Day 8 - LA County Dept. of Health MANDATES Indoor masking and OUTDOOR masking at large events
Nobody follows the rules where I’m teaching…
8/23/21. Monday
It’s official…the vaccine has an expiration date. I knew it. The Biden Administration is recommending booster shots for ALL adults no later than 8 months after the second Pfizer shot. The jury’s still out about booster shots for Moderna and/or J&J patients, however. The Biden Administration started off recommending booster shots for the “immuno-compromised” because they didn’t want to panic the masses with information that the vaccine’s shelf-life is limited, i.e., non-existent. They laid down a bull-shit narrative about the immuno-compromised first so they could amend the original recommendation to include ALL adults at the 8-month mark. That way, it sounds casual-like: “Hey…we think immuno-compromised adults should get the booster within 8 months after they were vaccinated but…you know what?…why don’t we ALL get the booster, just for old times sake?”
I saw through this manipulation from the beginning except I was confused when the Biden Administration recommended a booster at EIGHT months when everybody knows that the Israeli study [which I’m certain the Biden Administration and the CDC reviewed and which I’ve written about previously in my blog] determined that the vaccine has a SIX month expiration date. Spoiler Alert: Not to worry, however…in a week from now, the Biden Administration will recommend a booster shot for the American people at the 6-month mark instead.
There are a few problems with the booster, the first being that, allegedly, only Pfizer has conducted studies on whether or not a booster is needed and, surprisingly, only Pfizer is the Big Pharma company to have created a booster. Additionally, the booster only provides more protection from Delta. Those adults who were recently vaccinated…say, last month or so…they won’t be getting the booster until January 2022, when the Delta variant is all but extinguished, so the booster will be a moot point. In actuality, if Delta runs its course the same way it did in the UK, it will burn out in the coming months [Florida Covid infection rates are already dropping], only to be replaced by a new variant. This means that the vaccine booster administered to the majority of adults at month 6 will be largely ineffective because it only protects against Delta.
The true crisis is the Lambda variant, which hit Texas on 7/21/21. The ‘lame stream’ media is burying this lead and has refused to definitively inform the American people that Lambda is, horror-of-horrors, vaccine-resistant because this will create a mass panic. There is no vaccine or booster that protects against Lambda.
8:30 – 9:00 -L. said the mechanic told her the car would be ready at 10:00 so I set my alarm accordingly. I’m up so I go downstairs to greet the animal. She’s asleep, but rolls over on her back so I can pet her tummy. After four passes, we go outside and she does her business. Return inside and gross American sliced cheese for her; coffee for me. I go upstairs.
9:00-10:00 – Shower. Lotion. Covid-19 uniform. Light make-up. I listen to The Daily.
10:00-11:00 – I have two of the Cowboy Cookies I made and work on a blog post while I wait for L. to wake up. At 11:00, L emerges from her room so I ask her when we’re leaving to pick up the car. She says, “Oh…they never called…then leaves for her “friend-date” with a female she met recently.
11:00-12:30 – I have class at 2:30 so I check emails at College No. 1 and respond to students before class starts. I tweek the Discussion Board slightly then send an email blast to my ONLINE students [this is my Hybrid class] regarding today’s agenda. A few students from my face-to-face class are attending online so I send them instructions.
In the midst of all of this, one of my students emails me and says she is sick and went to the doctor for a Covid test. Of course, she doesn’t have the results yet – Covid-19 test results are notoriously slow – so the doctor advised her to self-quarentine. Spoiler Alert: Four days from now I will receive an email from Administration informing me that Student A. has Covid and is not allowed on campus for the next 10 days. This is the student who sat directly in front of me on Monday, 8/16/21, 7 days ago, in my 2:30 class. What bothers me is the fact that College No. 1 failed to send an email blast to teachers informing us that there is a Covid-case on campus. College No. 2 always notifies us…this college doesn’t. As a result, instructors have no way of knowing if we are in the middle of an outbreak.
12:30 – 1:15 – I spend way too much time responding to students and handling class prep so I log off to change clothes and touch-up my make-up. I load my car with my school supplies and am out the door by 1:15.
1:15-2:15 – I eat my salad in the car and listen to Citations Needed, specifically Episode #131 – “The ‘Essential Worker’ Racket – How ‘Covid Hero’ Discourse is used to Discipline Labor.” Fascinating.
2:30-5:35 – I do like my class. There…I said it. Once I get past the annoying SPED student who objects to any/all suggestions I make regarding accessing Canvas, the rest of the students are…well, great! The SPED student speaks so slowly I want to gesture with my hand, like, “Uh huh…uh huh…”, or finish his stupid sentences for him. Last week, SPED said he did not have access to a laptop and, as a result, would be unable to open the Chapter Review quizzes in class. I spent last week nailing down resources for him…it turns out College No. 1 has a laptop program and the Office of Student Disabilities – which is where this student really needs to go – also has a few extra devices available. This week, I emailed SPED all the information in clear, concise sentences so he would know what to do and…he did nothing.
In class, I asked SPED, “Don’t you want to take advantage of our lap-top program? You can get a free laptop, at least for the duration of the semester” to which he responds, “I think I can use my phone.” It took him 5 minutes to utter this sentence.
When I tell the students to log onto Canvas so they can access the Chapter 2 Review Quiz, SPED said, “To be honest, I thought we would be using pen and paper…that’s why I enrolled in the face-to-face class.” 10 minutes just went by as he uttered this statement. SPED is not that old! He’s in his early to middle 20s at most! I respond with the truth: “Well, these days, almost all classes are delivered via the Canvas platform so you have to be able to access Canvas.” It’s a testament to my veracity that the rest of the students have logged onto Canvas and have opened up the Chapter 2 Review quiz – everyone but him.
I remind SPED that he said he thought he could access Canvas via his phone, but he says he only has 33% battery life remaining. When I ask if he has a charger, he says he doesn’t carry chargers on his person. I say, brightly, “I think your phone will make it. Let’s try!”, but SPED says he’s sure it will cut out before class ends. I find this odd and remark, “If that’s the case, it means you will not have cell phone service when you’re en route home” (he takes public transportation). SPED says, “I typically turn my phone off when I’m traveling.”
I pivot and tell him to report to OSD right now to see if they have any available laptops, but SPED says, “I don’t know where they’re located.” This student needs to be registered with OSD…I can’t bluntly say, “Hey, you’re stupid” because I might get fired, BUT as soon as the OSD staff hears this kid open his mouth, they’ll register him immediately.
When I tell SPED the OSD trailer is located at the front of the school, he says, “I’m still trying to find my way around campus”, to which I respond, “They’re at PARKING LOT A.” SPED says, “I don’t know where that is.”
Some people are just intent on sabotaging themselves. You can propose suggestion after suggestion to improve their lives and they will counter every one.
SPED finally logs onto Canvas using his cell phone with just 33% battery life – the quiz needs to remain open for the entire 3 hour period.
-Lecture goes without incident and the students provide commentary and ask a ton of questions. I’m shocked that they’re so interested in this material. The textbook is dry and boring but, unfortunately, I’m forced to use it. I try to liven up the lectures as best I can, but still.
One good thing…a student reports that the bathrooms are unlocked today! I guess the maintenance request I put in was received.
The students and I finish the Chapter Review quiz together. SPED reports that his phone is down to 26% battery life.
-I’m concluding class with a podcast, but I discover that the master speaker is out and the students can’t. hear. anything. I’m not surprised. I’ve been teaching in this classroom for years and every semester I have to put in yet another work order because something broke…again.
5:15 – 6:00 - Class dismissed! I spend this time doing paperwork, reaching out to my ONLINE students, who DO have access to the podcast; chastising those ONLINE students, via email, who did NOT sign in on the Discussion Board; updating the attendance; and filing a work order request for a new speaker.
6:00-7:15 – I leave at 6:00 and eat carrots and hummus on the drive home while I listen to WestCork.
7:15 – 8:00 -As soon as I get home, I take advantage of my last bit of momentum, change my clothes, and walk the dog. L.’s car is in the driveway so one of her friends must have given L. a ride to pick up her car.
8:00-9:30 – Blog posts.
9:30-11:00 – I do an Insanity – Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs workout. L. updates my new phone, while I do my workout.
11:00-12:00 – L. gives me a basic tutorial regarding how to operate my Iphone 6 and shows me how to use Spotify.
12:00-1:00 – L. is working hard to broaden her friend group and recently went on a couple friend dates with two new friends: one of the friends is a young woman whom L. recently met and the other friend is L.’s co-worker, C. We debrief and L. shares the deets and where she and her friends went this week.
L. and her co-worker went to Starbucks and Pressed Juicery on Saturday, while L. and her new friend went to three coffee shops: 1) Clark Street; 2) Boulon D’amour; and 3) Alfords. L. had a great time with both girls.
1:00-2:30 – The window washers are coming tomorrow so I take this time to move any/all furniture away from the windows as this company cleans the outside AND inside of every window. I move my nightstands away from the windows, spot clean a stain that I didn’t know was there, and vacuum my room. L. does the same in her room.
Downstairs and I move the succulent in front of the kitchen window to the side. I clear the areas in front of my office windows and L. and I move the dining room table to the center of the room so we can move the loveseat away from the windows. I also move my wine rack.
2:30-3:00 – Kitchen duty and I ready my coffee for tomorrow.
3:00-3:30 – Nighttime routine. Bed. I set my alarm for 6:30, unfortunately.