Safe Puerto?

I guess it was a weird call for one of us.

“I’ve got to tell you something. Don’t be angry. I’m going to Puerto Vallarta with Guy.”

To be more specific, it was a video call so Joel could see I was already shaking my head. “Why would I be angry? I’m glad you’re doing something, obviously be careful.” Joel lost his partner Brian over a year ago. He promptly retired, ditched the house and moved into a nice cozy apartment; not far from his previous digs in North Vegas. His life during the pandemic has revolved around the gym and the groceries. A friend of his in Palm Springs talked him into going to PV over the Thanksgiving holiday. He knows where I stand on the “to be or not to be” of travel at the moment and I guess, he thought that I’d have an adverse reaction. Am I that overprotective of my friends? I have the one gay parent left and his age puts him in the high risk group.

As I watch a whole bunch of SF/ Bay Area folks I know, head off to the very same Puerto Vallarta via Facebook and Instagram posts, I hope that Joel is able to keep some physical distance from crowds. I can’t help but think that this, traveling during the holiday would be a bit of a negative for me to go anywhere. But I absolutely realize that we’re also in different situations. I miss traveling as much as the next person who enjoys it. I long for it. I have great company in the form of a husband and a dog. I’m also still working steadily. So yeah currently, I’ve got more orbiting my local universe. I would find it weird to criticize someone over going away. Everyone’s situation is different. Now If you’re a Maskhole then all bets are off.

On Wednesday, I noticed one of the Mission district testing centers had a line going around the block. Presumably, Thanksgiving travelers getting their COVID tests. In that regard, Joel sent me a text message from SoCal saying: “tested negative”. My response was “Yay!” But I know there was a little voice in my brain that whispered: come back that way.

The company and the travel does beat sitting at home and watching the boob tube. Unless, you’re fortunate to catch a play streaming. Time can stop for a good play.