In the era of Covid 19, so much has changed. Take the training and hand off to the blind of guide dogs that are ready to serve, to their new owners who have been waiting patiently for their new helper for months, if not years. The training of guide dogs is not considered essential business!
Easy for those that are not blind to say. A blind person may wait a year or longer to get his companion in normal times. Now this is delayed. Most people who qualify for a guide dog need help in the outside world as well as within their own home, with a variety of tasks. When a guide dog is ready for service, the person who is receiving the newly trained dog, receives extensive training with the dog before they actually go back home with the dog. This cannot be done right now because of social distancing. That means that people and dogs will have to wait many weeks, if not months, to start their life together.
People with disabilities need a vast number of services most of us have never even thought about. Help getting groceries, taking trash cans out, getting mail (if your mailbox is not at your front door), rides to doctor appointments, help preparing meals, and most importantly, someone to talk to every day. People who are blind have the additional challenge of navigating their home without an accident and just taking a simple walk. With the restrictions put on Guiding Eyes for the Blind and probably other organizations that train guide dogs, people in desperate need of help, and the companionship that the dog offers, cannot be served.
This is so sad to me. I have seen first hand how difficult it is for a senior (without a disability) living alone to tolerate self isolation. My mom, age 96 and in excellent health, has been alone and self isolating since March 10. She has done very well. I am so proud of how she has made the best of it. She and her friend have a one hour exercise class twice a week with a trainer. They do this on Facetime. She has connected with her neighbors, who up until now, were so busy she never saw them. She went over and left her phone number in their mailbox and told them she was all alone, and since then they have been very attentive. The lesson is you have to ask for what you need.
My mom's dog Captain, has been her constant companion and has helped her get through the past month. Hopefully restrictions will be lifted soon on guide dog training, and those dogs that are ready to be placed, will get where they are needed most.
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Monday, April 13, 2020
How To Keep Busy During Covid 19
Since about March 10, when our governor came out with stay at home directives, life has changed. I need to be even more diligent than most, as Ron is probably the most at risk person I know. He's got at least three conditions that make him more likely to get the virus than others. So I am definitely staying home.
This situation is making it difficult for me to have blog topics. In the past my topics were all related to my active life. I would talk about an event I had gone to, a restaurant I had eaten at, an activity I had enjoyed. Now, everything is done at home, so I will tell you about my day, and some of the things I am reading/watching/learning on TV or internet.
My typical day begins with a 30 minute walk with Pepper around 7:00. I come home, fix my coffee, and sit down with my on line NY Times, e-mails and texts and then a book. I try to read for about an hour in the morning. It's a discipline I like, and even though I don't always feel like doing it, I try to make it the first thing I do each day. Then, Ron gets up, I fix him breakfast, and get him ready for the morning, either relaxing in front of the TV, or in his office, doing tax returns. After getting him settled, I do about a 45 minute workout. My local gym, EOS, has online classes, some live and some I can put on any time, including stretch, yoga, pilates, strength training, etc. It's great. By now it is almost lunch time, so I make lunch, take Pepper for a short walk, and relax a bit. The afternoon I usually watch Netflix. After Netflix, I take Pepper for a long walk, maybe an hour. By then it's getting late in the day, I watch a little CNN or MSNBC and catch up on this tragedy.
I just finished watching The Tiger King on Netflix. It's a 7 part documentary on the rise and fall of Joe Maldonado Passage, better known as Joe Exotic. The series shows murder, madness and mayhem that is beyond anything I could have imagined. He has been raising tigers (and other cats) in captivity for many years, and had a private zoo, where visitors got to get up close and personal with the cats. He bred and raised mostly tigers, and sold them for thousands of dollars to other collectors. His main rival was Carol Baskin, another lover of exotic cats. He was finally arrested, tried and found guilty of attempted murder for hire (of Carol Baskin), among other things. His plan to have her murdered was unsuccessful. He is currently serving a 22 year sentence. Apparently many other people associated with him, some of whom testified against him, are also under federal investigation, and will probably be arrested.
What I also learned from this series is that there are 5,000-10,000 tigers in private ownership in the U.S. That figure blew my mind. There are only 4,000 of these amazing animals left in the wild. The other interesting fact was that many states have not passed laws that prohibits the breeding and selling of wild animals. The laws for each state are different, with Oklahoma and South Carolina being two states that have the most relaxed laws, thus many of the private ownership is in these states.
While you're sitting home looking for something to do, turn on Tiger King. It will amaze you.
This situation is making it difficult for me to have blog topics. In the past my topics were all related to my active life. I would talk about an event I had gone to, a restaurant I had eaten at, an activity I had enjoyed. Now, everything is done at home, so I will tell you about my day, and some of the things I am reading/watching/learning on TV or internet.
My typical day begins with a 30 minute walk with Pepper around 7:00. I come home, fix my coffee, and sit down with my on line NY Times, e-mails and texts and then a book. I try to read for about an hour in the morning. It's a discipline I like, and even though I don't always feel like doing it, I try to make it the first thing I do each day. Then, Ron gets up, I fix him breakfast, and get him ready for the morning, either relaxing in front of the TV, or in his office, doing tax returns. After getting him settled, I do about a 45 minute workout. My local gym, EOS, has online classes, some live and some I can put on any time, including stretch, yoga, pilates, strength training, etc. It's great. By now it is almost lunch time, so I make lunch, take Pepper for a short walk, and relax a bit. The afternoon I usually watch Netflix. After Netflix, I take Pepper for a long walk, maybe an hour. By then it's getting late in the day, I watch a little CNN or MSNBC and catch up on this tragedy.
I just finished watching The Tiger King on Netflix. It's a 7 part documentary on the rise and fall of Joe Maldonado Passage, better known as Joe Exotic. The series shows murder, madness and mayhem that is beyond anything I could have imagined. He has been raising tigers (and other cats) in captivity for many years, and had a private zoo, where visitors got to get up close and personal with the cats. He bred and raised mostly tigers, and sold them for thousands of dollars to other collectors. His main rival was Carol Baskin, another lover of exotic cats. He was finally arrested, tried and found guilty of attempted murder for hire (of Carol Baskin), among other things. His plan to have her murdered was unsuccessful. He is currently serving a 22 year sentence. Apparently many other people associated with him, some of whom testified against him, are also under federal investigation, and will probably be arrested.
What I also learned from this series is that there are 5,000-10,000 tigers in private ownership in the U.S. That figure blew my mind. There are only 4,000 of these amazing animals left in the wild. The other interesting fact was that many states have not passed laws that prohibits the breeding and selling of wild animals. The laws for each state are different, with Oklahoma and South Carolina being two states that have the most relaxed laws, thus many of the private ownership is in these states.
While you're sitting home looking for something to do, turn on Tiger King. It will amaze you.
Friday, April 10, 2020
Life After Covid 19
Will life as we know it ever be the same after this epidemic has passed? The answer, in my mind, is a resounding NO. We are getting used to social distancing, and I think eventually we will be able to handshake, hug and kiss our friends and family. What I think will change, is large gatherings. At least for the foreseeable future, even if large gatherings are allowed, people are going to think twice before going to a ball game, a concert, a movie, or any other group event..
What will this mean for the Democratic and Republican conventions that are coming up? What about football in the fall? Will they play to empty stadiums, or, will they play at all? Because of the virus they will not have worked out together, even if the virus does subside in the summer. What about schools? Will it be safe, at any level of education, to send kids back to school where they'll be in close contact with each other? What about voting in November? Will voters stand in long lines to cast their vote, or will we get our act together and go to voting by mail? What about travel by plane or train or subway? Will commuters be anxious to get on a packed subway or a crowded plane?
I have so many questions and absolutely no answers. Guidelines seem to be changing daily, and it now looks like this pandemic is going to last longer than first thought. Until we have a vaccine, which could be a year or more from now, many people will live in fear. It's not a matter of if it comes back, but when. We know it will resurface. Hopefully, after the worst is over, we will be preparing for the next bout of Covid 19. Oh, and by the way, if it's not Covid 19, it will be some other bug that raises its ugly head in the future.
These are treacherous times. It's not just all going to go away one day and we'll get back to normal. We have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I feel confident that with the best scientific minds in the world working on the vaccine, we will have one next year, but until then we must all stay focused on keeping safe.
What will this mean for the Democratic and Republican conventions that are coming up? What about football in the fall? Will they play to empty stadiums, or, will they play at all? Because of the virus they will not have worked out together, even if the virus does subside in the summer. What about schools? Will it be safe, at any level of education, to send kids back to school where they'll be in close contact with each other? What about voting in November? Will voters stand in long lines to cast their vote, or will we get our act together and go to voting by mail? What about travel by plane or train or subway? Will commuters be anxious to get on a packed subway or a crowded plane?
I have so many questions and absolutely no answers. Guidelines seem to be changing daily, and it now looks like this pandemic is going to last longer than first thought. Until we have a vaccine, which could be a year or more from now, many people will live in fear. It's not a matter of if it comes back, but when. We know it will resurface. Hopefully, after the worst is over, we will be preparing for the next bout of Covid 19. Oh, and by the way, if it's not Covid 19, it will be some other bug that raises its ugly head in the future.
These are treacherous times. It's not just all going to go away one day and we'll get back to normal. We have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I feel confident that with the best scientific minds in the world working on the vaccine, we will have one next year, but until then we must all stay focused on keeping safe.
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Ageism In The Workplace
I've been reading the AARP Magazine for years, but recently my mom brought me the AARP Bulletin, a paper pamphlet loaded with good information. I especially liked the article on ageism in the workplace, and thought I would share a little of it with you.
About 35% of the workforce in the U.S. is now 50 years or older, yet the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) concluded that age discrimination remain a significant and costly problem for workers. It happens every day, in all kinds of jobs, yet few speak up. Most companies do not understand that older workers possess a depth of skills and knowledge that's worth paying for.
Age discrimination is so pervasive that people don't even recognize that it's illegal. The discrimination takes many forms. Recruitment and hiring, on the job bias, and termination. Some recruitment adds are obviously favoring young workers, like a Linkedin post that read, "This is an excellent opportunity for a recent college grad......" Other postings are a little more subtle, like "The ideal candidate is a digital native...."Most of these postings appear only rather than in print. The federal government has warned employers against using terms like "recent college graduate"in positing, but the practice continues.
The EEOC is struggling to keep up with complaints. Between 2010 and 2017 they received 205,355 age discrimination complaints, yet just 1% resulted in a finding of discrimination. Only 10 age discrimination lawsuits were actually litigated. EEOC is trying to mediate and settle as many suits as possible.
Harassment in the workplace is a common form of age discrimination. In some cases, the job the older employee was doing is eliminated, thus forcing the employee to resign.
The reality is, every aspect of job performance gets better as we age. Wharton Business School determined that the juxtaposition between the superior performance of older workers and the discrimination against them in the workplace just makes no sense.
We had a friend who was a sit com writer. He had written for some of the great shows, like Cheers and Taxi, yet when he tried to find work as a writer in his 50's, he could not get work. For the most part, that industry is dominate by men and women under 35. Age discrimination can take place in workers as young as 50. Hopefully with other movements that have caught fire l (like the me too movement), older workers will stand up for their rights and fight back.
About 35% of the workforce in the U.S. is now 50 years or older, yet the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) concluded that age discrimination remain a significant and costly problem for workers. It happens every day, in all kinds of jobs, yet few speak up. Most companies do not understand that older workers possess a depth of skills and knowledge that's worth paying for.
Age discrimination is so pervasive that people don't even recognize that it's illegal. The discrimination takes many forms. Recruitment and hiring, on the job bias, and termination. Some recruitment adds are obviously favoring young workers, like a Linkedin post that read, "This is an excellent opportunity for a recent college grad......" Other postings are a little more subtle, like "The ideal candidate is a digital native...."Most of these postings appear only rather than in print. The federal government has warned employers against using terms like "recent college graduate"in positing, but the practice continues.
The EEOC is struggling to keep up with complaints. Between 2010 and 2017 they received 205,355 age discrimination complaints, yet just 1% resulted in a finding of discrimination. Only 10 age discrimination lawsuits were actually litigated. EEOC is trying to mediate and settle as many suits as possible.
Harassment in the workplace is a common form of age discrimination. In some cases, the job the older employee was doing is eliminated, thus forcing the employee to resign.
The reality is, every aspect of job performance gets better as we age. Wharton Business School determined that the juxtaposition between the superior performance of older workers and the discrimination against them in the workplace just makes no sense.
We had a friend who was a sit com writer. He had written for some of the great shows, like Cheers and Taxi, yet when he tried to find work as a writer in his 50's, he could not get work. For the most part, that industry is dominate by men and women under 35. Age discrimination can take place in workers as young as 50. Hopefully with other movements that have caught fire l (like the me too movement), older workers will stand up for their rights and fight back.
Monday, April 6, 2020
Social Distancing
My mom is in LA, all alone. Her housekeeper/companion Chayo has been sick for several weeks now, and the worst thing she could do is come back to help my mom before she is 100%. In the mean time, my mom has been alone and self isolating for over 2 weeks. She is not living in fear, but is smart enough to know that listening to the professionals is her best chance of staying healthy.
When we first started to self isolate, I suggested that she come here and stay with us. She was right. That would have been a bad idea. We don't even have a separate bedroom for her, she would have had to bring her dog Captain, and it would have been very difficult. She is safest in her own home, where she is comfortable, but lonely.
Our family tries to keep in close contact with her. I call twice a day as do other family members, and the grand kids and great grand kids Facetime often. She has Netflix, and reads the NY Times from cover to cover every day. As she says, she stretches out activities that used to take a few minutes to much longer. She says, and I agree, that you get into a slower routine and actually get used to it.
When you live to 96+ as she has, you have seen a lot. Depression, many wars, several recessions, and great economic booms. She says she has never seen anything like this. Is she fearful of getting the virus? No, she is not. She knows she is doing all the right things, and that's all she can do. I feel the same.
I wish we had a little more information on how Covid 19 is transmitted, how long it stays active on surfaces, etc., but we don't, and we won't know for a while. In the meantime, we need to self isolate as much as possible. The worst thing would be to allow businesses to open too soon, allow people to congregate in large numbers before the virus is under control. We know that the virus can come back and we have to make very sure we are out of the woods before opening up communities again. If not, it could be additional months before we end this pandemic.
I admire those on the front line, the nurses, doctors and all their support staff, who are risking their lives everyday, many with inadequate PPE. (personal protective equipment). I also admire all those that are staying home, self distancing and helping to stomp out this virus. Those that aren't doing what professionals say is imperative are making things worse. Not only are they endangering their own lives, but they may be endangering the lives of their family, friends and strangers. We're all in this together and we all need to follow the guideline.
When we first started to self isolate, I suggested that she come here and stay with us. She was right. That would have been a bad idea. We don't even have a separate bedroom for her, she would have had to bring her dog Captain, and it would have been very difficult. She is safest in her own home, where she is comfortable, but lonely.
Our family tries to keep in close contact with her. I call twice a day as do other family members, and the grand kids and great grand kids Facetime often. She has Netflix, and reads the NY Times from cover to cover every day. As she says, she stretches out activities that used to take a few minutes to much longer. She says, and I agree, that you get into a slower routine and actually get used to it.
When you live to 96+ as she has, you have seen a lot. Depression, many wars, several recessions, and great economic booms. She says she has never seen anything like this. Is she fearful of getting the virus? No, she is not. She knows she is doing all the right things, and that's all she can do. I feel the same.
I wish we had a little more information on how Covid 19 is transmitted, how long it stays active on surfaces, etc., but we don't, and we won't know for a while. In the meantime, we need to self isolate as much as possible. The worst thing would be to allow businesses to open too soon, allow people to congregate in large numbers before the virus is under control. We know that the virus can come back and we have to make very sure we are out of the woods before opening up communities again. If not, it could be additional months before we end this pandemic.
I admire those on the front line, the nurses, doctors and all their support staff, who are risking their lives everyday, many with inadequate PPE. (personal protective equipment). I also admire all those that are staying home, self distancing and helping to stomp out this virus. Those that aren't doing what professionals say is imperative are making things worse. Not only are they endangering their own lives, but they may be endangering the lives of their family, friends and strangers. We're all in this together and we all need to follow the guideline.
Friday, April 3, 2020
Social Life In The Time of Coronavirus
We're all finding new ways of staying in touch these days. Social distancing requires us to keep six feet (an arbitrary distance) from each other. Well, where there's a will there's a way. Zoom, which is a network meeting app, to the rescue. My lunch bunch group, which usually goes to interesting restaurants around San Diego, settled for a virtual lunch this month.
We decided to all sign on to our Zoom meeting at noon, lunch in hand, and sit and eat and talk for 40 minutes. We weren't sure how it would go, but after a little trouble with some of us getting audio or video, we could finally see and hear each other. We chatted about the last few weeks, and how were getting along. It was so much fun we plan to do it again next week. It's something to look forward to, and it reemphasizes the fact that getting together with friends for lunch is mostly about the friends. The food is secondary. My chicken salad sandwich and sweet potato were good, but not as great as seeing good friends that I haven't been with for a while.
Another activity that everyone seems to be involved in is walking, walking, walking. I live in a isolated community, and I notice that everyone I see while out walking is much friendlier than ever before. People I don't even know are waving and stopping to talk. A walk that used to take 30 minutes will now take up to an hour, with all the stop and chats. Of course we keep our distance while talking. I see people out in groups of two, riding bikes around Ocean Hills. Keeping social and physical at the same time. Yesterday I played 9 holes of golf by myself. Not terribly social, but good exercise.
My Newcomers group is having our next book club on a Zoom meeting, and our next general meeting too. Also, our congressman Mike Levin, is having a town hall this week on Zoom to talk about the coronavirus.
So, there's no reason to be a recluse during this time of social isolation. With the age of Facetime and Zoom, there's no reason to be alone. I've got lots of interesting meetings to attend this week. Also, many museums now have virtural tours which you can take to keep you busy. I'm a bridge player, and tomorrow Ron and I are going to play a three hour game at the club we visit in Phoenix, Bridge on Shea. Through the magic of the internet, we are transported to the club and get to play all afternoon. I can't wait to try it out.
Keep yourself socially active. It's not what we're used to, but a new way of connecting. We've got a way to go before this pandemic is over, so get involved and have some fun. It may be a while.
We decided to all sign on to our Zoom meeting at noon, lunch in hand, and sit and eat and talk for 40 minutes. We weren't sure how it would go, but after a little trouble with some of us getting audio or video, we could finally see and hear each other. We chatted about the last few weeks, and how were getting along. It was so much fun we plan to do it again next week. It's something to look forward to, and it reemphasizes the fact that getting together with friends for lunch is mostly about the friends. The food is secondary. My chicken salad sandwich and sweet potato were good, but not as great as seeing good friends that I haven't been with for a while.
Another activity that everyone seems to be involved in is walking, walking, walking. I live in a isolated community, and I notice that everyone I see while out walking is much friendlier than ever before. People I don't even know are waving and stopping to talk. A walk that used to take 30 minutes will now take up to an hour, with all the stop and chats. Of course we keep our distance while talking. I see people out in groups of two, riding bikes around Ocean Hills. Keeping social and physical at the same time. Yesterday I played 9 holes of golf by myself. Not terribly social, but good exercise.
My Newcomers group is having our next book club on a Zoom meeting, and our next general meeting too. Also, our congressman Mike Levin, is having a town hall this week on Zoom to talk about the coronavirus.
So, there's no reason to be a recluse during this time of social isolation. With the age of Facetime and Zoom, there's no reason to be alone. I've got lots of interesting meetings to attend this week. Also, many museums now have virtural tours which you can take to keep you busy. I'm a bridge player, and tomorrow Ron and I are going to play a three hour game at the club we visit in Phoenix, Bridge on Shea. Through the magic of the internet, we are transported to the club and get to play all afternoon. I can't wait to try it out.
Keep yourself socially active. It's not what we're used to, but a new way of connecting. We've got a way to go before this pandemic is over, so get involved and have some fun. It may be a while.
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Great Italian Food at Piazza 1909
On Debbie's recommendation, our lunch bunch drove to La Jolla for a delicious lunch at Piazza 1909. The restaurant is on Fay Avenue, just across from one of my old favorites, The Cottage. Piazza 1909 is an old house turned into a charming restaurant, with five or six tables inside, the rest outside on a beautiful patio. We were there on a cool day, so the inside was very crowded. We were also there during restaurant week, and although the three course meal looked interesting, we ordered off the menu and shared a lot of dishes, as we always do.
First, the focaccia bread with tomato dipping sauce was delicious, and with my nice of Chianti, tyed me over until our meal came. First we had delicious bruschetta, with nicely toasted bread and fresh tomatoes. Next, we had meatballs in marinara sauce that were excellent. We also had an arugula salad and a tagiatelle with and intense meat sauce. Finally, we ordered a pizza with cheese and prosciutto. Everything was quickly devoured, and several in our group were ready for dessert. They ordered a chocolate volcano, similar to a lava cake, with a scoop of vanilla bean gelato on top. Not being a great chocolate lover, I passed on dessert, except for two spoons of gelato, which I couldn't resist.
This is a great little find in La Jolla. The food is very good, the service friendly, and the atmosphere is very homey. It's great for lunch or dinner. Enjoy.
Oh, the restaurant also has some sort of a wine club, and for $60, they have a cooking class where you learn to cook three dishes and then eat it. That might be fun to do.
First, the focaccia bread with tomato dipping sauce was delicious, and with my nice of Chianti, tyed me over until our meal came. First we had delicious bruschetta, with nicely toasted bread and fresh tomatoes. Next, we had meatballs in marinara sauce that were excellent. We also had an arugula salad and a tagiatelle with and intense meat sauce. Finally, we ordered a pizza with cheese and prosciutto. Everything was quickly devoured, and several in our group were ready for dessert. They ordered a chocolate volcano, similar to a lava cake, with a scoop of vanilla bean gelato on top. Not being a great chocolate lover, I passed on dessert, except for two spoons of gelato, which I couldn't resist.
This is a great little find in La Jolla. The food is very good, the service friendly, and the atmosphere is very homey. It's great for lunch or dinner. Enjoy.
Oh, the restaurant also has some sort of a wine club, and for $60, they have a cooking class where you learn to cook three dishes and then eat it. That might be fun to do.
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