Rosey's Diary, Newsy Things & Zoo Goss | 4 Year Pandemic Anniversary | Lots of Americans with Long-COVID | Adobe Falls Restoration | SDG&E Rip-Off Rate Hikes | Loser Navarro Reports To Prison |

 

Funani and Amahle baring their teefs in the new/old pool (3.19.24)

I know I've been really inconsistent with diary posts, but Darren quit his second job with the florist, so last week was his first time with days off in ages. We took advantage by driving out to the desert on Monday, and then I went up to Safari Park with him on Wednesday, all the while trying to keep up with work and the homestead and fighting off a sinusy thing I guess I got from driving to the desert during wildflower season. Not gonna lie, I've also been kinda staying overly busy and doing all the things because this time last year was not good. Today is my brother's birthday, and it was around this time we found out my sister-in-law wasn't doing well, only for her to die about a week later, then this whirlwind of visitors and travel and my parents' anniversary and then my dad died on Easter. Naturally we're all kind of on edge with such monumental anniversaries just around the corner, so I try to keep on keeping on and will try to process all the feels in healthy and productive ways...being at the zoo is one of those ways, so I'm gonna keep on doing it. 
Now, onto listings so I can get to bed at a reasonable hour. 

I love you. Stay safe out there. 

Free MTS For Youth Starts May 1: What To Do | Greg Abbott Is Full Of Shit | Expect More Global Price Hikes: Indonesia Bans Palm Oil Exports | Mayor Gloria: "Committed To Bike Lanes" |

Nova on her 15th Birthday (Taken 5.1.22)

I started this post last week and then, as expected, I got busy and didn't do much laptopping. Still, there were some news items I wanted to share from last week and then I can kick off the week with a fresh post at a later time. The County of San Diego has aligned with State reporting, so there are only 2 COVID updates a week now, which is a good way to lose track when surges or upticks or increases happening; looking at hospital data is just too late, so maybe just keep an eye on the poop. 

I had a pretty awesome week. My visits to the San Diego Zoo have become a weekday habit, except for Wednesday when I went to work with Darren and spent the day hanging around the Safari Park. I don't see him much on those days, but my camera has been working overtime and the park has craft beer spots all over, so for me it was like a midweek vacation day before the big weekend. 

On Thursday I worked for Quasi & Jon Spencer and the HITmakers at the Casbah. Though I'd informed the Snail Mail publicist I would no longer be attending the show, they still gave Darren my photo pass, so Nova got to take advantage, although not knowing in advance that would happen, she only had Darren's mobile to shoot with. I'll make her share those photos in a separate post. 

On Friday, I did my usual afternoon Zoo time, then met my sister at my house for some drinks before we caught the bus to Interpol at OAT. She won our tickets and they were in the 2nd to last row, but we had a blast anyway. It's not often my sister and I hang out without the kids or my parents or me going to one of the kids' games just to hang out. We took full advantage and had a blast, Interpol is always great live, and she crashed on my couch for the first time ever. 

On Saturday, Darren was working so Nova did derby in the daytime, then we rode bikes to Adams Avenue Unplugged for a bit before she had a piano lesson, during which I ate and got ready for work, dropped her at the Center, then sold merch for Sleaford Mods. It was a great night and everyone was so nice and enthusiastic and diehard fans. 

By Sunday I was pooped, but we had to help my dad in the afternoon, and it was Nova's 15th birthday. So after my parents', we stopped for ice cream in Barrio Logan and got caught up in their weekend walkabout, then went to Sea World briefly before deciding it was too crowded, then went shopping to get Nova some new clothes, and then closed the night with takeout from Himalayan Yak and Yeti, one of our favorite splurges. 

So it was all good and fun and exhausting and my posts may be infrequent and for this one I'll skip all the government briefings and COVID data because from here, I can only look forward.

Stay safe out there. 

SDMTS Offers FREE RIDES On New Year's Eve + Extended Trolley and Rapid Service Hours

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System-- SDMTS-- in an effort to promote safety and prevent DUI offenses and arrests, has announced FREE transit on New Year's Eve (after 6pm) and extended trolley and certain bus routes. We've long urged SDMTS to provide transit after bar closing hours, so here's our chance to show them that if they provide it, we will use it.

MTS will also run extra late-night service on all three Trolley lines (after 2am), plus extra service for Rapid 215 and 235, and Route 30. We also partnered with @lyft to give riders discounts on first and last mile connections from transit centers. https://t.co/516EfPpSbH pic.twitter.com/uNet6AHNMk

— San Diego MTS (@sdmts) December 30, 2019

For more information and schedules, check out the SDMTS site here.

4th of July Fireworks and Events

I'm sure I'm not the only one feeling a little less than celebratory this Independence Day. Nova's out of town so there's not that sense of urgency to do anything, really. But I know there's lots of fun to be had and Darren will be out working all day, so I'm gonna make the best of it. If you haven't made plans, last year we just had a little BBQ at home and made a last minute decision to catch the SDMTS Rapid to Waterfront Park. NBC has a list of fireworks and I'm sure every other news outlet does, too, I just wasn't up for compiling my own list this year. I will note, however, that the Cabrillo Monument is sold out, so don't head there. If you want to take public transit, fares are BOGO today! Which really does me no good since I'll be adventuring solo, but in case you wanna make your own beer crawl or fireworks adventure, that is a good option. And let's all pour one out for the infamous 2012 Big Bay Bust. Ah, good times.

From SDMTS.com:
Big Bay Boom
Thursday, July 4, 2019 - 9:00pm

San Diego Bay
San Diego's biggest 4th of July Fireworks show takes over the San Diego Bay with four barges at different points. There are great viewing areas all along the bay for this annual event! Parking is free and plentiful at SDCCU Stadium as well as at other park-and-ride lots throughout the system.

Due to the Holiday, MTS will be operating a Sunday schedule. However, to accommodate the many thousands of people heading to the Big Bay Boom fireworks, the Trolley will be adding significant service on all three lines!

Remember, it's a major holiday so the FRIENDS RIDE FREE promotion is in effect. A friend may ride free with a fare-paying customer on all MTS routes on July 4, 2019.

Prime viewing locations are near the following stations:

County Center / Little Italy
Santa Fe Depot
America Plaza
Seaport Village
Convention Center
Gaslamp Quarter

San Diego Mid-City Rapid Bus Transit

In June of 2013, construction is set to begin to make way for the Mid-City Bus Rapid Transit route, also referred to as Mid-City Rapid or BRT. On Thursday, we dropped by the open house at The Boulevard's offices to check things out so I wanted to share some of the information because in one way or another, this will affect everyone in Hillcrest, Normal Heights, City Heights and beyond.

The Mid-City Rapid will provide North Park, City Heights, and College Area residents, students, and workers with a fast and reliable service in a key transit corridor in the region.

Rapid bus services achieve faster travel times by using measures such as transit signal priority, dedicated bus lanes, and limited station spacing. Mid-City Rapid is among the first of a new breed of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) services that SANDAG is building in collaboration with the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The project is an integral part of a regionwide strategy to create a BRT network, so residents have travel choices that are attractive alternatives to driving.

So there are several points that are important with regard to the BRT. If you are an MTS user, the new system will eliminate route 15. In my area, the 15 currently stops at 33rd and El Cajon Boulevard. This is the only stop the bus makes between the 805 and I-15. The NEW stop, again, the only one between the 805 and I-15, will be at 35th Street. There are a few reasons why I hope this is reconsidered.

First, it makes sense to have a major stop at Pancho Villa. It is the only grocery store available in the direct area, with the Vons on Howard and 30th or on Adams and Cherokee the next closest. While the 1 will still be servicing the area, it's frequency is much more limited. Second, the new stop for the eastbound buses will be directly in front of The Void. I'm a bus rider and I'm a regular patron at The Void, but do you really want your kid getting off the bus directly in front of a bar? Or little old ladies? I mean, I love my rock n roll crowd, but we're kind of a rough bunch and can be intimidating to people walking by. Conversely, smokers at The Void step right out in front of the bar for their fix, yet all bus stops are smoke-free within 25 feet. Smokers will be moved to the back lot of the bar, possibly requiring a second security guard at the back door, and increasing noise to surrounding residences. Nova's window faces the Void, and fortunately she's a pretty sound sleeper, but the bar is definitely loud most nights of the week, and the cops have been coming by with increased frequency. Sure, nobody gives a shit about smokers and smokers rights are ever dwindling, but it is still an issue worth considering.

The new BRT is set to run from 5am to 1am everyday, with 10 minute intervals during peak times and 15 minute intervals for non-peak and weekends. Why not move the stop to the north wall of North Park Produce where bus passengers won't be interfering in businesses? Or even better, keep the stop at 33rd and add a second stop at 37th, where there's a pedestrian crosswalk already in place? Why does the BRT have three stops between the 805 and Park, but only one between the 805 and 15? Has nobody considered that this stretch of ECB is also the main access point to all of Normal Heights? And while we're at it, if access is really a key issue here, shouldn't there be more north-south access instead of having to go all the way to 30th for the 2 to connect to Adams? I'm capable of walking or biking, but what about the people who aren't?

Believe me, I think it will be great when I can bus from my house to Balboa Park easily, but what does this do to the Mid-City Bike Corridor project? Committing to new bus plazas seems to eliminate all possibilities for a protected bike lane along ECB, and could also mean not even a Class 2 route. It isn't really clear how these projects work together or in opposition, so I think that more community meetings should be held, and though I was a little slow in getting involved, you can be sure I'll be at as many of the meetings as I can.

If you're interested in the North Park Mid-City Bike Corridor, the next meeting is June 25, 2013 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Teen Challenge Center located at 5450 Lea Street (San Diego, CA 92105)

A friend of mine posted a couple dorky LA Transit videos, but they address greater transit issues if you're interested (after the jump).

SDMTS Change Fees Starting November 1

I've been meaning to talk about the changes to SDMTS that go into effect today, but to be completely honest, I didn't really understand the changes. Here's what I do know: SDMTS will no longer issue $5 paper day passes on the bus for riders. You will be required to have a Compass Card to get the $5 fare, or without one, you will now be charged $7 for a day pass.

From the SDMTS website:

Once you have a Compass Card, it's easy to load a 1-Day Pass on the bus:
• Look for Compass Card symbol on or near farebox and tap your Compass Card flat on the symbol
• Wait for the message – Fare Due $5
• Insert exact fare ($1 and $5 dollar bills accepted; no change given if $10 or $20 bill used)
• Wait for the message – PLEASE TAP CARD TO ADD PASS
• Tap card again and wait for the message – 1 DAY Pass added
• Keep Compass Card on the target until you see the expiration date for your Day Pass

Beginning November 1, riders without a Compass Card may purchase a 1-Day Pass on paper, but a $2 fee will be added ($7 total).

Look, I enjoy taking the bus and trolley, I was even a featured rider by SDMTS a couple years ago, but I also don't have to use public transportation every day. In fact, with a bike in my new neighborhood and my amazing superhero taxi-cab driving boyfriend, I hardly have to use the bus at all. I acquired a Compass card when I was using the trolley a couple months back, but just a few days later found myself downtown with a different, lighter wallet, and couldn't buy a day pass without buying an additional Compass card. There's also a caveat on the back of the card that any unused balance will be fined after two years of non-use, which might not seem like a big deal, but suppose you end up with a small stockpile of the cards with balances on them, eventually you either use it or lose it.

Taking the bus used to be easy. You paid a fare, asked for a transfer if you needed it. The $5 day pass is great if you're traveling between neighborhoods, but you're not exactly going to hop on a bus just to go one or two stops, and an adult monthly pass at $72 means you have to do at least 4 roundtrips per week to justify the purchase. Our public transportation in the city needs to be a priority. It is great that the city is now seeing a budget surplus and it would be amazing to see MTS improvements like added routes (after many were cut or merged during the budget crisis) and increased frequency for busy routes (ever taken the 15 outbound on a weekday between 4 and 7?). Pretty sure neither DeMaio nor Filner give much thought to public transportation, but it sure would be nice if they did. Consider yourself warned.

[Update: Check out this article on KPBS about SDMTS teaming with local bands for a new ad campaign]

Introducing Park 2 Park Shuttle

As a frequent SDMTS user, it's at times difficult to plan a night out because my bus route (the 11) stops running relatively early in the night, and weekend service has been cut drastically. It's those times when Taxi Rob and Hutch come in handy, but I'm really happy about the new Park 2 Park shuttle that is going to add a new option to the mix.

(press release)

On April 22, 2010, the Park-2-Park Shuttle Service will hit the streets to connect the communities of North Park, South Park, Normal Heights and University Heights. You can enjoy a climate-controlled, 36-seat, comfortable transportation as you visit area restaurants, bars, friends, art studios, music shows and more. Passes went on sale today! Pick one up for $5 (day) or $10 (weekend) at the following locations:

North Park

Filter – 4096 30th Street
Lefty’s Chicago Pizzeria – 3448 30th Street
Zensei Sushi – 3396 30th Street
Pigment – 3827 30th Street (located across from the North Park Parking Garage)

South Park

Grant’s Marketplace – 2953 Beech Street
Rebecca’s Coffeehouse – 3015 Juniper Street

University Heights
The Lafayette Hotel – 2223 El Cajon Blvd

Normal Heights
Lestat’s Coffee House – 3343 Adams Avenue

For complete details on the Park-2-Park Shuttle Service including shuttle stops, weekend promotions, specials and more information, please visit http://www.sdpark2park.com.