Items

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  2020-06-25

  Pandemic Street Art - When Windows Become Canvases: Street Art for Social Justice

  This video by SPARC Art shows a variety of social justice-themed street art in the United States.
• 
  2021-04-12

  Being Asian During Covid

  This piece describes the minor hardships I have experienced during Covid as a young man who happens to be Asian.
• 
  2021

  Vaccine Eligibility Expanding to Adolescents, Californian Parents React to Schools Reopening

  California is soon expanding their vaccine eligibility to 16 and older on April 15, 2021. The plans for expanding it even more aren't expected to be for sometime. However, the announcement from Pfizer-BioNTech stating that the vaccine is safe and effective for 12 and older does give some hope for a quicker time frame. The is a focus on giving children and adolescents back their youth. There are schools opening with hybrid instructions (online and on-site instruction), but there the on-site hours are always rotating students to minimize crowd interaction. The article goes on to include opinions from parents of adolescents, which emphasized the importance of getting everyone (school faculty and students alike) vaccinated. Everyone seems eager to get back to pre-pandemic life as soon as possible, so the eligibility expansion does receive as good news and gives the public hope. Naturally, however, it’s not all good news as people need to remain informed and cautious. The article reminds us that variants of the virus have the potential to harm younger children. Notably, it’s the B117 strain that’s been said by Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, that can be “50% to 60% more contagious than other strains of Covid-19” from his observations of Minnesota schools.
• 
  2021-04-10

  Child Care Concerns Persist Despite Returning to In-Person Instruction in Californian Schools

  Californian schools are opening back up, but there continue to be concerns over employees and their families. Although there have been some employees working at schools the past year (i.e. custodians), those working remotely (i.e. teachers) continue to face challenges in child care. Due to this, "Los Angeles Unified School District earlier this week announced it would provide a day care stipend of $500 a month for each child under age 5 to all full-time employees, including teachers." The Service Employees International Union (SEIU 1021) did clarify within the article by Sacramento Bee that some demands could not be met. Among the demands was a one-time stipend amount of $1,500 for employees with children aged 3 - 14. This is an ongoing issue with its latest update on April 10, 2021 being: a weekly stipend of $125 for employees with children aged under 14. This represents one of the issues employees of educational institutions are facing. They’re hesitant to return to in-person instruction. Although there’s a fair amount of news coverage of children returning to school, the ones hesitant (especially those responsible for the school to run smoothly) should also be acknowledged.
• 
  2021-04-10

  An Ode to my Treadmill

  Today was momentous. After 13 months, I ran a tentative (but amazing) five miles outside, in my neighborhood. I’d like to say it’s because now that I’m two weeks past my second dose of vaccine and back to teaching in person full time, I feel safe. Nope. It’s actually just that my best and most reliable quarantine companion, my treadmill, died. The poor motor is toast and even after taking it apart and trying to fix it, it is beyond repair. As a competitive trail runner, my treadmill was supposed to be a backup. It was never intended for daily use. I live in Southern CA, it’s a very rare day the weather isn’t great for running. However, quarantine turned my occasional treadmill run into a daily experience, but after a year, my low end, but loyal treadmill couldn’t take any more runs. I mean, I did run a marathon on the poor thing in December (and a variety of other virtual races throughout the year). So thank you trusty treadmill for getting me through this pandemic year. Thanks for not only supporting my daily runs, but also the 9 - 15 miles walks I would take on you while grading. Thanks for letting my daughter run on you three times a week to stay in shape for competitive gymnastics. And thanks for waiting to die until two weeks after my second vaccination. And most of all, thanks for dying and forcing me back out (fully masked) into the world I love running in so much.
• 
  2021-04-09

  That time we closed down Figueroa street in protest fighting injustices to the people!

  #TBT That time we closed down Figueroa street in protest fighting injustices to the people! - If you saw my recent IG story where the police violated the rights of a black Deaf woman, this is a reminder we need to keep standing up, speaking up for our rights to be treated as a human being. I can not tolerate a world where those with power prey on those who understand thier power. - When I say Black Lives Matter this what I stand for everything else you see is just noise and will push away because all I know is Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. - Stand with Me. Let's do our part to shape a better world. Power to the People all the time.✊🏿 - 📷 Gratitude @aanaconda
• 
  2021-03-10

  Op/Ed: How to get officers back up to speed in a post-COVID world

  In this article, retired California Highway Patrol Lieutenant, attorney, and professional risk manager Gordon Graham discusses the factors police agencies should be considering and planning for as we hope to soon begin transitioning to a post-COVID/post-pandemic world. Among these are traditional and analogous considerations agencies have long dealt with, such as the return of employees from extended military assignments or recovery from injuries. Many of the finely honed skills that helped keep officers and the public safe prior to February 2020 will have eroded from a lack of use, and it will be incumbent upon agencies and officers alike to undertake these returns to normalcy with serious and deliberate caution.
• 
  2021-03-30

  Pandemic Lifestyle & Childhood Education, Oral History with Alejandra Diaz, 03/30/2021

  Alejandra Diaz lives in Tracy, California with her two children. Throughout the interview, social interaction was brought up frequently. It is a major factor that the COVID-19 pandemic had negatively impacted for herself and her children. As family is an important topic, Alejandra shares how their lifestyle used to be compared to how it was presently. Socialization is prevalent in her common interactions with family, friends, and in her children’s academic lives. As the questions shifts from lifestyle to academics, Alejandra talks about how her children’s education has been like during the pandemic, and about schools reopening in California. Alejandra has good things to say about the teachers as they would help where they could. Even before her children returned, she expresses her support towards in-person schools starting back up. She feels that this is necessary, under the right safety measures, for her children to learn and develop as it can prove difficult in isolation.
• 
  2021-03-30

  California's Latino Communities Being Disproportionately Impacted By The Virus

  This shares a tragic story of a COVID-19 victim leaving behind multiple dependents, as well as a report of the disproportionate risk for Latinos in California. They lead with a personable story of a mother and guardian in order to put names and faces, featuring Maribel Alvarado, to the statistics that follow. It goes into the risks many Latinos go through in their daily lives; their jobs and communities.
• 
  2021-03-29

  School Districts in California Setbacks while Reopening

  This explains which and how many school districts in California have reopened. Many have remained closed for a year or more. As the article's title suggests, "A majority of school districts are now open. But not everyone wants to return," they share why they're seeing a slow intake of students. They also reported that the Long Beach school district had their teachers vaccinated earlier, therefore was able to open their schools earlier than the rest of the state.
• 
  2021-03-01

  California Parents' Opinions on Schools Reopening

  This provides a general impression of California's parents' thoughts towards reopening in-person schools. Surveys selected from the country-wide populace as well as California district-wide populations were considered. They don't only provide demographics. They also provide some context and reasons for why the participants felt a certain way. One of those responses was "Yes (only if the vaccine is readily available)", another being "No (prefer distance learning)" by an overwhelming amount. It helps inform us of the public opinion while vaccines were still in its early rollout stages.
• 
  2021-04-01

  Live theaters get long-awaited reopening guidelines from state, but many hurdles remain

  San Deigo County has issued reopening guidelines for theatres. This marks the first time the theatres will be able to reopen in over a year. However, with the new guidelines theatres fear being accused of privacy violations.
• 2021-03-30

  My Post-Covid Hopes

  I hope I will be able to attend virtual school. I hope I can visit my friends. I hope my friends can visit me. I hope we can eat at restaurants. I hope the olympics will happen soon. I hope I can travel all over the world again. I hope we can go to amusement parks. I hope I can make new friends. I hope I don’t get lost on campus.
• 
  2021-03-28

  Motherhood during a pandemic

  I am researching the unintended consequences of the pandemic. One way to find some answers is to learn what real people are going through. It is easy to find people’s thoughts about the pandemic on social media, so I took to my mom groups and found people willing to let me share their thoughts anonymously. In the first screenshot, a mom talks about how she is trying to stay positive through the pandemic. From losing her job temporarily, to missing her work and family, to missing simple everyday things like shopping, this mom is feeling the brunt of lockdown in California. It is easy to pick out the negative consequences of the pandemic, but she looks for positivity anyway. The next mom is worried about how her child is going to come out on top due to homeschooling. She wants advice on how to keep her son motivated and not give up when things get hard. There is no way to tell exactly how this pandemic has affected our kids, only time will tell. But there have definitely been some unintended consequences. This example shows that while we are parents and we love our children, we have no idea what the teachers were doing to help our kids through each class before the pandemic. Perhaps one consequence of the pandemic will be a larger respect for teachers. I plan to further use social media for my research, along with academic studies, and oral interviews.
• 
  2021-01-25

  How California's Learning Loss Disproportionately Impacts Low-Income Families

  This emphasizes how the pandemic has created a "learning loss", particularly among students in grades 4-10. It helps explain what the most challenging obstacles to this dilemma are as California continues to undergo food and housing insecurity. Low-income families are getting the brunt of the learning loss, and this shows just how damaging it can be to childhood and adolescent education as they "may never catch up."
• 
  2020-07-22

  The Domino Effect of the California Child Care Crisis

  This highlights how much the pandemic has affected child care workers and programs in California as health concerns continue to rise. It's yet another industry that was impacted greatly as many were out of a job and struggling financially. Not only does it emphasize the economic impacts on an industry, along with the needs for more health safety measures and the need to increase budgets for that, it’s effectively keeping those who need the child care services away.
• 2021-03-26

  My Post-Covid Hopes and Dreams

  I dream of a world with no restraint. A world where everyone may be free. A world freed from the burden of masks and complaints. A world where we all agree. I wish for a world with no injustice. A world where everyone is equal. A world freed from the burden of hatred and those who despise justice. A world where there are none who are unequal. I hope for a world with the healthy at ease. A world where we aren’t isolated or destitute of friends. A world freed from the uncouth disease. A world where we don’t constantly need to cleanse. COVID-19 has been a mess, but we will stay hopeful nonetheless.
• 2021-03-26

  One day

  I hope one day, When someone asks me how I’m doing, I’ll say that I’m good, And truly mean it. I hope one day, That I have no feeling of missing, And have all the people, Together with no concern. I hope one day, I can breathe in the world, And not have to worry about masking myself. I hope one day, I’ll go to the hospital, And see the doctors laughing. I hope one day, I’ll truly forgive. Forgive myself, And forgive others, Of always wanting, Wanting something more. Shall we not hope on that day, To work at home, For being tired Of running to school? Shall we not hope, To run away, Or mask ourselves In disguise? Shall we not hope, That we did something more, While in, This everlasting void of unhappiness? Shall we not hope, That we had been better, That we had resisted, And pushed on? So, I hope on that day, We will not regret, We will forgive, We will understand. We will hope.
• 2021-03-26

  Letter to the World

  Dear post-covid world, I dream for people to take science more seriously. I dream for school to realize the pain it gives some people. I dream that the “rulers” of the school have learned that they aren’t better than others. I dream that the teaching of racism dies. I dream that women get equal pay. I dream that people can learn to love mother nature. I dream that people will smile more. I dream that adults would stop acting like babies. I dream that we can trust one another again. I dream that I can go back to the childhood I used to know. The childhood that didn’t care about a thing in the world. The childhood that didn’t have to see and learn the cruelty of the real world. I dream that at least one person reads my letter. I dream that all of this will come true. I know it won’t. But a kid can only dream. Sincerely, One voice
• 2021-03-26

  I want...

  I want... To be able to see my friends and without masks. To be able to see my cousin who's one of my best friends. To be able to go to school To be able to play volleyball inside To be able to have fun without worried about my health To be able to see my grandparents and my newborn cousin I haven't been able to meet To be able to have fun and live my life as a kid, the world every kid deserves
• 2021-03-26

  My post-Covid list

  When Covid is over I want to do this: Disneyland Do things with no masks like going to the beach and parks Universal Travel to the Maldives See my friends Eat inside of places like Daikokuya on Sawtelle
• 2021-03-26

  Hope

  Hope. Hope is a fragile thing, A delicate flower, Afraid of being crushed, But it keeps on growing anyway. Hope. Hope is a flame, Burning night and day, The fear of burning out, But it keeps on blazing anyway. Hope. Hope is a bird, Flying forever further, higher, than ever before, Crossing boundaries never spoken of, Never crossed before, Fearful of crashing down, down, down, never to be seen again. But it keeps on soaring anyway, never tiring it’s wings. It’s delicate, flowering wings. It’s bright, flaming wings. It’s hopeful wings.
• 
  2021-03-24

  Bernie chillin' in Oakland

  @oaktown4 found Bernie chillin' in Oakland. * * * * * #oakland #oaktown #oaklandloveit #regram
• 
  2021-03-22

  Some Mexicans Find They Can Get COVID-19 Vaccines In The U.S.

  In Mexico, receiving the COVID-19 vaccine is difficult. This has led to some Mexicans going to the United States COVID-19 vaccine. However, those that do this usually have money and/or connections. In some cases, the areas these people go to for vaccines are struggling to receive vaccines, such as the counties near the Texas-Mexico border.
• 
  2021-03-02

  The 128th Day, aka Day One

  For the first time in 374 days, I taught from my classroom today. It is the 128th day of school, we have only one quarter left. As nervous as we are about our community and the COVID risk level, I feel very positive and relieved to be back. COVID numbers have dropped considerably, and though I haven’t always seen eye to eye with my district in the way this entire pandemic has been handled, at the end of the day, I really feel like the right decisions were made Compared to neighboring districts, I feel our safety standards exceed the norm. It is strange still - the largest in person class I will have is seven students and the smallest is zero! Many families in our community have opted to continue distance learning through the rest of the school year, which I understand. We made the same choice for our two kids! Still, it was nice for the first time in over a year to wake up and have somewhere to go. Even though on one hand it seems ridiculous to Zoom an entire class of kids with two kids in the classroom who are sitting far away from me with headphones on and are logged into also the same Zoom meeting, I did feel re-energized to just be back in my classroom. I don’t think I have a greater prayer right now than for the vaccines to continue to work and for the adolescent and pediatric trials to successfully run their course. Wouldn’t it be incredible to have the kids vaccinated by fall? I know it will not be a reality for all students, but I think that piece of the puzzle will be a big part in mitigating the spread. In the meantime, I’ll continue to follow the pleas of the SOS sign that is taped all over the school. Indeed, let’s save our school year and the next one, too!
• 
  2021-03-22

  Signs of Hope

  This is a photo montage of moments in Santa Monica where I found color and hope. I hope this can serve a purpose.
• 
  2021-01-19

  How does the pandemic affect children?

  This link provided explains how the pandemic is affecting the development of children.
• 
  2021-03-20

  Stop the Covid Virus

  A friend sent this to me. She saw it on her morning walk and decided to take a photo of it.
• 
  2021-03-20

  Mask Trash in Our Sacred Places

  Mask Trash found in our sacred places. This was found inside of Muir Woods National Park.
• 
  2021-02-26

  Streets of San Francisco 2K21

  Streets of San Francisco 2k21 by @gregoryd1 #sf #sanfrancisco #sfchinatown #chinatown #regram
• 
  2021-03-21

  Don’t Give Me COVID

  For the past year, my husband has been the only one to do errands to keep the risk low. Anytime he went out, he showered and put his clothes in the laundry. No one has stepped foot inside our house in over a year. It may see extreme, but more than once during COVID, Southern CA was the country’s hotspot. We have been extremely cautious, and with both the death rates and people within our own circle who weren’t cautious getting infected during the winter spike, I do not regret our decision. Now numbers are thankfully declining and, even more significant, my mom (who lives with us) has received both doses of the vaccine and my husband and I should receive our second doses next week. Slowly, our lives will hopefully be able to open up a bit. But the moment captured here reminds me that the shift may not be as easy for our kids. My son, who hasn’t had a play date or left this street in months, flattened himself against the wall and refused to move when my mom came back from a Target curbside pick up. She didn’t even get out of the car but my son was terrified that she’d give him COVID. It’s going to be a long process to make them feel safe again.
• 
  2021-03-20

  Van Gogh Exibit

  It's not an exaggeration to say the new Van Gogh exhibit is an immersive experience.⁣ ⁣ The projectors cover the walls and floor in vibrant psychedelic brush strokes that are constantly in movement, cycling through paintings like The Starry Night, Bedroom in Arles and his self-portraits.⁣ ⁣ Learn more at the link in our bio. 📷: Mariah Tiffany @tangerine__scream
• 2021-03-21

  A Year Into COVID-19's Impact on California's Education

  A comprehensive timeline of all the major events that occurred related to California's education; K-12 to college-level. It starts on March 4, 2020 with the latest entry at March 11, 2021.
• 2021-03-21

  "The American Rescue Plan Act – the largest bump in child care funding since World War II."

  The pandemic has created an increasing issue in employment rates, and those with children to care for have continued to struggle. "Black and Brown women have lost the most economically, and women in general have been forced to leave the workforce." These women are forced to sacrifice even more just to have basic child care. Hopefully, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) can help financially support these families and services with "nearly $4Billion in child care funding" headed California's way. These funds are being split into two categories. One is towards the child care industry (including staff salaries, safety practices, and supplies), while the other is towards families and child care providers. The legislators are aiming to provide more equal policies and services to all Californians. It's in no way going to solve everyone's child care problems, but it's a start.
• 2020-06-24

  The New Reality of California's Preschools

  "Gone are family-style meals and snacks where children serve themselves. And no more sharing toys." If it sounds grim to you, it sort of is. Children are having to stay six feet away from one another just like any other person. The difference is that a lot of these children are still far too young to understand why. Safety guidelines have been provided from the California Department of Public Health, county departments of public health, and the California Department of Social Services. This is in a notable and admirable attempt to grab some semblance of normalcy back while remaining cautious. Some other changes include, but are not limited to, having toys be sanitized after use, physical touch (i.e. hugging) are kept to a minimum, and children cannot play outside (such as the playground structures). A big problem seems to be with the touch, though. A lot of these children, as young as 2 years old, start crying and need some physical comfort. Although some of these new guidelines are straightforward and simple, they're not easily implemented as it can easily hinder a child's development and understanding of the world.
• 
  2021-03-21

  LIFE DURING LOCKDOWN

  During the first month of the lockdown in Santa Monica, California, Catherine Butterfield and Ron West started making short films for their friends and family, attempting to find humor in the very strange situation we all suddenly found ourselves in. Entitled LIFE DURING LOCKDOWN, they assumed it would be a very short lived project. A year later they still find themselves doing it, and in fact are on their 61st film as of March 21, 2021. At one point, having run out of interesting things to say about their own relationship, they started to tell stories using the marionettes Catherine and her mother created when she was in high school. These films fall under the banner BUTTERPOTTS PLAYERS PRESENT, are much more technically advanced, (Catherine taught herself iMovie) and employ the voices and sometimes even the faces of talented actor friends who were willing to play along: Jean Smart, Bob Odenkirk, Richard Kind, Peter Onorati, Priscilla Barnes, Kiff Vandenheuvel, Nancy Youngblut, Nancy Ritter and a host of others.
• 
  2021-03-10

  Justice for Angelo Quinto

  Tonight AAPIWL joined Angelo Quinto's family + community, the incredible organizers of @justiceforangeloquinto, Civil Rights Attorney @johnburrislawfirm , the mother of Oscar Grant- Rev. Wanda Johnson, @justice4steventaylor grandmother, @robbonta, Cat Brooks @antipoliceterrorproject, Antioch's elected officials, and hundreds of community members from all over the Bay Area to celebrate Angelo's 31st birthday. Tonight we all learned that Angelo was well loved by his family in Antioch and in the Philippines. His family talked about how amazing and special he was, and they were proud that he wanted to pursue his passions in art. We learned more about the powerful community that will continue to support the Quinto family in their fight for Angelo. Thank you again to the organizers for this beautiful celebration and vigil, for uplifting Angelo and his family, the call for solidarity, the need for mental health resources, demanding the end of police violence and the need for accountability for Angelo and the countless men who were also murdered by the Antioch Police Department while having a mental health crisis. We will continue to fight with you all. #JusticeForAngeloQuinto #JusticeForAngeloJusticeForAll #AAPIWomenLead #InSolidarity #StopAAPIHate
• 
  2021-03-13

  Love Our Communities

  There are different events happening today - thanks to the organizers across the US for your work. We’ve been learning alongside LA in particular - THANK YOU to all of the organizations + individuals who’ve been working SO hard to make today happen. We love our communities + we are building collecting power. Hope you join this movement. #InSolidarity @ccedla NAME CHANGE: In an effort to amplify our message of solidarity, we are no longer using “Stop Asian Hate” in the title for this event. CCED recognizes that the emphasis on hate crimes limits the scope of the conversation, implying these attacks are merely isolated racist attacks + that policing is the solution. Hate crime legislation funds surveillance but does not actually change the material realities that working class Asian Americans live in. Anti-Asian violence is tied to the collective struggle of BIPOC under white supremacy. We’ve provided some reading materials in our link in bio for folks to learn further! . . Join our communities THIS SATURDAY 3/13 @3:30PM @jamuseum in Little Tokyo (in person or via livestream!) for “LOVE OUR COMMUNITIES: BUILD COLLECTIVE POWER”--a grounding, healing space in the wake of anti-Asian Violence. Meet, collaborate, and build with grassroots organizations doing direct work in Los Angeles Asian American communities. Artwork by Cynthia Yuan Cheng @cynthiaycheng Organized by: Chinatown Community for Equitable Development @ccedla Ktown4BlackLives @ktown4blacklives Tuesday Night Project @tnproject Nikkei Progressives @NikkeiProgressives Sunday Jump @thesundayjump API Equality LA @apiequalityla Kabataang maka-Bayan / Pro-People Youth @kmb_la Progressive Asian Network for Action (PANA) Palms Up Academy @palmsupacademy J-Town Action and Solidarity @jtown.action.and.solidarity Hosted by: The Japanese American National Museum @jamuseum **Masks required. Double masking encouraged. Social Distancing required per CDC Guidelines** ADA accessibility + streaming details to be announced. Check out the FB Event Page @ccedla link in bio. [image description - more info on @ccedla page at comments]
• 
  2021-03-19

  Wait, Do I Remember How to Drive?

  As I was making my list of things to have for going back to work in person for the first time in over a year, I asked myself “wait, do I remember how to drive?” On March 16, 2020, I drove to my classroom under the impression we would be working from school without our students until school reopened for the kids after spring break. By the time I got there, everything had changed. We had a quick full staff meeting telling us to take everything we need home, check our email later, and that everyone was to stay home indefinitely. I have not worked from my school site since. So, I drove home, showered, and put my keys where I always do. They remained there for 368 days. Tonight at dusk, realizing that my commute is coming back in two days, I grabbed my keys and made my husband ride shotgun. I was actually really nervous, because what if you can forget to drive at age 40? I also realized I did not drive a single day of my 39th year, which is sort of a cool statistic. I timed my drive for dusk because I teach zero period, and due to daylight savings it will still be dark when I begin my commute Monday morning. I am extremely happy to report that driving is a skill that sticks with you - especially important in Southern CA, where we drive EVERYWHERE. I’m still a little anxious for Monday morning. Not only will I be back to work in person for the first time, but my commute will be the first time I have been completely alone in over a year. Sure, when I teach remotely, I am upstairs alone in the room, but everyone else is home doing similar things in other rooms. When I run on the treadmill, though I have my headphones in, people mill in and out. I have not been totally alone this entire quarantine. I imagine my 30 minute commute will be either completely anxiety inducing or end up being the most relaxing and best part of my day! *Disclaimer: I am NOT flipping off the camera, that’s my pinky, I’m throwing a Shaka.
• 
  2021-03-11

  Cynthia Jensen Oral History, 03/11/2021

  Cynthia Jensen is an executive secretary for a Superintendent of Schools office in a rural town in California. In this oral history, she discusses how the pandemic has affected her workplace, coworkers, family, and community, explaining her disappointment with the official response to the pandemic. She also touches on her experience getting the vaccine, and how she feels about the future now that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Cynthia also discusses her concerns from the start of the pandemic, and how those concerns have shifted or grown throughout the past year. She hopes that moving forward, there will be better preparation for outbreaks such as this, and a stronger unified response from the general public. Looking to the next year, she predicts that it will take time for the schools to recover and find ways to best support students and staff.
• 2021-03-19

  My dreams

  My dreams for post-covid world To shop at my favorite stores To eat at the delicious mouth watering restaurants To explore the new books in the library To dance to the twisty, twirly music To laugh with my friends To hike through mother nature To learn at my school To exercise at boxing class To pray and sing at Church To have no mask To show the world who I am But for now I shop online I order pickup and eat at home I pick out books online I dance in my room I laugh at a distance I hike in my neighborhood I learn on zoom I don’t do boxing in a gym I don’t go to Church I have to wear a mask I can’t show the world who I am the way I did before For now I have to show myself a different way
• 2021-03-19

  Resurfacing

  The people, surfing on America, Their board. Relying on it to carry them above the waters of Bigotry and chaos, the board is old and Bloated with water, but it works. Then a wave, which we did not want to catch, a wave called covid hit the people and we were thrown off our board and into the water. Every time we tried to resurface, one of the currents that made the wave more powerful, Racism, Bigotry, power hunger and greed would pull us back under right as we were about to resurface. Dragging us deeper than when we were thrown off the board and slamming us into the sandy ground. Finally the wave had ceased and we, the people tried to swim back up, trying to get a hold on our board. I'm thinking about what I will do when we finally resurface for air. Maybe I will go to school and see multiple friends at the same time, watch some new movies instead of the ones that are being recycled. I look forward to the day when the people get back on our board and I can see my friends. Maybe people will have learned by then that racism, sexism, Homophobia and bigotry in general are our enemies, Who knows, as long as we’re dreaming.
• 2021-03-19

  I hope

  I hope that life can go back to “normal” I hope that I can spend endless days with my friends. I hope that I can go eat at amazing restaurants. I hope I can spend birthdays with those I love. I hope that I can see a movie with my dad on a rainy day. I hope I can shop at malls with my mom. I hope I can see the teachers that have given me a great education. I hope I can safely travel with my family. I hope I can win a volleyball tournament with my teammates. I hope I can dance on the biggest stage. I hope I can sing at concerts with my choir. I hope and I wish that one day I can do all these things.
• 2021-03-19

  I hope...

  I hope that a post-covid world means to be walking down Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland, with the smell of vanilla wafting through the air with a churro in my hand. I hope that a post-covid world means I can go back to my favorite land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and have a vibrantly colored, fruity drink at the Cantina. I hope that a post-covid world means that I can stay at my favorite hotel, The Grand Californian, and can collect all the pressed pennies and pins I can imagine. But most of all, I hope that a post-covid world means Disneyland opens soon so thousands of cast members can get back to work.
• 
  2021-01-28

  Sacramento Unites for Social Justice During a Pandemic

  After the murder of George Floyd people hit the streets demanding justice for him and many others who have died at the hands of public officers. After many days of protests, riots and military intervention, the Sacramento community proves to be a strong band of citizens, business owners and political leaders who have each other's back.
• 
  2021-03-12

  Remembering Our Last Lunch

  On Friday, March 13, 2020 it was pouring rain. My co-worker/work wife/love of my life/bestest friend - the Ann Perkins to my Leslie Knope (very accurate if you know us) bought us McDonald’s for lunch. We jokingly called it “the end of the world as we know it lunch” and played REM while drinking Shamrock Shakes. We were in denial about what was happening around us. Two hours later, it was the end. We have not had lunch together, or been physically together, since then. (However, we probably outdo any teenagers in the amount we text each other. We’ve pretty much live tweeted ever minute of our incredibly mundane days to each other throughout all of quarantine.) Today, we both bought McDonald’s separately (for me, only the fifth time having fast food since shut down last March) to celebrate our year-versary of the “end of the world” lunch. One year later, it’s raining again, but it feels so different. A year ago, everything was closing down. Today, everything is opening up. I am thankful we’ve both received vaccination one, and although we are both apprehensive about school reopening in a week, the thought of seeing her face to face (six feet away and in a mask) makes me happy enough to cry. There is nothing I hope more for than for the efficacy of the vaccinations. I can only hope that the second Friday of March 2022 will see us together in my classroom, eating McDonald’s for lunch, talking about how we can’t believe we lived through a pandemic. A rainbow instead of rain would be a nice touch, too.
• 2021-03-11

  Vaccine After Effects

  So excited to get my 1st dose of the Moderna vaccine. As a 65 year old, I was eligible early; however, our county's rollout was a HOT mess! The local app didn't work, but I was finally able to secure an appointment with my medical group . . . for a month out. Yikes. Continued research as the days went by, found that RiteAid was offering them. Yay! Was able to book that appointment for only 2 days out! Yippee. Then . . . the day before that appointment, it was cancelled. We Californians are so smug - never thinking that bad weather in other parts of the county affects us. It did! No vaccines available. Rescheduled for a month out. Luckily, our school district was rolling out an in house POD for employees. I jumped on that and was able to get an appointment for the next day, which was the first day for the district. I was sitting on 3 appointments then - and didn't plan to cancel any until I got my shot! Fortunately, all went well and I did get it. (Lucky too because the district had to shut down the next day as well.) So . . . there I was happy. Dose #2 scheduled. Cancelled the other appointments I had. Did have a tiny bit of discomfort the next day, but nothing major. Imagine my surprise when hives (or so I thought) appeared about 10 days later. Did LOTS of research - thank you google - considered that it might be the rash that some experienced after Moderna, but the symptoms progressed. Long story short - not hives - shingles! Even though I did have a shingles vaccine within the past 5 years, I did indeed have shingles. Now - there is no evidence that it is in anyway related to the vaccine, (even found an article that said shingles/vaccine debunked) but I did my duty and reported in on my weekly vsafe/cdc check-in. I am currently on the other side of this and am sure that it will be gone soon. I will always wonder though if there was any relationship. I'm also a tad bit concerned about the after effects of dose #2. I do encourage everyone to participate in the vsafe.cdc.gov follow up.
• 2021-03-09

  Covid Saved My Marriage

  Before covid hit my marriage was in big trouble, after years of sitting on "little" problems and ignoring relatively big issues I got tired of living complacently. My husband and I were essentially living a lie, we lived and acted like we were the picture-perfect couple living a perfectly happy life. In the summer of 2019, a tiny issue finally broke the camel's back and we separated. A few months into our separation divorce papers were drawn out and signed by me, he was in Arizona and I had moved in with my parents and children in California. By January 2020 we had already begun hearing about covid but we still didn't think much of it since it was an issue halfway across the globe. All signed and ready to file for divorce we got hit with a quarantine order in California. My husband asked me to move back home so he can be with our kids since we didn't know how long quarantine would last. I agreed and he drove to pick us up. Living together was odd, especially because we had both gotten used to being without one another. After thirteen years of being together, the separation made us realize we hardly knew each other. We had to try extra hard to get along in front of the kids and at least be cordial with one another. Our state of amicability turned into an odd level of friendship. Six months later he asked if I would consider therapy. I agreed and we started therapy virtually. Things got worse in therapy before they got better (as expected) but the divorce papers were eventually torn up. A year later, I can't say were picture-perfect but I can say that we're happy in this phase were in. Since there was a palpable sense of fear last March, we were forced to think about the reality of life without one another, how would we cope with life/death issues alone, and whether we truly wanted that? Quarantine forced us to face years of issues that had seeped into the foundation of our relationship. Divorce would have been much easier, but this outcome we are living in today is so worth it. In short, I'd say covid saved my marriage.
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  2021-03-01

  Former Sacramento Firefighter Accuses Department Of Hostile Work Environment

  From the article: Jaymes Butler is one of two African-American captains within the Sacramento Fire Department. He says he’s not surprised by Lewis’s allegations. “Do I believe it? Yes, I do believe it. Because this is what happens when you don’t recruit a diverse department,” Butler said. The Sacramento Fire Department is made up of roughly 700 personnel and nearly 70% of them are white men. “Once the experiences he shared became known to the administration they started an investigation with the city’s Equal Opportunity Employment officers. We strive to have a department the mirrors the community we serve. Knowing that we can do better,” department spokesperson Keith Wade said.
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  2021-03-03

  ‘Just a beginning’: Black Lives Matter sign to be installed in Sacramento’s Oak Park

  From the Article: It’s a simple sign for a clear message, backed by the city of Sacramento: Black lives matter. A wooden structure spelling the words “Black Lives Matter,” the movement and global rallying cry for racial justice, will be installed at McClatchy Park, located in one of Sacramento’s historically Black neighborhoods. Unanimously approved by the City Council during its Tuesday meeting, the sign is covered in hundreds of names memorializing unarmed Black people killed by law enforcement. Community advocates say they hope the sign will be a symbol of a commitment from city officials to improve the lives of Black residents in Sacramento.