CoViD-19:House Passes HEROES Act | County Expands Testing | Wooten Shuts Down KUSI | Farewell, SoundDiego | Frances Quinlan Tiny Desk

Taken 5.10.2020 along the Imperial Beach segment of the Bayshore Bikeway

Can I just call a do-over on today? Some rando broke into our yard at like 4 in the morning, had a dumb work fiasco this morning, then got cut from SoundDiego this afternoon. Now I have to motivate and still muster up another week of articles and I don't know if I have it in me. Today's briefings were pretty chill, and as I predicted yesterday, we'll get them less frequently, though I had it backward and it's actually the County ones cutting to 3x a week, not the City, though I expect them to follow suit as Kev seems to be in lockstep with Cox. My neighbors have officially declared war for the summer, after crossing over my fence and slaughtering our bushes, they attempted to do more today until I screamed at them, and they've blaring their shit music all day long every day, not stopping until 9 or 10 at night, and sometimes beyond that. It's kind of one of those days where you feel powerless as everything spins out of control and it blows. Today's news after the jump.

Wonderfront 2020 Is Postponed To 2021

Wonderfront has bravely posteponed to 2021. Read the full press release below.

SoundDiego: Ryan Foxe Turns Rescuer for Those Affected by Pandemic

A few weeks ago, I wrote a story about Ryan Foxe delivering goods to people in need for SoundDiego and the news side of things at NBC San Diego decided to pick it up and they followed him around and did this rad little story on him. Check it out. (and if you've got some funds to spare, help Ryan accomplish his mission via a small Venmo donation.)



And here's the original story:

Extraordinary San Diegans: Rocker Turns Rescuer for Those Affected by Pandemic (4.25.2020)

CoViD-19: County Libraries to Open For Pickup | City & County vs State | Reservoirs To Open | Nathan Fletcher #WokeAF | Covid-19 4eva! | The Shell Opening Postponed to 2021

Miramar Reservoir 3.17.2019

Okay, today was actually kind of a long day of briefings because the Governor went so long this morning and then the County and the Mayor had some very specific things to say about everything and there was definitely a different tone today of what felt like resignation...that we're never going to beat Covid-19 nor eradicate it in any meaningful way, and it's going to keep mutating so prepare for the new normal and expect to wear a face covering for ever and ever and don't expect to hug or kiss or shake hands again, amen. Of course, nobody said it outright, but that's certainly how it felt. Never forget the covidiot in chief said, “It’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.” I'll share some more links, too. I guess the good news of the day is that Lake Murray and Miramar Reservoir are both reopening on Friday. It just occurred to me while reading through all of the rest of the newsletters that Memorial Day is coming soon, which is yet another arbitrary deadline officials are using after Easter and Mother's Day both passed. And big shocker, my neighbors are having another party today. Anyway, lots more stuff after the jump.

CoViD-19: California Budget Revision | Cats & Bunny Disease Dangers | Soda Bar Hoodies | LA County To Open More Recreation | Covidiot Ammosexuals

It looks like today is going to be a big news day, so I'm gonna just share this now and I'll work on another post for the City and County briefings, plus a bunch of news articles I've gathered since last night. I finally caught up with sleep with a late afternoon nap, then vegging on the couch to catch up on my Bravo shows while Darren was in the studio recording, and then reading for a bit before going to sleep by 2am...much more in line with my normal Casbah lifestyle than staying up until 8am. It's been a chill couple days, we haven't left the house at all since my early week Costco trip, but I think we may go for a coastal drive or walk or hike or bike ride at some point this evening because I've literally gone from walking 3-5 miles a day to big fat zero. I know the picture I used today isn't the best, but that little bird was so bright and I'd never seen it around before and it gives me a goal for a new camera and better lenses, which was supposed to happen in 2020 but may just have to wait until 2021. I'm off to see my butterfly now. Lots of info after the jump.

CoViD-19: Daily Briefings | Avoid CoViD Risks | Trump Doesn't Care If Poor People Die | More Than Half of San Diegans Have "Underlying Conditions"

I did not sleep at all last night. I was up all night long and then the painting crew did the rear of the house, which happens to be our bedroom wall and windows and they were blaring their radio and singing along and it was 7:11 in the morning and I was just not having it. Eventually I fell asleep and got maybe 5 hours of sleep. My butterfly was back in the yard today as I listened to the daily briefings. Sometimes the City ones are unnecessary as they are just a bunch of shout-outs and thank yous. Worthy to the people being thanked but a waste of time for the rest of us. I would imagine the City starts to wind-down the briefings and maybe reduce them to just a few times a week. I've been "rehired" or "unfurloughed" from the Casbah, which means I'll have to report earnings to UI. I'm one of the people who is currently making more on UI than my normal paycheck because of the $600/week CARES bonus, but it's a requirement of the PPP if the Casbah wants the loan to be forgiven so hopefully that means more for everyone else. Or maybe Darren's will kick in. Who knows. Anyway, today's reads and briefings are after the jump. ​

CoViD-19: Support National Independent Venue Association Fight To #SaveOurStages

The empty Casbah stage with a sold out room. This is from the Nada Surf show in January

You may or may not know that I'm responsible for the content of the Casbah's weekly newsletters. This week, I was tasked with taking a little bit of the Belly Up's newsletter and a little bit of Joe Rinaldi's Music Box newsletter to create the Casbah's newsletter. Please take action to contact your representatives. It's preformatted and easy to do. Click here to take action:

SUPPORT INDEPENDENT VENUES.

If you love live music and have wanted to help your favorite small venues, NOW is the time YOU can help in a major way!

Casbah joined the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) when it formed in response to the COVID-19 crisis.  NIVA has linked 1,200 independent venues and promoters across the country, and has joined their voices at the level necessary to get the attention of our congressional leaders.

This organization has a step that asks you, our fans, to use the link below to send an email to your congressional leaders to remind them that it is not only the venues and artists, but the fans they serve that require congress to support the venues put at risk by this crisis.

This email process is very quick to complete, and allows you to tell your representatives that Casbah, Soda Bar, Bar Pink, Music Box, Belly Up,  and every other small venue in town need to have every possible chance to reopen on steady footing at the end of the COVID-19 crisis.

It’s going to require that we show a substantial amount of support and initiative to explain to members of congress (who may not actively participate in live music) that our industry will require special attention, as one of the most challenged sectors of the San Diego economy, in order to survive and continue to be an asset to the community after the crisis.  We sincerely think you are our best advocates.

Thank you for everything, and just know that we can’t wait to reopen and host your favorite bands in our rooms.

We've been told that we only have until Wednesday to gather support, so please click and join our fight.

#SaveOurStages

Some articles for reading:

• My post on NBC: National Organization Asks for Support for Local Music Venues
• Our Industry isn’t coming back like yours is. - Medium
• Without Federal Aid, More than 1,000 U.S. Music Venues Are in Danger of Closing - Rolling Stone 
• Dave Grohl: The Day the Live Concert Returns - The Atlantic

CoViD-19: New State Industry Guidance | Daily Briefings | Joshua Tree Virtual Fest | Interesting Reads | Peel Sessions Released

Tijuana River Estuary 3.29.2020 (before it closed to the public)

I had a great Monday and felt great today. Must be the fresh squeezed lemonade Nova made from a gifted mason jar of lemon juice from our pal Jess (who also hooked up some outdoor patio furniture.) Today we got notification that Nova's school will be reopening on August 18th, and she's pretty stoked about that, though we really can't know if that will actually happen. There was a lot of news today and lots of interesting and infuriating articles. I selected some to share, plus local news from today's State, County, and City briefings per usual. Check it after the jump. 

Photos: Happy (Belated) Mother's Day: Zoo Mamas & Babes

For Mother's Day, I really wanted to do a San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park post of mamas and babes, but like everything, time got away from me and I vacillate between finding the 'perfect' shots versus the blurry, over-exposed, under-exposed, messy ones. But isn't that what motherhood is? Blurry and messy and sometimes over-exposed and sometimes under-exposed? And you all know by now I have no talent nor time for any kind of editing. Occasionally I suppose I'll crop a photo, but even that gets exhausting with the sheer volume of photos I take. These are all posted as taken, and this is just one of my Zoo folders from the last 8 months or so, since I've had this particular laptop. I didn't even get to the other seven. But I'm having some late night cocktails and wanted to share these. I cannot wait until we can get back to the Zoo and Safari Park. You may or may not know that non-profits didn't qualify for PPP funds, so even though I think the Zoo has a lot of sources of income, the cost to maintain and feed all of the animals is immense and maintain their conservation efforts around the world are certainly suffering like the rest of us. If you care to donate to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Conservancy, you can do so here.

CoViD-19: Diary Update | RIP Legendary DJ Steve West | Mexican Beer Deemed Not Essential | Sick Of AirBnB Parties? Call 211 | Kroger Cuts Hero Pay

Our Butterfly Was Back Today Feeling Quite Territorial Against Other Winged Creatures

I will not let Monday win today. In fact, it's been a pretty great day so far. I ran to Costco to refresh our produce and they had at least a truckload of TP, and as we've not eaten out this entire quarantine, I picked up a pizza. It was heavenly, to be honest. I respect everyone who is supporting local businesses and restaurants at this time, and if you feel they're safe enough and you have it in your budget to continue doing so, by all means, do what is right for your family, but for us, we're watching every penny in and out as we wait to hear if Darren is going to get any kind of PUA and knowing Casbah won't be back for some time. My UI certainly won't last forever. But beyond that, I was concerned about my butterfly and yard rabbit and both have been back, and the sparrows whose bushes were slaughtered by my neighbors have relocated to the other side of our house. The butterfly was even following as as Darren and Nova tossed a football back and forth. It was a nice and chill mother's day, we did a distanced visit with my mom and sister, and I fell asleep earlier than I have in weeks. Some links for today after the jump.

Mother's Day 2020 | Pushback On Plandemic | Mom Pics

Took A Short Walk on the Bayshore Bikeway

This kid turned me into a mom when I least expected it. Darren was a super smart single dad and didn't really even let us meet until we were six months into our relationship, and even then it was in small doses. She was already in my life by the time she finished kindergarten. Little did we know that her mom would move across the country when she was in third grade and we'd get to have the kid full time. Times have been good and bad and easy and tough and things are especially weird right now, but I wouldn't have it any other way and am trying to do the best I can to make the most of this pause and reset of life. To my mom, my sisters, and all the other rad moms out there, I hope you had a perfect day. Normally we would have spent the day at Gator By The Bay but hopefully we're back in 2021. I hope everyone enjoyed the day in whatever way warms your own heart.

CoViD-19 Diary: The Grief Is Real | Remembering Scott Huchison | Creating Public Spaces

Scott Huchison of Frightened Rabbit at the Belly Up 5.21.2016

I had a rough day. Darren and I had a speakeasy night in the studio last night and I was still up at sunrise, so that was fun, but in the meantime, my neighbors assassinated the bushes that are on our side of the fence. Yes, they have the right to cut anything over the fence, but they did this horrible hack job that literally looks like they did it with kitchen scissors and cut way into our side, where the bushes originate. This is not the first time they've done this, yes they'll grow back, but they're always full of sparrows and I'm pissed. And on World Migratory Bird day!! This is coinciding with my landlord's repainting without notice, so the painters have moved all of our stuff and I was afraid they'd scared Bun Bun off, but luckily we saw him/her next door in the empty lot, so at least there's that. I didn't see my butterfly today, either, but I wasn't in the yard until late afternoon so hopefully it comes back around tomorrow. But my mood is so all over the place, triggered by missing butterflies, sparrows,  and the yard rabbit, seething at neighbors and distant relatives, and raging at covidiots online, and then just falling into this incredible sadness because today is the 2 year anniversary of Scott Huchison's death and his brother Graham wrote the most heartbreaking tributes on his blog and Instagram that just broke me. I still have a draft post that I wrote when he'd gone missing and was subsequently found that I've never been able to finish, and certainly never posted, now two years later. More after the jump.

CoViD-19: California Releases "Resilience Roadmap" & Endorses Statewide Vote By Mail | Local Music News | Phase 2 In Effect

Strawberry, Tikka, Kitty, Monster, Strawbs, Bubba, Babushka

I was trying to fall asleep last night and kept thinking that maybe I should get out of bed and write a happier post so I didn't leave that last one lingering and seething with negativity. Instead, I decided today's post will only be positive even though sometimes the bad stuff just screams out with a louder voice. I can go back to complaining tomorrow ;) California continues to see a modest decline in hospitalization and ICU stays (.6%) though cases continue to rise daily. My house is getting repainted (not surprisingly, without any notice, but keeping it positive so no dwelling on that today) so I was worried my butterfly would be scared away but it was back today so we had a moment this afternoon before Nova and I went for a drive to Harbor Blvd to pick up some fresh ahi from Haworth Fish to make poke bowls at home. It was a little sad to see Spanish Landing empty when normally this weekend would be filled with Gator By The Bay, but I'm certain the state is being proactive enough that those big events will be back by 2021. Lots of new info and State/County/City Health Order clarifications after the jump.

CoViD-19: I'm Pissed | Chicano Elefante In The Room | LiveNation Plans Post-Pandemic | Tourist Attractions Lay Out Future Protocol | RIP Raina | Unequal Access To Nature

I've been enjoying my daily visits from this Mourning Cloak, bringing joy and beauty every day. 

You know what? I'm pissed. All of us are going through this time in our own way, some have it much worse than others and our feelings can run the whole gamut of grief and loss and sadness and confusion, but today my mom called me while she's out shopping because she 'needed to get out of the house'. WTF?!? All of this push to reopen is communicating to people that things are safe. And she lives in 91911, a ZIP code with one of the highest counts, and it feels like the majority of people are refusing to wear facial coverings. Numbers are not in control. People are still dying in crazy numbers. The infection rate is still climbing. 
So yeah, I'm pissed. More after the jump.

CoViD-19: Uber & Lyft Sued By State & Cities | Red Tide Is Dying | SoundDiego Stories

Bun Bun lives under our studio and occupies our yard at night. We leave her carrots daily. 

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I took cinco-de-drinko to all new heights yesterday, but obviously not too embarrassed to share that here. I had a fun chat with Matt from The Bronx/Mariachi El Bronx for a story I was supposed to write last night (before the sauv blanc really hit.) I'm working outside today and it's nice we have a partially shaded backyard because otherwise it is hot af. I just want to go snorkeling at La Jolla Cove, but like the old days, when we could go on a weekday afternoon and it would mostly be empty. I haven't even done a driveby since March so I have no idea what it's like these days. I wish that seal cam was still working. Apparently the red tide is dying, too, so if you didn't catch the bioluminescence at night, tonight might be your last chance to do so...I recommend Law Street (park on Mission Blvd and walk) or Windansea. Steer clear of Sunset Cliffs and OB. I'm slowly working through email today and have yet to watch any daily briefings, but I think I might just skip them today since Thursday is supposed to be the big news day. My 15 year old backyard furniture is falling apart beyond repair, so I hope Ikea can reopen and sell me a cheap replacement set, although if my pay isn't secure past July and my job won't come back for months, is it a justifiable expense? I have this depression-era image in my brain of people boiling leather shoes for soup stock and it terrifies me daily.
Newsy stuff after the jump.

Covid-19: SaveOurStages | Fuck Guilty Gilead |Day Cares Opening | Free Mental Health Apps Exist

The last day we could experience San Diego Zoo Safari Park Before Covid Shut It Down

I woke up feeling great and then spent the afternoon sitting out in the backyard and letting the sun wash over me. Our butterfly is back today, but we've seen two more come and go and the three flutter around in a tussle, so while the little one I think is the repeat visitor briefly landed on my phone, my forehead, and my shoulder before I could snap another picture, I believe it's either mating time or defending territory time before its life cycle comes to an end. I watched a super great movie last night on HULU called Hector and the Search For Happiness (2014) starring Simon Pegg and Toni Collette and it had me laughing and crying and feeling all the feels. It has a very Walter Mitty vibe if you're into that self-deprecating middle-aged-white-dude-trying-to-find-himself vibe. Apparently it only has a 37% on Rotten Tomatoes but I really enjoyed it. I slept well and am just getting on with my day, staying isolated with my household in our backyard. For my own sanity, I'm gonna do the jump here.

CoViD-19: California To Roll Into Phase 2 Openings Starting Friday | County Expands Testing | Some Thoughts On Golf

Someone's Got A Case of the Mondays

Man, it is so hard to watch the daily briefings and NOT look at the comments. Ug. And then I couldn't resist a comment, not directed at any one person mind you, but still got grief over it and now I'm stewing on it and super annoyed at myself for having commented in the first place. Whatever. It was a good day otherwise.
Tim Burgess of the Charlatans UK (the first concert I ever went to) has been doing "Tim's Twitter Listening Party" for a decade and the concept is that everyone starts a designated record at the same time and then the artists and fans chime in and comment as the record plays on, listening together apart. So this morning kicked off with James "Living In Extraordinary Times" and then went right into Starsailor's "love is here" so that was kinda fun.
I watched all the briefs today but it was both a big news and no news day because while we're going to start rolling into "phase two" of reopening, there are a lot of guidelines that need to be worked out before Friday, and neither the governor nor any of the local politicians will be specific about punishment or penalties for non-compliance, besides to say that 80 bars that had stayed open were threatened with losing their ABC licenses permanently. We spent more time in the yard, our butterfly returned for a little visit, we played some more yard sports and made cheeseburgers and hand-cut fries for dinner.
A very simple but satisfying day.

Covid-19: Crasher Debuts EP | Watch 80s MTV | Paying The Price For May | Costco Changes Policies | More Beach Openings

We've been loving the daily visits from this Mourning Cloak butterfly

I had a really excellent weekend. Everyone always tells us how important it is to exercise, but life is really hard right now and you should pat yourself on the back just for getting out of bed, for taking a shower, for cooking a meal. But I guess I have to admit the experts know what they're talking about. We took advantage of the beautiful weather playing some backyard volleyball, badminton, football, and I decided to attempt tennis lessons for Nova, but then I served up a couple baskets and it felt so good to get my heart really pumping and breaking a sweat. We had a nice dinner in the yard and the mourning cloak butterfly who keeps coming back every day returned and landed on Nova. The night got a little weird as there was some gnarly arrest at the gas station on my block, but it seemed t have resolved without incident. Still, that many cops and the helicopter and the yelling is very nerve-wracking. Don't forget that all the SXSW Film Festival movies are on Amazon Primeright now. "Quilt Fever" is a short and it's super cute and will give you the warm fuzzies. Everyone is talking about "My Darling Vivian," too, so that one is added to my queue. I think we all saw pictures and stories about that piece of shit at Vons in Santee wearing a KKK Hood, but I'm trying not to give the story oxygen. Still, some links after the jump:

Rosey's Covid-19 Diary: #Adulting | Taxes Filed | Yard Fun | Boy Girl Party Offers Self Care Gifts | Hijas de Maiz | Chicano Nuevo

I was completely off the news cycle today. It was more of the same---states reopening, spikes in national cases, nearly 3,000 new deaths nationwide in 24 hours, covidiots protesting and flouting the laws and guidelines. Instead, we hung tight at home. I super-slept in because my bed felt so nice, then I buckled down and filed my 2019 taxes. My personal financial health has always been one of my biggest personal flaws. My dad worked in finance for over 30 years in the government, still I've always felt so poor and uneducated in this area for so long. So it was a nice little gratification to deal with that one portion at least. Props to free filing at TaxAct which seamlessly navigated me through W-2s, 1099s, and deductions. Going to still have to deal with past issues and whatnot, but as Erika Jayne said in a recent RHOBH episode, problems have a way of getting bigger the longer you avoid them. So while my plans to buy a new fancy camera are put off indefinitely, I feel a little better that I won't wake up in the middle of the night with cold sweat tax nightmares.

Once that was done, we played in the backyard. A little volleyball, then some football. My dear friend Jeff dropped by with some goods for the 'speakeasy'-- some Alpine beer, a bottle of Bulleit Rye, some ginger ale, the new Heavy Hawaii and Hazel English albums, and some gum for the kiddo. Then we made a nice dinner of links, corn on the cob, and sauteed baby bellas. It was definitely a good day and my spirits are up. Now I'm in the speakeasy with Darren having some cocktails and we're trying to decide if we should keep the smaller window A/C unit or set up the larger one we were gifted. Absolutely feeling 'hashtag blessed' at the moment. We'll eventually start getting out of the house for some time at a park or the coast or a bike ride, but we're just waiting for the weekend to pass and see how things suss out. For now, the backyard will serve us just fine. I'll share a couple links after the jump just for good measure.

Rosey's Diary | Nova's 13th Birthday | CoViD-19 Updates | Canada Bans Assault-Style Weapons | Covid Confusion

We had a physically distant backyard birthday for Nova

I had a late, late night last night. It was really fun doing a Zoom with Brian and Tyler from The Kabbs for today's SoundDiego story, then Darren and I had a speakeasy night, and I caught up with my pal Tony on HouseParty, too. Today is Nova's 13th birthday, so we made a decision to allow my sisters and nieces to come hang out in the yard, distanced and using common sense and all that, and it really set in how lucky we are to have the space we have. I guess we're in violation of the rules, but I assure you we had way more space between us than anyone is giving or getting in grocery stores or at MayDay protests and even public parks and beaches. I didn't watch any of the daily briefings live today, mostly because all the drama this week already happened, but now that I've watched them, I wish I had the time back. No new news, really, but I've still got a couple links to share after the jump.