Day 11 - Los Angeles lifts its vaccine mandate. A vax card is no longer required.
Work Administration….Life Administration….
4/10/22. Sunday
8:30-9:00-I’m awake but I don’t want to get up.
9:00-9:30-I finally drag myself out of bed and go downstairs to greet the animal. I’m later than usual and I guess the dog is upset about it because she took a dump in front of the door (sigh). I cue her to go outside straight away and we head for the backyard. The dog does her business and we return inside: coffee for me, cheese for her. I go upstairs.
9:30-10:30-Shower. I wash my hair, then sit in the shower, drink my coffee, and ice my eyes. I listen to Be Wealthy and Smart and Marketplace. Lotion and I blow-dry my hair. Light make-up and I put on my “Athletic Housewife” attire: sports bra and tank top, yoga pants, and a white hat with a black flower on the side.
10:30-11:00-I return to the backyard, brush off all the patio pillows, and do a quick sweep. We’ve experienced severe winds lately and the backyard is littered with leaves and pollen-it’s a mess. I only have time to sweep part of the patio.
-Return inside and I pull out a pack of Atlantic Cod out of the freezer.
11:00-3:00 - B. arrives with Krispy Kreme donuts and Starbucks and we sit outside on the patio and talk politics. At some point, we coordinate our schedules for next week. B. leaves.
3:00-4:00-I eat my leftovers from yesterday, to include the amazing loaded mashed potatoes, and listen to the Culture Gabfest.
I go to work ( enter home office):
4:00-11:00-I need to record TWO new lectures [Chapter 12 and Chapter 13] for my Monday Core Class at College No. 1. No amount of L.’s splicing could bring my current lectures into present day because I recorded them in 2020 - they’re completely out of date. L. recently finished transcribing the lectures on file and made corrections (she did the research) where new material needs to be inserted. L. reduced her standard $30/hour fee to $20/hour for this job.
-I edit the Chapter 12 Lecture that L. transcribed and get it ready for recording. The transcription is 20+ pages and equates to a 90-minute lecture.
-I go on You Tube and select musical clips to play at various points in lecture, during slide transition. This lecture has approximately 30 slides.
-The edits are finished, the musical clips selected. I record the lecture, then download the audio file to myself and also store it on my thumb drive. I air drop the lecture into Canvas for both colleges.
-Break time. I eat pieces of orange infused chocolate along the way. I do NOT want to record the next chapter but I advocate batch tasking for most activities so it would be against my principles NOT to move forward with the second recording but talking and lecturing for hours on end is exhausting.
-I complete the same steps above for the Chapter 13 lecture and I’m able to reuse some of the musical clips that I used for Chapter 12, BUT I still need to select additional musical clips for several of the slides.
10:00-11:00 - Finished! I’m done recording the Chapter 13 lecture!
L. returns from somewhere and I ask her to update two Google slides for me, which she does. She enters the art studio and starts working on a project; I take a break and put my trash cans out.
11:00-2:00:
Work, contd.
— I check email at College No. 1, then set up my Discussion Boards for both classes tomorrow.
-One of my students emailed me on Friday to ask where the extra credit assignment is that he turned in last Monday. Fuck off. I send him an email explaining that it’s customary for instructors to return assignments at the next class meeting, which is tomorrow, which is when I’ll be passing back your assignment, dumbass. As if he doesn’t know. Why would I return someone’s assignment outside of the regular meeting time? Think back when you were in college. You turned in an assignment when it was due, then waited a week for your teacher to return your assignment at the next class meeting. In the past 50 years, this process has not changed. And this isn’t even a regular assignment…it’s an EXTRA CREDIT assignment.
-I check course content for my Monday classes to make sure the videos are still streaming and accessible.
-I load my Filoflex with my lecture notes and set on the counter for tomorrow.
Life Administration
-I write the checks for my state and federal taxes and seal the envelope. $5800 gone [insert sad emoji here] It’s a huge hit which is why I’ve put off paying it until the bitter end.
-I follow the instructions that I received from the DMV employee on Friday and complete the new DMV Transfer of Title form for L.’s car.
-I check the websites for all Audubon chapters throughout California to see if they have any activities scheduled. Out of all the chapters I reviewed, the Chatsworth website looks the best and the Chatsworth Nature Preserve Earth Day is scheduled to run in two weekends. I note it in my calendar
-I check the Botany Walk at the Placerita Nature Center, but it’s scheduled for the same Saturday as the Chatsworth Nature Preserve Earth Day. I’m not sure which one I’ll go to so I put that on my calendar, too.
-I check Beach Cycle to see if there are any spin cycle classes that work with my schedule, but nothing thus far.
-I order two books from Walmart (one is for my Bookclub), a large scrapbook album for L. so she can store some of her smaller, sample art pieces, and some cheap ear buds.
-I register for a new book club through my local library - Books and Brews - which is held at the Draconium Winery the fourth Wednesday of the month. The assigned book for this book club is called The Patron Saints of Nothing. I couldn’t find it on the Walmart website so I’m not sure if I’ll be going to the April meeting. I listen to Organized Money You Tube videos while I work.
-I complete the dog’s registration and prepare for mailing.
For the first time in a long while I feel like I’m caught up with life…
2:00-2:45 - Kitchen duty and I have some cheese and crackers, then some of L.s chips from Trader Joe’s. I pack my lunch bag and ready my coffee.
2:45-3:30-Nighttime routine. Bed. I listen to Crime Junkie.