a surprise, but it's just going to be our protocol while Nova is in school and still can't get vaccinated. Darren and I went to the San Diego Zoo for a couple hours this afternoon and I finally got to see the baby Malayan Tapir. I was also surprised to see a baby Golden Takin. So it was a day of my heart pretty much exploding. After that, I had some of our BBQ leftovers from last night's Bowlegged BBQ, then did a Costco run. I watched all the briefings today but haven't read any email, so I will have more posts to come, but for now, here's what I've got. Stay safe out there. 

Thursday, April 22, 2021

CoVID-19: UC/CSU Will Require Vax When Formally Approved By FDA | CA Blueprint | Earth Day | Senate Did Something! Passes Anti-AAPI Hate Crimes Bill | HTH Unionizes | When To Call The Cops? |

Rhinos at San Diego Zoo Safari Park Feel Appropriate For Earth Day (Taken 3.24.21)

I have had a heavy conscience all day. While I was watching TV around 4 in the morning, my cat, who had been sleeping next to me on the couch suddenly alerted. She peeked through the window out to the construction site. Then she jumped to the floor, but stood on her hindquarters, like a meerkat, scoping things out. She only does that when she's on her catio and someone walks by, so it was unusual. 

About 15 minutes later, I heard some clinking around, so I turned off my lights and peered out my windows and saw a man in the construction site. He must've been alerted that my lights shut down or by the motion-sensor light in the alley, because he quickly exited the site, closed the gate behind him and left. I could have a super generic description: black man, 5'10, thin build, dark pants, long-sleeved light crewneck shirt, a black beanie, with a small afro sticking out like Dave Winfield style. But I didn't see anything in his hands, and he took off down the alley. All I could imagine was calling the cops, now approaching 4:30 in the morning and giving that description. It felt like a death sentence. Remember we've had four different incidents during the pandemic alone that had lengthy incidences of black men held with multiple cops' guns pointed at them within view of my windows. So I didn't. If he stole tools or property, I justified that the construction crew should've locked their gate. They didn't even secure their site with a fence until I complained to the development liaison at the City. 

But then I started thinking, what if he had stolen tools? And then used them to vandalize or break into cars or use in an assault? It's really too much to think about. This afternoon I told one of the construction guys that they needed to remember to lock up, that my dog heard someone last night (the easiest explanation I could say with his limited English.) He conveyed that someone broke in and drilled into their security tool boxes. That was the end of the conversation. Unclear if there was anything in them at the time.  I definitely didn't hear anyone with a drill, nor did I see anyone with tools. Today they left no tools on site besides some caulk guns.

I can't say I did the right thing. I'm definitely a "see something, say something" person. But with this volatile week, heck, year of policing madness, I just couldn't be the one to make the call over what, as far as I'm concerned, was just a simple trespass. Maybe another day, another time, I would feel otherwise. But this week, definitely no. 

This afternoon, we went to get walk-up tests at the Tubman-Chavez Center, a condition we agreed to for Nova to go back to school. Afterward, we picked up amazing BBQ at Bowlegged BBQ in Mt. Hope. I feel like I'm gonna be on high alert all night, but hopefully I'll get some sleep. Stay safe out there. 

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

CoViD-19: Global 'Cases Surge To Pandemic High' Despite US Vax Progress | Employers Will Be Reimbursed For Vaccination PTO To Staff | Clout Chasing | Earth Day Activities |


Tikka Enjoying Her Catio (Taken 4.19.21)

I couldn't figure out the feeling I had yesterday when I saw certain responses to the verdict, but I'm grateful to Paste for talking it out and identifying it as "clout chasing." There were subdued responses and then enough carnival barking that walking away from social media was probably the most sane thing to do. Everyone is entitled to weigh in and have an opinion on things, but we have to remember not to center ourselves and sometimes stepping back and listening for a beat is the most appropriate response. 

Thursday is Earth Day, so I've linked some things--online and off--happening Thursday and through the weekend. The easiest thing you can do is grab a bucket and a picker and clean up your own street. It's actually amazing how much trash flies out of the bins when the automated trucks come for collection and my busy street gets all kinds of fly-in trash from El Cajon Boulevard's lack of bus stop trash cans or from the nearby convenience and grocery stores. 

We had good news from the County during today's media briefing. The region got 100,000 more vaccines than last week and that is expected to stay consistent or go up in the coming weeks. Dr. McDonald also said that only 203 individuals considered fully vaccinated have tested positive for Sars-CoV-2, and 57% of those were asymptomatic. (These could be teachers, health care workers, or others who get regular testing, or someone who had a known contact of someone positive.) Bear in mind, the County is counting over 846,000 residents fully vaccinated. Of all of those there were zero hospitalizations and zero deaths. The bad news is globally, mostly because of the surge in India, the virus saw it's highest peak of the pandemic. It is unconscionable that we remain more beholden to corporations than to people and refuse to share vaccine 'recipes' with the world, especially when big pharma got billions in taxpayer money to develop vaccines in the first place. 

Besides all that, it was a good day and I'm gonna go have some cocktails with Darren in the speakeasy. Stay safe out there. Get your vaccine.  

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

GUILTY: Chauvin Guilty In Murder of George Floyd On All Counts | COVID-19: Stop Travelling | USDA Extends Universal Free Lunch | Morrissey Remains A Big Whinging Baby |

Taken from San Diego Zoo Skyfari 4.19.21

I know I'm not alone in saying that I cried a lot today. That jury today allowed the United States and the world to believe our own eyes. Listening to Van Jones and Don Lemon on CNN, and an on-the-street interview with the Floyd family's lawyer, and then all of George Floyd's brothers and cousins and aunts. It was all so beautiful and still so tragic and can't help but bring hope and relief and release for Americans, and especially Black Americans, today. There is so much more progress to be made, for sure. 

"If you can make Federal law to protect birds...you can make Federal law to protect black people." - Philonise Floyd

Needless to say, today was a good day. Besides watching trial coverage, we watched the hilarious Morrissey Simpsons episode, some media briefings, spent some time in the yard, got Indian takeout from Yak and Yeti and I think I'm going to pop some popcorn and watch The Sound of Metal tonight. I hope everyone had a great day. Stay safe out there. 

Monday, April 19, 2021

CoViD-19: Vaccines For All 16+ | Getting A Vaccine Has "Never Been Easier" | Planned Parenthood Disavows Racist Founder | Gun Violence: So Much For Now More Than Ever | Photos: San Diego Zoo |


I know most people wake up during that thing called 'morning', but usually that's when I'm going to bed, so when I'm asleep early on a Sunday and up early on a Monday, it feels worth noting. That led to a very productive-ish day, and by the time I finished watching all of the things (Jen Psaki, COVID-19 Response Team, closing arguments of the Chauvin trial, Todd Gloria at Froggy Park talking about homelessness) and by the time we'd finished lunch, Darren and I went to the San Diego Zoo while Nova did her piano. I'm having a hard time adjusting to Daylight Saving Time/Spring sun so shooting photos has been challenging but it's still fun trying. The above picture is full of horrible glare and shot with my phone, but I had some special bonding with this turtle that I'd never before seen in one of the aviaries. His nose looks like two little straws. It's tempting to reach in and touch him, but I didn't want to pollute his water with my sunscreen and hand sanitizer permanently embedded on my hands. And you're just not really supposed to touch any of the animals. 

News has been pretty intense. I understand that jurisdictions have to be prepared for all possibilities on the Chauvin trial, but the way the media covers it as "bracing for violence" is infuriating not only because we all knew about January 6th and there was no such coverage, and that resulted in a fucking insurrection, but because the assumption that he could be found not guilty on any of the counts...well it's just impossible to think he could get off, yet we know from all of history that he could. 

There is good news locally. I would expect that the County is going to continue to do no-appointment vaccinations this weekend, and now monoclonal antibody treatments are available in South Bay in addition to the one at Palomar health in Escondido, and they're free. So if someone you know tests positive who may be high risk, they can get treatment to avoid more severe illness. There's a lot of stuff worth reading today, so links are after the jump. Stay safe out there. 

Sunday, April 18, 2021

CoViD-19: 50% of Adults Have At Least 1 Jab | Excess Deaths Far Underestimated | Shooting Rampages Overwhelm| US-China Issue Joint Statement on Climate |

Gorilla at San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Just Because (Taken 3.24.21)

Today Darren and a friend went biking for a few hours, so Nova and I finally caught the end of The Real World: Homecoming. I cannot imagine how frustrated Kevin must've been after the conversation he had with Becky. She's so full of white privilege verbal vomit. And we watched after I'd finished the Amber Ruffin & Lacey Lamar book which is an entire book chock full of racist interactions in the world, written in a comedic way, but no less disturbing and enraging. 
There was not much else going on for us today. Mostly just sheltering in place in the dark with the air conditioner on. Did some online shopping, watched some TV, made chilaquiles, and generally lounged. Now everyone else is in bed and I'm about to dive into a show I watched ages ago that I now see has two more seasons that I never watched. 
Today many churches returned to full capacity with no mask requirements because of that supreme court ruling, so just remember those same people who disregard common sense and health recommendations will be out in the community, eating at restaurants and shopping at the same stores you do. Protect yourself. Stay safe out there.

Saturday, April 17, 2021

CoViD-19: Get Vaccinated | Worldwide Deaths Surpass Three Million |

At Helix High Lacrosse Game (Taken by Josh Krimston, 4.17.21)

Today I'm feeling blissfully unaware of the news. Me and Darren had a late night in the speakeasy, I slept in, Darren cooked us an awesome dinner, and then we went to see Helix High's lacrosse team and hang out with pals. I haven't even looked at email today. So I'm just going to enjoy it for the night and I'll catch up tomorrow. Get vaccinated. If you need help getting an appointment, please reach out and I can help you. Stay safe out there. 

Friday, April 16, 2021

CoViD-19: More Evidence It's Airborne | The Disease Is Far Worse Than The Vax | Gun Epidemic: "It's A National Embarrassment" | Gloria's Budget |

I love this puppy. (Taken 4.16.21)

We live on a busy street in Normal Heights. Our street is the access street to all the rest of Normal Heights, so hundreds, maybe thousands of cars pass by every day, usually speeding though the City did install a 25MPH sign after I requested it a few years back. Today the new construction had to cut into the street to connect to the sewer line, leaving steel plates across the roadway that are unavoidable. So now every time a car drives by, the steel hits the asphalt and makes a noise so now my dog is on high alert because the sound resembles a knock on the door. And of course, they stopped working for the weekend, so we get this awesome noise every light cycle for the remainder of the weekend. Super fun. 

It's probably really annoying that I'm always talking about my sleep but I feel so exuberant when I actually fall asleep when I try, and so today was a lovely day. I woke up early, made myself some amazing chilaquiles, watched my press briefings, read my book, got through my email, and now I'm at my parents' house for a little birthday celebration for my sister. So I'm gonna cut. Stay safe out there. 

Thursday, April 15, 2021

CoViD-19: Breakthrough Virus | Brazilians Suffer Under Bolsinaro | US "Holding Russia To Account" | San Diego Emergency Services To Move To Falck |

Happy Birthday To My Sister (Taken 5.1.2020)

I've been thinking a lot about the past year: what's changed, what we learned, new routines, old and new habits, and all that kinda stuff in general. There are still so many projects and things I thought I'd do if ever given a year off that I haven't even touched. One of the things I'm thinking about is email. Do I keep subscribing to all these newsletters and how do I plan a transition back to music and stuff, and honestly, I don't know that I will go back the way it was before. I'm already getting requests and stuff for calendar listings and I still cringe. I'm not ready.

In the meantime, I get all these COVID and health related newsletters and one I really like comes from Kaiser Health News, which sends a daily recap of the news topics and a grip of articles related to that topic. But sometimes its infuriating. Like I swear there are links to like twenty articles --in one day--about vaccine hesitancy in rural, white, evangelical communities, especially in light of the pause of the J&J vaccine. I understand it is topical but sometimes the amplification itself is the problem. There's a reason Facebook makes so much money off sharing false and bad information. I know I'm isolated and live in a liberal bubble, but I have not met one single person who doesn't want to get vaccinated. So while the news loves the extremes--the lack of vaccines and appointments, and then endless stories about vaccine hesitancy, my head might explode. So I'm gonna cut out early and call it a night. By the way, I'm currently reading “You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism,” by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar and it's a quick read but they're so funny and the stories are both unbelievable and sadly totally true and believable. 

Lots of news today on Russia, vaccine eligibility expanded to all Californians 16 and up, CDC released breakthrough virus numbers and ore

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

CoViD-19: State Poised to Expand Vaccine Eligibility To All 16+; Expands Orange Tier Activities | Home Casino Busts | San Diego County Fair Announces Home*Grown*Fun |

 

Hummingbird Pollinating at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 4.13.21)

My cousin is a crazy successful fashion buyer in LA and her company was getting ready for a sample sale, but she hooked me up with some of the stuff. It's super high-end designer stuff...one of the tags for a blouse is $398! My sister visited her over the weekend, so she was dropping off the stuff after my nieces' soccer practice, so we surprised her with a cake for her birthday, which is tomorrow. It's so infrequent we have visitors that it it really is a nice treat to have them over. Plus, who doesn't love cake and an excuse to eat it?

That was pretty much the whole day. We had this gnarly smell emanating from the kitchen so Darren pretty much turned the kitchen upside down trying to find where it was coming from. Turns out it was a jar of spent butter that had been used to cook shrimp. Nasty, but glad he was finally able to figure that out. 

Today's media briefings were interesting. Today's Psaki-bomb was when she shut down the guy from some Catholic newspaper who always asks the same questions about why pro-life people should pay for abortions in other countries. After shutting that down, he tried to ask again. "I think I've answered your question." She is such a badass. Fletcher shut down KUSI much in the same way. There are definitely some ding-dongs in media. 

Today was an interesting news day. I started listening to a podcast about Kristin Smart just yesterday, and today her suspected murderer was arrested. President Biden announced that the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan will happen on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. SDPD had some crazy bust of "gambling dens" all over City Heights which had my jaw on the floor because who even knew such a thing existed? There was one like two blocks from my house! Anyway, I think I'm done laptopping for the night. Stay safe out there. 

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

CoViD-19 J&J "Paused" By FDA & CDC; Clots "Extremely Rare" 6 cases/6.85M Administered | Young Continue Driving Transmission | Standoff Suspect Killed By SDPD SWAT | Photos: San Diego Zoo Safari Park |


Darren & Nova in the Succulent Garden at San Diego Zoo Safari Park

You'll never believe what I did. I went to bed at the same time as Nova last night, which was like 10pm, and it was a miracle. I did wake up around 1am but forced myself back to sleep, which meant I was up early to see Nova off for her first in-person day back in school. Her school is a public charter, so they're kind of under SDUSD and kind of on their own with a cluster of charters in LA, so they're in cohorts with 2 days of in-person learning and 2 days of async. She's still done before 1pm, so after catching up on the Psaki media briefing, news, and all the J&J reports, she was pretty much already back home. She and Darren made us pizzas for lunch to celebrate the first day. 

Since I'd wanted to go so bad last week, we ended up going to San Diego Zoo Safari Park. It was gray and gloomy, which is the perfect weather for up there. We haven't made a trek out to Anza-Borrego in two years (!), so we made sure to spend a lot of time in the succulent and world gardens, without even realizing today is Plant Appreciation Day. (Check out this super cool 'when to plant' guide for gardeners.) For the occasion, I included cell phone and photos from my Canon. I also took a lot of time with the kangaroos and wallabies, with the tree kangaroo, and with the tigers. Then we made our way to the lower park for some rhino and elephant time, but the waterbuck had taken over our favorite part at Kilima Point instead to show off their babies and eat the giraffe food. 

I don't really need to go into all the news today, but I did want to make a note that San Diego was technically in the Red Tier today. Last week we were close, but any uptick isn't good. But for businesses, it doesn't really matter, because last week's announcements mean that counties won't slip back in tiers even if case rates and testing positivity increase unless those rises coincide with hospitalizations and ICUs. I think the point of that is that lots of places are doing regular testing, like schools, sports, and others, where positive cases may be in more asymptomatic carriers, so higher cases and positivity, while bad for the spread, are less likely to affect vulnerable people who should already be vaccinated by now. I should note I was worried about the R-eff the other day, and while ours is still below 1, it is above 1 in multiple counties in the state, so if everyone is only gonna look out for themselves anymore, then you gotta be the one that takes care of you. Stay safe out there. 

Monday, April 12, 2021

CoViD-19: Vaccines Don't End Need For Masks & Mitigation | About Breakthrough Infections | Mayor Gloria Announces Empowerment Policy Plan For Black Community | PPE Pollution |

Celebrating Nova on Only Child Day (Taken 4.9.21)

The Michigan situation is really irritating to me. Yes, the UK variant is a problem, but if a state's legislature hamstrings their governor to shut things down when needed, why should other states have to lose their vaccine supply to compensate? And remember when the mayor of Detroit refused J&J vaccines? And why hasn't the CDC emphasized aerosolization as the main driver of infection? And why would they make a general statement about "youth sports" when evidence is showing that specifically hockey is a driver of this (look at Canada) and other indoor sports where a locker room is involved? I was so mad when California had our crazy December and January surge, and I don't really understand why this is still happening. What am I missing?

Then we've got Minnesota with yesterday's shooting of Daunte Wright and the protests, the continuing trial of Derek Chauvin and it should be noted that they've issued a curfew which is a problem for Muslims who have started celebrating Ramadan. And there was a school shooting in Knoxville, though it didn't qualify as a 'mass shooting' so news didn't necessarily break away to cover it. Ugh. It's all too much sometimes. 

It's gonna be a little gloomy this week. It's too bad we're not expected to see more than a drizzle, but I kinda like it. I wanted to go to La Jolla Cove this afternoon but I got sleepy and kinda lost motivation and then Nova had piano and well...here I am parked in front of the TV. Stay safe out there. 
**Note: As of 6:30pm, the County still hasn't updated all of today's case, vaccination, and death numbers. I will update these blanks as soon as they do. 

Sunday, April 11, 2021

CoViD-19: Pfizer Requests EUA For Teens; Less Effective On SA Variant | Another Cop Kills Another Black Man | San Diego Restaurant Week Kicks Off | Photos: San Diego Zoo |

Shaba The Good Elephant at San Diego Zoo (Taken 4.11.21)

People were already reeling from the insane video of the cops pepper spraying Lt. Caron Nazario in the face in Virginia, and today another Minnesota cop killed another black man who was pulled over for having a dangling air freshener from his rear view mirror. It's hardly news anymore when these things happen because they happen so frequently. If you didn't read this article the last time I posted it, I highly recommend the read from GQ from December: "Visible Men: Black Fathers Talk About Losing Sons to Police Brutality" Police reform cannot come soon enough. These men, because it's almost always men though in this case it was a woman, should have their badges taken, should be unable to join any other law enforcement agency, and should lose all benefits. I've included a petition to sign below that addresses racism and extremism in law enforcement. Also, the cops are now claiming that they pulled Daunte Wright over because of his outstanding warrant, but they initially called it in as a traffic stop as confirmed by Wright's mom who was on the phone with him during the police encounter.

We had a really quiet weekend around here. Darren and I tied one on in the speakeasy and we went to the last day of the San Diego Zoo's extended hours. Nova goes back to in-person school Tuesday for two days a week. Her best pal isn't going back, so her excitement is somewhat muted, though I know she's really looking forward to high school in the fall. She's been reading Hoover's website extensively and decided she wants to try lacrosse, so this weekend she and Darren picked up some sticks and have been playing catch in the yard. My guess is this is her way of differentiating from me and Darren, playing a sport neither of us have played. Probably helps that we went to a handful of Seals games in the before-times. 

I'm watching the news but it is so annoying. The chyron says, "will vaccine supply meet new demand?" NO. No it won't. If it did, we would already be done vaccinating all Americans. Stop it with the ridiculousness already. 187k+ doses have been administered nationwide. On Saturday alone, 4.63 doses were administered. Everybody will get a turn. And then we'll all be ready for boosters if they're necessary. But is it going to all happen at once? No. The news needs to stop playing to the lowest common denominator and be better. Last week, the state of California got nearly 4 million shots. We'll get there, slowly but surely. 

Stay safe out there. 

Saturday, April 10, 2021

CoViD-19: J&J Shortage | Vax Distribution Debate | Disneyland Preps For Reopening | Supreme Court Justices Don't Care If You Die For God | SD AAPI Safety Symposium | DOD Attempts To Combat Military Extremism |

My Sister and Niece for Sibling Day (Taken 12.25.2020)

I'm gonna keep it short today because I've given myself shoulder and neck pain from being online all day every day. There's some interesting things to note, however. That J&J factory mistake is rearing its head this week as distribution will see shortages. Michigan is still begging for more vaccine supply when it seems they need to be giving more therapeutics for those testing positive. Meanwhile in San Diego, we're a week past opening day and six days out from Easter and our cases have increased slightly, but I'm more concerned with our R-effective approaching 1 again, after we were down to like .67 a few weeks ago. If that gets over 1, we could get back into trouble, and no thanks to the Supreme Court majority, States will be completely hamstrung if things trigger back to worse or we face another pandemic down the line or if this one evolves and mushrooms again with variants and such. Disneyland is setting to reopen at the end of the month and let's just say we'll be continuing our mostly isolation for some time. I also included a link to steps the Pentagon is taking to counter extremism in the military, and think it should also be implemented across all federal agencies like ICE, Customs & Border Patrol, and across state and local police, sheriff, and other law enforcement agencies. And lastly, I included a link to donate to San Diego River Foundation who are getting a matched grant to create the enrichment centers and parks along the river.

I'm gonna go wrestle one of the cats for the heating pad to put on my neck while I watch the rest of Real World Homecoming on Paramount+. Stay safe out there. 

Friday, April 09, 2021

CoViD-19: Schools Projected To Fully Reopen This Fall | Biden Creates Supreme Court Commission | Bowen Bikes SD | SD Local Musgrove Throws Padres First Ever No Hitter |

Amur Leopard (Taken 3.19.21)

Thursday was "Zoo Lovers Day" and we didn't make it to the San Diego Zoo. As I shared last night, Darren and I went to the Casbah opening and then had a fun night in the speakeasy. That made for a super lazy day around the house and Darren picking up Yak N Yeti for dinner, which was our first time having it since before the pandemic. I attempted my own saag paneer a few times over the course of the last year, but it's just not the same as getting it from people who know what they're doing. So yum. 

Today felt like a good news day overall. Dr. Walensky said she expects schools to be fully in-person this fall and predicted what I've been hoping all week, which is that 12-15 year olds could begin getting vaccinated as early as mid-May. Meanwhile, Jeff Zients said they're not changing vaccine distribution strategies despite new hotspots in the country, which is kinda like saying maybe y'all should've kept mask mandates and mitigation measures and the administration isn't gonna punish states who've been doing the right thing because the ones who reopened too early are now seeing spikes. And then Biden spoke and he's authorized a commission to look into the Supreme Court, which to me is just kinda putting McConnell on notice that we're coming for his decade of obstructionism. Finally, I'm not gonna act like I care much about Major League Baseball though I've been to my share of Padres games, but it is pretty cool that a homegrown pitcher threw the franchise's first ever no-hitter. Especially against Texas. Very satisfying. 

The Casbah was featured again on the news, this time on News8, so I'll throw up the link if they make it shareable. In the meantime, stay safe out there and have a great weekend.

Thursday, April 08, 2021

CoViD-19: Reopenings Are Upon Us: Casbah Soft Opening | President Biden Reveals Smart Gun Goals | Sea World To Operate As Theme Park | Del Mar Bluff Stabilization Underway | SD STDs |


Waiting On Salud Tacos at Casbah San Diego (Taken 4.8.21)

We did it. Darren and I went to the soft opening of the Casbah. It was so good to see everyone and sneak in some hugs among our fully vaccinated cohorts. There's nice spacing of the tables on the patio and in the Razzmatazz Room, Ben was slinging behind the bar behind a sheet of plexiglass. Cynthia, Janelle, and Emily were among the food and drink runners and it was very expedient. And of course, Salud makes amazing food. Tacos are $3, 3 for $8, or $10 for a plate of 3 tacos, beans and rice. We each had two tacos and an order of shrimp ceviche ($8) and it all hit the spot. We were only there about an hour but of course, not without incident.  

It takes a really special type of person to show up at a soft opening of a business that has been closed for over a year and refuse to wear a mask and follow pandemic guidelines. The guy comes in with a lady friend, gets seats and quickly gets their drinks, and then proceeds to get out of seat to skank to the music, bounding from table to table without a mask. When Tom told him he needed to be seated and masked when he's not seated, he had to get sassy. One person out to ruin it for everyone. We settled our tab and were leaving, saying our goodbyes, and sure enough, on our way out, he was escorted out and making a huge scene about it. Mind you, there were like 30 people in the whole space. I am so stoked that the Casbah can be open in some small way, but the stress of rule enforcement there and at any restaurants, bars, and venues is momentous. It's really super simple: don't be a dick. We are a society and as a society, we are expected to conform to rules and norms, and if you don't want to comply and abide the rules, stay home. Or move to Texas or Florida. 

There was a lot of news today, particularly President Biden's goals for smart, sensible, and frankly, not enough, gun sense measures and goals. San Diego appears to have stable cases and we may actually see testing start to increase even more as many schools go back to in-person learning on Monday. Nova got her COVID test earlier this week, but I think we'll make a habit of doing that while she finishes out the school year. It's easy, free, and can help us feel some peace of mind until vaccines open up for her age group. Fingers crossed.

Stay safe out there. 

Casbah Presents: Japanese Breakfast @ Observatory San Diego | October 4, 2021 | All Ages | Tickets On Sale Friday |

 

Japanese Breakfast Press Photo

Casbah presents Japanese Breakfast
Observatory San Diego
October 4, 2021
All Ages

CoViD-19: When Will Pfizer Request Adolescent EUA? | WHO Addresses AstraZeneca Vax | DisneyWorld Dude In Deep DooDoo | CA Drought | Photos: San Diego Zoo |

Polar Bear at San Diego Zoo (Taken 4.7.21)

There's a problem with messaging. This is true in all aspects of life, not just COVID-19 messaging. People have a tendency to hear the first thing you say and tune out the rest. This is why the jackhole who occupied the White House for the last four years was so effective with his minions. He spoke in hooky three word phrases and his message could permeate among the masses whether we liked it or not and whether anything he said was true or not, which almost always it was not. 

Now we're in this position where San Diego County has moved to the Orange Tier, even though we barely slid under the new metrics with 5.8 cases per 100k (6.0 could've put us right back into the Red Tier for a week and we could've had to reset the three consecutive weeks in Orange). The governor made his announcements about reopening and the people rejoiced, but without anyone paying real attention to all the qualifying information: we will have to continue wearing masks in public, numbers have to stay low, our health care systems need not be challenged. I think about my rant from the other night (after the Zoo photos) and the jackholes grandstanding on Monday's press conference about events and wonder how these hypocrites responded to the news. 

I finally watched Governor Newsom's briefing from Tuesday and it is pretty exciting that we have that June 15th target for moving beyond the blueprint. I believe more and more that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be submitted for EUA for kids 12-15 by the end of April. It got me curious about how quickly the approval took before, so I found the original press release from when Pfizer submitted (November 20) and the FDA's press release when it was granted emergency use authorization (December 11) and they were exactly 3 weeks apart. That make me optimistic and hopeful that we could see kids starting to be vaccinated by the end of May. I'll do the regular data post tonight when all the information is out, I just wanted to make sure I covered all the things in the inbox. Stay diligent, and be safe out there. 

Wednesday, April 07, 2021

CoViD-19: B.1.1.7 Now Dominant in US; Youth Sports Driving Spread | Casbah In The News | SD City Council "Passes" Measure C for Convention Center Expansion | Can US Mandate Vax? |


Darren and I had a fun night in the speakeasy, and after Darren went to bed I caught up on yesterday's briefings. I'm still really behind in emails and I'm hoping to catch up tonight. We went back to the San Diego Zoo today --our third day in a row. The Skyfari had only been open on weekends, but during this "Spring Awakening" promotion, it's been open daily so we've taken full advantage. I guess they actually liked when we did the three back to back trips, because we did it again today. The leopards were super active, so we watched them for awhile, and we spent some time with Otis the hippo. I was thinking it would be fun to do a meetup at the seating area over by the elephants, but maybe I'll wait until summer hours and more widespread vaccinations. I still want to get to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park this week, but I just haven't motivated early enough to make the trip worthwhile.

I know I've said over and over that I haven't and won't eat out, but I guess I'm dipping my toe in the water for a private invite-only soft opening of the Casbah tomorrow. Tim Mays was on the news today and I've included the clip below.  

I'm gonna get back to my email now and I'll throw in another post with anything meaningful plus some Zoo photos. Stay safe out there.  

Casbah Presents Godspeed You! Black Emperor at Music Box | March 2, 2022 | All Ages | Thursday Presale | On Sale Friday |

 

Godspeed You! Black Emperor press photo

Casbah presents Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Music Box
March 2, 2022
All Ages
Password: BossesHang 

Casbah presents Girl Talk at House of Blues | April 19, 2022 | All Ages | On Sale Now! |

Girl Talk Press Photo

 Casbah presents Girl Talk
House of Blues 
April 19, 2022
All Ages

Tuesday, April 06, 2021

CoViD-19: San Diego Moves To Orange Tier; Governor Newsom Targets June 15 For Statewide Reopening "Beyond The Blueprint" | All 16+ Vaccine Eligible By April 19 |

San Diego Zoo Mandatory Entrance Photo. Looks Like I have a Fairy On My Shoulder (Taken 4.6.21)

I was up all night, partially nerding out on numbers and data, partially keeping an eye on Darren after his second dose of Pfizer. Of course he had zero side effects just to spite us all. (haha) I did, however, watch Concrete Cowboy on Netflix and it was sooo good. I'm probably gonna make the fam watch it with me again. Of course, I was eagerly anticipating the vaccination numbers, so I stayed up until 10am to see we did, in fact, reach the 4M vaccines in HPI Q1, which shifts the tiers and moves San Diego into the Orange Tier. It is worth noting however, that to be in the Orange Tier by the new metrics, which act retroactively, need to be 5.9 cases per 100k or less. Last week we were at 4.9, and this week we've slid back to 5.8. We don't want to move backwards. I'll be watching numbers closely to see things like a week after opening day, post-Easter, etc. 

As I was finally falling asleep, I saw announcements from President Biden that he was moving forward vaccination targets and from the Governor that he's advancing full reopening targets, and I was able to finally drift off to sleep. One thing I will say is that I had a feeling that when Pfizer announced efficacy in teens last week, the admin is maybe asking them to hold off on requesting EUA until more adults are vaccinated, so by making "all adults 16+ eligible by April 19" I wouldn't be surprised if Pfizer now submits and the 12-16 year olds become eligible relatively quickly which would be AWESOME. Pubescent kids are already super gross, don't need to throw a whole pandemic in there, too. Perhaps that's why that June 15 target was set by the Governor, too. 

I missed my window for San Diego Zoo Safari Park, but it turns out Nova doesn't have online school the rest of the week, so perhaps we can take advantage and do something fun. One thing I've been really waiting for is for the large window that is Spring Break to be over so I can finally go back to La Jolla to see my sea lions, which I haven't done since we pulled Nova from soccer last fall. With reopenings, I'm not rushing out to eat out or sit at a bar, but I am hoping this means that other things loosen up, like the return of the tour buses at the San Diego Zoo, the elimination of their every-other-car rule for the Skyfari, and the return of the Africa Tram at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Then again, little kid vectors can't be vaccinated, so maybe they'll be cautious with such things. 

Besides all that, today was an exceptionally busy day in local politics. The agenda for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors was 50 pages long, and San Diego City Council had some big decisions about the Convention Center vote, there's a special election to replace Dr. Shirley Weber that got really contentious as the Dr. Akilah Weber, Shirley's daughter, seemed the stand out favorite until Leticia Munguia started dog-whistling and standing out as the police-endorsed candidate. I hate racism, but I especially hate racism between minorities, i.e. Mexican vs Black, Black vs. AAPI. It's something people don't want to talk about but it is a really ugly part of my Mexican heritage that I've always been acutely aware of, even just so much as I'm the 'guera' of my family and my sister is significantly darker and she's experienced so much racism than I've never had to worry about. Anyway, not a lot of precincts are reporting, but Dr. Weber has over 10,000 votes more than her nearest competitor and 52.34% of the vote as of 10:21pm so that is certainly promising. The sad thing is they're reporting only 18.1% turnout. We need to work on that. You can follow here.

Anyway, we did end up going to the San Diego Zoo for the last hour and a half they were open, mostly because last week my Samsung Health app reminded me that I haven't met the most basic exercise goals. We saw the local owl, which is pretty cool, like our little secret, and at the end of the night I made Nova and Darren ride the Skyfari 3 times in a row...west to east, back east to west, and west to east to the exit as the last announcement came for the park closing. For the record, you cannot really see the Sea World fireworks from the Skyfari, but you can hear the animals terrorized across the park from the booms. Today's post was gonna be especially long, but the speakeasy is calling so I'll have to catch up on all the things next post. Stay safe out there. 

Casbah presents Julien Baker at the Observatory North Park!


Casbah presents Julien Baker 
with special guests DEHD & Katie Malco 
Observatory North Park
November 2  All Ages  7pm
Tickets on sale Friday, April 9 at 10am

It's been a hot minute since I've had any good music news around here, which is why it makes me so excited to share that Julien Baker will be performing at the Observatory North Park. The show is set to take place on November 2, 2021 and will be an all ages show. 

Julien's 2021 release, Little Oblivions, has been getting some serious repetitive plays in our speakeasy and the opportunity to hear it live is enough reason for all of us to get vaccinated and get our collective shit together to squash this pandemic, so we can all be in the same room at the same time listening to this amazing performer live. I've had the pleasure of working at both of her sold out shows at The Irenic (R.I.P. venue) as well as catching her show with Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers at the Observatory as one third of Boygenius and she is an absolutely stunning live performer who can captivate an audience into dead silent admiration. Little Oblivions is getting all the worthy praises and this show is certain to sell out. Make sure you've got your Ticketmaster login all set up with your credit card when the show goes on sale this Friday at 10am. 

Meanwhile, don't expect shows at the Casbah in the immediate future regardless of the new orange tier and the ability to host live music to vaccinated people at a really small capacity, but don't forget the bar is opening Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 6-10pm to serve cocktails, tacos from Salud, and live DJs in the house. It will all be outside on the patio and Razzmatazz Room. COVID-19 safety protocols require a mask for all guest to be worn at all times except when seated and actively eating or drinking. Consider it a test drive and be on your best behavior so they can continue and expand to longer hours and more days in the future. 

Monday, April 05, 2021

CoViD-19: Slavitt: "Don't Mistake Progress For Victory" | We're #1: California Lowest Positivity Of All States | 1 Bar Opening: 46 Cases | Tatis' $340M Shoulder | Sing To Me, Parliamentarian |

San Diego Zoo has extended hours until 8pm through April 11. (Taken 4.5.21)

I had such a productive day. I had a Zoom this morning and since I don't do mornings, I had to go to bed early and take extra melatonin last night. But then I was up and at 'em, made breakfast for the family, watched Jen Sassy Psaki whose PR dexterity and sharpness make her a superhero, watched the COVID-19 Response Team briefing and a couple other newsy things, took the dog for a walk, wrote another rant (see end of this post), then took Darren to get his second vaccine shot. We picked up more amazing food from Sayulita's, macked at home, then Darren and I walked around the San Diego Zoo for the last hour and a half it was open. They're currently open until 8pm, which means a lot of the animals are already off exhibit and the ones who aren't are bathed in darkness, so I didn't get many photos, but we caught one of the last Skyfaris from the west mesa back toward the entrance and now everyone is all nestled up for bed as I have the quiet house to myself. I'll probably do evening zoo at least one more time this week because it's so nice and cool once the sun drops and the animal sounds across the park are so enchanting. The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is now open until 6pm, so we might try and head up on Tuesday to see the blooms of the Baja Succulent Gardens at the very top of the park above the California Condors and Australian Outback. 

I haven't had a drink since our camping trip...a mini-cleanse, if you will...but I was ready for action tonight. But with Darren asleep, it seems a little desperate to cocktail alone, so I'll hope he's not knocked out from dose two tomorrow or Wednesday and loosen back up. I'm gonna have to find a new show to watch because I watched the Netflix series "Who Killed Sara?" and I need a palate cleanser for the horrible dialogue on that one, though it could just be a really poor dub. Maybe I'll watch the next season in Spanish when it drops in May.  Casbah's got some announcements this week, so make sure you're signed up for their newsletter which you can do at CasbahMusic.com. I hope everyone is being good and safe out there, and I'll catch ya tomorrow.

Sunday, April 04, 2021

CoVID-19: P1 Variant Outbreak In Canada Interrupts NHL | California On The Cusp of 4M Doses To Lowest HPI Quartile | Happy 51 Year Anniversary, Mom & Dad! |


Vaccinated and Celebrating 51 Years Together (Taken 4.4.21)

We spent Easter Sunday at my parents' house for their 51st wedding anniversary where my sisters and mom had made a brunch feast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, ham, potato salad, fruit salad, chipotle pasta salad, macaroni salad, deviled eggs, and all kinds of other delights. It was super nice to hang out and watch the Padres game with my dad, as he dozed in and out and I was puppy mauled by Roxy who tried to lick my face off. It was a chill time and so nice because all of the adults amongst us are at least partially vaccinated. None of us are really out in the world, but it is still amazingly unburdening knowing we're all mostly protected. And I know it would be ineffective, but Nova is getting mandatory testing for her school tomorrow, and we'll probably do another test at the end of the week just to be doubly sure. 

California is only 71,387 doses away from hitting the 4 million doses to the HPI first quartile which will adjust the metrics for the tier system, putting counties with three weeks with less than 5.9 cases/100k into the Orange Tier. From Saturday to Sunday, 80,132 doses were administered in this quartile, so counting today will probably put us there unless a significant amount of vaccination centers closed for Easter. Either way, San Diego should be Orange by the time of the next assessment (Tuesday) which I think goes into effect within 24 hours. 

I was trying not to delve too deep into news today, but I noticed a post about the Vancouver Canucks NHL team which led to a deeper dive into the P1 Variant and how widespread it is across Canada and then the science of why hockey rinks are especially dangerous with the aerosolized virus and it kinda got me a little panicked. I feel like the County and State have been pretty good about getting information out through their media briefings, but if I had my shot at a question this week, it would be how many test samples are being sequenced in the county and in the state and what is the rate of growth they're seeing. Santa Clara county is panicking. The R-effective is growing locally and statewide. The holiday is going to throw off numbers so ours are looking really good (1% positivity, 193 new cases,) but as things open up we could certainly see some backsliding. I was getting fine with the idea of Nova going back to school, especially because it's only going to end up being 8 total days in two months, but I'll definitely be watching closely. As vaccinated people, so long as we have an unvaccinated kid in the house, we can maybe relax our shoulders but not our habits and diligence. Stay safe out there. 

Saturday, April 03, 2021

CoViD-19: Shoulda Woulda Coulda | CA Surpasses 500k Doses Administered In One Day | Guidance: You May {Travel, Eat Out, Party, Have A Wedding, Rock Out}, But Should You? | "In Support Of Shame": Padres Fans Need To Mask Up |

A camping shot of momma and Nadia and Roxy (Taken 3.30.21)

Okay, so I went a little nuts about a couple stories I read/watched yesterday, so I include some extra ragey rants at the end of today's post, partially for your enjoyment, but partially to purge it from my brain and body so I can process and move forward, at least until my next ragey rants. Read at your own peril or enjoyment or mockery. 
For now, I'll say I'm super excited to watch St. Vincent on SNL tonight and since I really ruined my sleep beyond anything reasonable, I'm forcibly shutting down my laptop and phone tonight by 11pm and taking a ton of melatonin so I'll be up and energetic for my parents' anniversary brunch in the morning. 
Until then, I will say the great news is that between Friday and Saturday reporting, 118,040 vaccine doses were administered to that HPI quartile 1 as the state topped over 500,000 doses in one day! This means that the state is only about 150,000 doses from 4 million in that quartile. We may not get today's reporting until Monday because of Easter, but I would imagine Saturday shots exceed Friday, add the holiday, and we're cruising into that Orange Tier with the new lower case rate requirement of 2-5.9 cases/100k. A lot of those new guidances don't kick in until April 15 no matter what, but that means more vaccines in arms, some time for decisions by local businesses about taking more grants/loans and staying closed, opening at partial capacities as food service places, or opening as bars or venues with super strict vaccine/testing requirements. It's not gonna be easy and today was San Diego's first day to day increase in hospitalizations in weeks, but that's the price we'll pay for opening. I hope we all proceed with caution and stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: Understanding California Guidance | More On Casbah Razzmatazz Reopening | Saturday: Pedal With Your Peeps |

San Diego River Garden (Taken 4.2.21)

We had a nice little walk with the dog at the San Diego River Garden. We got there a little later than planned but I had held us up finishing that last post. I wasn't done getting out everything I wanted to say and I hadn't even finished reading my email for the day, so I thought I'd slide a second post in, especially since Casbah got such favorable coverage from NBC and I'm spending Friday night catching up on media briefings from the Governor and Jen Psaki and all the other news. Let me tell you, my Friday is a rager fer sure. 

I'm gonna wrap it up though. I did try to break out the California tier stuff and found the pdf with the sector guidance by tiers. It is hard to find. I don't really know how to navigate to it, just that I found the update. I included the direct link and the pdf converted to jpegs below. I was kinda excited that the California guidance includes different occupancies for a general crowd vs a vaccinated or tested-within-two days crowd, meaning it is something the clubs and venues will be able to mandate, though I also suspect with Casbah not planning on live music in the immediate future, the guidance will likely change by then anyway. Still, good looking out as far as I'm concerned. Also, for people who live in California but never bothered updating your Michigan or Arizona or license from wherever...you may wanna do that since a ton of the open or opening sectors are only open to in-state residents. 

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. The weather is supposed to be perfect and Saturday there's a fun "Pedal With Your Peeps" event. Of course Sunday is easter, but it is also my parents' 51st Anniversary and we're so looking forward to an outdoor backyard brunch. Stay safe out there however you may celebrate. 

Friday, April 02, 2021

CoViD-19: CA Issues Event Guidance, CDC Offers Travel Guidance: Both Still Strongly Discouraged | MLB Pulls All-Star Game From Georgia | Another Capitol Attack |

A Sold Out Crowd at the Casbah (Taken 1.18.2020)

Man, today has been a big news day. It's been fun seeing all the excitement about the Casbah's quasi-reopening, new t-shirt, and there are going to be concert announcements next week which is kinda crazy. The Derek Chauvin murder trial continues and is incredibly hard to watch, another nut job 'stormed' the Capitol, killing an officer and getting killed after pulling a knife, Major League Baseball pulled their All-Star game from Atlanta because of their new voter supression law, the state of California released event guidelines, and the CDC issued travel guidance for vaccinated people, even though both still strongly advise against either --gatherings and travel, that is. I love how the news goes to the AIRPORT to ask people how they feel about travel during the pandemic. Obviously they don't really care what the CDC has to say about it or they wouldn't be at the airport, would they?   

The sun is about to set and I promised the dog a jaunt to the San Diego River Garden. I have so much more to write about, so I'll do another post sometime tonight or early tomorrow. In the meantime, stay safe out there.

CoVid-19: Jen Psaki Trends After Destroying Reporter | Casbah To Reopen Razzmatazz | Padres Win Home Opener |

Michael Halloran, Erik Howarth, Declan Halloran on the Casbah Patio (Taken 1.19.21)


I guess I was premature in declaring that I didn't have any lingering symptoms after my second vaccination because I have been so, so tired. Granted that I have always experienced disordered sleep pre-vax and the camping trip probably didn't help, but I'll be laying low until I can get my shit back to something closer to normal. 

I know everyone was so super excited about Padres Opening Day today but watching the crowd footage and b-roll made me cringe. State guidance says "Use of face coverings is mandatory throughout the venue in all settings indoor and outdoor, unless actively eating and/or drinking. Guests who do not comply should be removed from the facility immediately," yet everyone I saw in the coverage had their chin diapers on or no mask at all. 

Casbah announced a reopening for next week, when the County likely will move to the Orange Tier, but it will be more restaurant style with Salud Tacos providing food and DJs to start. Masks are required at all time while not actively eating or drinking or when not at your table. Patrons must remain seated with their party, no milling about. I'm personally just not ready to dine in public, indoor or outdoor, which has less to do with the relative safety of the activity itself and more to do with me not trusting the kind of people who have been rushing out to eat and drink in public all along. I'm not the only one, especially since Nova will be going back to school and kids her age won't be vaccinated until maybe late summer or fall at the earliest. I'm stoked to be vaccinated but it really isn't going to change my life all that much. Camping was a first step, but I'm still on guard. Stay safe out there.