Blog

Short blog posts, journal entries, and random thoughts. Topics include a mix of personal and the world at large.

Morning in America

Ah, how nice is it to wake up in the morning and not have to worry about what crazy stuff the President has done this time. It’s a liberation that we have not known for the past four years. The sense that actual competence is in charge, and that ordinary citizens shouldn’t have to constantly worry about the country’s executive branch. Character matters. Kindness matters. And it’s welcoming to see integrity return to the highest office, the leader of the free world.

As we celebrate surviving the four years of Trump, we have to recognize the many that did not. The hundreds of thousands of Americans that didn’t need to die, if only we had a proper response to the coronavirus from the federal government. Folks of rural America, believing a con man can save them from their misery, but with only overdose death to show for it. The friends and family members, figuratively lost to the conspiracy rabbit hole, egged on by the self-affirming mechanisms of social media platforms.

The economy was going great, until it wasn’t. The one excuse that Trump supporters point to to explain away the many deficiencies of his presidency got utterly upended by COVID0019. How Trump must rue the misfortune of the pandemic. A better person would have seized the moment and lead with conviction. Trump only made it worse for himself by each misstep, doomed by the destiny of character that he so lacks.

That’s all over now, turning the page to the Biden presidency. After four years of sycophancy and nepotism, it’s such a relief to see capable people put back in charge. Normal has returned to Washington DC. Hopefully, with renewed effort on the vaccine rollout, normal will soon return to the rest of us as well.

God speed.

Around the block

As a bleeding-heart introvert, this whole pandemic business isn’t without some silver lining. I’m used to staying home all the time anyways! The fact that a contagious virus has turn home confinement into something mandatory is not really a big change for me. I’m just sad that the rest of you extroverts have to suddenly join my lifestyle. Of course, I’m also devastated that over 400,000 Americans have lost their lives to COVID.

Hopefully the incoming Biden administration - to be sworn in today - will be far more competent in combating the coronavirus than the departing administration.

Even the most ardent introvert needs some socializing. I was reminded of how nice it is to hang out with friends this past weekend. Properly socially distanced, mind you. A friend brought his kid over to deliver some things to me. During that time we got to stand around and chat for a bit, while the kid got to play with my housemate’s dog. Having a conversation in person: what a novel concept! The unseasonably warm and sunny day provided a perfect backdrop.

We then took the dog out for a walk around the neighborhood. Part of the allure of living in a suburbia-like area - houses with proper front yards and back - is how great it is to take a stroll just around the block. Vehicle traffic is minimal, and the air is wonderful thanks to the multitude of greenery. It was a cute scene with the kid holding onto the dog’s leash as it wanders through the neighborhood. Us adults following close behind, enjoying the sun.

It’s a shame I myself haven’t done enough walks like this; because, you know, pandemic. This brief hang out with friends provides a small taste of what we’ve missed, and what’s to come once everything goes back to normal. I am cheering for you, vaccine!

Sleeping through a typhoon

It’s the middle of January, and there’s wind gusts in San Francisco at more than 50 miles-an-hour. What a time to be alive. Climate change is real and tangible, whether or not your politics agrees with it. To have such harrowing wildfire conditions in the dead of winter is highly unprecedented. I’m glad (as of this writing) there aren’t any fires that have sprouted out due to this dry and windy conditions. The rain that we did get in December likely helped.

I am glad I moved my car to the covered garage of my work before the winds came. The immense amount of tress and shrubs where I live (gorgeous things on a nice and sunny day) likely means plenty of debris getting blown onto the car. Given these circumstances, and the prevalence of windy conditions going forward, I’m not giving up the parking permit at work anytime soon. Not that I’m precious with the M2, but I do want to preserve the paint as best as I can.

I shudder to think what it would have been like if the BMW was still parked outside in the elements.

Trying to sleep continously through the wind gusts was impossible. The ghoulish howl, the crashing tree branches, and the loud protest from anything that isn’t securely fixed, meant awaking multiple times throughout the night. It’s like sleeping through a typhoon, except there is no rain. Recency bias aside, I don’t think there’s ever been this bad of a wind event that didn’t involve rain. I should have slept with earplugs on.

At least I don’t have to commute to work. Imagine all the debris and crap littering the streets right now, not to mention out of service traffic lights. Safelite should be expecting a quite a few busted windshields, and insurance is going to be paying off a few more accidents than normal. This reminds me some years ago when it was also a spectacularly windy day: an entire tree collapsed onto a parked car. Thank god it wasn’t a moving one! This is why I avoid parking under trees as much as possible.

It’s nearly 7 AM now. I hope the rest of today goes great for you all.

MLK 2021

Happy MLK day! For those of us in education, MLK day marks the unofficial beginning of the Spring semester. Of course, this year is unlike any other year. We’ve been living in a Groundhog Day-like simulation since the start of the pandemic (Difficult to believe we are only two months away from the one year anniversary of that). The turn of the semesters hasn’t really changed how we work, especially those that don’t have to physically go to campus. Every day is the same, and so is the work.

It won’t be normal until a sizable amount of people are vaccinated. I sure hope the incoming Biden administration does a far better job at distribution. Though the departing Trump administration have set a very low bar. I think the aim should be this: to be able to properly reopen by the Summer months.

In the meantime I’m obviously not going anywhere. Even on such a nice weekend when it is unseasonably warm and dry. It’s relatively safe to be outside and in the sun, right? I saw lots of cars parked alongside the roads near the Pacific Ocean, so lots of people have the same idea. The new mutant strain of COVID is giving me pause, however. Best to stay home until I myself get the vaccine needle.

As I said last week, my best fried caught the coronavirus, and is struggling mightily with the many symptoms. Thankfully, it’s not bad enough for an ICU trip, but it’s not any version of what you would call fun. He hasn’t even got the energy to watch the football games yesterday, which is quite severe for a rabid sports fan like him. Again, it could be worse, but it’s going to be a struggle until the symptoms pass. It’s been a solid two weeks already.

Suffice it to say, I’m not taking any undue risks until vaccination.

The walls are closing in

Well, this is not good. My best friend is struggling heavily with COVID symptoms since he tested positive about a week ago. Mild symptoms they are not, though thankfully it’s not severe to the point of an ICU visit. It’s this horrible middle that makes the whole experience terribly unenjoyable. My friend puts it succinctly, “I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”

Poor dude. Fingers are crossed that he pulls through in due time.

Concurrently, my housemate got contact-traced to an exposure at her work, so she’s in self quarantine conditions until the test result comes back (negative, hopefully). By the virtue of living under the same roof, that means I’m also not going anywhere for a relatively while. I won’t be going home to see my parents this weekend, nor am I visiting my friends and their kids. Relax, these people have been in my “bubble” so to speak since the beginning of this pandemic.

I also got an email yesterday that there’s been two cases at work on campus! Thankfully, the two infected persons work away from our area in the library, so the chances of it directly affecting me is very slim. In some ways I’m genuinely surprised I haven’t caught COVID myself, given that I’m been physically going into work many times a week. I take them maximum amount of precaution of course, but luck plays a part in it as well.

In the case of my best friend, he had barely left his house in the weeks prior to catching COVID, and yet here he is. The rest of the household is negative, too, so it’s really down to a case of super bad luck. In all honestly we’ve all taken some risks during this time (a friend flew home from another State!), and it’s due to good fortune that we’ve come out unscathed (thus far). Knock on wood furiously.

COVID cases and daily deaths are still at all-time highs in America. Combine with the slow vaccine rollout, now is definitely not the time to let our guards down. I shall continue to go nowhere (other than to get groceries) for many months to come.

I am stressed

“Is it stressful? Or do you just talk fast?”

And just like that, I regained some perspective. I was indeed stressed. A big thank you to the customer for asking. It was a packed day at work, with many items on the schedule. I felt the entire weight of it on my shoulders, that it was up to me to make sure it gets done. So perhaps I wasn’t paying full attention to each customer, merely trying to get through all of it to the end of the work day.

My reply was meek: “Probably a bit of both.” I do tend to talk quickly.

No matter how much training you do, stress can still creep up on you. No amount of sleeping the proper hours, eating the correct foods, exercising regularly, and studying philosophy, can prevent it. Doing those things only lessens the impact and severity when the stress does hit. A year ago I would surely have fallen apart.

After that interaction, I was able to slow myself down. Temporarily detaching from the situation - thanks the kindness of that customer - allowed for the realization that it has been a rather stressful day. I should have been able to see that for myself without external input. But, if it was that easy, my face wouldn’t still be breaking out in stress pimples, even as I’m well into my 30s.

Improvement comes incrementally: the ability to handle stress only comes with more doing and more experience. Unless I choose the life of an aesthetic monk living in the woods (sounds great, actually), stress is going to be a part of everyday life for the rest of time. I’ll be better at it as I go along.

On my own

It’s been a little over two months since I’ve moved out on my own, and I have to say it’s going quite well. This “new” place finally feels lived in, and completely my own. For awhile it felt like I was off on some long vacation, and living in an AirBnb. That feeling was especially acute when I wake up in the morning. Having stared up at the same ceiling for nearly two decades, the transition to a new one takes some getting used to. These days it’s become rather familiar.

It’s nice to be able to set my own schedule, to eat whenever I want. Back with my parents, dinners is always at 6:00 PM, so I sort of had to schedule my day around that. On my own, I basically eat whenever I feel like eating. Of course, I’m also responsible for buying all the groceries: the milk no longer magically replenishes itself when it runs low. Thank god I’m not a glutton for variety in food. Being content with eating the same thing everyday means I can buy something in bulk from Costco and eat that for a whole week.

Of course, living within walking distance to a mall with a proper food court means should I fancy not cooking, I can always get some take-out easily. Being so close to everything is one of the main attractions of moving to this place. I don’t think I can go back to having a commute to work, now that I can simply walk to it everyday. To be able to take care of most of my life needs all from within walking distance (even my dentist is only a few blocks away) is the stuff of dreams. A lifestyle I thought only possible in super dense Asian cities.

A few years back when I was traveling in Korea, I remarked at how small and efficient our AirBnb is. No bigger than about 250 square-feet, it was fully featured nonetheless: full kitchen, full bath, and a place for a bed. I thought wouldn’t it be great to have something like this in San Francisco, for a reasonable amount of rent. Turns out, in renting my current space, I found it! A studio with just enough space for everything. The small footprint makes it incredibly easy to clean. Whoever invented the Swiffer: I salute you.

I can’t wait for a time when I can actually go outside of the house for fun. I’m rooting for you, coronavirus vaccine!