Day 33 of rollback-California Covid-19 spike - Governor shuts us down

Rest in peace, Dr. G. [10/31/66 - 8/18/20]

Governor Cuomo says New York gyms can open at 33%, so long as gym-goers mask and social distance. In California, I can’t even get my hair cut.

Friday. 8/14/20.

7:00-8:00- I’m up, so I go downstairs and take the dog out. She pooped near the front door. She does her business outside and I give her cheese. I make my coffee and pack my lunch bag, then go upstairs and get ready.

8:00-9:00 - Shower. Covid-19 uniform. Light make-up.

9:00 - 2:00 - B. picks me up and we head to The Arboretum. The earliest I could order tickets was for 10:00 a.m. It must be 105 degrees today and we’re required to mask. We enter the park, turn left, and explore that section of the park, which means today we see the Prehistoric Forest; the Queen Anne Cottage (from the old show Fantasy Island); the Herb Garden; and the Mayberg Waterfall. I have some apple slices and chocolate along the way. The peacocks are wandering all over the place and one slowly approaches B. as we sit on a bench, under a tree, but then it walks away. I take some pictures of B. following (“stalking”) the peacock, but the bird has lost interest and slowly saunters to another section of the park, so no photo ops with B. and the peacock. Pretty funny. :-)

We didn’t have a chance to go to the right side of the park and explore Africa and Australia today. Too hot.

The Peacock Cafe is open for “grab-and-go” [one of the many new buzz words associated with Covid-19, along with “social distancing”, “masking” (who would have thought the act of wearing a mask would become a verb?); “flattening the curve”; and among educational circles, “synchronous”] and B. buys me an egg salad sandwich on a croissant and a cranberry-turkey sandwich for himself. We’re not allowed to bring our own food into the park and B. brought drinks - read alcohol - so we take our purchases to the picnic tables at the front of the park and set up shop. Typically, we bring ice chests with food and drinks, along with my insulated lunch bag, everywhere we go because of Covid-19. Can I tell you how nice it is for once NOT to have to eat my OWN food? The egg-salad sandwich is delish!

Although it’s incredibly hot AND part of California is on fire today (what’s new?) so the air quality sucks, we’re in the shade and it’s not that bad. A peacock, sensing we have food, slowly approaches and eats out of my hand. By that I mean, he almost pecked my finger off, but I thought it sounded more appealing, as if I am “one with nature”, to phrase it the other way. Their beaks are incredibly sharp - he could have killed us. Although beautiful, they’re NOT genteel - the way he shredded pieces of my croissant was frightening.

3:00 - 6:00 - Back at my house and B. and I watch a few episodes of The Innocence Project featuring defendants who were wrongfully convicted and sat in prison for years and years, before finally being exonerated. So far, they are all POC… Hmmm, I wonder why? Highly recommend.

6:00-8:00 - B. leaves and I take a nap. No exercise for me today as I walked all over The Arboretum.

8:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. - I go to work (by that I mean, I enter my home office) and fine-tune the classes I created yesterday.

***It is during this block of time, while checking email at College No. 1, that I learn that our beloved Dean died from an “accident in her home” on Tuesday. Just last week, Dr. G. was helping me with the prerequisite issue concerning four of my students - I can’t believe she passed, seemingly in the prime of her life. She was only 53, but nobody seems to know the exact nature of “the accident.”

Colleagues and teachers began a online thread immediately discussing all the ways she brightened everyone’s life/day. You know those types of people who are always upbeat and enthusiastic? That was her. I’m usually exhausted when I’m around someone that hyper and positive, but I wasn’t with Dr. G. because it was truly genuine. She really felt and acted that way. All the time. Her opening greeting, to EVERYONE (male or female), was “Hi beautiful!” and she meant it.

I don’t understand what happened… What kind of “accident in her home”? One of the instructors on the thread said she spoke with Dr. G. at the grocery store on Sunday afternoon AND our Associate Dean said he spoke with her, via phone, Monday night. It appears that she died on Tuesday…

Our entire Department is in chaos and the first day of school is on Monday. Rest in Peace, Dr. G. I truly enjoyed working with you (sad face emoji).