Day 2-CDC recommends all J&J patients get a booster within 2 months
One of the Halloween spaces at Roger’s Garden…
L. and I have lunch at the Rusty Pelican…
10/22/21. Friday
8:00 – My alarm goes off, but I’ve set my clock and watch 15/20 minutes fast, so it’s really around 7:40 a.m. The course content for my highschoolers is set to publish automatically so I only have to “massage” the class today. I stay in bed for transition time.
8:30-9:00 – Finally awake and I go downstairs to say good morning to the dog. She’s still asleep so I sit next to her and rub her tummy until she slowly wakes up. Outside we go and I water a few of my plants while I wait for the dog to finish her business. Return inside and cheese for her; coffee for me.
I check in with my highschoolers on Canvas. It’s a light day – an audio lecture and that’s it. There are no emergencies and things seem to be going well. I dash upstairs to take a shower.
9:00-10:00 – Shower. Lotion. Covid-19 uniform. Light make-up. I finish packing my toiletries. I listen to The Daily.
I check on my highschoolers again – no emails. Class dismissed.
10:00-10:30 –Drive to my therapy session.
10:30-11:00 – It’s a good session and I spend some of it discussing my ongoing socialization project before we move onto other things. I can only afford 30 minutes…sometimes it’s not enough, sometimes it’s just right.
11:00-11:15 – Home and L. is just returning from Starbucks. We load our suitcases in the trunk and hit the road. We spend most of the drive talking and listening to Spooked.
11:15-1:30 – L. and I are right on time for our 1:30 lunch reservations at the Rusty Pelican. We’re in Newport Beach, located in Orange County and a red district, which means that nobody is masking. A little over 2 hours from our house and the communities are as different as night and day. Shockingly, none of the waitstaff, who are collectively white, are masking. The valets, who are all POC…they mask.
L. and I engage in SOPs [Standard Operating Procedure] in that we mask until we reach our table…then we take our masks off. I’ve always found this practice kind of dumb. Covid-19/Delta/Corona virus, or whatever you call it now, floats so what is the point of wearing a mask for a 2-minute walk to your table or restroom, only to take your mask off for a 2-hour dining experience? Who came up with this? In all instances, I would rather sit outside, but sometimes that’s not an option. At least we don’t hear about restaurant “super spreader” events, or at least I never have, even though for the first 1½ years of the pandemic, whenever there was the slightest Covid spike, restaurants were the first thing that blue governors closed.
Typically, a super spreader is some type of party or social event, like the White House-Rose Garden “Amy Coney Barret Confirmation Ceremony” or the “Sturgis Motorcycle Rally”, in South Dakota. Parties…oh, and church choirs…
Nevertheless, I have an excellent lunch: Two glasses of champagne, Caesar salad, and garlic bread [it’s not provided – we had to purchase it]. For my entrée, I ordered the Swordfish and L. gets the Coconut Shrimp. I have leftovers – yay! L. smugly comments that we’re going to make Ventura in plenty of time as it’s only 2:30 now. I gently remind her that the entire reason for this trip is to see Rogers Gardens. Oh.
2:30-3:00 – L. and I drive to said location.
3:00-4:00 – Rogers Gardens doesn’t disappoint! This nursery is incredible and I’m so glad we came. They have staged Halloween scenes throughout the entire facility, hidden away in little alcoves and small buildings and sheds, so that customers serendipitously stumble upon them. Although we’re only 15 minutes away from the Rusty Pelican, here everybody masks, even though it is primarily outdoors; there are masking and social distancing signs everywhere.
“I’ll put a link in the show notes” – that’s what all my podcasters say – because my above description doesn’t do this place justice. Please take the time to watch the below 5-minute video so you have an understanding of how amazing Rogers Gardens is. [you will need to copy and paste the link into your search engine]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP45l7-dFNs
4:00-6:30 – L. and I hit the road, just in time for Friday, rush-hour traffic. The drive is miserable and we actually have to backtrack to get to the Crowne Plaza Hotel, in Ventura. It feels like we’ve been on the road forever and my legs hurt from all of the sitting. L. has been driving the entire day, but seems none the worse for wear. We listen to Radio Rental and Full Body Chills.
6:30-7:00 – Arrive at the Crowne Plaza!! The valet stand is unmanned so we park in the last remaining parking space we can find. Parking is truly terrible on the actual premises…where is the valet?
Ventura is a blue district and the majority of people in the lobby are masking, especially staff. We check in without incident and drop our luggage off at our room…which is wonderful, btw, with a balcony and a view of the surf! I love it.
7:00-9:00 – Downstairs to the lobby and we meet up with Mom, S., and M., then walk behind the hotel to La Cosecha, a Mexican restaurant - waitstaff are masked at this location. I order a mediocre glass of champagne and the calamari, which is huuugggeee and very tasty. More leftovers for me!
9:00-10:00 – Return to the hotel and L. and I unpack. Nighttime routine for me, before L. takes her shower.
10:00-11:00 – I spend this last hour drinking champagne and watching Forensic Files. A full day, but a good one.