Day 11 - Governor Newsom imposes new restrictions

Thanksgiving 2020…

Thursday. 11/26/20. Thanksgiving.

9:00 – 10:30 - Awake and I lie in bed until 9:30. Downstairs and I say good morning to the dog and rub her tummy.  She grabs her toy – I should have mentioned this long ago, but the dog has to take a toy with her every time we go outside.  It’s like she views the toy as a little friend that is keeping her company.   The only thing is she forgets to bring the toy back inside, so after a couple days, the yard is littered with her toys, which I have to collect and put in her special basket.

The dog goes potty and back inside for bacon for her and hot lemon water for me.  I lock her in, then go outside and water all my plants.  When I’m done, I find that the dog tore the cover off the couch because she was upset that she couldn’t go outside, too. I fix it, then report to my office.  There are a few emails from students that I have to field, even though it’s Thanksgiving.

10:30-12:00 - The first email is from my Thursday evening student who accused me of not responding to his emails quickly enough, when, in fact, I responded within a 10-minute period asking the student to state, in complete sentences, the issue he is having.  I followed up on Tuesday with the same request.

Today, I see that he responded yesterday, Wednesday.  Instead of responding in complete sentences, he cryptically writes: “I have an issue with the Chapter 6 quiz.”  “I have an issue with the Chapter 15 quiz.”  The Chapter 6 quiz was due almost 30 days ago and the Syllabus dictates that if a student is experiencing technical difficulties he/she/they must notify me within 24 hours.  That never happened.

At first, I’m surprised that he did not go into further detail, but upon investigating his complaint, I see that the Chapter 6 quiz AND the Chapter 8 quiz were due on the same day.  He completed the Chapter 8 quiz successfully so he can’t very well say he’s having technical difficulties with Chapter 6.  It becomes clear – the student is a liar.  He forgot that two quizzes were due and only completed one, then tried to hide the fact that he completed Chapter 8 by failing to mention it at all.  He just keeps repeating, “I’m having a problem with Chapter 6”, but the problem is he didn’t realize it was due until 30 days later. No.

I email him and point out all of the above.  You were able to complete Chapter 8 with NO technical difficulties???  Why would Chapter 6 be any different. You did not notify me within 24 hours when the technical difficulties were happening.  Informing me that there is an issue 30 days later is unacceptable and the score is 0.

He also reports technical difficulties concerning the Chapter 15 quiz; however, he reported this issue on the day the quiz was due.  Since he failed to go into further detail, I give him the website to our publisher’s Help Desk – they will have to provide assistance, as I don’t know what the student is talking about.  

-L. makes roasted vegetables, stuffing, and cheesy mashed potatoes for today’s dinner.

-My anxiety-student emailed that she is still certain she took the video quiz 35+ days ago, even though there is no record of this, AT ALL, in Canvas.  She says she will accept the 0 because there is nothing else she can do, then rails against me for emailing such a “hostile” response.  This is the “hostile” email I sent last Monday:  “It is unclear why you are questioning the score on a quiz that was assigned 35+ days ago.  This should have been addressed within 24 hours of the due date.”

I don’t bother responding. If you think this is hostile, you will not survive in the working world.

-And finally, an email from one of my favorite students informing me there was a mass-shooting at a huge mall in Milwaukee a few days ago.  Our most recent Socratic Seminar covered mass shooters so this is especially applicable.  I respond appropriately.

12:00-1:30 – I update my blog and taste L.’s dishes as they come out.  Excellent.  Nice work, L.!  My dtox has ended so I have a few bites of the gingerbread cookie L. bought for me two days ago.  Delish! So nice to have sugar again.  Hello sugar!!

1:30-2:30 – I make a strawberry-avocado smoothie, with walnuts, cinnamon, and almond butter and read a Money Diary while I drink it.

-L. leaves to drop off her dishes at B.’s house.  From there, she and R. are going to his Mom’s boyfriend’s house.

2:30-4:00 – Shower. Pants and a sweater. Full make-up.

4:00 – 4:30 – I load up the car with my yam dish and a few odds and ends, then leave for B.’s house.

5:00 – At B’s house for Thanksgiving. This is very irresponsible and I can’t even rationalize it in this blog as we are doing the very thing the CDC and our governor have warned against.  B.’s daughter, J., and her husband, are coming.  They both work from home and have not socialized in months and B. and I have been to their house, poolside, a few times this summer.  Then, there’s me – I never go anywhere unless it’s outside.  But the worst are the kids, L. and R. – two potential Covid-19 carriers who just came from a family gathering at R.’s Mom’s boyfriend’s house. B. cracks one window but that is the only mitigating act we do for this occasion.

I put out L.’s charcuterie board and J. and her husband love it – it’s really, really good. Then, I try to time/coordinate all of L.’s dishes so everything comes out hot, which doesn’t happen.  L. gave me gravy in a jar from Trader Joes to prepare in her stead, and I try to do that, while warming up the dishes at the same time. It’s not happening. The four of us sit down to eat – L. and R. are expected at 6:00 – and we all have to microwave our plates because I just couldn’t time everything sufficiently.

Having said all that, the food tastes great!  B. cooked the turkey and L. made all the sides. 

-L. and R. arrive and the party begins!  Just kidding, but they’re a lively couple.

- I start breaking the food down at 9:00.  There are lots of leftovers for me and L. and B. allows me to take most of the turkey!  Everything is packed and ready to go – L. surreptitiously loads it into my car.

-All of us eat and talk until 10:30 and it is super fun! However, I can’t stop thinking that if even one of us is sick and asymptomatic, the ‘viral load’ we’ve all just experienced [4.5 hours] will have severe consequences.

11:00 – 11:30 - I leave B.’s house and head home.

11:30-12:30 – Home and L. is still up.  We break the food down further and store it in the fridge.  There will be leftovers for days!!  I wash all of our dishes, straighten the kitchen, and take the dog out.

12:30-1:00 – I had originally planned to grade more papers but am too tired.  Night time routine and bed.