Day 31 - CDC recommends all J&J patients get a booster after 2 months

Grading papers…

11/20/21. Saturday

8:00 – L. leaves for work at the Art Studio. 

10:00-10:30 – I’m awake so I go downstairs to greet the animal. She’s been up for hours and is running around downstairs, tail wagging, waiting for me.  We go outside straightaway and she goes potty while I view the backyard. It definitely needs some TLC. Return inside and coffee for me; pieces of sugar cookies for her. I go upstairs. 

10:30-1:00 – Grade papers from the students in Group 1. I break for half a piece of gluten-free toast with almond-cinnamon butter and raspberry jam. 

1:00-5:00 – I take a break from grading papers and work on my backyard for the next four hours, sweeping, raking leaves, and watering all of my plants. 

-L. returns from work only to leave within minutes for a Bones concert with her friend, K. 

5:30-6:00 – I read Set Boundaries, Find Peace.  This is the book assigned for Monday night’s book club meeting, but it just arrived. I will never finish it in time for the book club.

6:00-6:30 – I take the dog for a walk and listen to Film Week on Air Talk. 

6:30-7:00 – I have the remaining half of my gluten-free toast. 

7:00-9:00 – I read Set Boundaries, Find Peace. 

-The pink lights I ordered for the ivy wall in the garage arrived, but they’re the wrong kind. They will only work when plugged into a USB port. 

Self Eval - Excerpt #2

9. Describe any barriers that might be obstructing the achievement of objectives.

 “As reported in my last evaluation, the largest barriers that limit my ability to teach effectively   and achieve learning objectives continue to involve technical difficulties: 

-On 10/4/19, I submitted a work order request for the DVD player and speakers in LH-100. Neither worked. 

-On 12/3/19, my AVC Microsoft Office Password was arbitrarily reset. I submitted a work order request to fix this issue. 

**2020-2021 - Distance Education (virtual instruction) - this goes without saying… 

-On 7/22/20, my “instructor access” via Norton, our publisher, abruptly expired and I was unable to access supplementary materials for our two texts.  I submitted a Help Desk ticket to Norton. 

There are numerous problems with Norton’s Inquizitive test-taking software [I won’t use my Self-Evaluation as a platform to list the countless issues]. On 10/30/20, I attended a Zoom meeting hosted by Danielle Winingham, Customer Success Manager, wherein I relayed the problems I’ve experienced with the Inquizitive software. 

-Norton instructed/mandated that faculty use the new editions for We The People and Governing California for Fall Semester 2021. On 7/31/21, Norton informed faculty that the texts would not be available at the beginning of the semester. 

-During the second week of school [August 2021] somebody removed the protective pexi-glass  surrounding my desk in Rm YH-207 and threw it in a pile on the floor, next to the wall. 

-There is no podium in Rm YH-207. 

-On 8/24/21, I submitted a work order request for the exterior speaker in Rm LH-100 as I was unable to adjust the volume. I also noted that the Google slide content was projecting to the left of the screen. I did not receive a response. 

-On 8/26/21, I notified Rick Shaw, Executive Director-Technology, about the speaker issue, having given up on the misalignment of the projected course content. On same day, Shaw informed me that other instructors had complained about the same issue and he would look into it. This issue was never resolved, although the projected content eventually corrected itself and became centered on the screen. To address the speaker issue, I began bringing my personal Beets speaker to class and pairing it with the Bluetooth feature in the computer. 

-On 8/26/21, I also submitted a work order request for the speaker in Rm YH-207. I was unable to adjust the volume. 

-On 8/27/21, IT pronounced the issue “Resolved”, for Rm YH-207, but the speaker still failed to work effectively as there was a strange echo quality.  To address the speaker issue, I began bringing my personal Beets speaker to class and pairing it with the Bluetooth feature in the computer. 

-Construction noise outside of LH-100 [Mondays, 2:30-5:35] was unbearable and distracting throughout much of the semester.”   

9:00-12:00 – Grade papers from the students in Group 1. 

12:00-1:00 – L. returns from the Bones concert and we talk about her day. The concert was great! Her friend, K., is an EMT and loves her job.  Of interest, several months ago, K. and her boyfriend went hiking. They were standing on an overhang of sorts when the sand shifted and K. fell 12 ft, landing on her back.  Since that time, K. has been unable to sleep on her stomach due to the pain she experiences in her pelvis. Standing for several hours at a clip also seems to exacerbate the pain in her back.  After approximately 6 months of recurring pain, K. scheduled an appointment with an orthopedist who took xrays and diagnosed her with a broken back.  The doctor recommended starting with a course of physical therapy first – you know he’s legit since he didn’t suggest surgery from the jump – but K. said she wanted to have surgery and get it over with (mistake).  

I mention this incident only because I find it so odd that K., a certified EMT, never put 2-and-2 together regarding falling off a cliff and the back pain she was experiencing. Strange and fascinating at the same time. 

1:15-2:00 – I do a 30-minute Insanity Max – Tabata Power workout. 

2:00-3:00 – I color my hair. 

3:00-3:30 – I take a shower to wash out the color. 

3:30 – 4:30 –I braid my hair. 

4:30-5:30 – Nighttime routine. Bed.