Day 26-BA2.12.1 is the current variant

L. and I had brunch at the Topanga Living Cafe…then onto Nordstroms for emergency shoe-shopping…

If our poo and pee [wastewater] are any indication, Covid BA2 appears to be peaking. Dr. Kimberly Shriner says we’ll be in good shape for the Fall as long as a new variant fails to emerge. Really? When has a new variant ever failed to emerge? Every time we turn around, another branch of the Omicron family tree is forming; some of these sister variants fall by the wayside [BA3 and BA4] while others stick around.

Looks like BA2 is here to stay because it continues to cause the majority of recent Covid cases. BUT, don’t think you’re out of the woods yet if you’ve already contracted BA2… Newsflash: You can contract this s—t repeatedly, even if you’ve been vaccinated and boosted. What number booster are we on now? 25? The boosters continue to use the same Covid 19 virus from two years ago which begs the question, “Why are we still constantly told to get boosted when the vaccine hasn’t been updated in TWO years?”

At this point in the pandemic, most scientists believe that boosters only give you 14 days of 100% protection, BUT that’s AFTER a 7-day waiting period, once you’ve received the jab. Don’t think you’re good to go once you’ve received that initial “boost” - you’ve still got 7 days before it kicks in.

Seriously…is this the best Big Pharma can do? Administering the same booster, which is really just the original Covid-19 vaccine, over and over again, so we can have just TWO weeks of immunity from the WRONG variant? Not only that…you, the patient, are in charge of strategically scheduling a booster for important events in your life, like flying, going to a music concert, or hosting a large, indoor surprise party:

To-do List: streamers, balloons, birthday cake, BOOSTER [7 days prior to the event], candles, spiked punch, etc.

6/6/22, Monday

8:00-8:15-I’m up and I go downstairs ASAP because I need to create the Home Page for the last week of my online class. The dog hears me coming down and greets me at the foot of the stairs. Unfortunately, she pooped to the right of the stairs. I take her outside immediately, then bacon for her, coffee for me. I pick up the poop and go to work.

8:15-9:45-Creating the Home Page involves pulling the Syllabus to see what’s due, then listing the agenda for the students, then posting the course content. This takes longer than expected.

-A Video Quiz is due this week but it has no introductory paragraph so I cut and paste it from another Canvas shell into this one.

-A second Video Quiz is also due but it wasn’t loaded into this shell so I have to recreate it by hand: 10 questions, 4 answers each = 50 entries

-A Chapter Review Quiz also needs to be loaded manually into this shell: 10 questions, 4 answers each = 50 entries.

-I load the content, finish the Home Page, and publish today’s Module.

9:45-11:00-Shower. I sit in the shower, ice my eyes, and drink my coffee. Lotion. Light make-up. I am slowly putting together grab-and go “Sexy Librarian” outfits in accordance with my curated closet project. Today is a green halter top with gold sequins, loose fitting jeans, gold flats, my fedora, and a Moroccan crystal necklace-earring set.

11:00-11:15-L surfaces and we leave for the Topanga Living Cafe.

11:15-12:30-Driving.

12:30-1:30-L. found the Topanga Living Cafe online and it’s a wonderful restaurant built into the side of a mountain. We sit outside. A section of the restaurant’s wall is comprised entirely of boulders - it’s incredible. I order the Brekkie Burrito and L. gets the Pea Toast and a novelty drink. I sample the pea toast and it’s very good. I also get a coffee - nice and strong.

1:30-3:00-we leave for the Topanga Mall. L. needs two pairs of shoes, stat. - one pair for the upcoming wedding in Vegas that she and T. will attend and one pair for next week’s art exhibit, where one of L.’s pieces will be on display. We arrive at the Topanga Mall only to discover that there are no shoe stores here, even though L. was certain they existed. Poor planning on L.’s part. There are clothing stores with a few pairs of shoes on display but that’s it. One of the employees tells us to go to Nordstroms as they have an extensive shoe department. L. already checked Nordstrom Rack and TJ Max in Valencia to no avail.

-We get ice cream at Afters then hit Nordstroms. After hearing what L is looking for, and because I’m prior law enforcement, I suggest a “grid search” of the shoe dept., with L. checking one side of the dept. and me checking the other. One area of the shoe dept contains shoes that are over $1000 so we can skip that section.

-I find the wedding pair - a gold sandal with a slight heel. Before we can find the second pair of shoes, L. runs out of steam and wants to go home. I refuse and try to motivate L. -we’re already here so lets find the second pair. After hearing the shoes L. has in mind for her powder blue sweater suit that she plans on wearing to the art exhibit, I set up a second grid search and locate the art exhibit pair - a kitten heel, covered in nude rhinestones. They don’t have them in L’s size so the plan is, after talking to the shoe associates, to ship her size to our local Nordstrom Rack, six blocks from our house. Unfortunately, their computer won’t register the address, so the shoes have to be ‘expedited‘ to our house for an extra fee that we are forced to pay, although we can return to the store for the $20 refund. It’s a nightmare but in my life this is how most transactions occur.

L. wants a purse to go with her ensemble so we do a grid search in the purse dept but everything is overpriced. I have a clutch purse that will work anyway.

3:00-4:30-L. has a “private” at 5:00 so we hit the road. L. proclaims that, today, she realized that she hates shoe-shopping and never wants to do it again; she says it was exhausting. When I say she’s supposed to have more energy than me - she’s 20 to my 52 - L. says I was “dynamic” in the hunt for shoes. What a nice compliment!

-We stop at Starbucks on the way and L. buys me a coffee.

4:30-5:00-Home and L. says she has to lie down before her private. I straighten up the Studio, leaf blow the floors, and light a scented candle before L.’s student arrives.

5:00-5:30-I read How to Win Friends.

5:30-7:00-I watch the movie No Exit and update my bullet journal; then

7:30-8:30-I change into workout clothes and do a 30-minute Insanity Max-Cardio workout.

8:45-10:00-L. and her current boyfriend, T, are leaving for Vegas to attend said wedding so we part ways now and say our good-byes. I’m going to miss L. - she’ll be gone for 3 days. I also leave…but I head to Sprouts because I’m out of cheese for the dog. I buy a few more supplies: spinach, celery, potatoes, tomatoes, oat milk, and eggs.

-I get gas. It’s $6.19 a gallon. How high can it possibly go? I’m relieved and so grateful L. was able to purchase her hybrid. When I arrive home, L. Is gone (sad face emoji).

10:00-11:30-I put everything away then kitchen duty and I ready my coffee.

12.00-2:00 - Blog posts.

2:00-2:45 - Nighttime routine. Bed