Staying Safe and Sane

If quarantine doesn’t already suck, it’s the longing for something to look forward to that has been taking a toll on me recently. Much like when working, you always look forward to the weekend to relax and take care of whatever errands that need doing. But when every day is your weekend? You need a break from the monotony to keep sane.

Amanda and I recently drove down to Coronado for the weekend to have a mini-vacation while checking in with my family and seeing my niece Violet for the first time. We wanted to go earlier in June, if not late May, but we were incredibly worried about people getting tested. Amanda’s immune system is already compromised, and if one of us were to catch COVID-19, it would be deadly. Just reading some of the horror stories of what the survivors have to deal with is terrifying. Thankfully we got tested and my parents got tested before we went down. Growing up in Coronado, I can attest to how busy it gets during the summer. Locals are bombarded by tourists from all over the country, but primarily from the surrounding states (Arizona, Nevada, Texas, etc). This summer unfortunately was no different, with hundreds of people walking around without masks and acting like a pandemic wasn’t currently underway. I wrote a letter to the editor about it, which I’ll republish below since they might not run it because I quoted another newspaper:

"My wife and I visited Coronado to see my parents the weekend before the 4th of July, and we were appalled by the amount of people, both residents and tourists, waltzing around the island without masks as if COVID-19 isn’t currently responsible for over 120,000 deaths. My wife and I took great precautions before we came, getting tested and convincing my parents to get tested as well. Throughout our entire visit we washed our hands multiple times a day and wore masks whenever going outside, including walking the dog and riding bikes. Uncomfortable? Yes. Necessary during a pandemic? Absolutely, no question.

The most disturbing part of our visit was when we biked along the beach, and it was completely packed with beach goers. I know the beaches are the crown jewel of the Crown City, but with alarming spikes of COVID-19 throughout Arizona, where do you think all those Arizona tourists are going to go? That’s right, straight to Coronado and then downtown to grab a bite to eat.

Just today (July 1st) Coronado Times News reported 46 cases of COVID-19 in Coronado (population 21,390) since March, and those are just the cases we know about. With summer already here, more tourists are already on their way to the island to relax, enjoy, and potentially spread the virus even more. It’s inevitable more people will contract it if they continue to refuse wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings.

It’s not a political issue, it’s an IQ test. If we don’t make an effort to contain and continue to quarantine, we’ll never be able to properly re-open as a country. It’s not fear mongering, it’s the truth. Wear a mask like your lives depend on it."

It was nice finally meeting my niece Violet, and sure enough she loved all my funny faces and voices. She’ll be a riot to entertain when she gets older, I can’t wait. Also, there’s something incredibly calming when holding a sleeping baby in your arms. I was trapped on the couch holding her for 30-minutes, and yet, it was so peaceful. I’m not suggesting Amanda and I are gung-ho to start a family anytime soon, but I do get the allure of caring for something so small and pure. But man, it feels like babies never stop pooping sometimes!

Prior to visiting Coronado, Amanda and I drove around Los Angeles one Friday to hunt for Invader pieces. As many of you know, I’m obsessed with him and love capturing new ones on the FlashInvaders App. I did my homework and managed to track down 11 known pieces around Los Angeles, and only 6 of them were active. I’m always frustrated when discovering ones that have been destroyed, but thankfully stumbled across a website recently that documents all destroyed and reactivated pieces. I’m definitely compiling an updated list for another future hunt! It’s nice to get out of the apartment, especially if it means driving around in a car all afternoon searching for Invader pieces to capture!

Progress has been made on the first issue of Clusterfux Comix #1. So far I have 8 contributors, and I managed to scan-in all my art when I visited my parents (they have a nice scanner, I have no scanner). I’m still accepting submissions, and might not even make an announcement on social media for more. People just seem to find me and reach out so far, which is both flattering and convenient. I’ll need to tally page counts for the current contributors before deciding whether I need more content/pages. It’s been exciting revisiting Adobe InDesign, and playing around creating my own zipatone in Photoshop. This first issue will definitely be a little cornucopia of crazy, and maybe if I make a second issue it will be horror themed. I also decided not to include my Fugu, Psychic Snail, and DJ Rodney characters in this series, but rather save their exploits for the eventual Fugu Comix #1. Being published TBD. Baby steps.

That appears to do it for this update. I’ve been reading Dune for the first time, and I’m really enjoying it so far. It reminds me of the same feeling I got when I started reading A Game of Thrones, where it’s a rich world with a vast history of different players, and I just gotta absorb everything and trust that it all comes together. From what I’ve been told by several friends, it definitely delivers. Now to finish it before the movie comes out next year!

Enjoy your promised Dinah content.