Day 15 of rollback-California Covid 19 spike-Governor shuts us down

The Women’s Derby Association (WFTDA) recently created a multi-tiered comprehensive Covid-19 plan, designed to bring the sport back safely, in phases - no outbreaks thus far. The guidelines are so comprehensive and well-regarded that sports teams in ALL disciplines throughout the COUNTRY have contacted WFTDA for a copy so they can implement the guidelines for their own leagues. The National Women’s Soccer League also created their own guidelines and, collectively, all players agreed to hold “matches” in a Covid-19 “bubble” , located in Utah - no outbreaks thus far.

The last week of June, men’s Major League Soccer (MLS) decided to hold their soccer tournaments in the Disney World bubble, in Orlando, Florida, the state with the hottest Covid-19 outbreak in the nation. As I write this, there have been 442,000 Covid-19 cases and 6116 deaths. Sure…lets have the bubble here! By July 2, TEAM FC Dallas had carried the virus into the bubble, via 10 players and a coach, effectively exposing 26 teams. FC Dallas was sent home and the rest of the teams were forced into a 14-day quarantine.

Major League Baseball (MLB) created a complete guide for managing Covid-19 with no ‘bubble’ proposed. Additionally, no guidelines were provided regarding the steps to take if a player tests positive. Within four days of baseball returning, two Marlins’ players tested positive for Covid-19. Because there are no MLB guidelines, the dirty Marlins, in a group chat, made a collective decision to move forward with their opening game, not caring about potentially infecting the team they were playing against and the MLB (all men) were on board with this decision. Maybe this is a new cheating strategy - try to make your opponents sick instead of banging trash cans to alert batters to the type of pitch that’s coming across home plate (f—king Astros). In 24 hours, 12 more Marlins and two coaches (all men) tested positive for Covid-19. The opposing team caught wind of it and refused to play, resulting in the suspension of the dirty Marlins’ season. Not only were their games canceled, but so were future games between other teams who were previously scheduled to play at Marlins Park (in Florida) because the dirty Marlins had spent some time in the Marlins Park dugout.

The NBA is in a Covid-19 bubble at Disney World, in Florida. All of the men are heavily quarantined - they can’t see their wives or family for the rest of the season - and they are tested multiple times per week, along with numerous temperature checks. Two weeks in, Lou Williams, from the Clippers, is excused to allegedly attend the funeral of a family friend. Unfortunately, he is seen entering an Atlanta strip club “to pick up take-out” and someone told the NBA, prompting a mandatory 14-day quarantine for Williams. It is unclear if he came into contact with other NBA players before he was quarantined. Who knew that the strip-club in question offered such exceptional take-out…? Could you be any more stupid? There have been no sightings of female soccer players frequenting strip clubs…

7/27/20. Monday

Class enrollment moves to 14…

7:30 - 8:30 - the dog is barking so I go downstairs and take her out. No poop in front of the door today. I pick up the dog poop outside (in her special area, on the astroturf, where she rarely poops) and put it in the trash can, then move L.’s car and take the trash cans out curbside - trash day today. We have several flower arrangements going, so I cull them out. I’m extremely sore from last night’s work-out and move around stiffly. I pack a lunch for my scheduled pool adventure, warm up my coffee, and go upstairs.

I put the towels in the drier.

8:30-10:30 - I read Sometimes I Lie

8:45 - L leaves for the post office and then work at the art studio.

10:30-11:30 - I shower and put on my bathing suit. I pull down my lightest suitcase and start packing for our Vegas trip. I listen to The Daily.

11:30 - 12:00 - I put my beach bag, thermal lunch bag, and portable Chaise lounge in the car, and drive TWO blocks to my community pool across the street.

12:08- 12:55 - I scheduled my time slot a few days ago. When I arrive, I’m asked to sign a “liability protection” waiver [courtesy of Mitch McConnell - j/k - not really] and I have to show my CDL. Guests are NOT allowed so I tell the “pool guard”, who’s a “limey” by the way (how does THAT happen), that my husband and I just got married and his CDL still isn’t updated because of Covid-19. Under those circumstances, would my “HUSBAND” still fall under the guest category? Yes. If I decide to bring B. to the pool, he will be denied entrance to MY community pool, which I pay $216 a month to use [HOA fees], unless we show a joint utility bill as proof that B. lives at my address.

There are only TWO shaded areas at the pool, and, in the past, a patio table and lounge chairs were always there. My HOA made the decision to remove every. single. piece. of patio furniture. Two Moms and their 4 kids are in the pool and have one of the shaded areas; the other shaded area is open, except for a fat guy, in a T-shirt and shorts, sitting on the cement and talking on his phone. It is unclear who he is, but he is taking the only remaining shaded area. I see him interact with one of the Moms once…is he a husband? I’m irritated.

A few tree branches are hanging over the edge of the fence and creating “slivers” of shade. I set up my chaise lounge there - it’s the best I can do. I arrange my beach blanket on my portable chaise, read my book, and eat the salad and chicken/carrots I packed. Although the pool is huge, the Moms and their kids keep walking and running past my chair, neither masking nor social distancing. I want to tell all of them to get the f—k away from me, but I say nothing. When they are all in the jacuzzi, I wade in the pool, up to my stomach and then…it’s time to go.

At 12:55, the “limey” tells us all to leave. I gather my ‘equipment’ and leave the pool, as do the Moms and their brood. There is nobody in the pool, which begs the question: “Why are we forced to leave after ONE hour when there is nobody else in the pool?” Sidebar: R. (L.’s boyfriend) says the community pool at his apartment complex is OPEN, complete with patio furniture and no guidelines. L. said she saw a Mom and her kids at the pool for about 5 hours. R. said if Management tried to implement pool guidelines, there would probably be an uprising.

Maybe I can go to R.’s pool.

1:00-1:30 - I get gas and go to the ATM. Then, I bring in the trash cans.

1:30-3:00 - I read Sometimes I Lie

3:00-4:30 - I take a nap. This seems to be the only consistent part of my retirement routine, thus far.

5:00-6:30 - I schedule our Las Vegas trip, calling Marriott Hotels to check out my “points” for reservation deals. I book our rental car [rates through Enterprise are incredibly cheap - $55 per day for a Cadillac], and call around for information on the pool cabana. I reserve two nights at the Cosmo. I hope I don’t die from Covid-19.

7:00 - 8:00 - L. returns from work. There was a terrible incident at the Post Office. Everyone is in line wearing masks, when a 40-something woman enters without one. She cuts to the front of the line, because apparently she only has to ask a question, and is too close to a customer who is masking. The customer turns to her, tells her she’s being selfish, and screams at her to “wear a fucking mask.” When she starts to say she has a medical condition, the customer says, “You know that’s bullshit!” [Spoiler Alert: This just in - doctors are now saying that there are virtually NO medical conditions that would prohibit masking.] According to L., they really got into it.

I tell L. that the cabana place was closed and I was unable to reserve a cabana, poolside, at the Cosmo. She goes online and reserves it within seconds. These Gen-Zers!!! Why didn’t I think of that?

I have two pieces of leftover pizza that R. brought over the other day.

9:00-10:30 - I do some yard work, sweeping and raking the backyard, then spraying down the astro turf and treating it with buckets of Simple Green, one at a time. When I’m finished, I water all of my plants.

10:30-12:00 - I catch up on blog entries

12:00-1:00 - L. and I watch Love After Lockup and scream at the TV.

1:00-2:30 - I continue packing, switch out my backpack for a regular purse, and start my nighttime routine. Bed.