Au Cochonnet Marin

The seismic shock of Covid-19 has thrown many industries out of kilter, and some (like the dinosaurs) will never recover. In this gigantic struggle, only the strong and most innovative outfits will survive.

Some winners and losers are already apparent. The most obvious struggling industries are tourism, hotels, restaurants, airlines, cruise lines, movie theaters, casinos, shopping malls, and professional sports.

Even amateur sports are in trouble, especially the next Summer Olympics Games, scheduled to open in Tokyo from July 23 to August 8, 2021.

“Travelers will have to produce a negative test within 72 hours of departure and then test negative upon arrival. They will not have to quarantine but aren’t allowed to go to restaurants, bars, stores, tourist destinations or ride public transportation during their first 14 days. They may not attend Olympic events in which they aren’t participating.

All travelers must submit a detailed itinerary — including the names of anyone they will be in close contact with, such as teammates — to Japanese authorities. They must input details of their health and any symptoms they are experiencing into a mandatory mobile app. Athletes are discouraged from chanting or singing while cheering for others but are encouraged to clap.” ESPN

All these restrictions might discourage a lot of people from even showing up at this event.

Real estate is also taking a big hit. Many people are now working from home and even when the pandemic will be over, they will continue to do so. Thus have decided the powers that be. They don’t see the need to rent large offices anymore and won’t renew their leases when they expire. They will save a lot of money at the expense of the real estate magnates and I don’t feel a bit sorry for those.

An equally large number of people are now shopping online, and once adopted, this habit will perdure. Retail stores and shopping malls will suffer.

On the winning side, we have Big Tech (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Google, Zoom) with Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg racking big money.
With many people and students working from home, computer makers are also seeing a big demand for their products.

Online grocers and online deliveries are also on a roll. Video games and the fledgling cannabis industry are equally doing well because what can you do when you are unemployed, and when the rent is due?

The French say “Le malheur des uns fait le bonheur des autres » (the misfortune of some contributes to the happiness of others) and it is sadly true.
Personally, I don’t wish to see anybody fail to feel good but succeeding at anything still gives you a “petit je ne sais quoi.”

Be well, and don’t do anything I would not do.

Alain

Her name is Bond. Kate Bond and she likes her drinks shaken, not stirred.

Under a rather frail appearance, she hides the body of an athlete. She usually moves at a leisurely pace but is capable of extraordinary feats if the situation demands it. In a bind, she can make enormous jumps with the ease and stealth of a ninja. In passing, she is a Krav Maga expert and licensed to kill. She is known in the business as 666.

Kate has been living with us for quite a while and accepts free food and lodging. To be frank, she is rather lazy and spends long hours sleeping, but she has assured me that her seemingly lethargic behavior is deliberate. She mulls problems for a long time (more than me) before acting, but when she does, she is quick and decisive.

She is fluent in half a dozen foreign languages, and while pretending to not understand, she comprehends every single word of any conversation.

Now, to my problem. Lately, I have become increasingly worried about some of my neighbors. I know that this sounds paranoid, but I wonder if the Proud Boys (and Conceited Girls) have infiltrated our peaceful community. The FBI has been particularly active in monitoring their recent activities and it suddenly occurred to me that Kate Bond could be very helpful in containing this problem.

Due to her constant patrols, she knows the neighborhood like the palm of her paw and is aware of everything going on there. Since she can move so stealthily, I have been thinking of providing her with a small microphone and camera to record any suspicious activity. We need some evidence, and only Kate Bond could provide this.

I still have not discussed this matter with her, but I intend to do it soon. I know that she is no pushover and that I will need some compelling arguments to convince her, but the safety of our community is at stake, and something has to be done.

Every cat has a price and Kate Bond is probably no different. The problem is that she is very finicky, and I don’t know what kind of incentive to offer her. Like the previous (infamous) administration, I could offer a slew of pardons for all her past misdeeds, but she probably does not care.

The best way to deal with her would be to “Joindre l’utile à l’agréable” (to combine business with pleasure) but I still don’t have the slightest idea how to do this. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
Keep in mind that

“Cats are smarter than dogs. You can’t get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.” Jeff Valdez

Ta ta for now…

Alain

After weeks of requesting, imploring, cajoling, begging… and many more other words (some not very nice) ending in “ing”, I finally got my first shot of the Pfizer vaccine.

Despite the fact that I am a longtime Marin County resident and an equally longtime member of Kaiser Permanente, I had to go to San Francisco to get my shoulder pierced. My wife volunteered to drive me there, and since parking in Baghdad by the Bay can be pretty nightmarish, I gratefully accepted.

The vaccination was ultimately done through Kaiser at the USF Koret Health and Recreation Center on Turk Street in San Francisco. After a quick ride from Marin, my wife dropped me there and went looking for a parking space.

I have to admit that this mass vaccination was very well organized. At the entrance of the center, on Turk street, you were greeted by half a dozen nurses and security people who asked for your credentials. Because to be vaccinated, you absolutely had to have an appointment before being allowed into their cavernous inner sanctum.

 

After a short wait outside (about 20 minutes) my time slot group was ushered inside. The gigantic hall was staffed by a multitude of volunteers? and a large contingent of USF nursing students who administered the shots. It was immediately apparent that the young woman who gave me my injection was a trainee. She seemed very tentative and was coached every step of the way by an older gentleman. She finally, rather hesitantly, gave me the injection, and even though the syringe needle looked at least one inch long, it was surprisingly painless.

After I was given the injection, I was re-scheduled for a second shot and asked to sit down and wait for at least 15 minutes to make sure that there would be no ill side effects. Nothing of this sort occurred to me or to any of the other people sitting around me.

Some oddballs (anti-vax) are still refusing vaccinations and are denigrating that procedure. Probably the same groups who blamed wildfires on Jewish space lasers, and who believe that the shootings at Parkland, Sandy Hook, and Las Vegas were staged.
Where are these psilocybin mushroom induced stories coming from?

Unfortunately, “There is no vaccine against stupidity.”– Albert Einstein

In about 3 weeks I will get my second shot, along with some peace of mind. I hope that I will be (temporarily?) protected and unable to transmit the virus to anybody else. But does this mean that I will be able to ditch my mask and hug anybody that I fancy?
Absolutely not. Masks will be with us for a long time to come and going without it would be foolish. So, get used to it and be glad you are still breathing.

But do I see a flickering of light at the end of the tunnel? I do. After a long troublesome year, like millions of people, I yearn to get back to a normal, unrestricted way of life. And it will happen, but not tomorrow and not even in 2021.

In the meantime, keep a stiff upper lip (rather difficult to do with a mask) and carry on! That’s all you can do.

Alain