Day 41 - LA County enters yellow tier

The Chinese Garden at the Huntington Library…

6/12/21. Saturday.

8:00 - L. leaves for work for her 6-hour shift and the garage door wakes me up. I turn on Organize 365, drink some water, and go back to sleep.

10:30 – 12:00 - Up and I go downstairs to greet the animal.  The dog is sleeping, but I know it’s really just a nap – L. already took her out this morning. Nevertheless, we follow the same routine.  I rub her tummy three times, she grabs her toy, and we go outside.  She eventually does her business and we return inside: pepper-jack cheese for her – coffee for me. I go upstairs.

I read Women’s Work and continue adding to my suitcase.

12:00-1:00 – I check my classes at College No. 2 – everyone has completed the Final except for two students [one per class].  I’m assuming those two students failed to realize the Final was changed to Friday instead of Sunday, because the semester ENDED on Friday.  For the past two weeks, I’ve posted this Announcement to the Home Page and sent email blasts and reminders.  The “Friday Final” date was also noted on the Syllabus.  In other words, it’s not a new development, but these two idiots have ruined everything.  I had planned to post semester grades today, but I can’t because I know on Sunday night I’m going to get a panicked email from these kids saying, “I didn’t know we had to take the Final on Friday!”  Only TWO out of 60 students failed to take the Final.

1:00-1:30 – I order a few basic toiletries from Walmart.com.  Although I ordered my yearly inventory in December, I was a little off on some of the totals since this was my first time ordering a year in advance. 2022 will be better.

1:30-2:00 – I have my brown rice/quinoa/garbanzo bean meal and read Women’s Work.

2:00-3:15 – Shower. Lotion. Wash and blow-dry hair. Light make-up.

3:15-3:45 – I quickly water my plants and prepare some snacks: boiled egg, cherry tomatoes, and walnuts.

3:45-5:00 – B. arrives and we head to The Huntington for “Summer Stroll Evenings for Members.”  Recall that I was able to book this by logging onto the website on 6/1/21, at 12:00 p.m., and waiting in the virtual lobby/queue for 20 minutes. I’m a member so the tickets were free.

The 210 is closed so traffic is absolutely horrible.

4:50-7:00 – Arrive and B. and I stroll the grounds, just like it’s advertised. It’s 10 degrees cooler here and over the next two hours, the temperature drops a bit more – there are some nice breezes.  I take B. to the Japanese garden first, but we spend most of our time in the Chinese garden. Both are very beautiful.  Being in nature is so calming and soothing – we sit on one of the benches for awhile, at the top of a hill, and overlook the Chinese garden.

6:45 – 8:30 - We leave and drive to Green Street Restaurant, where B. made dinner reservations. They have indoor and outdoor seating, but the only seating available at this time is indoors. The interior of the restaurant is virtually empty and yet Wait Staff still seats us near a table containing 5 family members even though their own sign encourages customers to practice social distancing (6 ft). 

Diagonally is another table with three young Chinese women who are following the guidelines from last month, i.e., while you are seated, keep your mask on until your food arrives.  Additionally, if the server approaches, you must put on your mask.

The preceding guidelines never made sense to me. If you’re going to take your mask off to eat and drink, you might as well leave it off. Social distancing doesn’t work – per the MIT study I keep referencing – and you can be infected by a maskless patron, sitting on the other side of the room, in as little as 2 minutes depending on the circumstances. Repeatedly taking the mask off and on doesn’t provide any protection.

The table of 5 “turns over” relatively quickly and no other diners are seated because the restaurant closes at 8:00.  I like being surrounded by empty tables, although this is largely psychological, because the Covid-19 virus floats and I am just as likely to be infected by people sitting on the other side of the room. Yes, I know I’m vaccinated…I just don’t believe in the vaccine.  Especially the J&J vaccine…

Nevertheless, the food is excellent and I’ve used this phrase before to describe a dining experience.  I order the turkey meatball appetizer and it arrives with two pieces of garlic bread.  It is extremely rare to see turkey meatballs on a menu (they’re almost always beef) – a rare find! – and they are ‘oh so good.’  I also order a glass of Prosecco. B. gets something??? and a draft beer. Dinner is very good!

8:30-9:30 – We leave.

Driving. Traffic is much better.

9:30-1:00 – Home and B. and I watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He’s never seen it and I’m a UFO officianado. I believe I’ve seen all UFO movies and “documentaries” ever produced (that might be  an exaggeration). I have positive memories of this movie, but when I re-watch it tonight, I’m surprised at how boring and looonnnggg it is.  The movie could have ended 45 minutes earlier-as it stands, it’s around 2 hr/15 minutes.  Also, it is so male-centered.  A bunch of white men in glasses running around and proclaiming things.  The only two females featured in the movie are Moms – one mom is married, the other mom single, and neither of them work.

B. leaves.

1:00-1:30 – I talk to L about a paper that she has to complete in her Women and Art History Class and we explore possible topics, until she decides to write an analysis of the Gorilla Girls feminist agenda as it pertains to the art world.

1:30-4:30 – I start reading Womens Work and to my dismay, wake up in my clothes, 3 hours later! I hate when I do that.

4:30-5:30 – Night time routine. Bed.