Day 64 of Governor Newsom’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy”

Highly, highly recommend the following article - “Aeresol transmission of Covid-19: A Room, a Bar, and a Classroom; How Covid-19 is Spread Through the air” from El Pais, the Spanish newspaper. The models shown, complete with little people, are great. It reminds me of the Sims game. Easy, fast read.

Friday. 10/30/20

8:00 - 8:30 - My alarm goes off. Downstairs and I start my coffee and take the dog outside. She goes potty. Pieces of chicken for her, then I prepare my coffee and head into my office. I have two classes this morning so I post both Discussion Boards and class begins.

8:30-10:05 - Class. Today is a documentary, followed by a video quiz. I update attendance for all classes at College No. 2 and respond to emails.

10:30-11:30 - Shower. Covid-19 uniform. I listen to The Daily.

11:30-12:00 - I make a salad and pack a lunch. I have two hours to find a park and get some reading in, BUT FIRST, I want to scout a couple of hiking trails that look interesting. I put my picnic blanket and books in the car.

12:00 - 1:00 - I drive to the Ed Davis Park at Towsley Canyon and survey the hiking trail. I’ve been here before, but haven’t actually hiked it, so I’m checking it out again as a future prospect. Recall, if you read this blog, that it is next to a film lot containing an old-fashioned gas station prop. I’ll be back.

-A few miles away I find East Canyon in the Santa Clarita Woodlands Park and survey this hiking trail as well. I like it better, but I’ll definitely hike both in the coming days.

1:00-1:30 - I find a new park - David March Park - that I like, but it is probably better suited for children, upon looking at the playground equipment. BUT, there are some nice benches to the right, away from the kiddos, in the shade. Alas, I am out of time and I have to head back for my 2:00 Zoom meeting with my colleagues and our publisher at College No. 1. A new edition of our textbook will drop Fall Semester 2021 and our liaison wants to show us all the bells and whistles.

1:45 - Home and I spackle on the make-up and put on a professional, bright red blouse - yoga pants on the bottom, of course.

2:00-4:00 - Zoom meeting goes well. I am the only woman at the meeting and one of two women in my entire department. I discover the majority of my colleagues are NOT using the Inquizitive software that the publisher provides. I, however, am using it and I had several questions about some of the technical difficulties. The liaisons are great and this meeting was actually helpful and informative.

4:00-5:30 - I update my blog. L. orders Thai food for us.

6:00-6:45 - I take a short bike ride.

7:00-7:30 - I walk my dog.

7:30-9:30 - L. returns with the Thai food and we have dinner and watch the first episode of Halloween Wars - Season 10, one of our all time favorite shows. L. is up for a second episode, but I need to finish updating my blog, so we agree to reconvene at 10:30.

10:30-11:30 - L. and I return to my room and I read the following article to her so we can discuss strategy regarding her 4-year degree. [Colleges Slash Budgets in the Pandemic, with ‘Nothing Off-Limits’] The entire college system, as we know it, is crumbling and for the first time in my existence, universities, using Covid-19 as a justification for deploying “emergency measures” within union-contract parameters, are firing tenured-track professors. This is how I know the college system is collapsing.

In addition, the money is gone and colleges have begun cutting standard programs such as sociology, anthropology, journalism, etc. In a short while, it will become impossible to obtain a BA degree in liberal arts/humanities/social sciences as these programs will cease to exist and will be replaced by STEM. L. must act fast in order to enroll anywhere that is still accepting a liberal arts major. We discuss this at length and L. will begin formulating a plan.

11:30 - 12:30 - We watch a second episode of Halloween Wars.

1:00-2:00 - Night time routine. Bed.