#Universal City Walk California To Oregon Travel Day

[icelynodette]

Universal City Walk California To Oregon Travel Day

[treasurechestmemories]

Universal City Walk California To Oregon Travel Day

[maximumjinx]

Steven Universe Gravity Falls AU

~Yknow what they say, if you run out of content, ya gotta make it yourself. This is a ? shot (I might continue or not who knows not me) please don’t ask for more I have 18 unfinished fanfics on this site.~

California was nice, Steven had to admit. The people were nice, the food was fantastic, and the weather was splendid. It reminded him a lot of Beach City. Though there were just so many people, and traveling north, Steven was beginning to long for something small and simple again.

Oregon was the perfect place for that, right?

“Ronaldo wants pictures of Bigfoot, and if anyone can find him, its you Steven.” Petey’s voice was faint on Steven’s phone speaker, tossed into the passenger seat as Steven blindly picked a highway exit.

“Sure Petey, but couldn’t Ronaldo just go to a circus?”

“Not big feet Steven,” Petey emphasized, “Bigfoot.”

“Saying it twice isn’t helping buddy.” Steven was half paying attention. He was focusing on the winding roads and the looming trees surrounding him. Deep, in the pit of Steven’s stomach, he felt something start to tug him toward one direction farther away from the highway. He wasn’t quite sure if it was a good or bad feeling yet.

“Forget it, I’m going to take a blurry photo of that mean Gem in the woods and say its Bigfoot.”

“Just don’t let Jasper catch you, she’s no joke when she’s angry.”

“I saw her ripping grass out of the ground I think I’ll be fine. Later dude.”

Steven heard a small click and smiled to himself. He’s happy to see how far the people of Beach City have come and how they’ve taken to the gems. He remembers when the Crystal Gems were once the outcasts of town that locals warned you to stay away from.

He looked up to see a welcome sign.

“Gravity falls. Well, that’s a funny name.”

—

Steven wanted small and simple but he feels he may have overshot it.

This small town had exactly three attractions. A town museum that mentioned marrying woodpeckers (Steven couldn’t figure out if that was a normal human thing, like taxes and velcro), a small diner, and as one local described it ‘some tourist trap’ deep in the woods. It was a sticky summer day and the former two attractions didn’t have airconditioning. Steven gambled on the last stop in hopes of stretching his legs and maybe finding a source to the strange feeling in his gut. It had become much stronger since he entered this small town. Alluring, but nothing related to Gems as far as Steven could tell.

He parked in the nearly empty lot and stepped out. Jacket wrapped loosely around his hips, Steven made his way inside.

A girl that looked about 13 was petting a pig on the front porch. She was incredibly reflective, and depsite the heat wore a knitted bedazzled sweater that made her glow like a disco ball in the sun.

She looked Steven up and down as he approached, a wide smile taking up her face and Steven saw bright braces with colored bands.

“Hi!” She launched upwards, startling the pig away, “I’m Mabel, but you can call me anytime.” The girl winked and stuck out her hand, palm facing the floor.

Steven blinked.

“Mabel, stop scaring away the customers!” A gruff voice yelled through the screen door, and soon an older man stepped out in a suit, wearing a fez and eyepatch.

Immediately the old man squinted at Steven, sizing him up.

Stanley Pines knew this teen wasn’t local, but he wasn’t sure if he had any money. For all he knew he was another boy trying to hit on his giftshop cashier, Wendy.

Oh well, a customer is a customer.

“Come in, come in, and see our mystical and magical wonders!”

“Magical?” This could be it, Steven could figure out why this town has felt off. Maybe it was gem related after all.

Quickly this older man who had introduced himself as Mr. Mystery gave Steven a tour of what looked like failed taxidermy projects. Now Steven may have a lived a sheltered childhood, but he felt pretty confident there was no such thing as a Sashcrotch. And so far, nothing had felt magical or mysterious.

“That concludes our tour! Here is our mistifying giftshop and it’s purchasable wonders!”

“Right...” Well, at the very least he was able to spend some time in airconditioning.

There was a girl behind the desk in plaid that looked about Steven’s age, and just a half inch shorter than him. She looked bored, flipping through a magazine as a young boy that looked a lot like Mabel made googly eyes as he swept by the door.

Steven guessed there was no harm in asking around.

“Hi, I’m Steven.” He smiled easily, walking up to the register.

“No refunds, even if an exhibit bit you.” She sighed, peeking up before turning back to her magazine.

“Oh no, nothing bit me, I just wanted to know something.”

She looked up to get a better look at Steven and gave a small smirk.

“Sure, but only because I like your shirt. Mr. Universe merch, now that’s a deep cut.”

Unbeknownst to Steven, Dipper Pines would had been watching the exchange felt a twinge of uneasiness as this out of towner talked with Wendy.

“Have you ever seen anything strange or weird actually happen in this town?”

Wendy’s smile dropped.

“Why do you ask?” Her eyes flickered to Dipper, just for a moment, and that was all he needed to rush over.

“Excuse me sir, please buy something or exit the store.” Dipper spoke in the deepest voice he could muster.

Steven looked over with a questioning expression.

“Oh sure uh-“ He blindly reached for the wad of bills that his dad had given to him before he left. Steven pulled out a hundred dollar bill and put it on the counter. Wendy looked up baffled as Steven stuffed the other cash back in his wallet.

“Boy was I wrong about you kid!” Mr. Mystery, seemingly materializing out of nowhere, now bounded over. He had loosened his tie and lost the eyepatch which turned out he never needed.

“Whaddya wanna know? I’ll tell you everything. There’s gnomes in the woods you know-“

“Grunkle Stan!” Dipper protested loudly, dragging his Stan away and harshly whispering at him.

“Did you steal that money?” Wendy asked as Steven watched the pair whisper fight in the corner. He turned back to the girl and gave a sheepish smile.

“Uh no, my dad gave it to me before this roadtrip. He’s actually Mr. Universe.”

Wendy lit up.

“No freaking way! Your dad is Mr. Universe? I only got into him since he managed Sadie Killer and the Suspects and they always perform covers of his songs on tour, I can’t believe he’s your dad!” She rambled, stars in her eyes. Steven beamed, he loved when people praised his dad’s music. Greg really deserved it.

Steven learned Wendy’s name and they swapped stories back and forth, only interrupted as the girl from outside slowly rose from the behind the counter beaming.

“A cute musician that loves weird stuff, take me now.” She swooned. Steven blushed profusely, not used to the attention.

“Sorry, my girlfriend Connie probably wouldn’t like that very much.” He said gently. Mabel looked him up and down and pouted.

“I can wait, but not forever.” She warned, and winked, bounding to break apart her grunkle and Dipper, who are now whisper screaming with arms flailing.

“I wasn’t going to mention that Dorito shaped jerk! Just the normal stuff!”

“It’s dangerous! He could be a spy, or government, or another stack of gnomes!”

Steven raised an eyebrow and looked at Wendy. She chuckled and shrugged. Steven carefully approached them.

“He can hear everything you’re saying anyways so might as well tell him!” Mabel interrupted, nodding towards Steven as he came up.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m definitely not government.” Steven technically didn’t exist at all. He never had a social security card and didn’t have a birth certificate.

Dipper only glared. Rich strangers with an interest in the paranormal didn’t come through gravity falls without some kind of agenda.

Steven hated the conflict he was starting. No information was worth this family fighting.

“Okay,” he surrendered, hands up, “I’ll just go. I’ll stick around town until tomorrow if you change your minds”

“Wait Steven-”

“Let him go Wendy,” Dipper glared as the boy in pink walked out, “We can’t trust him.”

“But I was going to ask for Sadie tickets...” Wendy groaned, defeated.

“There’s something weird about him.”

“Great!” Mabel beamed, “He’ll fit right in.”

~.~

Steven wasn’t crazy about sleeping in his car, but was seriously considering it after seeing the state of his motel room. It looked like it hadn’t been used in decades, a thin line of dust covering every surface. He was also pretty sure they didn’t even have free ice. 

“Wish Pearl were here..” He mumbled, exhausted. He curled up on top of the covers, fully clothed, and let sleep take him.

Being Steven Universe however, meant rest was sure to allude the half alien. 

Steven found himself in a dark space, fog all around him. Before a word could come out of his mouth he heard a fast, repetitive muttering. 

“Stranger...Wendy looked pretty today..Can’t trust...Tell no one...Ford isn’t here..”

“What, the-” Steven quietly walked toward the source of dialogue, and saw the faded silhouette of the boy from the Mystery Shack. His back was turned to him, but Steven recognized the blue vest and mosquito bitten legs. 

“I thought I was over the dream hopping.” Steven spoke a tad too loudly, starting the young boy - Dipper.

“What-” Dipper’s eyes grew wide in panic, and the boy fell back harshly.

“No, no, you can’t be in my head!” 

“Wait, I’m not-” Steven tried to reassure him, stepping carefully towards the boy but Dipper let out a screech of terror, sweat gathering around his temples.

“Bill sent you didn’t he?! He’s not really gone- he’s going to hurt Mable again-” Dipper began to hyperventilate. 

“Dipper please,” Steven took a step back, arms in the air in surrender. 

“I-”

“I’m not going to hurt you I swear on the gems.” He placed a hand over his heart. “This is a total invasion of privacy but it’s something that happens when someone’s emotions are out of control-”

“How are you here?” Dipper demanded, scrambling to his feet. “Tell me what you are and what you want.”

“I’m just passing through!” Steven insisted, then lowered his tone to calm the younger boy. “I’m kinda of magnet for weird stuff. I just wanted to help in case anything was going on.”

“We deal with things just fine around here.” Dipper spat, then watched as Steven deflated. He seemed tired, like he hasn't slept well in a while. 

“So what are you anyways? How can you be here?”

Steven winced, and laughed nervously. “It’s kind of a long story..”

Dipper raised and eyebrow and swept his arm around the void dramatically. 

“You have until dawn.”

~

“I thought that was a conspiracy theory, it wasn’t even covered by major news outlets.” Dipper look exhausted, cross legged on the unseen floor as he ran his hands through his hair. 

“I think Garnet is pretty persuasive when it comes to government and reporters. They all kinda fall in love with her.”

“She’s the one that’s really two aliens?” 

Steven shook his head with a small smile. “It’s hard to explain but yes, I guess that comes close.”

“That’s actually insane. I’m insane, aren’t I?” Dipper stood up, leaving Steven on sitting next to an empty space. “It’s been too quiet around here and now I’m so desperate for weird, that I’m making it all up in my head.”

“I get that feeling.” Steven smiled without humor, “but no, this is real. I’ll prove it when you wake up.” Steven felt a shift, the fog in the void getting denser. 

“Sooner than I thought, you’re an early riser huh?”

Dipper looked back at Steven, panicked. “You’ll come to the Shack again right? In just a bit?”

Steven smiled. “Promise.”

~

Dipper woke up to his sister braiding his hair. Mabel still had her pjs on, and a make up kit next to the bed. Dipper frowned, tasting strawberry shortcake. 

“Stop testing party looks on me, Mabel.”

“Stop having my face structure and maybe I will.” She grinned, covered in blue glitter. 

Dipper quickly washed up and got dressed for the day, feeling like he was anxiously waiting for something but not quite remembering what. 

He felt like he had a strange dream last night...

He quickly remembered, choking on cereal as Steven walked into the shack right as it opened. Hair slightly frizzy from the heat and eyes strangely tired. Maybe dream hopping took energy that he anticipated. 

“Steven!”

“Meal ticket!” 

“Grunkle Stan.” Mabel chastised as Dipper rushed over to the older boy. 

“Good morning everyone.” 

Dipper stopped short, slightly hoping that everything he experienced wasn’t just his imagination. That everything exciting and weird and interesting wasn’t always trying to kill him, ruin his life, or steal his candy. 

Steven looked tired, like he had been doing this much longer than Dipper, but he had still come out with enough energy to smile. 

“Not insane?” Dipper asked hopefully, quietly. Steven snapped his attention from his Grunkle and Mable bickering down to the Dipper. He gave a reassuring smile, eyes quite serious. 

“Not insane.”

[1962dude420-blog]

Today we remember the passing of Neal Cassady who Died: February 4, 1968 in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Neal Leon Cassady was a major figure of the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the psychedelic and counterculture movements of the 1960s. He was prominently featured as himself in the "scroll" version of Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road, and served as the model for the character Dean Moriarty in the 1957 version of that book. In many of Kerouac's later books, Cassady is represented by the character Cody Pomeray. Cassady also appeared in Allen Ginsberg's poems, and in several other works of literature by other writers.

Cassady was born to Maude Jean (Scheuer) and Neal Marshall Cassady in Salt Lake City, Utah. His mother died when he was 10, and he was raised by his alcoholic father in Denver, Colorado. Cassady spent much of his youth either living on the streets of skid row, with his father, or in reform school.

As a youth, Cassady was repeatedly involved in petty crime. He was arrested for car theft when he was 14, for shoplifting and car theft when he was 15, and for car theft and fencing stolen property when he was 16.

In 1941, the 15-year-old Cassady met Justin W. Brierly, a prominent Denver ducator. Brierly was well known as a mentor of promising young men and was impressed by Cassady's intelligence. Over the next few years, Brierly took an active role in Cassady's life. Brierly helped admit Cassady to East High School where he taught Cassady as a student, encouraged and supervised his reading, and found employment for him. Cassady continued his criminal activities, however, and was repeatedly arrested from 1942 to 1944; on at least one of these occasions, he was released by law enforcement into Brierly's safekeeping. In June 1944, Cassady was arrested for possession of stolen goods and served eleven months of a one-year prison sentence. He and Brierly actively exchanged letters during this period, even through Cassady's intermittent incarcerations; this correspondence represents Cassady's earliest surviving letters. Brierly is also believed to have been responsible for Cassady's first homosexual experience.

In October 1945, after being released from prison, Cassady married the 16-year-old LuAnne Henderson. In 1946, the couple traveled to New York City to visit their friend, Hal Chase, another protégé of Brierly. It was while visiting Chase at Columbia University that Cassady met Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Although Cassady did not attend Columbia, he soon became friends with them and their acquaintances, some of whom later became members of the Beat Generation. While in New York, Cassady persuaded Kerouac to teach him to write fiction. Cassady's second wife, Carolyn, has stated that, "Neal, having been raised in the slums of Denver amongst the world's lost men, [was] determined to make more of himself, to become somebody, to be worthy and respected. His genius mind absorbed every book he could find, whether literature, philosophy or science. Jack had a formal education, which Neal envied, but intellectually he was more than a match for Jack, and they enjoyed long discussions on every subject."

Carolyn Robinson met Cassady in 1947, while she was studying for her Masters in Theater Arts at the University of Denver. Five weeks after LuAnne's departure, Neal got an annulment from LuAnne and married Carolyn, on April 1, 1948. Carolyn's book, Off the Road: Twenty Years with Cassady, Kerouac and Ginsberg (1990), details her marriage to Cassady and recalls him as, "the archetype of the American Man". Cassady's sexual relationship with Ginsberg lasted off and on for the next 20 years.

During this period, Cassady worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad and kept in touch with his "Beat" acquaintances, even as they became increasingly different philosophically.

The couple eventually had three children and settled down in a ranch house in Monte Sereno, California, 50 miles south of San Francisco, where Kerouac and Ginsberg sometimes visited. This home, built in 1954 with money from a settlement from Southern Pacific Railroad for a train-related accident, was demolished in August 1997. In 1950, Cassady entered into a bigamous marriage with Diane Hansen, a young model who was pregnant with his child, Curtis Hansen.

Cassady traveled cross-country with both Kerouac and Ginsberg on multiple occasions, including the trips documented in Kerouac's On the Road.

Following an arrest in 1958 for offering to share a small amount of marijuana with an undercover agent at a San Francisco nightclub, Cassady served a two-year sentence at California's San Quentin State Prison in Marin County. After his release in June 1960, he struggled to meet family obligations, and Carolyn divorced him when his parole period expired in 1963. Carolyn stated that she was looking to relieve Cassady of the burden of supporting a family, but "this was a mistake and removed the last pillar of his self-esteem".

After the divorce, in 1963, Cassady shared an apartment with Allen Ginsberg and Beat poet Charles Plymell, at 1403 Gough Street, San Francisco.

Cassady first met author Ken Kesey during the summer of 1962; he eventually became one of the Merry Pranksters, a group who formed around Kesey in 1964 who were vocal proponents of the use of psychedelic drugs.

During 1964, Cassady served as the main driver of the bus named Furthur on the iconic first half of the journey from San Francisco to New York, which was immortalized by Tom Wolfe's book, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1968). Cassady appears at length in a documentary film about the Merry Pranksters and their cross-country trip, Magic Trip (2011), directed by Alex Gibney.

In January 1967, Cassady traveled to Mexico with fellow prankster George "Barely Visible" Walker and Cassady's longtime girlfriend Anne Murphy. In a beachside house just south of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, they were joined by Barbara Wilson and Walter Cox. All-night storytelling, speed drives in Walker's Lotus Elan, and the use of LSD made for a classic Cassady performance — "like a trained bear," Carolyn Cassady once said. Cassady was beloved for his ability to inspire others to love life. Yet at rare times he was known to express regret over his wild life, especially as it affected his family. At one point Cassady took Cox, then 19, aside and told him: "Twenty years of fast living — there's just not much left, and my kids are all screwed up. Don't do what I have done."

During the next year, Cassady's life became less stable, and the pace of his travels more frenetic. He left Mexico in May, traveling to San Francisco, Denver, New York City, and points in between. Cassady then returned to Mexico in September and October (stopping in San Antonio, on the way to visit his oldest daughter who had just given birth to his first grandchild), visited Ken Kesey's Oregon farm in December, and spent the New Year with Carolyn at a friend's house near San Francisco. Finally, in late January 1968, Cassady returned to Mexico once again.

On February 3, 1968, Cassady attended a wedding party in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico. After the party, he went walking along a railroad track to reach the next town, but passed out in the cold and rainy night wearing nothing but a T-shirt and jeans. In the morning, he was found in a coma by the tracks, reportedly by Anton Black, later a professor at El Paso Community College, who carried Cassady over his shoulders to the local post office building. Cassady was then transported to the closest hospital where he died a few hours later on February 4, four days short of his 42nd birthday.

The exact cause of Cassady's death remains uncertain. Those who attended the wedding party confirm that he took an unknown quantity of secobarbital, a powerful barbiturate sold under the brand name Seconal. The physician who performed the autopsy wrote simply, "general congestion in all systems." When interviewed later, the physician stated that he was unable to give an accurate report because Cassady was a foreigner and there were drugs involved. "Exposure" is commonly cited as his cause of death, although his widow believes he may have died of kidney failure.

[creepingsharia]

A Month of Islam in America: January 2019

A new year but more of the same from followers of Islam. And a reminder that it’s been going on for a very long time, even in the U.S. January 19, 1973: Four Sunni Muslims Kill Cop, Take Hostages in Brooklyn Plot for “a Holy Crusade”

Click any hyperlink below to read the full story, then share to your social media sites using the buttons on the bottom of each story. Future generations will thank you!

January 2019

Jihad & Terror

Arizona: Muslim arrested for jihad attack on Phoenix cop, now charged with aiding ISIS (VIDEO)

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office says Ismail Hamed provided “advice, assistance, direction or management to the Islamic State of Iraq” and ISIS on or about Jan. 7.

California: Somali Muslim Refugee Who Tried to Run Down Jews at Synagogue Charged with Attempted Murder

Mohamed Abdi Mohamed, 33, of Seattle, allegedly yelled racial epithets at the men as they left Congregation Bais Yehuda on 360 N. La Brea Ave. Nov. 23. Mohamed then tried to hit the two men with his car as they were walking on a sidewalk, prosecutors allege. He then tried to get away, but ended up hitting another vehicle and was ultimately arrested.

Florida: Fort Pierce Resident Sentenced to Prison for ISIS Related Threats

Charlton Edward LaChase, 28, of Fort Pierce, Florida, was sentenced yesterday to 18 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, by U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg, after previously pleading guilty to two counts of transmitting threats through interstate or foreign commerce (Case No. 18-24011-CR).

According to the court record, LaChase sent text messages professing his support for ISIS and threatening to kill several people while committing acts of terrorism and mass murder.

Georgia: Muslim arrested for plotting IED, anti-tank rocket attacks on White House and other D.C. buildings

Hasher Jallal Taheb of Cumming, Georgia, was arrested in Gwinnett County accused of plotting to destroy the White House and other Washington D.C. government buildings.

Taheb allegedly said he planned to travel to “hijra,” a term said to refer to Islamic State territory and he was selling the car to fund the trip. But he didn’t have a passport.

He allegedly told the informant he wanted to attack the White House and Statue of Liberty in jihadist attacks.

Michigan: 3 Muslim immigrants arrested for plan to join Islamic State (ISIS)

Three Michigan residents were arrested Monday afternoon for conspiring to support ISIS, federal authorities said.

Muse Abdikadir Muse, 20, was arrested by law enforcement officers during security screening at the Gerald R. Ford Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan, after checking in for the first of a series of flights to Mogadishu, Somalia. His 23-year-old brother, Mohamud Abdikadir Muse, and their 26-year-old brother-in-law, Mohamed Salat Haji, were arrested in the airport terminal soon after, according to a criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan.

All three men are naturalized U.S. citizens who were born in Kenya and currently reside in Lansing, Michigan.

Ohio: Muslim indicted for Fourth of July al-Qaida car bomb plot in downtown Cleveland

Demetrius Pitts, 49, is charged with attempting to provide material support to al-Qaida. The FBI said Pitts corresponded with an undercover agent and scoped out an area to park a van full of explosives near Voinovich Park on Independence day.

He also liked this location because it was near a U.S. Coast Guard station, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Celebrezze Federal Building, according to federal prosecutors.

Pitts also goes by Abdur Raheem Rafeeq and Salah ad-Deem Osama Waleed, authorities said.

Texas: Muslim convert who tried to become English teacher for ISIS indicted

A Texas man captured in Syria has been indicted on charges that he attempted to provide himself as material support to the Islamic State group, the Justice Department said Friday.

Warren C. Clark [aka Abu Mohammad al-Ameriki], 34, a convert to Islam and former substitute teacher from Sugar Land, Texas, previously admitted to seeking a position teaching English at a university in the Iraqi city of Mosul, which ISIS has occupied for more than three years.

Two American jihadis captured fighting for ISIS in Syria, militia says

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured two Americans in Syria who are suspected of being ISIS fighters, the militia said in press release Sunday.

The militia identified the men as Warren Christopher Clark (Abu Mohammad al-Ameriki) and Zaid Abed al-Hamid (Abu Zaid al-Ameriki).

The SDF said Clark is originally from Houston, but it gave no specific location in the United States for the other man’s origin.

D.C.: CAIR’s national outreach manager an avowed supporter of terrorist group Hamas

A senior official of the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) who spoke last week at an event celebrating the election of three Muslim members of Congress is an avowed supporter of the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas.

Jinan Shbat (who goes by “Jinan Deena” on Twitter), CAIR’s national outreach manager, tweeted her support for the Palestinian terrorist group in June, expressing her preference for Hamas over the Palestinian Authority, which governs the Palestinian areas of the disputed West Bank.

Tlaib, left, Shbat, right

Maine: Vigil for man killed by Somali Muslims…is attacked…by Somali Muslims

A vigil for Donald Giusti turned into a brawl on Knox Street, right across from Kennedy Park and the Lewiston Police Department, according to Lewiston police.

Giusti’s family said they were just trying to celebrate what would have been his 39th birthday, when things took a violent turn.

Donald Giusti was killed in June, after police say a similar brawl broke out in Kennedy Park, leaving him badly beaten.

Islamic Rape & Violence Against Americans

D.C. Koran teacher at mosque coerced underage girl for sex, shared jihadi propaganda with students Oregon: At least 5 Saudi students vanish while facing rape, other charges Texas: Muslim Leader Accused of Sexually Grooming Teen Girl Also Faces Polygamy Allegations Texas: Teacher arrested trying to sell underage relative for sex in Morocco New York Imam: Wife-Beating Is Permissible…But Only To Hurt Her Dignity (VIDEO) Florida: CAIR-Sex Predator Shuts Down Facebook Page Ohio Becomes 28th State to Criminalize Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Immigration Jihad

D.C.: Pakistani who smuggled nearly 100 Middle Eastern illegals into U.S. is deported Minnesota: Mankato Muslim Charged for Stabbing Man Outside of an Uber New York: Coney Island Strip Known as “Little Pakistan” to be Co-Named After…”Founder” of Pakistan New York: NYPD Says ‘Muslim Community Patrol’ is Not Sanctioned Oklahoma: Gun range fights to exclude members of terror-linked group CAIR Texas: Muslim couple convicted of keeping African girl as slave for 16 years U.S. immigration services approved visa requests for thousands of child brides and fiancees from 2007 to 2017 U.S. military releases American-born Muslim ISIS fighter in Bahrain; passport canceled but U.S. citizenship in tact Wisconsin – Barron, another Somali Muslim enclave in America

Illinois: MAS-ICNA Conference Hosts Islamic Supremacist and Terrorist Speakers in Chicago

Sharia Adherents in Elected Office

Indiana’s Muslim Congressman Envisions 35 Muslim Reps in Congress by 2030 Michigan: Muslim congresswoman takes photo with pro-Hezbollah activist at swearing-in ceremony Michigan: Muslim Democrat Tlaib Did Not Use Jefferson’s Koran, Used Her Own Michigan: Muslim Democrat Tlaib vows to impeach ‘motherf***er’, swears in on book that says ‘don’t take Jews & Christians as friends’ New Jersey: Dem Governor postpones State of the State at mosque with imam facing deportation for Hamas links NYC: A Sculpture Celebrating Saudi Arabia Erected on Ground Zero Washington: Amazon bows to terror-linked CAIR, removes products with Islamic writing

Litigation & Judicial Jihad

NYC: FDNY to pay $224k to Muslim firefighter who threatened colleagues

Fraud for Jihad

Michigan: Dearborn: Muslim hailed for first halal Sonic restaurant arrested in $1.2M health care fraud scheme Michigan: Muslim Gets 3 1/2 Years Prison for $1.8M Fraudulent Tax Preparation Scheme New York: Long Island Taxi company owner defrauded Medicaid of $200,000 New York: Muslim psychiatrist on trial for health care fraud opens new practice Ohio: Muslim and Son Arrested in $2.7M Food Stamp Fraud and Running Illegal Slaughterhouse Pennsylvania: Muslim with a gas station, 4-bedroom house, a Mercedes and more than $58k in bank charged with Medicaid fraud U.S. Foundations Keep Funding CAIR Despite Terror Links and Pro-Terrorist Rhetoric

Despite the growing body of evidence:

Why Does American Media Shill for Islam? Apologists for Sharia and Islam in the West

PS: Those are just some of the highlights we learned about during the month of December! Please note due to the shutdown of non-essential government agencies, the DOJ is not reporting on federal convictions so there could be many more indictments, arrests and convictions not listed here.

See all the Creeping Sharia monthly reports here or use the Category drop-down on the upper right nav bar on any page to see how sharia is creeping in your state.

2018 Year in Review here and here.

Social media censorship is real. Please share on Facebook, Twitter and other sites or copy and paste with credits and link back to Creeping Sharia to warn your fellow citizens and future generations. Thank you.

[moodybroodysblog]

I don't want to live in my city anymore seriously. Fuck the city of Denver for not cleaning up all these drugs and providing humane institutions for people.

Someone was screaming and screaming upstairs and the cops had to come. Domestic stuff as usual. Cops don't do anything about this since it's happened before.

I slept bad last night. I pay close to 1k a month where I live and some of the people moving in here brought all this violent and drug shit that doesn't need to be here.

It's dangerous, there's nowhere to walk because there's all these homeless people camping out because there's not enough shelters or medical care. I lost my bus pass the other day and I had to step around a mini encampment of filthy shopping carts and sleeping bags and a guy muttering to himself totally schizo about the sun twice.

There's piss and poop everywhere you go now. They built these fucking tiny homes for the homeless and then travelers came and robbed the tiny homes, camped nearby and pooped and peed everywhere the waste department had to come. All these people are getting pushed out from California, Oregon, Seattle because the rent is something else there and coming here all aggressive and angry with Denver's homeless and it's this huge mess because the rent here is getting to be something else.

A bunch of native homeless people got stabbed to death from the travelers nearby a light rail station in the early fall.

My co worker gets worried when she parks her car by the dumpsters behind our office because these guys come and hide in the dumpster and pop out and hoot and holler out of there minds because there on fentanyl or something.

If I want to go grocery shopping and want to walk up to the store I risk being stabbed in mid daylight or the more common hearing disgusting sexual things about my ass. I dress basically like "a Pilgrim" so to speak from an old funny classmate and I still get harassed. It doesn't matter how I cover up.

I almost got broken into from someone on heavy drugs. I live by a needle exchange that brings the worst of the worst here. Fuck that needle exchange nobody there is a nurse or medical professional just a bunch of activists that think letting people shoot up in a clinic is fine and then can wander out high on meth or heroin or whatever. It's not. You need to do that in a hospital and stay in the hospital with an LPN or paramedic there to make sure you don't OD and don't leave while you're in that state of mind where you can go kill people or kill yourself- it's so dangerous leaving people alone on that. I walked back from work and seen people off in the body bag they go because they OD it's a horrible epidemic.

I miss being able to walk around freely and safely in Beijing and Tianjin. Fucking Montreal and just Quebec in general was safer than here even...it wasn't like I was thinking at all ever in these cities about contemplating buying a .45 handgun so I won't get stabbed or shot or raped in broad daylight. It wasn't even bad at all at night. Sure there was like parts that weren't great there and suspicious people at the University Park at night but it was not at this level. It wasn't a fear for your life at night city if you're a woman and fucking Denver is.

I miss being able to do the daily things without getting cat called everywhere I went if I'm not with my SO or a big group of friends.

I'm going to move in the spring. It's settled. I don't want to be here anymore and be thinking about this on top of being a survivor of CPTSD, narc parents and living with anxiety and depression. My brain doesn't want to deal with it. You're a beautiful state Colorado and Denver you used to be cool now it's run by meth heads and fentanyl freaks. The rent is so damn high you have to either live with roommates or make at least 35k a year to live in a so so studio like me and even then... If you want somewhere safe you have to make like 50k for a tiny studio in lodo and most college grads are out here starting at $12-$16 an hour so yeah it's only for mid level to high level business people which takes a long time, being super specialized or fucking trust fund babies who squander their money anyway.

[jennygoeseastbay]

2018 in Review

So I used to do one of these every year on my Livejournal, and I completely blew it off in 2017 because I kind of abandoned that medium, and because the last month of that year was complete consumed with packing and moving. I’m not entirely certain I want to get more active on here, but for now this is a good place for me to post this, simply to have the written record of my existence that I need in order to process all that has happened and reflect on how it has helped me to grow and improve as a person. If I’m feeling really ambitious, I might even backtrack and do one for 2017 next week, because I like to be complete in my self-documentation. ;)

01. What did you do in 2018 that you'd never done before? Visited Washington DC for the first time.

Visited the Los Cabos region of Mexico for the first time.

Closed a major gift from someone who had not already had decades of cultivation from their University.

Visited even more areas of California that were new to me, including Anaheim, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Pismo Beach, Paso Robles, and Lake Tahoe (I guess that also includes Nevada since we stayed in Carson City)

Visited Ashland Oregon for the first time.

Sold a piece of real estate. Phew!

Practiced Yin Yoga. (And walking meditation!)

Engaged in a yoga hike!

Also tried yoga with goats!

Attended WonderCon

Attended a county fair.

Road a bicycle somewhere other than a residential street

Tried kayaking

Ran a trail run race

02. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I never really make concrete resolutions, just some general proclamations about eating better, and putting more time into fitness and writing. Of these three things, the one I was most successful at this year, surprisingly enough, was eating better. In September I realized that it was time for a physical tune-up, and so I rejoined WW after a long time away, and though I still have a few pounds to go, I’ve been happy to have gotten a bit sleeker after dialing back the bread and cheese. I also attended a writing group called Shut Up and Write a couple times, and I’d like to become more of a regular at their cafe sessions in 2019, because I’ve found that their method (literally a concentrated hour of shutting up and writing) has been helpful the two times I’ve gone.

03. Did anyone close to you give birth? My dear friends Drew and Kelly had their first child in September. And my friend Lynn had her second child, a little girl, just a couple weeks ago. 04. Did anyone close to you die? Not super close, but a professor at UC Davis who I had worked with closely, passed very unexpectedly right before Halloween. 05. What countries did you visit? Mexico! Finally broke in my current passport with a new stamp! 06. What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018? Good novel progress. Or more discipline on some other fiction and an essay that I just started tinkering with. A legit boyfriend. 07. What date(s) from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

January 2 was my first day on the job at UC Davis.

January 7 was a super fun evening at the Museum of Ice Cream in SF

January 13-15 was a wonderful weekend in Seattle where I got to meet my nephew Apollo for the first time and photograph his first swimming lesson for his parents.

January 20 was my second Women’s March outing in Sac with my friend Jade and her little ones.

January 27 was a day when I got to play tour guide for my friend Gricel and her husband when they were in SF visiting for the first time.

Feb. 10 and 11 was a fun weekend in Berkeley and SF, being silly and singing loudly with my former Cal colleagues who had become dear friends.

March 23-25 Was my whirlwind Anaheim weekend at Wondercon, and I got to catch up with my friend Mike, whom I’d not seen in a couple years.

March 30-April 1 was an epic road trip weekend, the first of what my friend Maya and I now call our Girls Gone Sensibly Wild excursions. We drove to Santa Barbara and visited the deserted UC campus there (it was closed for spring break) and also enjoyed an amazing live show featuring Dave Hause, Dan Andriano, and Cory Branan, among others at the Cold Spring Tavern. And then got a joint membership at Peachy Canyon Winery on our way back, because it was one of the few establishments open on Easter Sunday.

April 22 was Earth Day, and prompted me to venture out to Marin for an impromptu yoga hike at Rodeo Beach.

May 14 was my first appointment with a new hair stylist who would also unexpectedly become a trusted friend.

May 24 was my first time seeing Depeche Mode live, and it was incredible.

June 8-10 was my second of two hit it and quit it Chicago trips (although really, the first one wasn’t so much Chicago as it was Joliet) this year, and allowed me to reconnect with my dear friends Drew and Kelly (Drew finished his PhD at UChicago and I attended his commencement and hooding), have a day at the zoo with my friend Dawn, and also road trip to WI with my friend Mary for a beautiful and moving Lights Festival experience together.

June 30 was the day I attended my first ever CalShakes performance with Maya and our mutual friend Paola (Girls Gone Sensibly Wild continued!), and Maya also got me on a bike for the first time in ages, thanks to LimeBikes being available at the Pleasant Hill BART station. We took a short, wobbly, but fun ride down the Iron Horse Trail.

July 1 was the day I learned to kayak and surprisingly got myself through 5 miles of the Russian River without tipping over or running out of steam.

July 26 saw me reuniting with my dear pals Shannon and Glenn, when they were visiting the Sac area for a wedding.

July 27-29 was the weekend I drove up to Ashland to enjoy some time with my friend Debbie and to experience the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for the first time.

August 3-6 was when I somewhat unexpectedly had the delight of hosting my friend Clarise for a weekend visit. We drove down to Pacifica for the International Dog Surfing competition and I schooled her in the ways of California wine as much as I could with my limited knowledge.

The following weekend, August 9-13, I had a lovely time hosting and touring around with my 16 year old niece, and got to introduce her to the joy that is Santa Cruz. And yoga with goats!

August 30-Sept. 4 was when I hosted (this is a recurring theme in August, isn’t it?) my Aunt Sherrie for local sightseeing and a road trip up to Lake Tahoe.

Sept. 22-24 saw me heading down to L.A. for my cousin Katie’s wedding and some work meetings. It was the first time in ages that I got to connect with that specific branch of my family, and get to know them a bit better.

Sept. 29 was my first AFSP walk in Sac. And i was joined by Jade, her visiting mom, and her three little ones.

Sept. 30 was the really long hair session with Mason that helped solidify that we were legit friends (and included a shared sunset from the window of his hair studio!) and a quick follow up appointment on Oct. 3 allowed us to enjoy a rainbow and storm together.

Oct. 19-21 saw Maya and I doing another Girls Gone Sensibly Wild road trip. Back to Peachy Canyon to pick up some wine, and also Pismo Beach and Santa Maria for our first visit to a really lovely winery called Foxen.

Oct. 26 was quite possibly my all-time favorite Brian Fallon performance. It was just him alternating between his acoustic guitar and an electric piano, and he was joined by Craig Finn from The Hold Steady, who also did his own acoustic set.

Oct. 27 I got to introduce my new friend Torrey to the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, and we did a fun wine and Halloween candy pairing and some epic day drinking.

Nov. 3 saw me reuniting with my Cal crew and a sprinkling of East Bay friends at Fillmore Karaoke, for an epic night of loud singing as an early celebration of my 40th bday. So much wine. Actually too much, but for a birthday, that’s acceptable!

Nov. 4-6 I was in Indianapolis for work, and though the work part wasn’t particularly memorable, I was super honored and thrilled that my BFF Dawn drove all the way down from Joliet IL with her two boys to have dinner with me on my first night there.

Nov. 9 was an epic Local H show in Sac. Also a welcome break in the midst of a period of forced solitude, after the Camp Fire residual smoke prompted my whole office to work from home for about a week to protect us from the terrible air quality.

Nov. 18 was the day we had the beautiful service honoring the life of a beloved professor who passed.

Nov. 24-29 was my trip to Cabo with my Aunt Sherrie, and was also my official bday celebration.

Dec. 9-12 was my DC trip, which also allowed me to catch up with my friend Max, who lives in Baltimore, and my friend Stacey, who also happened to be there for her own work purposes.

Dec. 15 was my full day of yoga retreating at Green Gulch Ranch in Marin, and then I drove to the East Bay to catch up with Maya at Calicraft, which is one of our favorite craft distilleries in the area.

Dec. 16 was a white elephant celebration in Pleasant Hill that allowed me to unexpectedly meet a new, interesting friend.

08. What was your biggest achievement of the year? So far, meeting all expectations at my new job and closing a major gift earlier than is required. Also not losing my shit during the condo selling process, even though there were a lot of reasons to do so.

09. What was your biggest failure? I wrote VERY little fiction. But I did dip my toe back into writing in general, so I guess there’s that. 10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I took a tumble at home that left my tailbone a bit tender about a month ago. But otherwise, no, pretty healthy, even after getting rear-ended in my car! 11. What was the best thing you bought? Various travel tickets, both air and rail. A beautiful new necklace that I found at the holiday market in D.C. All the concert tickets that provided soul-fueling live music.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Mine! I adjusted to a new job and an unfamiliar setting and managed to acquire a few new friends while also maintaining the East Bay friendships that meant the most to me. 13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Who else but certain immediate family members? 14. Where did most of your money go? Rent. Travel. Wine, and to a lesser extent, craft beer, now that I’ve picked up a taste for stouts and sours. 15. What song will always remind you of 2018?

Anything off of Sleepwalkers by Brian Fallon

Anything off of  Be More Kind by Frank Turner

Chariot by Gavin DeGraw

Tall Green Grass by Cory Branan

16. Compared to this time last year, you are: Thinner and sleeker, weight-wise

More willing to make room for others and open my life and space to them (friend and lover both) Still as sleep-deprived as ever 17. What do you wish you'd done more of? Novel writing, as always. Flirting. And kissing. 18. What do you wish you'd done less of? Angsting over adulting-related things that were either beyond my control or that ended up working out just as they should.

19. How will you be spending/did you spend Christmas?

I’m driving to Santa Cruz on Xmas Eve and treating myself to an overnight stay so that I can indulge in my happy place and a sunset hike. Also get to celebrate Boxing Day for the first time with my friend Jade and her brood back in Sac.

20. How will you be spending/did you spend New Year’s Eve? Original plan was to hang at my friend Jade’s place with her kids, movies and snacks. But just learned the wee ones are ill, so now I’m not sure what I’m doing. That was how I spent last year (the original plan, that is), with the main difference being that last year I also went to a two-hour yin workshop beforehand, which was how I discovered my current yoga studio, and discovered how much I enjoy yin practice in general. 21. Did you fall in love in 2018?

No. But I made more effort to pursue it, and had more options than I think I’ve ever had in a single year. Which was kind of encouraging even if each one was relatively short-lived.

22. How many one-night stands? I always laugh when I read this question. How about I just wink knowingly and say a lady never tells? 23. What was your favorite TV program? Supernatural. iZombie. To a lesser extent, Riverdale, even though I’m still pretty behind on that one. Sons of Anarchy (which I know is old but I’m playing catchup via Netflix and Hulu) And as a guilty pleasure, Total Divas. And of course, I'm still casually following WWE on the WWE network, though the only thing I’m finding compelling aside from the women’s matches are the Brits featured on the UK specific programming. 24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No, I don't think so. 25. What was the best book you read? I finally got into the Harry Potter series and I’m really enjoying it. I just finished the Order of the Phoenix, and have the next installment requested from the library. 26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Not entirely new, but my appreciation for Cory Branan was reinforced and amplified after seeing him in Santa Barbara. And I’m also on a rediscovery tear with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Cold War Kids.

27. What did you want and get? Reassurance that this move to Sac was the right next step, after I settled in to my new role relatively easily. 28. What did you want and not get? Romantic love for an extended period. More down time. 29. What was your favorite film(s) of this year? Bohemian Rhapsody, even though I know it had some historical inaccuracies.

A Quiet Place was hard because of the ending, but decent as well.

And the latest Halloween was hella satisfying, especially since I caught it after needing an escape after learning about the passing of the professor I mentioned earlier.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I prepped for my Cabo departure, went exploring at the Cosumnes River Trail, which is also a bird sanctuary, and caught the movie Widows with my work friend Christine. Then she took me to Panera for dinner. Couldnt’ do much more than that since I had a 5 am flight the following morning. I turned 40.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Love, as always. 32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2018? Activewear as much as possible. But never enough. 33. What kept you sane? My friends. The various trips I took and rock shows I attended. Junk food. Wandering in nature.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Jensen Ackles. Tom Hiddleston. Charlie Hunnan. Idris Elba. My taste doesn't change much. 35. Who did you miss? Dawn. Becca. Kelly and Drew. Stephanie and Scott. Rob. Elspeth. Mike K. Jason. 36. Who was the best new person you met?

Lu

Ellen

Mason

Torrey

Anthony

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018 Never underestimate my own ability to adapt to new situations, and to handle my own shit like a boss. I had a few challenging things thrown at me, namely the condo selling process, and the logistical gymnastics that followed after having to bring my car in for a bumper repair following a recent rear-ending, and though I felt tested by both of those situations, I ultimately succeeded at navigating both of them to a positive end.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

I’m always starting over....

I don’t wanna waste the nights in my life

But I never fit in, or felt home in my skin.

I’m waiting on a big love, baby.

--Brian Fallon, “Her Majesty’s Service”

[nfl2sevensummits]

Joe is a former NFL player that after 8 years decided to retire, give away all this stuff, buy a Van, get a dog named Freedom and got hit the road for 8 months. Talk about self discovery of driving around the US, meeting new people and getting outside hi

171: Joe Hawley: Former NFL Football Player with the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Founder The Hart Collective and Man Van Dog Blog talks about bouncing back after his football career ended and reemerging in a van with his dog Freedom to the benefit of former professional athletes. 

  Joe Hawley 

Joe Hawley discusses his choice to take his college football efforts to UNLV as a California guy. “I really wanted to go to UCLA but they said my grades weren’t good enough, which I knew was bulls**t because I played in an All-Star game with a bunch of UCLA commits that had worse grades than me. UCLA never offered me. I did get offers from Arizona, Oregon. But they were schools that wanted me to commit right away. I wanted to do my due diligence and figure out which school I wanted to go to. The reason I went to UNLV was because it was close to home.”

  On this episode of Finding Your Summit Podcast, we talk with Joe Hawley, Former NFL Football Player with the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Founder The Hart Collective and Man Van Dog Blog. Joe Hawley shares what he learned after playing for two NFL teams. “A lot of ups and downs. It was not a smooth journey. It came with a lot of lessons. A lot of people talk about how hard it is to make it to the NFL and not a lot of people talk about how hard it is to stay in the NFL once you get there. They are constantly working to replace you. There is younger talent, cheaper talent always coming in. So, to have a long career is probably even harder than getting there.”

  What You Will Learn:

What can the Raiders expect as a lifestyle change when they move to Las Vegas? “What was it like going to school at UNLV? I went there from 17 to 21 in that prime age of trying to figure myself out. I didn’t have any experience to relate it to. When I finally got drafted, playing with these guys that went to the University of Alabama, and Florida, and these normal college experiences. I didn’t have that so it was all I knew at the time. As far as going there as a professional athlete, I’m sure there are going to be issues and challenges, especially with young guys coming into money for the first time. That town is tempting. There are a lot of temptations.”

What does Las Vegas mean to Joe Hawley? As far as the city and somebody that loves Vegas as a city, because I played there and I go back there a lot, and I have really connected with it, I think (Las Vegas Raiders) is really good for the city. They are going to have a really huge fanbase. I know they just brought professional hockey there for the first time a couple of years ago, the Knights, and the community really rallied behind them. It’s a really fun atmosphere, and I think it is going to be really good for the NFL to have a team in Vegas because every Sunday it is going to bring a lot of people into the city.”

What was his transition from college football to the NFL like for him? “Going from a school like UNLV where I was one of the best players on the roster, obviously, and I played against NFL talent a few times in the year; I played some good schools. But, getting to the NFL, you are playing against the best in the world every day in practice, and that is such a huge step up to perform at such a high level. It really challenges you. I dealt with a lot of doubt. Do I belong here from such a small school?”

Joe Hawley, talks about coming to the end of his professional football career with the NFL. “My eighth year I lost my job for the fifth time and I realised that I was tired of having to prove myself. So I knew my eighth year after training camp going into that year, I was on the sidelines. I was actually an inactive player, until the final three games. I was content. It was the first time in my life that I was not fired up for being on the sideline. Usually, with my competitive nature I always wanted to be out there competing with my teammates.”

How did he go from football to exploring in his van? “I started wanting to visit family and friends and people all over the country. I didn’t first buy the van expecting to kind of, “find myself.” But that is exactly kind of what happened. I’m really grateful for having played so much football. I played eight years in the NFL. I was basically footballed out by the time I walked away. I walked away on my own terms and it was still really hard for me. I always had this idea that football is something that I did and not who I was. I always tried to be really conscious of the fact that I didn’t want my identity to be lost in that. But that still didn’t prepare me for when it was over.”

  Ford Diesel Cargo Van and a Dog Called Freedom

 Joe Hawley describes how he began traveling with his pet dog. “Before I hit the road I knew I wanted a travel companion. I knew the road might be a lonely place. I ended up going to a few different shelters. I wanted to rescue a dog and ended up coming across ‘Freedom’ about a month before I hit the road and that wasn’t her name when I got her. Her name was like Emilia or something...I was driving home after I rescued her and thinking of a name and I just connected with this idea that I just rescued this dog who was in this shelter in this cage that looks really beat up, really lonely, really isolated, and metaphorically I felt like I was finally breaking free of a cage.”

  Shedding Worldly Possessions 

During this episode of Finding Your Summit Podcast, Joe Hawley talks about donating all of his furniture and possessions to the Metropolitan Ministries of Tampa Bay. “When I was first hitting the road I had a couple of options of what to do with my stuff. I knew I didn’t want to put it in storage because I would just have to pay for that. I didn’t know how long the trip was going to be. It was sort of symbolically part of this old life that I wanted to say goodbye to and move on from and really be free of.”

  Links to Additional Resources:

Mark Pattison: markpattisonnfl.com

Emilia’s Everest - The Lhotse Challenge: https://www.markpattisonnfl.com/philanthropy/

Joe Hawley website: Joe-Hawley.com

Mark Pattison: Instagram

The Hart Collective - thehartcollective.com

Check out this episode!

[liliannorman]

Why you’re spotting more wildlife during COVID-19

As people have spent more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, this spring, it seems like wildlife have responded by coming out to play. There are videos of coyotes walking down San Francisco streets. Birdsong seems much louder than before. People are sharing pictures of snakes on sidewalks and bike trails.

Explainer: What is a coronavirus?

And of course, there are the rats. City dwellers are seeing rats everywhere. Because rats can spread disease, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — an agency that works to prevent disease — has offered tips for dealing with the unwelcome rodent tide.

With all the news, it’s easy to think that nature is sweeping in and taking over. But it isn’t likely that there are more rats or coyotes than normal. The animals aren’t even going new places. Instead, COVID-19 has changed the way people behave, and the way we interact with the natural world.

Here are five reasons that people might be running into more wildlife than before.

1. Human handouts are scarce 

Urban rats have tended to dine on human trash. With many restaurants closed, the dumpsters they usually fill with trash may now be empty. Hungry rodents now might be forced into the open in search of meals. People have certainly claimed to see more rats. But there are not yet real data to back that up, says Jonathan Richardson. He’s an urban ecologist, someone who studies how city organisms interact with each other and their surroundings. He works at the University of Richmond in Virginia.

“We would expect [rats] to be impacted as restaurants close,” he says. It does make sense. “But lots of people are throwing that around without data to support it,” he says. Richardson and his colleagues are now stepping in to gather such data. To find out where rats are going during COVID-19, they are using surveys by pest management groups and calls to city services about rats.

See all our coverage of the new coronovirus outbreak

Rodents populations go through booms and busts. When food is plentiful, rat populations go up. When food disappears, or pest control comes, rat populations fall. If food is scarce enough for rats during shutdowns, Richardson says, “it could be the beginning of a bust cycle. A lot of city health folks are hoping that’s the case.”

But if there is a bust, he adds, don’t expect it to last. “It would absolutely be temporary,” he says. “They’re just so adapted to breeding quickly and reproducing.”  Rat packs will rebound quickly.

2. Scary humans aren’t around as much 

All animals need to avoid predators as they find food and shelter. That creates a landscape of fear — where some places are safer than others, explains John Laundre. He’s an ecologist at Western Oregon University in Monmouth.

And the top predator? People. “We are predators on pretty much everything,” says Laundre. “Everything fears us.”

Black bears avoid areas with lots of people during the day. But when the pandemic hit, it kept people off even the roads — and the bears came out.Chancey Joy/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Pumas, for example, live in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. People do, too. The big cats may chow down peacefully on a carcass if a loudspeaker nearby is playing nature noises. But the big cats run for it when the speaker switches to the sound of people talking. That’s the finding of a 2017 study in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

And pumas aren’t alone. Black bears living on the edges of towns avoid residential areas by day. They may tend to head out at night, when people are less likely to be around. Those are the results of a 2019 study in the journal Movement Ecology. 

All that changed during COVID-19. People began staying home in record numbers. And the landscape of fear that we make stayed at home with us. Coyotes live in suburbs and cities, but we rarely see them. To avoid people, they normally restrict their activities to dark. But now they’ve been sauntering more boldly. “The fewer people they see around,” Laundre explains, “the more willing they are to come out during the day.”

3. It’s nice and quiet

Not all animals fear us. “We can see a lot of birds flying around and coming to our feeders,” Laundre notes. Humans pose little threat to them. But people have been taking greater notice of local birds in the time of COVID-19.

“I would say noise pollution is the biggest reason people notice them,” says Gustavo Bravo. He’s an ornithologist, or someone who studies birds, at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.

Noise pollution is a harmful or annoying level of sound. Animals are sensitive to the sounds of traffic and other human activities. Even when they don’t fear our noise, it does change their behaviors. “Birds will adjust their song and the times they are singing to account for urban noise,” notes Deja Perkins. She’s an urban ecologist at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. “Usually they sing earlier in the day to avoid competing with city noises such as traffic.” They also sing at a higher sound frequency in urban neighborhoods to help their songs stand out against a city’s roar.

But when people went inside because of the pandemic, noise pollution fell. “If everyone is hunkered down at their homes, cities are quieter,” Bravo explains. Sounds of the City is a New York University study of urban noise. It’s placed microphones around New York City. And these have picked up less sound from traffic and people as COVID-19 took hold.

It’s too early to say if birds have changed their singing times or tones yet, Perkins says.  But because streets are quieter, people can hear birds better. And they’re paying attention. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a Global Big Day every year, which invites people to log their bird observations on the eBird app and website. On May 9, this year, the Lab reported a 32 percent increase in participation compared with Big Day 2019.

A red-winged blackbird preens in hopes of catching a partner’s attention. COVID-19 hit during peak bird mating season. Birds like this one are now easier to see and hear.passion4nature/iStock/Getty Images Plus

4. Spring has sprung 

If birds have seemed especially musical, that’s because they are, Bravo explains. COVID-19 hit the Northern Hemisphere at a critical time. “March, April and May are the spring-migration months in the Northern Hemisphere,” he notes. “Also, for the resident birds not migrating, it’s the time they mate. They sing a lot — they’re looking for their partners.”

Birds aren’t the only animals searching for companions. “This is the time of year – March, April, May — when snakes are coming out of hibernation, to eat, warm up and look for each other to mate,” says David Steen. As a herpetologist, he studies reptiles and amphibians. He works for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in Gainesville. The snake’s timing, this year, has nothing to do with COVID-19. “I’ve been answering people’s questions about snakes and identifying snakes for people for a decade or so,” he says. “This is my busy season.”

5. We’re finally paying attention 

Those snakes aren’t changing. We are. People who might have traveled to look at rare species before have been stuck a bit closer to home. No longer in schools, cars or offices, we’re hanging out in their neighborhoods and in local wild areas — and suddenly more likely to notice them, Steen says.

Many people are finally paying attention to their back gardens, says Helen Smith. She’s a spider expert in Norfolk, England where she works with the British Arachnological Society. That Society has conducted several surveys that ask people to report spider sightings. “You’re living with these really interesting animals,” she says. “Make friends with them.”

All our screen time lately also helps shine a spotlight on local wildlife sightings, notes Bravo of Harvard. “People have started to post about it on social media. And because everyone was looking at social media, it spread it out fast.”

In his home country of Colombia, Bravo says, “even some national celebrities were posting pictures of birds. It’s not something they’d do on a daily basis, but they’re sitting at home.”

Perkins, in Raleigh, has been involved with #BlackBirdersWeek during COVID-19. It’s an effort to promote birders of color on Twitter. She hopes that social media and in-person attention will spark interest in local wildlife that extends beyond the pandemic. “I hope that people continue to go outdoors and make these observations and pay attention to the wildlife that we have around us,” Perkins says. Indeed, she adds, it’s helping us notice “that people aren’t the only things that thrive in cities.”

Why you’re spotting more wildlife during COVID-19 published first on https://triviaqaweb.tumblr.com/

[alorconsulting]

Each year, my Husband creates a gift that shows more love for me as his wife than an acceptance speech co-written by George Clooney and Tom Hanks. Being a photographer, Bello takes countless photos. At the end of each year, he combs the archive selecting his favorites. Then, he shares them with me by printing a book as a Christmas present.

Bello captions each photo, I used his words to title this post. He summarizes 2014 at the front of the book and predicts happiness at the end of the book for 2015. His words are just as poetic, insightful, silly and playful as he is. Turning the pages, I cry like the smitten kitten I am, rediscovering and recounting our year together.

For us, 2014 was epic.

Muse by Paolo Ferraris Colors

In January

We started our year off flying to California on New Year’s Eve. We agreed as long as we were together we could ring the New Year in anywhere, even in the air. Thankfully, we landed in LAX in JUST enough time to rent a car… drive to Palm Springs… run into a store to buy some wine… check into the hotel… and luckily find one of the only restaurants open for dinner.

Walking into the Wolfgang Puck Pizza Bar at 11PM we realized we were the only customers, period. Full of New Year’s hats and streamers, they clearly planned for a party but found patrons just didn’t come out. At midnight we joined the jovial staff in a private party +2, yelling Happy New Year! We couldn’t have had a better end to 2013 or a more successfully unplanned start to 2014.

We spent the next 10 days exploring streets with no names in Joshua Tree. Driving through the Mojave onto Death Valley and all the way up to hug the largest trees on earth in the Sequoia National Park. Perhaps the best part, when we returned home, we raised a glass to the happy news that Bello’s green card was approved!

Private New Year’s Party in Palm Spring

Sequoia Nation Park

Death Valley Desert Sand Dune

Joshua Tree

Bello Working in Death Valley California

In February & March

We visited Bello’s parents at his childhood home in Torino, Italy. Each day we explored Northern Italy, sipping Barolo in Barolo, hiking the Alps of Bardonnechia to dine on Polenta Concia. We spent a little time in Briancón France where I was introduced to Raclette and life was never the same. My Husband–and I must stop here and say, I KNOW I’m a lucky Midwest American kid–decided it was time I saw Venice. Off we went to the floating city mid Carnevale, were fled the tourist in favor of the locals and cecheti.

Enjoying Polenta Concia in Refuge i Re Magi

Briancón France

Fresh baked and scrapped Raclette

Capturing Venice

Local Family Cicchetti

Delighted in Venice

Cheese and Charcuterie at Enoiteca Al Prosecco in Venice

In Love in Venice

April & May

Relatively quiet months for travel. In April, I was flown to St. Petersburg, Florida for a job interview. Bello joined me and jointly we decided this was an option, a life to decline, but an important trip we recalled with fondness. It got us talking about life, the future, what we wanted and where we wanted to live.

As a couple, we decided to prioritize freedom from corporate life and having the ability to travel more over our Manhattan lifestyle. Choosing to continue my efforts to work for myself and not sell out and go back to the well paid but highly stressful media world, we knew we were ready to make big changes. Moving to Jersey City in May, we cut our annual housing expenses nearly $20,000. With our new budget flexibility, we spent the rest of the year traveling as much of the world as we could.

Barcade in Jersey City

Contemplating a Life in Florida

Docks in Jersey City

June & July 

To celebrate our dedication to freedom, travel we did, joining Bello’s parents in Paris to celebrate his Father’s 75th Birthday. I fell in love with Croissants and began to imagine our lives incomplete without living a Parisians lifestyle… at least for a while. We worked our way up through Bruges to Amsterdam stopping at the small towns of Ghent and Delft in-between. We wrapped the trip in Brussels with a Champagne toast at breakfast to celebrate the news, that Paolo Ferraris Colors had just that morning, sold another piece.

Returning home, I launched myself into a collaboration with a friends company to work as a contractor with a great title on the digital strategy for Cornell University Alumni Affairs. A monster project, I spent many hours working from home with every other week in Ithaca, New York. July was slower again, but when Bello’s camera went on the fritz and a repair location took him towards the water in New York, we figured let’s make a trip of it and ended up in Fire Island… why not they have beaches there!

Dreaming of Paris

Obligatory but Happy Eiffel Tower Shot

Fun with Mom & Dad

Beer Stop in Ghent

Cock’s Fresh Truck in Bruges

Nighttime in Bruges

Canals of Amsterdam

In Love, In Travel, In Life

Cheesy in Deflt

Fire Island… Why Not?

August & September

Now these two months were big travel months, even for us. We celebrated our first year as happy newly weds in Cartagena Colombia. The heat and humidity beat us into submission of a slow, leisurely, romantic pace. Morning explorations lead to Ceviche lunches and afternoon siestas. Oxtail dinners followed by sunset rooftop toasts became the slow dance of our days.

Domestically, we adopted our inner Goonies and found ourselves uttering “It’s TIME for an IPA!” each afternoon in Portland. They say “keep Portland weird” yet we found ourselves wondering, could this be a place we move to stay one day? Within a 90 minute drive you either hit one of the most beautiful costal areas of the US, wine country, Mt. St. Helen’s or Mt. Hood. If you stay in this mid-sized city, you can get anywhere in about 20 minutes and eat some of the best food around.

For my Sister’s Birthday, we swung a trip up to Gaylord, Michigan. Nothing beats the dreaded sense of aging better than watching your Sister toss her son full of giggles into the lake behind their house. Except watching your Husband take countless photos of your Niece and Nephew and know full well, he’ll soon make them a gift to your Sister to thank her for her hospitality.

Cartagena Colombia’s Walled City

Streets of Cartagena Colombia

For the Love of Heat

Sunset on the rooftop of Hotel Ananda

Goonies Rocks Cannon Beach Oregon

Oregon Coast

Crab Roll at Little Bird

Beer and Music at EaT Oyster Bar

Trillium Lake

Bright eyed Niece

Happy Niece and Nephew

Niece and Nephew at Home

Full of giggles

October & November

Travel slowed a bit in October, giving a break to focus on work. Bello’s parents came for a visit and being the good son he is, he took them for a mini-vacation in the Smoky Mountains. Meanwhile, I began to develop my client base and landed my first contract as a Strategy Consultant. Life began to breathe into the concept of truly being free, my Husband and I both working for ourselves, it found a pulse and a heartbeat. My fear of shifting security in a bi-weekly paycheck finally died.

My family also hosted these vagabonds in Columbus, Ohio. We sipping wine with my Mother at the kitchen table reliving our travels and dreaming of more to come, a delight. We sat with Dad, finding confidence and support in our decision not to have kids, a comfort.

When storms threatened in New Jersey, we flew south for the winter spending time with kindred spirits, a Digital Power Couple and fellow Nomads Ayaz and Val in Miami.

We love our family and they us. 2014 was a year full of support, wise words and laughter.

Mom & Sis

Sipping Barolo in Barolo

Bello on the Beach

Digital Nomads Ayaz & Val

Chillin’ in Miami

The Dads

December

We ended the year in a very atypical celebration of Christmas in Burma and New Year’s in Cambodia. It will take me months to fully appreciate everything I experienced on this trip. Pagodas of Gold, Burmese easy smiles, Monks… with cell phones and selfies, soup for breakfast so good you’ll realize your American granola bars are for chumps. Sunset on a Stupa, Inle Lake a city where fishermen move in beauty, learning Italian in Burma and Cambodia… from a local guide, bananas the size of my palm, sticky rice, gold, gold gold, beautiful ruin, entire families on bikes, boarding passes with no name. Spending one night in Bangkok and traveling for 2 days with 4 flights and a 6 hour drive… on a Cambodian road with pit stops by stalls where they sell fried tarantula… as a snack.

This trip was a tribute for my Husband to his parents, having years ago planned the trip. Sadly, the shifting political climate changed and their hopes were dashed. He wished for years to make it up to them and go, and so in this year when we freed ourselves from the corporate shackles, we did. I’m fortunate that they consider me not just their son’s wife, but family and brought me along.

Shwedagon Pagoda in Burma

Inle Lake

Pagoda Fields in Burma

Stupa Sunset

Burmese Ease

Burmese Taxi

Families on Wheels

Golden Pagoda

Christmas in Burma

Family of Explorers

Bello in Angkor Wat

Beautiful Ruin of Ta Prohm Angkor Wat Cambodia

Monks Posing for their Own Selfie

Angkor Wat Cambodia

Somehow through all the traveling we were able to work, grow closer and learn more about ourselves and ultimately each other. With a year like 2014, I couldn’t escape spending hours, days writing this blog, there was so much to be thankful for. Most of all, I’m thankful to one man, my present and my future, my Amore della mia vita, my Bello.

Amore della mia vita

    Countless Outbursts of Genuine Happiness Each year, my Husband creates a gift that shows more love for me as his wife than an acceptance speech co-written by George Clooney and Tom Hanks.

[thebuckblogimo]

So what’s the meaning of twenty 70-year-olds getting busted for excessive noise?

October 23, 2017

Hey, you can’t make this stuff up.

It happened during a reunion of my college buds known as the “grill rats,” mostly 1969 and 1970 graduates of Michigan State University, who lived in either Abbot Hall or its sister dorm, Mason Hall, during the mid ‘60s.

In those days, “the grill,” with its booming jukebox and smell of sizzling burgers, was our hangout. It connected the two dorms at the midpoint of the complex’s basement. It’s where we went for Coke and chips. To read the State News. To play bridge. To search for romance. To act silly in a Marx Brothers sort of way.

On the first night of the reunion, after dinner and drinks on the edge of campus, the entire crew assembled in a room at the East Lansing Marriott. With a cooler of beer, a box full of adult beverages and WiFi speakers, we had come ready to party. And were promptly banished to the lobby by hotel security when someone down the hall complained about the noise.

Oh, yes, that old gang of mine proved to be still capable of hi jinx during reunion weekend. We did a group hug and jumped around to Hava Nagila at our Saturday afternoon tailgate party. One guy (guess who) sang the MSU fight song...in initials, with choreography provided by a former MSU cheerleader. And there was the collection of buzzed alums singing “The wheels on the bus go round and round...” aboard the shuttle from the hotel to a sports bar to watch Michigan State play Minnesota on TV.

But there were more than a few serious conversations and contemplative moments during the weekend, to be sure--times when it got a little emotional for me and for some of the others who had traveled to campus from locations as far away as California, Oregon, Nevada, Minnesota, Illinois, Virginia, Florida, even Hawaii.

During our “tailgate,” as we kibitzed, mugged for photos and played corn hole, I glanced around the room and tried to envision this collection of baby-boomers-turned-senior-citizens as they looked when they were 18-year-olds more than 50 years ago.

Across the room stood my first Abbot Hall roommate, once described by a fellow dorm-mate as a “rolling ball of facts,” and who I recall wearing Levis and Bass Weejuns--without socks--that Sunday afternoon in the fall of 1965 when I first met him in room 271. During his adult life he would go on to qualify for Jeopardy (yes that Jeopardy) four different times. From him, more so than from any other person I have ever known, I learned intellectual curiosity.

Then I noticed the guy, who when I first laid eyes on him coming out of our floor’s community bathroom, I whispered in mild shock, “Sockamutha!” That’s because he had the broadest, most muscular chest I had ever seen on a young athlete up to that point in my life. He would go on to become an Academic All-American football player and eventually earn his doctorate in chemical engineering. I have never met a more disciplined person--academically, athletically, in every way I can think of--in my entire life. As time went on I was always observing him, hoping that some of whatever he was made of would rub off on me.

Then my gaze turned toward my soul brother, the guy with whom I shared an abiding love of Motown music and with whom I discussed many an essay by syndicated newspaper columnist Sydney Harris while walking to business letter writing class. He would go on to become my lifelong financial advisor. But beyond that I have discussed more of life’s significant issues--regarding man’s inhumanity to man, politics, cities, crime, education, love, family--with him than with any other person I can think of.

And in front of the blow-up Sparty near the buffet table stood my two roommates during senior year at Water’s Edge Apartments, where we had the best parties, with wall-to-wall people, in all of East Lansing. One of them elevated my appreciation of James Brown, as well as doo wop music, to a whole new level. While the other taught me practical things that I was eager to learn: how to make a bed with “hospital corners,” how to snow ski, how to pack for my first trip on an airplane and much, much more.

But at the same time, as I looked around the room, knowing what I know, I pondered the fact that life has not been without its struggles for these old Spartans. Among the group we’ve suffered the deaths of spouses, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, heart trouble, business failure, fire and other serious challenges.

Now, about that question at the top of this page. It actually comes from an inside joke, stemming from the time that two of the grill rats returned to their dorm room after class, only to discover that its entire contents, including their personal possessions--bunks, desks, chairs, stereo, clothes, shoes, etc.--had been removed and arranged in the snow outside.

“What’s the meaning of this?” one of them asked in wonderment.

At some point during the reunion I asked myself the same question about the vibe I felt throughout our mid-October grill rats reunion. And here’s where I come out:

When I look back on the early part of my life, I realize that there were three major influences on me before I entered into adulthood: my parents, the neighborhood kids I grew up with and, finally, my Michigan State friends.

And today, whoever it is that I am, whatever it is that I do, I carry around a little bit of each one of those Mason-Abbot people inside of me every day. Thanks, guys.

[narniasummerexchange]

for @jillpcle

The three girls got into Susan’s car and went through their mental notes before they drove off.

“Do you have everything?” Susan, the caretaker, asked.

“Yes, we’re good; let’s go!” Aravis said, always impulsive, always ready to fly at a moment’s notice.

Jill repeated her daily mantra to herself. ‘Do not forget to take pictures. Remember what you learn each day. Don’t lose yourself on this brand new adventure.’ She looked up at Susan, sitting in the driver’s seat, ready to go. She nodded.

Susan slid her sunglasses onto her face and put the car in gear. “Then let’s go.”

And they were off.

—

They went to Seattle first.

They saw the Pike Place Market and shopped for a while, eventually getting three salmons and three waters. They sat for their lunch at Pier 66 and watched the cruise ships come in and out.

They went to the Space Needle, going to the top and viewing the city from an incredible height. They felt dizzy and reckless and more alive than they had felt in a long time.

As they left, they took pictures of Puget Sound and were quiet, in awe of the beauty the world had to offer them.

—

At sunset, Susan gave the wheel to Aravis, who drove quietly and quickly through the night. The silence on Interstate-5 put Susan and Jill to sleep almost immediately, and Aravis turned the music up, letting it blend into the background of her life, letting it wash over her, letting herself become one with the music.

Before she knew it, they had arrived in Eugene, and checked into their motel for the remainder of the night, falling asleep peacefully, dreaming in anticipation of the next day.

—

Eugene was warmer than Jill thought it would be. It was the middle of August, granted, but she hadn’t expected temperatures of up to 100 degrees. Her hair was sticking to the back of her neck.

The University of Oregon was still green, though, and Jill sat for a long time in front of the Knight Library, taking pictures of the lawn, Lillis, and everything in between.

Downtown Eugene did have a lot of hippies, as they had expected. As they walked through, stopping in little shops and tiny coffeeshops, they said hi to as many people as they could, entering into strange conversations and meeting interesting people.

They walked back to their motel, sun-kissed and full of things to think about.

‘Eugene was the city that made them think the most,’ Jill would think to herself later. ‘It does that, if only one stops to really get to know it.’

—

They took a detour off I-5 to Florence, Oregon, and a beach that was windier than they expected. They walked on the beach, ate salt-water taffy and halibut, and watched the sun go down, the waves gently lapping at the shore as the tide went out.

A pleasant day, without strife in it.

—

Susan checked the oil in the car before they continued. She topped it off and filled the gas tank, and they climbed back into the car, thankful for Susan’s nature, thankful that she would think to check. The other two wouldn’t have even considered it.

They were off again.

—

The crossing into California was uneventful. They stopped at an In-N-Out, because they were in California and it was what people did in California. They drove for hours and hours, stopping at a hotel in San Francisco and vowing to visit it later in more detail, but they continued on the next day without exploring it at all.

They drove for hours the second day as well, only stopping for restroom breaks and food. The sun moved around them all day, starting at the left, going straight over their heads, and then sinking down on their right side in the evening. The shadows grew long and the girls grew weary of traveling, tired of sitting for so long, but then—

But then they came in view of the Hollywood sign and it all felt as if it had been worth it.

They watched the sun go down across the sign before going to their hotel.

They would see Los Angeles the next day.

—

There were so many people.

Susan was overwhelmed. Shopping was fun, but Los Angeles was crowded and it was hot. She slowed to a stop and called for the other two to wait, before ducking into a Starbucks. It was air conditioned, and they had free wifi.

Jill and Aravis followed her in, sitting across from her at the small table.

Susan held up her phone. “I’m going to call home,” she said.

“Good idea,” the other two said, both pulling out their phones.

In that crowded, cool Starbucks, they all spoke to their families, smiles spreading across their faces as they heard the voices of their loved ones and they relaxed a little bit more.

Susan breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of Lucy’s voice. “It’s so good to hear you,” she confessed, unable to keep the smile from her face. “LA is crazy. It’s wonderful, but crazy.”

Lucy laughed, her voice slightly tinny on the phone. “I told you. You’re a small city girl.”

“I am,” Susan agreed. “I really am.”

They talked for a few more minutes, and then Susan noticed the other two had hung up and were just scrolling on their phones. “I’ll call you later,” Susan promised her sister.

“I love you,” Lucy said.

“Love you, too,” Susan responded.

They all had beautiful, honest smiles the rest of the day, making them the most radiant group of friends Los Angeles had seen walking its streets in years.

—

Hollywood was fun, but soon it was time for the three girls to head back to Bellingham, Washington. They packed up the car, filled it with gas and oil, and started driving, blasting new music they had heard on the radio in the past week, singing at the top of their lungs, making up words when they didn’t know them and laughing a lot.

It felt like no time at all before they were pulling up into Susan’s driveway and Edmund was out the door, coming to help them carry their luggage inside.

“Where’s Peter?” Jill asked.

“He’s already at school,” Edmund said. “The East Coast starts earlier than the West.”

They all became somber at the thought of school and having to split up for the next four years.

Jill contemplated being in Eugene for the next four years. Was the University of Oregon as great as it seemed? She hoped so.

Aravis was going to flight school in Seattle, and Susan was going to the University of Washington, so they would be able to spend time together, but without Jill, it wouldn’t be the same.

Susan finally cleared her throat. “I’m so glad we got to make that trip together,” she said.

They all smiled at each other, going to give each other hugs, laughing, crying a little, holding hands. Edmund had disappeared and they were alone, saying goodbye before they had to because they felt in their souls that this was the right time to do so.

Jill finally spoke up. “Should we go get ice cream?”

“Yes! I’ll drive!” Aravis said, already rushing to grab Susan’s keys from the table.

Susan and Jill laughed, following Aravis out to the car with light hearts and the freedom in their steps.

They didn’t have to say goodbye yet. They still had time.

—

Alia Bhatt as Aravis

Deepika Padukone as Susan

Shraddha Kapoor as Jill

[withersonwheels]

Day 239 Astoria to Cannon Beach 51K

It was great to be in Sydney and spend some time with Siobhan. She took me around her old haunts along the bay. Such a lovely city. Thanks to Clare for putting us up and looking after us, it was really nice and relaxing.

The relaxation didn’t last very long sadly, Siobhan went back to HK Saturday and the next morning I left for Portland. I know as soon as I walk into an airport with a bike box someone will throw a curve ball. I wasn’t disappointed. Walked up to the check in, big smile with that faint hope and I might get an upgrade. It’s the same faint hope that I have at the start of every season that West Ham will win the league, but of course it’s a foolhardy dream. In the end I am happy West Ham stay up, in this case happy to just get on the plane.

Firstly, the check in lady tells me that no bike has been booked and they are full with oversized pieces. I tell her that my travel agent booked and told me that I had two luggage pieces at 26K, yes, but not a bike! She wandered off, my big smile started to wane a tad. She came back, good news we can get it on, but it will cost AUS 150. Never have I been so glad to give away 150 dollars. Big smile back. We move to the check in procedures. Oh we have another problem. What now!!?? You don’t have a ticket out of the US, so I can’t issue a ticket. She then said if you are “fluent"with with internet, you could book a ticket out. Fluent with the internet, it’s not a bloody language! So I fluently booked a ticket from NY to Lisbon. Another USD950. So I am 1100 bucks down and not moved past the bloody check in! Smile gone!

Thankfully I got onto the plane without spending anymore money. Sat down and got chatting to the chap next door. A religious type from Kuwait, going off to marry a lady from the US who has never met. What a strange world we live in. He has however met his future father in law who he apparently took him to a strip joint. I had to ask twice to make sure I had understood. I assume it was some ice breaking ritual, but surely a cup of coffee in Starbucks is much more appropriate?

Arrived in Los Angeles after a 14 hour flight and no sleep. Waiting nervously for Pat, sure enough the box came around the corner with the side ripped off! How does that even happen? As I looked inside and expected the worse, one the operation staff came with my helmet! Great, so my helmet came out, what else between Sydney and LA? I complained to the ground staff, to be fair the guy did put the ohh’s and ahh’s in the right place to make me feel he gave a shit! I tapped up the box, took a photo and checked it in to the 3 hour to Portland.

Waiting for the box in Portland and out comes Pat, this time the top is open. It’s obviously been checked by customs and clearly the tape has been cut, but the imbecile didn’t re tape. I am standing looking at the box when a guy pops his head out of the oversize pick up with my front carrier. If that has fallen out what else has? I haven’t slept and now very pissed off. A ground staff person comes over and again gives a good impression that she actually gave a shit, must of gone to the same University of looking and sounding like you give a shit, as the guy from LA. She suggests I build the bike and see what missing. What’s the point, if it’s missing it’s probably spread over the states of California and Oregon. I then hear the oversize guy shout, are these yours? Holding up two bolts. Yes, just a small thing of holding my handlebars on the freaking bike. I need to go before I lose my shit.

I get to the hotel and with dread start going through the box. Piece by piece I start to put Pat together and realise the only thing missing is a bolt to hold the handlebars on! Very relieved, I pop to the local shop to buy a bolt and we are set. No thanks to Delta Airlines and their handling crews.

The US trip is the first route I really struggled with. I had always had it in my mind to do what they call the transam, Astoria to Yorktown, Virginia. I am early and snow is still falling in the Rockies, it’s going to be nasty for the first month in high grounds and cold, very cold. I thought of going south and down to Florida, but that would mean 30 plus over the desert. In the end I am staying with my original route and take each day as it comes.

Today I got a bus from Portland to the start of the transam in Astoria. By the time I arrived it was 1pm and pouring down. I pushed off and got totally soaked. I have been lucky and ridden for the last 6 months and 20 something temps, today was 7. I really just wanted to get out of Astoria and down the road, so I called it a day and pulled into Cannon Beach, a nice seaside town with its own brewery, which I will try out later. Now drying my stuff out and hope for a better day tomorrow, or less rain.

[blschaos3000-blog]

Its 6:55 pm sunny/cool/writing

Welcome to ‘8 Questions with…..”

Finding my interviews is always a challenge. As I type this,I am looking at my list of interviews that are out and awaiting for them to be returned. Out of 13,only 5 have been returned and two people simply just declined because “The Inner Circle” isn’t People Magazine or TMZ and I can respect that. So when artists approach me about doing a interview,its actually pretty exciting,it means that someone likes what I’m doing and wants to be part of it. Someone like our next guest,actor and martial artist Sky Patterson. Sky sent me a friend request and a very nice note asking if I would be willing to do a interview with him. Well after taking a look at his background,this was one of the easiest calls I had to make.  Sky is one of the most interesting human beings I have met,a top notch martial artist,a international traveler,a man of books and education and a hard working actor. So what has led to Sky’s journey to all these various interests and paths that he walked on,well that is what I wondered as well and I found my normal 8-10 questions weren’t going to be enough and that I was going to ask a few more. I was glad when Sky was open to this and welcomed the added questions…the truth was I could have asked another 15 but we’ll save those for another round in the future. But for now,I am going to get out of the way and let Sky answer his first 8 Questions ………

 Please introduce yourself and tell us what you’re currently working on.

I’m an actor and writer in Los Angeles. With the stay at home order, I’ve been writing a lot recently, and I’m currently working on two feature scripts. One is an 80s zombie comedy, and the other is a story about a collegiate wrestler.

  How are you dealing with the Covid-19 lockdown,how are you staying busy?

There has definitely been a lot of Zoom. I’ve done several table reads, improv meetups, and done self tapes with friends reading for me virtually, and vice versa. Many casting directors have had open calls so I found every one of those I could and submitted to them all. I’ve also recorded some monologues on my own for fun. The rest of my time has been spent writing, reading, watching movies, and staying in shape. Needless to say this is an unprecedented situation for us all, but it’s really admirable how some people have found ways to lift each other up and collaborate.

 What was it like grwoing up in your home? What were your three favorite memories as a youngster?

   I grew up in Portland, OR. The city has changed a lot since I lived there. Since elementary school I was involved in theater, but my life definitely changed when I started martial arts. One of my most formative memories was watching John Carpenter’s Escape From New York for the first time, which is still one of my favorite films to this day. The morning after I put on a black tank top and walked around my house acting like Kurt Russell. Another great memory was getting to introduce special effects legend Ray Harryhausen at a screening and Q&A for the Northwest Film Center when I was in third grade – my dad told the organizer how big of a fan I was and they offered me the opportunity. And one of the greatest times I had growing up was getting an apprenticeship in high school at an arts magnet summer camp co-sponsored by Nike and Weiden+Kennedy. We basically got to live in the woods down in central Oregon for two months and make a short film with all the equipment they had. I learned a ton about filmmaking and had a total blast.

 What led you into the martial arts? Can you explain what your style of martial arts is?

   I started on a total whim – the summer after 8th grade I was feeling like I needed a hobby to keep me occupied, so I decided to try martial arts. I watched Enter the Dragon with my brother and he told me I had to study Chinese Kung Fu, because that’s what Bruce Lee did and he was the best. So I found a local Kung Fu school and signed up. It turned out they did Shaolin style, as well as Wushu, which I had never heard of. It’s basically a style created for solo competition that is very flashy and exciting to watch – Jet Li was the Chinese national champion in Wushu. It places a high demand on flexibility and explosiveness, and I ended up training seriously and competing in that style for about 10 years.

 What three things have you learned and taken away from being involved with martial arts?

   The biggest lesson I learned competing was when I got back from China. I placed as the runner up in several championships, and I asked my coach what I could do to take it to the next level. He said “when you’re on the mat, it’s your time. The judges have to pay attention to you, and no one else is allowed on, so enjoy it.” After that, instead of trying to block everyone out before my routines, I would look at the entire crowd and think “I’m going to show them something they’ve never seen before.” And I started winning.    I also learned early on to place a premium on nonviolence and to avoid confrontation any way possible, which is a quality all great martial artists value. And to give back – my first instructor made us clean up the studio every day and help him teach kids classes because he said when you get something from martial arts, you have to give back to the martial arts.

Why is education important to you? What led you to choose USC for your college education?

   Growing up education was seen as the most important thing in our household. My dad had the dream of me getting a scholarship to a good university and there was some conflict when I started doing martial arts classes 5-6 days a week, but I never let my grades slip. USC was my dream school for the film program, and for the opportunity to come to California. When I applied I made a mistake on my film school application and actually got denied, but they let me in as an undeclared major. A couple weeks into the semester I got a call from someone from the film office who had seen my essay and wanted to offer me admission there on the spot, so I took the opportunity.

 Where did your love of China and its culture come from?    How hard was it to learn the language?

   The summer before college my mom gave me a book called American Shaolin by Matthew Polly (who has also just written the greatest ever biography on Bruce Lee). It was a story about an American college student who dropped out and went to live at the Shaolin Temple for two years. I was incredibly inspired and wanted to live my own version of that story – I felt like I had an advantage since I had already been training in Wushu seriously for four years, but I didn’t have the money to go to Shaolin so I felt the only way I could get to China was through study abroad at USC. They had a minimum requirement of 3 semesters of Mandarin in order to be eligible so first semester of freshman year I signed up, and I ended up eventually switching my major to Chinese. The written part is a little challenging but the words and grammar aren’t actually that hard, as long as you can differentiate the tones (Chinese is a tonal language so the same word in a different inflection has a completely different meaning). As I went along I saw it as another example of giving back after you’d received something – I had gotten so much out of martial arts that I wanted to pay my respects by learning more about the language and culture.

What was it like living in Beijing like? What were some of biggest cultural differences to you as an American?

   Living in Beijing had a lot of ups and downs. After I graduated from college I got a scholarship from the Chinese government to do martial arts full time at a sports university there. It was actually the same sports university I had trained at in my free time when I studied abroad in Beijing during undrgrad, so I thought the adjustment would be smooth. I was wrong. I was living on my own for the first time, at a school with no other Americans, and I definitely felt alienated many times. I’m a pretty outgoing and outspoken person, but Chinese often take a lot longer to form friendships. By the end of my year there I had made some really deep and loyal friends, but there were also times when I was kind of discriminated against for being a foreigner. It wasn’t anything at the level of what is faced by many nonwhite people, but it does give you a perspective on even how something like not being allowed to sit with everyone else, or not being allowed in certain buildings can affect your psyche.    At the same time there are a lot of opportunities there for someone like me. I did voiceover work, a little modeling, and acted in two feature films, so I was really fortunate to have that experience.

 When did you know you wanted to be a actor?  What was your first experience on a film like?

   I did my first performance in 3rd grade, which was a scene from Tom Sawyer, and it was so thrilling to be alive in front of an audience. Growing up, and still to this day, I’ve been deeply affected by movies – movies that have changed my views on things, and even movies that I believe have saved my life. And those same movies can mean the same things to people all over the world. It’s a huge responsibility and privilege, and I am awestruck how telling a story – not just in written or spoken form, but with a real human being, can be such a powerful cathartic experience to watch and live through vicariously. And that’s what I believe I can help to bring to audiences.     The first movie I ever shot was in Beijing called Tai Chi Zero. It was a pretty big film, and I got to work with the legendary Sammo Hung, who was the action director, and Angelababy, who was an up-and-coming star. I had a fight scene with her that we shot for 6 nights, but it ended up getting cut. The conditions on that set were challenging, it was so cold that if you left water or food out it would freeze over by the end of the night, and we were outside the whole time with no heaters. It was a great experience though and I wouldn’t trade any part of it now.

 Which is more fun for you to play and why,a good guy or a bad guy?

  You know, it’s funny, my dream is to be the good guy in a major feature film. But I have to say… playing a bad guy is REALLY fun. There’s something liberating about doing things that you’d normally never do, letting the id totally run wild. So I’d say that would probably be more fun, aside from maybe playing an antihero like Snake Plissken.

 Who are your three favorite martial arts actors and what makes them so good?

   Growing up my favorite was Jean Claude Van Damme. I loved his look, his aura, he felt like the total package, and his techniques were really smooth. These days I actually find myself going back way more to Bruce Lee, because he was such a trendsetter, and he did things that were unabashedly him, which is what really made the difference in his career, and in the lives of people all over the world.

How do you prepare for each role? What was it like shooting a soap opera like “The Young & the Restless”?

   When they shoot soap operas they work very fast, to the point where ideally they get everything in one or two takes. I had a very small part as an assistant to one of the leads selling sunscreen, and in one scene I was going to be in the center of the frame, and the AD told me “ok this is your scene, so really sell yourself.” Well the way I interpreted that was my character was going to seize the moment and make it all about me… I did the take where I was really goofing off and kind of stealing the spotlight. After they cut the AD ran up to me and asked what the hell I was doing, I told him I was following his direction. It turned out that was NOT what he intended, and to just do a very normal and unassuming take. About thirty seconds later he came back and said “forget everything I just told you, the producers saw that take and they loved it – do it again!” I guess it just kind of shows that doing something authentic can be welcomed even when it may be out of the box.     Typically to prepare for roles I take everything the script gives me (both textual and subtextual) and then fill in any gaps and backstory with my imagination, spending time creating memories in that life. If the role is more substantial I’ll talk to my acting teacher about it and sometimes do some coaching together.

 What do you look for in a role before accepting it?

To be honest I try to stay active and I believe any experience on set can help you be a better actor. Back when I was competing I would do every tournament I could, from international level competitions to local tournaments in high school gymnasiums. So I enjoy playing on set whenever I can, as long as it’s professional and the role isn’t demeaning.

 The cheetah and I are flying over to watch your latest film but we are a day early and now you are playing tour guide,what are we doing?

Well I’m not a foodie by any stretch, but the one cuisine I feel fairly knowledgeable about is Chinese, so after taking you guys to The California African American Museum in Exposition Park (in my opinion one of the most slept on museums in LA), we’d go a few minutes down the street to Chinatown, where I’d show you the best hole-in-the-wall spots (San Gabriel has slightly better Chinese food but it’s not walkable). After checking out the Tien Hau Temple and saying hi to Sifu Lee’s statue in Central Plaza, we’d head to Redondo to get some fresh seafood (Quality Seafood is my favorite) and walk along the strand.

I like to thank Sky for taking the time to doing this interview. I am sure that once this lock down is over,we’ll be seeing Sky back hard at work and we’ll be looking forward to see what results from that work.

To keep up with Sky and his journey you can follow him by the various methods:

His personal website which you can find here. You can follow him on InstaGram. Keep up with his career by following his IMDb page.

If you are new to the blog and our interview series,you can catch up by clicking here.

8 Questions with……..actor/martial artist Sky Patterson Its 6:55 pm sunny/cool/writing Welcome to '8 Questions with....." Finding my interviews is always a challenge. As I type this,I am looking at my list of interviews that are out and awaiting for them to be returned.

[asfeedin]

California: Latest updates on coronavirus

Last updated Wednesday, April 22 at 12:15 p.m. ET.

California has reported 33,261 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,268 deaths as of Monday (April 20), according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). However, data from Johns Hopkins University show 35,845 cases and 1,326 deaths in the state as of Wednesday (April 22).

This makes California 4th in the list of states with the most U.S. coronavirus cases. 

So far, labs in the state have tested more than 300,100 people for COVID-19 as of Monday (April 20), according to CDPH. Of the tests conducted, results from 7,200 are pending.

Among all cases 3,704 are health care workers. CDPH is now reporting infections in health care workers regardless of where they were exposed. As such, the total number of cases includes both those infected while on the job and those infected through community transmission. 

On Wednesday (April 22), California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state is now in a position to schedule surgeries once again at hospitals and health care facilities throughout the state.

“We are working with our health directors and throughout the healthcare delivery system to reintroduce the capacity to get these scheduled surgeries up and running again,” Newsom said in a news briefing.

In regards to diagnostic testing, Newsom said the state is currently conducting about 16,000 tests a day, with a goal of conducting 25,000 tests a day at the end of April. He added that the goal over the next few months is to increase testing to 60,000 to 80,000 tests a day.

On Monday (April 20), Los Angeles County released preliminary results from a study looking at COVID-19 antibodies, which show if a person had an infection in the past but didn’t know it. Based on testing of a representative samples of adults in LA County, the researchers estimate that about 4% of adult residents have antibodies to the virus. This suggests that the number of people who’ve had COVID-19 infection is around 221,000 to 442,000, or 28 to 55 times more than the number of reported cases, according to a press release from The University of Southern California, which conducted the study in collaboration with the LA County Department of Public Health. These results are similar to those of a separate antibody study in Santa Clara County, which also suggested that many more people have had COVID-19 infection than thought. However, the accuracy of the antibody test used in both studies has been questioned, with experts pointing out that just a few false positives on these tests could lead to a serious overestimate of the number of cases, Live Science previously reported.

Residents in several Bay Area counties, including Marin and Contra Costa, will be required to wear cloth face coverings when in public settings, including when they go grocery shopping or work in public, according to SF Chronicle. People will not be required to wear masks when they walk, run, hike or ride a bicycle. The order will take effect April 22. San Mateo County is expected to announce a similar order, according to The Mercury News. Residents of Los Angeles County were also required to wear cloth face coverings in public settings starting this week.

On Tuesday (April 14), California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced six key indicators that will help the state determine when and how to relax the current stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These include the ability of the state to identify and isolated patients through expanded testing; the ability to protect high risk groups such as seniors; the ability of hospitals to handle surges in cases, the ability to develop treatments to meet demand; the ability of schools, businesses and child care facilities to adapt to support social distancing; and the  reinstate additional stay-at-home orders, if necessary. 

“While Californians have stepped up in a big way to flatten the curve and buy us time to prepare to fight the virus, at some point in the future we will need to modify our stay-at-home order,” Newsom said in a statement. “As we contemplate reopening parts of our state, we must be guided by science and data, and we must understand that things will look different than before.”

On Monday (April 13), California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the Golden State would work together with Oregon and Washington on a “West Coast” plan for ending the stay-at-home orders issued in the states, according to The Mercury News. Newsom said the order in California had worked better than expected to reduce new infections. 

“The curve is being bent because of you and your willingness to stay at home,” Newsom said. “We didn’t see the kind of surge people predicted.” 

In an appearance on MSNBC on April 7, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he had secured about 200 million masks a month for the state, according to SF Gate. The masks will come from nonprofits as well as a California company that will be making N95 masks mostly overseas, SF Gate reported.

The state has been making progress in reducing its backlog of pending tests — at it’s peak, results from nearly 60,000 tests were pending, according to The Mercury News. 

And April 4, Newsom announced partnerships with both private and public institutions that he hopes will increase testing in the state by five-fold in the next few weeks, The Mercury News reported.

On April 3, Newsom said models the state is using show the outbreak is expected to peak in California in May, according to KCRA.

On April 1, California health officials told the public that wearing cloth face coverings could help reduce the spread of coronavirus from people who don’t have symptoms. Still, officials stressed that such coverings “are not a substitute for physical distancing or frequent hand washing,” Dr. Sonia Angell, director of the California Department of Public Health, said in a statement. Officials also noted they do not recommend N-95 or surgical masks, because these are needed by health care workers.

Schools in California should expect to stay closed for the rest of the academic year, Newsom said in a news briefing on April 1, according to KRON4 News. 

“It seems self-evident we should not prepare to bring our children back into the school setting,” Newsom said. However, Newsom stressed that education would continue through distance learning. “Schools will not reopen, but classes are in.”

On March 31 officials in the Bay Area officially extended the area’s shelter-in-place order for residents May 3, according to a statement from the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. (The original order was set to expire on April 7.) For example, The order now specifies that use of playgrounds, dog parks and public picnic areas is prohibited, as is the use of golf courses, tennis courts, pools and rock climbing walls. Both residential and commercial construction are also prohibited.

On March 30, Newsom launched the California Health Corps, a new initiative to expand the health care workforce to address the pandemic, according to a statement from Newsom’s office. The order waives certain professional licensing and certification requirements for the duration of the COVID-19 emergency. Newsom called on retired doctors, medical and nursing students and EMTs, among other healthcare professionals, to sign up for the Health Corps. Those who register will be paid and given malpractice insurance. 

On March 27, Newsom issued an order that places a moratorium on evictions until May 31, according to a statement from Newsom’s office. The order prohibits evictions for tenants who cannot pay rent because they have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak, for example, because they lost their job or fell ill with the virus.

On March 24 California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that half of California’s confirmed COVID-19 cases are younger adults ages 18 to 49, according to The Mercury News.

“Young people can and will be impacted by this virus,” he said.

On March 23, Newsom said strict social distancing measures may need to last two to three months in California to reduce the spread of COVID-19, according to The Mercury News. Newsom added that the state will need an additional 50,000 hospital beds to serve patients during the outbreak.

California will lease 177 hospital beds at the Seton Medical Center hospital in Daly City to be used for coronavirus patients, according to The Mercury News. Newsom has also requested a Naval hospital ship to be used for non-coronavirus patients to free up hospital beds, The Mercury News reported.

On March 19, Newsom issued a shelter-in-place order for the entire state, requiring 40 million residents to stay at home unless they need to perform essential activities, such as shopping for food or providing essential services, according to The Mercury News. Newsom said that without such measures, projections show that half of all Californians may contract COVID-19 over the next eight weeks.

On March 17 Newsom said he thinks most schools in the state will remain closed for the rest of the academic year.

“I would plan and assume it’s unlikely that many of these schools, few if any, will open before the summer break,” Newsom said in a news conference. More than 98% of California schools are now closed, meaning some 6 million students are not in school, he said.

On March 16, residents in six Bay Area counties were ordered to “shelter in place” for the next three weeks to reduce the spread of coronavirus, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The order, which started Tuesday (March 17) at 12:01 am, affects some 6.7 million people in San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin, Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Shortly afterwards, officials in Santa Cruz County also ordered residents to shelter in place.

People will still be allowed to go shopping for groceries and to travel for medical care or to provide aid to family and friends, the Chronicle reported. Residents will be asked to work from home, or not go to work, unless they provide an “essential” service, such as health care, police, fire or sanitation work. Airports, taxis and public transit will still operate, but should only be used by those traveling for essential reasons. 

People can still take walks or exercise outside, provided they are six feet away from anyone not in their household. Older adults and those with underlying health conditions should stay inside expect to seek health care, the Chronicle reported.

Grocery stores and pharmacies will stay open, and restaurants should provide takeout food only. Gas stations, home supply stories, banks and laundry services will also stay open.

On March 15,  Newsom announced a partnership with Verily Life Sciences, a sister company to Google, to create an online portal where people with mild symptoms or concerns about COVID-19 could fill out a survey and receive a score indicating their likelihood of needing a test. Those who are determined to be candidates for testing will then be directed to drive-through testing sites in Santa Clara County and San Mateo County.

Coronavirus science and news

 The 9 Deadliest Viruses on Earth 

 28 Devastating Infectious Diseases 

 11 Surprising Facts About the Respiratory System 

Originally published on Live Science. 

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[cathrynstreich]

Coronavirus: Should Young Adults Move Back in With Mom and Dad?

(TNS)—Andres Vidaurre’s story is a lot like those of the many young adults who make their way to Los Angeles in search of work and a vibrant, diverse city to call home.

The 27-year-old Houston native moved here two years ago after attending Notre Dame University and settled down in a five-bedroom home in northeast Los Angeles that he found on Craigslist. He has roommates—22 to be exact. Each tenant pays $580 a month and each room has several bunk beds.

Vidaurre loved the vibe, and so when the house manager moved out, he took over the role, which allowed him to live there for free. The additional work came with a new set of headaches, but his duties never included “pandemic response”—until last month.

On March 14, one of his roommates texted to say he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and had moved back with his family in Fresno.

Vidaurre delivered the news to his roommates. Almost everyone handled it calmly, he said. But there were a few exceptions, including one who started packing and left that night on a 13-hour drive back to his parents’ home in Oregon.

But moving back in with his parents isn’t an option for Vidaurre, the way it might be for others in their mid-20s. His mom has an autoimmune disorder.

“Going to Houston and coming into contact with them is really not a desire I have right now,” he said. “I just really hope they stay inside.”

In the last month, as the headlines about the pandemic have become grimmer, young people in cities across the country have contemplated the possibility of moving home to live with their parents or extended family.

Some of them can’t afford it. Others, like Vidaurre, worry that they might be asymptomatic and put their medically frail relatives at risk, as some reports suggest that infection is more likely to happen in clusters, such as with a family living under one roof.

But many others are returning to their childhood bedrooms and setting up workstations in the dining room of homes where food—and support—are in ample supply. The trade-off is often living in a household where siblings are sleeping nearby and families are trying to figure out who will do a video-conference from what room.

Decisions to stay or go have been made under pressure, sometimes in haste. For those who have moved home, it’s not clear how long they’ll be there. It’s highly unlikely that anyone was thinking about their emotional or financial independence, but their decisions could very well influence the way they and their parents navigate the world for the rest of their lives.

Young people who are hunkered down far from their immediate families may be confronted with parents whose separation anxiety is growing. Subtle cues may be missed; estrangements may be amplified.

But no one can think about any of that right now. The future will have to wait.

Cole Gilbert, 26, says the seriousness of this pandemic sneaked up on him. As California schools closed and Gov. Gavin Newsom told people over age 65 to stay home, Gilbert said, he continued to live a “normal” life, going out for drinks March 14 at a packed bar in Venice, where he lives.

Then, days later, Newsom asked restaurants to close to dine-in guests.

Gilbert thought about his routine and started to worry about washing his clothes at the laundromat. “I didn’t want to go to the grocery store,” anticipating a long shut-in.

“I feel like in a time of crisis, the places I retreat to are my comfort zones,” Gilbert said.

So he grabbed his dirty clothes, his two dogs and headed to his parents’ place in Long Beach.

Gilbert works as a production manager for his family’s aerospace finishing company. The Friday before he returned home, the company had furloughed half its staff as business dropped off. Gilbert wondered whether his move home might be permanent.

After business started to pick up again, the company was able to bring employees back on and Gilbert surveyed the landscape.

Living at home hasn’t been so bad.

“I’m more of a grown-up now about everything,” he said. “Going home and realizing I have responsibilities at the house. Now that I’m their guest, I’m not treating it like my home. I’m trying to do my part,” running errands and buying groceries.

Gilbert has given up his place in Venice and plans on being a Long Beach resident for the foreseeable future. But he swears it won’t be forever.

As the novel coronavirus continues its assault, how should families deal with the return of adult children who considered themselves launched?

Julie Lythcott-Haims is a former college administrator with two college-aged children who have returned to their Palo Alto home. Her 81-year-old mother lives in a small house on the back of the property and her 20-year-old son just came out of a 14-day quarantine after returning from Portland, where he lives and works.

The author of “How to Raise an Adult,” Lythcott-Haims said there’s a fine balance that parents need to strike between communicating the seriousness of following rules and young people’s desire for the independence they had when they were living on their own.

“Everybody is accustomed to greater autonomy and freedom, and now we’re in an environment where everyone is supposed to be locked down,” she said. “We kind of want to be sure everybody is abiding by the rules, and yet we’re all adults here. So I think there’s a lot of walking on eggshells about serious issues.”

Lythcott-Haims says this all fundamentally comes down to trust—whether the person has returned home or not.

For young adults who are far away from family, it’s also a fraught time. When twentysomethings are separated in moments like this, she says, they become more like peers with their parents. Trust comes when parents and adult children are able to have honest conversations about the risks they are facing and the precautions they are taking.

“I think they’re both worried about each other and they’re both having compassion for each other and wanting to check up and check in,” Lythcott-Haims says. “But inherently, each is required to look after oneself, which I think develops agency and resilience in those young adults who did not return home.”

Lucy Putnam, 23, didn’t have to travel far to get home. Still, it was a decision that gave her pause as she wrestled with the implications of getting her parents or siblings sick.

Putnam’s roommates at her apartment near Beverly Grove had been on the go, not paying much attention to social distancing before it was mandated. “I had been interacting with my roommates,” she said, so she asked her parents, “Would you prefer (for) me to stay in my apartment? I’m young and it won’t affect me.'”

No, her mother said, please come home.

Putnam, who works in film and TV development and can work from home, is grateful to have the means and the ability to ride this out in her childhood bedroom in West L.A. There was, however, the challenge of having a boyfriend, who had been coming and going from the house, which worried her parents. He eventually returned to his family’s home on the East Coast.

Three weeks into the stay-at-home order in Los Angeles, Vidaurre’s circle of roommates continues to shrink and his anxiety growing.

It turned out the housemate who returned to Fresno had not been infected with the coronavirus. He had influenza.

There are still about 15 people living in the house in northeast L.A.

With that many people in close quarters, Vidaurre feels like he constantly needs to clean dishes in the communal kitchen. When someone else begins cleaning, he wonders if the cutlery he just left to dry has been contaminated.

“It just increases the paranoia so much,” he said. “If it were possible to transition to living alone and creating an environment that can be clean and safe, I would do that.”

Vidaurre plans to be out of the house by the end of the month.

He and one of his roommates, Oko Carter, 30, share a box of disposable masks.

As with Vidaurre, Carter returning to his family isn’t an option. Both his grandparents are over 70 and not in great health. And his dad is a truck driver transporting medical equipment in Florida.

Carter’s dog-walking and dog-sitting business has dried up, but he has lived in Los Angeles for a decade, and he says that if he’s going to ride this out somewhere, it’s going to be here.

For now, he shares a room with two other people—one of whom works at a local 7-Eleven. Some of his housemates have lost their jobs or are struggling in the gig economy.

“The bedroom normally holds five people, but only three are here right now,” Carter says, sounding almost relieved. “It’s just been this feeling for those who have remained —it’s been a little sad seeing people who had work just have nothing.”

Still, Carter remains optimistic. He notes what’s been written on the dry-erase board in the communal kitchen.

“Keep your head up.”

©2020 Los Angeles Times Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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