BOOSTED!!! . . .
GOT MY PFIZER BOOSTER ON FRIDAY - No side effects. (Yahoo!!!) But especially with the Omicron variant seeming to spread and with the holidays approaching when you are likely to be around more people you don't know (or don't know who they've been hanging out with) a little vaccine insurance is a good idea. I had a heck of a time scheduling an appointment for the booster but was able to find two places that did walk-ins. One was Campus Pharmacy at UCLA Medical Center in the 100 building. Looks like they're doing boosters M-F 9A-6P. You can call them to confirm at 310/208-2340. I ended up going to the Sherman Oaks Westfield Fashion Square and the Mend Urgent Care satellite office where they only do vaccinations (initial and booster) and they also accept walk-ins, M-F 10A-6P. They're on the backside of the mall (so a little hard to find), off the alley right across from the B parking structure and right next to Orange Theory Fitness. You can call Mend's main office at 818/646-2562 to confirm availability. Go get boosted!!! (Or vaxxed if you haven't already.) 'Tis the season to be protected.
VACCINE GRAMMAR - Over on FaceBook, Steve Vincent posed the burning question of, "Is it Boostered, Boosterized, Boostinated. What is the proper term?" I'm a fan of "Boosted" as in "I got boosted!" You're getting a boost to your level or protection through a shot which is technically the booster. But what you're getting is a boost. So I think the appropriate past tense to acclaim what you've achieved is "Boosted." (I'm glad I could invoke my Grammar Police status for you on this pressing issue of the day.)
DR. BILL UPDATE - As many of you know from his FaceBook posts about it, Dr. Bill has been fighting some serious medical problems and recently came to the mainland and was in a skilled nursing facility. A little while ago, he was transferred to a hospital for a higher level of care. I've talked to him a couple of times, including this Sunday (I interrupted his viewing of football) and he seems in fairly good spirits and even laughed at a couple of my jokes. But his road to recovery is likely longer than he'd like and it may be a while until we see him in his golf cart at the Underwater Park. I hope to go visit him sometime soon and will keep you updated (without violating his medical privacy) as best I can.
GOOD NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA - Scientists were encouraged about the resiliency of the Great Barrier Reef recently when there was a large-scale mass-spawning event. Although these normally occur yearly, the last few years have not been too productive. So many this is a sign that things are turning around. You can see a short video of the event here:
GREAT BARRIER REEF MASS SPAWN.
INTERESTING GREAT WHITE SHARK STUDY - A couple of researchers have been tracking the Great Whites at Guadalupe Island and knew that many of them journey as far as Hawaii and then came back. But they've now also discovered a "mystery" group of Great Whites that seem to have settled in off of Point Conception. It hopefully all points to improving health for the GWS population, some of which can be attributed to the protection California has given to the creatures. Read more about it here:
GREAT WHITES.
SPEAKING OF APEX PREDATORS - Lots of excitement with repeated sightings of four Orcas off of Orange County last week. Orca experts has positively ID'd the group as a known pod of off-shore Orcas who tend to roam (and opposed to a resident pod which stays in one location). The Orcas gave some whale-watching boats thrills of a lifetime and Dana Wharf has posted some video here:
ORCAS OFF OF ORANGE COUNTY.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
