CoViD-19 Updates | Biden Accepts DNC Nomination | Ant Nightmares | Bannon Arrested | San Diego Zoo Updates Health Screening

Amur Leopard Cub (Taken 8.20.2020)

I finally gave in and have been watching Backyard Envy on Bravo and I'm obsessed. We went back and started from Season 1 but we're gonna get through it pretty quick. I'm learning a lot, but the problem is that it's hard to know if the plants they use in New York would be viable here. Not that we're running out with multi-thousand dollars to build a backyard, but it's fun to watch for ideas and whatnot. I guess I finally understand what Pinterest is for. 
Anyway, today me and Darren went to the San Diego Zoo for the final hour it was open but mostly just to get me out of the house. I also feel vindicated from my whole Facebook fight about face masks because now they've added a 4th question to their health screening: 

Failure to properly wear an acceptable face covering at all times during your visit will result in dismissal from Zoo grounds. Do you acknowledge and agree to comply with this requirement?

It just further validates that facial coverings are not actually a personal choice. You agree to the social contract that if you're out in public, you will protect others, and they will protect you. Just like you cannot smoke in public, you don't get to make decisions about my health.

CoViD-19 International Cases Rise | California In Flames With 367 Known Fires | Sector Reopenings Not Likely For At Least 5 Weeks | President Obama & Senator Harris Slay DNC

August 19 International Orangutan Day (Taken 2.3.2020)

When I said I don't function during the heat dome, I was not exaggerating. Besides picking Nova up from Derby United, I haven't left the house since Monday. We took advantage of her skating by getting a pizza (she doesn't eat pizza sauce) and it was delightful eating out on our deck. There was kind of a lot of news today, but the biggest thing was we got a nugget of information from Governor Newsom, who indicated that sector reopening guidelines would likely be ready next week, but basically said that after counties come off the monitoring list, they have to go 14 days before schools can reopen (which we already knew). But from there, he hinted that counties will have to have under 5% test positivity for 2-3 weeks before any other openings can happen, while also keeping an eye on schools and subsequent outbreaks within those schools and districts. So suck it up, buttercups, we should've just listened in the beginning when experts told us we wouldn't see any normalcy for a year or two, if ever. Today's goods after the jump.  

CoViD-19: San Diego Removed From State Monitor List | 100 Years Of (Some) Women Voting | City Allows For Permitted Use of Parks For Gyms, Churches |

Me & My Mom, Who Instilled The Importance of Voting Since I Was a Kid and Who Has Never Missed and Election(Taken 10.5.2019)

Last night I finished my post, said I was going to have cocktails, then laid down on my bed, and fell asleep. I woke up a couple hours later and finished the book I was reading. I hate the phrase "chick lit", but apparently I read a lot of it. This one's writing was so basic and playing into so many idiotic and cliched tropes, and I'm kinda bummed I read it, so I'll be steering clear of that author. Anyway, today wasn't much more productive than the rest of this week, just trying to stay cool. We watched The Tiger Hunter on Netflix which was a pretty great movie and made burgers at home. Then I watched Audrie & Daisy on Netflix, a documentary about two girls who were raped and bullied on social media after their assaults. Of course, the boys almost always get away with it. After hearing that Daisy committed suicide last week and man, it is an especially hard watch. 

Tonight I'm definitely heading into the speakeasy, so I'll say goodnight now and catch ya again tomorrow. 

CoViD-19: California Under Heat Dome of Extreme Heat | San Diego Likely To Get Off State Monitor List on Tuesday | Watch Michelle Obama's Hopeful DNC Speech

A Sea Lion exits the water at La Jolla Cove  (Taken 8.14.2020)

We went back to La Jolla Cove today while Nova was in soccer and it's been a while since I've done the thing where my battery was completely dead. The video switch must've been triggered in my bag. Still, it was nice to get our feet wet and hang out in our usual spots for a little bit. She doesn't have soccer this Friday, so it will be a week until we go back. We're just mostly still bunkering at home. I started a new book last night and read for several hours this morning before finally falling asleep in my air conditioning. I also started watching Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story, but I was bummed because USA Network only has the first 3 episodes and it won't be on Netflix in the US until the spring. It's interesting because it happened while I was in middle school, so I was aware of the story but maybe too young to care or follow along. There are lots of local references in the show, and fun fact, the guy who plays the case investigator during the court scenes and questioning is Jesse Mackey, who was an old pal from Chula Vista back in the day. Anyway, I've got a lot of email to still catch up on, but the speakeasy is calling. Today's notes after the jump.

COViD-19 55 Easy Self-Care Tips | San Diego Reports Over 300 New Cases |

Our little family at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 8.9.2020)

I did nothing today and it felt great. The house was quiet as Darren and Nova washed and folded all the laundry and it made me feel like a pampered princess. Later, Nova and I watched yet another dumb dance movie on Netflix called Feel The Beat and I would definitely say don't waste your time on this one. I swear, sometimes these movies feel like they're written by a bot. 

Anyway, not a lot to report today, so I'll get back to my RHOP episodes and brace for Monday. Today's stats are after the jump. 

CoViD-19 150 Days | SDGE Outages | California & San Diego County Stats | Mayor & Supe Whine About Reopenings

Strawberry loves her new catio redesign. (Taken 8.12.2020)

My heat strategy is to sleep as much of the day away as I can (it helped that Nova had her birthday gathering today), but now that the sun is set, I can go about my normal business. We picked Nova up from her friends' house and decided to tackle a couple errands along the way. We popped into Home Depot to finally get trash pickers to clean up our neighborhood a little, though I wish we could've just borrowed these from North Park Main Street or another organization that has an abundance of them because they're $20 each and not as good as the industrial ones we've used for San Diego River Cleanup and the like. We got takeout from El Panson (which is now our fifth takeout meal since March). It was delightful, but now I'm totally stuffed, enjoying the A/C in the speakeasy while Darren plays some music and I enjoy a cocktail or four. I didn't have much in the way of news today and what I did was just a regurgitation of every other thing: the US is failing in curbing COVID-19, our testing is pathetic, the USPS is being dismantled, our mayor and county supe sent a letter to Newsom whining for more reopening guidelines, and the CoVidiot-in-chief's bro died, to which everyone unanimously seemed to say, "it is what it is." Just another day. Stats and stuff after the jump. 

CoViD-19 San Diego Day 3 Under 100/100k | Newsom Discusses Education | Proper Gathering Etiquette | USPS Is A Scandal Of Epic Proportions | La Jolla Cove Photos

Are you my mother? Juvenile pup and female on Boomer Beach (8.14.2020)

This heat wave is really just the icing on the cake, isn't it? It's bad enough we're all at home the majority of the time, now we get this insane heat and rolling blackouts to go with it. Keep your phones charged, my friends. It's 3 in the morning and still 75 in Normal Heights and it's still at least 84 degrees in my living room (which is as high as my Galileo thermometer can measure.)

Anyway, I'm pretty worthless in this weather. My wi-fi doesn't reach my bedroom (probably something we should take care of, stat), so I mostly waited until the sun went down to even start going through the day's news and briefings. Then I watched Knives Out which took all my attention. 

Being Friday, we did take Nova to soccer and visited the sea lions while she was there. This time we started on Boomer Beach, where Darren took a quick swim and I dipped my feet a little bit, too. Then we went to to our regular spot on the cliff over the Cove, but the sea lions claimed the little trail down. I joked that it was because they were tired of humans, but in reality I think they liked the cooler dirt instead of their regular white rocks, which I imagine were too hot for comfort. Anyway, there's a lot to get through today. I really hope the covidiot-in-chief is golfing this weekend because I really can't take anymore of his bullshit. Lots of stuff after the jump, with Friday's photos thrown in for good measure. 

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. 

CoVID-19: State of California Briefing Addresses Businesses & Legislation Optimism | College Sports Cancel Among COVID Spread | San Diego County Hits 1st Day Below 100 cases/100k

Today is World Elephant Day and Zuli's 2nd Birthday (Taken 7.9.2020)

I am a little disappointing today. I really wanted to go to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for World Elephant Day, but haven't been feeling super great since yesterday. It's my own fault, we had a late night in the Speakeasy on Monday night and then I ate nothing but junk on Tuesday. I'll be fine, just need to get back to veggies and salads and backing off the processed stuff. We've actually been really good about cooking and eating at home. I think we've only eaten takeout 4 times since March, but sometimes cooking so much can get exhausting (as I'm sure everyone damn well knows by now). 

Anyway, I spent the day sleeping a lot. And I'm reading the latest from Jennifer Weiner, and I watched the very, very long media briefing from Governor Newsom, which was framed as a summary of all the things they've done for Californians as well as his wish list for what the state legislature will accomplish in the next two weeks. Since it has sooo much information, I'm gonna format the COVID-19 reading first and then the State and County stats after. Check it out, after the jump. 

COVID-19: Bill Gates Speaks Truth | San Diego Has Fewer Than 200 New Cases, Lowest Since June 22nd | Must Streams | Kids Are Little COVID Vectors | Fiesta Island Pics

Ficus at Fiesta Island (Taken 8.11.2020)

Today was a pretty good day. I now see all the blowback on Biden announcing Kamala Harris as his running mate, but I'm pretty happy about it. I think it's a big deal for women, for people of color, particularly bi-racial people who don't see much representation in this world. Neither Biden nor Harris are without faults, and I would be voting blue no matter who, but I'm encouraged with this ticket. 
Anyway, we spent most of the day chillin' around the house but we did go to Fiesta Island for 'golden hour' with Ficus, who hasn't gotten much time outside the yard this quarantine. Mostly that's because she's a big scaredy cat and is always kinda limited on where she'll go, but the water was nice to splash around in, even if her hip is a little pained now. 
Other than that, I don't know why my volume of email seems to be increasing every day but it's nearly two in the morning and I just finished getting through everything. I'm gonna checkout and catch up on Housewives and veg out. Hoping to make it to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on Wednesday for World Elephant Day and Zuli's birthday. Lots of stuff and today's stats after the jump.   

CoViD-19: California Governor Appoints New Public Health Director | Data Backlog (Mostly) Rectified | "To Each His Own" Doesn't Apply During a Pandemic |

Sea Lion Yoga (Taken 8.10.2020)

It was a long day and I hoped to get this post published before soccer, but the County is pretty slow with their daily updates sometimes. This morning's Governor's media briefing was pretty average, though I wish Gav would really drive home that people showing ANY symptoms that could be thought to be COVID-19 should STAY HOME until tested or obvious that they're not. I mean, I get that allergies, a hangover, or any number of actual colds or ailments have basic symptoms, but people just aren't getting it, and he did speak to the fact that even people testing positive are still working for fear of losing their jobs. That has got to stop. 
Besides that, we took Nova to soccer and if you saw my Instagram, I got nailed by a wave while trying to have a nice, quiet, distant walk on the beach and then Darren stood up into a rock and got a small fleshwound on top of his head. He's totally fine, but saltwater and blood made it look like he was Carrie for a minute, especially because his wet yellow mask soaked up the blood. I assure you we're both fine and we not in any real danger. My camera survived, too, though my phone won't charge because "moisture is detected" but I'm sure that will be fine, too. We still went to Costco (totally wet pants) and resupplied our beer stash (because clearly we need it,) but we also bought some nice cod and had a lovely dinner until Nova had a meltdown because I had the audacity to tell her she needs to clean her room tomorrow. Yikes. Teenagers, amirite? Anyhow, some reading and stats after the jump.

CoViD-19 California Blew It | Sunday Stats: 417 New Cases, 4 New Community Outbreaks | Photos: San Diego Zoo Safari Park Rhinos and more

We went back to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park today. It was much more crowded than our trips before, but that could be because we arrived a little earlier in the afternoon than we usually do. They're no longer issuing bracelets upon entry, so I guess my collection will remain as is. 
Because of the crowds, we skipped some areas, like the elephants, and w also just enjoyed more of the walking and finding shady grass to lay down on instead of rushing to see as much as possible. The rhinos ended up being the hit of our day, as a crash of them were up by our favorite lookout. After being elusive, we also tracked Rhino Kacy and her 2 1/2 week old calf, so I spent about an hour watching them until they disappeared again. There are so many areas where the animals can get out of public view without the tram system. Darren and I have this dream that maybe as a fundraiser or something they would allow bikes to ride the roads the trams usually take, but we know that is just a fantasy and a million reasons why that would never fly. 

The cheetahs had been absent on our first go-round, too, but at the end of the day, we looped back and two were out, so Nova got to have her moment of chirpiness with them. We grabbed takeout from Rolberto's off Aero Drive on the way home, only our 4th time getting takeout since March, so that was an extra special treat for us. 

For anyone regularly following along, I had my dumb little Facebook fight yesterday and got one more comment. "really so now if somebody is coughing or has a fever is Covid19??? stay away,stay home...blah-blah...But what happened with a flue,...Flue is gone now???I am curious.Yes my daughter had an asthma too before and she had breathing difficulties,so what???Some people is so ignorant now" That's a doozy and so much to unpack I just had to let it go. With this mindset so prevalent, we're never gonna get past COVID-19. Meanwhile, we ordered goggles and we've all got a stash of masks, so we're not taking any unnecessary risks. I wish 'you do you' or 'to each his own' or 'live and let live' were sound arguments, but the virus just doesn't work that way. Today's stats and some reads after the jump. More photos, too.  

COVID-19: If You Love Your Friends & Family, Stop Seeing Them | COVID-19 Scams | I Got In A Dumb Facebook Fight

Elephant at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 8.6.2020)

We had a super fun night in the speakeasy last night and I ended up staying up until after the sun was up, so when I did finally sleep, it was well into the afternoon. When I awoke, Darren and Nova had chopped vegetables and started the grill, so we spent the whole day enjoying the yard and my neighbor's loud ranchera music as they did the same. 

I am happy to report that my parents asked that my cousins cancel their visit because they didn't feel comfortable with the fact that they flew in and because Indiana is having high numbers, too. Plus my cousins are super religious, so chances are probably pretty high they've been attending mass during all of this mess. I'm proud of my parents for putting their health first, though it does beg the question, are they reading my blog? Years ago my mom condemned my frequent F-bombs ("You're smarter than that. Use your words.") but they really haven't mentioned my site in ages. Regardless, I'm glad they made the call, painful as it must've been, since the Indiana cohort of my family really doesn't make it to California all that often and we love when my LA cousin visits since she lived with us while she was in high school, so we have more of a sibling relationship. 

In other news, I was called a Karen today on Facebook. Probably not the first time and probably not the last. Basically I commented on a San Diego Zoo Safari Park post that I appreciate their safety measures but wish they'd implement the Disney rule of eating and drinking only when stationary and about the idiot mom whose kid was hacking all over us a few weeks back while inhaling a bag of cheetos and not wearing a mask by the elephant mesa. I was told that if I feel unsafe with someone coughing, I should just stay home. Um, okay, numnuts. That's exactly what we're supposed to be afraid of during a GLOBAL PANDEMIC of a RESPIRATORY VIRUS. My next comment won't be very nice, so I'll refrain, but sometimes I wonder how it must be kind of awesome being so completely blissfully ignorant. Must be nice. Anyway, today's stats after the jump plus a couple reads and my Facebook fight.  

Lovingly, 

Karen

CoViD-19 Life: San Diego Clamps Down On Beach Gatherings (But Should Be Actively Ticketing) | Get Off Your Phone | Pence "Said The Quiet Part Out Loud" | La Jolla Cove Photos

This is my favorite sea lion. I've named him Brutus and I love him. (Taken 8.7.2020)

I try to read or at least filter every email I get every day but it's now midnight and I am going to cut it short since we're in the speakeasy and trying to hang out and play music and shots are waiting. Today we did the Cove and Derby so I wrote about that below, plus I've got the usual stats below as well as some reading. I'll have more this weekend when I finally get through the other 66 tomorrow. And you guys seem to like when I post more photos, so I'm adding those at the end (untouched today). Hope you all have a great weekend. 

COVID-19 San Diego Decreasing Case Rate | Diary: Meet-Cute Anniversary | TV Watchlist | San Diego Zoo Safari Park Baby Rhino Photos

Today is the 8th anniversary of the night me and Darren met at Soda Bar. I was blowing off steam after the Black Lips show at the Hard Rock Show got shut down after three songs because mixing a belligerent band and meathead bouncers turned out to be a bad combination. Darren was there enjoying a beer after work. From the second we started talking, I guess I knew he was my guy, and here we are 8 years later in a life I never could have imagined.  

I was mostly offline today because I convinced Darren and Nova to go to the Safari Park for the last couple hours of the day because I wanted to try to glimpse the 2 week-old rhino calf. I learned from a photographer who was there that she is Kacy's 4th calf, with Justin being one of her brothers. He's been banished for now while mom protects the new calf and it was pretty spectacular to see for a short time, though the viewpoint was a little crowded and the drive-up private safaris blocked the view for awhile. 

I'll post those pics at the end of the post. In the meantime, happy anniversary of my meet-cute with Darren, who has given me a love like I'd never known before, even if he is currently passed out from our day's adventures. Today's news and stats are after the jump. 

COVID-19 County Clears Investigation Trigger But Remains On Monitoring List For Others | Del Mar Steps Up Mask Enforcement (San Diego Should, Too) | San Diego Music Is Alive

Cheer up, sleepy cheetah (taken 8.5.2020)

Darren and I watched this interesting documentary called "There Are No Fakes" on Amazon about counterfeit paintings of contemporary Native artist, Norval Morriseau, and a deep dive into how many people went to extremes to make money off of him. It gets pretty dark and intense but it is very enlightening. Today was a pretty chill day for us. We went to the San Diego Zoo in the late afternoon. I realized that when I get super annoyed by entire families of tourists unmasked there are enough spots to duck into that aren't as popular, like the aviaries or fern canyon where I know they won't be. Unfortunately we keep missing the new lemur twins so I'll have to suck it up and do a morning session one of these days. I watched today's County briefing and finally made it through all my first inbox of emails but I'm gonna shut down and watch a movie now because I am wiped out. All the news after the jump. 

CoViD-19 County Supervisors Board Meeting Snoozefest | Social Distancing Worked | Kids Are The Little Monster Vectors You Knew They Were

Sea Lion surfs a wave at Boomer Beach/La Jolla Cove (Taken 8.3.2020)

I tried to watch the County Board of Supervisors meeting, but it's so frustrating knowing that Fletch is the only dem vote and every single thing is an uphill battle when you've got the knuckleheads JD and KG in there. Really, really hoping we see new more representative faces on the Board come November. It's also frustrating when people keep making the same arguments over and over, why can X be open but not Y?
Let's review again: 

Successful Infection = Exposure to Virus x Time 

The arguments against Home Depot and Ross and Costco to justify opening gyms and salons make no sense because of the nature of the activities. The stores you can get in, get out, keep distanced. Not so with gyms, salons, indoor dining, etc. It's not that complicated. Then a dozen people called in to restore recreational boating and compared it to restaurants, which may actually be right, but they're actually making an argument why restaurant/bars should be closing or at the very least removing the allowance for mixed households sitting together, not why boating should be restored. Our numbers are certainly looking a lot better than mid-May, but it's still a long way to go. City Council had a meeting, too, but it was almost entirely consent items.

I don't really have much else to talk about today. I would've loved to have hit the San Diego Zoo or Fiesta Island today but I'm a woman whose cramps can shut me down for three straight days, so that's where I am today. Instead it was all Netflix; I finished The Twelve, Nova and I finished Get Even, and I started watching this amazing show called Tales By Light, about photographers who use the medium to draw attention to critical issues like poverty, pollution, or losing traditions of indigenous peoples. I HIGHLY recommend it, especially Season 3 episodes 1 & 2 on child poverty, so you can think about these poor babies working in mines and factories while we're whining that our kids need gymnastics and little league so we should just send them back to school already. 

CoViD-19 San Diego Community Outbreaks| Dr. Fauci Speaks | White House Plot To Destroy USPS To Interfere With Elections

Sea Lions challenging each other above La Jolla Cove (Taken 8.3.2020)

I've always had really messed up sleep patterns. As a teenager when I couldn't sleep, I'd rearrange the furniture in my bedroom until I was exhausted enough to pass out, my mom waking me in the morning surprised at how my room was transformed. In adulthood, it results in what I refer to as leapfrog; Darren wakes up and I sleep, I wake up and he takes a nap. But sometimes our schedules actually line up, as they did on Sunday night, and we had a fun night of drinks on our redecorated patio. 

Of course, that means kind of a slow moving Monday. I didn't watch the Governor's briefing, but I did watch the County as well as Dr. Fauci's Connecticut Q&A. And being a Monday, Nova had soccer so we hit La Jolla Cove, which seems to have chilled a little bit since many people returned to school. Still, I wish our Tourism Board or City Parks & Rec would post signs about facial coverings being mandatory in the County and State because a lot of the tourists just seem to not know. Locals have no excuse and clearly just don't care. 

We also made a Costco run and they seem to have an abundance of disposable masks as well as 4-packs of polyester/spandex reusable ones, though after buying I don't really think are adequate protection but I think they're more specifically for wearing while doing sports. I'm in between watching Get Even with Nova and The Twelve when everyone else is asleep...both on Netflix. Today's updates and reading after the jump.  

CoViD-19 is Airborne | With Slightly More Cases Than San Diego, Melbourne Locks Down | Fighting Off Family Functions

A resting hummingbird at San Diego Zoo Africa Rocks Pollinator Garden (Taken 8.2.2020)

It was a super-chill Sunday around the homestead. In the afternoon, Nova and I went to my mom's to catch up with my cousin who was visiting. As I mentioned, they bought new patio furniture, so we appropriately separated by households/masked on in the backyard, though I constantly have to nag about this. I left Nova to get Darren from home hoping to go for the 6-8pm window at the Zoo, but by the time I got him and we gassed up, we arrived at 6:47, only to find that they changed August hours, so weekends now close at 7pm. They let us in, so we raced to the Amur leopard cubs, caught a little bit of Agapito, the Andean bear cub, but were then ushered out as security made the rounds and were back in the car by 7:30pm. 

We returned to my mom's but by this point everyone was inside, so we didn't stay long. 

Before we left, my cousin told me her brother is coming to visit this week from Indiana and so they'll be down on Sunday with his daughter and her boyfriend. And now, to be honest, I'm furious. 

I have SENIOR CITIZEN parents, my dad is SEVERELY immunocompromised and as it is takes about 30 pills a day for his medical issues and has almost died in the hospital twice in the last 5 years. My cousin will be FLYING from Indiana to stay in LOS ANGELES and then come down to visit DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC. 

As I've said, my parents' yard is big enough that we can certainly distance and wear masks, but will they? Do I trust they know the State and County Health Orders and will follow? Or do I prepare to make a giant scene and revert right back to Bossy Rosey? Or do I Facebook message them before they fly out, "Hey! Super stoked to see you next week! Don't forget you are required to wear masks here, you need to stay away from my dad, and if any of us get sick, I will never forgive you. K, Byeeeee!!" 

This is obviously why so many residential outbreaks happen, because people slip, they take off masks for eating and drinking, get too close, and before you know it, an entire family is sick with the most vulnerable not making it while everyone else wonders who was asymptomatic. I'm gonna have to stew on this one all week. 

Usual stats and reading after the jump.

COVID-19 California & San Diego Stats | 40 Community Outbreaks | Barack Obama Eulogy For John Lewis |

Agapito, the Andean Bear Cub at San Diego Zoo (7.30.2020)

I wanted to go to the San Diego Zoo today but got caught up finishing reading my book in the calm sanctuary of my air-conditioned bedroom. Last weekend we tried to hit it, but it was too crowded, so I do what I do and did recon by checking the #sandiegozoo hashtag on Instagram, but anyone who was indicating it wasn't too crowded was also taking family photos without masks, so I couldn't handle the frustration today and decided to sit it out. What was cool, however, was that the San Diego Zoo notified members that all memberships have been extended by the amount that they were closed, so that's a nice little bonus. I also (finally) watched Barack Obama's eulogy for John Lewis, which I've linked below. 

On personal homefront, it seems we've gotten control of the ants (thanks to Terro traps), but now we've detected fleas, which is normal peak-summer, but we reupped all the animals with their treatment dosages and Darren did a full baking soda treatment on, under, and around the couch and living room. So we're not just doing COVID-19 sanitizing but pest control, too. Super fun. 

There wasn't a lot of news I want to dwell on today: there were protests in La Mesa, Facebook is still flooded with people out and about living as if there's no virus, and we carry on. Stats and links are still after the jump. 

COVID-19 The Social Contract | La Jolla Cove Etiquette & Photos | Impending MLB Shutdown? | Danger Of Recirculated Air | San Diego Sets New Record For Community Outbreaks

Nova has soccer on Fridays, so it's become a habit that we head to La Jolla Cove to commune with the sea lions. I've been expressing a lot of frustration about this lately because as it is frustrating year-round when people get too close to them or block their right-of-way, it's doubly or triply frustrating because people are not wearing masks and giving other humans proper space. My cousin tried to call me out, as if I was saying that I'm entitled to be there and other people are not, and nothing could be further from the truth. I know that La Jolla Cove is one of the true gems of this City and I wish more locals could experience it regularly, that tourists come and take beautiful memories home with them, but when people are inconsiderate to other humans and to the animals, whether by littering or smoking or not following the State and County health order, I get really, really pissed about it. So today while we were on the cliff, we had it to ourselves for nearly an hour until two guys decided to come down, one wearing his mask under his chin, so I told him he needed to put it on correctly or stay away from us. And when we went to Boomer Beach and three young boys were daring each other to touch a tragically dead sea lion pup, I screamed at them to leave it alone. Just by living in society, there is a social contract. Everyone has the right to be there and enjoy themselves. They do not have the right to be a dick without consequences, even if that's just being yelled at by some random lady (me.) COVID-19 news and updates and more Sea Lion photos after the jump.

COVID-19 Diary | San Diego Ties Highest Weekly Community Outbreak Record | Old Dude Explores Pandemic Disneyworld | COVID Kills Cain | Sexist COVID-19 Data

One of the many amazing birds in the San Diego Zoo Africa Rocks Aviary (7.30.2020)

I woke up bright and shiny this morning, then I saw the voting tweet from the CoVIdiot-In-Chief and decided I would go right back to bed. It probably doesn't help that I'm currently reading a book about a high school athlete who gets hooked on opioids. It's a great book and I've been cycling through every novel by Mindy McGinnis, but Heroine is super intense. I'm gonna read till the end but am having a hard time getting through it. 

I spent the afternoon trying to get through email, but sometimes it's a long slog. I had a free online photography class, but it was by a Nikon rep and was way, way out of my skill level and out of my budget with respect to all the gear he was recommending for dream photos, so I quietly exited the WebX class and went to the San Diego Zoo. That mostly lifted my mood, though I'm gonna write to the powers-that-be that they should adopt that Disneyworld policy, that if you're eating and drinking, you must be stationary and maintaining social distance, because I'm getting a little sick of people coming up in my space with their masks off while shouting to their families while they have a beer in their hand and thinking it's totally okay. It's really one of the only places I've felt safe to go recreationally, so I'm not letting some a-holes ruin it for me without at least saying something. 

After that, we fed the pets and went to my mom's for my niece's 13th birthday. They just bought a really nice Adirondack-style patio set and put new slab in the backyard so I can say we were certainly distant with masks and separated even more when the masks came off for cake. I'm trying now to catch up with the rest of my things so we can hang in the speakeasy, so I'm gonna keep it short today. News and stuff after the jump.

COVID-19 San Diego Updates | Dr. Fauci Talks To Wired | Johns Hopkins Researches Ask For COVID Do-Over

Malayan Tiger At San Diego Zoo (taken 1.15.2020) #GlobalTigerDay

I'm not gonna lie, I was super bummed today. There's supposedly a heatwave coming on hard this weekend so I wanted to go to the San Diego Zoo this afternoon for a couple hours, but I woke up with gnarly allergies, which incidentally, manifest a lot like COVID-19 symptoms, so I realized it's my personal responsibility to stay home if I'm snotty and sneezy. Of course I have allergy pills and was fine after I took one, but I couldn't honestly answer the Zoo's three health screening questions, and considering they're worried about reverting back to lockdown, I'm not gonna be the jerk that ignores the rules. So it was a day at home feeling Claritin hazy and listening to the County Media Briefing and Carlsbad Councilmember Cori Schumacher's daily Facebook update and Nathan Fletcher's update, too. I'll go another time, but I guess we'll mostly be on lockdown if it's as hot as they expect. News stuff after the jump.

COVID-19 Updates | Venues In Crisis | SD Workforce Partnership Supports Unemployed | Betsy, The Idiot | CDC Thinks Humans Have Any Sense

Nova at open skate at Derby United (7.28.2020)

Well, I told you on Monday that I was feeling revitalized and rejuvenated after a weekend (mostly) without my laptop working. I'm so happy with all the changes we've made on our deck and our studio and the backyard, and we (finally) sucked it up and bought a weed whacker so Darren went to town on the yard and it looks fantastic. It would be awesome if we had a lush green lawn, but I think it's impossible in Normal Heights. We had a fun night in the speakeasy and after a disagreement about the necessity of holding onto CDs, I dove into some of my 90s and early 2000s CDs and rocked out to make my point. I spent the majority of Tuesday sitting on our balcony, enjoying the sun and so glad we're finally taking advantage of this underutilized space instead of just storage and one singular chair. I was definitely having one of those days where every time I tried to start working or check Facebook or get through email, I would last about 3 minutes before I'd have to shut it down. So it pretty much took all day and night to get through all the things. We did get to take Nova to Derby United, the new name for the new facility and organization fka Derby Dolls San Diego and she had a blast on skates. The facility is completely outdoors and everyone has to wear masks the entire time they're on grounds with no more than 15 people allowed per session, so it felt really, really safe. I wish I could say the same about her soccer, which seems to be dropping their standards pretty quickly. , so  the Today's news (and catching up with the weekend), after the jump. 

CoVid-19 Diary | San Diego Stays Closed Until We Get Fewer Than 234 New Cases Per Day | MLB Marlins Outbreak | Fingers Crossed For Stimuls

Sea Lions at Boomer Beach La Jolla (7.27.2020)

When I was younger than I am now, I was obsessed with home makeover shows like Trading Spaces. I would watch a two-hour block on Saturday nights as I was getting ready to go out and think that I was $250 of MDF away from my dream home or backyard. 

Last week, I was definitely feeling a rut. It felt like nothing but bad news and then to seal the weekend, my laptop completely stopped charging after two weeks of sometimes charging and sometimes not. But I also have a family and had to acknowledge how my downer attitude was rippling through our house. To be fair, I know it wasn't just me, maybe something in the stars, because it seemed a common theme across far too many of my friends, too. 

There was nothing really for me to do but not be online. And I'm sure you already know that there's a direct correlation between how much news we consume and our general wellness. And so I got my ass in gear. Sure, I watched my share of TV, movies, and comedy specials, but on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday I was up by 7am and working. At home. On my home. (More after the jump)

COVID-19 San Diego Updates | Weekend Streaming | Protecting Teachers | AOC Rocks

African Penguin (Taken 6.28.2020)

So sometimes it really is all about positive mental attitude (and a little 5-HTP doesn't hurt). I made myself sleep at a somewhat normal hour even though there had been a lot of Friday napping already, but it meant I woke up bright and shiny at 6am ready for a new day. I read a lot, did some organizing and cleaning, and made myself a killer brunch. By that time, everyone else was up and we tackled the yard (butting heads at times) but I love the way it looks after a few hours of work, and it also made me want to go buy a bunch of plants to add, though I also came to the realization that without raised planter boxes, a food-producing garden probably isn't in the cards for this yard, and if we added raised planter boxes, we'd lose the bulk of the yard for our sporty activities. 

Anyway, all of this to say that I'm in a much better mood today and we're gonna check out the San Diego Zoo and see what the crowd is like. (Update: I messed something up, so this didn't publish earlier, but the Zoo was way too crowded for us based on the line still going in, so we drove through Balboa Park, Little Italy, the harbor, downtown, then returned to North Park to get my laptop which is still not fixed, so I may be offline for a day or two until I get it sorted.)

CoViD-19 Updates | State Pushes For Worker Protections | Community Spread "A Decrease In The Increase"

Ficus at Fiesta Island (Taken 7.14.2020)

I was really gung-ho at the beginning of the shutdowns and tried to take a very "we got this" attitude. We were cooking every meal, I would get up at 5am to go to Home Depot for supplies when they opened at 6am, we were regularly playing sports in the backyard, and would find some new project to spend our time on in the house or the yard or the studio. 

Nowadays I'm so media consumed and have certainly had my lulls in motivation to do anything, allowing myself to sleep too long, call a plate of cold cuts dinner because I don't want to cook, wandering from bed to couch, couch to bed. Perhaps it's the expiration of the EDD funds, of the inaction of our representatives to enact new plans, the arguing back and forth that it's safe to reopen when we can clearly see the numbers that it is not. 

I'll wake up on Saturday and I will shower and I will let the sun hit my skin and I will carry on, but like everyone, some days are just too much. I'll reengage, but for today, I'll let myself drift, crawl back into bed and get in a better headspace to face another day in a string of days. 

COVID-19 | Too Many Problems | Save Our Stages | Arts Industries Called Out | Stop Kangaroo Cleats

Kangaroo at San Diego Safari Park (Taken 6.28.2020)

Thursday was kind of a throwaway day for me. After a great Wednesday and a night in the speakeasy with Darren, I just needed a day of nothing. I didn't watch any news or briefings or do much of anything besides a trip to Costco. We love going right before closing, it's nice and empty right around 7:45 through closing and we had no problem getting everything we needed so that we won't need to do any shopping this weekend at all. I'm looking forward to this weekend with the Casbah's live show with Scary Pierre (I'll be watching from home like everyone else,) maybe a trip to the Zoo to see the new ring-tailed lemur twins, and fixing up  the backyard with some projects and setting up our new outdoor furniture. Still, I did some reading and writing, so all of that is after the jump. 

COVID-19 Masks Are REQUIRED Statewide | California Surpasses NY In Total Cases | Burger Records Folds | Disney Closes "Eating and Drinking" Loophole

Sea Lion at Boomer Beach/La Jolla Cove (Taken 7.20.2020)

I was feeling productive today. I finished reading The Down Days. I (mostly) stayed on top of my email, an almost always impossible task. I handled some Casbah stuff in announcing the Twitch Livestream with Scary Pierre happening on Saturday night at 8:30. I happened to look on Facebook at the right time and this awesome woman listed a picnic table and chairs on my local Buy Nothing group, so she kindly chose me and we went to her house, loaded it up in the van and brought it home and unpacked it. (It often helps to say you're available for immediate pickup.) I watched the full Governor's and San Diego County media briefings. And then I took a peaceful, quiet, restful long nap. Feeling dreamy. 

After watching everything, one thing I will say though is that I don't know how I missed that facial coverings are now MANDATORY in the State. I knew it was a "guideline" and "recommended" and required indoors in certain settings, but I watch every Governor Newsom briefing and somehow I missed entirely that it became required. Anyway, I'm putting the link below because if I missed it, maybe you did, too. Or it's just irrelevant because it was already required in the County. Either way, lots of sharing after the jump. 

CoViD-19 News | Comic-Con@Home | Evidence Mounts On Aerosolized COVID-19 Transmission | Mask Or Stay Home

Sea Lion Pups wrestle at Boomer Beach La Jolla (7.20.2020)

I guess my laptop is on the fritz again but Davey Tiltwheel is an amazing human and has ordered me a new charging port and hopefully that will solve my issues. If I disappear for a couple days, it will mean my laptop finally refuses to charge entirely until I get the new part. Anyway, tomorrow Comic-Con@Home kicks off and is free for everyone. I didn't reapply to press credentials for the online part because I spend most of my days watching media briefings and reading news. Though it's part of my world to help promote livestreams and online things to do, I'm not really into it. I don't really mind being in my bubble if I'm being totally honest. I stay up late, watch plenty of movies and shows, read a ton, track email, get out every couple days for shopping or Nova's soccer or a Zoo or Safari Park trip here and there and I'm good. Nova's soccer team wants to go to the beach as a group after her practice on Friday and just the request alone has me all tied in knots with anxiety that maybe she shouldn't even be on the team if they can't follow such simple rules as no gatherings. Am I to believe they're really following the right protocols for practice (which we're not allowed to watch)?? So frustrating. Wake me when it's all over. More after the jump. 

CoViD-19 State & County Reports | Contact Tracing: It's Up To You | Bye Bye Balboa Burgers Bankers Hill | Bad Week For Burger Record

A Sea Lion surfing the waves at Boomer Beach (La Jolla Cove 7.20.2020)

Today's State and County press briefings were pretty standard and nothing really new really to announce besides some updated guidance for what kinds of personal care businesses can move outside, but today I especially appreciated Dr. McDonald who is the Deputy Public Health Officer for San Diego County and runs Health and Human Services for the county. I'll provide what he had to say below. Nova had soccer today so me and Darren went to La Jolla Cove. It wasn't quite as frustrating as Friday, there was a lot more mask compliance. It was overcast and a Monday, so fewer people were there in general, but guessing locals are more committed to masks than tourists. I wish the City, County, and San Diego Tourism Authority would get together and create signage and marketing for our beaches and parks, because now the "safer outside" message is being conflated as "safe outside" and some people don't think they need their masks outdoors at all. Anyway, obviously I've spent the rest of the night catching up on Monday's emails and news, so please forgive the super-late post. Lots of stuff after the jump.

COVID-19 Diary | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | Wall Of Moms Takes Action In Portland | Federal Judge's Son Murdered |

Elephants at San Diego Zoo Safari Park. M'kaia turns 2 in September. (Taken 7.19.2020)

Today we watched more of Indian Matchmaking and I want there to be an indefinite amount of episodes. I love it so much. Then we met my sister's family up at San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Again, it's a calculated risk to mix households but I guess we're all making those calculated risks for our own families. And I realize it can go terribly wrong, as for this family. I don't really want to think about it too much right now. The Safari Park actually felt more crowded than yesterday even though it was hotter, so we spent less time with the animals and more time up in the higher areas where the succulent gardens and the native species gardens where there are some out of the way shaded tables and trails. When we got home, we could dimly see Comet Neowise from our balcony for about 15 minutes. Now me and Darren are enjoying the speakeasy with the new Phoebe Bridgers playing for the 100th time. Some links after the jump. 

CoViD-19 Diary | Streaming Watchlist | Music News | Finding Neowise

Cheetah Cub at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (7.18.2020)

Deep breath. So yesterday I was on a rampage, but today was a nice reset and a much more chill day. The world is still just as messed up, but sometimes you have to turn it off the best you can. So I did. Earlier this week I mentioned I spiderwebbed my phone screen and today my insurance (Asurion with AT&T) sent out a technician who fixed my phone in his van for a $29 deductible. We pay a lot for the insurance but was super impressed with the service and the guy was so nice and professional. 

As I'd said in yesterday's meltdown, we didn't plan on going anywhere this weekend, but after watching too much TV, Darren and Nova nudged me to do Safari Park. It was slightly more crowded than it has been the past few visits when we do the end of the day from about 5 to 8pm, but I think the anti-maskers just aren't showing up anymore, so even though there were more people, they're all pretty respectful about masks and distance, and I noticed even if people have drinks or food, they're masking between drinks/bites if they're doing it while walking around. And both the cheetah baby and one of the lion females came right up to me at their windows. We'll probably return on Sunday.

After Safari Park closed, we decided to try to catch Comet Neowise, so we wandered. Instead of going west on San Pasqual, we went east toward Ramona and kinda just cruised around until we could find a good elevated and dark spot which was a deadend somewhere off a road called Highland Valley Road, and though I hadn't even brought my tripod, we were able to see the comet with binoculars and eventually the naked eye once we knew what we were looking for. To be honest, just being out there so remote and seeing the stars was pretty nice. 

That led to a nice music-filled drive home and all of us content with our day. Darren's now playing music, Nova is asleep, and I'm catching up on Housewives and finishing this update. And we're maybe getting our ants under control with our Terro traps so gotta find the bright side, sometimes.  

CoViD-19 Diary | Governor Newsom Releases School Guidance (Spoiler: We're Not Opening For A Long Time) | Everything Is Terrible

La Jolla Cove Sea Lion (Taken 7.3.2020)

Today I suppose you could say I'm having a 'Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.' But before I get into it, I'll just say today the Governor had a briefing about schools, there's lots of COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter and social justice issues and it just wore me down today, but now I'm home, back in pajamas, everyone is asleep and I'm watching Netflix, so things are already turning around. More after the jump.

CoViD-19: Masks Are Only Controversial If You're An Asshole | County Adds IB Test Site | LGBTQIA+ Pride | SD County Sets Record Death Count

Fiesta Island (Taken 7.14.2020)

I know that we are exceptionally privileged to be able to be home during this time as much as we're privileged that we can jump in the car or van anytime we need to get out of the house, and I hope I don't take it for granted, but days like today, where I haven't even left the house, make it feel so easy to just chill at home. I know not everyone has this luxury but I think for those of us that do and can just need to make room and space for those who can't. Like when I need to run to a store, I try to find the least crowded hours, and do my best to run in and run out. When we do get out of the house, we try to maximize errands to get them all done in one go rather than daily trips. I say this because all day I've been stalling to go to Old Navy to see if they have face masks in stock, but now I think I've lost motivation to go at all. I've got disposable ones on hand, and I'm not really going anywhere, so maybe I should just put on my pajamas and stop acting like I have anywhere to be. Who am I kidding, we all know I'm already in my "day pajamas" anyway. Today's links and articles after the jump. 

CoViD-19: Orange Plays Chicken With Governor | County Jobs: Become A Contact Tracer | Death Isn't The Only Metric That Matters | Wear A Mask

Darren dons a mask at Fiesta Island (taken 7.14.2020)

When I was a little girl, maybe 1st grade, I was in a school talent show. Me and two other girls sang a variation on the San Diego Zoo theme song and during my performance I kept shushing one of the other girls for singing too loud. 

Not much has changed all these decades later (The Bossy R) because while watching today's County Media Briefing, all I wanted to do was comment back to everyone still denying the virus, blaming the governor, arguing about having to wear masks, complaining that their gyms and salons are closed: STFU. WE TRIED YOUR WAY AND IT DIDN'T WORK, SO COMPLY OR FURTHER RUIN OUR ECONOMY AND LIVELIHOODS AND WATCH MORE PEOPLE DIE OR SUFFER THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF THIS SCARY VIRUS AND DISEASE. Yeah, free speech, whatever, people are 'entitled to their opinions' but this virus and science in general does not care what you believe, there aren't always two valid sides to every story, and you NOT wearing a mask actually impinges on MY rights to LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Phew. I feel better now. /rant, as they say.

CoViD-19: The Myth of "COVID Parties" | Reopening Regression | Event Risk Assessment |

Black-Footed Cat at Safari Park (Taken 7.9.2020)

I got a press release from San Diego Zoo Global announcing that two black-footed cat kittens were born two months ago at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. "The kittens—male Ryder and female Skyler—were born to mother Arwen and father Sawyer on April 28, 2020," it says. They're currently off exhibit, but if I can find the b-roll or find a way to edit and share it, I will. Today is pretty quiet and we're going to head to Fiesta Island dog park, so I'm just gonna keep it short today. Some links after the jump. 

CoViD-19: California Dials Back Openings | SD & LA: Schools Not Returning In The Fall | Global Testing Shortage | Navy Ship Fire Continues

Momma & Baby Ring-Tailed Lemurs (Taken 6.28.2020)

What a day of news. There was a lot of it so there's quite a bit of detail after the jump, specifically that indoor activities related to gyms, salons, malls, personal care, non-essential offices, and worship services have to reclose, SDUSD & LAUSD issued a joint statement that in-person classes will not resume in the fall, and there's a global testing shortage. I'm actually so relieved about schools because it was a decision we didn't want to have to make. It's bad enough that Nova's soccer league is trying to join some statewide petition for guidance on youth sports, a move I can't support. Distance practicing is just fine, thank you very much. I kind of base everything on my parents...if I can't visit and hug my parents, why would I want Nova making contact with some teammate, breathing in their breath, exchanging sweat? If I can't sit inside my parents house for an hour, why would I want Nova in six different classes for an hour everyday or even one or two days a week? I'm reading The Down Days right now (as recommendation by Wired) and it's about a deadly outbreak and it made me realize that not only should we continue to emphasize the deaths by COVID-19, but they should be talking every night about the sickness, how basically your lungs fill with pus that hardens and makes it impossible to breathe while all of your organs shut down. Or that your blood gets choked of oxygen and gets thick and clots and is spiking strokes, even after the patient is considered "recovered". Or read any online support group for COVID-19 patients where they're sharing stories of being sick for months, not weeks. But sure, go to Disneyworld. 

Let's get our shit together. Info after the jump. 

CoViD-19 Why The Virus Is Winning | November Elections Get Scary | My Movie Watchlist | At-Home Science (Get Used To Home Education)

Siamese Crocodile (Taken 7.12.2020)

I was up alone on Friday night trying to stay up to see the comet Neowise, but when 4am finally came around, it was completely overcast with moisture in the air, so much so that it was hard even to see the moon. I felt like such a dummy for not have checked the sky earlier in the night. I tried again on Saturday night/Sunday morning but we're just not in a place where it can be seen, and apparently all those pro-photos I've seen everywhere are misleading because many are saying it cannot be seen with the naked eye. 

Between that and being so hot and gross outside all weekend, I got my share of movies in already this weekend. I was stoked to see that an old pal, Andy Siara, was the writer for Palm Springs on Hulu. The old days with Henry Clay People were super fun and Joey and Andy are both super rad people and I'm stoked they're doing great things. 

There was also a lot of news on the political and CoViD-19 fronts, the covidiot-in-chief finally wore a mask in public (albeit under his nose), and our numbers continue to break records. And of course, we did another trip to the San Diego Zoo on Sunday. I feel like it is the lowest risk because mask wearing is actually kinda enforced (more than in public anyway), social distancing is possible in ways not possible in other public settings, and the greenery offers cooler temperatures than in most places in the county. A Zoo employee who was trying to take pics of the leopard cubs told us two more ring-tailed lemurs were born over the weekend and should be on exhibit this week. Of course, we'll be back. 

Now it's Sunday night and Darren and I are in the speakeasy downing tequila, listening to Sirius XMU, and besides dropping my phone and spiderwebbing the screen and also laying Terro ant traps everywhere that are seething with ants, life is pretty okay. I've got some links and such after the jump per usual.

COVID-19: Lincoln Project Resurrects Reagan | COVID's Lasting Symptoms |

Sea Lion at La Jolla Cove (Taken 7.10.2020)

We had a late night in the speakeasy so I took today off for the most part. Darren and I went to La Jolla Cove during Nova's soccer and it was really frustrating that nobody was wearing a mask, so we went to our little cliff spot away from any other people. I'm still trying to get through email but I just read a disturbing article about Southern California sea lions getting sick from domoic acid, which somes from algae. I can't link the article now because it's behind a paywall and I hate paywalls. Anyway, that article got me to reading about Oceano Dunes in San Luis Obispo and that was infuriating, too. There's an endangered bird called the snowy plover, and they nest on the ground. There's these dunes that people use with recreational vehicles but the park has been closed due to COVID-19 and so the birds are breeding successfully and expanding their nesting areas, but the officials there didn't like that so they did some crazy shit like moving nest and putting mylar flags up to deter their nesting but an environmental group busted them and so now the Coastal Commission has put the smackdown on the park and said they can't open to cars until after the fledglings leave their nests which will be after September. Victory for the birds! Anyway, COVID-19 numbers look grim again today, with five new deaths and 460 new cases. KPBS newshour ran a story on El Centro's hospitals being full and they showed blurred-out 40 year-old patient and said they were trying to do everything they could before they have to intubate him and the doctors just looked so devastated, working out of air-conditioned tents in the triple digit heat. Honestly, I wish more news channels would cover the hospitals and deaths like they did back when it was hitting Italy and Spain but haven't since. Maybe we would wake up and stop being such garbage humans. Anyway, just a couple links after the jump. 

CoViD-19: Governor Newsom Gives Fire & Covid Updates | Cabrillo Monument Extends Weekend Hours | San Diego News of Interest | Experts Weigh In On Covid-19

Fiesta Island Leash-Free Dog Park is fully reopened (Taken 8.24.2019)

About half an hour ago, Nova asked me if we were doing anything today. Darren is sleeping after playing music in the studio all night but I think maybe I owe it to her to go do something fun and before the weather gets unbearable this weekend. I don't really have much to say today that I haven't been saying every day so I'm gonna go offline and try and have a day with the kid. News after the jump. 

CoViD-19: "Inevitable" Increases Demonstrate Utter Human Failure | School Reopening Will Be Based On Data, Not Threats or Tweets | 27 Outbreaks In San Diego Seven Days Into July

Amur Leopard cub at San Diego Zoo (Taken 7.7.2020)

We had a super great day yesterday and had a fun night rockin' out in the 'speakeasy' but then today I started listening to the press briefings and got super cranky. It feels like all bad news all the time. Then I read the "open letter on Justice and Oppression" and I had to give the biggest eyeroll. As dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of people have pointed out, JK Rowling is certainly free to continue her transphobic tweets all she wants, but she doesn't get to be free of consequences, and crying about 'cancel culture' isn't helping her cause. I've been trying to distract and watch new stuff but even that's grim. I'm watching Hanna on Amazon and it is the first time I've ever seen Joel Kinnaman in a role and holy shit is he beautiful, but now I'm stuck watching and the writing and acting in season two is seriously horrible, which is sad, because it definitely had a La Femme Nikita vibe for awhile. We're also watching The Babysitter's Club on Netflix and it's obviously made for children, but they cover real-world topics well, especially episode six where one of the girls learns that her grandmother was in the Japanese Internment Camp at Manzanar. She asks how they could do that to people and treat them that way and her sister poignantly responds, "we still do." I also tried to watch the David Foster documentary on Netflix but he is such a arrogant piece of shit, I only made it through 9 minutes before I had to turn it off, and I'm the kind of person who has to watch things to the end once I've started them. If you've seen anything good lately, please let me know. I finished Ramy and have watched all the standup I can handle at this point. You can read my angry rant and today's briefing news after the jump. 

CoViD-19: San Diego Mayor Expands Outdoor Dining | City Council Approves Police Accountability Ballot Measure | Chicano Federation Slams Gaspar and more!!

Koalas at San Diego Zoo (6.21.2020)

As I said earlier, we had a very productive morning. I eventually gave up on the County Supervisor's meeting, however. It is excruciating to listen to Gaspar grandstand and repeat the blatantly false talking points of the administration. If anyone who reads this is in her district, PLEASE support Terra Lawson-Remer in November. We made plans for an afternoon trip to San Diego Zoo and I know I mentioned it on Instagram, but now they give rubber wristbands by party so you're not comingling with other groups of people. It was a little more crowded than I like, but it was still comfortable and easy to avoid crowds, though I don't know why the volunteer docents can't at least remind people that they need to keep masks on over their noses and to follow designated one-way paths where they're already clearly marked, like by they pygmy hippos. Anyway, it was still pretty fun but now I'm home and see I missed a bunch of action today, so some links after the jump.