June 6.
I’m not going to be the first one to mention this, but I couldn’t help notice that some actions or items that have become symbols are now taking on increased meaning. Three of these recently jumped out at me.
The first is kneeling. This was of course made famous by Colin Kapernick about 4 years ago to protest the treatment of minorities during the playing of the national anthem during football games. Of course, kneeling was misinterpreted as a slam again the flag and veterans. And at the time, the NFL agreed and blackballed Kap. Today, it’s becoming the action that sparked the recent protests. A cop knelt on George Floyd’s neck until he passed out. More people are kneeling as a symbol of protest, made ever more prevalent since that Minneapolis arrest. As someone said, before the knee on the neck, there was the knee on the ground.
What did George Floyd say when under that officers knee? “I can’t breathe.” And of course, people who have COVID are dying from respiratory issues. They can’t breathe either unless assisted by a ventilator. Two pandemics and both can be identified with the same saying...”I can’t breathe”.
Finally, we need to mention bibles. Bibles have always had strong symbolic meaning as the word of god. And for President Trump maybe more. Like a prop to please his base. He certainly is no religious person. I won’t explain the details here, but suffice it to say......quiet protest between White House and church, teargassing protesters before curfew hour to clear a path, then trump’s entourage (including military men and Ivanka carrying the Bible) arriving at the church with a bible for a photo op. It doesn’t diss the Bible, but certainly gave many a reason to either further hate trump or for the first time, for some Repugs to dismiss him. Even some former big name party affiliates who say they won’t vote for him this November. Has the first domino finally fallen? Well see.
More days of economic and social turmoil. Oh, and health turmoil. The infection rates continue to rise in places that didn’t want to listen to the experts. Like Brazil. And some Southern states. And the Tesla plant. Ugh.
Is anyone else burned out on the news? Does hearing about more Covid deaths still register with people? Seems that we just want to open up businesses, at least those ones not damaged by looting in the recent troubles. But is there a second wave approaching from all of the protests? I think soon we’ll know. Random thoughts about random thought processes.
C got her new bike from Italy! Finally! The story is after many months of delay due to the shutdown in northern Italy, it took two days to get to Oakland from Italy. But then it took another 5 or 6 days to get from Oakland to our house in Berkeley, 10 miles away. Fedex fails! So frustrating! But the first ride was nice, with the new carbon fiber beauty. Hopefully, many more fun rides will follow!
One more memorable line, as written in a poem in the SF Chron (by Jay Manson of Berkeley)
Our orange sociopath-in-chief wants me to wear a holster but not a mask.
That’s enough. I’m beginning to think that this blog needs to move on from political discourse and return to cycling. Partly because there is no keeping up with 45’s daily BS and the COVID and social unrest news is just too depressing. Cycling is the antidote and since we can still ride, why not concentrate on it? It’s been a year since our trip to Spain and good memories remain. Why not stick to those good thoughts? Back to bikes.....thank you!
Friday, June 19, 2020
Friday, June 5, 2020
A Different Kind of Memorial Day
May 25.
The start of week 12 (I think) of shelter-in-place with no real end in sight in the Bay Area, here we are, approaching 100,000 dead from the virus, with another take on who to memorialize. With as many interpretations on how and when to reopen the economy as people, the craziness continues. The debate has turned to how soon and to what extent should the economy be returned to normal, whatever that is. Governors are being sued. The president is saying “liberate”. Big assault rifles are showing up at protests, of course without masks or distancing. And it seems that the only guy in Trump’s orbit that was trusted (Dr. Fauci) isn’t showing up at his side very often these days. What a great country.
More COVID observations.
- One day after hearing from a relative how North Carolina is so lax that people don’t even wear masks in stores, a story comes out about how their infections are rising quite fast. The story’s title is: “North Carolina Reports Highest 1-Day Spike Of COVID-19 Cases”. The same is happening in Brazil, where the president didn’t believe the virus was bad and policy reflected that opinion. Doesn’t all of this seem predictable?
- It’s clear that elderly rest homes / asssited living locations are the source of large numbers of infected and dying folks. Of course, prisons are part of this too. But I wonder whether America’s temptation or habit to shuffle old folks off to these places will change at all? China had a big problem with infections and deaths early on, but stifled it pretty quickly. They typically have multi-generational families living under one roof. Logically, this lack of close living with many people would help keep the infection rate under check better than our system. Maybe we should make room for granny in that spare bedroom?
- One COVID testing center in San Francisco was set up to aid homeless people, I think in the Tenderloin. It’s success was limited because one of the requirements was that those requesting testing needed to have a smart phone and have an email address. Now, I know the city gives out cell phones to many indigent people. But wouldn’t it make sense to waive this requirement in the time of a pandemic? Or at least if they didn’t have one, test them and then give them one right there on the spot so they would be tested? The best laid plans.......
- There have been various musings about how tech companies will fare as a result of these times, including their employees. The prevailing thought has been that San Francisco has been invariably changed due to their proliferation over the past 20 years. Both here and in Silicon Valley. Well, now with COVID, their management has started falling in line saying that their folks can work at home for the foreseeable future. And some have gone as far as saying forever. That’s led some of the techies to say the hell with San Francisco. “If I can work for the same company anywhere and the city that I knew has changed, why would I want to pay super high rent and be there? Why not move to the countryside? Or back to where I grew up? Or maybe to an exotic, less expensive location like Hawaii?” So....let’s see how far this goes. But if it happens in large amounts, the whole real estate market could flip, both residential and office buildings. Maybe it will bulge somewhere else like Sacramento or wine country. Who knows? To be honest, how can all of these companies, which often only make “vaporware” or survive on advertising, survive these times? There’s a possibility of a shakeout of mass proportions in the next year or so in many areas, including companies, population and real estate.
May 31. COVID has taken a back seat to something we as a society can see. An affliction we can actually see, unlike the virus. An enemy with visibility. And that’s bad police. It’s the end of the weekend where Memorial Day was again redefined, where many US cities exploded with fury over the death of George Floyd, who was killed by a policeman in Minneapolis less than a week ago. As if we didn’t have a big enough tragedy/challenge/dividing issue in this country. Oh my. And the looting and protests are likely far from over. While it would be foolish to defend the perp whose actions (along with three other nearby officers), I just can’t fathom people who would undermine the whole message with looting? They hurt innocent people, businesses, cities and of course, their own cause. (Well....it’s doubtful they are the same people.). In past protests, which the Bay Area has plenty of experience with, those wearing masks were clearly the bad boys, covering up their identity and causing mayhem unidentified. Remember Antifa? Now, with masks de rigeur, except for those who don’t want their “rights infringed upon”, we’re seeing some of those protesters (in tight crowds with no social distance) running around without masks. Ironic? Yep. Masks good? Masks bad? Well, that makes it easier to ID ‘em and arrest ‘em. But let’s wait two weeks and see if there are any surges in infections in these protest cities. Let’s hope it’s only windows broken and a few cars burned And not an increase in deaths. (Post note: There is plenty of speculation about whether the looting was done by opportunists, white supremacists or just teenagers who have been pent up for 3 months. But bottom line....given the attention it’s given to racism in this country and the hope to reduce/eliminate it, many seem to be giving the looting a pass. That’s a tough one to swallow for me.)
- Day 3 (or is it 4?) of civil unrest due to George Floyd’s death. Here are a few sayings I’ve come across that sum things up well for me.
- Stephen Colbert - Talking about the need to address systemic racism in the US and the disagreements within our society, he said: “Contents under pressure will eventually explode. That’s not a threat, that’s a law of nature.”
- SF Chronicle editorial - “President Trump’s failure as a leader and lust for conflict were never more apparent.”
- Also......”This nation is wounded in so many ways right now, ravaged by sicknesses with no vaccine in sight.”
- “Donald Trump has his knee on the neck of democracy.” (Otis R. Taylor, SF Chron)
June 2. I couldn’t help but think of how fragile peace is and how quickly it can all go to hell since the protests and looting started about 4 days ago. The pandemic lockdown or shelter-in-place has been going on for almost 3 months now. It’s protected people’s health, but also tested their patience. I have to say, in general, most people have shown they can and will comply and with that, offer more smiles and words of comfort than in normal times. Of course, there are those who have carried big guns to state houses and demanded “freedom”. They are dangerous, but in the minority. They are like a dumpster fire and unfortunately get lots of press. To me, they are scary, but most people are compliant and also very helpful and believe we are all “in this together”.
That is, until the protests and rioting started. Maybe it shows that people have a limit and then they explode. And the lockdown forced people to approach that limit. Of course, there is reason to explode with George Floyd’s unnecessary and brutal death. But if there wasn’t a lockdown, would this poor man’s death have been just another one in a string with a few protests and that’s it? We’ll never know. Does anyone else agree that what seemed like a great amount of compassion and helpfulness just disappeared overnight? On a ride today, I even had a keen feeling of awareness that I’d better ride defensively because who knows what nut job driver might be out to run me down. Is this rational? Hopefully not. Or am I missing the good news because of the focus of the press on bad news? And we’re all on bad news overload here. It’s certainly serious, but maybe it’s like that dumpster fire. It’s taken all of the figurative oxygen out of the system and has not only eclipsed the good word of the protesters, but also what seemed like the goodwill of people during the COVID pandemic. Maybe these protests will make a difference. I hate hate hate to see people looting and rioting, but they are pissed for reasons us white people don’t fully understand. Some of them anyway...others are opportunists or perhaps antifa or whatever fringe group. I hope the pandemic is not just a memory of better times. Wow....I don’t know what to think right now. Ahhh, humans. They can be so complicated, irrational and frustrating.
And the next day, we had cops taking a knee. Humans can also be rational and unpredictable in a good way.
With the George Floyd protests and looting, COVID has taken a back seat to being the top news story. It’s become a tragedy wrapped in a tragedy. And just like COVID, it has spread almost everywhere, so there is no escaping it. It’s been said before, but usually when there is a tragedy or natural disaster, you can go way from it, leave, find refuge elsewhere. But both of these events are such that you can’t escape, there is nowhere in the world unaffected by COVID. And at least in the US, it seems there is nowhere you can go to escape at least the news and awareness of protests and looting. The COVID infection rate and death counts have been replaced by counts of the arrests and the number of stores looted. It’s scary and there’s no immediate solution.
Everyday, there are many observations, revelations, confusions, etc., associated with this latest tragedy that divides the country. The country is going through cultural spasms in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. And the president is inciting violence, losing even his biggest supporters and may we say, he is feeling cornered as the election approaches. Within just a few days, we’ve switched from every moment paid to how to deal with the worldwide COVID pandemic to the country shaking from another type of pandemic, racism. I’m sure trump is glad that COVID is at least temporarily out of the news and in the rear mirror. But this issue, in a country where many people cannot trust the cops, he isn’t really a get out of jail free card. Especially when you aren’t really a leader.
By the end of the week, we all seemed to be in a better place, with no more looting, a newfound awareness of the need to address racism and maybe reform policing in this country. But what a week it was. There were protests in literally hundreds of cities across the country, many in places not known for any activism. It went along with the fact that some of the looting happened in these places too. It got their attention that these are problems that affect everyone, not just those in big cities. This early in the game it’s hard to know if we’ve turned a corner, but some people are saying we have. If we can complete that turn in November with some new leadership, maybe we can not only survive, but flourish.
I’m constantly thinking of topics to explore here, but often forget before getting a chance to jot down an idea and pursue it. But the basic idea is that we are are going off the rails. And so is this blog. It’s suppose to be about cycling, remember?! I’ll continue to try and jot down thoughts, but want to mention at least some ride info. We attempted to escape the East Bay heat this week by riding over the bridge to Marin and up BoFax in the redwoods. That was beautiful, It was quiet and the coast was super clear. But most of the ride was with temps in the 90s, if not higher! We never really did escape the East Bay summer temps. C and I rode almost 70 miles, and I lost at least 5 pounds (water weight). She bonked on the way back, but entering cooler temps over the bridge was a bit rejuvenating. Just enough to get us home and rehydrate with lunch and a cold beer. Maybe that’s what the country and the world needs....to ride back into cooler temps, have a beer and get back on the rails. If only it were so simple.
The start of week 12 (I think) of shelter-in-place with no real end in sight in the Bay Area, here we are, approaching 100,000 dead from the virus, with another take on who to memorialize. With as many interpretations on how and when to reopen the economy as people, the craziness continues. The debate has turned to how soon and to what extent should the economy be returned to normal, whatever that is. Governors are being sued. The president is saying “liberate”. Big assault rifles are showing up at protests, of course without masks or distancing. And it seems that the only guy in Trump’s orbit that was trusted (Dr. Fauci) isn’t showing up at his side very often these days. What a great country.
More COVID observations.
- One day after hearing from a relative how North Carolina is so lax that people don’t even wear masks in stores, a story comes out about how their infections are rising quite fast. The story’s title is: “North Carolina Reports Highest 1-Day Spike Of COVID-19 Cases”. The same is happening in Brazil, where the president didn’t believe the virus was bad and policy reflected that opinion. Doesn’t all of this seem predictable?
- It’s clear that elderly rest homes / asssited living locations are the source of large numbers of infected and dying folks. Of course, prisons are part of this too. But I wonder whether America’s temptation or habit to shuffle old folks off to these places will change at all? China had a big problem with infections and deaths early on, but stifled it pretty quickly. They typically have multi-generational families living under one roof. Logically, this lack of close living with many people would help keep the infection rate under check better than our system. Maybe we should make room for granny in that spare bedroom?
- One COVID testing center in San Francisco was set up to aid homeless people, I think in the Tenderloin. It’s success was limited because one of the requirements was that those requesting testing needed to have a smart phone and have an email address. Now, I know the city gives out cell phones to many indigent people. But wouldn’t it make sense to waive this requirement in the time of a pandemic? Or at least if they didn’t have one, test them and then give them one right there on the spot so they would be tested? The best laid plans.......
- There have been various musings about how tech companies will fare as a result of these times, including their employees. The prevailing thought has been that San Francisco has been invariably changed due to their proliferation over the past 20 years. Both here and in Silicon Valley. Well, now with COVID, their management has started falling in line saying that their folks can work at home for the foreseeable future. And some have gone as far as saying forever. That’s led some of the techies to say the hell with San Francisco. “If I can work for the same company anywhere and the city that I knew has changed, why would I want to pay super high rent and be there? Why not move to the countryside? Or back to where I grew up? Or maybe to an exotic, less expensive location like Hawaii?” So....let’s see how far this goes. But if it happens in large amounts, the whole real estate market could flip, both residential and office buildings. Maybe it will bulge somewhere else like Sacramento or wine country. Who knows? To be honest, how can all of these companies, which often only make “vaporware” or survive on advertising, survive these times? There’s a possibility of a shakeout of mass proportions in the next year or so in many areas, including companies, population and real estate.
May 31. COVID has taken a back seat to something we as a society can see. An affliction we can actually see, unlike the virus. An enemy with visibility. And that’s bad police. It’s the end of the weekend where Memorial Day was again redefined, where many US cities exploded with fury over the death of George Floyd, who was killed by a policeman in Minneapolis less than a week ago. As if we didn’t have a big enough tragedy/challenge/dividing issue in this country. Oh my. And the looting and protests are likely far from over. While it would be foolish to defend the perp whose actions (along with three other nearby officers), I just can’t fathom people who would undermine the whole message with looting? They hurt innocent people, businesses, cities and of course, their own cause. (Well....it’s doubtful they are the same people.). In past protests, which the Bay Area has plenty of experience with, those wearing masks were clearly the bad boys, covering up their identity and causing mayhem unidentified. Remember Antifa? Now, with masks de rigeur, except for those who don’t want their “rights infringed upon”, we’re seeing some of those protesters (in tight crowds with no social distance) running around without masks. Ironic? Yep. Masks good? Masks bad? Well, that makes it easier to ID ‘em and arrest ‘em. But let’s wait two weeks and see if there are any surges in infections in these protest cities. Let’s hope it’s only windows broken and a few cars burned And not an increase in deaths. (Post note: There is plenty of speculation about whether the looting was done by opportunists, white supremacists or just teenagers who have been pent up for 3 months. But bottom line....given the attention it’s given to racism in this country and the hope to reduce/eliminate it, many seem to be giving the looting a pass. That’s a tough one to swallow for me.)
- Day 3 (or is it 4?) of civil unrest due to George Floyd’s death. Here are a few sayings I’ve come across that sum things up well for me.
- Stephen Colbert - Talking about the need to address systemic racism in the US and the disagreements within our society, he said: “Contents under pressure will eventually explode. That’s not a threat, that’s a law of nature.”
- SF Chronicle editorial - “President Trump’s failure as a leader and lust for conflict were never more apparent.”
- Also......”This nation is wounded in so many ways right now, ravaged by sicknesses with no vaccine in sight.”
- “Donald Trump has his knee on the neck of democracy.” (Otis R. Taylor, SF Chron)
June 2. I couldn’t help but think of how fragile peace is and how quickly it can all go to hell since the protests and looting started about 4 days ago. The pandemic lockdown or shelter-in-place has been going on for almost 3 months now. It’s protected people’s health, but also tested their patience. I have to say, in general, most people have shown they can and will comply and with that, offer more smiles and words of comfort than in normal times. Of course, there are those who have carried big guns to state houses and demanded “freedom”. They are dangerous, but in the minority. They are like a dumpster fire and unfortunately get lots of press. To me, they are scary, but most people are compliant and also very helpful and believe we are all “in this together”.
That is, until the protests and rioting started. Maybe it shows that people have a limit and then they explode. And the lockdown forced people to approach that limit. Of course, there is reason to explode with George Floyd’s unnecessary and brutal death. But if there wasn’t a lockdown, would this poor man’s death have been just another one in a string with a few protests and that’s it? We’ll never know. Does anyone else agree that what seemed like a great amount of compassion and helpfulness just disappeared overnight? On a ride today, I even had a keen feeling of awareness that I’d better ride defensively because who knows what nut job driver might be out to run me down. Is this rational? Hopefully not. Or am I missing the good news because of the focus of the press on bad news? And we’re all on bad news overload here. It’s certainly serious, but maybe it’s like that dumpster fire. It’s taken all of the figurative oxygen out of the system and has not only eclipsed the good word of the protesters, but also what seemed like the goodwill of people during the COVID pandemic. Maybe these protests will make a difference. I hate hate hate to see people looting and rioting, but they are pissed for reasons us white people don’t fully understand. Some of them anyway...others are opportunists or perhaps antifa or whatever fringe group. I hope the pandemic is not just a memory of better times. Wow....I don’t know what to think right now. Ahhh, humans. They can be so complicated, irrational and frustrating.
And the next day, we had cops taking a knee. Humans can also be rational and unpredictable in a good way.
With the George Floyd protests and looting, COVID has taken a back seat to being the top news story. It’s become a tragedy wrapped in a tragedy. And just like COVID, it has spread almost everywhere, so there is no escaping it. It’s been said before, but usually when there is a tragedy or natural disaster, you can go way from it, leave, find refuge elsewhere. But both of these events are such that you can’t escape, there is nowhere in the world unaffected by COVID. And at least in the US, it seems there is nowhere you can go to escape at least the news and awareness of protests and looting. The COVID infection rate and death counts have been replaced by counts of the arrests and the number of stores looted. It’s scary and there’s no immediate solution.
Everyday, there are many observations, revelations, confusions, etc., associated with this latest tragedy that divides the country. The country is going through cultural spasms in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. And the president is inciting violence, losing even his biggest supporters and may we say, he is feeling cornered as the election approaches. Within just a few days, we’ve switched from every moment paid to how to deal with the worldwide COVID pandemic to the country shaking from another type of pandemic, racism. I’m sure trump is glad that COVID is at least temporarily out of the news and in the rear mirror. But this issue, in a country where many people cannot trust the cops, he isn’t really a get out of jail free card. Especially when you aren’t really a leader.
By the end of the week, we all seemed to be in a better place, with no more looting, a newfound awareness of the need to address racism and maybe reform policing in this country. But what a week it was. There were protests in literally hundreds of cities across the country, many in places not known for any activism. It went along with the fact that some of the looting happened in these places too. It got their attention that these are problems that affect everyone, not just those in big cities. This early in the game it’s hard to know if we’ve turned a corner, but some people are saying we have. If we can complete that turn in November with some new leadership, maybe we can not only survive, but flourish.
I’m constantly thinking of topics to explore here, but often forget before getting a chance to jot down an idea and pursue it. But the basic idea is that we are are going off the rails. And so is this blog. It’s suppose to be about cycling, remember?! I’ll continue to try and jot down thoughts, but want to mention at least some ride info. We attempted to escape the East Bay heat this week by riding over the bridge to Marin and up BoFax in the redwoods. That was beautiful, It was quiet and the coast was super clear. But most of the ride was with temps in the 90s, if not higher! We never really did escape the East Bay summer temps. C and I rode almost 70 miles, and I lost at least 5 pounds (water weight). She bonked on the way back, but entering cooler temps over the bridge was a bit rejuvenating. Just enough to get us home and rehydrate with lunch and a cold beer. Maybe that’s what the country and the world needs....to ride back into cooler temps, have a beer and get back on the rails. If only it were so simple.
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Covid 19 Entry #6 and getting bored. This is supposed to be a bike blog.
May 11. Entering week 9 of shelter-in-place.
Many words are being written on this current pandemic. For something different, here is an interesting audio take on the pandemic, as done by Matmos bandmember, Drew Daniel. It is 15 minutes of audio compiled from many submissions from the around the world, probably in the first couple of weeks of the pandemic (late March, early April 2020), reflecting what people view as their own personal COVID-19 experience.
We all hear stories about how the world has changed. Let me take that a step further. Maybe we should hope that some changes become permanent because they are better than what's currently happening. Less cars, so less air pollution. More work at home, so less office buildings needed (and less commuting). Is the capitalism model for economics in the west fracturing? If not, it sure has exposed how little margin there is for financial error. Rainy day funds?? How about rainy years? That's what "we" (everyone) all seem to need. More commuting by bicycle? (That's being pushed in London and Paris to avoid crowded public transit.) Drawing back the curtain on a clearly inferior US health care system and maybe more will to fix it. Also, pulling back the curtain on a clearly inferior commander-in-chief. Where do we start with that one? Job losses are rampant, but perhaps that will lead to some people moving out of the Bay Area, taking the pressure off the housing market and general overpopulation? And it also could give first time buyers who are still working less competition and lower home prices in the near future. Many of these forced changes are economic considerations, but how about redefining our lives? Given that we're all being forced to practically come to a full stop with many activities (for 8 weeks so far), there's a chance that these days will give us a chance to reconsider what is most important in our lives. A quieter lifestyle. Relationships. Family. Maybe food, music, nature, more bike rides. Meet more of your neighbors. Many things consumed our time "BC". Some of those activities are gone. People whine about being bored, but I like to look at it as a way to slow down, decide what's really important, and catch up on missed opportunities, friends, and tasks. I consider myself one of the lucky ones of these times. There are few times in life when this "chance" comes around. Let's try and take advantage of this side of it and savor it. Before things go back to "normal". There are parts of BC that might not be that good to return to.
In some places, masks are starting to be seen as a statement of political identity. Demos wear them and Republicans despise them as government overreach. Wasn’t this supposed to be the time when we all got together to beat this thing? Apparently not. As Frank Brunei said in the NY Times: "Rugged individualism ends where dying on this breathtaking scale begins. There's liberty and then there's death." Better to be 6 feet apart than 6 feet under (said another wise sage).
We seem to be past the peak and on the downslide of virus infections and deaths. That's good news, although there are many opinions about that topic. Let's hope it doesn't rebound. Assuming there is no rebound or we look far enough out, someday there will be a new normal. 60 minutes did a good story this week on what that might mean. It's one of the best stories in awhile.
The totals seem to keep increasing, with the current US death count at over 92,000 (May 20). Trump still doesn’t wear a mask and is taking the high risk drug he (and no one else) claims is a COVID 19 cure, hydroxychloroquine. Good luck with that one, Mr. President. (Or is he?)
But isn’t this a biking blog? YES! So, let's finish up this entry with bike material.
Many words are being written on this current pandemic. For something different, here is an interesting audio take on the pandemic, as done by Matmos bandmember, Drew Daniel. It is 15 minutes of audio compiled from many submissions from the around the world, probably in the first couple of weeks of the pandemic (late March, early April 2020), reflecting what people view as their own personal COVID-19 experience.
We all hear stories about how the world has changed. Let me take that a step further. Maybe we should hope that some changes become permanent because they are better than what's currently happening. Less cars, so less air pollution. More work at home, so less office buildings needed (and less commuting). Is the capitalism model for economics in the west fracturing? If not, it sure has exposed how little margin there is for financial error. Rainy day funds?? How about rainy years? That's what "we" (everyone) all seem to need. More commuting by bicycle? (That's being pushed in London and Paris to avoid crowded public transit.) Drawing back the curtain on a clearly inferior US health care system and maybe more will to fix it. Also, pulling back the curtain on a clearly inferior commander-in-chief. Where do we start with that one? Job losses are rampant, but perhaps that will lead to some people moving out of the Bay Area, taking the pressure off the housing market and general overpopulation? And it also could give first time buyers who are still working less competition and lower home prices in the near future. Many of these forced changes are economic considerations, but how about redefining our lives? Given that we're all being forced to practically come to a full stop with many activities (for 8 weeks so far), there's a chance that these days will give us a chance to reconsider what is most important in our lives. A quieter lifestyle. Relationships. Family. Maybe food, music, nature, more bike rides. Meet more of your neighbors. Many things consumed our time "BC". Some of those activities are gone. People whine about being bored, but I like to look at it as a way to slow down, decide what's really important, and catch up on missed opportunities, friends, and tasks. I consider myself one of the lucky ones of these times. There are few times in life when this "chance" comes around. Let's try and take advantage of this side of it and savor it. Before things go back to "normal". There are parts of BC that might not be that good to return to.
Observed oddities during this crisis include:
- SF is providing liquor, drugs and cigarettes to homeless people housed in city provided hotel rooms during the pandemic to keep them away from others.
- Selective emptying of jails to avoid close quarters and Covid spreading. Makes some sense, but I'm not sure this is going to all end up well. It includes not only no-name misdemeanor criminals, but also many white collar criminals (incl. Trump's convicted buddies Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort). Let 'em rot, I say.
- No bail release of some new criminals for the same no-crowding reason. Can you say repeat offenders??
- Some secondary schools are giving every student an automatic A for their subject grades. The reason is because there is too much inequity among students to receive instruction. So their solution is to give everyone an A? How about gapping the inequities? Many universities went to a pass/fail system. In a pinch, that seems like a better solution.
- Initially, the government sent out $1200 stimulus checks to many people. It was all tied to their tax return information. Funny enough, some of those people had already died and were still sent checks. Did their heirs need to return the checks? Where would they send them? This issue has gone back and forth with blurry statements sent out by the administration. So....are the anti-Socialist republicans throwing money away at dead people?
- Unemployment benefits have been fairly generous and extremely valuable to many folks. In some cases, the benefits are more then the people made in their jobs. I believe I heard that people who are on a job won’t be at all forced to find a job. Where’s the incentive? This appears to be another case of trying to help, but not thinking it through.
- Roads are quieter, but trails are busier with hikers, etc. And the trailheads are jammed with parked cars, some illegally. Where were all of these people BC? They weren’t working out in the parks. If they were getting in shape, I'd say great. Instead, they just seem to be getting in the way.
In some places, masks are starting to be seen as a statement of political identity. Demos wear them and Republicans despise them as government overreach. Wasn’t this supposed to be the time when we all got together to beat this thing? Apparently not. As Frank Brunei said in the NY Times: "Rugged individualism ends where dying on this breathtaking scale begins. There's liberty and then there's death." Better to be 6 feet apart than 6 feet under (said another wise sage).
We seem to be past the peak and on the downslide of virus infections and deaths. That's good news, although there are many opinions about that topic. Let's hope it doesn't rebound. Assuming there is no rebound or we look far enough out, someday there will be a new normal. 60 minutes did a good story this week on what that might mean. It's one of the best stories in awhile.
From 60 Minutes: What will be the long-term effects of the coronavirus pandemic?
The totals seem to keep increasing, with the current US death count at over 92,000 (May 20). Trump still doesn’t wear a mask and is taking the high risk drug he (and no one else) claims is a COVID 19 cure, hydroxychloroquine. Good luck with that one, Mr. President. (Or is he?)
But isn’t this a biking blog? YES! So, let's finish up this entry with bike material.
I saw a Moots review from back in 2013 in Road magazine. “ It’s like having a Monet in your garage – except you get to ride it!” I love it! Having one of these bikes, this is one of the reasons why I'm one of the lucky ones during these times!
Finally, bike riding has become so popular that there are order backlogs for purchases and repairs and more talk of increasing cycling infrastructure. Silver linings? Yes!
Monday, May 11, 2020
Bleach? Really?????
April 27, the beginning of Week 7 of Shelter in Place.
The theater of the absurd continues, as does the shelter in place.
Here in California, we're in it for another month or so, until the end of May. The July Euro bike trip has predictably become another casualty of COVID 19. Without guarantee of even getting into one country, never mind 3, without needing to be quarantined for 14 days, or knowing if hotels would be opened, this trek made no sense for this year. At least we still get to ride here in the US (and especially locally).
We're used to the current situation of no real social contact, except ZOOM and your home bodies, so thank goodness that relationship is a good one! I can't imagine not liking your spouse these days. It is especially hard for parents who work and have to home school their little kids. They may love their kids, but everyone is starting to realize how under appreciated teachers are. Ugh....we are so lucky. We get a paycheck. We are healthy. And we get to ride. What a treat!
Back to connecting to people....I feel the need to contact many folks to check in. Even people who I'd gone months or years without talking to them. It's weird that everyone is going through the same thing, but it’s still comforting to speak with them. So far, we're lucky that people we know have their health.
The absurd I mentioned at the top will be the subject of many books, movies and jokes for a long, long time. Inject bleach as a remedy? Sunbeams and UV in your body? Is 45 sane? Obviously no.
Every few days, we hear updates on numbers. Infections. Deaths, Unemployment numbers. And unlike 45's approval rating, they are increasing. Today (April 30), the rough numbers are:
- US Infections - 1,000,000
- US Deaths - 60,000
- US Unemployment Filings since March 1st - 30,000,000 (rivaling the Great Depression)
All of these numbers remind us that almost everyday, there are new milestones being reached. Mostly bad. Eoconomic, health-related, etc. And the tough part remains the unknown about when it will be over. Obviously, it won't be all at once and every place will be different. Days? Months? Years? Wow, that sounds sad and ominous, but some things may never be the same.
May 3. Onto more positive thoughts. We took a nice ride to Marin today and did the Paradise Drive loop. The roads are getting a bit back to normal traffic, but we took some trails too and they continue to be crazy busy! I want to focus on the positive here (instead of saying they need to get outta the way!). I honestly hope that all those little kids and parents who seem to be discovering their bikes for the first time actually keep it up. They seem to be enjoying it, but have a fair amount of work mastering their two wheelers! Slow, weaving, dressed badly, helmets hanging over the handlebars, or worse yet, no helmets near the kids. But they are enjoying themselves. Maybe the virus will be the thing that increases the number of folks who cycle and that would be a good thing!
May 5. I’m beginning to think I’m in the eye of a hurricane. I’m safe, it’s dry, my life is almost the same with a retirement check coming in. I can shop for food. We can go for bike rides or walk or hike. And I know I’m starting to repeat myself. But the world continues to fall apart around us. I’m constantly reminded of the virus when I’m outside and there’s little or no traffic, the BART lot is empty, kids are sometimes riding up and down the street on their bikes. Millions have lost their jobs from all sectors. All schools are closed. Most businesses are closed. The stock market is unstable. Much of public transit has shuttered. And finally, people continue to die in large numbers. The administration still wants to view this as merely an economic encumbrance to be surmounted. In fact, they pat themselves on the back because of how great a job they’ve done. Well over 60,000 people have died in 6 weeks - more than the Vietnam war in 10 years - and Jared Kushner considers this a success? Ouch. And the trauma, socially, financially, health, etc. is continuing with no real end in sight. If this is success.......I’ll leave it a that as we have entered our 8th week of shelter-in-place.
May 7. Sheesh. Only 2 days later and we're up to over 73,000 dead in the good ole USA. And what does Trump do? He visits a mask factory and doesn't wear a mask. WTF? Yesterday, we had a big ride up Diablo, all the way from home. 79 miles and almost 6800' of climbing. And no cars on the park's roads (well, a few work trucks) since the park is closed to motorized visitors. That'll take your mind off the crazy world.
May 9. Everyday it’s another 2,000-3,000 deaths. The unemployment rate is rising and now hovers at 14.7%, reflected in the headline “Jobless rate rises to highest since 1939”. It’s as bad as it got during the Great Depression. Yet, I’m sitting in the house, doing what I please, reading, watching TV, listening to music, I tend to forget about it. Even getting out for a bike ride, always absolutely appreciated and a pleasure, is still my normal life. The traffic seems to be increasing out there, especially on the weekends. Trail heads are filled with parked cars. Bikers and runners are out there doing what they do. And then I see the line to get into a grocery store. For Berkeley Bowl, it’s more than a block long, wrapped around the corner, maybe 100 people deep. The parking lots at North Berkeley BART or Lafayette BART are essentially empty. Acres of parking lots, now turned over to parents teaching their kids how to ride their bikes. That’s when it hits me again that this is real. The bad news continues. The battles over when to “open” society and return to “normal” continue. The administration’s refusal to take any leadership role continues. The pandemic is not over and there’s no telling when it will subside. And as many writers have said, the return to “normal” life may never come. I find that hard to grasp, as every perturbation in life has eventually subsided and things get back to normal, so why not this as well? Are they right or am I right? And what is the future? Is it weeks, months, years? No one knows and that’s what’s hard to grasp.
PS Some good news. My bike riding miles are doing pretty pretty well, averaging well over 200 miles/week. Spring is here and the weather’s been glorious (while it’s forecast to snow back east."...yes, in mid-May!). So even though the future is unknown, I’m trying to make the best of the present.
The theater of the absurd continues, as does the shelter in place.
Here in California, we're in it for another month or so, until the end of May. The July Euro bike trip has predictably become another casualty of COVID 19. Without guarantee of even getting into one country, never mind 3, without needing to be quarantined for 14 days, or knowing if hotels would be opened, this trek made no sense for this year. At least we still get to ride here in the US (and especially locally).
We're used to the current situation of no real social contact, except ZOOM and your home bodies, so thank goodness that relationship is a good one! I can't imagine not liking your spouse these days. It is especially hard for parents who work and have to home school their little kids. They may love their kids, but everyone is starting to realize how under appreciated teachers are. Ugh....we are so lucky. We get a paycheck. We are healthy. And we get to ride. What a treat!
Back to connecting to people....I feel the need to contact many folks to check in. Even people who I'd gone months or years without talking to them. It's weird that everyone is going through the same thing, but it’s still comforting to speak with them. So far, we're lucky that people we know have their health.
The absurd I mentioned at the top will be the subject of many books, movies and jokes for a long, long time. Inject bleach as a remedy? Sunbeams and UV in your body? Is 45 sane? Obviously no.
Every few days, we hear updates on numbers. Infections. Deaths, Unemployment numbers. And unlike 45's approval rating, they are increasing. Today (April 30), the rough numbers are:
- US Infections - 1,000,000
- US Deaths - 60,000
- US Unemployment Filings since March 1st - 30,000,000 (rivaling the Great Depression)
All of these numbers remind us that almost everyday, there are new milestones being reached. Mostly bad. Eoconomic, health-related, etc. And the tough part remains the unknown about when it will be over. Obviously, it won't be all at once and every place will be different. Days? Months? Years? Wow, that sounds sad and ominous, but some things may never be the same.
May 3. Onto more positive thoughts. We took a nice ride to Marin today and did the Paradise Drive loop. The roads are getting a bit back to normal traffic, but we took some trails too and they continue to be crazy busy! I want to focus on the positive here (instead of saying they need to get outta the way!). I honestly hope that all those little kids and parents who seem to be discovering their bikes for the first time actually keep it up. They seem to be enjoying it, but have a fair amount of work mastering their two wheelers! Slow, weaving, dressed badly, helmets hanging over the handlebars, or worse yet, no helmets near the kids. But they are enjoying themselves. Maybe the virus will be the thing that increases the number of folks who cycle and that would be a good thing!
May 5. I’m beginning to think I’m in the eye of a hurricane. I’m safe, it’s dry, my life is almost the same with a retirement check coming in. I can shop for food. We can go for bike rides or walk or hike. And I know I’m starting to repeat myself. But the world continues to fall apart around us. I’m constantly reminded of the virus when I’m outside and there’s little or no traffic, the BART lot is empty, kids are sometimes riding up and down the street on their bikes. Millions have lost their jobs from all sectors. All schools are closed. Most businesses are closed. The stock market is unstable. Much of public transit has shuttered. And finally, people continue to die in large numbers. The administration still wants to view this as merely an economic encumbrance to be surmounted. In fact, they pat themselves on the back because of how great a job they’ve done. Well over 60,000 people have died in 6 weeks - more than the Vietnam war in 10 years - and Jared Kushner considers this a success? Ouch. And the trauma, socially, financially, health, etc. is continuing with no real end in sight. If this is success.......I’ll leave it a that as we have entered our 8th week of shelter-in-place.
May 7. Sheesh. Only 2 days later and we're up to over 73,000 dead in the good ole USA. And what does Trump do? He visits a mask factory and doesn't wear a mask. WTF? Yesterday, we had a big ride up Diablo, all the way from home. 79 miles and almost 6800' of climbing. And no cars on the park's roads (well, a few work trucks) since the park is closed to motorized visitors. That'll take your mind off the crazy world.
May 9. Everyday it’s another 2,000-3,000 deaths. The unemployment rate is rising and now hovers at 14.7%, reflected in the headline “Jobless rate rises to highest since 1939”. It’s as bad as it got during the Great Depression. Yet, I’m sitting in the house, doing what I please, reading, watching TV, listening to music, I tend to forget about it. Even getting out for a bike ride, always absolutely appreciated and a pleasure, is still my normal life. The traffic seems to be increasing out there, especially on the weekends. Trail heads are filled with parked cars. Bikers and runners are out there doing what they do. And then I see the line to get into a grocery store. For Berkeley Bowl, it’s more than a block long, wrapped around the corner, maybe 100 people deep. The parking lots at North Berkeley BART or Lafayette BART are essentially empty. Acres of parking lots, now turned over to parents teaching their kids how to ride their bikes. That’s when it hits me again that this is real. The bad news continues. The battles over when to “open” society and return to “normal” continue. The administration’s refusal to take any leadership role continues. The pandemic is not over and there’s no telling when it will subside. And as many writers have said, the return to “normal” life may never come. I find that hard to grasp, as every perturbation in life has eventually subsided and things get back to normal, so why not this as well? Are they right or am I right? And what is the future? Is it weeks, months, years? No one knows and that’s what’s hard to grasp.
PS Some good news. My bike riding miles are doing pretty pretty well, averaging well over 200 miles/week. Spring is here and the weather’s been glorious (while it’s forecast to snow back east."...yes, in mid-May!). So even though the future is unknown, I’m trying to make the best of the present.
Friday, April 24, 2020
Will We Ever Get Back To "The Before Time"?
As of April 17, about 20M Americans were filing for unemployment. As Stephen Colbert said, too bad Donald Trump isn't one of them.
Trevor: "Wash your hands.....before you pick your nose."
Trevor again: "Remember that you can save toilet paper by peeing in the shower."
A new verb: "Smize" - Smile with your eyes (necessary because of people using masks in public)
Today (April 20) is the beginning of week 6 of shelter-in-place around here. Being retired, there is plenty of opportunity to get into a rhythm of my own and not be impacted by what's happening outside. But this is different. There isn't much going on anywhere to allow distinction of days. It's pretty much the same without work at home or online school for me. But now, there's literally nothing to distinguish one day from another. I'm still riding most days. We shop once a week. Caryn is home and either does some work or reads if not doing at home exercise. I don't see her going off to crew or karate, which helps define a day of the week. Maybe garbage pickup? That is on Friday and hasn't changed. We can't even look forward to a short trip or visitors or a happy hour. So it's a bit weird not being able to say where or when we are in this undefined continuum of COVID time.
- Businesses are still hanging on, but many have taken to asking for financial help. GoFundMe is pretty common.
- Public parks and trails continue to be crowded on weekends (and other times). People need to get out. Some people are protesting to open up their cities or states and trump is encouraging them, even though this could lead to more deaths. Smart, eh? Georgia says it's going to open some businesses and then trump says that's irresponsible. Which is it, Donald?
- There will be books written on more administration fuckups. There are some glimmers of hope, but the man has been using the daily press conferences as rallying events. It's all about him, even as people die. One press conference lasted over 2 hours. He showed a video to the press corps showing how many good things he's done since this started. It's all about me......
- Only Trump could take a moment in history when it should be "us" (the world, not just the country) vs. a common enemy (coronavirus? aliens?) and make it him vs. everyone else. He's found that this is the right time to be fighting against other countries, his scientific advisors, state governors, the WHO, Congress, Democrats (politicians and voters) and likely many more. As the April 21st NYTimes headline accurately said "How Abortion, Guns, and Church Closings Made Coronavirus a Culture War". Amazing. Just fucking amazing. Ughhh.
- As of April 24th, the US has passed 890,000 people infected with COVID 19 and 50,000 deaths. And what does Trump do? He repeats some incorrect and possibly deadly news about a remedy, as espoused by some wing nut evangelical, that says people should inject and/or swallow bleach and disinfectant. WTF???? Is this for real?? This is for real. We're at a new low in many ways and he's leading us there. Un-fucking-believable.
- On a better note, the roads are still pretty quiet, so we now sometimes see people riding bikes who rarely or never ride. Including little kids with their parents. On the road, not just on trails. I hope this opportunity keeps them interested and it sticks. It really does prove that people want to ride, but are typically scared off by traffic. If we can just keep some of the safety after we return to "normal times", maybe these folks will continue to ride. (Side note: gas (oil) use is so low that the bottom is falling out of the value of oil on the stock market. It hit -$37/barrel. Yes, a negative value. Even with cheap gas, people are riding their bikes!) A few cities are closing streets to through traffic (residents can drive there) to allow for more bike and pedestrian space with social distancing. 74 miles in Oakland. ~10 miles in San Francisco. Minneapolis and Denver too. And then there was a nice article in the SF Chron by John King explaining that Berkeley has had a similar system in place for close to 50 years by virtue of the bollards on certain streets. Seems this could be an unintentional, but useful model for other cities!
What will the next couple of weeks bring? Stay tuned.
Trevor: "Wash your hands.....before you pick your nose."
Trevor again: "Remember that you can save toilet paper by peeing in the shower."
A new verb: "Smize" - Smile with your eyes (necessary because of people using masks in public)
Today (April 20) is the beginning of week 6 of shelter-in-place around here. Being retired, there is plenty of opportunity to get into a rhythm of my own and not be impacted by what's happening outside. But this is different. There isn't much going on anywhere to allow distinction of days. It's pretty much the same without work at home or online school for me. But now, there's literally nothing to distinguish one day from another. I'm still riding most days. We shop once a week. Caryn is home and either does some work or reads if not doing at home exercise. I don't see her going off to crew or karate, which helps define a day of the week. Maybe garbage pickup? That is on Friday and hasn't changed. We can't even look forward to a short trip or visitors or a happy hour. So it's a bit weird not being able to say where or when we are in this undefined continuum of COVID time.
More observations:
- Masks are now required for everyone outside (except when exercising). A whole new fashion sense is growing up around them.
- Businesses are still hanging on, but many have taken to asking for financial help. GoFundMe is pretty common.
- Public parks and trails continue to be crowded on weekends (and other times). People need to get out. Some people are protesting to open up their cities or states and trump is encouraging them, even though this could lead to more deaths. Smart, eh? Georgia says it's going to open some businesses and then trump says that's irresponsible. Which is it, Donald?
- There will be books written on more administration fuckups. There are some glimmers of hope, but the man has been using the daily press conferences as rallying events. It's all about him, even as people die. One press conference lasted over 2 hours. He showed a video to the press corps showing how many good things he's done since this started. It's all about me......
- Only Trump could take a moment in history when it should be "us" (the world, not just the country) vs. a common enemy (coronavirus? aliens?) and make it him vs. everyone else. He's found that this is the right time to be fighting against other countries, his scientific advisors, state governors, the WHO, Congress, Democrats (politicians and voters) and likely many more. As the April 21st NYTimes headline accurately said "How Abortion, Guns, and Church Closings Made Coronavirus a Culture War". Amazing. Just fucking amazing. Ughhh.
- As of April 24th, the US has passed 890,000 people infected with COVID 19 and 50,000 deaths. And what does Trump do? He repeats some incorrect and possibly deadly news about a remedy, as espoused by some wing nut evangelical, that says people should inject and/or swallow bleach and disinfectant. WTF???? Is this for real?? This is for real. We're at a new low in many ways and he's leading us there. Un-fucking-believable.
- On a better note, the roads are still pretty quiet, so we now sometimes see people riding bikes who rarely or never ride. Including little kids with their parents. On the road, not just on trails. I hope this opportunity keeps them interested and it sticks. It really does prove that people want to ride, but are typically scared off by traffic. If we can just keep some of the safety after we return to "normal times", maybe these folks will continue to ride. (Side note: gas (oil) use is so low that the bottom is falling out of the value of oil on the stock market. It hit -$37/barrel. Yes, a negative value. Even with cheap gas, people are riding their bikes!) A few cities are closing streets to through traffic (residents can drive there) to allow for more bike and pedestrian space with social distancing. 74 miles in Oakland. ~10 miles in San Francisco. Minneapolis and Denver too. And then there was a nice article in the SF Chron by John King explaining that Berkeley has had a similar system in place for close to 50 years by virtue of the bollards on certain streets. Seems this could be an unintentional, but useful model for other cities!
What will the next couple of weeks bring? Stay tuned.
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Anther 10 Days....Another World
Masks were not necessary unless you were sick for the better part of 3 weeks. Now masks are suggested for anyone leaving their house. But not the N95 masks....save those for medical workers. Make your own, they say. This was suggested by trump, who wasn't wearing a mask, while standing next to members of his COVID 19 Task Force. Idiot.
California is currently looking better than NYC for infections and deaths. But is that because we haven't tested as many? Or because of early SIP? It'll take time to know why.
It's very hard to keep up with the daily changes. News abounds. Or should I say, information abounds. But is it all real???
One big story is the relieving of the CO of the aircraft carrier Teddy Roosevelt (Brett Crozier from Santa Rosa), for writing a letter (that got out to the papers) notifying the Navy that there were 100+ sailors on board with the virus. He was protecting his crew and gets dumped. Hmmm. Fallout is just starting. By the next day (April 4), he had 90,000 people supporting him online. Book deal? Movie? Egg on your face, SecNav?? (Well, the next day, the SecNav resigned. And the CO is now infected. Oops.)
I'm constantly daydreaming about the changes happening as I write this blog. I don't think there's really anything that has NOT changed. Many institutions, whether local, state, federal, private. Schools from K-PhD. The stock market. Restaurants. Small independent stores, large big box stores, malls. Performance spaces. Nightclubs. Literally ALL sporting events, from kids to the pros are cancelled. Public offices - closed. Parks, all the way up to National Parks. Even tolls (just pass thru....we'll mail the bill to you.) Any family related event from dinners to funerals (lockdown). Many, many jobs, especially hourly jobs. Gig jobs - gone. The ability to work from home doesn't count you out. If there's no customers to sell goods to, there is no need to manufacture stock. The essential jobs include medical, police, fire, grocery stores, post offices, liquor stores (I think), bike shops (!), public transit and gas stations. Speaking of public transit, because so few are working or traveling, public transit is getting into a fiscal bind with 90% or so of it revenue stream down. So, schedule cuts are happening. Regardless, it's unfathomable the breadth of impacts this thing has wrought throughout the world. Yes, the world. There's no escaping it for the foreseeable future.
Today, I heard a story about a 51 year old healthy NYC guy who had run 83 marathons over the past 20 years who was infected and died, just days later. This is unusual, as it typically infects older, compromised people (many smokers). But it's certainly not exclusive to that demographic. The sign of the times remains "Stay home and if you cannot, than stay at least 6 feet apart."
PS April 9 news. Now we're at 16.6M people nationally claiming unemployment. Up from 10M just a few days ago. Yikes.
Adding to new words/phrases for this "special time", we obviously have "zoom" for video chatting. But it's also become a verb. And how about "contact tracing", which is the process of collecting peoples' location info using their cell phones. Actually it's not location, but with bluetooth, they can see track if one person was (past tense) near someone who was later infected. And then they can notify each other. In other countries, I think they actually tracked people with their GPS, which could be more nefarious. But don't forget "contact tracing".....I think we'll all know about it soon.
The Administration keeps pulling stuff out of its ass during this pandemic. It seems to be all about getting the economy going again, regardless of whether people will die. "Let's get back to work! Let's have sports! It's a tradeoff we need to take!" For a tally of all the BS, it's best to check this webpage out. (In fact, it's a good to catch up any questions about the whole presidential term.) https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/
Risk. It's something we in the US use a lot in finance, environmental cleanups and I'm sure many other disciplines. In cleanups, the world I worked in for 24 years, the policy was particularly strict in that a very small cancer risk from a spilled compound would dictate how a cleanup was triggered. Sometimes it seemed like overkill (a teaspoon of TCE in an Olympic sized swimming pool was too much.) But I also understood the concept behind it, that these cancer causing compounds shouldn't be in water delivered to people who had no choice. It was not voluntary, so yes, it had to be cleaned up no matter how low the levels seemed. I believe the same concept is being applied to COVID 19. The world has shut down because governments have pretty much agreed that the estimated infections and resulting death tolls without intervention would be beyond acceptable. Other viruses cause deaths. Cigarettes cause deaths. Car crashes cause death. But many of those are either by choice (smoking) or not high enough. It was estimated that COVID 19 would cross a threshold of unacceptability. So here we are, in week 5 of shelter in place, at least in California, with no real end in sight. Deaths have happened here in California. But NYC, where SIP didn't happen early enough, the death toll is much much worse. So maybe it's actually working here. Do we open the society, economy, venues soon? Not so soon. If the curve is flattened, that's great. But the asymptote takes awhile to get low enough to avoid a recurrence (that happened with the Spanish Flu in 1918). So, we are still in the world of unknowns, fighting against those who only worry about money.
Cycling? Oh, cycling! We're still doing ok here with cycling. Luckily, since that's our medicine. I've been refraining from riding with too many people, taking most rides solo or with Caryn or just one other person. It's not a hard and fast rule or even required. I don't know.....I just worry about perception more than actual risk. Seems like a slap in the face of so many people stuck inside. (Even if they are allowed outside.) So, while I continue to ride, but hopefully in an acceptable manner.
Thursday, April 2, 2020
Wow. That was only 10 days?
Ok, so I posted back about 10 days ago, giving you my take on the state of things as affected by the coronavirus. The world is different. Again. Because 10 days have passed. Here are more random thoughts and observations.
- 51,000 people have died in 181 countries.
- Over 1M people are infected.
- The rise in both is exponential in many locations and is just arriving in 3rd world countries, where health care is minimal.
- 10M people in the US have filed for unemployment, more than anytime since the Great Depression.
- The Shelter-in-Place is getting more serious here in the US, especially in Calif.
- Even though our clueless, ratings driven president seems to be finally getting the seriousness of this pandemic, many of his followers (and enablers) continue to believe this is a hoax, which will lead to more infections and deaths. Fucking amazing.
- The definition of what is "essential business" is shrinking.
- The 6' rule continues.
- Few people are working (well, unless you can work at home)
- Exercise is still permitted here, but in some countries (Spain, Italy), you cannot leave your house except to get food. Dogs cannot even be walked in some places.
- The stock market is acting in whipsaw fashion, rising and falling by up to 2000 points in a day.
- It's current level is still about 30% down from its peak, which was just weeks ago.
- Roads are very quiet.
- Air pollution is down.
- Crime is down (even criminals are stuck home). At least for now.
- Concern about domestic violence is rising.
- Shopping is a challenge, with lines to keep the crowds down in the stores and there's still a run on paper products (especially TP). Unbelievable.
- Assisted living homes are off limits to visitors or people getting out to avoid potentially infecting those who are highest risk.
- Internet sensations are being created, as people have lots of free time on their hands to make crazy videos, etc.
- Neighbors are more friendly with meetups at 6pm, bear searches for kids, and singing at various hours.
- People are thanking those who continue to work (medical, grocery stores, police and fire, mail, etc.)
- No end is in sight, except to say its at least going to be in effect in California until May 3rd.
- Our trips to Paso Robles (April) and DC (May) are cancelled. Europe in July is officially still on, but we're having our doubts.
- We can still ride bikes, but just today, San Mateo county has asked that people ride no more than 5 miles from home. Solo riding is encouraged to help with social distancing.
- The biggest concern about cycling seems to be the concern that if you crash, you'll be taking a hospital spot and that means you'd perhaps be exposing yourself to Covid (and taking a bed).
- What's next? Who knows? We'll do our best to do our part to be safe. We continue to ride outside and exercise inside as well. For now.
- Be well.
- 51,000 people have died in 181 countries.
- Over 1M people are infected.
- The rise in both is exponential in many locations and is just arriving in 3rd world countries, where health care is minimal.
- 10M people in the US have filed for unemployment, more than anytime since the Great Depression.
- The Shelter-in-Place is getting more serious here in the US, especially in Calif.
- Even though our clueless, ratings driven president seems to be finally getting the seriousness of this pandemic, many of his followers (and enablers) continue to believe this is a hoax, which will lead to more infections and deaths. Fucking amazing.
- The definition of what is "essential business" is shrinking.
- The 6' rule continues.
- Few people are working (well, unless you can work at home)
- Exercise is still permitted here, but in some countries (Spain, Italy), you cannot leave your house except to get food. Dogs cannot even be walked in some places.
- The stock market is acting in whipsaw fashion, rising and falling by up to 2000 points in a day.
- It's current level is still about 30% down from its peak, which was just weeks ago.
- Roads are very quiet.
- Air pollution is down.
- Crime is down (even criminals are stuck home). At least for now.
- Concern about domestic violence is rising.
- Shopping is a challenge, with lines to keep the crowds down in the stores and there's still a run on paper products (especially TP). Unbelievable.
- Assisted living homes are off limits to visitors or people getting out to avoid potentially infecting those who are highest risk.
- Internet sensations are being created, as people have lots of free time on their hands to make crazy videos, etc.
- Neighbors are more friendly with meetups at 6pm, bear searches for kids, and singing at various hours.
- People are thanking those who continue to work (medical, grocery stores, police and fire, mail, etc.)
- No end is in sight, except to say its at least going to be in effect in California until May 3rd.
- Our trips to Paso Robles (April) and DC (May) are cancelled. Europe in July is officially still on, but we're having our doubts.
- We can still ride bikes, but just today, San Mateo county has asked that people ride no more than 5 miles from home. Solo riding is encouraged to help with social distancing.
- The biggest concern about cycling seems to be the concern that if you crash, you'll be taking a hospital spot and that means you'd perhaps be exposing yourself to Covid (and taking a bed).
- What's next? Who knows? We'll do our best to do our part to be safe. We continue to ride outside and exercise inside as well. For now.
- Be well.
Friday, March 20, 2020
Things have slowed down in the world. Can I get off now?
As of mid-March, the storm had arrived. Pi Day, the Ides of March and St. Patty's Day seemed non-existent. The first day of spring? No one really noticed. What a crazy couple of weeks. The new coronavirus (Covid 19) is now the real deal here in California. Having been in the news for the better part of two months, but remote because it hadn't really hit here in the States, it is now front and center, regardless of what our inept president or the right wing news media said about a hoax. Stupid fux. The Bay Area was first and now the whole state of California is in a "shelter-in-place" (SIP) mode and of course, many of us cyclists wonder what that meant for biking. That's really the connection to the blog, but first I just wanted to offer my thoughts, observations, etc. from this time. It's all changing really fast, so this entry will be dated soon. But it might be interesting to read a little time capsule in a few years time, when we're hopefully past this whole thing. And on we go.
Thoughts and Observations
- It's hard to imagine anything being so impactful, mostly in a negative way, to the way we live our lives. It's officially a viral pandemic, so it's affecting the world. Not just a region or a state or a country. But the world! And it's not something you can escape, like a war or hurricane or earthquake or locusts (which is wiping out crops in east Africa right now). But it's here. And invisible. You can't see it or any physical impacts. You can't even see if someone is infected. You just know that it's out there and you have to be aware and abide by the "hand washing" and "social distancing" guidelines.
- Wash you hands. Keep 6 feet away from those you don't live with. Don't go to work. No restaurants, public gatherings, meetings, etc. Don't leave your house unless absolutely necessary (it's ok to shop for food or go to the hospital). How is this possible in a modern society? Some people have to work....public works, garbage, food store workers, hospital workers. The can go. But they rest of us are going to get real close to our families or learn to hate them. Those are the SIP rules. Enforceable? Yes, but.....
- One of the exceptions is that you can go out to exercise and get some fresh air or walk the dog. So, what about cycling? You don't have to be in a big pack to get a ride. You can ride solo. You get fresh air and it's mentally good for you too. After a day or two of people speculating about this online, a number of bike advocacy groups starting posting clarification that it was ok. They consulted with the counties and it was deemed acceptable. Thank goodness! This is not the case in some European countries, where it is currently much more deadly, so the restrictions are more of a lockdown than a SIP. You can be charged a fine in Italy or Spain for riding your bike. So far, here we can ride. And we have been.
- UC Berkeley surprised everyone just about 10 days ago by going to online classes to avoid crowds. Originally, that was it, but now all buildings and workers are asked to not come in. And dorms have pretty much cleared out. Same for many universities across the country. Many college kids have gone home for the year and it's only March. And city schools in most places (K-12) are also closed indefinitely. Which brings me to KALX, the radio station. It took a series of increasingly restrictive moves, but we went automated as of Tuesday, March 16. KALX DJs are coming out of the woodwork by recording shows at home for future broadcast (and clogging up our inboxes with lots of yacking), but it shows peoples' love of music. And it's great that we're still on the air!
- So.....no work, no school, no public gatherings. People can't work, so people can't spend money. The stock market is a big fucking mess. It's schitzo, but as of today, it's dropped to levels below what it was when trump took office over three years ago. More than 30% down. Granted it was due for a correction, but not all in a week! The administration's reaction? It's been both late, foolish and irresponsible, but that's material for the history books.
- I keep bringing it back to "we've never seen anything like this before". And the big question is "how long will it last"? Health and economic issues of the world are hanging in the balance. Certainly, people are dying, but I'm not so worried about us. It seems to most adversely affect already-compromised older folks. In-laws could certainly be affected. One overwhelming observation is that while life is changing, when you go outside, it seems that nothing has visibly changed. Except that it is more quiet and most people seem more patient, polite and friendly. Sometimes positive things can come out of a disaster? I guess so.
- Businesses can't open. So people can't work. People don't make money. People can't pay bills. Can so much be affected by this virus? Health. Hospitals. Pro and college sports. Business. Airlines. Travel and tourism. Entertainment. The stock market. All shut down. Except for guns and toilet paper, whose sales are through the roof. I feel like I'm starting to repeat myself, but this sh*t is real.
- I have to admit that I was skeptical of the importance or seriousness of this whole thing for awhile. Who would have guessed that so many changes could happen so fast and affect so much in our lives? Or how crazy those Chinese were for building complete hospitals in days to care for the victims. What started there (trump constantly reminds us of that) is now affecting most all countries at an exponential rate. I don't want to say I've ever agreed with Trump. He was poopooing this until just a few days ago, egged on by Fox news. I also had my doubts about its authenticity a few weeks ago. But my opinion all changed long before the Administration got religion. The paper still publishes occasional letters from people who think too much has already been sacrificed economically. But the message is that to contain this thing, it takes drastic measures. Let's just hope it's not too little too late.
- I heard my first big conspiracy theory today, which was bound to happen. The national guard, the military, FEMA, etc. are all being told to get ready for at least a 30 day deployment and the whole country will be on lockdown. Get ready for riots and looting. No wonder guns are selling so fast. Sheesh. Stay calm and enjoy a slower pace of life and your family for once, even though those chanting "The End is Near" are starting to smile. Don't make the "end" be a self fulfilling prophecy.
- Before getting back to cycling, I saw this in the comments section of NY Times op-ed by David Brooks. It expresses hope that things will go on, regardless of this pandemic. It referenced Camus' "The Plague" and seemed like a hopeful thought for these times.
ETUDE ON A PANDEMIC The world is afraid and so am I but this morning at the park I met a woman pushing a stroller and as we chatted from an appropriate distance her son climbed out and chased a squirrel into a tree where he stood and screamed into the high branches: Hello! We laughed and his mother said: He’s in charge of waking the squirrels. All of them. And then I came home and sat on the porch at the glass topped table with the rusty frame and sipped my coffee and watched the pollen stirring like golden dust and the sunlight slicing a leaf with shadow and the breeze stirring a fleck of incandescent orange and black into the air where it fluttered round the yard and hovered over the table like a dove while I sat with my cold coffee waiting for the world to end but nothing happened except a bee settled on the lip of my cup and wandered the edge of this beautiful morning with me. The world is afraid but the bee hummed, filling the cup and reminding me: we are alive and that is enough if only we live.
- Back to cycling. The reason for this silly blog (everything seems silly these days, doesn't it?) is to pontificate about bikes and bike rides. Until recently, I had 4 big ride trips planned this year. The Paso Robles 4 day trip (which is replacing the MDR). The "Feral Ride", which is a ride down the coast like the MDR, but with just a handful of people and no sag. The three day GAP/C&O Trail ride with Eric from Pittsburgh to DC, all on trails. And finally, the HC ride in Austria and Slovenia with Aigars and friends in July. Will any of these happen now?? Gosh, let's hope so! Even though we are talking about events that are months away, events are being cancelled all over the place. So we shall see. That said, even though the State of California is now officially under SIP, we hope to still do fun local rides to keep healthy and sane (sans snot rockets). Maybe we'll have to live with just those rides for awhile. And maybe that wouldn't be the end of the world. But I've still got my fingers crossed and my tires pumped up. And finally, I like this old poster so much because it is so applicable to the times, that I'm going to post it again!
Thoughts and Observations
- It's hard to imagine anything being so impactful, mostly in a negative way, to the way we live our lives. It's officially a viral pandemic, so it's affecting the world. Not just a region or a state or a country. But the world! And it's not something you can escape, like a war or hurricane or earthquake or locusts (which is wiping out crops in east Africa right now). But it's here. And invisible. You can't see it or any physical impacts. You can't even see if someone is infected. You just know that it's out there and you have to be aware and abide by the "hand washing" and "social distancing" guidelines.
- Wash you hands. Keep 6 feet away from those you don't live with. Don't go to work. No restaurants, public gatherings, meetings, etc. Don't leave your house unless absolutely necessary (it's ok to shop for food or go to the hospital). How is this possible in a modern society? Some people have to work....public works, garbage, food store workers, hospital workers. The can go. But they rest of us are going to get real close to our families or learn to hate them. Those are the SIP rules. Enforceable? Yes, but.....
- One of the exceptions is that you can go out to exercise and get some fresh air or walk the dog. So, what about cycling? You don't have to be in a big pack to get a ride. You can ride solo. You get fresh air and it's mentally good for you too. After a day or two of people speculating about this online, a number of bike advocacy groups starting posting clarification that it was ok. They consulted with the counties and it was deemed acceptable. Thank goodness! This is not the case in some European countries, where it is currently much more deadly, so the restrictions are more of a lockdown than a SIP. You can be charged a fine in Italy or Spain for riding your bike. So far, here we can ride. And we have been.
- UC Berkeley surprised everyone just about 10 days ago by going to online classes to avoid crowds. Originally, that was it, but now all buildings and workers are asked to not come in. And dorms have pretty much cleared out. Same for many universities across the country. Many college kids have gone home for the year and it's only March. And city schools in most places (K-12) are also closed indefinitely. Which brings me to KALX, the radio station. It took a series of increasingly restrictive moves, but we went automated as of Tuesday, March 16. KALX DJs are coming out of the woodwork by recording shows at home for future broadcast (and clogging up our inboxes with lots of yacking), but it shows peoples' love of music. And it's great that we're still on the air!
- So.....no work, no school, no public gatherings. People can't work, so people can't spend money. The stock market is a big fucking mess. It's schitzo, but as of today, it's dropped to levels below what it was when trump took office over three years ago. More than 30% down. Granted it was due for a correction, but not all in a week! The administration's reaction? It's been both late, foolish and irresponsible, but that's material for the history books.
- I keep bringing it back to "we've never seen anything like this before". And the big question is "how long will it last"? Health and economic issues of the world are hanging in the balance. Certainly, people are dying, but I'm not so worried about us. It seems to most adversely affect already-compromised older folks. In-laws could certainly be affected. One overwhelming observation is that while life is changing, when you go outside, it seems that nothing has visibly changed. Except that it is more quiet and most people seem more patient, polite and friendly. Sometimes positive things can come out of a disaster? I guess so.
- Businesses can't open. So people can't work. People don't make money. People can't pay bills. Can so much be affected by this virus? Health. Hospitals. Pro and college sports. Business. Airlines. Travel and tourism. Entertainment. The stock market. All shut down. Except for guns and toilet paper, whose sales are through the roof. I feel like I'm starting to repeat myself, but this sh*t is real.
- I have to admit that I was skeptical of the importance or seriousness of this whole thing for awhile. Who would have guessed that so many changes could happen so fast and affect so much in our lives? Or how crazy those Chinese were for building complete hospitals in days to care for the victims. What started there (trump constantly reminds us of that) is now affecting most all countries at an exponential rate. I don't want to say I've ever agreed with Trump. He was poopooing this until just a few days ago, egged on by Fox news. I also had my doubts about its authenticity a few weeks ago. But my opinion all changed long before the Administration got religion. The paper still publishes occasional letters from people who think too much has already been sacrificed economically. But the message is that to contain this thing, it takes drastic measures. Let's just hope it's not too little too late.
- I heard my first big conspiracy theory today, which was bound to happen. The national guard, the military, FEMA, etc. are all being told to get ready for at least a 30 day deployment and the whole country will be on lockdown. Get ready for riots and looting. No wonder guns are selling so fast. Sheesh. Stay calm and enjoy a slower pace of life and your family for once, even though those chanting "The End is Near" are starting to smile. Don't make the "end" be a self fulfilling prophecy.
- Before getting back to cycling, I saw this in the comments section of NY Times op-ed by David Brooks. It expresses hope that things will go on, regardless of this pandemic. It referenced Camus' "The Plague" and seemed like a hopeful thought for these times.
ETUDE ON A PANDEMIC The world is afraid and so am I but this morning at the park I met a woman pushing a stroller and as we chatted from an appropriate distance her son climbed out and chased a squirrel into a tree where he stood and screamed into the high branches: Hello! We laughed and his mother said: He’s in charge of waking the squirrels. All of them. And then I came home and sat on the porch at the glass topped table with the rusty frame and sipped my coffee and watched the pollen stirring like golden dust and the sunlight slicing a leaf with shadow and the breeze stirring a fleck of incandescent orange and black into the air where it fluttered round the yard and hovered over the table like a dove while I sat with my cold coffee waiting for the world to end but nothing happened except a bee settled on the lip of my cup and wandered the edge of this beautiful morning with me. The world is afraid but the bee hummed, filling the cup and reminding me: we are alive and that is enough if only we live.
- Back to cycling. The reason for this silly blog (everything seems silly these days, doesn't it?) is to pontificate about bikes and bike rides. Until recently, I had 4 big ride trips planned this year. The Paso Robles 4 day trip (which is replacing the MDR). The "Feral Ride", which is a ride down the coast like the MDR, but with just a handful of people and no sag. The three day GAP/C&O Trail ride with Eric from Pittsburgh to DC, all on trails. And finally, the HC ride in Austria and Slovenia with Aigars and friends in July. Will any of these happen now?? Gosh, let's hope so! Even though we are talking about events that are months away, events are being cancelled all over the place. So we shall see. That said, even though the State of California is now officially under SIP, we hope to still do fun local rides to keep healthy and sane (sans snot rockets). Maybe we'll have to live with just those rides for awhile. And maybe that wouldn't be the end of the world. But I've still got my fingers crossed and my tires pumped up. And finally, I like this old poster so much because it is so applicable to the times, that I'm going to post it again!
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Cycling Trips Go Beyond Cycling
Spending hours on end with a person or group of folks takes a bit more than cycling compatibility. Keeping up a conversation can be a challenge for 30 minutes, never mind 8-10 hours. And then there's the off the bike time! I'll be challenging myself that way this spring more than once, as I do a few bike trips with folks on multi-day tours. Work topics, family, politics, technical talk. Even just bike talk. Will we get sick of each other? We'll see how it goes!
Well, I wrote the above a couple of weeks ago and stashed it away as a draft. Wow.....has a lot changed since then, in this time of coronavirus. With the world hunkering down and practicing "social distancing" protocols and standing still for so many events, maybe it's time to re-think these group bike trips. That said, I have to say that cycling has got to be one of the healthiest ways to exist now, more than ever. It's in the fresh air, it can be done solo, and it's still a way to remain fit. We'll see where this ends up, but I think everyone agrees (except maybe our wacky administration), we are in the middle of some weird and unpredictable times. That said, I'm going to keep riding. And keep the snot-rockets to a minimum.
Well, I wrote the above a couple of weeks ago and stashed it away as a draft. Wow.....has a lot changed since then, in this time of coronavirus. With the world hunkering down and practicing "social distancing" protocols and standing still for so many events, maybe it's time to re-think these group bike trips. That said, I have to say that cycling has got to be one of the healthiest ways to exist now, more than ever. It's in the fresh air, it can be done solo, and it's still a way to remain fit. We'll see where this ends up, but I think everyone agrees (except maybe our wacky administration), we are in the middle of some weird and unpredictable times. That said, I'm going to keep riding. And keep the snot-rockets to a minimum.
Sunday, February 9, 2020
Have Travel, Will Bike....even if you have to rent it!
Maybe someday you'll reach the moon!
First off, I should say that as far as cycling is concerned, I'm fully healed from November 2018's pelvis crunch crash. It took me off the bike for 3 months, but I'm back in my happy place riding most days. And if you include my trainer time, I clocked over 8400 miles for 2019. I'm feeling good about that!
Back to this entry. After doing a two day ride with a small pack in DC in 2018, I made a mental note (pseudo resolution) to try and do at least one special ride every month, including some that were overnight with the pack. Big bike trips were fine too! But aiming for the occasional small overnight trip seemed attainable. Well, that didn't quite pan out in 2019. But it's always fun to try and squeeze in some sort of a ride when on a vacation. Better yet, it's fun to take a cycling vacation! I had some pretty good success doing this in 2019. I had some other good ones too, like the Berkeley to Davis ride, the Napa Century (80 mile version) and an "almost around the Bay" ride with Steve (83 miles). Here is a quick summary of some of my away-from-home rides for last year.
- Solvang (a few days of spring riding with Caryn, Dan, Lauren and Jeff)
- Washington, DC (took the Moots and cruised around for a week)
- Florida (used my "Florida based" orange Trek while visiting family)
- Memorial Day Ride to Santa Barbara (4 days on what's turned out to be the final "official" MDR)
- Spain (Hard Core Cycling trip in northern Spain...a story by itself!)
- France (a few borrowed bikes for a few miles in Bordeaux)
- Monterey to Avila Beach (overnight trip with John and Frank)
- Santa Rosa to Stewarts Point & return (using SMART train to get to Santa Rosa with Mark)
- Connecticut Trip (with the Moots)
- Boston (OK, not much. But I borrowed Rachel's bike and discovered some Arlington trails.)
A MILESTONE!
It all started after graduating from college in 1979. After hitting 40 years of riding in 2019 and having had some big mileage post-retirement years, I got the urge to add up my lifetime cycling mileage. Well, at least get a good estimate! I've been writing down my rides for years, long before strava existed. I'm only missing the first year (1979) and give an estimate of 1000 miles for that 6 month period after getting my first bike for graduation (Motobecane Mirage). So, from the stats below, I come up with 245,770 miles in those 40 years (actually 40.5 years). It's actually a bit more with recent trainer time for my late 2018 surgery recovery. It's looking like I've ridden more than enough to get past the moon, which is about 238,900 miles from Earth. Here's to doubling that and getting home! (~500k miles).
|
Year
|
Miles
|
Year
|
Miles
|
Year
|
Miles
|
Year
|
Miles
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1979
|
1000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1980
|
1900
|
1990
|
7497
|
2000
|
5482
|
2010
|
6029
|
|
1981
|
2423
|
1991
|
7683
|
2001
|
4646
|
2011
|
6028
|
|
1982
|
2000
|
1992
|
6151
|
2002
|
5596
|
2012
|
6681
|
|
1983
|
3193
|
1993
|
6345
|
2003
|
5523
|
2013
|
7696
(strava - 7831.4)
|
|
1984
|
5904
|
1994
|
5530
|
2004
|
6275
|
2014
|
6094
(strava - 6196.2)
|
|
1985
|
6305
|
1995
|
4170
|
2005
|
5814
|
2015
|
7606
(strava - 7612.2)
|
|
1986
|
5600
|
1996
|
6041
|
2006
|
6019
|
2016
|
8489
(strava - 8504.7)
|
|
1987
|
6877
|
1997
|
6060
|
2007
|
6276
|
2017
|
10093
(strava - 10105.1)
|
|
1988
|
8283
|
1998
|
5501
|
2008
|
6010
|
2018
|
8933
(strava - 8816)
|
|
1989
|
6833
|
1999
|
5420
|
2009
|
5449
|
2019
|
7830
(strava - 8410.9,
~600 miles on trainer)
|
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