Life In The Time of Covid


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North America » United States » Hawaii » Oahu » Honolulu
July 21st 2021
Published: August 8th 2021
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Leisure and Exercise in the Time of CovidLeisure and Exercise in the Time of CovidLeisure and Exercise in the Time of Covid

Jeff and I started consuming our takeout meals in local parks. We discovered quite a few new parks this way. Nowadays, we are frequently on the lookout for picnic tables as we drive around. In this photo, which was taken in Kahala, I am eating a mushroom pizza from Angelo Pietro, while Jeff holds up a slice of cheesecake from Otto Cake.
I started writing this as an intro paragraph on my upcoming New York blog, but I soon realized this deserved its own blog entry. I've organized this blog thematically and it is not in chronological order. Please read the descriptive text on the photos for additional information.

Work in the Time of Covid



In early 2020, we all watched with growing concern as news spread about the emergence of a new virus. In early March 2020, my employer decided to transition all non-frontline workers to work from home (WFH). Apart from a mad scramble to obtain VPN licenses, the transition was surprisingly smooth. My company primarily uses Go To Meeting for our online meetings. Thankfully, it isn't in our culture to turn on our cameras.

When Covid hit, I was starting to expand my team. I had authority to hire a team of Technical Writers and Software Testers on temp contracts. I hired my first contractor in February, and I have hired another five since WFH began. I've only worked with the first contractor in the office, and I have never met the remaining five in person. It has been unexpectedly easy to manage a remote team, but maybe
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I have an enclosed office so I'm generally comfortable going in to work. Masks are mandatory in common areas. It does help that I have a great view too!
that is because I'm not a micromanager by nature. I communicate the tasks I want my team to do, the standard/format I expect for the deliverables, and a deadline. From there, I tell them to manage their own time and to call me if they need my input or intervention.

It hasn't been easy trying to define, develop, and test a complex software package with us in Hawaii and Guam and our vendors scattered across the contiguous United States, but we've coped remarkably well given the circumstances. Thank goodness for Sharepoint, JIRA, Go To Meeting, Microsoft Teams, and the Cloud. I shudder to think how we would have managed a decade ago.

As a special education teacher, my husband Jeff had a slightly more challenging time managing remote learning. Some of his students thrived, some completely fell off the wagon. When the new school year began in July 2020, the Department of Education required special education to be conducted in person, so Jeff reluctantly returned to the classroom.

While WFH was novel in the beginning, it quickly wore off because I didn't feel I had enough physical and psychological space between work and home. Several weeks after
Felines in the Time of CovidFelines in the Time of CovidFelines in the Time of Covid

Meet the ironically named Liʻi (tiny in Hawaiian), a.k.a. Meow Meow Boy. The likely runt of his litter, he was found abandoned in a parking lot in August 2013. We didn't expect him to grow up to be such a big boy. When I am working from home, he will circle around me and meow until I pick up him and put him on my lap. Most of the time, he will jump right off. When he does stay on my lap, I eventually have to push him off because he's heavy and he cuts off blood circulation to my legs. I keep a supply of catnip at my desk. To distract him, I place some catnip in a nearby box and he'll stay stoned inside the box for a while. We think he's a Republican because when he was a kitten his first poop was on a magazine with Hilary Clinton on the cover.
I received the second of my Pfizer shots in April 2021, I started going to the office two or three days each week for a change of environment. I felt comfortable going to the office because I have an enclosed office (with a great view to boot!). When the summer temperatures hit, I started going in most days to enjoy the air conditioning.

Felines in the Time of Covid




Without a doubt, the big winners of Covid were our five cats. They were ecstatic that we spent so much time at home and we didn't travel. Radar, our biggest boy, became much more of a cuddle bug. Liʻi, our other big boy, spent a lot of time in my home office. He would circle around my desk, meow incessantly until I put him on my lap, and, 90 percent of the time, he would immediately jump off. His meows became a mainstay on my work calls. I had to keep him stoned on catnip to keep him from disrupting my work. The three girls were also pleased that they had us home so much.

Leisure and Exercise in the Time of Covid




Gyms? Closed.

Cinemas?
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A tourist-free Hanauma Bay, as seen from the Koko Head Trail. This short trail is near our home and it is a favorite of ours whenever we only have a short window of time to get a hike in.
Closed.

Museums? Closed.

Parks? Closed.

Restaurants? Takeout only.

Even the beaches and hiking trails were closed for a period of time. We therefore had to adapt our leisure and exercise routines. For meals out, we started buying takeout and we sought out local parks to consume our meals. We discovered a number of new parks doing so. We also tried to patronize local establishments. We mostly paid in cash and we tipped generously.

One silver lining of Covid was the lack of tourists. We normally avoid Waikīkī like the plague. With tourism down, we ventured there a couple of times to eat and enjoy the empty streets. Other popular spots such as Shark’s Cove were also devoid of tourists. We had a couple of fun snorkeling excursions out there. Sadly, these and other spots are now once again filled with tourists.

For exercise, we focused on hiking trails that weren't heavily trafficked, primarily on the North Shore of Oʻahu. We explored a few new trails and reacquainted ourselves with some trails that we hadn’t been to in years.

As for everyday exercise, Jeff and I started walking to the end of our street
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Jeff on Hauʻula Loop Trail. This trail goes up a ridge and then back down. It is about an hour's drive from our home.
every evening. Pre-Covid, I was already doing this 1.5 mile roundtrip walk by myself regularly. Jeff started joining me when WFH began. We live on a quiet street at the back of a valley. Many other people who live along our street also took to walking, and we got to meet quite a few of them and their pets.

The walk up our street leads first to Mu Ryang Sa Broken Ridge Temple, which is the largest Korean temple outside Korea. Further up the street, we would do a mini obstacle course with some tires on the ground. Our next task after is to look out for Peeper, a hen that looks like a bald eagle. If we see her, we would stand at attention for a brief moment. Incidentally, we weren’t the only ones to notice her markings and treat her like our national icon. At the end of the street is Honolulu Diamond Sangha, a zen meditation center. Which leads me to our next topic: ungulates!

Finally, on our way back home, we would stop at a tree where feral chickens roost, and we would count them. The record was 11 in one tree. We are convinced the chickens are planning world domination.
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Handsome Boy (R.I.P.) in his Christmas finery.








Ungulates in the Time of Covid



One of the more unique sights on my street is a herd of goats. When Covid hit, there were three. Handsome Boy was the patriarch, and there was also Salt and Pepper, a pair of sisters. Their owner would often bring them to the Zen Center to graze. When we started doing my evening walks daily, we would stop and pet them. Also at the Zen Center is ʻIliahi, their friendly resident cat.

Handsome Boy was quite a character. He learned how to communicate his wants to me. For example, whenever I found him under the ʻulu (breadfruit) tree at the Zen Center, he would look up at the ulu leaves, then he would look at me and lick his lips. That was my cue to pluck some leaves for him. See the video below.



Handsome Boy was neutered, but Salt and Pepper weren’t. I learned that goats did not produce milk unless they have had babies. So, one day in the summer of 2020, their owner brought Chewie, an unneutered male, as their temporary boyfriend. I learned that unneutered male goats have a strong smell. I could not
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The sole female of the two litters, Rascal quickly established herself as my favorite among the babies. She loves sitting on our laps. Unfortunately, this isn't comfortable for us because she is quite the chonky nugget.
get myself to pet Chewie, cute as he was, because his smell would linger on me. Anyway, to get them in the mood, Jeff would play songs to them. his playlist included Missy Eliot’s Get Your Freak On, Lil Louis’ French Kiss, Lady Marmalade’s Voulez Vou Coucher Avec Mois. You get the picture. Chewie seemed to get visibly excited by these songs. Or maybe he just liked Jeff. Haha.

The results of this bizarre love triangle sprung forth in the fall. Between them, Salt and Pepper produced five offspring. They quickly became the focal point of the neighborhood, and in the evenings it wasn’t unusual to have a half dozen or more people hanging out on the Zen Center’s lawn cooing over the little ones. Because of the babies, people who would ordinarily just nod to one another started talking and learning more about one another. When Christmas came along, one of the neighbors bought Christmas outfits and dressed them up in them.

Here is a hilarious video of the five. Watch it with the volume turned up.



Out of the five babies, the sole female - who was eventually named Rascal - immediately established
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R.I.P. Handsome Boy and Salt. I miss them so much. We plan to attend their memorial later today.
herself as my favorite. The first time she saw me, she fearlessly walked up to me and started eating my shoelaces. The runt of the litter was my other favorite. I was ecstatic when the family chose to keep Rascal. Of the four boys, two - including Runty - were adopted by a family nearby, and the other two went elsewhere. Rascal has grown into a healthy young goat, and she enjoys sitting on my lap.

Sadly, tragedy struck a couple of weeks ago. The owner had to make an emergency trip to take care of her mother. She left Handsome Boy and Salt in the care of one friend, and Pepper and Rascal in the care of another friend. A feral dog broke into the compound where Handsome Boy and Salt were staying, and they were both killed by the dog. We have all been mourning them ever since. We will attend a memorial for them this weekend.


Sports in the Time of Covid Part I: Jeff




Some of you may be aware that Jeff is a springboard and platform diving coach and judge. When the pool he trains/coaches at closed, he had to find
Sports in the Time of CovidSports in the Time of CovidSports in the Time of Covid

This is the rock at Waimea Bay where Jeff trained before his injury. Check out his Instagram (jeffstabile) where he showcases his diving skills. Photo credit: Jeff S.
new places to train. His favorite is a rock at Waimea Bay. Diving off that rock is fine in the summer when the water was flat, but it progressively gets more hazardous as winter approaches and the waves get bigger. Jeff started going out there more frequently in October and November as his window of opportunity to practice started shrinking.

Just after Thanksgiving, Jeff got injured badly when a tourist who wasn’t paying attention to the waves got swept up by one and crashed into Jeff. Jeff’s knee gave way, and his meniscus, ACL and MCL was all damaged. I won’t go into an extended rant about the American healthcare system on this forum, other than to say that his treatment left a lot to be desired. When the accident happened, he called the Emergency Room, only to be told that they could not see him that day. We had to wait a day before he was seen. Despite tests and imaging being ordered, it was almost a month before the specialist saw him. Even then, he refused to operate immediately. Instead, Jeff was sent for six weeks of pre-habilitation. The operation finally took place almost three months after
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Neighborhood pooch Miyana posing in front of a congratulatory sign put up to welcome Carissa Moore home. Photo Credit: Trena
the accident.

The past eight months have been challenging, to say the least, but Jeff is mending nicely and there is an end in sight.

Sports in the Time of Covid Part II: Carissa



Carissa Moore, the Olympic surfing gold medalist, lives up the street from me. On the day she returned home, our neighborhood put up signs congratulating her. I’ve uploaded a number of photos. I do live in a friendly neighborhood!


Travel in the Time of Covid



Like so many other people everywhere, I eagerly anticipated the arrival of the Covid vaccine. I have never wanted to get jabbed this badly! After receiving my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine in April, I eagerly awaited the point at which the United States would attain herd immunity and life could get back to some semblance of normalcy. We all know what happened next. Despite a roaring start, a combination of factors - vaccine hesitancy, politicization of science and masking, conspiracy theories, deliberate misinformation, etc. - meant that vaccination uptake slowed to a crawl. I felt so frustrated and defeated when I came to the realization that the US would not reach herd immunity in the
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The light at the end of the tunnel? I was filled with newfound optimism when the vaccines were rolled out, naively thinking that we could get back to normal. Fortunately, the vaccination rate in Hawaiʻi is among the highest in the country. But, overall, the United States had a chance to get ahead of the curve and we blew it. It is difficult to not be angry at the current situation with the Delta variant surging due to high numbers of unvaccinated people, and people in positions of influence actively bringing the Culture War into what should purely be a public health issue. The lack of civic responsibility and critical thinking is staggering.
foreseeable future.

Meanwhile at work, my plan to take close to a month off in October-November was upended when my project's go live date was rescheduled. Suddenly, I found myself with a balance of vacation days that I had to clear before the end of the year, and no plan to clear them. Last year, I carried over the maximum number of vacation days I could into 2021, and I reluctantly spent the balance of my vacation days on Oʻahu. The thought of doing the same again this year filled me with dread. The island fever was real. I desperately needed to get off this island.

After considering all the factors listed above, I came to the conclusion that, since we're not going to reach herd immunity, I should figure out how I am going to live with Covid, and decide what my risk tolerance would be. Which leads me to my decision to resume travel. I decided that it would be good for my mental health to start traveling again, but I would, of course, take the appropriate precautions. I resolved to only travel to places with high vaccination rates. Domestically, this pretty much ruled out most
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Seen on the New York Subway. I really cannot believe how many people seem to think that you can catch Covid by breathing through the mouth but not through the nose.
of the Red States (i.e., the states that voted for Trump). A quick scan of car rental rates ($250 per day on average!!!) further led me to rule out any place where I needed to drive. So, that left me with cities in Blue States with good public transport. Given that American cities are designed around the automobile, my list of options was depressingly short - New York, Washington DC, Boston, maybe San Francisco or Chicago. We settled on New York.

So, coming soon: My New York travel blog.

So, what is next on my horizon after NY? My original plan was to go to Singapore for a couple of weddings in October and November, and take a side trip in between. My original candidates for the side trip were Cambodia, Sri Lanka, or Nepal. But, this trip is in limbo because Singapore currently isn’t admitting vaccinated travelers without requiring quarantine, and Covid is surging in the countries I am eyeing for my side trip. In any case, I’m not sure I can take this much time off work with my project timeline extended. I'm monitoring the situation in Singapore closely. If I cannot make that trip, I
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In case you didn't already know which way I lean politically. This is me standing in front of the Trump Organization's Building in New York giving the thumbs down sign.
may utilize the vacation time I have to clear to go a place that has a high vaccination rate and is exempting vaccinated travelers from quarantine. The list is short: Canada, and parts of Western Europe. I cannot bear the thought of spending in excess of 20 vacation days at home, and so I’m monitoring the situation closely.


Additional photos below
Photos: 48, Displayed: 31


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Felines in the Time of CovidFelines in the Time of Covid
Felines in the Time of Covid

Meet Alex, the matriarch of our clowder, modeling a bandana. She was very cross with me for dressing her up. She and her brother Sal were rescued on a rainy day a few feet away from traffic. Sadly, Sal died from lymphoma at only 8.5 years old.
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Felines in the Time of Covid

Meet Radar, a.k.a. Kaiju Boy. He was brought in as a playmate for Liʻi, four months after Sal's death. At that time, nobody could convince me that reincarnation was real. When we got him, we thought he looked like Sal, and he did behave like Sal in some ways. More unexpectedly, he bonded with Alex, and they spend a lot of time cuddling. He has become a major cuddle bug since we started WFH. We nicknamed him Kaiju because he is huge and he destroys everything in his path. Even a sweep of his tail will send stuff flying off tabletops.
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Leisure and Exercise in the Time of Covid

Meet ʻIliahi (sandalwood in Hawaiian), the resident cat at the Zen Center at the end of our street. She is one of the friendliest cats I know.
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Felines in the Time of Covid

Meet O.G., one of our two foster failures. She was snatched by a misguided sixth grader at Jeff's former school in 2017. She and Pikachu spent many weeks at Petco's adoption center, but she never got adopted. The volunteers at Petco told us she shut down whenever we brought her to the adoption events. We think she self-sabotaged her adoption because she wanted to stay with us. She likes to nuzzle Jeff's neck and hair.
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Felines in the Time of Covid

Meet Pikachu, our other foster failure. She was adopted briefly at Petco but she was returned when the adoptive family gained custody of a child who was highly allergic to her. She's an exceedingly sweet creature with lots of quirks such as burrowing under sheets and climbing doors.
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Leisure and Exercise in the Time of Covid

Mu Ryang Sa Broken Ridge Temple is first stop on our evening walks. It is the largest Korean temple outside Korea. I like to sit on the grounds and enjoy the peace and calm. Sometimes the monks will chat with me too.
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Leisure and Exercise in the Time of Covid

Meet Peeper, a.k.a. Bald Eagle Chicken. We think she resembles our national icon, and so we stop and pay our respects whenever we see her.
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Leisure and Exercise in the Time of Covid

Our last stop on our evening walks is to count the feral chickens roosting in this tree. We are convinced they are planning world domination.


8th August 2021

Yes, travel!!
Singapore is a good choice as they are rapidly coming to the conclusion that Covid is just like other endemic respiratory diseased, like the flu and common cold. They should life the quarantine requirement shortly once they have reached their vaccination goal. I wish all governments would follow the science like they do. But going from one island to another may not solve your island fever problem. I hope more countries in Southeast Asia also open up. Singapore is a hub for discount airlines.
9th August 2021

Following the Science
It does look as if Singapore is taking baby steps towards figuring out how to live with Covid from a science-based, risk management focused perspective. I wish that our own so-called leaders would listen to the science. Instead, so many of them are wading right in to the culture wars and pandering to their base - it’s a strategy for winning office in 2022 or 2024, and not much else. History will judge them harshly. As for inter island travel, the insane rental car prices don’t make it a viable option, sadly. I really do want to visit the new land formed by the recent lava flow on the Big Island.
23rd August 2021
Leisure and Exercise in the Time of Covid

Scenic Views
It is strange going places with few tourist. It is good also.
23rd August 2021
Leisure and Exercise in the Time of Covid

Lack of Tourists
I hope Hanauma Bay managed to recover when the tourists stopped coming. I often rolled my eyes whenever tourists waxed lyrical about Hanauma Bay, as I don’t consider it a healthy reef. The state is now charging non-residents $25 per person to access this site. Hopefully it’ll be more sustainable from now on.
3rd October 2021

Hawaii
Wow, this was really an interesting read for me, thank you very much for writing and publishing, Siewch. It was interesting to read that life in the time of Covid seemed pretty similar to you in Hawaii as it was to me in London. The daily routines, walks, getting to know the local parks, local people and neighbours, appreciating take-away food, enjoying tourist sites free of tourists, and appreciating the smaller things in life. I can say I had a similar experience here in London. I'm sorry to hear about Jeff's injury and hope he is recuperating well there. And good to read you are also making baby steps into the travelling life again. I feel I am beginning to do the same myself too. All the best to you Siewch ?
6th October 2021

Variations of the same experiences
Hi Alex. Thanks for your observation that you’ve pretty much had the same experiences and routines during this pandemic. I think we’ve all had variations of the same experience as we individually figure out how to navigate this weird time. I’ve been following your travels through Scotland - well done on making it work!

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