Monday, Monday… So Good To Me

Yes, in a bit of a 60s Groove at the moment after a day tripping down musical memory lane and that one, as always, just stuck in our head. It’s also lyrically appropriate because the classic Mamas and Papas tune sums up our sentiments toward the day and approaching week of – whatever is to come this week.

We have determined we are not alone in this new In-Place Insomnia of ours, finding ourselves up during Frank’s Wee Small Hours but not alone as so many of you write or call – also apparently unable to find the blissful blackout of deep REM sleep.

In keeping with our 60s musical theme we can say there are a lot of Night Moves in play out in the 24/680 lately, despite the near constant admonitions to mask up, stay in, and stay cool. It seems there are a lot of folks out and about – on the highways, skulking through parking lots and office parks, many nearing the end of their psychological tethers.

So we get calls of folks running on Highway 24 in Orinda, in and out of stores with arm-fulls of clothing and other goods in Walnut Creek, and some house-breaking going on in Danville. We’re also trying to get confirmation on a number of other stories we hope aren’t true, but may be.

We know a lot of you are hurting out there, and that people are trying to wrap their heads around some pretty mind-warping incidents in Portland, Oregon, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. We, too, are trying to figure out how an assassin can describe himself as a “Manhattan lawyer” and “antifeminist” in the same breath as well as whether the “slow-motion coup” political commentators have warned us of is actually a thing and who – precisely – is behind it.

While we’re working all that out, there are local mundanities to deal with – the spread of COVID-19, apparent issues with race, growth, coyotes, the masked vs. the unmasked, school openings… haircuts.

On the last issue we can offer some insight: buy a pair of cordless clippers and keep it simple, No. 2 guides for the “sides” and No. 3 for the top. No coffee beforehand to prevent “the shakes” and a cut that makes your head look like a patchwork quilt.

In the meantime, we can watch the machinations of local government turn as the wheels of progress continue to grind and we are left to contemplate if that is good or bad.

We can’t help but notice that some local projects are being approved with stoic resignation – the surrender type, not the giving up one’s job type – as the planning and approval process rolls on in the face of lawsuits from developers and new state regulations regarding construction of low-cost housing.

Before the Moraga Planning Commission tonight – remotely – is a public hearing on the Moraga Center Specific Plan. Some Moragans may remember the plan, which calls for a sweeping overhaul of the downtown area with bike/walker-friendly trails, room for new businesses and infill housing.

We’ll confess we uttered an “Uh oh” when we first saw the plan come before the town way back in the day, described thusly:

“Lush landscaping, decorative paving, and a gentle curve in the road combine to form a captivating new “Main Street” in the center of Moraga. Welcoming benches, sturdy bicycle racks and attractive window displays draw residents into the commercial core to linger, shop and socialize.

“Vintage street lamps extend the day as residents embark on an evening stroll or assemble for dinner at a new creekside café. Fresh coffee, warm cookies and icy cold gelato satisfy the cravings of a community enjoying itself. The pace is relaxed.

“The quality is high and it is all within walking distance, in the heart of Moraga.”

We know. Yes. We’re cynics. But we thought the “warm cookies” thing was a little over the top…

Tonight, the commission reviews the plan, and its design guidelines, in the first major discussion of the plan’s findings since they were first set to paper in 2010 – and doesn’t that sound like a long, long time ago?

Anyway, we’ve got a lot of time to get things rolling. It’s only Monday Monday, after all.