Day 7 - Governor Newsom imposes new restrictions
Bike ride this morning…
Tonight we learn that the Governor has closed all restaurants in LA County for the next three weeks. Interesting that this announcement came on a SUNDAY, instead of during the regular news cycle. This is a complete closure - no outdoor dining at all and it’s effective on Wednesday. Gyms, nail salons, and Massage Envy remain open. Oddly, Pasadena, which has it’s own health department, has chosen to allow it’s restaurants to maintain a ‘business-as-usual’ outdoor seating approach. Go Pasadena!
Long Beach, which also has it’s own health department, has chosen to go the LA County route. Talk about spineless!
Sunday. 11/22/20
8:00 – I had all these grandiose dreams of getting up at 6:00 a.m. and raking the yard…yeah.
I lay in bed until 8:30. Time to go downstairs and see the animal. She is up and waiting for me – we go outside and I see that she has already pooped on the patio. She does her business and we return inside-bacon for her, green tea for me. I do the dishes and give the dog water. I ‘zelle’ L. money for the Google slides she reformatted for me…read some online news…
Still detoxing and not really hungry. I have a few walnuts.
9:00 – 10:00 - Upstairs and I start a load of laundry, wipe down surfaces in my bathroom, and clean my toilet. Shower. Bicycle uniform. Light make-up. I drink a Pressed Juicery – Green 1 (only vegetable juice, no fruits). I listen to The Weeds.
I pack my bike kit – a small purse that fits in my basket containing a mask, mini bottle of hand sanitizer, TJ snack pack, walnuts, apple slices, tissues, my house key, a credit card, and my CDL.
10:00 – 1:00 - B. arrives with his bike, puts air in my tires, and we go on a bike ride. I found a paseo that looks interesting near the tennis club so we bike to that path and take it. It’s a pretty smooth ride – level, without a constant incline like I’ve experienced in the past, and we pass a flat 4-mile hiking trail, complete with mile markers [Cliff’s Stone Trail], that looks interesting for another day.
It’s perfect weather wise – I don’t even need a jacket – my tank top suffices. We circle around our community and return home at 11:45???? It may have been 4 miles round trip. I stop mid-way and have a few apple slices.
B. and I go through Starbucks and I order an ice green tea, no sweetener; B. gets…something??? and oatmeal. Return to my house and we sit outside on my back patio, which is absolutely covered in leaves [embarrassing], and talk politics. I have a few walnuts.
1:00-3:30 – B. listened to my last audio lecture of the semester on his walk the other day and took notes, so we go over those and talk politics.
3:30 – 5:15 - B. suggests we continue our date by going to Saddleback Ranch happy hour, then stopping by the Festival of Trees (he has a coupon), created by the Boys and Girls Club of America, so we can see the gingerbread houses and the Xmas trees decorated with various themes. Sounds good.
For Xmas, I asked B if his gardener could fix/replace three of my ground lights AND my hose cart, so B. takes a look at these items before heading out – B. thinks he might be able to fix them himself. He leaves, but will return around 5:00.
-I finish my load of laundry, clean the downstairs toilet, and touch up my make-up after that bike ride. I can feel my body stiffening – is this old age? But, I think this has always been the case for me after intense exercise. I have my last remaining apple slices with almond butter and this officially counts as my one fruit serving for the day. I also have more walnuts.
5:15 – 7:30 - B. arrives and we drive to our local mall. The Festival of Trees display is closed and there is a 45-minute wait for Saddleback, so we end up at 50/50 Slaters instead, where we only have to wait 15 minutes. This is a Sunday night, people!! Why is every place so crowded? The waiter masks and has a visor. Patrons are masked until they sit down to eat, but the tables seem too close to me, even though we are basically eating outside [a tent with all the window flaps pulled down]. The service is great and I order an Ahi-Poke salad, the only thing on the menu that follows my detox rules. B. gets something ??? and a blonde beer. The service is excellent, as is my salad. I have quite a bit left and happily take it home. B. gives me the coupon for the Festival of Trees so I can use it at a later date. Will do.
7:30 –11:00 - Return home and I make B. a double 7&7, then fill a wine glass with sparkling WATER for me. Cheers.
We sit upstairs in my room, talk politics, and watch Unsolved Mysteries – the Mystery on the Rooftop episode.
B. leaves.
11:00 – 12:30 - Downstairs and I go to work. My last lecture for Specialty Class No. 1 needs to be recorded for my 2:30 class tomorrow. I rewrite the “script” (my lecture notes) and recreate my PP slides. I send this NEW batch of slides to L, AFTER she has already reformatted the old slides that I sent her previously. This NEW batch of slides that I just sent her [12:30 a.m.] has to be redone by tomorrow. I know she has already finished the formatting on the OLD slides I sent her…this is going to cost me.
At 12:30, I email the new slides for Chapter 11 to L. and then return upstairs to speak with her about it. L. is a night owl like me and is usually awake until 1:00 a.m. True to form, L. is going to charge me for the “rush job.” I counter that I’m her mother and a valuable client, but she does not waver. Spoiler alert: L. ends up giving me a 10% holiday discount when she sends me the invoice.
1:00-2:30 – I select the audio clips and podcasts to play between the slides, set everything up for recording, then call it a night.
2:30 – 3:00 - I have a few bites of the ahi-poke salad before heading upstairs and I take a bottle of Pelligrino with me for the bubbles. I take the dog out, then shut the house down.
3:00-3:30 – Night time routine. Bed.