Day 7 - LA County Dept. of Health mandates indoor masking and OUTDOOR masking at large events

At the Huntington Desert Garden for the “Members Summer Evening Stroll”…

8/22/21. Sunday

9:00 – I’m up but I go back to sleep until around 10:15.

10:15–10:30 – I go downstairs to greet the animal, but she’s already awake and running around, tail wagging. We head outside and I wait around while she goes potty. Return inside and more American sliced cheese for her; coffee for me.

10:30 -11:40 – I prepare the wet ingredients for the Cowboy Cookies I’m making, then add the wet to the dry ingredients I prepared last night.  I make little circles out of the dough, put them on a baking sheet, and shove them in the oven.  I’m able to knock out 24 – there is still some dough left so I’ll make the remainder later today. I listen to Death, Sex, and Money.

12:00-1:15 – Shower. Lotion. Covid-19 uniform. I listen to What a Day.

1:15-1:40 – I do an Insanity – Cardio Abs workout.

1:40-2:10 – I have a sloppy joe rice bowl and read a Money Diary; then

2:10-3:00 – I work on a blog post and touch up my make-up. I change into a long-sleeved shirt and pants because I’m worried about mosquitoes tonight.

3:00 – 4:30 – B. arrives and we drive to Ikea to purchase the mattress (for the tent) that he found online. Ikea is absolutely packed…what pandemic?  Once customers enter the store, they’re forced to follow the arrows for miles and miles [only a small exaggeration] in order to reach the Exit.  B. and I ask several employees how to get to the mattress section quickly and end up walking against the throng of people, which is quite difficult. Thankfully, everyone is masked.  If they weren’t, I’d be very concerned ‘going against traffic.’

We finally make it to the mattress section, only to discover, after waiting in a somewhat lengthy line, that the mattress is gone!  B. and I leave.  We try to escape Ikea by breaking off the beaten [arrows] path and trying secret hallways and passages along the way, but every deviation takes us back to the arrows. Eventually, we give up and follow the arrows like the rest of the consumer sheep until we’re dumped off at checkout. Then, it’s still a matter of trying to find our car in the parking garage maze.

4:30 – 6:30 - B. and I drive to The Huntington for the Member Summer Evening Stroll and arrive at 5:00. We tour the Desert Garden and the Australian Garden.

6:30-8:00 – B. and I stop at Plate 38 for dinner and I order the Sexy Mac and Cheese appetizer (yes, it’s actually called the “sexy” mac and cheese) and a glass of Prosecco.  The mac and cheese lives up to its name – I eat every bite.

8:00 – 10:30 – Home and we watch two episodes of Homecoming and I give B. some of the cookies I made this morning. B. leaves after the second episode.

10:30-12:00 – I thaw out the remaining cookie dough and bake the last batch. Then, I pack a huge lunch bag to include a ready-made Caprese salad that B. gave me.  I chop tomatoes and add them to the salad and while I’m at it, I peel and chop several carrots as well.  I add the carrots to my lunch bag, along with hummus, cashews, and two cookies. Finally, I load and unload the dishwasher. I listen to Where Should We Begin?

12:00-1:30 – I go to work. I update all the due dates in the Canvas shell for my ASYNCHRONOUS class at College No. 2. This class is ready to go –all I need to do is record the Audio Syllabus. I course copy this class to my SYNCHRONOUS Wed. and Fri. class to serve as a standard template.  I’ll need to change the due dates and separate the Modules, but the bones of the class are there. I listen to Crime Junkie.

1:30-2:30 – I wet my hair, then braid it, while listening to What a Day.

2:30-3:00 – I do the first 30 minutes of an Insanity-Plyometric workout, but then abort because I’m really dragging.

3:00-4:00 – Nighttime routine. Bed. I set my alarm for 8:30.