Day 1 - All CA students must be vaccinated.
At the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit today…
7:30 – My alarm goes off, but I feel terrible and lay in bed until 7:45.
7:45-8:15 – Downstairs to greet the animal and she’s still asleep on the couch. I sit next to her and rub her tummy until she finally wakes up, but before we go outside, I start heating my coffee in the microwave because I’m so pressed for time – it always takes 2 minutes. The dog grabs her toy and we go outside. I ‘walk the property’ and make a mental list of things I need to do the yard while I wait for her to finish going potty. Back inside and cheese for her; coffee for me. I report to my office.
8:15-8:30 – The students are watching a documentary today. I “publish” the Discussion Board and course content, check my emails to see if there are any crises [there’s not], then exit to take my shower.
8:30-9:30 – Shower. Lotion. Covid-19 uniform. Light make-up. I curl my hair.
9:45-10:45 – Return to class and the students are taking the Video Quiz. I exchange emails with a few students then check my email at College No. 2. I take Attendance and email those students who did not sign in on the Discussion Board.
10:45-11:00 – I quickly pack a few snacks in my lunch bag – apples and almond butter, tortilla chips and hummus, etc.
11:00 – 12:30 - B. arrives and we drive to the Immersive Van Gogh Experience in Los Angeles. It takes us around an hour to get there. Coincidentally, L. and I happened to buy tickets on separate days - she was going with a friend and B. and I were going – but I asked to switch with L. as this day worked out better for B. and I.
It is so hot today…
1:00-2:00 - Arrive and everyone is masked and allowed entry. Note: By the end of this month, attendees will be required to show their vaccination card.
As Immersive exhibits go, this one is pretty incredible…as long as you ‘pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.’ By that I mean, the exhibit takes place in what is best described as a warehouse, only you don’t realize it’s a warehouse because Van Gogh’s work is continuously displayed, in Technicolor, on the floor-to-ceiling walls. We’re surrounded by his work as one painting fades into another painting, which fades into another painting, and so on, with beautiful music accompanying the entire exhibit. But, we’re ultimately in a warehouse watching Van Gogh’s work projected onto walls and screens. I should add that the most compelling part of this exhibit is the fact that his art moves. Birds are flying across the sky, flowers are growing, “Starry, Starry Night” is shimmering…
It’s stunning, but I’m a little disgusted by the commercialism of Van Gogh’s art and also disgusted by the fact that there are no chairs available. Patrons are forced to sit on the dirty, hard, concrete floor for an hour, unless they purchased a pillow at the overpriced gift shop beforehand [$18]. What kind of exhibit is this?
Of course, when it ends, we’re herded through the over-priced gift store. B. sees a volume of Van Gogh’s works retailing for $150 and notes that if it weren’t so expensive he would be inclined to purchase it for himself. Note: I later purchase the book for B.’s birthday from Amazon for $60, but it won’t arrive for 7 weeks.
2:00-3:00 – B. wants to attend his grandson’s football game at Valencia High and it starts around 4:00 so we quickly return to Santa Clarita.
3:00-4:00 – B. has a gift card for the Lazy Dog at the Towncenter Mall, so we have lunch there. I order a glass of prosecco and the Coconut Shrimp appetizer, which tastes really good. B. gets…something?? Unfortunately, it is too hot to eat outside so we have to eat inside. It’s super crowded and, although patrons wear masks as they are escorted to their table, everyone immediately takes them off when seated. We’re in the bar area – NOT at the counter, thank God – and the people are so loud they’re practically screaming as they talk to each other. I’m uncomfortable. Even though I’m vaccinated, I don’t feel as protected as everyone else, because I got the J&J vaccine …and only 8 million of us received that vaccine. We only stay for an hour, however, so in the event I’m infected, the viral load will, hopefully, be somewhat minimized…
4:00- 6:00 - We leave. B. drops me off at my house and continues on to the football game and I take a 2-hour nap.
6:30 –8:00 - B. returns and we drive to Home Depot to pick up the storage racks that I ordered for L.’s art studio. Sadly, the boxes are incredibly small and would have easily fit in MY car…thus, I have completely wasted B.’s time, although he doesn’t complain about it at all. I’m sure he would have been better-served going to the football “after-party” at his daughter/grandson’s house.
8:00-10:00 – Home and it’s cocktail hour. B. and I have drinks and watch a few episodes of a documentary that I’ve been interested in and referenced in yesterday’s blog post – LuLa Rich. I really like it!
10:00-12:00 – B. leaves and I start watching Episode 3, but accidentally fall asleep.
12:00-2:00 – I restart Episode 3 and fall asleep AGAIN…I guess I was really tired.
2:00-3:00 – Nighttime routine. Bed. I set my alarm for 7:00, unfortunately.