Day 2 - LA County enters Red Tier for the first time
My masterpiece…
3/16/21. Tuesday
10:00 – 11:00 - I wake up feeling sooo well-rested. Unfortunately, I was sooo well-rested that I overslept for my 10:30 therapy session! I text her immediately, apologize, and ask if I can reschedule. She kindly reschedules my session for 1:30 today.
Downstairs to say good morning to the dog. It looks like she’s taking a nap so I rub her tummy to wake her up. I notice that she pooped near the front door. After three rubs, she grabs her toy and we go outside. She poops and we go inside, but she doesn’t understand that she’s supposed to do No. 1 and No. 2 at the same time, so we return outside so she can go potty. She pooped on the patio, too, so I clean that while she does her business.
Back inside for her treat (cheese) and coffee for me. Upstairs and I go through my books, looking for my next read. I settle on Strangers Tend to Tell Me Things and read for about 30 minutes.
11:00-12:00 – I’m craving eggs today, so I make scrambled eggs with whipping cream [we’re out of almond milk] and shredded cheese. I eat half the eggs, store the rest, and read two Money Diaries.
12:00-1:15 – Shower. Spa Day. Lotion. Covid-19 uniform. Light make-up. I leave for my therapy session.
1:30-2:00 – Session goes well and my therapist graciously waives my missed appointment fee [$80].
2:30 – 4:30 - Home and L. is completely overwhelmed. She has to turn in THREE art projects and TWO essays, but can’t start any of it because she is currently in a Zoom call for one of her classes. Additionally, she’s been commissioned for two pieces - a cat and an anime character – that she would like to finish ASAP. I ask L. if she had a TA, which project would she assign to said TA? L. thinks that SHE has to personally complete all of the projects, but I disagree. We troubleshoot and decide that I’ll complete the cubist assignment that she has to turn in for one of her classes.
I’ve never painted before, but L. sets me up in the kitchen and gives me a 5-minute tutorial, with a miniature easel and a miniature canvas. One of L.’s previous pieces is my “reference” [that’s how artists speak] and I use that as my guide. I listen to True Crime Garage.
I finish and I’m kind of proud of it (LOL). L. tells me I did a good job, then proceeds to fix it [smile emoji here]. She says there was very little to correct. My “masterpiece” is at the top of today’s post.
4:30-5:30 – I take the dog for a walk. Since we didn’t get out the last two days, we make two laps around the compound and take our time. She’s very happy. I listen to Fresh Air.
5:30-7:30 – Yard work. It’s been raining a lot and the patio and red-rock bed are covered in leaves. I sweep the entire patio, then pull leaves out of the red-rock bed and remove from the section around the fountain. Several sections of my potted plant is on the ground again – I think part of it broke from the wind and rain – so I perform surgery and wrap the roots in a wet paper towel until I can transplant it to a different pot. I pick up dog poop and water a few plants. Finally, I wrap several sections of the gazebo stand with duct tape since portions of the fencing/trellis have rusted through. I know this isn’t a legitimate fix, but it’s the best I can do. Duct tape, super glue, and paint solve all. I listen to This is Uncomfortable.
7:30-8:30 – I eat almond slices with almond butter and grapes while I read Strangers.
8:30-9:30 – I do a 40-minute Insanity workout. This one is called Pure Cardio and does not allow any 30-second water breaks like some of the other workouts. I make it through the entire workout, stopping three times, for a few seconds, to drink water. Towards the end, my reps aren’t as fast as the athletes, but my speed is improving. I’ve been doing the workout in my socks, since I’m upstairs and I don’t want to mess up my carpet BUT, it’s time I purchased some indoor tennis shoes, as I think doing these work-outs will be a part of my routine for awhile.
9:30-10:30 – Recover. I have a glass of champagne and read Strangers.
10:30-12:00 – Down stairs and I watch the second half of Indochine. I eat some of L.’s potato chips – she said I could have some.
12:00 –1:00 - I check email from College No. 2 and respond to some of my students. Then I go through both Canvas shells and send a notification to those students who did not complete the quizzes for last week’s Module and ask if I can be of assistance.
-I finish a podcast quiz for Specialty class 1A and post to Canvas. I also prepare the prompt for next Monday’s Discussion Board. I listen to Organize 365.
1:00-2:00 – The Anonymous Grader approved my Module #14 assignment and opened up the LAST MODULE [Module #16] for me!! This Module addresses the Canvas gradebook and how to create assignments, which I already know. The last assignment? Submit my dates/times of availability to Professor W. for my “walk through.” I do this and I have officially completed my DE course. I did it.
2:00-3:00 – I work on the next Discussion Board post for the second part of the Indochine assignment for my French Cinema class. I’m doing a compare-and-contrast between John the Baptist and Jean Baptiste, a character in the film, but this is slow-going.
-I talk to L. about college. She said that the number of POC who applied to UCLA for Fall 2021, which is when L. applied, is unprecedented. This is a real concern….as a white/Korean female, does L. even have a chance of acceptance when UCLA is flooded with black and brown applicants? Look at what happened with the Getty internship. What if L. doesn’t find a college placement? L.’s college application to Irvine is still in play, but she starts working on her submission to Otis College of Art and Design, just in case. Otis is incredibly overpriced, however, and L. really doesn’t want to go there…Although this is stressful for me, I know it’s even more stressful for L. We are both inundated/overwhelmed with work and anxiety, L. way more than me, and we both need a break…
3:00-4:00 – Kitchen duty. Fill the dog food and water dispensers. Take the dog out and lock up.
4:00-4:30 – Night time routine. Bed.