Day 2 - Governor Newsom rescinds restrictions - Outdoor dining reinstated!
The brand that a few select women received in NXIVM…
In keeping with the Governor’s mandate opening restaurants and hair salons, College No. 1 also decides to get in on the action. My Acting Dean emails all of us asking what it would take for classes to reopen. He says the Head of Something?? wants to know and we must respond immediately. I check some of the responses from my colleagues and there is a strange emphasis on sanitizing the classrooms and the restrooms. There is no discussion about a better filtration system or installing windows that actually open. One of my colleagues says there should be a mask mandate, EXCEPT when the students are sitting in the classroom. THEN, they need only social distance. I’ve listed my colleagues’ responses below- don’t they know that this is an air born virus? Sanitizing does virtually nothing. The most important thing we can do is to avoid breathing in the virus and the only true protection consists of masks, a decent filtration system, and opening doors and windows, ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
1. We need to wait on returning until a much larger percentage of students & faculty have inoculations (question on whether mandatory inoculations would be possible).
2. Summer session return would be the absolute earliest time to return, while some want to wait until Fall 2021.
3. Cleaning classrooms between sessions, providing sanitizers, maintaining social distancing would be of the utmost importance. Once in their seats, individual masks would not be necessary, provided social distancing is maintained.
4. Maintain regular testing.
5. Limit the number of students in classrooms, others could watch on Zoom.
6. More blended class choices (in-person meetings w/zoom option)
7. Strictly maintain cleanliness of restrooms.
In my opinion, social distancing only goes so far, literally. Science still doesn’t know how far apart we should remain from each other and the 6-feet bubble is an arbitrary calculation. Recall the now infamous “church choir practice incident”, where the virus floated throughout the entire church like a balloon, infecting people in the far corners of the room. Also, recall the infamous “two infected hair dressers” incident. They had a string of clients come in, over a 6 to 8-hour work day. EVERYBODY masked [the hair dressers AND the customers] and NOBODY got sick. Masking is the only true mode of protection and L. and I. have been “double”-masking for the past month.
1/26/21. Tuesday.
6:30 – I set my alarm for 9:00, but woke up early. I listen to What a Day and go back to sleep.
9:00 – 9:15 - My alarm goes off and I feel awful because this is toooo early for me. One of the best things about retirement is waking up when my body is ready. The year before I retired, I was up at 5:00 and in the office by 7:00 a.m., so I could work four 10-hour shifts, in order to have every Wednesday off. If it sounds chaotic, it was. During at least one of those week days, I would have to report for lecture at 7:00 p.m., 2 hours away, teach for three hours, and then return, only to start the 5:00 a.m. shift all over again the next day. I worked similar shifts throughout my entire 25-year state career. What a waste of time and what a physical toll on my body.
I hope that, if anything, Covid-19 has made work-life-balance easier for the next generation. Being chained to a desk for 10-hours a day is ridiculous. Is an employee going to work less simply because he/she is not physically in the office? Covid-19 has proven that employees who work from home are typically more effective.
-Downstairs and I put my coffee in the microwave and take the dog out right away. She pooped by the front door. She goes potty and then back inside: cheese for her, coffee for me. I go upstairs.
9:15-10:00 – I ease into the day by drinking my coffee and reading a Money Diary. Then, I listen to The Daily. Slowly, I start to wake up.
10:00 – 11:00 – Today is not a shower day, but I think hot water will help my sore muscles and get me ready for the bike ride at 11:00. Shower. Lotion. Bike outfit. Light make-up.
11:00 – 11:15 - B. arrives with his bike and…surprise!!!...B. was vaccinated yesterday at, what I refer to as, the Vaccinate in your Vehicle program, i.e., the Magic Mountain drive thru. Somehow, he was able to score an appointment at this location when his friends and neighbors kept getting booted off the website. The entire process took 1 hour and he is scheduled for Dose #2, exactly 3 weeks later. B. has moved into the category of “1% of Americans has received the vaccine.” ***This stat might apply to those Americans who have received BOTH doses. If so, B. is well on his way.
11:15-1:00 – We leave for our bike ride and I take us to a bike path that I thought was new to us, BUT I discover that we’ve already been here before. We pivot and ride the bike path along Newhall Ranch Road, almost to the 126 freeway, where the paseo ends. Nobody is on this path and I like it, although we’re biking along a really busy street. One section of the path is very uphill – B. makes it, but I have to stop and walk my bike part-way. I attribute this to the fact that my bike doesn’t have gears.
We continue on, but B.’s bike chain slips and his pedals lock. He does a temporary fix and we head home. B. has to keep adjusting the chain, but we eventually make it.
1:00-1:45 – To Starbucks and the Burrito Factory for coffee and a breakfast burrito for me, and the Mucho Macho (whatever) for B.
2:00 – 6:00 - at B.’s house and we talk politics, then watch the last episode of How to Fix a Drug Scandal as well as a 2-hour Dateline cold case special featuring my favorite author, Michael Connelly. I drink my coffee and eat my burrito.
-My body starts stiffening and locking up on account of the bike ride. So, I will finally admit, this is a result of old age. Had I done this bike ride in my 40s, I’d be none the worse for wear.
6:00 – 6:30 - I’m ready to go home and I want to check on my matrix assignment for my DE class. In the end, I was really happy with the finished product last night and can’t wait to see the “Anonymous Grader’s” opinion. B. drives me home.
6:30-1030 – I practically run to the computer to see the grade that I got on the assignment. I’m ready to move to Module 4, but I’m stuck in Module 3 until I receive approval from the Anonymous Grader. I pull up the assignment and see that…the Anonymous Grader failed me on the assignment! The matrix was worth 7 points and I fulfilled every category but one. Apparently, I didn’t note how each module builds on the other [there are 11 modules over a 16-week course]. Because I was remiss in ONE category, I am told to make the corrections and resubmit the assignment before I can leave Module 3. Although I received a 6 out of 7, I did not “pass” the assignment. Very disappointing.
-I spend the rest of the evening making the corrections and then I resubmit. Recall that I’m not being paid for any of this.
10:30 – 11:00 – I check emails at both colleges. The Administrative Secretary for the high school I’m supposed to be teaching at never bothered to respond to my request for clarification regarding the school schedule. I asked for clarification a week ago…nothing. I have no idea the day/time I’m supposed to teach these kids, nor do I know their names or when school starts. In the end, I guess I don’t care enough to pursue this more vigorously, even though I was originally excited to teach high school kids again especially since I owe $2300 in taxes because of this extra gig.
11:00-11:30 – I have some of L.’s dim sum leftovers, a noodle dish and green beans and pork. It’s really too late to be eating this carb-laden meal.
-My body is still stiff.
12:00 –3:00 - L. has some time in her schedule to watch a show with me, so I pick Seduced, a documentary about the NIXIM ponzi scheme where a small group of women are actually ‘branded’ like cows. I listened to the podcast series last year and really liked it. The documentary is fascinating and L. and I end up watching two episodes (we typically ‘pause-and-talk’ when we watch movies). Highly recommend.
3:00-3:45 – I lay my clothes out for tomorrow. Nighttime routine. Bed.