CoViD-19: Delta Continues To Cause Concern | COVAX Encourages Equal Recognition of Vaccines | San Diego Launches "Come Play Outside" | Biden Tears Into Supreme Court Decision |

Dinnertime for Holly and Mwezi. Southern White Rhinos at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 7.1.21)

I am having major withdrawals, y'all. As of today, San Diego County will only be updating their trigger dashboard, their vaccination dashboard, and all the other daily charts on a weekly basis. I don't know if I'm ready for that. California still offers information by county level, so I may find a workaround, but the information is going to be less detailed and less current. Maybe they didn't like that I was posting the real percentages of the population and 12+ who were vaccinated instead of the percentage of their 75% goal. Whatever the case may be, my way of dealing with crises is to know as much as I possibly can about them and to me, yanking this information is too soon for me. 

Still, maybe it will free up some of my time to do more stuff, so I guess I'll have to get used to it. This weekend will certainly be a test to see how the country does in the coming weeks and whether we can truly look forward to mass events, big gatherings, and life back to a new-normal or if we've got to pull the reins. We'll keep being safe around here, and hope you take proper precautions for you and your friends and family around you. 

Today we double dipped with an afternoon at San Diego Zoo Safari Park and then raced to Sea World so Nova could ride rollercoasters for the last hour they were open. Safari Park was awesome because the tram is running again!! (although it would serve them to deep clean the seats that have been sitting unused for 9 months or so which felt like 100 Coca-Colas had been spilt on them and left to dry) and at the end of the day, one of the keepers was feeding rhinos Holly and Mwezi and saw me there alone with my camera so instead of their trough he fed them like 8 feet in front of me so I could get my shots. Very cool and can't wait to go back. Both parks still weren't very crowded but I imagine this weekend will totally suck at all the local attractions including the beaches, though sometimes you can time the Skyfari at the Zoo to see the Big Bay Boom. Maybe we'll try, maybe we'll just stay home and enjoy the backyard with some margaritas and hot links on the grill. That would be just fine with me. 

I know I've been posting all the White House newsroom links, but if you only read one, read Biden's statement on the Supreme Court decision. You almost never hear a president outright condemn a decision but this could definitely play in the dems favor of pushing to end the filibuster, expanding the court, or getting Breyer to retire at the end of this session. The 100day review should be coming in any day now. 

Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: San Diego Approaches Goal Of Partially Vaccinated | San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Announces Relaxed Regulations Beyond June 15 | Biden Does Europe | Keystone XL Is Dead |

A Hummingbird in the Wild at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 6.9.21)

We spent the afternoon at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, partially because I wanted to get it in before restrictions drop next week, but also because our forecasters are saying we'll have record heat next week and that's not exactly a good time to head up to Valley Center. It's always fun to see which animals are active on any given day, so I got the Okapi to come over, got the Turaco to sing, got the Bighorn Sheep to come by the fence to say hi, and rhinos Holly and Mwezi hung around for a long time as we closed the day. 

I am kinda in this weird in-between, where my volume of music-related email is back to pre-pandemic levels on top of the COVID-related stuff and news briefings I get daily, so I'm gonna have to trim the offerings here a little bit. I caught up with some of yesterday's COVID update that was presented to the County Board of Supervisors, and on top of a detailed explanation of why San Diego County and the State of California will likely stay in a State of Emergency through the end of the year (detailed below and not as bad as it sounds) they also went through some info on variants, vaccinations, and that they're going to stop daily updates! So I guess I'll transition as they do. Not sure if the State will keep with daily data or not, but I'll just follow their leads. 

On our way home from the Safari Park, I got an email about the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance plans for what happens after June 15 as I was anticipating all week, and so it's kinda what you would expect-- trams and busses coming back, no health screenings or reservations, masks are merely recommended for unvaccinated, though I'll keep mine around in consideration of how many children and tourists will be swarming San Diego as a summer destination. I would imagine the same will be forthcoming from Sea World, Aquatica, and other hot spots. 

In good news, the Keystone XL is officially dead, Biden is in Europe on a "please like us again" tour, and San Diego is doing really well with vaccinations, though I wish our young influencers were doing a better job influencing the young. The Delta Variant (India) is however, causing real problems in other places, particularly the UK, so this whole thing isn't over. But I'm not gonna dive too much deeper into news because I have a night in the speakeasy calling my name. But if you need comedy/tragedy, you should watch some of the speakers from yesterday's County Supervisors Board Meeting.  

Stay safe out there. 

Memorial Day: Biden Tribute | Ultimate Self Care: Naomi Osaka Pulls From French Open | CoViD-19: WHO Designates Variants With Greek Alphabet | Photos: San Diego Zoo Safari Park |

American Coot and Chick at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 5.31.21)

I know it's Memorial Day so it's a somber remembrance to all fallen soldiers. But I'm also ignorant. Do we only memorialize those lost in battle? Or those who died after service from cancers and injuries from say, burn pits or toxic exposure or during training exercises? Or those who've taken their own lives after coming home with mental wounds too deep to carry? And does it include anyone who has ever served and died of natural causes decades later? I don't know. Watching the news and reading Twitter, I would say I'm not the only one who doesn't know. So here's the wiki: 

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the military personnel who have died in the performance of their military duties.

I honestly don't know if that clears it up. So I'll spare talking about which I know nothing.

What I do want to talk about is Naomi Osaka. I played competitive tennis from my youth through college. I was never at the level where a future in tennis was a consideration, but I did it was intense and I had welts on my legs from the self-harm behavior super common in tennis of slamming your calves with your racquet to punish yourself for stupid mistakes and unforced errors. It was a joke amongst my teammates back then, but largely contributed to hanging up my racquet the second my final tennis season was over. I've maybe played a dozen times in the ensuing 20 years. That pressure is real. 

And so I cannot even imagine what it is like for elite athletes like Naomi Osaka, regardless of the sport, add the fact that she's a woman and a person of color at that. International sports media has never been particularly kind, empathetic, anti-racist, or supported women nor have the money-hungry sports associations, whether that be Roland-Garros or the French Tennis Federation, the IOC, the NBA, the PGA and all the others. It's disgusting that Osaka felt it necessary to withdraw because of threats by Roland-Garros and the other slams. What does she have to do? Shave her head like Brittney? Get run off the road and die like Diana? Overdose like so many...too many to name? Get into multiple car wrecks like Tiger? Start openly popping pills? What does it take for someone to outright say that they are suffering and for all of us to fucking listen? It's super gross and I just had to say something about it.

Besides all that, we went to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park this afternoon, after discovering they were open until 7. It was a little crowded when we arrived after 4, but we just hung by the African Lagoon Loop watching American Coot chicks until it died down and still got my late hour with rhinos, giraffes, and elephants, so it turned out to be worth the trip. Tomorrow we have reservations at the San Diego Zoo for the opening of the new Hummingbird House and the Monitor Lizard Terrarium. I'm gonna cocktail tonight so hope everyone had a great weekend. Stay safe out there.

CoVId-19: CDC Releases Breakthrough Stats | Deaths & Hospitalizations Remain High Among Unvaxxed | SD Approves Deal With SDGE | Chula Vista Ditches Columbus | Photos: San Diego Zoo Safari Park |

 

The lunar eclipse is approaching and of course San Diego marine layer is completely blocking any view, but I had made the choice to stay up and get through email through the night when we decided to go to San Diego Zoo Safari Park. 

There's this really magical lull that happens around holidays...Memorial Day Weekend is upon us and so it seems every one hunkers down into work or whatever to save the good times for the weekend, so the park was totally empty. They dropped the health screening questions last week, and while masks are still required, most people we saw only put them on if they're passing others, which was quite infrequent today. San Diego's vaccine rate is actually really good right now so I'm far less a freak about it than I have been in the past, even just days or weeks ago. 

We like to mix it up when we go to either the San Diego Zoo or the Safari Park, so today was a "down" day...we skip the upper park where Australia, Condors, and Tigers are and just do the lower part, down the stairs at the big elevator tower, around the Africa Loop to see Okapi and Kudu and Vultures and such, then around the lagoon to see all the local freeloader birds as well as the ones in the collection like the flamingos, stork, and hornbills. Then we come up by the cheetahs, pass lion camp, then spend time a Kilima Point to watch the rhinos, giraffe, various gazelle, cape buffalo, and then end the day watching the elephants. 

Today was especially magical because Casey and her baby Alice came right over to us. I think they associate the click of a shutter with the caravans that feed them apples and treats so they are super comfortable just coming right over. My heart swells. It was after closing time when we left the point. We visitied the elephants and they were all scattered at first, but again, we were the only ones there and all of them came to their pool. Sometimes it seems they're posing for the camera. It was pretty special as both babies came by as did the mommas and aunties. A little elephant parade just for us. 

Anyway, there are some articles worth reading linked below but I'm gonna go outside and try to blow the clouds away to see this ding dang eclipse. 

Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: It's Only Confusing If You Have No Capacity To Comprehend | Pandemic Spurred Career Changes | Indie Venues Anticipate Openings | Photos: San Diego Zoo Safari Park |

  

Southern White Rhino at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 5.18.21)

On our way to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Darren driving the I-15 carpool lanes, I was stewing. I had tried to get through as many emails and YouTube news and briefing clips as I could before we headed out. I have a pretty extensive subscription list on YouTube, so it feeds me the latest videos amongst my subscriptions and it felt like there were a hundred new videos from the night before to Wednesday afternoon with click-baity headlines with the words "masking" and "confusion", the vast majority from local news channels. 

Now, I get that it was maybe confusing on Thursday or whenever Dr. Walensky gave new guidance, but over the weekend, she was on at least four different shows to clarify that the new "guidance"--- not rules, not regulations, not mandates -- was only for fully vaccinated people (at least 2 weeks out from your 2nd shot or your only shot if J&J). 

Apparently we're all toddlers and only listen to the parts we want to hear. 

By Monday, CDPH (California Department of Public Health) clarified that our indoor mask mandates were still in effect regardless of vaccination status. They said it's so we can have more people vaccinated, allow businesses to prepare, and allow the new segment of 12-15 year olds to get shots. But the unspoken/unwritten part was that we've seen how stupid and selfish people are and the first to unmask would actually be those who never masked or vaccinated at all. So those of us who did both deserve the safety of indoor spaces still requiring masks. 

So as I said, I was stewing, and sent this tweet, specifically directed at Channel 10 and News 8 (because those are in my subscriptions) though I know other stations are guilty of the same. "Enough with the stories about mask confusion. It is YOUR JOB to CLARIFY to the communities where you report. CA still requires masks indoors. End of story. DO YOUR JOBS." (This is the part where I remind you I used to work for NBC San Diego but they're not in my YouTube feed because they have their own app and don't post every clip from their news as the others do.)

I needed to vent and I did and then had a lovely afternoon at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park with my family, with some sweet kangaroo and wallaby time, a little love from the cassowary and tree kangaroo, some talking to the birds, and then watched some of the elephants throwing a temper tantrum before spending the last part of our day with seven of the rhinos that were all at Kilima Point. 

When I got home, I watched the abbreviated 6 o'clock news from Channel 8 and lo and behold, there's Carlo Checchetto and Marcella Lee emphasizing at least 4 times that masks are still required indoors in California. I followed up with a thank you tweet, of course, even if it had nothing to do with me. This really isn't that hard.

Beyond all that, I was wandering San Diego Zoo Safari Park and thinking about when the tram will open, which lead to thinking about what California revised guidance will be when June 15 rolls around, assuming we stay on the trajectory we're on with cases and hospitalizations low and dropping, and vaccination numbers rising, and so here's my projection: anything that skews heavy with children-- zoos, theme parks, museums, summer camp indoor activities, schools, childcare-- will all still have mask requirements. Bars will be a free for all because no bar is going to do a vax check. Music venues, especially all ages ones, may continue requiring masks or conversely, a negative test or vax proof. All things we should be able to live with. And for the love of god, if you have kids who aren't eligible for a vaccine yet, set a goddamn example and continue to mask up and save the griping for when they're not around. 

My whiskey-driven 2 cents. Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: US Cases Increasing, San Diego Surpasses 3,500 Deaths | Jen & Dustin Share Vaccine Story | Ward Supports AB122, Idaho Stop | Photos: San Diego Zoo Safari Park |

 

Tank Puppy Rhino M'wezi (Born Aug 2020) at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 3.24.21)

I was thinking about how many times people say we should meet up at the San Diego Zoo or Safari Park and I was thinking about what a miserable experience that would be. I watched the gorillas for like 20 minutes today, then stopped at the Turaco to make him do his silly bird call, then after walking the full lagoon, spent a ton of time with the lions who came right up to me at the glass to do their daily chuffing, watching rhinos Holly and Mwezi, and then Darren and I sat in our little spot to watch the elephants until after the park closed. (Security generally gives 30 minutes or so before more aggressively nudging people out.) I took 460 pictures today. Darren patiently finds a bench and brings a book. I also have a philosophy that Zoos are more like museums than amusement parks, so we speak in hushed tones if we even talk at all. So yeah, you probably don't want to go to either park with me. I'm not fun. 

Going there kinda kicked my butt though, so I'm gonna call it a night. I'll get to the rest of my email tomorrow, I guess. Today Nathan Fletcher laid out three paths for San Diego to move to the orange tier, so that's worth understanding, and the COVID response team talked about the spread of variants and concerns that case rates are rising again across the country as people become more mobile and things continue reopening. I also included a letter I got from Chris Ward after asking him to support the "Idaho Stop" for bicycles, and a link to a sweet story about my pals Jen & Dustin's vaccination story as first-time parents. Catch ya tomorrow. Keep staying diligent and keep safe out there. 

CoViD-19: US Reports Lowest Daily Deaths Since November, Lowest Cases in San Diego Since October | Photos: San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Native Mule Deer Can Be Found Freeloading Around San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 3.7.21)

Darren and I had a super fun late night in the speakeasy on Saturday, feeling celebratory about the senate passing the American Rescue Plan, my vaccine, and having hung out with my family for a little while. 

Sunday brought gloomier weather, so we seized the opportunity to hit the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. It has definitely been more crowded lately, of course it being the weekend contributes, but it wasn't so bad as everyone seems to be legit masking and we know the park enough to find more secluded spots. On our way home we stopped at our favorite donut shop, Sesame Donuts on Carmel Mountain Road.

We've been adding a large order of birria from El Panson whenever we got tacos, so when we got home I made quesabirria tacos and they were AMAZING. It's really hard imagining restaurants will ever be a part of our normal lives again, even if the country gets closer to herd immunity. I highly recommend it. It's about $9 for a 32oz container, and comes with half a dozen tortillas, cilantro, onions, and limes. 

Anyway, things are chill around here. My spirit has been high as things appear to be getting dramatically better across the country, though I get so outraged when I see the news reporting on the recall effort in California. It is such a joke, Kevin Faulconer is a failure of a politician, and a report was released that the majority of their funding has come from just a dozen rich donors and it sucks that our system is so rigged that it can be bought and sold by the wealthy. But I'm pretty optimistic the whole thing will fail so I'll temper my rage for another day. Stay safe out there and rock the shot when you're able.

COVID-19: Vaccines For All By May | Global Cases Rise After Weeks of Decline | It's About Time: Dr Seuss Enterprises Ceases Publishing Racist Books |

The last time the tram was open at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (3.13.2020)

Watching the news pisses me off so much. How is it that they have such a knack for finding the most idiotic people to interview? Today some wealthy white teachers who teach in wealthy white areas were bitching about not getting vaccine appointments because schools have their own prioritization. It's literally been three days that teachers were added to the list, maybe settle it down a minute? Meanwhile, the idiot governor of Texas is opening everything and ending mask mandates and President Biden is a better human than me because I would just stop sending vaccines and government support to any state that won't mandate masks. 

It was a late night Monday around here so today was kind of a wasted day, though we did do a substantial Costco trip. It had been awhile and the speakeasy was running low on booze so I wanted to get us all stocked up before the next insurrection on March 4th. We also got a pizza which definitely hit the spot. 

I don't have a whole lot else to say today but there's lots of news, including that the San Diego case rate is now 10.8, which is promising but not quite good enough, but if the rate keeps dropping, we could get to the red tier by the end of March. It sounds like things are getting ready to open up a little more, I noticed that the San Diego Zoo is hiring tram and bus drivers so hopefully those come back soon, and Nova's school announced they'll be back in person in a hybrid model starting April 12, which is far sooner than I ever predicted. Hopefully BIden is right and we can all get vaccinated by May and beat the variants from overcoming all of our efforts and sending us back to square one. Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: SD Sees Lowest Cases In Months While US Surpasses 500,000 Dead | Military Assaults Go Uncounted |Texas Nightmare | Photos: San Diego Zoo Safari Park |

 

Mwezi is around 5-6 months old. San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 2.21.21)

I've given up even trying to have normal sleep. On Saturday night I watched Nomadland on HULU which was so good, especially as it rolls credits and you see that most of the people in the movie play themselves, or some version of themselves. I went to bed before 3am, but then as typical, at 4 am my 22 year old cat comes into the kitchen meowing at top volume to let us know Strawberry has taken her heating pad from the couch, so I have to wrangle the younger one into my room and then get the old grumpy lady back to her spot. By the time I settle into bed, Strawberry will do biscuits on my butt and legs for about 20 minutes before she settles in between my legs, paralyzing me from flipping or moving my legs in any way. So then I'll just doomscroll while the east coast news starts coming in and finally doze off somewhere around 5 or 6 am.

Needless to say, life in the house goes on around and without me, but when I do finally get up, I spring out of bed with some idea of what we're gonna do and today, that was San Diego Zoo Safari Park. This was actually a terrible idea because it was a Sunday and perfect weather and thus it was crowded and full of mommy militia and bro-beer-dads, all filling up the walkways with their masks off, so there's no way to get around them. It's a nightmare and it makes me crazy, but we have some quieter spots and just stayed there for the couple hours we were there. And that's where all the regrets fizzle, because we got almost 45 minutes more or less alone with Holly and Mwezi. 

It was also funny because I say "more or less" alone, but there was this woman who shoots at the two parks numerous times a week. I see her probably 75% of my trips to either park, and she was talking some shit about all the other photographer hobbyists. It was hilarious to hear this older senior woman sounding like a middle schooler talking about her likes on Instagram. I tried to chill on my hashtags on IG a while back and this was a huge reason why. I'm there for the animals, not to be be made inferior by someone who has the bank to buy a $10,000 camera and crazy expensive lenses. 

Anyway, after all that we grabbed take out from Minh Ky, ate at home, then took Nova's back to my parents' so she can school in peace. Hopefully my dad can get his in-home vax soon and my mom's second appointment is just a couple weeks away so that when they tell Nova she can sit on the couch she doesn't have to keep saying, "I'm trying to keep my space," while wearing a mask in their house. Stay Safe Out There. 

CoViD-19: US Passes 450k Deaths | Vaccinations Continue Ramping Up | Rs Hate Losing The Game They Created | Photos: San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Mkhaya and Zuli Were Having Fun Wrestling Today (Taken 2.3.2021) 

I'm glad I did my bonus post last night because we did Safari Park today and I just don't have it in me today. Basically the news is people complaining about not getting vaccine appointments across the country, then doctors convincing us why everyone should get one, and then our electeds telling us things will get better and ramped up more and more everyday. In the meantime, I'm so happy for friends getting vaccinated but I understand people being disgruntled when a masseuse at a fancy day spa and someone selling weed at a pot shop gets priority over people with disabilities, comorbidities, or are actual first responders or frontline workers or teaches. It's so crazy. 

The rest of the news is about the Rescue Plan and impeachment so a lot of the same stuff as always. 

I'll get to watching today's county briefing on Thursday which is normally an otherwise slow news day. In the meantime, today's numbers and my Safari Park photos are below. I'm definitely out of practice, but it was nice to be there all the same. It wasn't crowded at all when we arrived at 3pm, but there were definitely more people who take advantage of the wide open spaces by cruising around with their masks as chin-bras or just drinking beers and making sure their kids always have some sort of snack in their hands to exempt them from mask wearing. Super eyeroll. But it wasn't bad enough that we won't be back super soon. Maybe even on Sunday during the big game. 

CoVID-19 California Lifts Stay-At-Home Order; County Maintains Curfew | San Diego Zoo & Safari Park Reopen Reservation System; Winston Recovering | Sign Up For MyTurn | More Variant News |

Looking forward to San Diego Zoo Reopening (Taken 11.23.2020)

Last night felt like Christmas Eve all over again. Watching the local news at 11, NBC San Diego announced that Governor Newsom was expected to lift the stay-at-home order. I can't stand not knowing stuff, so I was trying to get sleuthy and decided to check the San Diego Zoo website, and voila! The reservation system was up and running starting on February 2nd. Naturally I made multiple reservations for multiple days and the thought of walking around and taking photos again and seeing new babies just makes my heart explode. 

As for why the state is lifting the stay-at-home order I was being sleuthy, too. Certainly there's a combination of the ICU forecasts, the R-effective dropping, and vaccinations ramping up, and faith in the Biden administration to get some shit under control, but I imagine behind the scenes there's also huge pressure from restaurants and school districts and also from counties who just couldn't enforce 'peaceful protest' restaurants anymore and if lawsuits go to the Supreme Court, we can predict how that turns out. Still, in the Monday briefing, when asked if the change has anything to do with recall efforts or lawsuits and suggesting it is arbitrary, Newsom responded that is "complete utter nonsense." For those that think it's still too soon, just keep doing you. Don't make unnecessary trips, stay home when you can, mask up, social distance, don't mix households, keep away from activities that involve contact with non-household members exceeding 15 minutes. I still feel safe at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, but you won't catch me eating at any restaurant or going to outdoor performances until I get those shots in my arm. 

Anyway, of course today the stay-at-home order was, in fact, lifted. The San Diego Zoo and Safari Park are reopening on Saturday and I've got my reservations for a few dates in February. San Diego Zoo Global also gave an update on the gorillas, and particularly Winston. The press conferences were all over the place today. We watched Governor Cuomo, San Diego County, Press Secretary Psaki, and news (until I passed out on the couch.) But main takeaways: we're back in purple tier, but they've added outdoor entertainment (12 ft from patrons and other performers, patron tables must have 6 feet between them) and some limited youth sports. Additionally, they're kinda tweaking the vaccination rollout just to make sure counties aren't being so rigid that they're not vaccinating enough. But San Diego is still only doing health care workers and seniors 65+, which combined is over 1,120,000 people. (Tier 1A Health Care Workers in San Diego County 620,000, Approximately 500k San Diegans are 65+ according to Nathan Fletcher, Media Briefing, 1.13.2021) Nathan also says there are a couple programs to vaccinate homebound seniors, so I'll be following up with details on that when I can find them so I can make sure my daddy gets the jabs. 

Hope everyone is staying safe and warm out there.

CoViD-19 SD County New Board of Supes, Who Dis? | DOJ & FBI Break Silence on Capitol Insurrection | Concerts In The Fall? Fauci Thinks So | EDD Info | Ramping Up Vaccinations |

Another Gorilla Shot From San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 3.6.2020)

Today was a super busy day of news. To avoid a repeat of Sunday, last night I popped a couple melatonin, put my phone away, and let myself sleep. Which means I was up by the time Nova got up for school, which almost never happens. It was kinda fun though, I had a morning coffee (which isn't a usual habit for me) sat outside while the sun came up, and then spent the morning watching the County Board of Supervisors meeting. I took a lot of notes and it was fun to watch because there's never been a democratic majority on the Board and so the victory was a rare feeling. I know the City has a dem majority, too, but some of them are for sure DINOs and I can't remember a mayor I've ever liked. It was just a nice feeling to hear Fletch rebuff Desmond, especially on his COVID nonsense (see quotes below). 

After that, I watched the Department of Justice/FBI briefing, went back to the Supes meeting, then caught a little bit of a UK briefing, which I took a quick note on just because their enforcement is so.much.better. than ours, already issuing 45,000 "fixed penalty notices" to non compliant people and businesses. I know part of the reason enforcement sucks so bad here is because our courts have been all over the place from lawsuit to lawsuit and the jurisdictions have to protect their asses but it is really frustrating to see pics of Gaslamp or Little Italy or Carlsbad night after night just raging on.

After all that, we sat outside for 'orange ball in the sky' time, then there's my afternoon news block and now I'm ready to call it a day. I'm obsessed, I know, but it keeps me busy and makes me feel useful. 

I posted more information on the Safari Park gorillas, notices and news from the FDA, CDC, WHO, DOJ, EDD, and even snuck in some music news including the clip of Al Howard on the Kelly Clarkson show. 

I hope everyone is having a good week so far, enjoying the weather in the best and safest way you can, and I guess we'll see where this impeachment goes tomorrow. 

CoViD-19: San Diego Zoo Safari Park Gorilla Troop Test Positive for Coronavirus | Capitol Insurrection Timelines Crystallize | LA Warns of 10 Diagnosed Cases Per Minute |

San Diego Zoo Safari Park Gorilla (Taken 7.18.2020)

I was so sad this morning to hear that at least two gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park have tested positive for Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Humans are having a hard enough time dealing with the related symptoms, I can't imagine how hard it is to see animals suffering or care for them when they aren't able to communicate the way we are. They didn't identify which gorillas, so forgive the photo, it doesn't necessarily mean this is one of the sick. 

As for me, it was a day. A Monday that definitely felt like a Monday. Lots of news, didn't get my usual outside time, didn't sleep super great. There's a lot of reading to get through and I need to sort out my EDD which a couple weeks ago told me I needed to verify my identity and now is telling me that I need to reopen my claim. I know I'm not the only one getting this message who doesn't think they were supposed to, so I'm going to try to be patient and not freak out. Darren got his notification of extensions today, so I'm hoping I just have to wait it out. Anyway, that's my super exciting fun life today. I'll try to make it more interesting tomorrow. At least this week we've got Fanboy as a distraction. 

CoViD-19 San Diego Crosses 50,000 Cases & Other Stats | San Diego Music Livestreams | NIVA #SOSFest | Photos: San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Sugar Glider at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 10.10.2020)

I have been cranky all week. Lady problems can be partially attributed, but like everyone, I'm going a little stir-crazy, politics are out of control, and my sleep patterns have been more terrible than usual. I'm also experiencing major anxiety because our management company determined that they need to replace our entire bathtub and interior, so they're telling us it will be a three day job but the faucet and shower earlier this year and the toilet a couple years ago were double that time on their own. We've got access to the empty apartment below us, but with Nova in virtual school and the pets discomfort anytime someone is in the house, let alone worrying that our plumbers will wear masks while doing the job is just stressing me out. Hopefully next week I can say that I was overreacting and it will all be just fine. 
I finally finished reading Hieroglyphics by Jill McCorkle and am looking forward to reading more of her books while I hide under a rock through election day. I also watched a 2014 movie called The Road Within via the Hoopla app, which is available with a Chula Vista Library Card. It's about three troubled young adults- one with Tourrette's, one with extreme OCD and other anxiety disorders, and Zoe Kravitz plays a woman suffering from anorexia, who find themselves escaping their treatment facility on a roadtrip of self-discovery and overcoming their obstacles. It's intense, but I really enjoyed it, once I got past that always awkward feeling of actors portraying different issues or disabilities that they don't actually have IRL. We attempted to watch Hubie Halloween but didn't make it past 8 minutes because Adam Sandler's bumbling-idiot character is so tired and insulting.
Last night I read on Instagram that a woman whom I only came to know through her San Diego Zoo and Safari Park photos passed away suddenly and it really hit me. Granted, she was 75 years old, but one day she's posting pictures of the lions and two days later her pages are full of RIP messages. It's making me think hard about how I share my life and how I'd be remembered by whatever my last post was, either here or on socials, and I guess in that sense, I appreciate the reminder how quickly it can all go away. Today I felt we should honor her with a trip to San Diego Zoo Safari Park and it was soooo crowded. Like, pre-pandemic summer Saturday crowded. It's nice to see so many families taking up the free kids days in October, but we'll probably hold off on more weekend visits until next month. Those pics are at the end of this post. 
Lastly, I promised a music post, but to be honest, each event probably warrants its own post. At least their publicists think so. So I provided links and if I find the time, I'll do individual posts for the big ones, but if not, you can dig for info with the links provided. All after the jump. 

CoViD-19 San Diego Stats | Photos: San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Southern White Rhino Holly and her new male calf at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 9.25.2020)

I'm gonna just bury my head from politics for the weekend. Monday's my birthday and I don't really need to keep reading all the back and forth and back and forth about the Supreme Court and the election and there's just so much to be angry about but we shouldn't be surprised so I'm just going to live in my bubble for a few days if I can.

Today we went to San Diego Zoo Safari Park because we heard there's supposed to be another "heat dome" weighing down on the region and once October hits, it's harder to go because all kids are free and it becomes a madhouse. But today was quite lovely, in the low 80s by the time we got there. I was lingering more, so we didn't do the full park, but we had some gorgeous moments with the baby elephants and then Holly, one of the Southern White  Rhinoceros' who recently gave birth was presenting her calf at the lookout so we spent more than an hour just oohing and aahing at how stinkin' cute they are. I'm gonna post a ton of pics at the end of this post after today's stats. Have a great weekend!!

Support San Diego Zoo's Virtual Food, Wine & Brew Celebration This Saturday

 

This Saturday at 5pm the San Diego Zoo is hosting a virtual Food, Wine & Brew Celebration. You can buy tickets to the virtual party, which also includes one of four boxes for pickup this week, including a Wine Lover Box, a Beer Enthusiast Box, or a Spirits Sipper Box for $50 each, or a $25 Non-Boozer Box. Get your tickets here until noon on September 25th. More information after the jump.

CoViD-19 San Diego Stats | This Administration Has Failed The American People | County Has No Decision Regarding Lawsuit Against California

A pic of the fam at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 8.2.2020)

I had the best. day. ever. 

Wanna know why?
Because I SLEPT.
No bad dreams. No interruptions. And I guess I put a lot of artificial and arbitrary obligations that I create for myself and I has none today.
But yeah, me and Darren stayed up all night long in the speakeasy listening to music and hanging out and it was great. And I slept ALL DAY and it was glorious.
When I did finally wake from my serene slumber in my air conditioned room, it was already near sunset and I showered and dressed and my sweet friend Jeff brought us a spicy chicken dinner from Bonchon and Nothing But Bundt cakes for a socially distanced pre-birthday party. It was so nice sitting in the yard and being outside and then it occurred to me that I didn't open any socials or email all day. I can't do that often, but I super appreciated the day. 
Now everyone in the house is fast asleep, I'm catching up on my Bravo shows, and I thought I should at least give you today's stats and a couple reads. After the jump. 

CoViD-19 County WIll Likely Move To Purple Tier On Tuesday | Cases Among SDSU Students Triples | Labor Day Partying Will Lead To Mid-September Spikes | Governor Signs AB2257, Amending AB5 For Musicians

A couple local Mule Deer Chillin' at San Diego Zoo Safari Park
in honor of National Wildlife Day (Taken 6.28.2020)

We are continuing our bingeing, no lights, dark cave, air-conditioning weekend around here. Nova and I watched All Together Now on Netflix and while many of the Netflix original movies have reused tropes across the board, this movie about a musically talented and all-around good souled teenager and her mom who are experiencing homelessness pulls at all the heartstrings and I think even Nova cried a little, and I've maybe seen her cry 10 times in our whole lives together. (Unlike me, who will cry on the spot for anything, even just if I'm asked, "Are you crying?") We also watched Trolls World Tour which is finally on Hulu. I'm certain that I don't have to rate that one. It is exactly what you expect. 

Anyway, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the State reassesses our case count per 100k people on Tuesday based on the 7 days preceeding a 7 day lag. But the case rates are already available, so if they assess the numbers that are currently available from 8/25-8/31, our case rate will be almost 8.0, which puts us back into the PURPLE Tier, meaning even further capacity limitations and moving certain businesses back to outdoor only. 

And this is before Labor Day weekend, which will certainly cause a spike in mid-to-late September. The only possibility that this is inaccurate is if the daily counts as they're reported include inmates, (which the assessment will not) and could lower the county numbers. There's also a funny allowance if we exceed a certain amount of baseline daily tests, but that formula is foggier. 

Still, it isn't looking good. So I guess live it up this weekend, go tattoo up before they close again, be careless and wreckless, then prepare for the outrage again on Tuesday when even more restrictions come back, yet again. We only have ourselves to blame. Or do the right thing, don't mix households, wear your mask, wash your hands, and maintain space. At least you might save yourself and loved ones, even if as a county we're pretty much doomed yet again. Lots of reading for the weekend, after the jump.

COVID-19 Sunday County & State Stats | San Diego Zoo Safari Park Photos

 

I'm going to keep it short tonight. Nova starts school on Monday and is quite excited about it. TBH, I can't imagine what the kids and teachers are going through with all the moving parts of distance learning but she's a pretty responsible and self-reliant kid (though she's still a teenager, which means every little task takes four times as long as it should) so I think she'll be just fine. 

I mostly avoided the news because we spent the afternoon at San Diego Zoo Safari Park, but I did see Twitter going nuts about protests. There's definitely a sector of society that feels emboldened and the flag-waving trucks are just driving through protests, driving down the freeways with their racist symbols on full display, so I guess all I can say is that if you choose to protest or march, be on guard for these vigilantes and know that they're not afraid of confrontation or outright violence, and we know that policing is not equal for all people, so just be super careful out there. 

The other news I followed up on was Mayor Faulconer's tweets from Friday complaining about the new tiered system of reopening. Several people have said it came as a surprise, Dr. Wooten said they didn't have input, and businesses are complaining that there wasn't enough notice. This strikes me as funny for several reasons because the governor had repeatedly said new sector guidance was coming on Friday, Dr. Wooten had previously said all county health officers had been giving input to the state, which indicates they were aware new guidances would be statewide, and since the beginning of the pandemic, business owners have been told to be ready for anything, that they should be prepared increased safety measure requirements like we've been seeing in the news around the world and across the country for literally months now. Faulconer seems to be talking a big game to gear up for his eventual run for governor and to be honest, it comes off as whiny, petty, and ill-informed. 

Not a lot of reading today, but stats and some Safari Park photos are after the jump. 

CoViD-19: San Diego 2nd Day Under 100/100k | It's A Miracle! Fewer Tests Mean Fewer Cases (/sarcasm) | San Diego Zoo Pics

I don't know how iguanas 'do it', but I think this one was getting penetrated during this photo (Taken 8.13.2020)

It's has been five days since I first posted a comment on the San Diego Zoo Safari Park's Facebook page and people are still telling me I should just stay home. Despite that there are Zoo rules, the County Health Order, and the State Health Order, which are literally enforceable by law (if we had any compunction to enforce, 5 months into this pandemic.) In fact, as more research comes out, I wouldn't be surprised if sooner or later we'll get guidelines as to what kind of facial coverings are allowed (since nylon/spandex gaiters and valved masks are showing to be ineffective.) As we were walking into the San Diego Zoo today, in fact, we heard some staff recounting a family refusing masks. "Did you hear that lady? 'But it's her birthday! We don't want her to suffocate! She's only 2!'" to which another staff quipped, 'Uh, yeah, happy birthday, here's a mask!'" as they shared their frustrations with each other about patrons. (Blogger ears are always wide open!)

Meanwhile, we're celebrating that we're one day away from being off the State monitoring list while New Zealand is completely back to normal life but briefly shut down after just FOUR new cases showed up, until they could contact trace and make sure those cases stay quarantined. We are our own worst enemy. 

I finished reading Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner, and while I can do without her lady-porn sections, I've read every book she's written because they're easy page-turners to take one's mind of the current state of affairs. And, as mentioned, we went to the San Diego Zoo today because it's truly the place where I feel safest and lowest risk, even though some people still wear masks under their noses or under their chins. It was hot, so the reptiles and tortoises were loving it and all more active than usual, and we also just sat for a while in Fern Canyon, taking in the abundance of oxygen and fragrant flowers and the sounds of a running waterfall. 

We'll likely be hunkered at home this weekend if the heat wave gets as bad as they say it will. The San Diego Public Library and San Diego County Library have really been lifesavers with their vast collections of e-books and quality recommendations on their browse by category pages to keep us from just being complete TV addicts. I'm off to the speakeasy for the night...stats and today's readings after the jump. Also including a handful of today's Zoo pics for good measure.