CoViD-19: California Reiterates Mask Mandate Through (At Least) June 15 | Biden Commits More Vax To Global Efforts | 2021 Bike Anywhere Week | SDUSD Offers More Walk-In Vax Clinics | Photos: San Diego Zoo |

Malayan Tapir Calf Came Out To Play Today (Taken 5.17.21)

I sometimes try a Sunday reset by intentionally going to bed around midnight with some melatonin so I was feeling great when I woke up this morning. But instead of springing into email and whatnot, I read. I'm in the middle of two books at the moment, but I am loving Crying In H Mart so much. I was crying through like half the book, but it is definitely worth a read. I should be done with it in the next day or two but there are a handful of people on the library waitlist behind me. 

I did do some morning social media reading and noticed that Troy Johnson was asking for opinions about the outdoor structures that restaurants have been able to build during the pandemic. A lot of people had a lot to say for or against...restaurants vs parking...spaces that pay for outdoor space vs restaurants getting parklet space free...safety and code and on and on, but at the point when I was looking at least, nobody seemed to care about biking anymore. So many of the very same restaurants who were crying that they would die without their parking if it was taken by bike lanes suddenly had no problem losing parking for their outdoor seating. Just like the businesses who got PPP and grants are now calling people lazy for not racing back to work their shitty jobs. I know that the City is going to extend the outdoor seating/parklets/patios regardless of what I have to say about it, but I hope that they demand structures be fire, ADA, and COVID-19 compliant, that they do better inspections with regard to blocking the public right of way, and that the bike lanes we've been promised for years still get completed in a timely manner.

When I was ready to emerge from my reading bubble, Darren made breakfast for lunch, I caught up on some email and briefings, had an afternoon call, and then Darren and I went to the San Diego Zoo while Nova was doing her piano class. He's in the middle of a book that is now overdue, so he mostly sat and read while I was entranced by a couple peacocks peacocking each other, the always cute baby babirusa, and once the crowds passed, mama tapir showed off her baby some more. We hit the leopards and takins, then elevatored up to the elephants before heading to the mountain lions to take the Skyfari back over, but the staffmember told us it was too late, even though there were still at least three families waiting in line (which means 6 gondolas). So we lollygagged toward the entrance and actually got some time with the Maned "Wolf". He's maybe the most elusive animal at the Zoo, so I took my time with him before we carried on.

I think I may be out of shows to watch so maybe I'll go finish my book now. Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: Masks Are Still Mandated in California | One Month After Indoor Services Resume, Church Outbreaks | Uber's Tax Dodging Scheme Brought To Light |

Today is Love A Tree Day (Taken 5.10.21)

I broke my streak. 

For the past couple weeks I've been trying to force myself to some adventure out of the house every day and yesterday's was just a brief run to the San Diego River Garden and I had planned on San Diego Zoo Safari Park today, but conditional on it raining, and since there was pretty much no traceable rain besides Oceanside, we decided it would just be a normal crowded Sunday there and passed. 

But then I decided to make a Korean feast with the bulgogi we got at H-Mart, and some of the sides we picked up as well as a steamed egg and by then it was late. Then I wanted to go shopping but Darren talked me out of it and then he felt bad but by then I was already back in pajamas and so here we are and I didn't leave my house today. I hope to make up for it this week for sure. 

Global news has been especially charged lately, so I'm gonna steer clear and stick to the usual around here. The mask debate carries on and almost exactly one month to the day that churches were allowed to reopen to 100% capacity indoors, The Rock Church is having outbreaks among their many campuses. It's almost like we knew that was going to happen. 

Beyond that, I'm just cozy at home catching up on my shows and looking to get back in my groove after a full night's sleep. Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: A Lot Of People Have A Lot To Say About CDC Mask Guidance For Vaccinated People | The Best Case Yet For Aerosol Transmission | kpbs Profiles Minh Ky |

  

Darren and Nova got straight to work with all the compost we got yesterday and made some new planters and transferred my succulents which outgrew their boxes on my catio. While hanging in the backyard, I talked with my mom on the phone for awhile. She told me that my sister hasn't gotten my niece vaccinated yet because she didn't want to do it before their trip. 
Say what? 

So it turns out they're flying to Indianapolis to see my uncle and cousins. But the girls are unvaccinated. Nadia isn't even eligible until they lower the age threshold or until she turns 12 in October. I cannot understand the thinking on any of it. It would be one thing if they were testing regularly just to be on the safe side, but they're not doing that either. I told my mom that they're going to have to quarantine and forbid my sister and the girls from visiting for a while after they return. My eyes have rolled so far back into my head I've given myself a headache. 

And I've been stewing on the CDC announcement and I posted some opinion pieces about it below, and every news outlet has covered it, every late night host has had their jokes about it, but the thing I keep thinking about is how we're all now just in a living experiment and I don't like it. Despite still standing state and county health orders, friends who work at Trader Joe's and Sprouts have said their stores have stopped requiring masks. Just when things were really starting to feel positive and safe and like we're heading in the right direction. the CDC just made me, and others like me, a massive reason to distrust everyone around me and that really fucking sucks. At least with maskholes, you had a visible cue as to whether the person was nuts or not, but that cue is essentially gone now. I'm not stoked about that at all. Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: More Science Supporting MRNA Vaccine Effectiveness | Governor Newsom Lays Out "California Comeback Plan" in THREE HOUR Media Briefing | Gig-Work Is Work |

  

Darren and Big White II at the Dump For Free Compost (Taken 5.14.21)

It wasn't a typical adventure day, but the other day Darren wanted to go to a nursery to buy soil for some of the plantings we've amassed around the yard and I suggested we instead get compost from the dump. It's free to San Diego residents and you can pretty much take 6 32-gallon garbage cans full at a time. I don't think there's a limit to how many times you can go. So I figured by the trash cans so we have them for our endless recycling littering the yard, and then have the compost when we need it. I'd only ever been to the Miramar Landfill once in my life and it was just to the front, so I never knew you could drive in and choose you compost or mulch. If you do it though, come prepared. We brought the garbage cans, contractor's trash bags, shovels, gloves, masks, and goggles, though it wasn't as nearly a dirty task as we expected. Also, did I ever mention we got the van painted this year?? She's so pretty now. 

Our real adventure was supposed to happen later, but Nova was definitely feeling her vaccine because she has not ever taken a nap in the time I've been in her life, but she zonked out for 2 hours in the afternoon, so we stayed home until she was up and dinner was fed, then Darren and I had a rager Friday at Costco at closing time. 

I still have a ton of email to get through and I didn't delve too deep into the news because Governor Newsom's media briefing laying out his May revisions to the budget was almost 3 hours long!!! Dr. Ghaly was supposed to have some guidance updates but I'm guessing that it will take a couple days, not hours. I started watching Jen Psaki but lots of the same dumb questions, so I figure I can catch up with everything this weekend and go have a night in the speakeasy in the meantime. Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: Science Behind New Mask Guidance For The Vaccinated | SDPD On Video Using Excessive Force | Local Reports: Gun Violence, Ped & Bike Deaths | Casbah: Durand Jones & The Indications, Sylvan Esso Tickets Go On Sale Friday |

  

I know I shouldn't still be up at 5am, but I really wanted to finish reading everything in my inbox and make sense of the CDC stuff that came out on Thursday before every media outlet continues to repeat that we don't ever need masks if we're fully vaccinated ever again. I'll move that whole diatribe after the jump. There was also a lot of interesting local news, including the success rate of the Convention Center reuniting unaccompanied minors with family or sponsors, a study on gun violence in our region, reporting on Vision Zero and pedestrian and bike deaths, and that horrific video of SDPD beating an unhoused man for the very serious crime of allegedly urinating in public in a city with so few bathrooms that you can probably count all of them on your fingers and toes in a county of 3.3 million people. And then the end of the post I included some Casbah news since I will eventually venture out of my cocoon for concerts again. If you click the flyers you'll get to the ticket links. 

I shall now attempt to sleep. So far Nova has no side effects from Pfizer besides a sore arm and being extremely tired after our four mile hike, so fingers crossed she's back at school today unscathed. I'll still do a Friday post after all the briefings and stuff but I thought I'd do this interim post because today is going to be a big news day. Be safe out there. 

CoViD-19: Fully Vaccinated May Opt For Masklessness (When Allowed) | 12-15 Year Olds Line Up For Shots | Things Are Looking Up | Newsom Announces Small Biz Relief Initiative |

  

Today was such a perfect day. Darren and I had drinks in the speakeasy last night, slept in this morning, and by the time I woke up, Darren had taken Nova to get her first shot at San Diego High. She was feeling fine when they got home, Darren cooked us some haddock and black cod from our latest KnowSeafood box and when I was done watching Jen Psaki and part of the COVID Response Team Briefing we loaded up the car for today's adventure.

We went to Rancho Penasquitos Preserve, parked at the spots on Camino Del Sur, and did the approximately 2 mile hike out to the waterfall and back. I was a little worried Ficus wouldn't make it but we stopped a lot and gave her lots of water and it was totally worth it. Everyone is now totally zonked out. Afterward we stopped at H Mart and loaded up on our favorite fixins, inspired by Michelle Zauner (Japanese Breakfast) because I started reading her memoir, Crying In H Mart, last night. 

I have a lot to say about the new CDC guidance, mainly that EVERYTHING they have put out from the beginning of the pandemic has always been "guidance" or "recommendations". Our mask requirement is by a State Health Order and reinforced by a San Diego Health Order. California mandated masks before the national recommendation and every single news outlet seemed to completely miss that States and Counties can still make their own rules, simultaneously that businesses may still choose to require masks, which is still easier to police than vax cards, and no kids are fully vaccinated at this moment in time, so kids must still wear masks per previous guidance. It isn't hard, but there is nuance, and it sucks that we lived for four years under the last admin who could only chant in three word slogans and so we suddenly seem incapable of deciphering any nuance. And the CDC isn't exempt from being confusing and full of poor messaging because now they're saying mask wearing is a personal health choice but for over a year we've known that it was not a personal choice because I protect you and you protect me. A little more emphasis on the FULLY VACCINATED 35.8% and that the reason this is changing now is because we have enough supply for everyone to choose to vaccinate would've been nice. But no, so now we're potentially gonna have mask wars as bad as ever. So frustrating. 

Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: San Diego Cases Drop Under 100 For First Time Since May 2020 | 12-15 year-olds Now Eligible For Pfizer In California | Governor Unveils Education Plan Including Universal PK |

The Old Mission Dam in Mission Trails (Taken 5.12.21)

  

I'm just gonna say this right now. You'll probably still see me in a mask for a while. Yes, I'm vaccinated, but I don't really trust my fellow citizens to be honest about their own situations and frankly, an entire year of not being sick at all was pretty awesome. I'm taking my allergy pills like 10% of what I used to have to, and any feeling-shitty days during this pandemic of been of my own doing...a hangover here or not getting enough sleep or crampy bitchy periods. So Governor Newsom kinda took everyone by surprise today when he announced that most mask mandates will be removed, but mask guidance for certain situations may continue, specifically crowds of strangers from other countries and states, i.e. conventions or festivals. It kinda felt like he hadn't really thought it through too much but I would be dismayed if mask requirements are dropped for indoor activities at schools and camps or hospitals and health facilities, concert halls and indoor arenas. But that's just me. You do you. 

We were hanging tight because the Western States Working Group APPROVED Pfizer is supposedly meeting tonight to determine vaccine eligibility for 12-15 year olds. In which case, the County says they'll have Pfizer at their permanent sites but not their mobile sites, which should not be confused with the Sharp and UCSD mobile sites at various SDUSD high schools which were specifically planning for this age group to be approved this week. We're ready and on standby to get Nova to San Diego High for the walkup site from 8:30-4pm on Thursday or Friday. 

It felt like a big news day all around. Governor Newsom has been dropping massive initiatives to use the state's budget surplus and it is so hilarious watching stupid kevvie throwing Twitter tantrums about them and how much better he'd be for our state and then immediately getting dunked in all the subsequent replies. The Israel-Palestinian situation is disheartening and it's easy to go down a rabbit hole of commentary, especially about the last administration and the corruption that runs deep with Kushner as a mark. Still, even with so much bad news, it feels like things are good and under control and the wolves aren't watching the henhouse. 
Today we did a small loop around grasslands and the Old Mission Dam at Mission Trails and it was lovely. Lots of birds and lizards and squirrels and bunnies and it was lovely and my dog is wiped out. Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: County Prepares To Vaccinate Tweens & Teens | Governor Newsom Announces Homelessness Initiative | Stupid Unvaccinated Padres Players Gets COVID |

  

It's nearly midnight and I'm still working through email today, but I like to try to post in the same calendar day so this is what you get. We had a really nice afternoon today. I forgot my keys at my parents' house over the weekend, so we dropped by to get them, then went on to IB to wander around the trails off 16th Street. 

After bird-watching there for a bit, we moved on to the Strand and watched the least terns squawking overhead and flying fish breaching out of the water. We drove through Coronado, stopping by the tennis center where I used to coach, and then grabbed Salud tacos after crossing the bridge, we we proceeded to eat on the pier of Cesar Chavez Park. 

It was super fun getting outside in empty areas and being able to roam maskless. Which makes me have no tolerance for people who are refusing vaccines. I know shaming people doesn't work but nobody reading anything I have to write is a denier. To find out Tatis, Jr.  and Myers tested positive for COVID-19 is infuriating. I know it's tricky to force vaccines when they're in EUA but the Congressional Research Center determined in November that it is legal to do so. Are these jackasses afraid of side effects? I mean, what pampered princesses.  

Anyway, I'm in the middle of watching Governor Newsom's media briefing. I'll make another post if I need to but his initiative on homelessness is linked below.  He was in San Diego today with Supervisor Fletcher and Mayor Todd Gloria and I can't believe they didn't call me. Stay safe out there.  

CoVid-19: FDA Grants Pfizer EUA For 12-15yo; Still Awaits CDC Approval | Governor Proposes California Comeback Plan | HHS Includes Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity in Title IX Protected Classes |

Backlit Balboa Park Fountain and California Tower (Taken 5.10.21)

I got up bright and shiny this morning, hoping to get the FDA's announcement that 12-15 year olds would be eligible for the Pfizer vaccine. That announcement ended up not coming until the afternoon, but now that the FDA has given the emergency use authorization, it will still need to be considered by a CDC committee which isn't meeting until Wednesday. If they approve it then the CDC would authorize, while concurrently the Western States Advisory Committee would have to approve and then the County has to give the go-ahead. So the tweens may be eligible as soon as Thursday or Friday, but I wouldn't expect it until Monday, and hopefully SDUSD will continue the clinics, particularly at Hoover or City High so we can get that shot in Nova's arm as soon as possible. 

We spent the late afternoon at the San Diego Zoo but I've been having shoulder pain, so I took it easy on the photography and the ones I did take sucked balls so I'll just skip posting pics today. But we did walk from the Zoo to the Moreton Bay Fig and the new platform which is pretty cool in spite of me not really seeing the project as a priority for the park when it was proposed. From there, we walked through the Prado and over the pedestrian bridge to the rose garden and succulent/native plant garden before heading home for the night. 

Today's media briefings were mostly uneventful. Lots of questions about the conflict in Isreal-Palestine, the ransomware hacks, and more harping on the jobs report with Fox news trying to emphasize people choosing to stay home and Jen having no patience for it. As has been covered extensively, thousands of unemployed people have changed industries to find better jobs, with better pay and less contact with asshole customers and asshole bosses, parents still have to watch kids who aren't in school or childcare fulltime, and many industries, like mine, still haven't reopened. It also takes a lot of fucking nerve for businesses to complain about EDD and support workers are receiving when they all got bailouts, PPP, taxbreaks, waived licensing and permitting, and other grants to sustain their businesses all last year. It is frankly appalling and galling. Meanwhile, the Governor proposed a massive "California Comeback Plan" which would still have to work through the legislature but would give more stimmies to tax filers earning up to $75k. Some of those details are linked below, too. 

And just because I think these are fun, here's another anti-vax email:

Why are you promoting people getting a vax that are still in testing stages? Use to love your venue but not if your promoting shit like this.  The vaccine does not protect anyone.  Does it really make sense to have a mask on then take it off at your table? You guys are brainwashed.  Please remove me from your list!

Uh, no problem. You are removed. Stay safe out there. Contrary to this person, vaccines protect all of us and there are now dozens of studies to show it (including this one), including the fact that US cases dropped below 25k which as far as I can tell is the lowest daily case rate since June 18. 

CoViD-19: "Mask Faithful" | The Price Of Populism | Police Reform | Mother's Day | Anti-Vax Hate Mail |

  

A Rose at the Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden (Taken 5.6.2021)

Darren and I had so much fun meeting up with Eric at the Casbah on Saturday night. It was so good to see so many friends and this time we spent a little more time hanging out than the last time. Afterward we continued the party in the speakeasy which made for a really fun night. 

It was a lovely Mother's Day around here, too. We picked up a couple burritos and rolled tacos and carne asada fries from Sayulita's and made our way to my mom's. We opted to take Ficus but my dad has a heart attack whenever she and Roxy are there together so we didn't stay as long as usual. When I was a kid, we had a German Shephard that bit my cousin's face and my parents almost lost the house over the lawsuit and my dad pretty much never talked to anyone on his side of the family ever again, so I understand his caution, but it can be a lot, especially because Ficus is nothing like Ignauts was. 

Since we'd eaten so early, for my Mother's Day back at home, we watched some comedy television and then were all hungry again so at my request he made us breakfast and it was delightful. Now I'm couching and watching smut television while Darren jams out in the speakeasy and the kid is fast asleep. I hope everyone had a great Sunday, even if Mother's Day is so hard and heartbreaking for so many. 

Finger's crossed we get a Monday morning FDA announcement!! Check the end of the post for this hilarious response Casbah got for encouraging people to vaccinate. Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: More On Airborne Transmission (More of What We Already Knew) | Reassessing Work | Problems With Fuel | Today Should've Been Ahmaud's 27th Birthday |

  

(Taken by Vito de Stefano for NBC SoundDiego 1.23.20)

I do my best to bookmark interesting things to share later, but for the life of me I cannot find this Op-Ed I read last night nor can I remember where I read it so hopefully I'll resolve that brain fart because it was a great take on the trouble employers are claiming to have hiring people. I've found a similar one from Washington Post but it's not as riveting as the one I read last night. I'll try to find it in my history or something. 

We're pretty excited because tonight, me and D have a double date at the Casbah with our friends. It will be our first time eating with other people at a place that isn't my house or my parents' house since well before last March. I kinda wish Casbah had a reservation system, but I'm sure it will be just fine. I'm doing my best to quit Uber so we'll sort out the designated driver thing before we head down. I'm keeping it short because I have to get ready but I hope everyone is enjoying San Diego. There are numerous stories about the high cost of travel expected this summer as hotel, airfare, gas, and car rental prices are all through the roof as businesses exploit the pandemic to try and make up for lost revenue (even though we all know they got bailouts and PPP) so it feels really good to live in San Diego where every day is a staycation and you can find a million awesome things to do.

I did want to note that today should've been Ahmaud Arbery's 27th birthday and we need consequences and convictions for his murderers and we need these cases expedited and tried immediately for his family to get any semblance of justice. White power must be fought everywhere it shows its face, from our communities and neighbors all the way to elected officials.   

Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: The More You Know | CDC Acknowledges Airborne Transmission; Updates Transmission Modes | San Diego River Days! | Hiking Safety |

Nova Along Bayshore Bikeway (Taken 5.10.2020)

  After getting through all of yesterday's email, there wasn't a ton I wanted to share, but San Diego River Days are here and there are always some really cool things to do. Most of the in-person activities are already full since they have to maintain COVID protocols, but there are lots of hikes, self-guided walks, and obviously it is totally free and ok to just take your grabber and bucket out for trash cleanups. We love the San Diego River Garden but wanna check out a few other spots we haven't been in awhile, too. 

CoViD-19: Pfizer Applies For FDA Authorization | SD Businesses Can Host Vaccination Events | Psaki Destroys Newsmax "Reporter" | Officers Indicted For Floyd Murder |

Kiwi Turned 21 This Month (Taken 5.7.21)

Oh my god. I was watching the media ask questions to Secretary Yellen this morning and it was hilarious. "Um, we've created this narrative that people aren't going back to work because unemployment pay is too high, can you please tell us the data to confirm our non-stop reporting this for the past several weeks?" "Well, actually that is all bullshit because there are still many reasons people can't go back to work, particularly because kids still aren't back in school full time and we're still in a pandemic, but you know, people are being selective and turning down gig and part time work for better, full time jobs with better benefits. Pay more and they will come." And then Jen Psaki shut down the woman from Newsmax and it was amazing. The news has had no shortage of restauranteurs volunteering to share how lazy people are but haven't commented about how business has picked up because people finally have money in their pockets again. 

Meanwhile, I said I would get out of the house every day but today was not really very adventurous. We had some returns at Ross and I had a cost adjustment at Big Lots, so that was our big Friday night (because Ross is open until 11. Why?) The good part of that is we were able to get Nova some clothes that will fit her rapidly growing body. Then we had to get Filiberto's because that USAA commercial was stuck in my head. 

The news has been going crazy today about Fletcher's comments that he doesn't expect San Diego to get to the yellow tier before June 15, which is exactly what I told our SDIVA group back on April 22. Apparently people are super upset because LA got to yellow before us and Darren made an important point, which is that Los Angeles County called out businesses by name whenever there was an outbreak. In San Diego, they only revealed the type of businesses where outbreaks happened, not the specific restaurants or bars or gyms, which probably had an impact on cases there, besides the fact that they ramped up PCR testing. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. I've got more email to get through today, but seems like I've already shared enough reading for the night. Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: County Adds Extended Hour & Mobile Vaccination Sites | Biden's America The Beautiful Plan l Fletcher Disses LA | Photos: San Diego Zoo & Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden |

  

Malayan Tapir Calf at San Diego Zoo (Taken 5.6.21)

I've been trying to make sure I do something every day beyond just watching briefings and reading email and sitting in my backyard, so today the May Gray called for a quick visit to the San Diego Zoo. Darren was doing laundry and Nova just got a book of Billie Eilish sheet music in the mail that she proceeded to deep dive into on piano and guitar, so I went alone after seeing video of a new okapi baby on exhibit. Of course, by the time I motivated it was almost 5pm so I didn't see the okapi, but I did get a lot of time with the Malayan tapirs who, while I'm probably just projecting, seemed to be playing hide and seek with me, moving from the lower part of their enclosure to the upper part and back again several times. They make my heart flutter and they make the coolest noise that is somewhere between a shrieking high whistle and an elephant's trumpet. So yes, I talk to them. Because of course I do. I also got some fun time with hippos Funani and Amahle who were all over their pool today. 

After the Zoo, I went to the Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden and everything is in bloom right now, and absolutely gorgeous. I'd highly suggest an early morning or late afternoon walk around. Plus, if you're vaccinated, there are a few people here and there, but it's open enough and empty enough that you can take the mask off and literally smell the roses. The colors are so vibrant and there's just so many of them. 

Today was the start of the later hours for three of the County's vaccination sites, so if you've had a hard time getting to the early daytime hours, perhaps the 1-8pm timeframe works better for you. Plus they've got a ton of mobile sites popping up to 'meet people where they are' all over the county, so if you haven't yet, it's time to get on the vaccination train. Psaki didn't have a press briefing today because the president was travelling, but apparently you can be sure that Nathan Fletcher won't ever be running for governor because he had a lot to say about LA, even if it was in a joking way how fans of a team egg on opponents. Clip at the end because it made me laugh out loud. Tomorrow the Casbah's newsletter will have a playlist from Mayor Todd Gloria and it's a pretty solid list that you might be interested in checking out. Be safe out there.  

• COVID-19:
• US COVID-19 cases hit 7-month low, but hotspots persist - Becker's Hospital Review (5.6.21)
• New Analysis Finds Global Covid Death Toll is Double Official Estimates - STAT News (5.6.21)
  In the United States, the analysis estimates, 905,000 people have died of Covid since the start of the pandemic. That is about 38% higher than the current death estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 561,594. The new figure also surpasses the estimated number of U.S. deaths in the 1918 flu pandemic, which was estimated to have killed approximately 675,000 Americans.
• The Countries Funding Covid-19 Vaccine R&D - Statista (5.6.21)
• Moderna says early data shows Covid vaccine is 96% effective in teens -CNBC (5.6.21)
  Moderna may apply for extended EUA for tweens by the end of the month. With the current timeline, that could make Moderna available to teens by end of June. 
• Anti-vaxxers aren’t the cause of America’s dropping vaccine rates. This fact is crucial to getting the US’s vaccination campaign back on track. - Vox (5.5.21)
• Politics: 
• Biden administration details plans to conserve 30% of US land and water by 2030 - CNN (5.6.21)
• Biden-Harris Administration Outlines “America the Beautiful” Initiative. Initial report details vision for 10-year, locally led and voluntary nationwide effort to restore and conserve America’s lands, waters, and wildlife   USDOI (5.6.21)
• Report: Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful 2021 
• White House: 
• White House Releases Fact Sheets to Highlight Nationwide Need and Impact of the American Families Plan
• Remarks by President Biden on the American Jobs Plan
• Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Stabilization of Iraq
• Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Actions of the Government of Syria
• Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Central African Republic
• Press Gaggle by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Aboard Air Force One En Route Lake Charles, LA
• nearly 940,000 Americans have signed up for health insurance through Healthcare.gov as a result of the Biden administration’s special enrollment period (per HHS)
• 54 percent of K-through-8 schools were open for fulltime, in-person learning, and 88 percent were open for either fulltime, in-person, and/or hybrid learning (via National Center for Education Statistics)
• News:
• County Budget Reflects Residents’ Needs, Builds Framework for Future - County News Center (5.6.21)
• Other Reading:
• ‘We’re terrorized’: LA sheriffs frequently harass families of people they kill, says report. Los Angeles sheriff’s department has routinely retaliated against victims’ relatives who speak out, NLG and ACLU say in report. - The Guardian (5.4.21)
• Global COVID-19 Stats (JHU 5.6.21 10:20pm):
• 156,077,747 Known Cases
• 3,256,034 Known Deaths
• US COVID-19 Stats 
• CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Data Tracker
• JHU
• 32,604,704 Cases
• 580,061 Deaths
• CDC Data Tracker:
• +41,909 New Cases/32,356,034 Known Cases 
• +730 New Deaths/576,238 Known Deaths
• 324,610,185 Doses Delivered/251,973,752 Doses Administered
• 149,462,265 Partially Vaccinated/108,926,627 Fully Vaccinated
• California COVID-19 Stats:
• State of California Safe Schools For All Hub
• Vaccination progress dashboard
• Aggregate California ICU Bed Availability: 32.8%
• R-effective: 0.88
• 39,942,590 Doses Delivered/31,398,938 Doses Administered
• 5,909,645 Partially Vaccinated/13,457,141 Fully Vaccinated
• 1,547 New Cases/3,648,276 Total Cases (4.0 new cases/100k)
• 65 New Deaths/60,927 Total Deaths (0.06 new deaths/100k)
• 1.3% 7-day test positivity rate
• 1,870 COVID-19 Hospitalizations (-23 patients, -1.2% from prior day)
• 413 COVID-19 ICU hospitalized in CA (-32 patients, -7.2% from prior day)
• 2,247 ICU beds available (-32 from prior day)
• San Diego County 
• Free Testing Sites and Schedule in San Diego
• VaccinationSuperstationSD
• Vaccination Dashboard
• San Diego County Of Education School Reopening Dashboard
• Evening COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics Coming to North, East, South County

• State Data:
• Southern California ICU Bed Availability: 34.4%
• R-effective: 0.88
• 219 New Cases/277,098 Total Cases
• 3 Deaths/3,716 Total Deaths
• 5.5 cases/100k population (Assessed on 5/4. Unadjusted Case Rate)
• 2.2% Test Positivity (Assessed on 5/4)
• 2.7% Health Equity Positivity (Assessed on 5/4)
• 166 COVID-19 hospitalized patients (+3 patients, +1.8% from prior day)
• 41 COVID-19 ICU hospitalized patients (-2 patients, -4.7% from prior day)
• 207 ICU beds available (-7 from prior day)
• San Diego County Media Briefing:
• Vaccinations are going well
• 63% of eligible San Diegans have at least one shot, 44% have 2nd shots (Dashboard now ncludes DOD and VA numbers. Will update those numbers every 2 weeks)
• Vaccination supply has caught up with demand, allowing for appointments to be made a week out.
• Shifting sites to extend hours at 3 sites
• More pop-up drop-in vaccination centers. Identifying high visited areas with MTS, senior centers, faith-based orgs, Elks Lodge, American Council on Islamic Relations (to set up vaccinations after Ramadan concludes), more partnerships with employers
• County has multiple rotating vaccination events; most open every 3 weeks. For full list, check here. Mobile vax sites can be found here.
• 67.2% of South County residents are vaccinated. 
•  Media Questions:
• Can schools, public or private, make vaccinations mandatory? Dr. Wooten says it would be up to each individual district who would then have to vote on it, but as far as I've read, making vaccinations mandatory while still in EUA is a sticky situation and almost no entity has tried it. 
• County is encouraged by number of 16-19 year olds getting vaccinated as they've only been eligible since April 15.
• Daily testing numbers include countywide PCR tests. They do not count Antigen./Rapid Tests.
• LA and SF were able to descend to yellow tier because they had more cases (so reinfection now is low), high vaccinations, and higher numbers of people getting tested with negative results which dramatically drops case rate. (This is why I think everyone, especially people with kids in sports or school should continue to get tested regularly, even if parents are vaccinated)
• County now has more doses than demands for appointments
• Only one B.1617 (Indian Variant of Interest) detected in San Diego 
• County Data:
• San Diego County Update - County News Center 
• 226 New Cases/277,323 Total Cases 
• 0 New Daily Deaths/3,716 Total Deaths
• 3,445,425 Doses Received/3,071,489 Doses Administered
• 1,692,336 Partially Vaccinated/1,194,000 Fully Vaccinated
• 1% Daily Test Positivity/1.7% (7-day avg after 7-day lag)/1.4% Test Positivity (14-day average)
• 5.0 cases/100k population (Assessed on 5/4. Adjusted case rate per 100,000 excluding prisons.) 
• 96.8% Case Investigation 
• +2.6% Day Over Day COVID-19 Hospitalizations (137 patients. -16% over 30 days)
• 31% ICU Capacity (35 patients. -33% over 30 days)
• 51 Staffed ICU Beds Available
• 1 New/18 Community Outbreaks (7-day)
• Universities:
• SDSU COVID-19, UCSD COVID-19, USD COVID-19, CSU San Marcos, PLNU

Fletch burns LA:

San Diego Zoo/Rose Garden Photos (Taken 5.6.21)

CoViD-19: Still Airborne | GETVAX Launches | Trouble Hiring? PAY MORE MONEY! | EDD Updates | Facebook Ban of Tweedle-Dum Upheld | US Supports Vaccine IP Waiver |

I did something I had successfully avoided for years. I had to shop at Walmart. Or at least online. Apparently Kotex is discontinuing the tampons I use or there is a shortage because I couldn't find them anywhere else in person or online. So when I found them online at Walmart, I figured it was worth it to chuck my conscience out the window. We threw in cat food, too, which apparently is also seeing shortages. It took one day to arrive and had free shipping, but it still made me cringe. But to the larger point, online shopping has never been easier. It's hard because I'd like to support local businesses, but ordering from Costco and Old Navy and Hanes and Amazon has been a harsh necessity of this pandemic, and I don't know that I'll go back to general retail if I don't have to. 

I was feeling guilty last night after trying to not feel guilty about vaccines. I certainly don't think people should die for risky behaviors, especially if accurate and adequate information may not necessarily be provided to the populous, but I still go crazy about under the nose bros or people choosing to flout recommendations, guidance, and health orders. By some articles, I should chill that out, but how about we hit that 70% or even more of us vaccinated before we start uncorking the champers and declare victory, yeah?

We had a really good day today. My furlough may be coming to an end soon though I don't really mind collecting the Biden Bucks for as long as I need to. In my effort to get us out of the house at least once a day, we took Ficus to Fiesta Island where the slender sunflowers are blooming. Growing up I never thought it was okay to swim in the bay, but after a whole year of not swimming, it felt good to be in the water and soak up a little bit of sun while an endless parade of cute dogs passed us by. Then of course we had to get Tacos El Panson to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. I'm still watching some of today's media briefings but the CDC has a new thing where you can text your zip code to GETVAX and it will send you three vaccination spots close to you. Pretty sweet. I tried it out but will really put it to test the second they announce approval for 12-15 year olds. Stay safe out there.

CoViD 19: Biden Sets 70% Vax Goal | Global Cases Highest Peak Than Any Other Time During Pandemic | Oxygen Crisis | Mexico Train Derails |

Last night I was up all night reading Twitter. It was actually fascinating watching people fight over everything. Seems to be there are two major debates happening there at the moment. There was an Atlantic article on the "liberals who can't quit lockdown" vs the-pandemic-isn't-over,-you fucking-idiot people (Guess where I land.) The other debate is whether the US should continue vaccinating our population and likely expanding vaccination to 12-15 year olds next week vs giving vaccines around the world to older more vulnerable populations, specifically India.  

To me the answer to both debates has to do with the world we actually live in and the one we wished we lived in. In the one we actually live in, capitalism rules (no sharing IP), our US health care sucks, our last president politicized a virus, and our country still had the most COVID deaths in the whole world. In the one we wished we lived in, people would do the right thing, get vaccinated when they can, not price gouge during crises, and not have allowed psychotic leaders like Trump, Modi, and Bolsonaro in office. It sucks and people are dying and there are more worldwide cases now than at any other point in the pandemic, but I and many people like me weren't the ones refusing mask wearing, denying the virus, flouting guidance, going to massive events, rushing back to school or 'normal life'. We locked down like we were supposed to. We minimized our risks. We avoided 'normal life' in ways acceptable and detrimental. So sorry, not sorry. I will be getting the kid vaccinated as soon as she's eligible and let the government do what it needs to do to help the rest of the country and the world, and regardless of what #medtwitter has to say about it, I won't be made to feel guilty about that privilege, though I will appreciate it as such. 

And about getting back to normal life...I'm trying to force myself to do something, anything every day. Today we went to San Diego Zoo Safari Park for a couple hours and it was hot but beautiful and empty and Southern White Rhinos Holly and Mwezi came from way down by the stream all the way up to the lookout and waiting for them was totally worth the trip. Darren is waiting for me in the speakeasy so I'm going to call it a night. Maybe I'll post some pictures later. Stay safe out there.  

CoViD-19: John Oliver Dives Into Vax Hesitancy | County To Open Extended Hour Vax Sites | FDA Expected To Approve Pfizer For Adolescents | Biden Admin Raises Cap On Refugees | CV To Open City Services | Photos: La Jolla Cove |

Today was a really great day, mostly. Nova had yet another traumatic call with her mom, so after dealing with the emotional wreckage of that, she had a piano lesson that seemed to uplift her mood. We were going to the San Diego Zoo, but decided to finally bust to La Jolla Cove for my first time since we pulled her from soccer last fall. 

That sea lion and guano smell hits right as you park your car, but it was so welcome because it has been so long. There is all kinds of construction on Cave St. to Coast Blvd, so my favorite little spot was closed, but it kinda made me feel better in that it's probably been closed for weeks if not months, I haven't been paying attention. It wasn't crowded though as sunset approached, more people kinda lined up to watch the sea lions, but I was able to carve out my little spaces to take some photos while Nova and Darren splashed around in the Cove. 

After we grabbed hot wings from one of the vendors in H Mart and now everyone is asleep so I can go back to watching my dumb show. I guess what made this a really great day is that there was late afternoon breaking news that someone from the FDA let out of the bag that they expect to approve the EUA for Pfizer for kids 12-15 sometime next week. After that, it sounds like the ACIP will meet and then make a recommendation to the CDC. So we're on track for my April 8th prediction that teens will start getting jabs by end of May, though it seems like it will come even faster than that. That is very exciting news, though it may bring up the possibility of Nova traveling this summer after all, which could be trauma the kid just doesn't need before high school. Still, fingers crossed on vaccination approval sooner rather than later. Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: Global Peak Of Cases Driven By India & South America | San Diego Music Awards Announces 2021 Nominees | SDPL Replenishes Seed Library |

Friday was #NationalShelterPetDay (Taken 5.1.21)

 It was kinda nice to feel a little bit of winter for a day, though I was optimistic it would help extinguish the fire on the edge of Anza-Borrego, which I guess they're calling the 
Southern Fire, though it's still only 25% contained at the moment. 

I didn't really do jack shit today because I ended up bingeing a show on Hulu all night. It's not really worth mentioning unless you love Gen Z dramas, in which case "Good Trouble" may be the show for you. I'm gonna keep it short today because there's literally nothing going on around here. San Diego Music Awards announced nominees, so I've included the full list at the end of this post. This year they changed up categories since their weren't any live performances, so I'm not sure which ones will be open to public voting and which will be open only to San Diego Music Academy members, but I'm sure we'll know soon enough. 

Perhaps there will be more excitement over the next couple weeks as our vaccination numbers are looking great and your favorite music venues continue to roll out show dates. There are definitely some exciting ones to come. Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: CA Surpasses 30M Doses Administered | US Surpasses 100M Fully Vaccinated | Transportation Mask Requirement Extended | Science Behind The Guidance | US-India Travel Restricted | Nova's Birthday |

It's been such a nice weekend. After our little family shindig last night, Darren and I hung out in the speakeasy until the wee hours. Today he went and got a new-to-him bike while Nova and I picked up a birthday cake from Baskin-Robbins. We have been ordering fish from KnowSeafood so we had a delightful lobster and scallop dinner (use my referral link for $20 off). And then we discovered that Ross is open until 11pm so we took the kid shopping since she's growing so fast that none of her clothes fit anymore. My Saturday nights have gone from raging at shows to getting excited about shopping in an empty Ross. Who even am I anymore? Send help. 

Be safe out there.