Day 2 - LA County Dept. of Public Health mandates indoor masking and OUDOOR masking at large events
Olive Terrace with L. today…
My current cell phone…
8/17/21. Tuesday
8:00-8:30 – I’m up early because the window washer service is coming at 10:00 to give me a quote to clean my interior/exterior windows, the tracks, and the screens. I come downstairs to greet the animal, but she’s still asleep. I’m not especially rushed so I sit next to her and rub her tummy. Then, she climbs into my lap for kisses and cuddles. We eventually make it to the backyard and I water some of my plants and pick up the dog poop while she goes potty. I make my coffee and give the dog pieces of disgusting, sliced American cheese.
8:30 – 9:00 – I clean the kitchen, sweep the downstairs, and put the pillows on the couch. Basically, I stage the house for the window washer quote.
9:00-10:00 – Shower. Lotion. Covid-19 uniform. Light make-up. I’m still wearing my false eyelashes from yesterday.
10:00-10:15 – The window washing service arrives right on time, quickly walks the exterior perimeter of my house, and says he’ll email me the quote. He tells me he only needed to walk around the house and count windows.
10:30-11:30 – I eat passion fruit granola with oat milk and read a couple articles about Feng Shui because money is flowing out of this house like a sieve. I need to find a way to redirect this energy so I can start accumulating wealth.
11:45-1:15 – Guy arrives with my new computer!!! He was able to salvage the hard drive from my old computer and restore all of my data. We spend some time accessing websites, checking my photos, and printing and scanning documents. Everything works! I log into my BofA account and try to enter my password, but the system doesn’t recognize the computer and wants to text me a special code. When I pull out my phone to receive it, Guy says, “What is that?” L. says, “That’s her phone! When she wants to make a call, she has to drive to the Home Goods parking lot.” Guy says, “That’s not a phone, that’s a toy!” L. replies, “I know. She can barely text…we communicate like rats.” Guy tells L., “Hmmm…your depiction of the way you and your Mom communicate is interesting…but, seriously, I sell refurbished phones.” He turns and looks at me: “This is ridiculous…you can’t even communicate with anyone.”
Guy has a point…but I really don’t have the time, nor do I want, to learn how to operate a new phone and a new system. Having thought this, I was already forced to purchase and navigate a new computer. If I’m already uncomfortable, I might as well batch task and continue with this technology trauma. I tell Guy that I have to run upstairs because that’s the only place where I have slight cell service and can receive the code from BofA. Guy just stares at me. I run upstairs, the code comes in, I run downstairs, input the code on the BofA website, and access my account. See…eventually everything works…it’s just incredibly time consuming. Shouldn’t I want to increase my efficiency? After all, I’m the epitome of productivity and organization and yet I still haven’t upgraded my phone.
I tell Guy I wouldn’t mind having a refurbished “Lady Bug” – the cell phone for children – but he says that’s unacceptable. He and L. began talking over me as, together, they decide which phone I will actually be able to use and navigate. I just want to go up a half-click from the Verizon model I already have [I posted a picture above] but L. and Guy tell me I have to go higher. L. has the Iphone 11, but knows that will be too advanced for me. Guy has a refurbished Iphone 6 which he thinks will be perfect and L. and Guy confirm the transaction then look at me. I say…ok.
Guy says it will cost $200 and L. is on it, calling my ex and putting me on the T-mobile family plan that she and my ex already have. My ex starts looking for a sim card for my “new” Iphone – he’ll have it mailed to me as soon as he finds the best one…or something like that. It makes me sad to shut down my old phone…I’ve never texted the new way, so I’m not sure how that will work. I still use the old way of texting, where you have to press the button three times to get to the letter C [a..b..c..] or press the button once for a number. It takes forever, but that’s what I’m used to. I’m also limited to 160 characters when I text – otherwise, the message is cut off. Yes, it’s restrictive, but I’m used to it.
Guy will return on Thursday with the “new” phone and my new life (I guess).
1:30-2:30 – I water my plants; then
2:30-3:30 – eat some hummus, tomatoes, and carrots.
3:30-4:30 – I woke up early today and am feeling fatigued…I take a nap.
4:30-5:15 – I work on a blog post.
5:15-7:00 – L. and I leave for dinner at Olive Terrace. There is no indoor dining – just like old times – and customers are masking until they reach the table. This restaurant has an extensive patio set-up, complete with circulating fans, and it’s really nice. I have a glass of prosecco and L. and I split a cheese board for our appetizer. For my entrée, I have turkey meatballs and spaghetti squash and L. has…something?? I like my selection, but the turkey meatballs are a little on the dry side so, of course, I have to order another prosecco to wash it down.
7:15 – 7:45 - Home and L. and I take the dog for a walk.
7:45-9:30 – I work on a blog post.
9:30-11:00 – I check emails at College No. 1 and 2 and try to acclimate to my new computer. An email thread was started by the instructors at College No. 1 and they are FURIOUS that we’ve been forced to use the hybrid model of teaching. This is a rant like nothing I’ve ever seen before and I’m fairly certain all of these people are tenured and untouchable. Nevertheless, it makes for great reading!
It’s just as I thought – it’s impossible to teach face to face AND online students, via Zoom, at the same time. One instructor solved the problem by making her classroom students log onto Zoom, thereby defeating the entire purpose of attending college in person. But what is she supposed to do? Other than this work-around, none of the instructors have any better ideas.
Our college doesn’t have a vaccine mandate so many of the instructors are concerned that they’ll contract “break through Covid” and get sick because we don’t know who is vaccinated and who isn’t. Another recurring theme is the fact that we are being paid to teach ONE class, when we are actually teaching TWO classes: 1) an online class; and 2) a face-to-face class.
And, finally, one of the instructors breaks the news that the Geography and Biology departments are EXEMPT from teaching face-to-face!!! Scandalous! Apparently, this instructor did some digging and discovered that these two divisions simply refused to teach in the classroom. Another instructor said he heard that they submitted a form or memo articulating why it would be more effective to teach online, synchronous, and their appeal was granted. The instructor emailed a screen shot of the College No. 1 Schedule of Classes showing that, indeed, Geography and Biology classes are all online…even the Biology labs. How can you justify teaching a “Lab” online instead of in the classroom?
Note: in just five days, the screen shot image is debunked as several instructors discover that this was from the Summer schedule NOT the Fall schedule. But still…Geography and Biology didn’t have to teach the hybrid way during the summer and some of the instructors are clinging to that. In actuality, though, ALL of us are back in the classroom, teaching under the hybrid model.
My only hope is that College No. 1 experiences a Covid outbreak and we go back to Distance Learning.
11:00-1:00 – L. and I watch Married at First Sight.
1:00-2:30 – I knock out another blog post.
3:00-4:00 – Nighttime routine. Bed