Day 70 of Governor Newsom’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy”

Not my garage, but…close enough

Thursday. 11/5/20.

The election has still not been called, but I don’t know that I even care anymore. If Biden does win, Trump will have the country tied up in litigation for the next 4 years, enough for him to ride out a second term. Meanwhile, in California, the “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” shows Los Angeles county continuing in “widespread, purple mode.” [No change!]

7:45 - 8:15 - Life goes on. I have my 8-week accelerated class this morning. Very hard to get up today and I’m moving slowly. I wake up the dog and we go outside so she can do her business. She pooped in two locations on the patio so I have to clean that up. Back inside, and cheese for her morning treat, coffee for my morning treat. I go to work.

8:15 -11:00 - I ready the Discussion Board and check course content because I didn’t do it last night. Today, it’s a chapter review quiz, a podcast, and a podcast quiz - the students have a busy morning. While they work, I email the students who are getting D’s and F’s in the class and let them know that next Friday is the last day to drop with a “W”; otherwise, I will have to give them the grade that they earned, which is…you guessed it…a D or a F.

There are several responses to this email blast - many of the students are NOT happy. Well, that’s what happens when you don’t show up for class - your grade tanks.

-I next email all students who did not sign in on the Discussion Board this morning and inform them that they have received zeros on the chapter review quiz and podcast quiz assigned today. You can’t complete an in-class assignment if you’re NOT in class. Later, two students emailed that they “forgot” to sign in on the Discussion Board, but can they still have the points from the quizzes they completed? No. We’re in Week 12 - you don’t suddenly forget to sign in on the Discussion Board, especially after you’ve been signing in for the past 11 weeks. Score = 0

11:00-11:45 - L. is awake so we discuss the four lectures that she reformatted for me. They look great!! and we load everything into Canvas for my six classes. She will submit her invoice in the coming days.

11:45-12:30 - I eat a leftover chocolate croissant from L.’s Porto leftovers with the rest of my cold coffee.

12:30 - 1:30 - I prepare the Discussion Boards and course content for Specialty Class No. 2 [2:30-5:30] and my Core Class [7:00-10:00]. I note that the course content is off for the Core Class and I have to update the Syllabus and re-post. I also have to prepare an alternative assignment for those students who don’t have Netflix, just in case there is the lone student who cannot access the documentary. Spoiler Alert: It turns out that only ONE out of 37 students does NOT have Netflix. I’ve said this before…who, in this day and age, does NOT have Netflix?

1:30-2:15 - Shower. Covid-19 uniform. I take the dog outside. She pooped in two locations on the patio. Again.

2:30-5:30 - Class begins. The students have a long lecture, followed by an excellent documentary and video quiz, which is due for homework, next week. They’re busy today. I update attendance and work on the alternative assignment for my upcoming 7:00 p.m. class. This means I have to watch a video on You Tube, entitled the Executive Branch, and prepare a video quiz. Spoiler Alert - it turns out that I am doing this for exactly ONE person. He complains that he doesn’t have Netflix around 9:00 p.m. What a waste of my time!

-I field emails from a couple of students as lecture rolls on.

-I listen to The Daily and What a Day, but have no time to read online news. The election has still not been called.

5:30-6:30 - I have Greek Nachos on the couch in my office and listen to Dr. Death - Season 2, while I wait for my next class. I add a few more Halloween decorations to the packing box. Slowly but surely I’m taking everything down. There is no time to do anything around here…

7:00-10:00 - Class begins. I spend this next 3-hour period updating my blog and hovering in the wings in case a student needs something or has a question.

Tonight is a “combo” lecture - Chapters 13 and 14 - followed by a video and a video quiz. I have the distinct impression that the students blew off lecture and left the class for the first two hours - I don’t hear a peep from anyone. When I post the link to the video at 8:45, a few emails come in, kind of like the students just woke up. Everyone completes the video quiz.

Two students did NOT sign in on the Discussion Board, but took the quiz anyway. NO! I email both students and explain that they did not sign in on the Discussion Board tonight and were marked absent. As a result, they also received a 0 on their quiz. One of the students responded that she “forgot” and can she please have credit? Now, this is coming from College No. 1 - at this college, we have two weeks left in the semester, not accounting for Thanksgiving. Really? She “forgot: after signing in every Thursday at 7:00 p.m. for 14 weeks? No. Score = 0.

10:00-10:30 - I hang around and “talk” to a few stragglers about their grades. It’s crunch time for some of them, as they hover between an A/B or B/C. I don’t really care. However their final semester grade ends up, they did it to themselves.

10:30 - Finally!!! this day is over.

10:30-11:15 - I lock the dog inside the house and water my plants. My backyard is a complete disaster, what with all the fallen leaves, etc. I haven’t watered my plants in several days, but they don’t really need it on account of the cooler weather - none of them were suffering. I drink champagne while I water and listen to By the Book.

11:15 - 11:45 - Back inside and the dog retaliated against me for being locked in the house and pooped in three separate spots in the kitchen. I feel soooo dejected not to mention exhausted. More clean-up. She also pulled the cover off of the couch so I fix that.

-I’ve complained to L. that I’m tired of picking up ALL the dog poop and that it would be helpful if L. did it once in awhile. Her response is always the same: L. says she does it all the time, too. Sidebar: L. hasn’t picked up the dog poop outside on the astroturf in three years, but I’m okay with that if L. would just pick up the constant dog poop inside the house or outside, on the patio. I’m certain I’m doing all of the clean-up, even though L. says that she is, too.

11:45 - 12:15 - I ate earlier, but I have a few chips and more champagne, nonetheless. The dog keeps jumping up on my leg and the kitchen cabinets because she wants a treat. I can’t take it anymore so I exit the kitchen and enter the garage. It is so nice and peaceful here! I put my glass of champagne on the hood of my car and eat my chips in silence, sans the disturbance from the dog. Instant relief. I stay out here for some time, just leaning against my car and eating chips…alone.

12:15-1:15 - Back inside and there are dishes in the sink but they can sit. Upstairs and I do my nighttime routine. Then bed.