from Kennedy Space Center in Florida – Dragon with two astronauts successfully flew with the Falcon launcher returning and landing. As I understood it – it will be a bit more than nine hours from launch to docking with the International Space Station.
And, in just as momentous although without the same amount of speed – the first of the Cal Falcon chicks launched from the Campanile.
The rest of us? Home bound, land bound and dreaming of flight.
There I was, last night, just before 2200. Happily stitching away on the rather large cross stitch that inhabits my floor frame and chatting with Jill, who is doing much the same while in her home on the eastern Australian coast. And, suddenly, as noted above – I am sitting in the dark. It is quiet. No motors anywhere. No signs of life. No computer, no wifi, no FaceTime.
Looking out the window – our entire neighborhood is dark. Ok, it is not our circuit breaker. The dark extends almost the entire way to the bay with only an occasional gleam of headlights as cars make their way along without the benefit of street lights or operational signals.
Over the next few minutes, I can hear the occasional generator starting up, breaking the peace and quiet. But it is dark. My phone is at 35%. Using it as a flashlight to head to bed will take the charge down further. George checks the PG&E website – yes, they know the power is out. These leaves me wondering if another squirrel has been crisped, since that was the origin of a previous transformer failure.
Somewhere after midnight the power comes back on. No, I wasn’t still awake. But the lights came on….
I started up Youtube and picked one of the Cal Falcon cams. The minute I did, two things happened. The first was that I promptly heard screeching over the cam. The second was that several birds in the area immediately flew to the redwoods near the back deck and started strongly voicing their opinions about falcons in the neighborhood.
Who knew? Well, I should have. Bird cries and calls serve as identification within and between the species. Obviously, to the ears of one of my local birds – there is no difference between a falcon heard from my computer and one actually present in the area.
Since the crew seemed to be quiet after the first minute I tuned in, I went back and pulled up some of older clips featuring a lot of calls, complaining and ear splitting cries.
Things are otherwise quiet here. I am spending the mornings out on the back deck before the sun gets too bright. switching to indoors for a while, then back outside at the end of the day when the setting sun streaming through the living room window makes it impossible to see what I am doing.
There is a quiet rhythm to life and I am putting off all decisions about travel plans, baseball, or what I will be doing next year.
As I am sure that just about all of us know by now that there are no universities holding actual, physical graduation ceremonies.
So, enter the Minecraft World – visit Blockley – and watch today’s Cal Graduation on Twitch.
The story behind the project is perhaps best captured by NBC (link here). There is also an extensive description here – complete with interviewers.
If you want to explore the campus – log into your Minecraft account – the specific server is mc.blockley.com
I have the blessing, or the curse, depending on the particular moment and point-of-view, of living where there has been an excellent public transportation system since the mid 1970s. Although some will argue a bit about the routes or the price (based on distance, not a fixed-per-ride like NYC), the fact remains that BART served as the main artery in and out of SF and the surrounding area for over 40 years. The ridership was extensive; the system allowed people to move further and further away from the city in an attempt to control housing prices while maintaining a well paying job.
All of that is currently on hold. Almost all of those with well-paying jobs not in the health-sector are working from home. Which means that they are not riding BART. In turn, BART has decreased the trains about 90%, eliminating many of the straight-through routes in favor of conservation of drivers by forcing transfers. These people are neither on public transportation nor are they out driving. Most sensibly, they have jobs and are at home busily insuring their next pay check.
Which takes me to the next set of riders, those with only an occasional need to drive into SF. Since parking in SF is scarce and extremely expensive, most people who had an easy to reach destination would normally park at a local parking lot for $3 and take BART vs paying $10/hr or more at the rare open parking lot in San Francisco. Many of these same people would use their cars only locally for important uses like trips to the doctors, dentist, grocery store, and movie theater.
Now, that many here are seriously worried about the safety of public transportation – they are driving into the city. It is scary. The German phrase is almost identical to the English – Sontags Fahrer = Sunday driver. I am using it to express my fear and loathing of individuals who, most obviously, should never, EVER be behind the wheel of a car.
Not into SF, not on the Bay Bridge, not on Oak St, not on University Ave. Frankly, not within 10 km of where I am driving. If I had had the time, or a passenger, I would have been taking license plates and calling the Department of Motor Vehicles to report them. Instead, I spent my time avoiding the opportunity to be a participant in a motor-vehicle incident. Or disaster, but I most certainly could not call anything an accident. That would imply no fault or responsibility where there obviously was some.
I was on the road to the SFVA and my oncologist suggested that I not be on public transportation. The ride over on BART is never an issue, nor is the transfer to the METRO shuttle bus. But if I had wanted to head home before 1500, I would have been stuck with the 38 SF Muni which is slow, crowed, and not great at the best of times. It took me 31 minutes from the Peet’s on College Ave right next to where Angel works to the VA, The toll plaza and Bay Bridge were wide open. It took an hour to get home. The difference? People who should NOT have been driving….
(and I am fine. Back on my regular immune therapy schedule since nothing is going to change around here for a long time….)
Do I really need?
Probably only one, to tell you the truth. But it is always good to have a second pair in case you can’t find your main pair. And, if that pair you have from a couple of years ago could be used in a pinch, why not hang on to it? After all, you spent money on it (normally) and it isn’t going to do anyone else any good.
And so it goes. Which might explain why I have about five pairs of glasses. Since the military/VA have been using the same frames for ever (why would I pay extra for fancy frames) I have trouble figuring out which pair is which. If they are old enough, that bifocal line is pretty obvious. But now? I have two flavors of black, one of silver, a no-quite gold, and I don’t remember which pair is from what year. This is not counting the good commercial pair which is more easily identified. (Excellent frame, that)
The prescriptions are not identical, but they are pretty close. Which is not to except the sunglasses which I have found and lost a dozen times in the last year. Or my wonderful special stitching glasses that I have as a one-time prescription for close work. And they really only work for distances less than 25cm, but since that is where I like to hold my needlework if hand stitching. Add in a light/magnifier and everything is absolutely terrific. I can actually see what I am doing without having to function sans glasses. Of course, if I have them on, I am unsafe to walk across the room, especially when there is a cat underfoot.
and there was marked success at the Farmer’s Market yesterday.
Obviously, I was presented with cherries –
California Cherries and my cup of tea
Additionally, apricots, nectarines, peaches, and the most incredibly strawberries made an appearance in our kitchen.
I had two bouquets of flowers, supper brought in from a local Mediterranean restaurant and an evening spent quietly stitching.
The high point of today is going to be banding of the Falcon chicks shortly before 1400 PDT (which you can recalculate to your own time zone.
Being a mother has nothing to do with biology and everything to do with attitude, love, and care for others. At sometimes it means a bit of self-sacrifice and other times teaching that self-reliance is important. Imparting the ability to cope with the simple (and sometimes complex) activities of daily life; to be able to have your loved one venture out in the world and be able to stand, stump, or roll on their own.
It is teaching the important difference between unconditional love and setting limits on unacceptable behavior: I love you, but I do NOT like what your are doing – to put it in the simplest terms.
I am planning a quiet day. George and Miriam headed to the farmer’s market. With any luck, there might be early cherries. but I am not holding my breath as 1) it has been cooler along the coast than usual & 2) you need people to pick cherries. With the shutdown, there just aren’t the seasonal agricultural workers… So I might just have to eat scones without cherries. Angel is at work. Shana is bringing dinner at 1730 after she finishes some work. The dogs downstairs are still quiet. The cat has given up on begging me for food. So I am quietly sitting comfortably near the fireplace with my cup of mint tea (coffee? Already had more than a full dose of caffeine this morning) with some knitting and cross stitch.
So, Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms today in my time zone (and hoping yesterday was great for those of you in OZ).
East Bay cut off….
I am deriving this from the old English headline (1930’s?) which declared – Fog rolls in – Continent cut Off….
from the living room
where most days I can easily see the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin headlands
even in closeup
I can barely see the Berkeley marina and parkland which stretches out a short way into the bay.
The traffic report this morning, and yes, public radio reports on traffic on Saturday as well, noted the Golden Gate full of fog, and high winds on the Bay Bridge. Also, at different locations – old furniture in the road, a bicycle in the road, and a multi-car fender bender. The road construction slow downs make complete sense. CalTrans is very sensibly using their budget early in the year to make critical road repairs and upgrades while traffic is at a minimum.
So, I am still hanging out at home while attending various webinars, conferences and social get togethers. Over Zoom for the most part with the occasional drift into GoToMeeting.
Still safe, still relatively healthy.
When everything here shut down, they closed as well. When your primary customers are students, faculty, and staff from the University, even if you could be open, it simply doesn’t make sense. Like many other restaurants here- it is family owned and run. About two weeks ago, they started offering take-away between 1100-1700. I’ve grabbed lunch a couple of times and missed the time slot several others. Even tho my two favorite choices are not on the menu, I could find an alternative.
Today I had planned on lunch, then realized that I wouldn’t have wheels. Yes, I could have hiked into town and back (or ridden the bus up the hill). But has become increasingly peoplely out. George had to head to UCSF for an appointment this afternoon. Since they are not letting in anyone who doesn’t have to be there, I didn’t see any point in riding along to sit in parking garage. Mostly because the lightening is totally inadequate for reading, stitching or knitting.
When I offered lunch to Dani as a bribe to pick up Burmese, she begged off. But a few minutes later, she sent Alex up with a most excellent salad.
(insert imagination here – I forgot to take a picture before enjoying every last scrap).
I would be worried, except that I can’t get all that excited about it. Not whether it was accepted. Not even if it bounces.
Not my problem anymore.
I guess I mentally closed the door on that portion of my life and am moving on to more exciting (HA!) things like ….. oh, tackling the garage. Or the studio. Or contemplating sitting down and doing a bit of sewing…
Otherwise. We have sunshine, package delivery, electronic friends, food, shelter, and family.
I think that is what really counts
So anyway – she went exploring. All the way in the back* Miriam found a plastic contain packed with photo envelopes. She brought them up to the house and spent the next hour going through the box. Many of them she either didn’t remember ever seeing (or hadn’t seen).
George & Miriam
I am hoping to convince Angel, along with Miriam that the decent ones (defined as not blurry and some clue as to who&where really need to be scanned. One of those projects that has been on my to-do list for a couple of decades now.
*I would show you photos of the garage, but seriously, I don’t think you need to see. And, since the place is pretty packed, there isn’t really much to see. Except for everyone in the families (+ several others) treasures.
Fortified with coffee (and chai for Maus) I we head to Richmond. Miriam is “going to the office.” Said office was formerly known as Shana’s second bedroom. It seems to be working out. Her cats are entertained during the day while Shana sleeps (nothing like working nights) and Miriam accomplishes more work that when she has access to all the distractions here.
Currently I am taking I-80. With so few people driving to work, it is actually faster in both directions than surface roads but I am sure that will not last.
So an hour later, I hike back up the stairs from the driveway and am greeted at the door by the cat who is insisting that he did NOT get fed this morning. I happen to know that he inhaled the first half of his breakfast. Still, he does such a wonderful, pathetic “I am so starving and skinny, sad cat” routine. The cat who, prior to being able to fly in the passenger portion of the plane, was on a vet supervised diet in order to reduce his royal fatness to an acceptable level.
Our bagels come from Boichik Bagels. On good days (for us), Angel comes home with a few that were unsold at the end of the day. But they are closed on Monday’s and Tuesdays. So bagels from Sunday are expected to last till Wednesday.
And this is the last bagel
The everything bagel
since no one else had claimed, guillotined, or toasted it – it is MINE!
(and for those of you watching – Those three funny looking falcon chicks are getting big!)
If this was normal times, I would be boarding a ship tomorrow bound for somewhere, anywhere, to celebrate. I have almost forgotten what the inside of an airport looks like, or the inside of a cruise terminal. Even the inside of one of the main train stations. Not surprising, I have no interest currently in experiencing train travel through LA, NYC, Chicago, or DC. I might want to travel across Canada, but they don’t want me. Or any other American traveler at this point.
Since these are not normal times, so I am considering how I am going to plan my time for the next month. Our “shelter-at-home” was just extended here in the Bay Area through the end of May.
I made my morning coffee run to Peet’s. I put gas in the car. As someone mentioned a few days ago, this is now a monthly trip, rather than weekly. The furthest I have to drive is Angel’s work, or Shana’s house. The trips to UCSF are down to once a month.
The new normal for me will be keeping up professionally with a number of Webinars (hey – free CME/CPD? How can I turn that down?, participating a few times a week through ZOOM with knitting groups (Tues&Wed evenings, Sunday afternoon). Watching a few YouTube videos, including watching the falcons grow. Contemplating cleaning and organizing the sewing room. Which first might require that I deal with the garage so that I have someplace to temporarily put the “extra stuff.” I have sewing projects lined up, but with all the SciFi Cons now gone virtual, I am not sure that it is worth getting dressed up for them. I have knitting, and a bijillion cross stitch projects that I would really like to do.
For most of us over 65, life has changed, but in significantly different ways than for others. We are not traveling, or spending time with family that lives out of our local area. Our social groups are not meeting, except for those which have transitioned to on-line. Unlike for some of our younger family members, many of us have stable incomes (pensions, anything non-stock market dependent. I like savings accounts. the interest may not be high, but my money is still there….), we don’t have to supervise active toddlers or teenagers with ZERO interest in course work now that their friends and social lives are completely out of reach.
I am now setting my eyes on next fall. And gathering up the energy to deal with several phone calls regarding delayed/cancelled/postponed travel planes. Guess I won’t have any problem filling up my time. Wonder what would be easiest to work on while I am on infinite hold….
For someone who is capable of chatting with friends for hours, I really don’t like lecturing. Even when I have come to know most of those in the class, it still feels uncomfortable. Perhaps this is “imposter syndrome” that is so common to women of my generation. Or my lack of time in being able to completely re-write the lectures from what John has put together. He does them casually and fluently. OTOH – he has been teaching this particular course for 35 years – so his ability with the material probably should not be my standard. He is an ID (Infectious Disease) doc where as my background in Occupational Medicine, Travel Medicine, disaster planning, and policy means that I really don’t care about the mechanisms of the specific pathway that X enters a cell – it is enough for me to know that someone has figured it out – and Y interferes with that mechanism. If I need more than that – I can look it up.
So, here I am with the rest of the day stretching ahead of me….
and the rest of the day just sort of drifted away…
Which led me further toward the fact that, unlike a lot of American’s (as well as people elsewhere in the world) because of my circumstances (retired from a US government position) I have a fixed pension that drops in my bank every month. My expenses have actually gone down (no cruises, no in-person conferences, no sci-fi conventions, no associated airfare or hotel bills). I have enough pocket money to buy craft supplies as well as contribute to those organizations in my area which are accomplishing what I can’t do personally.
Which further led me to shopping – now on-line rather than in person. And yes, I am getting to the family story bit – it will arrive shortly.
Anyway, shortly after George and I moved into the house (Dec15-Jan16), we started to “put stuff” in to the house and organize things the way we wanted. Obviously, nothing was the same about the furniture, room layout or shelving as we had in Germany. So it was new location for everything. Then, I started tackling the room upstairs that would be my “sewing/craft room.” About ½ the size of the space I had in Germany with zero shelf space for the hundreds of books and patterns which I had accumulated (and we are not speaking of the 8145 paperbacks donated prior to leaving Germany). Looking back, some of the decisions I made were sensible at the time, and others? Well, let us say that those items have been replaced.
As I started doing more sewing, I decided to use those wonderful JoAnn’s coupons for 50% off or the rare 60% off to accumulate a few of the bigger items. One of those was a dress form. Now, a dress form needs a name, even though she doesn’t have a head. So I named her Gertrude Mergatroid. (see, I am getting there).
And then I thought, whoa – exactly where did that come from? After a few minutes I realized that this particular name had been often used by my maternal grandmother Esther when referring to a generic woman “of a certain age.” Esther was born right around the turn of the previous century (1900 era for those, like me who have a challenge moving their mental timeline back a century after decades of consistency). There were names in her childhood that are extremely uncommon anymore. Gertrude being one, Esmeralda being another. I am sure that you can think of more.
When I look at the dress form, which my youngest daughter Miriam is currently using, I feel a connection going back to that grandmother who died in the early 1990s. And wonder, how many connections and stories are we currently losing from the generation above us as we hunker down in place. What will be missing in family stories that we will not be passing from our previous generations through us to our children, nieces, nephews, cousins, grandchildren.
what kind of stories do we want them to know, want them to remember? About us, about our ancestors? And about how we contributed to our community and world in this time of challenge?
and the song goes on.
I finished my paper yesterday at 1309 PDT, plus a minute or so to duplicate the file, rename the duplicate and PDF the sucker. Then I emailed it off to a friend who promised she would do an initial read for coherency.
It actually took me less than three hours to work through the formatting changes, deal with the references (45 of those suckers, or was it 46), and make sure that I didn’t sound too sarcastic or irritated.
All of this was actually several hours after I had planned due to what I mentioned yesterday. But then, if I had knuckled down months ago, I wouldn’t be sitting here patting myself on the back for finishing one week before the absolute, final, last, drop-dead submission deadline now would I?
The rest of my day was spent relaxing, stitching, knitting and checking in with various friends by FaceTime, WhatsApp, or Zoom. Aren’t choices nice?
And then there are the Cal Falcons who are so ugly they are cute. Fuzzy, which cheeping stomachs with wings.
By the time I reach the light at Cedar and Oxford, I can see clearly without the benefit of headlights. Left turn for a block, then right on to Walnut. Peet’s is at the end of the block, corner of Walnut & Vine. Original store in the original location. I order from the app, then wait about two minutes. This morning there are two others waiting for coffee. One of the chiefs, and incoming day shift firemen from the Berkeley Way Station. They aren’t getting as many ambulance runs, they are concerned given number of over 65 they support in our area.
Their order comes up, my order comes up shortly after. Peet’s baristas now have a tray with which to carry beverages from the counter to the front door. Easier, fewer trips and less handling I guess. But delivery on a silvery tray? I digress.
Wishing each other a good day, we head back to our respective vehicles. They to work, me to the last check on my paper’s references. It is essentially done. I still may want to make one last revision of the last section – but I will be hitting the send button either early tomorrow morning or Monday morning.
I had planned on making the run this morning so that I would have a couple of hours of peace and quiet. I function best when I don’t have other people to distract me. Early morning hours are best.
Perhaps it is a function of all those years in senior admin positions where I actually had my own office with a door that shut? Anyway, I returned home to find the cat had thrown up on the kitchen floor and George getting dressed.
So much for a couple of hours of peace and quiet.
But in today’s world of conspiracy theories and re-writing of history to eliminate things that are uncomfortable, or that we don’t want to be true (leaving out Holocaust deniers, those claiming England never participated in slave trade, etc) it is good to remember what has been done, what has been lost and the cost to us, both as individuals and society.
As we have all heard the old saw “those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it”