April 24th: Sarcasm
Headlines
Apparently Trump was just being sarcastic yesterday, when it seemed he was suggesting people ingest chemicals to kill COVID-19. Everyone calm down. It’s all fine. We just don’t get his humor.
There IS a technology, developed by Columbia University’s Center for Radiological Research, using lamps that emit continuous, low doses of a particular wavelength of ultraviolent light, known as far-UVC, which can kill viruses and bacteria without harming human skin, eyes and other tissues. This may have been what he was thinking of…but we may never know.
San Francisco Mayor likely to extend the shelter in place order past May 3rd. Announcement expected next week to be in conjunction with neighboring counties (mine!).
Gov Newsom says a shortage of swabs is keeping CA from hitting its testing targets of 60-80,000 people/day.
GOOD NEWS: There are reports that the President may scale back on the daily press briefings. Hooray for our sanity!
My bestie and her family delivered 65 free smoothies for workers at the Miami Valley Hospital Berry Women’s Center tonight. Very nice!
My sister’s new fire pit is done and it looks pretty damn nice.
Nikki and Bryon Ingram (pictured in masks) deliver free smoothies to health care workers in Dayton.
Decided today was grocery day, so I prepared for my Trader Joe’s run and boarded an empty bus. I said “Thank you!” to the driver as I entered from the back, without paying the fare. New bus rules: no fare and enter through the back, away from the driver. Works for me.
I entered TJ’s through the parking garage, as the line is always shorter there than the sidewalk. It’s my new favorite trick. A guy who had a “Street Spirit” badge (local paper for the homeless community) asked me for money on the way in. I don’t often give out money when asked, but truly felt bad today cause it’s a shitty time for everyone, especially homeless people who literally cannot escape the virus.
I had zero cash but asked if he wanted anything from the store. I’m pretty happy to do this anytime - if one needs food, that’s a pretty easy thing to provide. He asked for soft chocolate-chip cookies (instead of the hard crunchy kind) and cranberry juice. I kinda loved this because this is my favorite type of cookie. Found what he needed but had to get him a rather large cranberry juice since they didn’t have small individual ones, which kinda stressed me out. I couldn’t remember if he had a backpack or grocery cart he was using, so would this guy be stuck carrying a big old juice around all day?
When I found him again, he was really thankful and told him I threw in a small water in case he wanted something cold now. He explained he was trying to collect money to get a hotel room for the night. Oooof. The world we live in. I asked him if he knew about the rooms Berkeley was holding for the homeless and he did, but they didn’t have any rooms left. He seemed to be in good spirits, so I hope he stays healthy. I spent maybe $8 and it made him happy, so money well spent.
Someone reading this back home may have a hard time relating, but when you live somewhere like Berkeley or Los Angeles, homelessness becomes a real part of your everyday life. These folks live among you, much like your neighbors. When I lived in Santa Monica there was a gentleman and his dog who lived in the parking garage next door. We all knew each other, said “hi” and fussed over his dog Buddy. He offered me a small bag of “Kibbles & Bits” once for Hunter because Buddy wouldn’t eat it, proving that all dog owners are softies, cause I guarantee Buddy would’ve eaten it if that was his only option.
The homeless are mostly ignored, stepped over, and pitied. People fear that giving them money is pointless because they’ll only spend it on drugs or booze. I don’t have the answers and I haven’t given as much towards the problem as I should. I think for many it’s easier to look past them because to really look at them, to take the time, to really engage, is simply heartbreaking. I continue to wonder if this will change as so many fall on hard times.
When you walk around San Francisco and you go past a building where you know people are paying $3,000-$5,000/month for an apartment, and someone is sleeping on the sidewalk down the block, it’s pretty stunning.
I was also able to catch up with my friend Erin today, who I miss terribly. We were neighbors in LA and had a great group of neighbors on our street, including my old landlords. Honestly some of my favorite people are old neighbors. Having an adorable dog definitely helped me meet many neighbors over the years - Hunter was a true charmer. Very happy to know my neighbors here despite my dogless-ness. Have a community couldn’t be more important right now.
Left to right: My own private bus, a new hand-washing station conveniently at the Trader Joe’s bus stop, TJ’s new directive on bags and my sister’s new fire pit, featuring my dog-niece, Zoe.