Day 27 - CDC recommends all J&J patients get a booster after 2 months

Camarata Pacifica trio in rehearsal before the big event…L. and I saw them in concert tonight…

11/16/21. Tuesday 

8:30-9:00 – I’m awake but I lie in bed for transition time. 

9:00-9:30 – I’m up so I go downstairs to say good morning to the dog. She’s still asleep on the couch so I sit next to her and rub her tummy until she wakes up. Spoiled!  I cue her to go outside several times before she’s ready, but finally she grabs her toy and we go outside where I discover the dog pooped on the mat right outside the door.  I narrowly missed stepping in it (sigh). I pick up the dog s—t while she goes potty and we return inside: coffee for me and pieces of L.’s sugar cookies for the dog because I’m out of cheese. I go upstairs. 

9:30-10:30 – Shower. Lotion. I put on black leggings and a striped, long-sleeved shirt. 

10:30-11:00 – Although L. and I planned last night to leave at 10:30, she’s still in her room.  Is she sleeping?  Not sure, but it doesn’t matter.  It’s not like we have tickets to an event or anything. I take this time to put on make-up. 

11:00-11:30 – I read The Lazy Genius. 

11:30-11:45 – L. is ready to go so I grab my lunch bag and add a few more items.

11:45-12:15 – We leave, but I ask L. if we can stop by Home Depot so I can buy another spool of chain for the garage conversion project. 

12:15-12:45 – L. drives to Starbucks and buys a Sugar Cookie Latte [insert vomit emoji here] and an Impossible sausage-egg sandwich for me.  This is my first experience with Impossible meat and it’s quite good. “Beyond” meat tastes like dog food. 

12:45-1:30 – We drive to the AV and listen to Spooked. 

1:30-2:30 – L. and I arrive at our old neighborhood and drive to the street and house where L. was born and raised the first 7 years of her life. It is here where L. reveals her art project: I’m to take rapid pictures of her as she walks in front of specific houses. All along, I had been advocating that we take photographs at the Desert Woodland Preserve, specifically the cobalt blue, steam-punk antelopes that are staged in the Preserve, but L. kept rejecting this idea when I was certain pictures of these steam-punk antelopes would look amazing. So, unfortunately, I make the mistake of saying L.’s idea was dumb.  I’m not proud of my categorization but I truly didn’t think she’d care about my opinion as she’s a legitimate artist and I have no idea what I’m talking about. I take a few pictures of L. walking in front of several houses, but she is offended and upset with my categorization of her idea and says she’s ready to go home.

Sometimes parents make mistakes… 

I apologize to L. for my comments several times, but it doesn’t work. L. doesn’t want to spend any more time with me [insert sad emoji here]. She tells me that her friend, M., would have never criticized her vision. I suppose that’s true, but M. flaked at the last moment and didn’t honor her commitment…she’s not even here. I’m the one who volunteered to help L. with her project in lieu of M.’s last minute cancellation, but (sigh) I never should have criticized L.’s idea. In fact, I shouldn’t have said anything…and I never will again. I hurt her feelings and I feel terrible. I can’t repair the damage. 

2:30-3:30 – L. and I call in our order to the Whole Wheatery, our favorite restaurant, pick up our food, and drive home.  I make one more attempt at suggesting the Desert Woodland Preserve, but L. is done and just wants to go home. 

4:00-5:00 – Home and eat half of the taco salad I purchased at the Whole Wheatery and read Organization is a Learnable Skill. 

-I check email at College No. 1 and see that my evaluator finished my evaluation.  He only marked me “Excellent” in a few categories, but I get it.  For every category in which an evaluator marks an adjunct as “Excellent”, the evaluator has to write a lengthy explanation, ergo it’s in every evaluator’s best interest to select “Meets Standards” because nobody wants to spend the time to write a lengthy paragraph as to why a candidate is exceptional.  See how the system is weighted against evaluees (adjuncts)? 

-I e-sign my evaluation, which means I’m, allegedly, safe for another three years, until my next eval, even though my contract is incredibly tenuous and renewed every semester and our Union is an “open shop.” College No. 1 can choose not to renew my contract at any time, without cause.

5:00-6:00 – I take a nap. 

6:00-6:30 – I touch up my hair and make-up and L. and I leave for the Camarata Pacifica – Baroque to Beethoven at The Huntington.  

6:30-7:30 – Driving. L. and I listen to Spooked. 

7:30-9:00 – Arrive and everyone is masked and the theater is NOT packed to allow for social distancing.  This is a Woodwind concert involving a Baroque flute, a bassoon, and a harpsichord. The flautist moves like a cobra – it’s very odd. 

This concert has no intermission so at 8:30, the trio leaves and a pianist comes in. While the pianist is setting up, L. picks this time to go to the bathroom…and never returns! I’m afraid she’s been kidnapped or fainted or something worse.  I check my phone and find I don’t have service in this auditorium so I can’t even text L. to find out where she is. I don’t know whether to get up and leave the arena while the pianist is playing or just wait the remaining 30 minutes.  

While this is happening, an electronic, high-pitched whine comes over the speakers, making it impossible to listen to the music. It sounds like electronic cicadas and continues for a solid 15 minutes, which is half of the pianist’s set. 

9:00-9:30 – The concert is finally over and as I’m about to have a panic attack, L. comes walking in to get her purse.  Thank God! L. said she went to the bathroom, but staff refused to let her back in the venue – she was forced to watch the pianist from the live feed in the lobby. It sounds like L.’s experience was better than mine as she had no idea there was an electronic malfunction, although she said staff were running around, looking stressed and whispering, as they tried to fix the problem.  

L. is alive!  We walk to our car. 

9:30-10:30 – Driving.  We listen to Spooked. 

10:30-12:00 – L.’s “boyfriend”, T., stops by to bring L. a book – Calypso, by David Sedaris – and a venti, peach-green tea, no sweetener. Very thoughtful. I remain in my room so they can have privacy and read Organization is a Learnable Skill. 

12:00-3:30 – Blog post and bullet journal. 

3:30-4:00 – I upload my blog post. 

4:00-4:30 – Nighttime routine. Bed. I set my alarm for 7:00 unfortunately.