Day 27 - Governor Newsom reinstates the mask mandate in California

The Docent Naturalist program is canceled…

Yesterday, more than 1.4 million new Omicron cases were reported in the U.S.  This number doesn’t even include people who test positive on rapid tests because those aren’t automatically reported to health departments. Today, the head of the FDA announced that everyone was going to get Omicron: “I think it’s hard to process what’s actually happening right now, which is most people are going to get [Covid 19].” FDA Acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock.

1/11/22. Tuesday 

In the midst of all this, L. is going to…Disneyland. 

5:30 – L. leaves for Disneyland. Yes, folks, the “Happiest Place on Earth” is the “Happiest Hotbed for Omicron.”  Like everybody, Disney gave up. There are no longer “reduced capacity” guidelines [remember when Disney actually limited the number of people who could enter the park on a given day?] and social distancing doesn’t exist anymore. Instead, the vibe is “Enter at Your Own Risk” but only after you’ve completed an online-waiver, releasing Disney from all liability in the event you get sick or die.

-This seems to be the new sentiment for most businesses and corporations now. Instead of implementing safety guidelines to protect the public, companies have now removed ALL requirements designed to ensure the shopper’s welfare and adopted the general attitude, “If you get sick, it’s on you.” 

6:30-7:00 – My alarm goes off, but I lie in bed for transition time. I’m congested and I wake up coughing. My hand really hurts. My eyes ache.

7:30-8:30- I go downstairs to say good morning to the dog, but she’s still asleep on the couch and doesn’t want to move. I pet her tummy three times, she grabs her toy, and we go outside. I see that she pooped in two places on the patio (sigh) so I clean it up. Return inside and turkey for her; coffee for me. I go upstairs.

-Shower. Lotion. Covid-19 uniform. Light make-up.

8:30-9:00 – I leave for Placerita Canyon Nature Center.  Today is the first day of the Docent Naturalist Program and I’ve been accepted!  All I need to do is show up, pay my $40, and receive my Docent t-shirt. The training is 9-weeks and meets every Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00-12:00.  Upon completion, there’s a 2-day per month volunteer commitment, where docents are put on schedule and placed in various sections of the Nature Center. I’ve been waiting for several months for the Docent Training Program to start; it’s a great opportunity to meet people, be outside and learn about nature.

9:00-9:30 – I enter the Ranger’s Office for registration and am told that the Docent Training Program is canceled due to Omicron!!  Two employees say it’s only canceled for the next two weeks; HOWEVER, a third employee who is standing outside and talking to individuals who were interested in becoming docents tells everyone that the Docent program will be postponed until 2023 because of Omicron and the elevated number of cases in Los Angeles County.

-I’m devastated!  Don’t they know that the Omicron variant will peak the last week of January? By the end of February, according to my estimate, the Omicron variant will be almost completely eradicated if transmission patterns in other states and countries are any indication.  Why would you cancel an entire program?

-The population of LA County is around 10 million and, on this day, there are 2,086,581 Omicron cases. The positivity rate is 20.4% which is really high, but that’s the nature of this variant.  It’ll burn out in 2 weeks, so why cancel an entire 9-week program?

9:30-11:00 – I drive to Starbucks, order a coffee, and sit in the parking lot for a while, sad and dejected. I have to hold the coffee cup with my left hand because my right hand hurts and my right thumb is useless.

11:00-1:00 – Life Administration

-I email the head of the Docent program for clarification.  Is the training program rescheduled for 2023? He confirms that this is true. He says it’s too disruptive to start, then cancel, then start again…I don’t say it, but it is unlikely there will be any disruptions after February. Why not postpone the training for three weeks? His logic doesn’t make any sense but I give up.

-I renew mine and L.’s Huntington Membership

-I renew my DMV Registration

-I have a $41 remaining balance on L.’s car note, so I write the check.

-Now that my Tuesdays are open [the Docent program is NOT happening], I sign up for the Tuesday morning hiking class offered through the City, then email the coordinator, “Renee” and ask for the sites where we’ll be hiking.

-I update one of my blog posts.

-I check the status of the Wayfair workbench No. 2 as it’s supposed to arrive this week. My account shows that the table is now on backorder until June. I was never notified of this change.

-I check the status of the Friendshipping book that I ordered through Walmart. It’s on back order and will not arrive before my next book club meeting. I cancel the order and re-order it from Barnes and Noble.

1:00-2:00 – I catch up on today’s headlines.

2:00-3:00 – I eat a pear and read Everything I Have

-I text “John”, the door contractor, and schedule the garage doors installation.

3:00-5:00 – I notified my students that I’m available via email between the hours of 3:00 and 5:00 if they need to contact me so I check email at College No. 1, then switch to College No. 2

-A student from College No. 2 surfaces and asks if I’ll write a letter of recommendation for her for Loyola Marymount. Although I can’t stand writing letters of recommendation, it’s kind of my job…I agree to write the letter.

-I email my Union Rep at College No. 1 regarding the fact that only Dr. R and “Z” are allowed to teach online Asynchronous classes and ask for instructions as to how to file a grievance.

-bullet journal.

5:00-6:00 – I take the dog for a walk.

6:00-6:30 – I have a little of L.’s pasta, but try to focus more on eating the sausage in lieu of the pasta.

6:30-7:30 – My hand continues to throb so I take more Advil, wrap it in the heating pad, and sit for awhile, doing nothing.

7:30-9:00 – Another bullet journal entry.

10:00-10:30 – L. returns from Disneyland, grabs her overnight bag, and leaves for her boyfriend, T.’s house. On the way out, she tells me that her friend, D., contracted Omicron while waiting in line to get boosted.

11:30-12:30 – I read Everything I Have

1:30 – 2:00 – I try to do an Insanity workout, but I just can’t. Usually I can push through fatigue and force myself to complete a workout, but tonight I simply do not have the energy to even try.  This is very unlike me.  I wonder if this is a residual effect from Omicron…maybe I have “Long-Covid?”

-Nighttime routine. Bed.