Day 3 - California Reopening Plan - Phase 2.5 for LA County
Back at Northbridge Park…
7:30-8:30 - I go downstairs and take the dog out. Cheese. Today, I warm up my coffee and bring it upstairs with me. I alternate between my Hydroflask and coffee. I take my braids out and get dressed in yoga pants, a sports bra, and a T-back tank top.
8:30-9:30 - I pack a lunch: 1) Plain Greek yogurt with apples, walnuts, and honey; 2) a spring salad with tomatoes, cheese, corn, boiled eggs, EVOO, and sea salt; and 3) dark chocolate infused with orange.
9:30-10:30 - I return to Northbridge Park from a few days before and walk through several desert paseos - it’s really nice and I listen to Market Place. A pregnant woman in a sports bra - no other covering - and shorts walks past me; her stomach is massive. I finish walking and decide to sit at a picnic bench under the gazebo, but two women and their strollers are parked there. They’ve been there for over an hour and show no signs of leaving so I head to Chesebrough Park. En route, I see a community pool - although we’re in Phase 3 and LA County submitted an “attestation” [see Day 1, Phase 3 of my blog], the pool is closed.
10:30-11:30 - I find a bench in the shade. I eat my yogurt and read Good Things Happen to People you Hate.
11:30-1:00 - The sun starts shifting so I move to a covered area with multiple cement benches and sit at the furthest possible corner, away from anyone who would choose to sit in this area. I work on my blog. A mom and Grandma arrive with five small children and sit at the bench right next to me. The kids are over the place and I know they are Covid carriers - I leave.
1:00-1:30 - In accordance with Phase 3, car washes are, in fact, open. I cleaned the interior of my car a couple days ago and I just need an exterior wash, so I go through Express, which means I never have to get out of my car. What used to be a $3.99 car wash is now $7.99 - I haven’t seen any coupons for this car wash in months when BC they used to come in the mail frequently. All of the workers are gloved and masked, but the patrons who are getting full service and waiting for their cars are clustered together, standing in the shade, as the establishment has removed all benches. None of them are social distancing the requisite 6 feet and some people have their masks around their necks, not covering their nose or mouth. I never get out of my car.
1:30-2:30 - I return home, eat my salad, and read Good Things Happen. I listen to The Lively Show. L. picks up Starbucks before her online art class - she buys me a coffee, too.
2:30-3:30 - I check email at my state job and try to contact a witness. She doesn’t answer so I leave a message. I work on “pharmacy audits” [see Day 1 - Phase 3 blog] then call my home warranty company and request a plumber. The downstairs bathtub faucet leaks and L.’s bathroom sink is clogged. The plumbing company calls immediately - they’re coming between 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 tomorrow.
3:30-5:00 - I catch up on my blog and rail against the government’s - state AND federal - response to Covid-19. I listen to Air Talk.
5:00-5:30 - L. is going to the grocery store so I prepare a meal plan for the week and give her a grocery list with a few ingredients.
5:30-6:30 - I finish blogging. L. comes home and I put away the food.
6:30-9:00 - I continue with pharmacy audits [see Day 1 - Phase 3 blog] and check my personal email - I respond to an email from B.
My HOA sends an email blast to all residents trying desperately to explain why the pools and jacuzzis are still not open. One of the lines from the email reads, “Opening the pool involves more than just unlocking the gate.” I’m sure residents complained - their kids are probably bouncing off the walls - but can you imagine opening the community pools and spas for all HOA residents and apartment complexes? Especially the jacuzzis, where strangers sit next to each other in a small confined space? Sure, Covid-19 dies in chlorine, but its the talking and breathing among the jacuzzi goers, ABOVE the water, as they sit, packed in like sardines, next to the ‘jets’, which is the true risk. How do you social distance in a jacuzzi? And do you mask, since social distancing is impossible? Oh, BTW, 48 more people died in LA County today. Yep, sounds like we’re ready for Phase 3.
US Bank needs additional information to move forward with the HELOC so I have to answer more questions related to the loan application.
9:30-11:00 - I make “Cheesy Chicken Pasta” - it’s somewhat involved with several ingredients - then clean the kitchen and purge food from the refrigerator. I go outside and water all of my plants.
11:30-1:00 - L. and I watch Married at First Sight. Kate and Luke had friends over - it went ok…can you tell I’m invested in the show?