Us, May 10, 2020: Roy, John, Leo, Shadow, Ondine
Us, May 10, 2020: Roy, John, Leo, Shadow, Ondine
We had a quiet Independence Day at home except for all the illegal firecrackers and gunshots going off at night, frightening the dog. Roy went to Danielle's house for a party with her extended family. We didn't even watch the Capitol Fourth show, instead watching the movie Logan Lucky, which is a blue-collar version of Ocean's Eleven but just as slick in its plot. Donald Trump held a Fourth of July campaign rally in south Dakota with no masks or social distancing and a message that doubled down on a racist, patriarchal, regressive view of America that includes the Confederate flag as a hallowed symbol.
Meanwhile, our own teens aren't offering us much hope for the future right now. They're committed to voting third-party in this their first presidential election. Roy probably for some alt-right candidate given his socioeconomic views. Leo for the libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen, despite the fact that libertarian ideals, wrapped in the sheep's pelt of "individual freedom," have been the primary obstacle to delivering an integrated response to the biggest issues facing the U.S. today, from coronavirus and climate change, to health care and social injustice.
Ah well, John's first presidential vote, in 1980, was also for an independent candidate: John Anderson. Remember John Anderson? Ran against Ronald Reagan and incumbent president Jimmy Carter? Anderson was a Republican before he lost the nomination to Reagan and split from the party to make an independent run for the White House. He combined social liberalism with economic conservativism. In 1977 he said, "Extremist fringe elements seek to expel the rest of us from the G.O.P. . . . If the purists stage their ideological coup d'etat, our party will be consigned to the historical junk heap." As events turned out, Reagan, powered by a combination of those same "extremist fringe elements" and complacent moderates, won in a landslide. So John feels he was on the right side of history there.
But history feels like it's about to repeat.
Coronavirus update: California has shut down again, but not as severely as it probably should, and San Diego has closed most indoor venues again. Yet, demands that restrictions be lifted on the basis of individual liberty are effectively preventing anyone from taking and enforcing the steps needed to contain the problem, and there's no leadership at the federal level.
The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracker shows that COVID-19 has been confirmed in over 11,691,000 people worldwide, and has claimed over 540,000 lives. That's over 1,292,000 more cases and over 31,600 more deaths since last Tuesday. The U.S. now has over 2,963,200 confirmed cases and over 130,800 deaths, up over 335,200 cases and another 3,600 deaths since last Tuesday. In San Diego, our local toll exploded to 17,000 cases with 387 deaths.
Leo completed his course in Music Production. He says he developed three new songs during the course, and leveled up his composition and production skills, so that's good. Now he has total free time until his Music Production program at Point Blank Music School starts in January.
Roy is still summering at home enjoying the free car, wifi, and food, and seems to be spending a ton of money on Legos. He'll be going back to UCCS as a junior in August, and will be living in a shared on-campus apartment. But, so far, it looks like he'll have his own bedroom! He doesn't get a meal plan this coming year either, but we'll probably pony up for some sort of meal package so he can grab a bite to eat. $$$$$.
Ondine got together with friends last Friday evening for a social distance happy hour at Lucy's house.
John is taking two college classes this summer, Cultural Anthropology and Physical Anthropology, with an eye toward a certificate in Archaeology. One class compresses a 16-week class into eight weeks, and the other compresses a 16-week class into five weeks (it started yesterday), so he's essentially a full-time student right now. And, he's thinking of continuing in the spring with nine units, which would put him in a good place to complete the program by the end of next summer.
Oo, one of his class assignments was to go out to eat! He made it just before indoor dining got shut down. Here he is at Katsu Cafe last Thursday, the
first time he's been to a restaurant since March!
The weather is starting to turn hot, with temperatures in the mid 90s this week. And all three hawk chicks have fledged! We see them crash landing in the foliage and flap-hopping from branch to branch, and every once in a while we see one tearing at some prey it's gotten. They're still living in and around that same tree behind our back yard, and the parents still seem to check in, keeping an eye on Shadow.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to John's sister Patty!
Neighborhood gas prices are about $3.19 per gallon.
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