Checking In

Still copacetic over here. It actually looks so every day normal that, but for the news coverage of what is occurring elsewhere, you’d hardly understand the seriousness of what is happening.

There are a few signs something is going on ─ The Pain Cave is still closed, but construction workers are back on the job at that corner site. The market is fully stocked, toilet paper/paper towels and all, except not on the shelves.

For some odd reason, toilet paper and paper towels are stacked up front and center ─  as you enter the market, and a worker is stationed there to dispense those items.

I didn’t see a "limit" sign, but the worker must be stationed there for a reason. I’m thinking to prevent hoarding by dispensing one or two rolls of each.

Another small sign something is amiss is that eggs, not limited last week, are now limited to one.

Last Week

This Week

Other than that, the neighborhood is chaos free.

The office is still closed off and evidently some of the seniors are not having it because management put out yet another notice. This one to reiterate "Office staff and maintenance are not available during this time due to mandatory closure. Please do not knock on office doors at this time".

ROFLMAO! I’ll bet dollars to donuts this notice is meant for one person ─ Apache, who’s probably been banging on the door to make contact because Community Manager won’t take or return Apache’s telephone calls.

Not many neighbors are out/about and, of the few that are, I see an increase in the wearing of masks and gloves.

With landscapers not allowed onto the property, during this shutdown period, the grass is growing wild.

By the time landscapers are allowed back in, it’s going to look like a jungle around here.

BTW, I took that photo of the grass yesterday, when I was returning to my unit after picking up mail, and I just noticed it captured The Seer, off in the distance, standing on her patio.

My eagle eyes can see a little dot, which is she, appearing on the other side of that bench but, to make her more readily visible, I cropped the image to focus on that particular area.

The patio on her unit gives her a clear view of the pathway leading to/from the mailbox and many times in the past, she’d tell me, "I can see everything going on over there from here".

So clearly, she saw ME ... was looking right at ME.

I waved.

She didn’t wave back.

Still looking my way, I gave it a second try ─  waved again.

Nothing.

Okay. If that’s the way she wants it, so mote it be. I'm done waving and yelling out a friendly "hey". 

So that’s it for how things are going on in self-isolation at this end. I miss my trice weekly training sessions. Sunday’s hair appointment with the locktician was cancelled ─ the shop was ordered to close and I'm already seeing signs of cancellation of an appointment at the nail salon (also ordered to be closed).

A nail clawing its way through. LOL.

Why Now?

How’s everybody doing in your self-isolation corner of the world?

Things still seem copacetic over here except yesterday, a resident I’m not familiar with, was carried out on a stretcher. However, inasmuch as the rescue guys were not wearing gloves or masks, I’m assuming it was a regular old person call (a fall or heart palpitations), not covid related.

Still, I’m surprised no gloves no mask ... just in case.

I’m also surprised rescue showed up at all because, if I’m understanding the news correctly, normal regular distress calls would not be responded to.

Oh well.

While out on the patio, pulling the carpet cleaner from storage, I saw The Seer walking through my quad, looking to be headed to the market, and yelled out a “hey”.

I don’t think she responded.

Wearing a face mask and gloves, she looked up and though only her eyes were visible to me, I’d swear she was mean mugging me through the mask.

Her aura was, as usual since hooking up with Shadow, dark and she just looked mean as hell. Mad at the world and everyone in it. 

How can a person live like that? ... hateful, resentful.

I haven’t seen her boyfriend shadowing her since this covid thing happened and, the fact she was walking to the market, instead of being driven by him like the queen she thinks herself to be, is telling and may be why she was mean mugging me ─ she knows I’m an awake being and knew I’d read into her having to walk to the store and Shadow not following her around like a little puppy dog.

Oh well again.

Coming back from checking mail, I observed Head Maintenance Guy’s family outside their unit. The two boys were playing in the grassy knoll area, while his wife was sitting on a bench attending to the daughter. This was the first time I’d seen the daughter, now almost 2 years old, since I’d heard she’d been delivered.

Why now?

That family has never ever ever EVER involved themselves with us. The kids have known nothing but self-isolation since 2013, when Head Maintenance Guy moved his family in.

I don’t begrudge children being let out to play. I felt bad they were always cooped up inside, never allowed to play outside or join in on fun events. I just question why now. Especially when management has instituted so many precautionary measures ─ the latest of which is, to further enforce distancing staff from us, that we are to mail our rent checks to the office.

I’m okay with that, but it’s just too funny that I’ll be addressing an envelope to where I live, drop that envelope in the mailbox knowing it’s going to be picked up by a confused mail carrier, work its way through processing and then gets delivered back, by that confused mails carrier, to where I live.

Just too funny when Head Maintenance Guy’s family is out and about amongst us. Why can’t we just give the checks to his wife for delivery?

EGGS!

On the way to the University this morning, to complete the Hot Chocolate Virtual 5K, I popped into the market for fruit.

Lo and Behold, they had eggs. No limit.

They also had chicken. No limit. I didn’t need chicken, so I passed on that but, when I saw ground turkey, I ended up doing a little shopping/restocking.

Inasmuch as some facebook friends had been looking for eggs, I posted “eggs/no limit” and my haul.

One friend thanked me for the info, drove over, got eggs and milk.

Another friend lambasted me for purchasing Guerrero tortillas, not the Romero brand. And she was serious, even added a frowny face to her complaint.

Well, damn! thought I.

I just grabbed tortillas, didn’t look at “brand”. Just picked up what my eyes went to, checked the expiration date, and moved on.

Evidently, her husband delivers Romero to the stores and she took offense to my not purchasing what supports her husband’s job.

Here’s where I wish I could be more honest with people.

I said I’d grabbed Guerrero because they’re gluten free.

“So is Romero”, she replied.

Not thinking of what else I could come up with to appease her, I folded, apologized for not purchasing Romero, said I would next time.

But I won’t.

The more I think about it, the more pissed off I become.

I don’t even like her husband, and wish I could have told her that. And now that I know her husband delivers Romero ─ plus annoyed at her lecture, I’ll go out of my way in future to purchase Guerrero. Wish I'd had the guts to tell her that as well.

Me thinks the stress of this pandemic is causing normally nice people to lose their mind. And reacting to their reacting, is making me mean. LOL. 

At any rate, in spite of news reports of lack, limitation, worsening awfulness, it looks and feels like everything is back to normal around here ─ except the toilet paper, sanitizer, paper towel isle is still empty, but I have a feeling that too will be rectified during the week.

After dropping off the groceries at the complex, I got back in the car and drove to the University, a little hesitate about walking …. not sure if I was breaking the Governor’s edict, because I thought I’d heard on the news that “outside exercise is prohibited” but wasn’t sure if that was something being done elsewhere, not here. However, on the drive, I became embolden when I saw quite a few people out walking and running along the avenue.

Arriving at the college, I had the whole campus to myself. It was just me, myself and the squirrels.

Having watched too many horror and zombie movies, envisioning someone or something hiding around ever isolated corner, ready to pounce on me, I decided to stick to the out-in-the-open perimeters, which meant asphalt.

My feet are now killing me, but I got ‘er done. Earned my swag ─ which the organizers, using the honor system, had pre-mailed.

California is Closed!

The Governor has essentially closed California, ORDERED non-essential businesses to close, citizens to stay indoors.

In spite of this drastic measure, things are relatively calm in the area.

No line at the corner market, you can walk right in but good luck finding eggs, chicken. ground turkey. There’s plenty of beef but, ever since mom told ten-year-old me that my dog Skippy had been sent to the butcher, turned into hamburger meat, I can’t bring myself to eat beef. And, of course, the Pain Cave received notice to close its doors ─ only until April 1 thus far. Other than that, it’s self-isolating business as usual around here.

Fortunately, I shopped just at the right time ─ a day or so before lines began to form, and have chicken and eggs for a week or two, so no worries ... until then.

However, after the Governor’s announcement, my spidey sense began going nuts ... telling me this is the calm before the storm, to expect Marshall Law down the road, that I needed to prepare by gassing up the car, stop by the bank for cash.

That’s how I ended up in Fontana this morning, where the level of panic was at a much higher level.

People were driving erratically ─ looking stress, worried, not looking both ways before turning corners or exiting an area, cutting in front of oncoming cars (sometimes my car). Hurriedly parking their cars and then quickly jumping out in a rush to get to where they were going.

It was insane, frightening.

Unlike most days, when there are long lines at the Costco gas pumps, I was able to pull right in because the line was at Costco itself ─ wrapping all the way around the front, side, rear of the building.

End of Line Behind Costco

Aghast, I began thinking it would take until late tonight for those folks to get in. And why thought I ... what does Costco have that stores you can walk right into don’t have.

Evidently there’s no walking right into the market in that area, because there was a line outside the Ralphs Market next to the bank.

Entering the bank, I saw they’d marked safe distancing.

I was happy to see that. Also, happy I was that there were only three other customers in line ahead of me.

What bothered me though was, standing at the teller window, there was a human at teller windows to my right and left, too close for comfort thought I, so I suggested the teller pass on to his manager that the open windows be spaced to every other window.

Insofar as banking, my timing was perfect because, by the time I completed my transaction, there was a line out the door.

Since I was in the area of Sprouts, I drove by and there was no line. You could walk right in, no hassle.

So again I ask ... why was everyone a few blocks away in line at Costco and Ralphs?

Before I headed out this morning, Complex Manager called to see how things were going for me ... was I okay, did I need anything (a welfare check).

Of course, the first thing to run through my mind was the smoke detector he failed to follow up on. It’s still dangling from the ceiling and now is likely to dangle at least 18 more months. LOL.

It appears to be less noisy when it’s dangling, so I’m gonna let that sleeping dog lie. But how nice for him to be doing welfare checks on us residents.

Through the Glass Window

Ran into my buddy Apache as I was heading to the Pain Cave yesterday.

He began walking towards me, complaining about the Complex Manager not responding to his phone calls.

Now I do love my buddy Apache, but he hangs out with some dubious characters, and spends a lot of time in the casinos.

Having heard on the news that a casino worker had tested positive, I panicked and said to Apache, “Don’t come too close!” and began swinging my gym bag at him, because he kept coming.

ROFLMAO!

I think it was the swinging of the gym bag that registered with him that I was serious.

I didn’t have time to get caught up with Apache, and his having to stand so far away from me kinda cooled his need to talk, so we went our separate ways.

There’s a nice glass window in the workout room of the Pain Cave.

I refer to it as my “television screen” because it’s so entertaining to watch people, who don’t know they are being observed, as I work out.

Trainer and I have observed drug deals taking place and once, there was a crazy homeless lady who changed clothes, not only in full view of us in the Cave, but in full view of the public.

She completely stripped off her shirt, her bra, stood around naked from the waist up for a time before covering up again with a different shirt.

To Trainer’s credit, he turned his back, said, “I’m not looking” and didn’t turn around until I said she'd re-covered herself.

At our next session, Trainer said that very night, during an evening training session, a homeless man had come into the studio to say, “Hey! There’s a woman out here starting a fire”.

She’d joined a group of homeless men and, it being a cold night, started a bonfire in the back parking lot to keep warm.

The other homeless didn’t agree with that being done, so close to businesses, asked for help putting the fire out, then told the woman, “We don’t do crazy here. You gotta go” and they chased her away.

Think about that for a second.

Think about how wacky you must be that homeless people don’t want anything to do with you.

Also from the glass front television screen at the Pain Cave is a view of the market parking lot.

I’d thought, now that everyone has loaded up on groceries, the market parking lot would be empty.

It’s not.

I’ve not seen a line, but the lot is full with people coming/going.

Trainer has a theory. That theory being people are so stressed and so bored, with this having to stay indoors self-isolating, that they’re eating up supplies, have to go get more.

LOL, but it’s possible

Now I’m reading this pandemic self-isolate thing might last “18 months or more”.

Hopefully, that’s a gross over estimation because, no manicure/pedicure, no trip to the locktician (braided hair stylish) for 18 months and I’ll be looking like Howard Hughes during his final years — you know, the scraggily hair, long claw-like nails on the hands and toes.

I received email notice that my favorite boutique in the mall is “temporarily” closing its doors.

Will the mall be closing its doors altogether?

Maybe.

With so few people, why remain open, but “18 months”?????

I did make it to the craft store for floss, a day or two before it got real for me, but never made it to Macy’s to replenish makeup, so I’ll have to go online for that now.

I’m retired, I’m okay, I don’t like the idea of 18 months, but I can handle it. But what about others (including family) who must work for a living. How are they going to manage a year and a half of this.

Sh*t Got Real

My friend The Archeologist posted a photo of long lines at the corner market yesterday.

She went on to say shoppers were granted access in waves. Then, when people left, they let that amount in. They’d run out of carts, so the market had workers escorting, providing extra hands.

All of a sudden, sh*t felt real.

It’s not that I’d taken a cavalier attitude to it all previously. Au contraire, I’d employed common sense, taken the proper precautions. It’s just that I didn’t overreact, and definitely did not expect the food lines and closures, prevalent in other areas, to come to town, and it now has.

Granddaughter sent me a photo of her mom (Twin 1) in line at a market in Long Beach, 4:00 a.m., in the morning.

The market did not open until 9:00. Twin 1 was the first one let in. She was shopping for herself, her outreach organization, veggies for her daughter (my granddaughter), turkey for her sister (Twin 2) AND her ex-husband (father of my grandsons) who’d not prepared ... not at all ... had “nothing”.

MEN!

Hope he doesn’t need toilet paper because Twin 1 could get him groceries, but TP is not to be found.

Granddaughter herself is self-isolating and sent me a photo, taken from her balcony overlooking the ocean in Long Beach, of the cruise ship where passengers are being held for Covid testing.

Management has taken additional measures here at the complex.

The Community Room is now closed altogether ─ doors are locked, as is there now a chain locking the pool/ spa areas. Computer area is closed, as is the game room and the office ─ closed to us as of last week, is now also closed to the public.

It’s a complete lockdown, except “The laundry rooms will remain open for now”.

That “for now” spurred me to get laundry out of this way this past weekend, just in case management changed its mind and locked those as well.

The Governor is calling for home isolation for seniors 65 or older.

I don’t think that’s going to be difficult for our seniors, many of whom haven’t been out of their unit in years, others who’ve gone no further than the Community Room (which closure might be a challenging adjustment).

As for me, except for the Pain Cave, market, craft store, my life IS mostly self-isolation.

In fact, last time I checked into the Community Room, one of the residents said people had asked about me, saying they'd not seen me in a long time ... "What happened to Shirley? Did she move?". She’d replied “No, she’s probably upstairs working on her crafts”.

“You pretty much nailed it”, said I. "My life is needlepoint and working out".

So,"self-isolation" ─ in my book, is a regular day of living a peaceful, drama free existence.