Day 21 since I was injected with the J&J vaccine

My first eye exam in almost 2 years…

4/29/21. Thursday

7:00 – 7:30 - I set my alarm for 7:00, but I need transition time before I can actually get out of bed. I’m at 99 pounds today.

7:30-7:45 – Downstairs to greet the animal and I rub her tummy three times before we can finally go outside.  There is poop on the patio that I have to remove so I do it.  The dog does her business and we return inside – “Beyond Burger” bites for her; coffee for me. I go upstairs.

7:45-8:45 – Shower. Lotion. Covid-19 uniform. Bare minimum make-up.

8:45-9:00 – I grab my coffee and leave for my teeth cleaning appointment.

9:00-10:00 – At the dentist.  There are two patients in the waiting room and everyone, including staff, is masked. I’m relieved to see my dentist is back in business.  Last year, she was so despondent over the pandemic and the loss of her patients that she wanted to move to Idaho.  One year later, today, she tells me “Business is great!”  I’m so happy for her!  No cavities, BTW.

10:00-10:15 – Return home.  I drink my coffee on the way.

10:15-10:45 – I check email at College No. 2 and send brief progress reports for two students through the college’s Connect software program.

10:45-11:30 – I heat up some of the Hamburger Helper I made yesterday and read a Money Diary outside, at my patio table. I text B. that I can use my Walgreens account to develop some pictures for him, but he says he already went to Walgreens.

11:30-1:45 – Blog posts and I read Aftermath.

-L. tells me that B. was just here to check on my work bench that he’s going to transport to his daughter’s house in San Marino.  I had no idea! and when I check my phone I see he texted me earlier that he wanted to look at the work bench and see how heavy it is. I text B. and say that I’m sorry I missed him.

1:45-2:30 – Freshen up clothes and make-up.

2:30-3:00 – I leave for my eye appointment.  This is huge! When people were asked the first thing they were going to do after the pandemic ended, people typically responded with “Travel! Hug Grandma and Grandpa! Go to a bar!  See my friends!” No. 1 on my bucket list was “Get an eye exam!”   I was too afraid to go during the pandemic, even if everyone masked.  Eye exams and getting glasses are so up close and personal…I just couldn’t go…I was too anxious. As soon as the obligatory 14-days passed from the date I was vaccinated, I made an appointment. It’s been almost two years since my last eye exam.

3:00-5:00 – Arrive at the vision center. Not much has changed except the waiting room is sparse – this place really used to pack the patients in, but it doesn’t look like they do that anymore.  Everyone is masking and staff wear little buttons that say, “I’m vaccinated.” It is test after test until I finally see a female Asian doctor, wearing an N-95, who takes her time with me. Unfortunately, like my other optometrist 2 years ago, this optometrist is also afraid I have glaucoma and refers me for more tests. Glaucoma was ruled out in 2019 so having to repeat the process is a bummer… At least my prescription is updated.  She fits me for a new pair of contacts, which I get to wear out of the office for a trial run. I can already see much better.

-This place is a one-stop shop, meaning they sell glasses, too.  I pick out some cute frames – I’m soooo sick of the glasses I’ve been wearing – and order daily contacts. Then, I schedule an appointment for “Glaucoma Day.”

5:00-5:30 – Return home.

5:30-6:00 – Class starts in 30 minutes.  Class content and the Discussion Board are ready to go, but I check it one more time before I deploy.  The students are listening to a lecture, watching a documentary, and taking a video quiz.

6:00-9:00 – Class begins. I post the link to the lecture and respond to emails.

6:30-7:15 – I take the dog for a walk and listen to Slates Political Gabfest

-I post the link to the documentary.

-I take attendance and notify those students who did not sign in on the Discussion Board that they will be marked absent.

-I send an email blast to the students, reminding them that the Final is next week.

-I’m currently organizing the material for my four classes.  I have separate electronic folders for each class, of course, but some of the items are dumped in a bit haphazardly, so I’ve been editing and curating the contents, but focusing on the Core Class because it’s the “work horse” of the bunch, i.e., the bread-and-butter class that I use the most. Because I’m being evaluated at College No. 2, I have “intros” to all my chapter review and video quizzes; HOWEVER, I don’t have the same intros at College No. 1. I really need to save the intros onto a thumb drive for posterity’s sake, because the last time I didn’t, College No. 2 removed my classes from the “dashboard” at the end of the semester and I lost ALL of my material – I had to recreate everything from scratch, which was a bit of a nightmare.

Tonight, during class, I began moving my chapter and video quiz intros onto my thumb drive and organizing the contents.  I also load my AUDIO files onto the thumb drive.

9:00-9:30 – Class ends, but I hang around for awhile, in case the students have questions or comments.  Continue working on moving my chapter quiz intros onto the thumb drive. I decide to call it a day.

9:30 – 11:00 - Gardening.  I pick up the dog poop and hose down the Astroturf (I hope my neighbor doesn’t mind the noise from the pressure wash), then I water all of my plants.

11:00-11:30 – I read a Money Diary as I mentally prepare for tonight’s Insanity workout.

11:30-12:30 – I do an Insanity-Plyometric Cardio Circuit.

12:30-1:00 – Recover. I have champagne and read Aftermath.

1:00-2:00 – Nighttime routine. Bed.