Tucson Weekly, October 8, 2020

CURRENTS: Meet Your County Recorder Candidates

OCT. 8 - 14, 2020 • TUCSONWEEKLY.COM • FREE

New Nipples, New Outlook

Local Artists provide 3D tattoos for breast cancer survivors

By Emily Dieckman

Plus: Battling Cancer in a Pandemic TUCSON SALVAGE: A Cigar Man

CHOW: Downtown Reopens

CANNABIS 520: Rick Steves Says Yes To Weed Prop

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OCT. 8, 2020

OCT. 8, 2020

OCT. 8, 2020 | VOL. 35, NO. 41

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CONTENTS CURRENTS

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The University of Arizona sees a decrease in COVID cases

TUCSON SALVAGE

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Cigar faces, a “miracle” crucifix, love and lymphoma

CITY WEEK

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EDITOR’S NOTE

The Cancer Battle

FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, Tucson Weekly and our fellow Tucson Local Media publications have put a special focus on the battle against breast cancer in October.

It’s the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in Arizona, with Brittney Conklin of the American Cancer Society estimating that more than 5,600 people will be diagnosed with the disease and that roughly 900 people will die. Almost everyone knows someone who has been touched by it. (My mom was a breast cancer survivor who was fortunate to have a good three decades of life following her successful treatment.)

In our special section this week, calendar editor Emily Dieckman looks at how some women are choosing to have faux nipples tattooed on their reconstructed breasts after surgery, while staff reporter Nicole Ludden explores how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected cancer treatments and screenings.

In other news: Early voting for the 2020 election begins this week, with a record number of Pima County’s roughly 614,000 voters requesting ballots by mail. The Pima County Recorder’s Office said last week it was set to send 472,717 ballots to voters, including 447,774 voters who are on the county’s Per-

Socially distanced events around town

manent Early Voting List (PEVL) and nearly 25,000 voters who have requested a ballot in this election but have not joined the PEVL. The Recorder’s Office has also sent 3,666 ballots to overseas voters, including members of the military. More than 1,000 of those ballots had been returned as of last week.

To request an early ballot, call the Recorder’s Office at 520-724-4330 or visit recorder. pima.gov/ballotbymailrequst. The deadline to request an early ballot is Friday, Oct. 23.

And while the deadline to register to vote was originally set for earlier this week, a federal judge has extended the deadline to Oct. 23. That decision could still be overturned, so if you’re not registered yet, you’d better do it soon.

With early voting starting this week, we also bring you profiles of the two candidates for the Pima County Recorder’s Office.

And there’s lots more in this issue, including updates about the coronavirus, a calendar of pandemic-safe things to do, a look at the downtown reopening and much more. Read all about it!

— Jim Nintzel Executive Editor Hear Nintz talk about the latest news at 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays on The Frank Show on KLPX, 96.1 FM.

RANDOM SHOTS By Rand Carlson

Jaime Hood, General Manager, Ext. 12 jaime@tucsonlocalmedia.com Casey Anderson, Ad Director/ Associate Publisher, Ext. 22 casey@tucsonlocalmedia.com Claudine Sowards, Accounting, Ext. 13 claudine@tucsonlocalmedia.com Sheryl Kocher, Receptionist, Ext. 10 sheryl@tucsonlocalmedia.com EDITORIAL Jim Nintzel, Executive Editor, Ext. 38 jimn@tucsonlocalmedia.com Austin Counts, Managing Editor, Ext. 36 austin@tucsonlocalmedia.com Jeff Gardner, Associate Editor, Ext. 43 jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com Mike Truelsen, Web Editor, Ext. 35 mike@tucsonlocalmedia.com Nicole Ludden, Staff Reporter, Ext. 42 nicolel@tucsonlocalmedia.com Contributors: Lee Allen, Rob Brezsny, Max Cannon, Rand Carlson, Tom Danehy, Emily Dieckman, Bob Grimm, Andy Mosier, Xavier Omar Otero, Linda Ray, Margaret Regan, David Safier, Will Shortz, Jen Sorensen, Eric Swedlund, Mark Whittaker PRODUCTION David Abbott, Production Manager, Ext. 18 david@tucsonlocalmedia.com Ryan Dyson, Graphic Designer, Ext. 26 ryand@tucsonlocalmedia.com CIRCULATION Alex Carrasco, Circulation, Ext. 17, alexc@tucsonlocalmedia.com ADVERTISING Kristin Chester, Account Executive, Ext. 25 kristin@tucsonlocalmedia.com Candace Murray, Account Executive, Ext. 24 candace@tucsonlocalmedia.com Lisa Hopper, Account Executive Ext. 39 lisa@tucsonlocalmedia.com Tyler Vondrak, Account Executive, Ext. 27 tyler@tucsonlocalmedia.com NATIONAL ADVERTISING VMG Advertising, (888) 278-9866 or (212) 475-2529 Tucson Weekly® is published every Thursday by 13 Street Media at 7225 N. Mona Lisa Rd., Ste. 125, Tucson, Arizona. Address all editorial, business and production correspondence to: Tucson Weekly, 7225 N. Mona Lisa Rd., Ste. 125, Tucson, Arizona 85741. Phone: (520) 797-4384, FAX (520) 575-8891. First Class subscriptions, mailed in an envelope, cost $112 yearly/53 issues. Sorry, no refunds on subscriptions.

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Pragmatic harm reduction with travel guru Rick Steves

Cover design by Ryan Dyson

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the registration period at the beginning of the school year.

Phase 2 was originally set to begin on Aug. 31, but the high numbers of positive coronavirus cases delayed the step toward having more in-person classes on UA sees decrease in COVID cases campus. Since Aug. 24, about 6,200 UA students have attended essential in-person courses.

By Nicole Ludden Robbins said the university has no renicolel@tucsonlocalmedia.com corded cases of COVID-19 transmission within a classroom or laboratory setting, THIS WEEK, THE UNIVERSITY but they will only move into phase two if of Arizona will remain in phase one public health metrics continue a positive of their staged plan for reopening but trend. anticipates moving into phase two of “This strategic reintroduction of more the plan next week, UA President Robert students to a university campus is a part C. Robbins said in a news conference of layered mitigation,” Pima County Monday, Oct. 5.

Health Department Director Dr. Theresa Phase one allows students to attend Cullen said at the press conference. “If essential in-person classes only, but the the numbers go up, we will not support university plans to add in-person instruc- more introduction of students on camtion for classes of 30 or fewer students pus. Our hope is in this next 7-10 days, we the week of Oct. 12. will see those numbers stabilize.”

According to Robbins, about 2,500 Over the 10-day window from Sept. additional students will have the option 23-Oct. 2, the university reported 181 to attend in-person classes, and the new positive coronavirus tests for a positivity opportunity only applies to those who rate of 2.3 percent. This is an improvesigned up for in-person classes during ment from the previous 10-day period,

CURRENTS

OBJECT LESSONS

JEN SORENSEN

which saw a COVID-19 positivity rate of 7.9 percent.

As of Friday evening, the university had 68 dorm students in isolation housing and 450 beds available.

Robbins partly credits the decrease in cases to the university’s voluntary 14-day self-quarantine program in which students were asked to stay home and avoid unnecessary trips, which ended Sept. 29.

However, he warns the quarantine period may be restored if the number of coronavirus cases rises.

“If noncompliance remains a significant issue or if we see an increase in cases, it may need to be reinstated and we’re not going to be able to progress to this stage two that we’re thinking about doing next week,” Robbins said.

Over the past week, the university’s CART team, which looks for incidents of noncompliance to COVID-19 precautions, responded to 14 incidents, including a party with over 100 attendees. This team issued three university-related red tags, five citations and five code-of-conduct referrals.

Robbins said he was also aware of a party with 50 people at an apartment on

Park Avenue.

“This just is irresponsible and reckless, and we’ve got to stop this,” Robbins said.

“This is where the spread of this virus is occurring.”

Although the number of citations issued is down from last week, Robbins said “we’re still not where we need to be.”

“It’s important to note that everything we do has an impact far beyond the individual. We are in this as a collective,” Cullen said.

On Sept. 25, the university began randomly testing dorm students. Beginning Oct. 5, randomly selected employees will undergo coronavirus testing and starting Oct. 12, the university will randomly test off-campus students.

According to Robbins, the university has the capacity to administer 10,000 COVID-19 tests a week, and the ultimate goal is to “test everybody every day.”

“We can’t be complacent. The numbers are still far too high, we still have too much disease in the community,” Reentry Task Force Director Dr. Richard Carmona said. “We’re heading in the right direction, now we have to work even harder to make sure we stay there.” ■

OCT. 8, 2020

MATTER OF RECORD County recorder candidates clash on voter outreach strategies

By Nicole Ludden nicolel@tucsonlocalmedia.com THIS NOVEMBER, VOTERS in Pima County will select a new Recorder for the first time since 1992.

Current county recorder F. Ann Rodriguez has held the position since she was first elected 28 years ago, but on Nov. 3, voters will decide between Democrat Gabriella Cázares-Kelly and Republican Benny White, two candidates with differing opinions on how to approach the office.

The county recorder is responsible for processing and maintaining voter registration records during elections and administering early voting ballots. The office also keeps track of public records such as property deeds and marriage licenses.

White has focused his campaign on ensuring the validity of voter registrations and enforcing election laws, while Cázares-Kelly is running on a platform of expanding access to voting and eliminating systemic barriers against historically underrepresented groups.

Cázares-Kelly is an educator and community organizer who grew up on the Tohono O’odham reservation and has worked in Native American institutions for more than 14 years.

White is a Marine Corps veteran who served on the Tucson Air National Guard as a lieutenant colonel. He graduated from Concord Law School in 2007 and soon became heavily involved in election law.

The Republican nominee has been involved in election law in Arizona’s elections for the past 12 years, has tested voting equipment for more than 30 elections and has audited the state elections department and county recorder’s activities after elections.

Cázares-Kelly has experience in voter outreach, a master’s degree in educational leadership and has served as the president of the Progressive Democrats of Southern Arizona and the vice-presi-

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Cázares-Kelly became frustrated with the thought of redoing her advocacy for the Tohono O’odham Nation at a new recorder’s office and decided to take matters into her own hands.

“These things that had been highlighted and brought to the attention of the recorder’s office, I was now going to now have to educate the new person, and I was going to have to cross my fingers and hope that they’re not a white supremacist. I was going to have to hope that they’re not anti-natives,” Cázares-Kelly said. “So rather than crossing my fingers, I decided to run because I am educated, experienced, creative and passionate about including more people in our democracies.”

Given his extensive experience, White decided to run for Pima County Recorder when the Republican Party approached COURTESY PHOTOS him to enter the race. His platform emphasizes updating and ensuring the dent of the Arizona Democratic Party’s ers preventing them from being able to integrity of voter registrations.

Native American Caucus. vote, such as lack of access to necessary “I’m very concerned about our voter At a candidate interview with the Ariidentification and having “non-standard” registration records,” White said. “I have zona Daily Star on Oct. 1, the candidates’ addresses that make answering the phys- done a lot of logging in precincts and differences came to the forefront when ical address question on the top of voter handing out literature to the voters, and White criticized Cázares-Kelly for giving registration forms difficult. She began for each of those I print out a section of special attention to Native American a widespread effort to educate those in the voter registration files for each indigroups. rural Pima County on how get engaged vidual precinct, and I find a significant “I understand the voter turnout levels in politics in the community. number of errors in the records.” are lower in those communities than they “The Tohono O’odham nation is the White says he commonly found are in the remainder of Pima County,” size of Connecticut, but most people mistakes in the voter rolls such as White said. “But I suspect...there are don’t know it’s there. The majority of it registrations belonging to deceased many underlying components as to why sits within Pima County,” Cázares-Kelly persons, those who have moved from the that is the case. I suspect that education said. “There is one post office that serves county and misspellings of names and is a problem, I suspect that healthcare is the entire Tohono O’odham nation. addresses. a problem.”

When I first started registering people, CONTINUED ON PAGE 17 When given her chance to respond, we found out that they Cázares-Kelly said, “We just allowed my didn’t carry voter registraopponent to go off on a white supremation forms.” cist rant where he was questioning the After Cázares-Kelly education levels of the Native Americans spoke with F. Ann Rodrithat live in Pima County and talking guez’s office twice about about poverty and all these barriers to the missing registration voting that are completely unfounded forms, the reservation’s when we’re talking about the systemic sole post office received part of voter suppression...My opponent them. just made some really terrible remarks “This was just me as about a whole population of people.” a private citizen, so if I White quickly responded, “I find it ofhadn’t noticed, if I had not fensive when you call me a white suprem- been doing the work, who acist and a racist as well, that is simply would have been checking not my history.” out that type of thing?

“Sounds to me like she wants to be What systems are in place in the legislature to change the laws,” to ensure that our rural he said. “But that’s not the role of the and tribal communities are recorder.” at the bare minimum, reWhen working at Tohono O’odham ceiving voter registration Community College, Cázares-Kelly forms?” Cázares-Kelly said. noticed many tribal members and those After learning of living in rural communities faced barriRodriguez’s retirement,

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spread of the disease. Worobey has previously worked on genome sequencing for HIV, and says it is a similar situation for that outbreak.

“You’ve got a particular individual, this ‘patient zero’ that people would like to pin blame on, when in fact it doesn’t look like he initiated the outbreak, and the outbreak may well have started from an American or visa holder travelling back from China,” Worobey said. “Right at the beginning of February is when the travel ban on Chinese people traveling into the States was initiated, and the introduction seems to have occurred right round that time. It’s quite likely that it wasn’t even a Chinese person that brought this virus into the States.”

The study also found errors in multiple COURTESY ILLUSTRATION genomes published by the British CoA chart of how researchers used genomes to map COVID spread and mutation. lumbia Center for Disease Control that may have suggested that the virus spread from Canada into the U.S. “Generally speaking, you had the earliest outbreaks starting on the West Coast, UA Researchers Map COVID Spread through US, Europe even though it didn’t come from that first guy on Jan. 15,” Worobey said. “It was we’ve generated more data in a shorter

By Jeff Gardner probably from a separate introduction to time period than with any other viral jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com Washington from China a little later at outbreak,” Worobey said. “Which is good the beginning of February, and it spread that there’s this massive amount of data, widely through Washington and moved A NEW STUDY LED BY but analyzing it and collating it takes a the University of Arizona shows the up into British Columbia and sparked missed opportunities of testing and trac- lot of time.” several cases we’ve sequenced in Arizona The first known COVID patient in the as well in the spring.” ing that may have prevented the virus US, nicknamed “WA1,” was a Chinese nafrom ravaging countries the way it has.

One of the main lessons the researchtional flying into Seattle from Wuhan on The study, “The emergence of SARSJan. 15. However, it was not until weeks CoV-2 in Europe and North America,” later that additional outbreaks began published in the journal Science, is also CLAYTOONZ By Clay Jones the first and only published study to chal- throughout Washington.

Worobey and his team examined the lenge the notion that the first reported genomic data of the ensuing outbreaks, case in the United States sparked the and found the genomics were similar viral outbreak in North America.

“It grew out of my own questions about to WA1, but different enough to indicate that “the jump from China to the the first case in the US, up in the Seattle U.S. likely occurred on or around Feb. 1 area,” said UA professor of ecology and instead.” These and similar findings indievolutionary biology Michael Worobey, cate how the first documented infections who led the study. “I had initially been pretty convinced by others that it proba- in the US and Europe did not spread into full outbreaks—it was instead continued bly started the outbreak in North Amertravel and lack of early tracing. ica. But as I got deeper into gene se“If you could go back in time to quences from all around the world, I got late January or February, we did have a better feel for how the virus evolved, a chance both in Europe and North and had my doubts.”

America, to plug the holes as they arose,” Researchers on the study examined travel records and thousands of genome Worobey said. “We could have prevented this from getting out of control the way it sequences from public databases to has in the U.S., but we didn’t get the tools decipher and map the spread by trackrolled out in time.” ing mutations, genetic similarities and Worobey says WA1 actually serves as geographic overlaps. Computing the simulations was so intensive, some process- a model of what you should do in a viral es took more than a week to run, and had outbreak. This first patient reached out to doctors, cooperated with public health to be calculated multiple times.

“One thing about this outbreak is that officials, and self-isolated to prevent the

TRACKING TRANSMISSIONS

ers learned: early containment does indeed work. They attribute the lack of virus spread from January detections in Seattle and Germany on contact tracing, isolation, and a high degree of compliance of infected individuals.

The study states that by delaying COVID-19 outbreaks by even a few weeks in the U.S. and Europe, the public health response to the WA1 case in Washington State (along with a particularly impressive response in Germany to an early outbreak) bought crucial time for their own cities, as well as other countries and cities, to prepare for the virus when it finally did arrive.

“The virus isn’t invincible,” Worobey said. “As we’ve shown in Arizona over the past couple of weeks, simple things like everyone wearing masks can have dramatic effects and save lots of lives.”

In total, the study involved an interdisciplinary team of scientists from 13 research institutions throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Belgium and Canada.

“Now that we have these tools, they’ll be useful for future pandemic analyses,” Worobey said. “One of the things we’re immediately doing is using these same techniques to try and figure out when this virus first infected humans in Hubei Province in China. We’re getting interesting results that we should be able to share within weeks.” ■

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Story & photos by Brian Smith

Cigar faces, a ‘miracle’ crucifix, love and lymphoma AT FIRST 29-YEAR-OLD Jason Duran tolerates the anti-maskers who laugh at him and his mask because he has to. Tolerates right-wing cigarfaced rhetoric because he needs the money and his 26-year-old girlfriend, who is suffering with cancer. Cigars are what he knows, encyclopedically, and he is surrounded by thousands of them, arrayed in pleasing fetishistic displays, up to 60 hours a week at Anthony’s Cigar Emporium. Or maybe he tolerates this for two other reasons: One, there is the beauty in the well-crafted cigars themselves, the construction and tobacco magic, the social intercourse afforded inside the smoke and buzz, and Anthony’s is among the best anywhere.

Two, because his grandfather, who was on his death bed until the day Duran was born and brought to see him, got up and lived another seven years to teach his grandson important things in life, like fishing and harvesting cactus and seeking benevolence. Duran listens for things beneath the surface of people he’d otherwise steer clear of and finds some humanity in there, and so he often ruminates on his grandpa, whose extended life some in his family called a miracle. “The biggest impact on my life was my grandfather,” Duran says.

Take Vic, a 75-year-old cigar-store regular. He’s a sturdy garrulous man born in Texas hill country, who hated his mother, quit high school and left home young. He’s a Trump man with a very hardened idea of what constitutes being an asshole, his spectacularly wide parameters into which others fall to be one. He’ll talk with intimate detail of more than three decades working long hours in the mining pits, gold, silver, copper, in Nevada and Arizona. His three years in the CIA beginning in 1971, how he got in through his stepfather. He’ll talk. And then he’ll run a store

bank errand for Duran and get a stogie gratis. There is something sad and even tender about this old crank Vic, on this day in the cigar shop, his obstinate views, the fear, living alone, never married. Vic and Duran have gotten into gnarly shouting matches on subjects involving politics, and today it’s “Hey, Vic!” “Hey, Jason.” We’re good.

In his two years working here, Duran has heard all Vic’s stories, and those of many who station themselves in the smoking lounge with its deep leather chairs and TV, bring-your-own sipping whiskeys and masculine conversation.

Now Duran has been a fan of cigars since he was 16, a kid fascination-turned-career, so his work here is kind of the alcoholic slinging drinks at the corner bar. He smokes three or four cigars a day at work, is sucking one now.

He is into them, “like how some people get into music, or cars.” Hanging behind the register in Anthony’s main room, which is a humidor, its tangy pong of a million cigars, in a low-pitched stone edifice at the base of the Catalina Jason Duran and Gianna Mattio.

Foothills, on Campbell Avenue and River Road. To him a good cigar is not only a joy to huff, it is an elixir. Pick any It is Thursday morning in late cigar in the emporium and he’ll relate September and Duran is dressed in its history, construction, tobacco source his customary black T-shirt and black and blend, where it was rolled, the genjeans. He is an American of full Mexican esis of its wrapper leaf, the color of the descent, a bespectacled and smart boyash and its burn rate, testing the smoke faced dude with a gentle demeanor, the for complexity and richness. son of a retired paralegal mom and a I pull a random stogie from one of dad, a cop car fleet tech, who grew up many warmly lit shelves, a Fuente Opus on dirt floors on Tucson’s south side.

X, and Duran launches into its history.

Born in Tucson, Duran is a Tucson High “Oh, yeah, that one is put out by grad, just like his mother and grandArturo Fuente, they’ve been around mother. But he never really saw eye-tomore than 100 years. It’s barrel-aged eye with his pop. “I let him down often,” from the Dominican Republic. The son he says, knocking cigar ash into a wide Carlito runs the business and he tried tray. for years to make a cigar that would Duran’s mother’s family lived in the impress his father. One day he blended Tucson area since the early 1800s. His the Opus and that was the one.” savvy, jewelry designing grandmother,

Pauline Romo, who died six years ago at 87, was a Tucson rodeo queen in the 1940s. He partly grew up in the house where Romo had erected an honorary grotto and crucifix more than a half-century ago, the El Senor de los Milagros (lord of the miracles) shrine.

To talk of Duran’s family is to talk of miracles. Visitors from the world over would (and still do) arrive to pray at the 500-year-old crucifix, which still sits in an enclosed grotto in the yard of his grandparents’ Menlo Park house, where Duran’s uncle now resides. The story goes, Duran says, his great grandmother and great-great grandmother CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

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were riding a train in northern Mexico in the early 1900s. It was raided either

by Natives or a Poncho Villa militia. His grandmothers huddled around the cross and were left alone in a brutal bloody scene that saw all other passengers murdered.

He explains the crucifix’s lineage traces back to Spain, it was brought over to Mexico, and had been passed down to daughters in the family for generations. It’s been said the crucifix saved his abuela Romo in the 1960s after she ate glass at a diner and doctors said she wouldn’t survive. The crucifix was brought in as a last resort and she later built the shrine in her frontyard to honor. Word spread internationally.

Duran, an only child raised Catholic, who grew up surrounded by Catholic iconography and symbols, doesn’t believe in any god now, and explains away any miracles, his grandfather for one, by calling it “love.” Another, his parents had been trying to have a baby for a decade before mom prayed at the

crucifix and got pregnant at 40.

He concedes the crucifix has certain epistemological juju. “It had power, and I can’t explain it,” Duran says. “I remember playing in the yard and if I kicked a ball near it I would be too afraid to go get it.”

Duran remembers distinctly as a boy witnessing an old woman miracle-seeker crawling on her knees, had come miles that way, her legs a mess of scratches and blood, to the foot-tall crucifix at his grandparent’s house.

THERE IS THE THREAT OF catching the virus, and Duran is pretty worried, for his girlfriend Gianna Mattio, mostly. A sense of some trust exists between Duran and the older mask-free cigar regulars who park themselves and smoke, yet most stogie-buying customers who stroll in and out wear masks.

Duran met his girlfriend Mattio at Hotel Congress in Tucson four years ago, fell in love, moved in together. In 2017, Mattio was a server at Buffalo Wild Wings while saddled with a full school load working toward her master’s at UA in public health/epidemiology. Simple

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breathing suddenly became a chore, pain seeped into her upper chest, and she began to lose weight. In the next months, she hit three different urgent cares in Tucson and they all insisted it was heartburn, and left it at that. Three different opinions whose advice was, incredibly, over-the-counter antacids.

One day at work she about collapsed from suffocation. Her pain and frustration led her to a primary-care doctor, and not much changed in the bogus opinion department. “I knew something was really wrong with me and the doctor looked at me and said I was too young for anything serious and couldn’t advise going to a specialist.” The doctor’s lazy recommendation? Antacids. The advice could’ve killed her. Meanwhile the chest pain was so horrific and the breathing so difficult she had to sleep upright, or risk suffocation. She’d lost 40 pounds.

By that year’s end, fright led her to an emergency room and a CT scan revealed shocking news: a mass in her chest the size of a football. The couple were, of course, devastated. Mattio soon learned she had stage 3 Hodgkin’slymphoma, a cancer that started in

the white blood cells and attacked her immune system. Such lymphomas are treatable and often curable if caught.

“I had a lot of symptoms and I wasn’t listening to my body,” she says. “I was out partying every weekend, doing recreational drugs.” She also went to work, hit the gym for two hours and school, adding up to 15-hour days. “I’m sure that didn’t help the cancer,” she says.

Duran says, “She was raised to push, push, push. She was taking a full-load of school, working, all with cancer. And,” he adds, “she was my biggest cheerleader. There is no one like her.”

In a phone conversation, 26-year-old Mattio talks openly of the effects of cancer treatments, and the dodgy medical advice thrown at her before landing at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, which she got in on luck, angled in by a single nurse the couple call “an angel.” The cancer has taught Mattio to trust herself.

The day before this conversation, she endured her last cancer radiation treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, which is necessary before the bone-marrow transplant. In several weeks she will undergo her second such transplant.

OCT. 8, 2020

(The first, in 2018, was an ill-advised autologous transplant, which used cells from her own body). This bone marrow is arriving from a donor, an allogeneic transplant, and they’d found a perfect match through DNA in a young Italian person living in Israel, who is munificently donating. In all likelihood she’ll be OK, for now.

She is upbeat and articulate in the voice of one attending to her life and disease with the eagerness of an astronaut about to blast into space. She turned her new abnormals into a version of personal happiness and evolution, and, after staring death in the face, gained a total understanding of self-reliance. She eschews sympathy.

Duran and Mattio each say the other has been great. “I don’t think there is anything that will break us apart,” Mattio adds, which echo comments from Duran.

“I remember telling him before the first transplant, ‘It’s your chance to leave, before things get messy.’”

“Her first transplant tore me up the most,” Duran says. “Seeing her bald, weak.” He overcame his gnawing sense of helplessness with shuttered outward

Gianna Mattio: “The realization of death is probably the best thing that can happen to somebody my age.”

emotion. “You have to be there for her, just suck it up and be there,” Duran adds, shaking his head. “To see her in that state, I stayed straight-faced as possible.”

Mattio, who was born in an ItalianAmerican family outside Chicago and

grew up in Phoenix, learned to self-nourish on a decision to live. She began to force personal change, day by day, the little things, spiritual and otherwise, that alter the big things. After a second of five radiation treatments saw the cancer actually grow, she completely shifted

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her diet to a non-processed organic one, got into gardening and juicing, meditation and yoga. The sense of ceaseless enclosure from COVID and cancer, and the formidable lattice of love and family, afforded her reminiscences of growing up, the attendant estrangements.

“You have a lot of time to yourself,” Mattio says. “Going through this is a lot, and I had no self-esteem. So this cancer, in its way, builds confidence. The realization of death is probably the best thing that can happen to somebody my age. I ate processed foods my whole life, and was feeling like shit. I didn’t know how much food affected me until I was sick. Just before I switched my diet. I spent three weeks thinking I was going to die. A fear of death, that was it. I think the hardest thing for me was putting my family through death. The holistic approach made me feel like a different person. I was on track to study and work my life away, which is no way to live.”

She earned her master’s last year, after missing much of 2018 due to the failed transplant. “I don’t know how I did it,” she says. “I just did.”

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

She adds, laughing, “It was hard for me to find a wig that wasn’t gray!”

After this next marrow transplant, and myriad medical hoops she’ll jump through to get there, again, she won’t leave the house for months, except for doctor visits, so the purity of home weighs in, which is why, fiscally, Duran must work the long hours in the cigar shop. But she should be OK. The conditioning process for transplants essentially brings one close to death, making room for new blood cells to grow. “It basically kills your cells,” Mattio laughs, “and the transplant brings you back to life.”

Mattio is now more than skeptical about so many deeply flawed medical processes, the gaps in public health, and doctors not listening to females in health issues. When she regains her health, she plans to dive in, use her degree toward good. “People are getting sick younger, which is not a good thing, and the system is just dated.”

Jason Duran: “It had power, and I can’t explain it.”

ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON Mattio and Duran meet inside the cigar emporium for a photo. Its interior humidity ensures fresh cigars and sticky air. A

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larger-than-life life-sized Native American wooden statue keeps watch, a dark humorless caricature of a tired stereotype, once used as a cigar advertising tool to

represent Natives introducing European settlers to tobacco. Duran, dressed in his black uniform, shrugs at the foreboding woody slur.

It is pretty obvious Mattio is the kind of person others struggle to keep pace with, an inner and outer strength and attraction exudes a studied order to chaos around her. Her straight, shoulder-length raven hair matches her black jeans, black turtleneck and black mask. There is the ease afforded by the tight lover-bond between them, situational grimness upended by an overriding optimism and a specific joy of each other.

Today Mattio joins Duran in his work, an effort to expedite his duties so they can get off on time to a vacation before she lands back in the Phoenix hospital for the highdose chemo and transplant. She’ll be deathly sick again. She’ll lose all her hair again.

Talk turns to the El Senor crucifix in Duran’s family.

“I thought about visiting it a few times,” Mattio laughs. “But I’m not really religious. Maybe I should before my transplant for a little bit of good luck, but who knows? Anyway,” she adds, “Jason’s mom probably will have done all this for us.” ■

Spread Awareness

Battling Cancer in a Pandemic Why some women are choosing nipple tattoos after a mastectomy

By Emily Dieckman Cancer and COVID-19

By Nicole Ludden

2

Breast Cancer Awareness 2020

New Nipples, New Outlook

Local artists provide 3D nipple tattoos for breast cancer survivors, helping restore a sense of wholeness and normalcy.

Emily Dieckman

Special to Tucson Local Media

T

here were three tumors, all on the right breast.

Once doctors confirmed they were cancerous, Kristyn Bova actually felt a little better: Not knowing was worse than having a diagnosis and a path forward. She didn’t want to risk leaving any cancer behind, so she opted for a full, double mastectomy.

“The girls did their job,” says Bova, who was 51 at the time, in early 2012. “I nursed three beautiful babies. They’re no longer needed now. They tried to kill me, and it’s time to go.”

Bova said focusing on the good things she did have (a supportive family), and on the bad things she didn’t (uncertainty about her diagnosis) helped her immensely during this period. The day before her mastectomy, she spoke on the phone with a close friend who’d recently been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer. She died while Bova was recovering from surgery, so two-and-a-half weeks postop, Bova and her father drove from Sierra Vista to San Antonio, Texas, for the funeral.

“I was so lucky,” she says.

“I had these extra appendages that I could cut off and move on with life, but she couldn’t get rid of her brain.

That was so eye opening. If I’d ever thought, ‘Poor me, poor me,’ [I realized then], it’s not ‘Poor me.’”

Her reconstructive surgery was just a week after she got back from the service.

She opted for a procedure called Deep Inferior Epigastric Artery Perforator, which involves taking fat from the abdomen and using it to re-

construct the breasts. (Bova had heard about the procedure years ago, on Oprah, and remembers thinking, “If I ever get breast cancer, that’s what I’d want to do.”)

The recovery was long and exhausting, but she was excited to have a new pair of breasts that looked and felt almost normal—not to mention that she had a chance to “donate” some of her abdominal fat to the cause. But there was still something not quite the same: She didn’t have any nipples. Her surgeon asked her about her plans to do something about it during her follow-up appointments.

For example, she could have her nipples reconstructed to make her breasts look more like “normal” breasts, and even have a tattoo artist add pigmentation and areolas.

“Every time I went in, he would say, ‘What are we doing about nipples?’” Bova says. “I said, ‘Nothing! I don’t need them anymore.

Nobody needs to know that I’m cold.’”

Like many people, Bova didn’t spend a lot of time consciously thinking about her nipples before this. Like she said, they’d served their purpose, as far as she was concerned. But there’s a wide body of research about how the reconstruction of nipples after mastectomies can lead to increased psychosocial wellbeing.

A 2016 study in the International Journal of Surgical Reconstruction, for example, found that the reconstruction of the nipple-areola complex (NAC) improves patients psychosocial and sexual wellbeing. Women reported feeling more confident, emotionally healthy, attractive and “of equal worth to other women.” Other studies have even found that,

COURTESY ELAINE PICHET

Elaine Pichet, pictured with her daughter Arianne (right), is helping breast cancer survivors by providing them with 3D nipple tattoos at her Artistic Touch studio.

after NAC reconstruction, many women even report higher satisfaction with the size, softness and sexual sensitivity of their reconstructed breasts as a whole—even though the addition of a nipple doesn’t physically change any of these things.

Bova wasn’t particularly interested in nipple reconstruction. Another surgery sounded like a hassle, and she’d heard that maintaining new “nipples” might even require further surgeries. Her surgeon gave her a pamphlet for a local permanent cosmetics artist named Elaine Pichet, who does work ranging from permanent makeup

and eyebrow tattooing to paramedical work, such as camouflaging scars, repigmenting the scalp after hair loss, and nipple tattooing.

While Pichet does tattoo pigment onto reconstructed nipples, she also creates hyperrealistic 3D nipple tattoos onto reconstructed breast mounds.

Bova looked at the pamphlet, and with continued encouragement from her doctor, reluctantly made an appointment with Pichet, who runs Artistic Touch, Inc. with her daughter. She sat down and looked through photos of work Pichet had done for other clients. She

didn’t need them, and she wasn’t sure she wanted them, and her insurance didn’t cover the procedure… but they looked good. After what she describes as a “bizarre tornado in the head,” Bova eventually decided to go back to get new nipples tattooed.

When she stood up to see Pichet’s handiwork on her body, Bova gasped. Before, she jokes, she could have walked down Oracle Road topless and no one would have made a big deal out of it, because the mounds on her chest didn’t look like breasts without nipples.

Now, they did.

“What I found after they

did the tattooing was that she gave me my privacy and my femininity back,” Bova says. “It was very odd. It was not something I ever expected, but they became private again. They weren’t just flaps of skin; they were breasts, and they looked like breasts. And even though they didn’t have a 3D nipple attached to them, they were totally different than what I went in with.”

It’s not an uncommon reaction. Pichet, who has been tattooing for 23 years and doing realistic nipple tattoos for almost as long, has tattooed hundreds of nipples onto clients. She likes to share a story she heard at a breast cancer event one year. A woman who had gone through breast cancer and finished her mastectomies and reconstructions kept returning to her doctor, insisting that something was wrong. Her lab results were all healthy, but she was worried and depressed, so eventually she met with her plastic surgeon again. That’s when they realized what the problem was: She hadn’t gotten her areolas and nipples repigmented. That was what had been bothering her so much, without her even realizing it.

“It’s very, very emotional,” Pichet said. “That’s what I’ve noticed with all the clients.

It’s kind of the last thing they do to bring back a little bit of the normalcy. It’s never going to be the way it was, of course. But at least by doing this, it looks a little bit normal.”

Pichet didn’t start tattooing until she was 35, but she felt right away like she was meant to be doing it. When COVID-19 hit and they had to close up shop temporarily, she says she sat and stared at a wall for two days, totally

unsure what to do. She’s much happier now that she’s back working in the office with her daughter, helping women feel beautiful. In fact, Bova has gone back to her a few times, for lip pigmentation, permanent eyeliner and a touchup of her nipples. Elaine’s office was one of the very first places Bova visited once she began venturing back out into the world after the lockdown.

Lucky for Tucsonans, Pichet isn’t the only tattoo artist in town who provides this service: Kari Cadenhead of Marigold Tattoo does nipple tattoos for cancer survivors, trans individuals post-top surgery and anyone else in need of a nipple tattoo. She’s certified in the A.R.T. of Areola Restorative Tattooing, a style of 3D nipple tattooing which uses a specialized permanent ink. Cadenhead has been

tattooing for 15 years (she also does traditional tattoos, stick-and-pokes, and scar coverups) and began A.R.T. tattooing in 2017.

Having a foundation in traditional tattooing meant she’d had lots of experience covering up scars and, of course, being careful with making permanent marks on people’s bodies. But she learned quickly that A.R.T. was a technique all its own, due to factors ranging from tattooing on irradiated skin to the sheer emotions of the process.

“I don’t want to say my average tattooing is not important or heavy, but, at the same time, the nipples tend to be an extremely emotional, personal process,” Cadenhead says. “When you go through that, you’re not taught that it’s an amputation. Doctors don’t consider it that, insurance doesn’t

Breast Cancer Awareness 2020

consider it that. But, like, what if you cut your dang nose off ? You would need a new nose, or you would want to look like you have a nose.”

I don’t want to say my average tattooing is not important or heavy, but, at the same time, the nipples tend to be an extremely emotional, personal process.

Elaine Pichet Cadenhead says some of her favorite pieces to do are corrections, for people who

got nipple tattoos or scar covers from another tattoo artist who did a terrible job.

The long road it took for her clients to get to her for a job well done makes the work extra rewarding.

She used to have her own studio in town, but it closed down due to the pandemic.

While she does traditional tattooing at Church Ink Tattoo Parlor, she also works out of the Village Salon, in midtown, for clients who may not feel comfortable in a tattoo shop setting. She also offers her services on a sliding scale, depending on what clients can afford.

Cancer patients often survive not only cancer, but chemotherapy, radiation and surgeries that leave them feeling sick and exhausted. At the end of such a long, hard road—even if the road only involves one of those things—nipples

might not seem like such a big deal. Indeed, nipples are not physically very big, so what business do they have taking up so much space in our psyches? Think about how a single cancer cell can metastasize across organs and limbs and lives, and you’ll see how a cancer patient understands, perhaps better than anyone, how much room small things can take up in your head and your heart and your body.

2020 hasn’t been kind to Bova, just like it hasn’t been kind to anybody else.

She lost her husband in February, and her mother later in the year. She’s now living with her daughter in San Antonio. But she’s finding the bright side, as usual, enjoying the extra time with her daughter and practicing gratitude. She wonders if her cancer would have been

3

found so early if this all happened in the 1950s. She wonders if she’d still be here.

“I’m so grateful for all the advancements in medicine that mean I’m still here, and I’m only 60—I just turned 60 in February, and I’ve got a lot of stuff to do,” she says. “I still feel like I’m in high school. I still have art I want to do and pieces I want to make and flowers I want to plant, and I want to be with my daughters as long as I can. I’m just profoundly grateful that I live now.”

For more information about Elaine Pichet and Artistic Touch, Inc., visit elainepichet.com/ or @artistictouchaz on Instagram.

For more information on Kari Cadenhead and Marigold Art AZ, visit marigoldtattooaz.com/ or @marigoldartaz on Instagram.

4

Breast Cancer Awareness 2020

Cancer and COVID-19 How the novel coronavirus is affecting screening and treatment

By Nicole Ludden Tucson Local Media

W

hen Molly Cassidy dropped a measuring cup in her kitchen this summer, a broken glass shard left a deep, bleeding gash in her hand.

Although the cut clearly needed stitches, Cassidy weighed her options for nearly two hours as the wound profusely bled before she decided to go to the doctor’s office — a trip that could cost her life during the coronavirus pandemic.

As more than 200,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, cancer patients

— who are often immunocompromised and depend on regular treatments to prevent the progression of the disease — are particularly at risk for dying by the potentially deadly virus.

Cassidy was diagnosed with stage four squamous cell carcinoma in February 2019.

She endured 35 radiation treatments, three chemotherapy sessions and underwent surgery to have part of her tongue and 34 lymph nodes in her neck removed. A week after she completed treatment, doctors found several more cancerous tumors in Cassidy’s neck and collarbone.

In July 2019, she started

a clinical trial where scientists mapped out the RNA of the carcinogenic tumors and created a personalized vaccine to combat them. Cassidy’s tumors have minimized with each scan, and she’s set to continue the treatment every three weeks until August 2021.

But if she were to contract COVID-19, not only would Cassidy’s immunocompromised body struggle to fight the virus, but it could mean a delay in the treatment that prevents cancer from growing throughout her body.

“I need that treatment, it has extended and saved my life. If it were delayed, I don’t know how that would affect

COURTESY MOMENTS BY SHERRI PHOTOGRAPHY

Molly Cassidy, her husband Travis Atwood and son Brogan Atwood

5

Breast Cancer Awareness 2020 the cancer,” she said. “I’m not sure what the side effects would be from skipping a treatment, and that’s obviously very dangerous.”

According to a study conducted by Cancer Discovery, cancer patients who contract COVID-19 face a higher risk of dying from the virus, as well as experiencing severe outcomes like ICU admission and needing invasive mechanical ventilation.

Julie Bauman is Cassidy’s oncologist for her chemotherapy treatments and the deputy director of the University of Arizona Cancer Center. As a specialist who works with cancer patients every day, she understands their unique vulnerability to COVID-19.

“Most cancers themselves put patients into immune-compromised states.

That state is profoundly reinforced and worsened by

the treatments that we give,” Bauman explained. “Cytotoxic chemotherapy, radiation therapy and certain targeted and immune therapies increase the patient’s risk of infection and serious complications from infection when it does occur.”

Due to this increased risk, doctors at the UA Cancer Center noticed a decrease in patients coming in for preventitive screenings at the height of the pandemic, resulting in an increase in advanced cases arriving at the cancer center as the number of coronavirus cases declines.

“Unfortunately, the pandemic caused a lot of fear, and we did see a dip in our patient numbers for about three months,” said Baldassarre Stea, who practices radiation oncology at the cancer center. “We’re seeing a lot of advanced cases, they are arriving here in stage four.

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Usually there is a good mix, a quarter in stage one, a quarter stage two, a quarter stage three. We’re seeing a shift in the number of cases that are very advanced cancer, and I think that’s probably due to fear of having to come in and delaying diagnosis.”

According to a survey form the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, 50 percent of cancer patients and survivors said the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their health care, while 27 percent of respondents in active treatment reported a delay to their medical care.

Taylor Riall, a surgical oncologist at the UA Cancer Center, anticipated progressed cancer in her patients due to an increased apprehension to go out in public during the pandemic.

“In the beginning, patients were afraid to seek care. Even

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if they had something wrong, unless they were really, really sick, they didn’t come out,” Riall said. “As this was unfolding, I had major concern that on the other side of this... that people would have more advanced disease by the time they showed up.”

Riall especially saw a decline in preventative procedures for cancer patients when Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order in March delaying elective surgeries in order to preserve personal protective equipment.

“I think they did us a disservice talking about elective surgery, because I would say that 95 percent of what we do is nonelective. Where this really hurt our cancer patients was probably in things like screening mammography and screening colonoscopy that were delayed, leading to delays in diagnosis,” Riall

said. “There was a period of time where we wouldn’t see new breast cancers because nobody had a screening mammogram in that time period.”

Liz Almli, a breast cancer survivor and President of Tucson Cancer Conquerors, a local nonprofit dedicated to empowering cancer survivors, said the effects of missing an important preventive cancer screening or surgery are often psychological.

“People that were scheduled to have their lumpectomy, their surgery, got delayed.

Maybe it was only a couple of weeks and it shouldn’t have been anything that really impacted their outcome, but psychologically, if you’re scheduled for a CT scan to make sure your tumors haven’t come back, and that gets canceled, your brain just runs down the rabbit hole,” Almli said. “Now that everybody’s

had a chance to put safety precautions in place, I think people are able to get the care that they need.”

As the number of national coronavirus cases began to decrease in August, physicians at the UA Cancer Center saw an influx of cancer patients and surgeries.

“Last week, we had a record number of cases in our operating room, record numbers ever. We are seeing some of that backlog coming forward,” Riall said. “Some patients are still afraid to come in, but we’re seeing very, very high volumes on the other side of this.”

Stea has also seen a boom in patients in recent months.

“I think that the fear is over, and now we’re kind of seeing a lot of patients coming through, the numbers are going up to a standard number that we’ve seen in the past,” he said.

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Keeping COVID-19 out of the cancer center

When the alarming spread of the coronavirus pandemic emerged in the United States in March, the University of Arizona Cancer Center moved quickly to implement safeguards to keep their patients and staff safe.

New safety protocols included a comprehensive screening process for everyone who enters the center, a drive-through testing system for those who fail the screening, implementation of telemedicine when appropriate and a rotating staff system where members switch between teams working at the center and at home for 14day periods.

“On multiple occasions, we were one to several weeks ahead of where Arizona or Pima County’s policy was. By taking those actions before

there was significant community spread in Pima County, I think we were really able to keep COVID out of the cancer center,” Bauman said.

Cassidy, who receives treatment at the UA Cancer Center, says she feels “very safe” at the center and receives a COVID-19 screening call before every appointment.

“We’re required to wear masks and there’s social distancing within the cancer center. The implementation of all the safety measures they have put in place has helped me feel very safe as a cancer patient,” Cassidy said.

However, one of the most difficult safety measures the cancer center implemented was a no-visitor policy.

“The hardest part is navigating the visitor policy,” Bauman said. “That was incredibly difficult for patients, for caregivers, and honestly, for physicians and nurses.

Breast Cancer Awareness 2020

Taking care of patients, we know how important that therapeutic alliance is, and having a caregiver present for every step of the journey is definitely the best care for a cancer patient.”

Cassidy said although she has missed her husband’s presence at her treatments, the no-visitor policy has made her feel safe. However, long chemotherapy sessions take a heavy toll on cancer patients and can be very difficult to experience alone.

“Sometimes you’ll see someone who’s quite sad or quite emotional, because it might be their first chemo treatment. It’s really hard to be going through cancer and have to go into the cancer center alone without your support group,” Cassidy said.

According to Bauman, the cancer center began allowing visitors with “new patient consultations” in late August,

COURTESY PHOTO

Tucson Cancer Conquerors member Sherry Evans takes member Jennifer Schmidt’s temperature at a check-in before a socially distanced group exercise on Sept. 26. To attend the fitness class, each member must fill out a COVID questionnaire and pass a temperature check.

a policy she says will soon be implemented across all Banner facilities.

“At the initial establishing of that therapeutic alliance, we were able to preserve

good social distancing and screening processes, and start allowing caregivers with all new patient consults,” Bauman said. “In the next week, we’re actually moving to-

wards this across Banner, including outpatient oncology, so all patients can have one caregiver with them for all events, including follow up appointments.”

The importance of socialization for cancer patients Aware of most hospitals’ no-visitor policy and the trialsome implications this would have on cancer patients, Liz Almli of Tucson Cancer Conquerors moved quickly to find a way to reach patients without phsycially being with them.

“People are going by themselves to their first chemotherapy infusion alone, and that’s really scary. So we’ve created chemo bags to send trying to make sure that people go with everything they need to keep them entertained,” Almli said. “Keep them hydrated, you know, lip balm because your lips crack when you get chemo, and just the whole goodie bag full of chemotherapy supplies because we can’t go with people, which

has been really difficult.”

In 2014, the Tucson Cancer Conquerors formed as a small nonprofit group for cancer patients and survivors to exercise together.

Now, the group has 90 active members that socialize through group workouts, gardening, meditation and other activities aimed at connecting survivors.

When the coronavirus pandemic struck, the group moved activities to online Zoom classes and YouTube videos. The group’s board members also identified the most high-risk members to check up on weekly.

Almli says one the hardest parts of being physically separated from group members is the lack of socialization. In fact, breast cancer patients are more likely to survive if they have larger social networks, according to a 2016 study published by the

Breast Cancer Awareness 2020

American Cancer Society.

“Many people count on meeting twice a week for their socialization. Cancer patients tend to be very isolated, and I think that not having that place to go twice a week was really difficult,” Almli said. “There’s a lot of research that says people who are socially isolated tend to do more poorly during treatment and tend to have higher recurrence rates, so there’s something about having that support and that connection that’s really important.”

The Tucson Cancer Conquerors began meeting in person again in socially distanced, masked groups on Sept. 26 in an outdoor exercise group divided into pods of 10 people.

“People were so elated to be able to see each other. And to be exercising, because it’s so important for their health,

and for their mood and their sleep,” Almli said.

Overall, Almli believes it’s important to protect vulnerable populations, but the implications of socialization on cancer survival also make it important to avoid isolation.

“We’re all hopeful this will not go on too much longer, but we all are learning to move forward,” Almli said.

“But right now, you just can’t stay locked in your house for the next year. So we’ve got to figure out a way to protect our people who are most vulnerable and move forward in a way that’s most healthy for everyone.”

The future of cancer care: ‘It changes everything we do in the future” Although U.S. coronavirus case numbers have dropped compared to previous months, the pandemic’s lasting impact is sure to leave

its mark on the future of cancer care.

Dr. Riall at the UA Cancer Center has moved many cancer surveillance-based appointments that don’t require hands-on care to virtual telehealth visits. “[Coronavirus] changes everything that we do in the future,” Riall said. “I think in the long term, we’re going to have a hybrid model of telehealth visits and in-person visits.”

As a cancer patient, Molly Cassidy foresees the pandemic affecting the difficult decisions those with cancer must make.

“When you’re faced with what types of decisions you need to make, COVID can impact those decisions because some people might not want to receive a treatment that makes them go to the cancer center on a daily basis. Those types of questions

7

could weigh heavily on the treatment plan decisions that patients would make,” Cassidy said.

While cancer patients may face varying forms of care and even harder decisions to make in the future, Riall believes in reflecting on the challenges of coronavirus in order to build a clear path for moving forward.

“On a personal level, I think it’s really needed that everybody kind of step back, and evaluate what’s really important as we do mourn the loss of our normal,” Riall said. “I think every day: What do I need to do to be resilient? How do I support my patients and help them be resilient? How do I want my life to look moving forward, as everything has changed? I think it’s been a year of a great reflection of great opportunities. But it’s not all bad.”

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El Jefe Cat Lounge. El Jefe Cat Lounge opened up last year, but, for obvious reasons, was shut down the past few months. But they’ve reopened! And if you haven’t been yet, for god’s sake, go check it out and go get some of the serotonin we all need so desperately right now.

It’s a beautiful, three-story facility with dozens of kitties that are available to snuggle with, and to adopt! Wear a face mask, observe social distancing with other humans and head on over.

Reservations at eljefecatlounge.com are recommended, but not required. 3025 N. Campbell Ave, suite 141. $12/person/hour. eljefecatlounge.com

Tucson Museum of Art. Local staple TMA has

reopened. In addition to things like mask requirements and sanitation stations, they’re requiring that you reserve your ticket for a two-hour time slot in advance online. Attendance is limited to 30% of its normal capacity. Come on down to see a variety of art, ranging from Native American to European pieces. In the newest exhibit, Landslice, O’odham artist Dwayne Manuel, an alumnus of the University of Arizona, honors three mountains sacred to his people’s himdak, or culture/way of Tohono Chul. If you’re new to Tucson, you life. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Tucson Mumight not know that this dusty desert town seum of Art and Historic Block, 140 N. Main Ave. $12 adults, $10 actually has several beautiful local gardens. To- seniors, $7 college students and youth 13 to 17. Reserve tickets at hono Chul, which was named one of the best tucsonmuseumofart.org. botanical gardens in the world by Travel + Leisure Magazine, has reopened. They’re taking a wide array of precautions, such as requiring masks, limiting the number of reservations per hour and cleaning restrooms every hour. All this is designed to help your experience in the gardens be just as it should: totally peaceful and relaxing. Gardens are open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the museum shops and exhibit house are open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. $15 adults, $6 kids 5 to 12, $13 for students/seniors/active military. Reserve a ticket at tohonochul.org/visit!

Tucson Botanical Gardens. Can’t get enough of that desert flora? The Tucson Botanical Gardens, which connects people with plants through art, science, history and culture, is another local favorite. They’ve taken all the proper precautions as they’ve decided to reopen, including deep cleaning, directional makers and limited capacity. Come stroll through aloe alley, pollinator garden, the xeriscape garden and even (blessed be) the shade garden. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way. $15 adults, $13 students/seniors/military, $8 kids 4 to 17. $5 discount after 11:30 a.m.

Heirloom Farmers Markets. If going to the grocery store in a pandemic is just a little too stressful, farmers markets are a fantastic alternative. And getting to support local farmers and other small businesses? Sign us up! Fortunately, there are an abundance of farmers markets in Tucson. You might start out by checking out Heirloom Farmers Markets, which are held from 8 a.m. to noon at several locations.

The rules are pretty standard: masks required, stay home if you’re sick, physical distancing and please don’t touch the merchandise.

Fridays at Morris K. Udall Park, 7202 E. Tanque Verde Road. Saturdays at Steam Pump Ranch, 10901 N. Oracle Road, Oro Valley. Saturdays at Rincon Valley, 12500 E. Old Spanish Trail, Vail.

Sundays at Rillito Park Food Pavilion, 4502 N. First Ave. Pima Air and Space Museum. If you have any interest in aviation, you’d be remiss not to check out this place, which features 80 acres of outdoor displays and 250,000 square feet of hangar

Madaras Gallery. If you really want to get a feel for the way Tucson inspires visual artists, the Madaras Gallery is a great place to start. Diana Madaras is a local painter who has been depicting scenes from the Old Pueblo in her trademark style for decades. Come check out her work, and pick up some perfect postcards to send to friends and family from out of town (or to keep for yourself). Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays, with private visits also available by appointment. Madaras Gallery, 3035 N. Swan Road.

by Emily Dieckman Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. The Desert Museum, which really feels more like part museum, part zoo and part botanical gardens, is a must-see for if you’re new to Tucson (or if you have visitors). They’ve reopened, with heightened sanitation procedures and a few restrictions to promote public health. Some exhibits are closed or modified (for example, the “stingray touch” exhibit is now the “stingray viewing only” exhibit, but it’s free!) Of course, masks are required to enter, and must be worn anytime six feet of social distancing can’t be maintained, and at all times in indoor areas. To maintain daily capacity restrictions, they’re only selling tickets online or over the phone in advance, so make sure you get your ticket before you go. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 2021 N. Kinney Road. $21.95 adults, $19.95 seniors and youth. Reserve tickets at 4desertmuseum.org.

OCT. 8, 2020 TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 11 space. They’ve reopened with precautions like enhanced cleaning, directed flow and upgraded hands-free fixtures in the restrooms. All this gives you the chance to check out the hundreds of aircraft, including seaplanes, freshwater aircraft carriers, Kamikaze aircraft and so much more. 9 a.m.to 3 p.m. daily. Pima Air and Space Museum, 6000 E. Valencia Road. $16.50 adults, $13.25 Pima county residents, $13.75 active military/seniors, $10 kids 5 to 12.

Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures.

If you’re interested in miniatures, you absolutely need to check out this museum, which features more than 500 antique and contemporary dollhouses and roomboxes. If you’re not interested in miniatures, that’s just because you haven’t been to this museum yet. It’s a whimsical delight, and the perfect way to reignite your sense of wonder if you’re stuck in a pandemic slump. Right now they’ve got a fanciful fairy houses exhibit, a hand-carved circus exhibit, mini military figures and plenty more. They’ve got all the usual face covering, sanitation and physical distancing measures in place (some of the miniatures are even wearing masks).

They’re also doing timed-entry tickets, so pick yours up in advance. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Museum of Miniatures, 4455 E. Camp Lowell Dr. $10.50 adults, $8.50 seniors, $7 students and youth 4 to 17.

The Gaslight Music Hall. If you’ve been missing watching live performances, the Gaslight Music Hall just might have the fix you’ve been looking for with their outdoor, drive-in concert series. You can order pizza/popcorn/soda packages when you order your ticket, and you can also get beer and frozen margaritas from their drink cart. They have a single-use restroom in the lobby that will be sanitized between each use. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26. Gaslight Music Hall, 13005 N. Oracle Road. $30 to $35 per car.

Floor Polish Dance Classes. Maybe you’re sick of streaming passive virtual events, but a virtual dance class just might be a fun way to try something new and get those endorphins pumping. Plus, Floor Polish is a great local studio that offers classes ranging from a Repose livestream to Burlesque Fitness. If you pay in advance and can’t make the class, you can watch a recorded video afterward. Register and pay at least 15 minutes in advance at floorpolishdance.com. Most classes are $7, with bundle options available.

Online Improv Drop-in Class. Unscrewed Theater, one of Tucson’s comedy clubs, is offering this opportunity to get silly on Monday nights. And everyone loves a good drop-in class, so you don’t have to make too much of a commitment. No experience necessary, and, heck, no “being in Tucson” necessary, so invite your friends from all over and from all skill levels, so you can look ridiculous together. UA students especially: It’s time you learned that you’re not really a college student at all if you don’t join an improv group at some point. 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Monday nights. Register at bit.ly/ UTZoomDrop-In.

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CHOW

DOWNTOWN REBOUND

After Nearly Seven Months of Pandemic Uncertainty, Downtown’s Bar and Restaurant Scene Is Back

By Austin Counts austin@tucsonlocalmedia.com

DOWNTOWN’S CHARRO STEAK and Del Rey’s world was turned upside down last May. At the time, the restaurant was planning to reopen to coincide with Gov. Doug Ducey lifting his executive order that had shut down Arizona’s service industry amid coronavirus concerns.

Chef Gary Hickey had just placed a big food order earlier in the week with the anticipation his restaurant would be reopening on Friday, May 29.

But Hickey would have to wait a little longer to reopen his doors.

That evening an angry mob filled

downtown’s streets, breaking windows, spray painting walls and starting dumpster fires to protest the in-custody death of Minnesota resident George Floyd. Much of the destruction started in front of Charro Steak and Del Rey on Fifth Avenue and Broadway Boulevard and the restaurant had several windows smashed.

“I had just put in a $10,000 food order for that Friday when the riots broke out,” Hickey said. “We had to donate all that food to the community food bank because there was no way we could reopen after all the damage that happened.”

The restaurant was able to replace the broken glass, pivot and adapt to the situation. After shutting their doors for summer, Charro Steak and Del Rey quietly reopened in September and have steadily been rebuilding their business.

Each weekend is a little busier than the week before, Hickey said.

“We’re at a little bit less than 50 percent occupancy for our dinning rooms, but over the course of evening we’re serving about 250 covers,” Hickey said.

“Our main focus is to make sure our guests are comfortable and we have our protocols in place.”

DALICE SHEPARD

Cup Cafe at Hotel Congress is reopen with a new menu and a new outside dining area on their plaza.

The collective reopening of numerous businesses in the downtown area over this past weekend brought lots of foot traffic, said Hickey. While business at

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his place wasn’t as good as the previous weekends—Charro Steak and Del Rey was one of the only eateries open in downtown during September—Hickey

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said he was pleased to see his restaurateur friends reopen and their establishments filled with eager customers.

“Last weekend was a little weird because we were the only downtown restaurant open for weeks. UA’s Parent’s Weekend was a shit show. We did gem show numbers that night,” Hickey said.

“We actually tailed off a little from what we have been doing. I budgeted for that because I knew there was going to be extra foot traffic downtown and way more options.”

The seasoned chef said he is hopeful business will be (somewhat) back to normal soon as they move into October, which is typically when restaurants and bars start to see an uptick in sales.

“September is usually the worst month of the year for any downtown business and October is our ramping up month,” Hickey said. “Barring any crazy outbreaks and depending on if they shut the bars down again, I think downtown is going to be OK.” Hotel Congress reopened its doors on Thursday, Oct. 1, with a new menu and a newly designed outside dining room for their restaurant, Cup Cafe. The establishment has only shut their doors twice in their 101 years in business—

during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 and a 1934 fire that ultimately led to the capture of Public Enemy No. 1 John Dillinger. Senior marketing and events manager Dalice Shepard said their return to business over the weekend was a special moment.

“We had great numbers all weekend and the weather was absolutely beautiful outside,” Shepard said. “People really enjoyed being able to listen to live music on Friday and Saturday evenings and on Sunday was our first Blues and BBQ event with music on the plaza and barbeque being served from our food truck.”

Shepard said comparing their sales this past weekend to last year was difficult but they are seeing more traffic than when they attempted to reopen in June.

“I’ll say we really are able to see a complete difference to the numbers we were doing last June, which was minimal,” Shepard said. “We’re shooting for sales similar to last year and we’re doing well. We can only see business going up from here.”

Shepard also said Hotel Congress’ guests were acting extremely responsible during the reopening and hotel staff reported no incidents over the weekend.

“Guests over the weekend have been

great about compliance with rules and regulations regarding COVID-19,” Shepard said. “They would put back on their masks as they left their tables and were not moving tables or chairs closer and that helped us maintain our social distancing and capacity requirements.

It felt good that everything went so smoothly.”

Down the street along Sixth Avenue near Toole Avenue sits John Henry’s, a bar that has spent the majority of its first year in business closed by the pandemic.

Co-owner Sean Humphrey said while their first year has had its share of challenges, they are happy to be reopened and are starting to see people coming through their doors.

“God bless our regulars. They were the first people to be waiting at the door with their masks on when we reopened,” Humphrey said. “By the grace of God and our loyal supporters, we’ve been able to get back to work. It’s coming back.”

John Henry’s guests have been very respectful of the bar’s new guidelines and requirements they have to adhere to so they can continue to do business, said Humphrey.

“Nobody has been getting NFL

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 13

blitzed while they’re here and that’s been helpful,” Humphrey said. “They’ve been treating us with respect and seem to understand that being here is a privilege based on the state. They’re acting right.”

Humphrey said business last weekend was better than the two previous weekends and seemingly building up steam. But the owner doesn’t believe business will be back as it was before the pandemic anytime soon.

“It’s a close facsimile but it’s never going to feel like we’re back to normal until there is a vaccine in place,” Humphrey said. ■

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OCT. 8, 2020

Medical Marijuana

PRAGMATIC HARM REDUCTION Travel guru Rick Steves advocates for an end to pot prohibition

By David Abbott david@tucsonlocalmedia.com RICK STEVES WANTS TO end pot prohibition one state at a time.

Therefore, the well-known travel guru has spent the past two decades—and a substantial amount of money—advocating for marijuana laws appearing on state ballots in order to “legalize, tax and regulate” the drug.

“One thing I’m very clear about when I’m talking about marijuana is I’m not ‘pro marijuana,’” he said. “I don’t go on the campaign trail and advocate for laws that I think are just ‘pro-pot’ laws: I’m into civil liberties; I’m into public health; I’m

into respect for law enforcement, I’m into pragmatic harm reduction.”

Steves has a huge international following. Since 1976, his face and genteel persona have become a staple to generations of American travelers through his best-selling guidebooks, a popular PBS travel series and a weekly public radio show. In the 21st century, he has dedicated his time and fortune to ending pot prohibition in the United States, even serving on the board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana laws for more than 10 years.

He brings a “European sensibility” to his advocacy.

“I’ve spent 100 days a year for the last 30 years in Europe, and I’m just fascinated by how different societies deal with complicated, persistent problems,” Steves said.

“I like Europeans’ approach. I think it’s an approach of pragmatic harm reduction, rather than legislating morality and incarceration. It’s actually doing a job better than our prohibition.”

This year, he is focusing on four states with legalization on the ballot: Montana, South Dakota, New Jersey and Arizona. Should the four initiatives pass this November, there would be 15 states with legalized recreational cannabis. There are currently 33 states, including Arizona, with legalized medical marijuana laws on the books.

Steves’ journey to advocacy took off in 2012, when he was a lead funder, co-sponsor and spokesperson for I-502, which legalized, taxed and regulated marijuana in Washington state. Since then he has moved on to support successful campaigns in Oregon, in 2014; Massachusetts and Maine, in 2016; and in Illinois and Michigan, in 2018.

The group that initially supported I-502 did so “on a hunch” that use would not go up among adults, teen use would not go up, and road safety would stay the same.

They were also convinced legalization would replace “a thriving black market that was enriching and empowering gangs and organized crime with a highly regulated and highly taxed legal market,” according to Steves.

“Eight years later, we have a track record,” he said. “You can have our opposition cherry pick statistics and con people into thinking that use will go up and road safety will go down, but any honest look at the situation will see that there’s a track record and we know what happens when we legalize, tax and regulate.”

According to the Marijuana Policy Project, an advocacy and lobbying group formed in 1995, legalized pot in Washington and Colorado enjoy widespread popularity with citizens, at 65 percent and 71 percent respectively, and the laws have largely had the expected effect on crime and economic activity.

In 2019, Colorado collected more than $300 million in taxes from marijuana businesses and Washington generated $440 million. Cities and towns also benefited, collecting millions of dollars in local taxes and fees.

Both states have enjoyed increases in tourism, and the legal cannabis industry has provided jobs in a thriving legal, taxed

OCT. 8, 2020

and regulated industry. In Colorado, 41,953 individuals are licensed to work in the marijuana industry with 1,686 marijuana business owners, as well as increased business for attendant industries, including construction, security, legal and real estate.

Teen use has not increased in those states and black markets and drug cartels have suffered with widespread legalization happening throughout the U.S. “There’s no statistical evidence that there is any correlation between consumption and how easy the laws are on marijuana,” Steves said. “In fact, there’s not a reservoir of decent people that would love to ruin their lives smoking pot if only it was legal: If you wanna smoke marijuana in Arizona, you do. Now it’s a criminal activity: After the election you’ll do it as a responsible adult American exercising a civil liberty.”

Despite the current political divide in American, for Steves the issue is not one of Republicans versus Democrats, it’s one of civil liberties and states’ rights. He sees Arizona as fertile ground for legalization, due to its citizens’ love of personal freedom and its “civil libertarian” bent.

“Most people who vote for legalized marijuana do not like marijuana. They’re just smart citizens recognizing that the law is causing more problems than the drug it’s designed to protect us from,” he said. “I love to talk to conservative groups about this because many people think this is a liberal versus conservative idea, or that Democrats are for it and Republicans are against it.”

Steves says the conversation has been heavily influenced by what he calls the PPP: the Pot Prohibition Profiteers, the “hired hands that sow confusion and misinformation” in service of legalization opponents, including the pharmaceutical industry.

He is also fighting what he calls the “dickish insistence on the part of our

COURTESY PHOTO

Travel guru Rick Steves enjoys a marijuana bouquet in his Edmonds, Washington home.

Steves has become a powerful advocate of legalized cannabis in the U.S.

government to impose its hang-ups on marijuana to every other country on the face of this planet,” via foreign policy that forces adherence to anti-pot policing through trade sanctions.

“Some people are hopelessly wired by a generation of Reefer Madness propaganda and the billions and billions of dollars spent by our government, which is hellbent on keeping marijuana illegal,” Steves said. “But if people can just take a moment and learn about the issue and also recognize that we have a track record now, they would be comfortable voting to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana in Arizona and still not be pro-drug.”

Recent polling shows that citizens of Arizona are ready to pass Prop 207, the Smart and Safe Arizona Act on the ballot next month. Strategies 360, the political advocacy group working to get the proposition passed, recently conducted a poll of 800 likely voters showing 57 percent to 38 percent in favor of the proposition.

Of those polled, Democrats and Independents supported 207 by margins of 70 percent, while Republican support was at 42 percent.

The Arizona Republic even endorsed Smart and Safe, calling the criminalization of cannabis a “historic wrong” and citing a Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 15

showing support for Proposition 207 at 45.6 percent versus 34.2 percent opposed, with about 19 percent of voters undecided.

But to Steves, the issue is clear cut.

“We have a challenge in our society: There is a very popular drug that can be abused and cause problems,” he said.

“How do we deal with it to look out for our children? How do we deal with it to look out for our Black and brown and poor communities? How do we deal with it in regards to the opioid crisis that’s costing us more lives than the Vietnam War cost us?”

He sees pot prohibition ending, as there has been a wave of state laws passed, with full legalization in Canada and Brazil, that are turning the tide much like the tide turned on alcohol prohibition in the 20th century.

“A prohibition is taken down one state at a time and the federal government doesn’t just voluntarily wake up one morning and say, ‘Oh, this law was mistaken. Let’s not do it anymore,’” he said. “I just think a state like Arizona that really values libertarian values and conservative values and civil liberties would be offended by a federal prohibition that dictates how Arizona should treat the use of a recreational drug.” ■

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

By Rob Brezsny. Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s EXPANDED WEEKLY HOROSCOPE 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700 $1.99 per minute. 18 and over. Touchtone phone required.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): “A person’s best ally is someone who takes care of herself,” says actress Susan Clark. I heartily agree. The people with whom you can cultivate the most resilient bonds and most interesting synergy are those who have a high degree of self-sufficiency—those who take rigorous responsibility for themselves and treat themselves with tender compassion. In the coming weeks, Aries, I think it’s especially important for you to emphasize relationships with allies who fit that description. Bonus! Their exemplary self-care will influence you to vigorously attend to your own self-care.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): According to my reading of the astrological potentials, the coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to take a vacation in reverse. What’s that? It’s when you devote yourself to renewing and reinvigorating your relationship with the work you love. You intensify your excitement for the vocation or job or long-term quest that teaches you important life lessons. You apply yourself with sublime enthusiasm to honing the discipline you need to fulfill the assignments you came to earth to accomplish.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “If you are not having fun you are doing something wrong,” said comedian Groucho Marx. He was exaggerating so as to drive home his humorous point, but his idea contains some truth—and will be especially applicable to you in the immediate future. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you have a temporary exemption from feeling frantically dour and unpleasantly dutiful. As crazy as the world is right now, you have a cosmic mandate to enjoy more playtime and amusement than usual. The rest of us are depending on you to provide us with doses of casual cheer.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): “Leave the door open for the unknown, the door into the dark,” writes

Cancerian author Rebecca Solnit, adding, “That’s where the most important things come from.” I think this is good advice for you in the coming weeks. What exactly does it mean? How and why should you do what she advises? My first suggestion is to reframe your conception of the unknown and the dark. Imagine them as the source of everything new; as the place from which the future comes; as the origin of creative changes. Then instruct your imagination to be adventurous as it explores brewing possibilities in the dark and the unknown.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “If something comes to life in others because of you, then you have made an approach to immortality,” wrote author Norman Cousins. Whether or not you believe the “immortality” part of his formulation, I’m sure you understand how fabulous it is when you help activate beauty and vitality in someone. You may even feel that inspiring people to unleash their dormant potential is one of the most noble pleasures possible. I bring these thoughts to your attention, Leo, because I suspect that you now have exceptional power to perform services like these for your allies, friends, and loved ones. I dare you to make it one of your top priorities.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “The messiah will come when we don’t need him any more,” said author Franz Kafka. In that spirit, and in alignment with current astrological omens, I will tell you that the precise help you wish you could attract into your life will show up as soon as you make initial efforts to provide that help to yourself. Here are some additional nuances: The gift or blessing you think you need most will be offered to you by fate once you begin giving that gift or blessing to yourself. A rescuer will arrive not too long after you take steps to rescue yourself. You’ll finally figure out how to make practical use of a key lesson as you’re teaching that lesson to someone you care for.

SAVAGE LOVE QUICKIES

By Dan Savage, mail@savagelove.net

I was dumped in August by a guy I was seeing for 10 months. He told me that he wants to work on himself and “needs to be selfish” right now. Since then, we have spoken every day, shared numerous dinners, and gone on hikes. Our friendship is killing me. With him I hold it together.

Away from him I cry all the time. I’ve started seeing a therapist and I’m on medication. I’m trying to be mature about the breakup and match his level of “coolness” but it’s destroying me. My friends tell me that I should stay away from him, allow some time to pass, and reassess. But the thought of losing him is almost has bad as the thought of keeping

him in my life.

—Simply Heartbroken And Talking To Ex Really Extending Depression P.S. I should also mention that I ended a ten-year relationship for the opportunity to date him.

“Hey, Dan, what I’m doing is making me miserable—should I stop?”

Yes, SHATTERED, you should stop.

Your friends are giving you excellent advice: stay away from this guy for at least a year—don’t talk on the phone (with him), don’t share meals (with him), don’t go on hikes (with him)—and then see how you feel after you’ve talked, shared

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Libran author Ursula K. Le Guin said that we don’t just naturally know how to create our destinies. It takes research and hard work. “All of us have to learn how to invent our lives, make them up, imagine them,” she wrote.

“We need to be taught these skills; we need guides to show us how. If we don’t, our lives get made up for us by other people.” I bring this to your attention, Libra, because the coming weeks will be an excellent time to upgrade and refine your mastery of these essential powers. What can you do to enhance your capacity to invent your life?

Which teachers and information sources might be helpful?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In 1984, hip hop group Run-DMC was the first to achieve a gold record in their genre, meaning they sold more than 500,000 albums. Their next album sold over a million.

They were pioneers. In 1986, legendary producer Rick Rubin encouraged them to do a remake of “Walk This Way,” a song by the hard rock band Aerosomith. The members of Run-DMC didn’t want to do it; they felt the tune was in a genre too unlike their own. But Rubin eventually convinced them, and the cross-pollination was phenomenally successful. The Run-DMC-meets-Aerosmith collaboration launched a new genre that sold very well.

The song was later voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In this spirit, and in accordance with current cosmic rhythms, I urge you to try a bold hybrid or two yourself, Scorpio: blends of elements or influences that may seem a bit improbable. They could ultimately yield big dividends.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You Sagittarians periodically go through phases when you specialize in stirring up fresh intuitions. I mean, you’re always one of the zodiac’s Intuition Champions, but during these special times, your flow becomes an overflow. You have a knack for seeking and finding visions of the interesting future; you get excited by possibilities that are on the frontiers of your confidence. From what I can tell, your life in recent weeks has been bringing you these delights—and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

meals, and gone on hikes with other people. It’s always nice when exes are friends, MTP, but it’s not an easy pivot and it can’t be executed instantly. And transition to friendship is always much harder for the person who was dumped— because of course it is—and it’s even harder when a selfish dumper accepts or demands the kind of attention and emotional support from the dumpee that the dumper is longer entitled to.

P.S. If you ended a 10-year relationship to date someone—if you ended it for a romantic prospect, not a romantic certainty (and there’s no such thing as a romantic certainty)—then that 10year relationship needed to end. If your ex-boyfriend implored you to end that 10-year relationship and 10 months later dumped you to “work on himself” and

Take maximum advantage. Aggressively gather in the gifts being offered by your inner teacher.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Calling on my expert knowledge of healing language and imaginative psychology, I have formulated a mantra for you to use in the next six weeks. I suggest you say it five times after you wake up, and again at mid-day, and before dinner, and before sleep. It should help keep you intimately aligned with the dynamic groove that the cosmos will be conspiring to provide for you. For best results, picture yourself as glowing inside with the qualities named in the mantra.

Here it is: StrongBrightFree ClearBoldBrisk DeepNimbleKind AdroitSteadyWarm.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles features displays that extol the musicians who’ve won Grammy Awards over the years. A few years ago, a distinctly unfamous musician named Paz Dylan made professional-looking fake posters touting his own magnificent accomplishments, and managed to sneakily hang them on the museum walls. They remained there for a month before anyone noticed. I’m going to encourage you to engage in similar gamesmanship in the coming weeks, Aquarius. It’ll be a favorable time to use ingenuity and unconventional approaches to boost your confidence and enhance your reputation.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “Relationships never stop being a work in progress,” writes author Nora Roberts. That’s bad news and good news. It’s bad news because even for the most loving bond, you must tirelessly persist in the challenging task of reinventing the ways the two of you fit together.

It’s good news because few activities can make you more emotionally intelligent and soulfully wise than continually reinventing the ways the two of you fit together. I bring these thoughts to your attention because the coming weeks will be a fertile time for such daunting and rewarding work. ■ Homework: What’s the most interesting and transformative action you could take right now? Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com.

then did everything in his power to keep you all to himself even after dumping you, then that “friendship” needs to end too. At least for the time being.

My name is a variation on “John Smith.”

I met a woman and she liked me but then she did a cheapo background check on me and found a “John Smith” who had committed felonies—including assaulting a high school principal—and ended things with me. I am not that “John Smith” and I am innocent of these crimes! She had every reason to trust me: we met at my house and she viewed the premises without incident. What do I do?

—Not That Guy You had this woman over to yours, NTG, and she viewed the premises

OCT. 8, 2020

without incident. OK…so you didn’t rape or kill her when she dropped in and that speaks well absolute bare fucking minimum of your character. But it doesn’t obligate her to keep seeing you.

If you can prove you’re not John Smith, High School Principal Assaulter, and she doesn’t care, NTG, then there’s some other reason doesn’t want to see you again. (Was there a MAGA hat on the premises?) But whatever her real reason is/real reasons are, you’ve been given a “no.” And like everyone else, NTG, you have to take “no” for an answer even when it feels unfair or arbitrary.

I’ve been with my boyfriend for almost five years and everything is amazing except that he sees his ex-girlfriend when I’m not around. He says she wants to meet me but he never wants to meet up with her when I’m with him. Their “dates” are becoming more frequent. She’s a single mom and he has expressed to me that he wants to be in her son’s life. My feelings of discomfort are escalating and I’m having trouble believing him when he says he wants me to meet her. When I bring this up, he gets angry and says I’m being too emotional. Am I being a crazy jealous girlfriend? I need some help. I want to be a better person. Should I reach out to his ex-girlfriend directly

MATTER OF RECORD

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

“I want to find ways to make it easier for people to help us keep those records current,” he said.

White supports the application of an automatic signature verification system he believes would lead to quicker, more accurate results in elections. He would also like to independently audit every ballot cast.

“That way, you have two independent records of what votes were cast and how many votes each individual candidate got. There’s no question, then, about the accuracy of the results,” White said. “I think that would be very helpful to instill more confidence by the voters in the election process and in our system of government.”

Cázares-Kelly wants to establish ballot dropboxes and implement a text ballot automatic signature verification system he believes would lead to quicker, more accurate results in elections. He would

since my boyfriend refuses to make it happen? Or do I bail on the relationship?

I feel that uncomfortable.

—Ex-Girlfriend Looms Over Everything Bail.

I’m in my early 30s and I’ve been struggling to make new friends. A lot of the people in my extended social circle are polyamorous/queer, and while I identify as queer, I’m in a monogamish relationship that isn’t poly. Lately I have been finding that I have been getting approached a lot by people who want a romantic/sexual connection. It seems like the only people who want me around lately want in my pants and they assume because I’m queer I’m also poly without asking directly. So people ask me if I want to “hangout” and I’m often unsure if they mean “hangout” in a date context or a friend context. I’ve ended up on dates I didn’t know I was going on! My biggest issue is that I don’t understand why people want to date/ fuck me but don’t want to be my friend.

I’m pretty average looking and I am not overly flirty. So why is this happening?

—Noodling On This Problem Over Lattes, Yeah?

clarity: “Hangout? I’d love to! But do you mean ‘hangout’ as in ‘spend time together as friends’ or ‘hangout’ as in ‘let’s-goon-a-date’? I ask because I’ve wound up on a couple of dates that I didn’t know were dates and it was awkward.” As for why this is happening…well, either the poly people in your social circle assume—incorrectly—that all queer people are poly or you’re much more attractive than you’re giving yourself credit for, NOTPOLY, or some combo of both.

There’s nothing stopping you from asking—asking directly—for a little

I’m a gay man who, due to extensive BDSM play, has developed very prominent nipples. They’re always erect and very visible through my clothing unless I wear outrageous patterns or tape them down. Yes, I’m somewhat embarrassed by them. I don’t have gynecomastia (moobs), just really, really, really noticeable nipples. While they are a definite boon between the sheets, they’re a bane on the streets because I’m very self-conscious about them. Do people notice this sort of thing on men? Is their reaction negative? Am I being ridiculed behind my back? Mind you, folks universally treat me with kindness and respect, probably because that’s how I approach everyone else, but a little voice in my head keeps telling me there’s this shameful part of my body that’s being made

also like to independently audit every ballot cast.

“That way, you have two independent records of what votes were cast and how many votes each individual candidate got. There’s no question, then, about the accuracy of the results,” White said. “I think that would be very helpful to instill more confidence by the voters in the election process and in our system of government.”

Cázares-Kelly wants to establish ballot dropboxes and implement a text ballot confirmation system that notifies voters once their ballot is received and counted.

“We hear so often that people don’t feel like their votes count. But then you receive a text message or an email automatically that says your vote has been counted, and I think that’s really powerful,” she said.

While Cázares-Kelly has criticized her opponent for his comments on the Native American community, White has reservations about his opponent’s experience.

“I just don’t think that she is at all qualified. She’s been involved as a community organizer and a social activist.

Those are all really great things to be involved in, but that’s not the role of the recorder,” White said. “The recorder has to be completely impartial, fair to comply with the law. My opponent seems to be almost entirely focused on the Tohono O’odham people...I just don’t feel it’s appropriate for the Pima County Recorder to go in there and start telling people in those sovereign nations what they should or should not be doing.”

Cázares-Kelly believes her experience in community outreach makes her the perfect fit for the job.

“I think that [White’s] bureaucratic experience has obviously shut him off to the needs of everyday people,” she said.

“It’s really important to know that not everybody goes into public office having experienced what it is to be in that office.

It takes leadership, accountability, a vision, creativity—those are things that can’t be replicated in other ways.”

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 17

fun of by everyone. Well, everyone except the guys who helped get me to this point.

Your thoughts?

—Tortured In Tormenting Situations Only a small percentage of the people you meet will notice your nipples, TITS, and the thought processes for 99.9% of the people who do will go something like this: “Big nips. Eh, whatever”; the noticers will immediately file this useless-to-them information about your tits away and never give it/them another thought. (Unless you’re Andrew Cuomo.) I think you’re self-conscious about your tits because you know why they’re so prominent: extensive and, I assume, highly enjoyable BDSM play, TITS, and you worry other people—straight people, vanilla people, judgy gays—will take one look and realize you’re kinky motherfucker. But most people won’t make that leap and the ones who do are either kinky themselves or, if not, they aren’t going to dwell on your tits are or hold them against you. Stop kink-shaming yourself. You earned those tits—you suffered for them—and you should be proud of them! mail@savagelove.net Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage. www.savagelovecast.com

Although Cázares-Kelly and White disagree on many policies, they both agree that the position they’re running for is essential to democracy.

“Trust in our elections is really fundamental to our trust in our system of government,” White said. “When the citizens can’t trust when they send that ballot and it gets counted properly, and that the reported results are accurate, then we devolve into some kind of third world mentality where somebody else is pulling all the strings behind the curtain.”

Cázares-Kelly agrees that trust in the county recorder results in higher voter confidence in elections and clearer guidelines on how to exercise one’s civic duties.

“This position is the first line of communication between you and your most fundamental of rights as a U.S. citizen to vote,” Cázares-Kelly said. “It doesn’t matter if you have the right to vote if you don’t know how to exercise your right.” ■

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25 Apollo command module, for one 27 Thunder, but not Lightning 31 One doing menial work 32 100% 33 One adorns the Statue of Liberty 36 Rama and Krishna, e.g.

38 Home of Whitman College 43 “See ya!”

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57 Synthetic 59 Bank security option?

63 Got even with 64 Recover … or what 17-, 25-, 38- and 51-Across do?

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6 Org. in “Die Hard”

Core of an alkaline battery 8 U, V or W, on the periodic table 9 Exaggerate for effect 10 Made like a shark?

11 One seeking change 12 Unfinished story?

13 The ones over there 18 Facial feature missing from many emojis 24 Big ___, nickname for slugger David Ortiz 26 Sonic the Hedgehog creator 27 Photographer Goldin 28 Group of voters 29 Devices that work by comparing air pressures 30 Mineralogical eponym 34 Key used to get out, not in 35 Polite term of address 7

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Action under a File menu 39 Sporting event profiled in the 2014 documentary “Queens & Cowboys” 40 Gaming novice, slangily 41 Finish, with “up” 42 Get unionized?

47 Former pro wrestling star ___ Bigelow 49 Place to be marooned 50 Accessory clipped to a dress shirt 51 Some answers on history exams 52 Colleague of Ginsburg and Roberts 53 0% of the population 54 Not quite right?

58 Work with needles 60 Glen 61 Monopoly subj.

62 Scraped (out) 65 Keeps posted, in a way 37

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