Day 25 - Governor Newsom reinstates the mask mandate in California

I have a hand injury…is this Long Covid?

The Omicron variant is tearing through the country. On 1/5/22, The US reports a record 1.08 million cases! Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a frequent guest on my What a Day podcast ,says that children are more affected by the Omicron variant than other variants because Omicron does not invade the lungs like the “OG” Covid 19 and Delta.  Instead, the virus collects in the throat, which is especially harmful for little kids because they have small necks.  This statement sounds…weird. Could it be true?   

Also, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed states that Monoclonal Antibody treatments do NOT work against the Omicron variant.  If that’s the case, the only thing left for the patient who contracts Omicron and becomes deathly ill is [insert terrifying music here]…the ventilator. Yes, with all of our research and innovation, we have come full circle…back to the beginning of the 2020 pandemic when patients presented to the hospital, struggling to breathe, were drugged, restrained, and a tube was shoved down their throat for weeks. If they didn’t die while on the ventilator, they were never the same once they were removed from it. Why was the ventilator ever accepted as the number one course of treatment?  Whenever you hear that someone’s “on the ventilator”, it’s almost a certainty they’re not going to make it. Uh…”trust the science”???  

1/9/22. Sunday 

9:30-10:00 – I’m awake so I go downstairs to say good morning to the animal. I’m coughing today and my voice is mostly gone, BUT for the first time in a long while, I feel relatively human today. The dog is still asleep on the couch and doesn’t want to get up so I sit beside her and rub her tummy until she’s ready to go outside. We head for the patio and I clean out my fountain while she does her business. Return inside and coffee for me; turkey for her.

-I replace the slip-cover on the love seat.

10:00-12:00 – Today, the most important task on my To-do list involves recording the AUDIO Syllabus for my second class, Specialty Class 1B. I tried to record it last night, but it “didn’t take”, so I’ve reserved all of my energy for today’s recording.  I start recording, but after 10 minutes, my Ipad cuts off. I start again and finally finish the project. Same process.  I email the AUDIO file to myself, download it to my desktop, and move it into the Canvas shell. It works again! At this point, I’m almost completely self-reliant.  The only help I need from L. involves editing the AUDIO files, if needed. This is huge!

-I review the course content in my Canvas shell, check the due dates, then “publish” the class. It’s ready.

-I check emails at College No. 1 and send a few Add Codes to the students.

12:0-1:00 – I strip my bed and wash my sheets.  Then, I microwave a meal for lunch that I froze months ago.  It appears to be some sort of rice bowl…I have no recollection of storing and freezing it. I eat my lunch and read Everything I Have

1:00-2:00 – I color my hair and listen to Filmweek. I work on a blog post while the color sets.

2:00-3:30 – I rinse my hair out in the shower, put on the conditioning treatment, then sit down and lean my head against the tiles.  I listen to The Waves.

-Lotion.  I exfoliate my heels and paint my toenails. Covid-19 uniform. I put my sheets in the drier.

3:30-4:30 – I check on L. and make sure she’s still alive because her bedroom door is shut and I haven’t seen or heard from her the entire day.  She could be dead in there for all I know…

-I start braiding my hair, but take breaks in between.

-I vacuum the second set of stairs, the landing, and the laundry room. I start a load of laundry.

4:30-5:00 – Return to braiding my hair.

5:00-5:30 – Break. I vacuum the dining room and the kitchen, then put the vacuum away.

5:30-6:00 – I finish braiding my hair.

6:00-6:45 – I take the dog for a walk. My house is one of the last homes with exterior Xmas lights. I was too sick to take the exterior lights down.

6:45-7:15 – I get gas and return - $30

7:15-8:00 – I position the ladder in the garage and store three bins of Xmas decorations in the floating shelves. Then, I clean out the trunk of my car and organize the contents.  I need to drop off my plastics at the recycling center, and books and odds-and-ends at Good Will. I take my trash cans out, then briefly turn on the Xmas lights and take pictures. This exterior arrangement worked well and I want to remember the correct placement for next year. I listen to Happier.

-I also have some hazardous waste items that I’m trying to unload, but so far, my City has not announced an electronic hazardous waste drop off. I eat several Sugarfina candies.

8:30-9:00 – I put the sheets on my bed and pick an outfit for tomorrow.

9:00-10:00 – I do a 30-minute Insanity Max – Tabata Power workout.  I returned to the Month #1 workouts because I thought they would be easier, but the difficulty level seems the same…just different moves. I have to pause several times to catch my breath and follow the “Modifier” on occasion, BUT I finish.

10:00-11:00 – I sit down to recover and accidentally fall asleep.

11:00-2:00 – Four blog posts.

2:00-3:00 – I upload my posts to the blog and play The Organized Money You Tube videos in the background.

3:00-3:30 – Nighttime routine. Bed. Oddly, my right hand aches and I’m experiencing pain which seems to be intensifying…a 4 or 5 on a 1-10 scale. My fight thumb in particular…I wonder what that’s about…maybe I sprained it during my Insanity workout.