flying off to cali... cali... cali

Last month, after a long phone call about Ronnie and loss and pandemic, Paul and Cathy invited me to come see them... and I accepted.

Within a week, I'd actually purchased tickets, taking a giant step toward normalcy and an even larger leap away from shelter in place.

Now, within an hour, I'll be stepping off the plane at Oakland and into Paul's car.

This will be our first in-person meeting since their visit to me in 2014.

That's far too long to go without seeing friends-who-are-family.

I took this photo to make sure he'll recognize me, with the smiling-moustache mask I changed into while in the Dallas airport.

I'm also wearing the t-shirt I'd bought in the Oakland airport, on my first visit to them, back in February of 2008.

Speaking of Dallas, I had a nice, three-hour, stretch there.

Originally, it was to be almost two hours, giving me a good break to get a bit of dinner - necessary, as Southwest didn't provide meals.

After a big bowl of tofu, beans, and rice from Moe's, I walked about and stumbled upon this Lil Love's Lounge.

Very nice, with fun graphics on the wall and a soft floor!

And what did I do to keep occupied?

I played sudoku, naturally, with the game book I'd purchased at the dollar store a few months ago.

The first two were done in Savannah, one before boarding, the other as the plane taxied.

The other four were during the 3-hour, 30-minute flight between Texas and California.

Not that puzzles were all I did... but they were certainly the most calming.

After all, they're part of my new groove.

Now, pardon me, but the plane should soon be landing... El Cerrito, here I come!

i thank You, God!

georgia is doing what on friday?

Had I not caught Governor Brian Kemp's press conference live yesterday, I would have been incensed when I heard about, as most of my friends - and some of my family - have been.
Fortunately, I had taken a late slunch and, while casting for something to entertain me on tv, came upon what turned out to be an hour-long press conference, just beginning at 4 PM.
I'm glad I watched, not only the announcement, but the politician's body language.

Yes, he was saying that Georgia would be re-opening a lot of businesses on Friday, April 24th, businesses like hair salons, barber shops, gyms, mani-pedi spas, malls, bowling alleys, tattoo parlors.
He also said that restaurants would be opening for dine-in eating on Monday, April 27.
Ridiculous on the face of it, right?
However, each such business owner would have to decide whether to remain closed or not.

Should the business owner of such
an establishment decide to re-open, they must meet a list of stipulations - responsibilities toward their employees and patrons - before they would be allowed that privilege.
Say what?
That sounded a lot like he was trying to placate the masses who had voted him in, but also take care not to be liable for any increase in COVID-19 deaths on his term in office.
It all reminded me of the mayor in "Nightmare Before Christmas".
He was placing the responsibility for re-opening squarely on the shoulders of the business owners, not on the state of Georgia.
His body language said that he was very uncomfortable with this early opening.

This morning, with my breakfast, I happened to catch our mayor on tv.
Here's my message to my bfrb.
"I'm watching the press conference from our Mayor, Van Johnson, saying there will NOT be such openings this Friday, nor of dine-in at restaurants on Monday.
We are STILL on shelter-in-place orders for Savannah.
Thank God we have a good, science-smart mayor in charge here."



Later today, on fb, I tried to get that across to folks.
"I saw Gov. Kemp's press conference yesterday and watched it again last night.
I believe he was just giving lip service to those pressuring for a re-opening.
There are SOOOO many stipulations which have to be met by the business owners that I doubt many of them will be able to comply.
Meanwhile, the governor looks good to the folks badgering him and the rest of us stay safe.
His stay-at-home order, by the way, is still active up to April 30.
If he had been truly planning to open businesses on Friday, he would have to rescind that order.
Meanwhile, Mayor Johnson said we are following the science and businesses in Savannah will stay closed.
Hallelujah!"

One more good thing I learned this morning.
Mayor Johnson has arranged for the company that does post-hurricane debris pick-up to collect yard trash next week.
The collection will be on the usual day that the city would have collected the yard trash.
Mine will be gone on Wednesday, so I have begun working on bushes again.
Hallelujah!

Hallelujah.
I am so fortunate to have been in the right place, right time yesterday and today for those special newscasts.
Yesterday afternoon, I had turned on the television to watch the last half of "25 Words Or Less".
Instead, I had been alerted that the governor's press conference would begin in a few minutes...
and I had stayed tuned to that channel.
This morning, I had turned on the television to watch "The Price Is Right", but the mayor and his sign language interpreter were on...
and I had stayed tuned to that channel.
i thank You, God.

Now, I'm going to enjoy my dinner by watching a little television.
"Quantum Leap" is about to come on...
my thanks to Comet TV for blessing me with two hours of this time travel show...
and i thank You, God, for placing it into my life.
Right place, right time.

death by ignorance of science

That's the cold, hard truth of the matter.
There are so many American citizens who are ignorant of basic science - and, sadly, rather proud of their ignorance, as if it's some mark of being a "cool kid" rather than a "nerd".
Those are the people now holding marches - marches, I say, walking shoulder to shoulder, not a face mask in sight - to protest the "shelter in place" orders.
Those are the people wanting their professional haircuts and beard trims and salon dyes, their professionally polished and trimmed fingernails and toenails, their drycleaned suits and dresses.
Those are the people thinking only of the "inconvenience" of having to lose part of their privileges in the name of being responsible toward the health of others.
Those are the people being the spoiled, selfish, egocentric sorts that are going to drive up the numbers of dead in this country.
Heartbreaking.
What is particularly heartbreaking is the number of people in my small world of family and friends who are part of that selfish group.
What is particularly heartbreaking is the inability to understand that even someone who is not showing symptoms for up to 14 days can still be infected and spreading the virus to others.
What is particularly heartbreaking is their firm conviction that this pandemic has been overblown and a case of science forecasting a bogeyman that never quite materialized.
What is particularly heartbreaking is their belief that their lack of critical factors - age > 65 years old, diabetes, asthma, HIV, cancer patient, arthritis, other immune-comprising diseases - renders them impervious to harm by SARS-CoV-2.
What is particularly heartbreaking is their total lack of comprehension about how easily they can transmit this coronavirus to a family member or friend or stranger, someone who would then develop COVID-19 and who would die an agonizing, slow, painful, terrifying death, gasping for breath, alone in a hospital bed.
Heartbreaking.
The situation is further imperiled by the lack of coordination in action on the federal, state, county, and city levels.
The politicians are allowed to make rulings independently of scientific or medical input, just in accordance with what will get them re-elected for their next term.
A few are making good choices, insisting on doing what is right for the health of all.
However, those are having a tough go of it, catching belligerence from those who think the restrictions are too much and those who want those restrictions tightened.
I hope Mayor Van Johnson will continue to "keep the faith, but believe the science".
I just wish the Georgia governor and the President of the USA would do the same.
Heartbreaking...
but not yet without hope.