Day 31-BA2.12.1 is the current variant

B. and I attended an awards ceremony at the Palo Alto Art Center, where one of L.’s pieces was hung…

I see a California Thrasher during birdwatching today…

Breaking news: I learn, today, that one of the symptoms associated with Long Covid is hearing loss!

What’s that, you say? Huh?

6/11/22, Saturday

6:00-6:15-I’m awake, but I lie in bed for 15 minutes of transition time.

6:15-6:30-Up and I go downstairs to greet the animal, but she’s still asleep on the couch. I try to heat up my coffee without waking her, but she hears the microwave and comes over to say hello. I cue her to go outside and we head to the backyard, where I stand around, until she finishes her business. Return inside and cheese for her, coffee for me. I grab a bag of ice and go upstairs.

7:30-8:00-Shower. I sit in the shower, drink my coffee, and ice my eyes. Lotion and I put on my cargo pants, a black T-back bra, and a black tank top. I make instant oatmeal, then hop in my car and drive to Placerita Canyon for birding. I eat my oatmeal in the car.

8:00-9:30-Birding and I see a California Thrasher and a House Wren, besides other birds. Awshook is here today and he recommends Bear Valley as a possible hiking location, as he and his wife were just there - he says it’s 20 degrees cooler at that elevation. Ken is the docent of the day and I ask him how his daughter is doing. Recall that Ken and his wife followed their daughter to Santa Clarita, so she could attend CalArts. Just as they were settling in, their daughter moved to San Francisco. Today, Ken says that, more recently, they finished helping her move to Chicago (insert smile emoji here). I leave after the first section of the hike.

9:30-10:00-I try driving to Bear Valley to check out the hiking trail that Awshook recommended but the road turns into a winding 2-lane highway, moving up and around the mountain. I’m intimidated…what if my car breaks down? The reception is not that good up here. I turn around.

10:00-10:45 - I drive to Home Depot and go through their paint swatches so I can bring home swatches for the three main colors of my wardrobe [salmon, jade/sage, and black]; my two neutral colors [gray and ivory]; and my three accessory colors [gold, rich chestnut brown, and hot pink] in accordance with my currated closet project. I listen to Citations Needed and Pop Culture Happy Hour.

10:45-12:00- I spend this time trying to stop by Helm Eye Center to pick up my trial pair of contacts. I miss the turnoff and have to circle back and it’s a giant pain in the ass. When I finally arrive, there’s a sign on the door that says this location is closed on Saturdays even though their website says they’re open. I go home.

12:00-1:00-I try calling A/C Clinic again, but nobody EVER answers the phone - messages go straight to voice mail so it’s impossible to speak with an A/C employee. I think “Nick”, the A/C repairman, also owns AND operates the company. In other words, Nick is a company of ONE. I leave another message asking Nick to call me.

Next, I call First American, explain the situation, and ask for a new vendor. After putting me on hold for 15 minutes, a female employee informs me that she cannot assign me to another vendor unless the prospective vendor tells her, the female employee, personally, that they can take me on as a client. None of this makes any sense. For one thing, when I file a work order request through First American’s website, I’m immediately, and automatically, assigned to a vendor. There’s no “waiting period” to find out which vendors have room on their roster for AC repairs. I go round and round with this bitch, trying desperately to secure a new vendor, until I end up screaming at her that she should be terminated. Then, I hang up.

I leave another msg with A/C Clinic, telling Nick that if I don’t hear from him by the end of the day, I will report A/C Clinic to First American, as well as give A/C Clinic a bad review on Yelp. I end the phone call with “Do you understand me?!!” No one calls me back. No one cares.

1:00-2:00-I read Tell Me Everything and have some of my hamburger helper dish for lunch. I add more peas and corn to my portion of the casserole.

2:00-4:00-I finally open my Nordstrom purchases and try on several items - a few things don’t fit.

4:00-5:00-I freshen my make-up and put on one of my new Maxi-dresses. This one is swirled blue and green, floor-length, and ties around my neck with a golden rope that drapes down the back. I love it. L. calls this look, “Sexy librarian goes on vacation.”

5:00-9:00-B. arrives and we drive to the Palo Alto Art Center, where one of L’s pieces is hung. L. and T are already there, having gone early to hang her work. B. and I are asked to show our vax card. Then, we get a yellow dot to wear, which means we don’t have to mask because we’re vaxed. This is a pet peeve of mine because it doesn’t make any sense. Even if you’re vaxed, you can still contract and transmit the virus to others so why does the “yellow dot” exempt me, and anybody else, from wearing a mask? Why show proof that we are vaxed at all?

The venue started at 6:00 but L. told us that we could show up any time, so B. and I opted to arrive at 7:00, which means the food is gone. I didn’t even know food was going to be served! We also missed the Awards Ceremony; sadly L. didn’t win. B. and I peruse the exhibit and find the food/leftovers, which has been picked over by vultures. I find a few pork tapas and one of the employees gives me a free glass of wine. B. also gets a free glass of wine and is also able to score a piece of cake.

B. and I do another circuit around the gallery and are able to enjoy the nuances of the various artwork, all of which is produced by college students. It’s quite good. Of course, L.’s piece is the best (insert smile emoji here).

9:00-10:00-B. and I leave. Driving. The traffic is…light.

10:00-11:30 - The AC is still broke so B. and I sit on the patio and talk politics. B. Leaves

12:00-1:30-I take a nap in my office because it’s the coolest room in the house.

1:45-2:15-Awake, and I go upstairs and do a 15-min, Insanity-Ab workout.

2:15-2:45 - Nighttime routine. Bed.