Day 20-BA5 takes the lead

Home Sweet Home…back to the grind…

BA5 is now the predominant strain in the United States. Dr. Peter Katona, Infectious Disease Specialist and Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, says this strain of Covid “causes no significant disease”, but notes that BA5 is ‘the most contagious, infectious organism we have ever seen.” Let me say that again…the MOST INFECTIOUS, CONTAGIOUS ORGANISM…ever. He goes onto say that while measles is considered a highly contagious virus, the transmissibility of BA5 has now surpassed measles.

This means if Mom has Covid, L. and I do, too.

Although “no significant disease” is the norm, many people continue to experience Long Covid symptoms that are so debilitating they can’t function. Also, people who contract BA5 feel really, really sick, even though most probably won’t die.

Cruise lines have no business packing their ships with human sardines…very irresponsible.

7/12/22. Monday

6:30-11:00-I sleep from 6:30 am to 11:00 am

11:00-12:00-Home Sweet Home. Something magical has happened (to others it might be considered a curse). T. (L’s boyfriend) took the dog with him everywhere, even to his own home and his parents’, when the heat became too much for him at our house (broken air conditioner). T introduced our dog to his little dog, Cookie, and the two became friends. T. didn’t “pen” our dog when he brought her to his house; he trained her to sleep in his bed. With him.

Apparently, she had a few accidents, but soon became completely acclimated to sleeping with T. Although the dog has never slept in my room, upon my return, she follows me into my room, jumps on the bed, and stays there the rest of the night (er: morning).

From this point forward, she sleeps with me for the rest of my life.

I’m up and I go downstairs so I can take the dog outside. L. and I were gone for two weeks and the dog has changed. She doesn’t bring her toys outside when she goes potty and she forgot our cheese routine. She is also much thinner. I learn, later, that T. never gives his dog table scraps or people food…Cookie doesn’t expect it. I’m sure this was a shock for my dog, as I share every meal with her…she must have been so confused when T. refused to give her a single morsel. However, many dog owners are this way and if I had it to do differently, I never would have introduced meal sharing with this animal - it was a mistake.

Anyway, the good news is the dog is safe and sound.

I make coffee, then publish content for my two summer classes that went live on 7/5/22. After, I test my sprinklers…they still work.

12:00-1:30 - It’s a spa day, so I shower, shave, and wash and condition my hair. Lotion. I tweeze my eyebrows and pumice my heels. Then, L’Oreal sunless tanning cream for my face. It feels so good to hose off a 24-hour travel day.

L. rises from the dead and leaves to pick up her painting from Frame Stop and to hang out with N. and other friends.

1:30-1:45-I do another load of laundry; and

1:45-3:00-braid my hair.

3:00-3:30-When I’m done, I thaw a frozen pork chop/rice dish that I made and froze eons ago and pick at it throughout the day, because I have no appetite.

3:30-4:30-I take my car through the car wash and deposit my Mom’s check/reimbursement for the cruise WiFi.

4:30-6:00-I bring in my trash cans. As I’m returning them to their proper location, I notice the AC condenser for the first time. At first I think it’s a brand new unit, but when I google it, I discover that the condenser is the surrounding “shell” for the unit.

I soak the beds and water my plants; everything looks great! T. did such a nice job! For his troubles, I Zelle him $500, while L. terminates their relationship.

6:00-9:30-Class prep and maintenance is needed, especially since my students from College No. #2 have been online this entire week. I dive in:

-I take Attendance then notify everyone who did not sign in on the Discussion Board for the first day of class that they need to sign in or they will be dropped.

-I review this week’s assignments and note who completed them and who didn’t. Then, I send personalized emails informing the students who have yet to complete their assignments that they will be dropped from the class if I don’t hear from them in the next 24 hours.

-For those students who received Ds and Fs on their quizzes, I send them a nasty email, demanding an explanation.

-After 3 1/2 hours, I’m caught up.

-I check my personal email

10:00-12:00-I try on the cream leisure suit I ordered from Reformation right before we left. It looks great but the pants need to be hemmed.

It’s at this point that I start feeling…sick. I’m very fatigued and have NO appetite. I also cannot sleep. Upstairs and I start watching History 101 - The History of Fast Food. This is a recommendation from Sarah, my friend? acquaintance? hiking partner? I’m not quite sure which category she falls into, but I will be seeing her when my hiking groups meets tomorrow. I keep falling asleep during the episode even though I feel like I have insomnia.

I replace the batteries in my remote.

12:00-12:30-I ready my coffee and pack a lunch bag. Kitchen duty; and

12:30-1:00-I go through all of my mail.

-I pull my clothes out of the washing machine and line dry all of my items. I also take pictures of the clothes I packed because I’m developing a Master Packing Itinerary for the next time I travel so I never have to worry about packing again.

1:00-2:00-Nighttime routine. Bed. I set my alarm for 6:00 am because my hiking group is meeting at 8:30.