Day 34 of the California quarantine

French Class via Zoom

4/22/20 - Wednesday

8:45 – the dog starts barking so I go downstairs and let her out.  She pooped in the house, so after I take her out to pee and give her cheese, I clean the mess.  Then, I go upstairs and try to go back to sleep. I listen to The Daily and Start Here, before falling asleep.

12:00-12:30 – I read The Queen Must Die and drink a 16-oz Hydroflax of lemon water

12:30 – 1:00 - the dog pooped in the house again.  I clean it up and take her outside – she gets cheese. I do the dishes and make my coffee.

I:00 – 2:00 – I knock out my French assignments then Zoom-in to my French literature class. After this class, I’m 2 units away from getting my AA-Degree in French. I’m reminded how, BC, I would have to shower, get dressed, and put on make-up before leaving at 1:00 to drive 1 hour to my college class. My class ended at 5:00, during rush-hour traffic, and it would take almost 2 hours to get home, if you include navigating the city college parking structure. Now, I work on my assignments until 1:50, still in my pajamas, then log in to class.

2:00-5:00 – Online class and there are 12 students.  My professor puts us in “breakout groups” to discuss our assignments, then she lectures and we take turns reading various French works out loud.  She said the college might remain closed during Fall Semester.  If this is the case, I figure I can probably complete 4 to 5 French classes online during Summer and Fall semesters, since I won’t have to drive. I’m excited about it, although the rest of the students sound disappointed.  I have a 95% in the class.

During French class, I’m finally able to complete my mandatory online training for my state job. I search for Loreal sunless tanning “Dark” for an hour before finally finding it on Ebay of all places. I have to place two separate orders – I’m not sure why. This is WAY TOO EXPENSIVE, but I swear by this product.  It’s the only thing that works for my white skin. We watch a movie the last hour and I eat Greek yogurt, apples, walnuts, and honey.

5:00-6:00: I check email from my state job and finish up some correspondence I have to bring to the office tomorrow. I respond to emails from students in my four classes then design a 10-question video quiz for a video I assigned to one of my classes.

6:00-6:30: I take a quick shower. Lubriderm. Alba-Botanica moisturizer, no make-up. I put on yoga pants, a sports bra, and a Nike tank-top that L. gave me. I finish cleaning the window sills of the three remaining windows in my bedroom, then open them up and add Lavender oil to my defuser. I listen to Vox’s The Weeds while I work.

7:00-9:30 – I make dinner and meal prep my lunch tomorrow, since I have a conference call scheduled at 2:00; however, I’ve arranged to meet my former trainee at 11:30/12:00 and I don’t want a repeat of what happened yesterday. It’s important that I’m on time. Dinner (and lunch) is a spinach salad with carrots, celery, cubed cheddar cheese, tomatoes, zucchini, EVOO, and sea salt. I also warm up some of the barbecued chicken from Monday. I eat then finish packing the rest of my breakfast/lunch: Greek plain yogurt with diced apples, walnuts, and honey; carrots and hummus; apple slices; almond butter; orange-infused dark chocolate; 2 mini-candy bars. I prepare my coffee for tomorrow and put in the fridge.

I unload and load the dishwasher [did I mention its been broken for five years and we use it as a draining rack?], clean the kitchen and sweep. Then I fix the handle on the microwave; frame a piece of L.’s art work; water some of my outside plants; unpack the Simple Green that arrived; and fill the dog food dispenser. I listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour; Market Place; and Planet Money while I do my chores.

9:30-10:30 - I fill my Hydroflask and head to my home office, where I ask L. to download the picture of me that she took yesterday to glassesusa.com.  I spend a few minutes virtually trying on glasses but find nothing I like so far. I prepare some correspondence  that I need to mail at work, then pack papers that have to be graded from my side hustle because I’m sure I’ll have some downtime during tomorrow’s conference call. I put everything away. I’m done with work and packed for tomorrow.

10:30 – 11:30 – I transform my office into… A GYM!!... when I pull my treadmill down from the wall and unfold it. I power walk [about 4 miles an hour] to an app…and by app, I mean a 2005 Kathy Smith Project You power-walking CD. I know I’m dating myself…but I really like the CD. I finish my workout, fold up my treadmill, and return my gym to a home office.

11:30-12:00 – I check three community colleges for their Summer schedules to see if they’re offering French classes.  The college I attend does not have the Summer schedule posted yet, but a community college near our house does and they are offering French #2, Mon-Thurs, 1-4:00, for six weeks, in June, probably virtually.  I already took it at a different college, but my French is so rusty now, since our French tutor, T.,  stopped coming due to the Covid quarantine. I really miss her, as she was also friends with L. and I and we shared things about our lives. We went to several of her daughter’s dance performances, but those have also stopped. It’s possible I can audit the class so I don’t have to pay to enroll. I have a few weeks to look into this.

12:00-1:30 a.m. – I make several batches of oatmeal cookies and have a glass of champagne.  There was a run on Crisco shortening and L. and her Dad could not find it anywhere, so I had to order an organic, non GMO, shortening made out of red palm??? It came a couple days ago.  I add raisins and assorted nuts to a few of the batches – they’re ok, but a bit dry. Is it because of the shortening?  Not sure. I clean the kitchen, take the dog out, and head upstairs. I listen to True Crime Garage; A to B Simplicity, Organization, and Fun; and By the Book while I bake. I have a glass of champagne.

1:30-2:30 – L. and I catch up.  She’s an art teacher and has been teaching remotely during the Covid-19 quarantine – it sounds very frustrating. How do you teach ARTremotely? We watch Surviving R. Kelly-I have another glass of champagne.

2:30 – 3:00 – I do my night time routine and go to bed.