Day 3 - LA County enters Red Tier for the first time.

L. might be going here in the summer…

3/17/21. Wednesday.

11:00 – 11:30 - I seem to be waking up later and later and attribute this to Daylight Savings Time. Super stiff today. Downstairs and I say good morning to the dog.  She’s up and running around so we go outside right away.  She does her business and we return inside – cheese for her and coffee for me.

11:30-2:00 – Blog posts

2:00-2:30 – Wash face. Brush teeth. Dress in Covid-19 uniform.

2:30-3:30 – I eat the last of L.’s tomato basil soup and read Strangers.

3:30-4:00 – I take the dog for a walk and listen to Air Talk.

4:00 - 5:30 – Yard work. I transplant the plant that I referenced in yesterday’s blog and add potting soil to a few more pots. Pick up dog poop. Sweep the patio. I listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour and the Slate Spoiler. I also listen to Fresh Air - Unorthodox

6:00-9:00 – I make a new recipe – Southwestern Black Bean Quinoa – and discover when I’m almost finished that I’m out of black beans…I only have chili beans.  I go with that and it turns out okay.  There are several moving parts to this recipe as it also involves making a lime dressing so it takes some time.  I graze along the way and dinner is served! By the time the meal is done, I’m full and typically so sick of preparing said meal that I don’t want to eat my own cooking when dinner is ready. I do some food prep and pack my lunch bag as I’m cooking.  I listen to Case File.

Kitchen duty.  What a mess.

9:00-11:00 – I go to work.

-I tighten up my next post on John the Baptist vs. John Baptiste and post to my French Cinema class Discussion Board; then

-I move onto my DE#2 class at College No. 1 and reply to two instructors regarding their introductory background that they posted, per the assignment.  THEN, I post to two instructors regarding the commentary that they posted regarding the attributes you need to be a good online instructor, per the assignment.

11:00-12:00

-L. comes in with good news and great updates!!!  She emailed the Getty Internship Dept. a couple of times and finally received feedback from Personnel advising L. how she can improve her application for next time and become more competitive.  It’s all bulls—t, but the email was very warm and nice.

-L. receives an email from NYU inviting her to take art classes for the summer! She can acquire units from a 4-year school and use them to transfer to the college where she is eventually accepted [well, hopefully she can transfer the units – you know how that goes].  This is a tremendous opportunity and L. is on it, getting her portfolio and application ready. L. says that the NYU summer program qualifies as an internship so she now feels like she’s on track with her friends, N. and J. I think L. will probably end up in New York for the summer. L. texts Aunt C. the news, who informs L. that she can stay with them, in New Jersey, during the intership.

-Admin from the Otis School of Arts reached out to L. with a warm email, encouraging her to apply.  L. has been in contact with Personnel and their customer service is exemplary.  I’ve not witnessed this at the larger colleges as students tend to become a number and a dollar sign, but Otis is different.  This is an extremely expensive school – maybe that’s why their customer service is top notch.  Or, they’re hurting for money and need as many applicants as possible.

-L.’s boss at the Art Studio emails her and says she will “go over the financials” to see if there’s money in the budget “because I would really love to give you a raise.”She also compliments L. on being such a good worker.  L. feels validated and much better about the situation.

12:00-4:00 – I’m being audited/evaluated at College No. 2 and this is the week when my evaluator is supposed to troll my classes.  I learned in DE Class No. 1 that every Module should have its own “Home Page”, with a visual and a little synopsis of what we’re covering for the week.  I have 16 Modules – one Module for every week of the semester – and NOT ONE Home Page.  These Module Home Pages need to be created ASAP so I get to work, creating them for my four Core Classes at College No. 1 AND College No. 2, because even though I’m NOT being evaluated at College No. 1 this semester, why reinvent the wheel? 

I create the Home Page in one Canvas shell and then cut-and-paste it into the remaining THREE Canvas shells.  I have to tweek some of the verbiage slightly for College No. 1 because those classes are Synchronous, while the classes at College No. 2 are Asynchronous. This is very, very laborious and I also have to come up with appropriate media images, like a picture of the Declaration of Independence, superimposed with some fireworks; or a picture of the State Capital in Sacto, etc. I listen to Fresh Air; Southern Fried Crime; and Vox Worldly.

I prepare EIGHT Home Pages for FOUR Core Classes and am wiped!!

4:00-4:45 – Night time ritual. I make sure my lunch bag is prepped and lay out my clothes for tomorrow. I set my alarm for 9:00 tomorrow. Stay tuned.