Did Not See This Coming At All!

 This came up on my Facebook memories today:

No one could have imagined what 2020 was going to be like. 

Last week marked six months of the shelter-in-place. Every day has seemed almost the same as since March. Still staying at home most of the time, though as of last week I am now working two days a week for two hours each day. We are now doing art on Monday (each of us has an art kit with paints, crayons, markers and color pencils). Since returning in June, we have also been doing either a writing activity or a topic discussion on Wednesday. All the while keeping our safe distances.

2021 A to Z Reading Challenge | 4th Annual

I can't believe this one is already posted! It's only September. I don't plan on posting mine until next month at the earliest. The website for this one has changed yet again. I will count the first book I read that begins each with letter.

My Books:

A  Assata: An Autobiography--Assata Shakur

B  Boyfriend Material--Alexis Hall

C  Chasing Redbird--Sharon Creech 

D  The Dogfather--Susan Conant

E  The Edge of Town--Dorothy Garlock

F  The Flower in the Skull--Kathleen Alcala

G Girls Like Us--Rachel Lloyd

H The Happy Ever After Playlist--Abby Jimenez

I  Incendiary--Chris Cleave

J  Jane in Love--Rachel Givney

K A Killer in the Rye--Delia Rosen

L Lost Soul, Be At Peace--Maggie Thrash

M Me and White Supremacy--Layla F. Saad

N Never Look Back--Lilliam Rivera

O Other Words For Home--Jasmine Warga

P The Playboy--Carly Phillips

Q Queen of Air and Darkness--Cassandra Clare

R Ravished--Amanda Quick

S Sophie's Choice--William Styron

T Troubles in Paradise--Elin Hilderbrand

U Untamed--Glennon Doyle

V The Vanishing Half--Brit Bennett

W What Happens in Paradise--Elin Hilderbrand

X Xingu--Edith Wharton

Y You--Caroline Kepnes

Z Ziggy, Stardust and Me--James Brandon

Challenge completed on April 12

Trying the New Blogger

Ok, since I can no longer revert to the classic Blogger, I have just upgraded my Apple browser, which I was in need of doing anyway. The new Blogger was working fine except for posting. I wasn't able to get the icons needed on my screen. Now that I have upgraded, I'm going to see how this works. I don't want to have to move to another platform after nearly 12 years. I have often wondered why some people do that. I'm too used to this blog.  

First Visit to Goodwill in Months

Yesterday, my mom and I went to the Goodwill for the first time since it reopened after the shutdown in March. We'd both been hestitant about doing so until then. Last Friday, after I'd gone to the Bank of America ATM nearby, I walked down to peek into the window at Goodwill. And we had both passed by many times since the reopening. The photo above was taken by someone else and posted on a Facebook page for our town happenings.

The visit yesterday was the same as any other--either you find something you like or you don't, and I didn't. No books I wanted. I last got books there in February before everything that is happening now, and I think I've read most of those I got then. 

I was mainly eager to see the Halloween display, but there wasn't every much. I didn't see the usual rack of medical scrubs, scouting uniforms, sports jerseys and other things the store thinks can be made into costumes. I did see the three-cornered displays of costumes made by the staff of nurses, pirates, witches, hippies and such. I didn't get any pictures as I was too hesitant to do so after going into the store for the first time since its reopening. I saw a customer and her two kids looking at the costume displays and trying to decide on a costume. I still am not sure if I want to wear one this year. I was expecting to see leftover costumes and decorations from Kmart after its closing earlier this year. Maybe later, as they will have stuff coming in. I just don't know how often I plan to go. I did see a prepackaged costume from Spirit Halloween. 

The aisles were designated with one-way arrows on the floor. And only a certain number of people were allowed in the store at a time. Yet, there seemed to be someone in each aisle looking at the clothing racks except in one. That was how I got to the back of the store to look at the books. 

None of the other thrift stores in town have been open since March so it looks like the Goodwill is the only place to get used clothes for Halloween this year if needed. 

Never Forget

Today is 19 years since 9/11. Only one more year till the 20th anniversary.

I can still remember what I was doing this day. From my blog on the 15th anniversary in 2016:

One chapter in my memoir is titled "Tragedy in 2001," telling what I was doing in the months and days just before the attacks.  Here is a synopsis.  I was working at a restaurant under a new boss who began that summer after the previous owners sold the place.  The new boss was indeed a horrible boss, yelling at everyone, including his wife and their son. Work was now more like a prison camp, and it just got worse as the summer went on. Fortunately, I was able to get off for two different cousins's weddings, one in July and one in September. I ended up getting fired just before the second wedding; the horrible last day was the Sunday before Labor Day 2001. In the days that followed, I went looking for another job, to see movies and then to the wedding, which was just three days before the bombings.  

On the day of the bombings, after trying to keep up with the news on TV, I needed to be out and was I ever glad I made that decision. I saw that the Dollar Tree was opening in my town, so I went by to pick up an application and was immediately hired. 

Cancelling Halloween in Los Angeles

It seemed inevitable. And Los Angeles County was the first to do it. The county has banned trick-or-treating, haunted houses and parties for Halloween this year. 

Having car parades or online parties is being suggested for this year. Would you do any of this? I'm just trying to envision having a party over Zoom, which I'ms till not sure about using after trying twice for my writers group. Is anyone going to see your costume while you are driving in your car? Are you supposed to decorate your car? 

I'm guessing the rest of the counties in California will follow L.A. County's decision. Although San Benito County is rather small and very little happens in the way of events. The San Benito County Fair takes place in late September/early October and like many other county fairs across the country, it has been cancelled for the first time since World War II. The Northern California Renaissance Faire is another annual fall event in San Benito County and it too has been cancelled this year. The Ren Faire runs for all for September and October. Bars in San Benito County often hold Halloween parties. No doubt they will be cancelled. Last year, I went to a Halloween party at the home of my writers group leader. This will probably also be banned as it is has been for Los Angeles County.


I have to admit that we don't get a lot of trick-or-treaters in my neighborhood. So there won't be much to miss if San Benito County makes the same ban. But it's still hard to imagine what Halloween will be like this year.

Power Out Last Night

All this is certainly true. And what else could happen?

Last night, the people in my area were without power for about five hours. it had gone out for about an hour, only to come on and go back out again. 

This was a lot to deal with on top of the hot weather we have been having. Very little to do in the dark. But I was then remined of how people once lived this way for years, before there ever was electricity. Something to think about.

Before it got dark outside, I sat outside to read. After several hours in the dark with several candles lit, and two flameless candles and two flashilights on hand, I decided to try reading by holding a flashlight to the book. This was totally new to me. 

It was going to be hard to try to get to sleep without being able to run the fan. But I lay down for a while to try to rest around 11 PM and the power came back around 11:30. Soon I was wide awake, trying reset my alarm, check in on my computer, and turn on the fan. It took a while to try to get to sleep. I turned on the TV with the sleep timer.  I had to charge my cellphone overnight as the batteries had started to go out during the outage.

It was a tough night, along with all the other challenges that have been going on lately. Some were not expecting the power to return that evening. They were so wrong. I for one was expecting it to be out till midnight or later and half-expcted to be up till 1AM. I was partly right on that last one. I'm not sure what time I finally fell asleep. 

Now I'm waiting for the hot weather to go down. One hundred-something degress is still expected for today.