Day 65- Governor Newsom imposes new restrictions
The Arboretum - the South African side…
The Arboretum…the Australian side…
1/19/21. Tuesday
Mayor Garcetti said every 6 minutes a LA County resident contracts Covid-19 and 30% of those who have contracted the virus have no pre-existing conditions and have died. LA County has more Covid-19 cases then any county in the nation. Even though we have vaccinated 1 million plus people in California, rates of infection have not improved and POC continue to be most affected. The media has not addressed this yet, BUT, I think the deadly South African variant – more contagious and does not respond to the current vaccine - has made it to America’s shores…
7:45 – 8:00 - Up and I go downstairs to say good morning to the dog. She pooped near the front door (sigh). I wake her up by rubbing her tummy and we go outside. It’s extremely windy and the potted cacti that sits on my patio table blew over. The dog goes potty and then back inside for cheese. I heat up my coffee and go upstairs.
8:00-9:00 – Blog post
9:00-10:00 – Dress in Covid-19 uniform and long-sleeved shirt. I take out my braids. Minimal make-up.
10:00- 1:00 - B. arrives and we drive to the Arboretum. If you read this blog, recall that, on 1/1/21, I was able to score tickets for “Tuesday Free-Day.” The parking lot is crowded because “Tuesday Free-Day.” B. and I were here before but had only explored the left side of the gardens previously. Today, we’re exploring the Australian and African sections, i.e., the right-side. I really like this side of the park! The weather is much nicer in this neck of the woods and the peacocks are out and about.
My family was here many years ago with the kids and I don’t remember the various paths that B. and I walked through today. There was Serpent Path and Spiny Trail and Aloe Something?? B. and I are always looking for plant ideas concerning our respective yards and I think several of these plants would look great on his hillside. My yard is too small to incorporate anything new, but I still enjoy looking at the various cacti and plants - they’re well-tended and beautiful. We stay for two hours. Everyone is masked and social distancing is no problem because the park is huge. B. and I. don’t encounter too many people.
1:00-1:30 – To The Hat for sandwiches. I order grilled cheese and B. gets pastrami. We are heading to J.’s house (B.’s daughter) and he orders a grilled cheese sandwich with onions for her, too.
1:30-2:30 – At J.’s house and my grilled cheese is excellent! J. is embarking on a new career path and we talk about that and the ins-and-outs of her job, which is really interesting. We’re sitting inside, around her table, eating, and not wearing masks because, well, we’re eating. J. works from home and rarely leaves her house and then it’s just B. and I…is there a safer way to visit? Maybe eating outside? It is hard to say these days…I’m not sure what to do anymore…
B. finds out he is eligible for the vaccine and is in the process of trying to schedule an appointment for Dose No. 1 at the MM Drive Thru this Thursday.
2:45-7:00 – Home and B. and I watch the last two episodes of the Nightstalker and talk politics. B. discovers that his neighborhood – and house – have not had power since 9:00 a.m. today. PGE cut the power because they were afraid the wind would blow down old wires, create a spark, and start a fire. How about replacing the old wires in the first place? So far, my neighborhood and house are fine.
7:00-8:30 – I read Sex and Lies.
8:30-9:30 – I heat up leftover mushroom pasta and chicken parmesan for dinner and eat it in my study. Then, I go to work.
-In thinking about my work history as an adjunct instructor over the past 20 years, this was my second job that I performed in the “fringe hours” [see The Fringe Hours – Making Time for You, by Jessica Turner], which happened to occur after my 9 to 5:00 state job ended. In the past, I would leave work and drive home, take a 2-hour break, and then start working on adjunct admin. or class design. If I wasn’t working on my class at home after Job No. 1, I was in the classroom, lecturing, usually from 7:00-10:00.
So, although my secondary job has now become my primary job, it is still very natural for me to conduct adjunct work after 9:00 p.m. as this is what I’ve been doing for 20 years. I’m not sure that I will be able to alter this deep, entrenched pattern…or even if I want to… although it does prevent me from starting my days earlier, say, between 8:00 and 11:00 a.m…I continue to think about when I perform my best work and it appears to be an ongoing process…
I check the enrollment for Specialty Class 1A – it dropped, again, to 19. I’m not sure if this class will run, since I’m one under the required cap, which used to be 12, BTW. Now, for whatever reason, it’s 19…
9:30 – 11:30 - Nevertheless [unfortunately], I have to proceed as if this class is a go. I re-write the Chapter 2 review quiz so it coordinates with lecture, then review the PP slides and select musical clips from You Tube to accompany the slides.
11:30-1:00 – I record Lecture.
1:00-2:00 – Admin work. I absolutely have to check email at College No. 1 and there are several students who are trying to crash my two Core Classes. I disseminate Add Codes. One of the questions on the Chapter 2 review quiz for Specialty Class 1A is bugging me, so I look up multiple choice examples and replace it with something better.
-I email L. the due dates for the remaining Google slides concerning Specialty Class 1A. She is still working on the reformatting project, but she finished ALL of the slides for the Core Class so that project is complete.
2:00-2:45 – Kitchen duty and I get everything ready for tomorrow, to include my coffee. I find that if I don’t do this, I lose my momentum in the morning…
3:00-3:45 – Night time routine. Bed.