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Personal - Santa Cruz - Genuine Realist - 06-24-2020

I'm just back from two days in Santa Cruz, the first trip away from Mountain View since March. Normally I would have taken younger daughter to Disneyland in mid-May. Obviously, that disappeared. We've also canceled out on the Kauai timeshare. It's pretty much a stay-at-home summer. 

The hotel was interesting. Masks are required in all public areas, and compliance was as near 100% as makes no difference. There is no daily maid service.  The room is made up, and you take care of it yourself. I suppose you can get towel and sheet changes, but we weren't there long enough for it to matter.  Most of corridors were compliant, but I did run into one beer-bellied, thirtyish slob carrying a mixed dink in his hand, unmasked as he got into the elevator. 

'What do you think of this coronavirus sh!t?' he asked, rhetorically. 

'Pretty serious stuff,' I answered. He sneered as he got out and waddled down the hall. My faith in the American public is sorely tested by this sort of encounter, but it does survive, though God knows we could use less of that type. I could wish him the virus, but a coronary will probably get him first.

But for that, compliance was pretty good on the interiors. The exterior was a different and somewhat demoralizing story. The persons visiting at poolside and on the beach exercised exactly zero care. I can only hope these were family groups, but for a lot of reasons I doubt it. Evidently proximity to water conveys some sort of sense of immunity, don't ask me why. Of course, the fact that masks are a bit impractical if you're swimming or jumping in the surf has an effect. Nonetheless, no one appeared to give a damn, which was not good.

We dined out twice (!!) for the first time in months. We were very surprised indoor dining was permitted, but Santa Cruz is evidently a ittle ahead of Santa Clara County. The place was called Mosaic, and highly recommended. My wife and I are very early diners, so we had the place almost to ourselves, and chose a corner table for additional isolation. My wife is definitely to the right of almost anyone on health protocols on this thing - if she felt safe, anyone would. Servers and staff were completely masked, but they did not require it of guests, being in our presence only to lay down plates. The server picked up the credit card with a gloved hand, and sanitized it before returning it to me. It was a very hospitable setting and we discussed with the manager at a safe distance how he intended to get on.  This involves plexiglass partitions between tables, which would seem to work along with masked staff. I would imagine that's how most restaurants will set up. If the partitions are movable, you could even do family gatherings beyond a certain size. I imagine regs would forbid really large parties of strangers, e.g., company events. I would hope so.

The point of all this was to allow our cleaning people access to our residence, alsto for the first time in months. Our cleaning service is a rather entrepreneurially minded young Mexican woman, who has turned her own stint into a growing business. I have been paying her without receiving service for some months now - but like most people she prefers to do the work for the money. So she had all her employees tested (negative, which I know is not infallible, but counts for something) and showed up in mask and gloves on Monday. We went down for our holiday the same day, and are home now, with the place airing for over 48 hours. Even so, my wife wiped down all the surfaces when we came home. That kind of world.

RE: Personal - Santa Cruz - M T - 06-24-2020

(06-24-2020, 12:09 PM)Genuine Realist Wrote:   We were very surprised indoor dining was permitted, but Santa Cruz is evidently a ittle ahead of Santa Clara County.

"ahead" is a matter of opinion.

I'm glad you enjoyed your time away.

RE: Personal - Santa Cruz - Mick - 06-24-2020

(06-24-2020, 12:09 PM)Genuine Realist Wrote:  I did run into one beer-bellied, thirtyish slob carrying a mixed dink in his hand, unmasked as he got into the elevator. 

'What do you think of this coronavirus sh!t?' he asked, rhetorically. 

'Pretty serious stuff,' I answered. He sneered as he got out and waddled down the hall. My faith in the American public is sorely tested by this sort of encounter, but it does survive, though God knows we could use less of that type. I could wish him the virus, but a coronary will probably get him first.

Glad you got out, GR.  Interesting encounter, I've had a few dozen of those.  Isn't the old French saying "God helps fools, drunks and small children?"  or something like that.  That guy will probably sail through the pandemic unscathed. It has always vexed my health nut wife that she got cancer after working on perfect health (she survived, thankfully, after a four year ordeal) but my mother, who smoked 2-3 packs per day of unfiltered cigarettes for nearly sixty years never got cancer, emphysema, bone loss or any other kind of smoking-related medical condition.

Speaking of Mrs. Mick, we went to our favorite restaurant (on their patio) last night for the first time in three months.  Tables were spaced, diners were allowed 45 minutes, no more.  There was an employee with a stopwatch to enforce departures.  We were notified with 10 minutes left and three minutes left.  Worked out great.  Then as we walked home, we passed a popular gelato eatery with (I counted) 27 people standing shoulder to shoulder, no masks.  Of course.

RE: Personal - Santa Cruz - Genuine Realist - 06-24-2020

(06-24-2020, 01:33 PM)M T Wrote:  
(06-24-2020, 12:09 PM)Genuine Realist Wrote:   We were very surprised indoor dining was permitted, but Santa Cruz is evidently a ittle ahead of Santa Clara County.

"ahead" is a matter of opinion.

I'm glad you enjoyed your time away.
"Ahead" on Newsome 's timetable. No value judgment.

RE: Personal - Santa Cruz - magnus - 06-24-2020

(06-24-2020, 02:50 PM)Genuine Realist Wrote:  
(06-24-2020, 01:33 PM)M T Wrote:  
(06-24-2020, 12:09 PM)Genuine Realist Wrote:   We were very surprised indoor dining was permitted, but Santa Cruz is evidently a ittle ahead of Santa Clara County.

"ahead" is a matter of opinion.

I'm glad you enjoyed your time away.
"Ahead" on Newsome 's timetable. No value judgment.

Not quite the same, but this reminds me of the different ways to interpret the statement.  "My meeting is on Wednesday.  But my boss moved it forward 2 days."  What new day is my meeting on?

I thought the answer was obvious.  My family disagrees.

RE: Personal - Santa Cruz - lex24 - 06-24-2020

(06-24-2020, 05:42 PM)magnus Wrote:  
(06-24-2020, 02:50 PM)Genuine Realist Wrote:  
(06-24-2020, 01:33 PM)M T Wrote:  
(06-24-2020, 12:09 PM)Genuine Realist Wrote:   We were very surprised indoor dining was permitted, but Santa Cruz is evidently a ittle ahead of Santa Clara County.

"ahead" is a matter of opinion.

I'm glad you enjoyed your time away.
"Ahead" on Newsome 's timetable. No value judgment.

Not quite the same, but this reminds me of the different ways to interpret the statement.  "My meeting is on Wednesday.  But my boss moved it forward 2 days."  What new day is my meeting on?

I thought the answer was obvious.  My family disagrees.

Wednesday.  It was on Monday. But the boss moved it forward 2 days to Wednesday.

RE: Personal - Santa Cruz - BostonCard - 06-24-2020

(06-24-2020, 06:21 PM)lex24 Wrote:  Wednesday.  It was on Monday. But the boss moved it forward 2 days to Wednesday.

If he moved it forward, wouldn't it previously have been Friday?

BC

RE: Personal - Santa Cruz - lex24 - 06-24-2020

(06-24-2020, 06:23 PM)BostonCard Wrote:  
(06-24-2020, 06:21 PM)lex24 Wrote:  Wednesday.  It was on Monday. But the boss moved it forward 2 days to Wednesday.

If he moved it forward, wouldn't it previously have been Friday?

BC

And therein lies the dilemma.

RE: Personal - Santa Cruz - Genuine Realist - 06-24-2020

Whatever day you show up, the boss tells you it's the wrong day and fires you. It's an old trick, but a good  one.

Then you decide to console yourself with some ice cream, and wind up shoulder to shoulder with 26 other unemployed at s gelato store . ..

RE: Personal - Santa Cruz - fullmetal - 06-25-2020

(06-24-2020, 12:09 PM)Genuine Realist Wrote:  I have been paying her without receiving service for some months now - but like most people she prefers to do the work for the money.

I greatly appreciate this.  Cheers.

RE: Personal - Santa Cruz - Nan3cy - 06-25-2020

(06-25-2020, 12:01 AM)fullmetal Wrote:  
(06-24-2020, 12:09 PM)Genuine Realist Wrote:  I have been paying her without receiving service for some months now - but like most people she prefers to do the work for the money.

I greatly appreciate this.  Cheers.

This has been an interesting experience for many reasons, but this week our house cleaner came to the house for the first time in three months (while we’re out of town). I was amused to realize that as I wrote her her usual check (which she’s been getting regularly for three months), I felt as if I was taking advantage of her... It’s amazing what we get used to.