9/25/22
Finally feeling better after a week of feeling off... and itching. As it happened, this was also my week to take my “holiday” road trip to Santa Barbara so my friend could conduct estate business with her sister. I didn’t feel so bad that I couldn’t do most of what I had planned. It just wasn’t quite as fun as I was hoping for. In particular I was trying to be careful about what I ate.
Anyway, this is also a weekend off work (I didn’t want, because the event we didn’t get has been one of my favorites) but it turned out to be for the best. Now I have six days to ramp up for HSB. Should be fine.
As so often happens when you rent a car, we asked for a small fuel efficient model and were given a larger model instead. In this case a VW Atlas -- which I was calling the Panzerkampfwagan. Aside from less than ideal forward visibility when you are parking, it was a fine vehicle. Good overall visibility, plenty of power and room and everything else you would want. It probably cost us an extra eight gallons of gas or maybe $50.
I did manage to find the book I’ve been looking for at the bookstore I was staying near in SB. So now I probably will blog “The Old Regime...”
While SB was much nicer than here, didn’t see a single tent, it still had the same problems but at a more manageable scale. The day I walked down to shop and have lunch in their very nice pedestrianized downtown, I saw a steady stream of mentally ill people yelling or talking to themselves. There were “unsheltered” people scattered all around, including at the Peet’s I was frequenting and at the shopping complex that houses the bookstore. I also read a story in the local paper about someone who died in custody while waiting (seven months at the time of death) to be transferred to the State mental facility where they would try to make the person capable of helping with her own defense in a trial. I hadn’t realized that even people who have been found incompetent to stand trial can’t get help. Even worse than I already thought.
SB is lovely, in that SoCal/TMM dream in Snow manner. Striking mountains up behind the town. Stunning weather. And almost everyone enjoying a lifestyle that has landed us in the mess we are currently in. I rode the bus back from downtown, after walking six miles, and was a bit surprised at how ratty it was. I didn’t expect to find anyone but kids and minorities riding, but I thought they would have better equipment. Because of where I was staying, it was very convenient and I could have gone everywhere I needed to go on just the one bus line.
9/29/22
In SB I walked past this little park with playing fields on five occasions and it more and more reminded me of September days when I lived in the Valley and we had football training camp in Encino. And just now, as I was eating my lunch at CPK, I was watching a football game between Miami and Buffalo that was played in Miami. I have no interest in either team, but what did interest me was the level of exhaustion of the players as the game came to an end. Players on both sides dropped to the grounded rather than returning to their benches.
All of this reminded me so much of those nasty days when we would get in shape for the coming football season. It really paid off for our team, but it was not fun. Now I maintain a year-round exercise routine to stay in shape, and even ramp it up at this time of year as our big events near. But I still remember those days in Encino and am so glad I don’t have to go through them again.
10/28/22 - Day 956 of COVID/144 days since my COVID
It’s been a busy month since my last post. I’ve worked Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Fleet Week, How Weird, Haight Street Fair, and another Undiscovered. I believe I’m through greening for 2022. In fact, I’ve cut my hair, seen my dermatologist (no problems) and am currently near the end of a week off much of my exercise routine. My arm is bothering me. Perhaps it misses all the push ups. I will be resuming them in two days so we will see then.
I’m in the midst of preparation for the HOA’s pro forma budget and budget approval meeting. Lots of fun with spreadsheets. Our documents will be greatly improved this year though I may be the only one who notices.
Ignoring my forearm, I ended the greening season with no physical complaints. My new boots may have contributed to this. And I have a new, very white, hat that improves my sun protection game. I don’t see any reason I can’t continue doing this until I’m seventy-five. On the other hand, it’s been a hard year for some of the people I know in their mid-seventies. One is still recovering from a fall on ice this past winter combined with skin cancer surgery. Another is recovering from a fractured femur and complications of scoliosis. I know things can start getting dicey around seventy-five, but so far I don’t feel personally at risk. Mostly this affects my scheduling of HOA maintenance work. I’m aware that things I can do now I may not be able to do in ten, or maybe even five, years.
As I wrap up my HOA seasonal tasks, I have to start thinking about what I’m going to do with the bulk of my time until next April. I need to come up with new projects beyond giving my apartment a good cleaning.
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