Day 6 - Governor Newsom rescinds restrictions - Outdoor dining reinstated!

State Street, Santa Barbara…where L. and R. went today…

The California vaccine roll-out is such a mess that Governor Newsom awards the contract to Blue Shield.  Californians continue to be up in arms about this new development.  Instead of increasing man(woman) power in the Health Depts of our 58 counties, the good citizens of California are now left holding the bag and stuck with a Blue Shield invoice.  After all this, we learn that – surprise! - Blue Shield was a major contributor to Governor Newsom’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign.

This just in…there are whisperings…oh so quiet conversations…that the vaccine is linked to bell’s palsy.  Not to worry, though.  A medical professional is quoted as saying that “If you get bell’s palsy after the vaccine, you were going to get it anyway.”  I feel so much better now.

Finally, I have a question…why do sooo many people get sick after that second dose? There are numerous reports of people ‘knocked out’ by the second jab, to include nausea, muscle fatigue, unable to get out of bed, etc. In fact, medical professionals are encouraging people scheduled for their next dose to take that day off work!  Am I the only one who thinks this is strange?  I’ve been vaccinated for numerous diseases – you can read my vaccination card for proof – and I have NEVER been sick after receiving a vaccine.  Never.  I’ve never had a flu shot…yes, I’m one of those people…but for any of you out there who HAS had a flu shot, do YOU get sick after your injection?

1/30/21. Saturday.

8:00 – I hear L. take the dog out and leave for work. I go back to sleep.

10:00 – 10:30 - Up and I go downstairs to say good morning to the dog.  Because our routine is cemented in her ‘muscle memory’, she still grabs her toy and wags her tail to go outside, even though L. took her out earlier.  Outside and she goes potty.  Back inside and cheese for her, coffee for me.  I go upstairs.

10:30-12:00 – I read Dancing.

12:00-1:30 – Blog post

L. returns.  She and R. leave for Cat Therapy in Santa Barbara.

1:30-2:30  - I make scrambled eggs and read a Money Diary.

2:30-3:30 – I check personal email and emails from the Colleges, then send a sternly worded email to the students (10) who did not take the Video Quiz at the end of class.  I inform them that they received a 0 on the Video Quiz and were also marked absent. Spoiler Alert – none of the students respond – they appear to be too embarrassed.

-B. is taking Specialty Class #1 and is ready for the Chapter 7 lecture so I forward it to him, along with links to the supplementary material.

4:00-5:00 – Shower. Lotion. Covid-19 uniform.  I listen to Airtalk

5:00-6:00 – I braid my hair and listen to the New York Times Book Review.

6:00-6:30 – I take the dog for a walk. I listen to Organize 365.

-L. and R. return.

6:30-7:00 – I leave to run errands.  I find that running errands a couple hours before the stores close is the best time. I continue to listen to Organize 365. It’s a given that I’m always double-masked.

7:00-8:00 – Home Depot. Somehow, by the grace of God, I manage to hoist two huge bags of red rock into my cart.  I also buy some flowers for two containers at home. There are virtually no customers here.

-Once at the car, using my super-human strength [I still weigh only 100 pounds], I’m able to wrestle the bags of red rock from the cart into my trunk.  Can this count as my exercise for today?

8:00-8:45 – Michaels. I buy four picture frames so I can frame L.’s recent pieces. Three customers in the entire store.

9:00 – 9:15 -  Home Goods. I buy a picture frame so I can frame the Xmas picture of L. and I that B. took last month.  I miscalculated here – the store is closing when I enter so there is a line for the cashier.  Granted the line is only 7 people, but the point of running errands at the end of the day is so I do not encounter crowds of any kind.  Now, I’m standing in line with these people, although I am double-masked.

9:15-9:45 – ATM for therapy money and to reimburse B. for a special light bulb that L. ordered.  Long story, but this particular light bulb is in violation of California EPA law because of the number of lumens it emits, so B. had to ask his sister, in ARIZONA, to order the light bulb and then ship it to him in California.  All of this cost me $60!!!  It’s unclear why I’m stuck with the bill for L.’s light bulb(s) [she ordered two].

9:45-11:00 – I have a piece of pizza with some leftover salad and read Dancing.

R. leaves. L. is working on homework assignments.

11:00 –11:15 -  I superglue a  bracket to the frame I just bought for my and L.’s Xmas picture.  It will be ready to hang tomorrow.

11:15-12:15 – I catch up on another blog post.  I’m slightly behind.

12:30-1:30 – I do a HIIT 1-hr full body circuit workout with 5-lb weights.

1:30-2:00 – L. tells me about her day:

Unfortunately, when R. and L. arrived at Cat Therapy, almost all of the cats were asleep, although it was still fun.  After, R. and L. had an excellent dinner at Finneys, a gastro pub.  L. said it was outdoor dining, but the tables were too close together.  Even so, L. said it was worth dining in slightly unsafe conditions after having experienced the closure of all California restaurants over the past 63 days.  She said it was great to eat at a restaurant and highly recommends Finneys.

L. said that she and R. walked around State Street for awhile and happened to find an art gallery that was actually open.  They went inside and looked at cool art and sculptures – L. hasn’t been to a museum in a year and this art gallery is as close as she’s going to get for awhile.  They both highly enjoyed it.

Then, as they were heading to the car, L. and R. heard live music. Transfixed, the two of them followed the sound – liked the Pied Piper – and came across a duo consisting of a masked man playing the guitar and a masked woman, singing in Spanish.  They were on the corner, outside one of the restaurants.  L. said people stood silently, 6 to 10 feet apart, throughout the street and sidewalks, watching and listening to the performance.  L.  has not heard live music, other than R.’s band practice, in over a year and she said it was beautiful, although strange [I’m going to insert the word “creepy”] to see pedestrians standing silently, like soldiers at military attention, staring as the two played and sang…

2:00-3:30 – L. and I watch The Vow and scream at the TV.  I frame two of L.’s pieces while watching the show.

3:30 –4:00 -  Night time routine. Bed