Great work, Lila! You are amazing!

I am tired and disjointed and having vivid nightmares every night. I wonder if this is a covid thing. Not usual for me. But here I am. Caught up on posts and glad for the progress you guys are making. SubC I feel like when I "have to" go to a social event I don't want to go to, I am very tempted to come down "not feeling well" so I can stay home. I don't lie, I just really do not feel well about going to the event. I tell them I want to stay home and rest. Not sure if that would work for you.

As it is, I have a positive covid test keeping me home, and though I did want to stay home and opt out of things this week, I don't feel well enough to get much done or relax, so this is not enjoyable. I am exhausted.

However, when I felt ok enough yesterday, I did my spice cabinet. It was such a wreck - everything thrown and mixed in, spilled, can't find anything. I pulled everything out of both shelves, took out the little spice stairs and washed them, and washed out the cabinets. Then I sorted. I found several duplicate seasonings that I was able to pour together into one and combine, and threw out the empty jars (instead of keeping them like I tend to do). I found some expired things I threw out. I poured the sugar into the sugar bin. I got both shelves all organized, put things I rarely use in the back and things we use daily in the front. I put the spice stairs back in and spices on them. It looks nice now AND you can close the cabinet door. I am proud of myself for getting that done.

I'm not feeling well at all. I have a terrible headache and acid reflux. I'm scared. I'm feeling the weight of the pandemic upon me and if feels terrible.

Mom was good. I changed the litter box and hung up her clothes, found her missing boots, took the trash out. We are getting along really well. I must've read her mind because I brought her eggos and real maple syrup and she was so pleased. And those were the first two things on her grocery list.

I'mAt my friend's apt now. Her cat is adorable. It's merely a coincidence that she looks just like my cat.

Okay, going to find the strength to go home with this headache.

Sending you warm and healing thoughts, Lila. I am upset to hear that you are battling this terrible illness for the second time.

I don't know what to say about the upcoming party, SubC. Human relationships are complex. It's easy for me to sit back and say, don't go, but that doesn't take into account everything. Relationships, health, mental health, need for socializing, need for celebrations.

Road, I do know that feeling of having a mental barrier around doing something, and I see your issue with the laundry. Maybe next time you are doing work to your house, you can think about putting the washer someplace else. Just something for you to dream about or think about, while you are in the basement.

I know that my mental block with the dining room table is I do not have a place to put the stuff that's on it. That's the only reason I'm not doing it. Pretty lame. I just need to get rid of stuff.

I used to hate emptying the dishwasher until I got rid of stuff in my cabinets and made room.

Okay, I'm feeling well enough to leave friend's apt.

CM I hope some acceptable weather heads your way soon. I know that you find satisfaction in working on the storage space. I wish I could get you out here to deal with my dining room table. The mental block could use your skills!

I slept past noon today. I am not getting proper sleep at proper times.

They have lifted the lockdown at mom's, so I will head over. I have to feed friend's cat, so I'll want to try to get downtown before too dark. Having a lot of anxiety. Job and covid. They are causing me some stress. One because my direct manager, very tough, is no longer in the honeymoon phase with me and is correcting me a lot. Her corrections are completely valid. She is smart and experienced. She's valid and being fair. It's just unnerving.

I'm keeping up with things here. Closer on the dining room table. I'd love to know what my problem is. Rest of house is clutter-free.

Okay will make my breakfast. At 1:45 PM.

Hi road, we crossed.

I do that with my Dh and he gets mad. We have finally come to the point where he understands that I am a bit like the puppy. If he praises my little effort, I am likely to make another little effort, and another, and another.or a bigger effort. Otherwise I'll just give up and backslide and he'll get the behavior he doesn't want. I think we're all a bit like the puppy.

My mil is not sassy. She's completely lacking in empathy and situationally tone deaf. It is fil's little brother who is dying. His situation is one that can be interpreted as self inflicted. Mil is likely to do something like comment on the offerings at the party and point out that fil has always lived a life of moderation and avoided bad habits and that is why he made it to 80 when a lot of other people don't. And how healthy he still is even at his age (subtext, let that be a lesson to you all.)

Mil has a history of being awful to people who are grieving. I don't think she does it on purpose, I just don't think she's capable of understanding that you might be upset. And she genuinely seems to feel that you can be comforted by logic filtered through her values. "You shouldn't be sad that your friend died. They were probably in a lot of pain and their treatment was very expensive. If they had lived longer they would just have suffered more and the bills would have been terrible for their family." (She didn't say that, but it's comparable to other things she has said.) she really thinks that when you hear that statement you should recognize the facts of the situation, and be perfectly happy. And definitely stop moping around and making everyone else (her) uncomfortable or inconvenienced.

Sub c, grief is quirky. I was shocked at how little it took for me to burst into tears leading up to my sons mri. Just any little thing and I'd burst into tears. I've never bitten my lip so much in my life (trying to contain my crying)... when my sisters husband d ied of cancer (years ago), she seemed grieved but not out of the ordinary, but when one of her dogs died a few months later she totally went off the deep end. It's not that she didn't love her dog but i think it was more of a delayed reaction from her husband. I had three other friends who lost their husbands the same year and they all dealt with it in completely different ways and time frames. One started dating a few months later. She and her husband were close and she'd really been there for him and it was like there was nothing unresolved so she could move on. My sister Waited a few years then dated then gave it up and then she'd try it again and then gave it up. I don't think she will try again. She and one other friend had to move houses. Too much to deal with staying there... They both proceeded r ight into buying their way through til. Their new places were filled up with new stuff... grief burbles out in surprising ways... ANYWAY , I hope if you guys do go to the fil's 80th your mil will behave. Is she super sassy?

Oh and Lila, interesting thought on the puppy behavior. Maybe I will try taking her out on a leash again for awhile and reinforcing the outdoor praise. Thanks for your advice on that!

Goid mirning!

Nice job Lila!

I got half as many evaluations done yesterday as I had hoped. I did get feed, and we did go to the concert. I did not get to do yoga.

I also washed, dried, and put away a load of laundry, and washed another load and put it in the dryer when I went to bed.

The order in the house is definitely slipping, and I do not have time for another big push right now - not until I finish these stupid evaluations. I also have some serious lesson plan demands. So of course, I've been up for half an hour and done nothing but make coffee, drink coffee, and read the paper online.

I am tired, I am stressed, and I have too much on my plate.

We are supposed to travel east for a party for fils 80th bday in less than 3 weeks. I worry about snow, I worry about covid, I worry about the fact that fil's brother (and Dh and my favorite uncle) has just been released to hospice in the town where the party will be and who the heck thinks this is a good time for a party? I am bad at death. I am bad at grief. When my grandfather remarried, I finally started processing my grandmother's death - I started crying in school the day of the wedding. I kept crying through the rest of my classes, my entire driving test after school (I passed), the wedding, and the reception. The odds of Dh mother saying something stupid and insensitive are very high. The odds of my causing a giant scene at the party in response are even higher.

Today - chores, daily goals, lesson plans and try not to make the house much worse.

Lila, hope you are hanging in there ok. Sounds like my sister got Covid again. She was a few days from getting boosted. She had a delay due to having gotten a treatment last time she had it back in October. She feels crummy but not as bad as last time and she said some different symptoms this time. Naturally, the people she works with who are lax with the masks and blew off the vaccine did not get very sick or are denying they had it and spread it around. I wish the transmission was more visible to people... like a blue pool dye in the air around us and a way to track your impact... like a personal Covid dashboard. "Congratulations, you are not responsible for killing anyone today!" Or "your Covid vector spread has now resulted in 336 transmissions, 853 lost days of work, $9,381 in lost wages, $87,399 in medical bills, and 3 deaths."

Tatoulia, I want to get to that point with the laundry. That it's just something you do, not a big accomplishment. Actually, I don't mind doing laundry, or folding,,, For me the aversion is to the schlepping - heaviness of the baskets and avoidance of flights of stairs, the first joint pain involved, and going into the yucky basement. I've thought maybe if I try to make it a habit to just go down to the basement once a day cause once I'm down there I don't have as much of an aversion to it... Must say it's been a lot better since I got my floor clean and have to keep up with the laundry to some degree to maintain the floor situation...

Yesterday the H said he was going to the thrift to drop off and I panicked and questioned him (tried to play it cool but I was panicking) are there any antiques involved? Is it all your stuff? Then he felt the need to lecture me on how I need to get rid of stuff and how much stuff I need to get rid of,etc. and my boast of just having donated two large bags really fell flat. And about my brothers place he offered this wisdom "if he could just get into a cleaning routine - do some every week..." lol thank you, Einstein! Now why didn't we think of that! Lol

Back later!

Coming back to update.

I did scrub the kitchen sink and it looks much better. I wiped down one counter, but need to work on the other ones. I have a ripe pineapple sitting on the other counter and I need to go back in there and cut it up, and put a few other things away to get that counter wiped off.

I also washed the few dishes that were on the stove and cleaned up a bit.

My spice cabinet is a disaster. I had it all nice and organized a few months ago but people go in there and move everything around, put more stuff in, don't put things back and now you can't find anything and can't even shut the cabinet door. That will probably be my next project.

Ok... off to cut up that pineapple and then sit down with a bowl of it to eat.

Yes SubC, my sink is mostly empty and counters mostly cleared so I will find joy in that. I am trying to get some energy going. I don't really have symptoms anymore. Just tired and feel off.

This morning I cooked some peas and gravy to have on toast. I need to go in and clean up my mess and will wipe counters and scrub the sink. Then a break.

I noticed this morning there is a small pile of actual trash in my bedroom. It is good that I have kept it at bay to the point I actually notice when it starts again. I thought about how it started. I bought one of my kids some jeans for Christmas, but was not sure if they would fit or I might have to return them, so I saved all the packaging in a pile. Then as I had other small things I wasn't sure if I should keep the box or empty bottle etc it got tossed there. Then a few other things, receipts etc. I will clean up that pile and put it in the trash today.

No guarantees I will do anything else. We'll see.

Lila, go easy on yourself. You are sick.

Also, did you just say that your sink and counter are empty? I mean, if you are going to wash and wipe them, that means there isn't stuff piled on them, right? That is terrific.

Today is an evaluation say. I am unmotivated and uninterested. I actually want to putter around and make progress in my house. Maybe work in the barn or studio.

But what I have to do is: go pick up feed, write evaluations (unrealistic goal of 30). Then Dh and I have a concert again tonight that hopefully we will attend.

Ahhh my brain hurts and my eyes hurt and I am not getting anything done. Going to bed soon.

Road if she is looking right at you it could be wanting praise for potty. Sometimes people when training a puppy to potty outside, will give them big praise or a treat for going on command. But as they get older they don't praise or treat, or just send pup out on their own. She could be saying HEY MOM LOOK I AM PEEING LIKE YOU WANTED. Could be?

I will do something tomorrow. Today was day 3 of quarantine and I don't feel that bad. I got a document written, made a few calls and did the dishwasher. Tomorrow I will try and wash the nasty kitchen sink, wipe the counters down, and eat some healthy stuff. Then figure out what to declutter.

Keep chugging along CM! That was so nice to hear about your quilt!

Lila, I hope you feel better quickly!

I know pretty much nothing about dogs.

Road, I made it!

You are doing a goid job. Progress on a lot of things and way to go on the cubic inches! Getting those bags out is big because now they are gone and will never have to be dealt with again.

Tatoulia, I hope you got something to eat! My Dh had a nice dinner ready for me when I got home tonight. And the fire going. It's definitely nice when someone is home all day to feed the fire. The house is much warmer.

I think it's fine to give yourself credit for laundry. I am going to add my vitamin to my gabits list even though I have only forgotten it one time this year. And eggs. I keep leaving them out on the counter overnight instead of washing them and putting them away. There are never more than 2 or 3 these days, so there is no excuse.

Good work in getting the bags to the thrift store!

I did two loads of laundry today. I'm wondering if I find the laundry soothing or if I just like having the laundry clean. I used to count laundry as an accomplishment until I realized that it's my baseline so to speak. Doing laundry is something I do, like brushing teeth or making coffee. So I don't actually count it as an accomplishment unless I have to dig deep to find one.

I haven't eaten today and I'm a bit weak. Going to make dinner soon,

Cm, keep me posted on quilting. I'm interested... thinking of dipping my toe back in. Also curious what your routine is when you visit storage. I think what you said about your mindset is what I need to do too. Except my storage unit is the garage.

Lila, thanks for the tips. Actually our issue is not typical I think. She's trained to go out in that she rings the bell and we respond, she goes out at least once every 2-3 hours, more just after eating. When she's out if I say "potty" she will Pee on command. The issue is when she comes back in, if I remain in the kitchen, she will pee on the floor. This is what happened with the bed. She had just been out, came in, squatted on her bed and looked right at me. Oddly, if I'm out of the kitchen, she rarely has accidents. When she's out of the kitchen she tears around and kind of destroys everything in her path (hyper and heavy chewer)... *and has potty accidents. She does respond to "settle" and will sometimes sit, and typically does not have accidents in the kitchen or bathroom area if no one is there. It's when I'm in there. So I'm sure she's communicating something to me, but what,.. f you mom? Lol

Couple more things
- finished cleaning out microwave. And I'm leaving the exhaust fan on in the kitchen... I'm not sure what else I can do now for that burnt popcorn smell. Ugh.
- started taking down the exterior Christmas stuff. This is a week later than I like but no big whoop.

Sub c, hope you made it through your week ok. If you did, hey yeah you made it!!!

Hi, I am popping back in to report... I dropped off two large bags at the thrift store today! I repeat... approximately 3 cu ft of surplus sschtuff has vacated the building. For those playing along, that's 432 cubic inches.

Just jumping in to share a couple things I got done this am. I see a few others have popped in, too so I will come back again a little later and see what's up.

- worked with the puppy a little ( I was reminded that she's very smart so it's the humans who are to blame for her behavior,,,)
- Got gas
- cleaned out car (lots of mask trash and fast food trash)...
- straightened out some issues with my sons special Rec registration...
- prepped a large bag of donations and emptied a bin. Yay! I will check back when it has actually been donated.
- printed out project sheetS) this is a work sheet I use for jobs that have multiple steps, are multi-stage, or take more than a few hours)
- will use project sheet to figure out Christmas and bday gifts for my great nieces and nephews... I have a few things for this year that didn't get sent and I think some things from last year also. Arrrrgh.
- long call w bff - weekly life catch up
- prepping a new needlework project - turned into a reorg of the whole bin,
- and the usual getting ready for school, breakfast, meds for the ds & doggie care

hi all, I read your postings and am trying to get motivated to do a little bit today. I don't feel terrible. Last time I had covid I was incapacitated for weeks and had trouble breathing, had to go to the ER twice and was on meds, nebulizer, and 2 inhalers for weeks. This time I guess it is omicron because it is not bothering my breathing at all so far. Sore throat, on and off headache, and tired. Sleeping very long stretches but I feel pretty good once I get going in the day.

Road, I spent over a decade in dog training so maybe I can help a little. I don't know how old or how big your puppy is but rule of thumb is, they have to go out to potty every X hours, where X is how many months old they are. So a 3 month old needs to pee every 3 hours. Small or toy breeds tend to need to go out to potty even more often than that so if I had a 3 month old toy poodle I would take them out every 2 hours unless they have shown they can easily wait longer. Gradually increase. If you can't be home to take them out, you can lay down some potty pads in one area on hard floor and teach them to pee there but it is harder then to train them to only pee outside later. Also, If they pee in their bed they really needed to go out probably. We recommend crating a puppy whenever you cannot be watching them, and the crate should only be big enough for them to stand up and turn around. If it is bigger, they may start using one area as a potty area. If you are home and they go off and pee, then we recommend tethering. You just get a short leash like 4 or 6 feet and keep them leashed to you or to something right by you. Like if you are working in the kitchen tether them to a chair leg where you can see them. Then if they start sniffing and circling you can hurry and take them out.

I am going to take some vitamins and think about what I want to get done today. I guess I have a little brain fog going on too and wish I could have slept another few hours.

Choi choo CM. Good to hear from you! Congratulations on the good news for your son, Road. I know it's not over. Lila, I am sorry you are sick again. SubC, i am supporting you from afar.

One Christmas Eve, i preheated the oven at the BF's house and I was shocked to learn that it was filled with pots and pans. It would have never occurred to me to look in there. So then we had to remove hot pans from the oven. I think that's a sign that the person owns too much stuff.

Busy work day ahead. Can easily finish the dining room table. The rest of the house is in very good shape. I am behind on laundry but that's fine.

Hi all,

I've just been getting in new rhythms with accomplishing more, but then my other rhythms get disrupted which is why I'm slow in posting.

This week I have made the neat, fresh, larger mockup drawing for the quilt. Still a few areas to decide on fabric for, but the main layout is there. It was fun getting out my colored pencils including some that have multiple colors in one and make cool effects. They look like fabric prints. I mention this because it makes me focus on the idea of "See, CM, this is the goal - using the wonderful supplies already acquired to do fun things instead of going out shopping for more... and let's keep up the organizing and discarding of anything that's just getting in the way of efficiency and true creativity, and it'll be so worth it" etc. etc.

I was finding projects and supplies that have been (I'm embarrassed to admit to this) stashed in my van for months. That happened around the time last summer when I was going to that other sewing studio place and the home repairs had been going along apace, and we were anticipating the commencement of sewer line excavation. Then came the glitches and delays and uncertainty. 😑

But I had been getting somewhat lax even before that, truth be told. When I first got the nice white van in 2018 (Tatoulia and SubC may recall my nightmare time with the big red money pit van, its predecessor), I'd resolved never to let the newer one fill up with clutter. Welp, I've not kept my resolve very well, and one goal for this year is to do a whole lot better with that.

So yesterday I did take a few things to storage, and I have some donations that have been riding around; those are going to get gone asap. Van is by no means empty but I've made a start.

We have another round of snow coming to Kansas, though may not get accumulation and that's fine with me! My roommate was going to travel to Kansas City but changed her mind. Point is, it'll be not as nice to be outdoors but there's always plenty to work on in here.

It remains to be seen whether the wintry weather will be more the pattern for the next 2-3 months, or whether we'll still have some of those warmer days we have been having. If so, I'd like to take one here and there and use it to make an early start on the storage unit. I think in past years one reason I don't get as much done has been that I've waited too long to get started, and then springtime activities crowd my schedule, leading to a temptation to procrastinate (I don't need much temptation to procrastinate, since I'm an expert at it 😜).

Breaking out of old ruts is my strategy for 2022.

It's been... interesting to observe how rusty I've gotten and how doing just a little bit more, like the quilt designs, feels like this huge expenditure of energy, and how the days just fly by disconcertingly fast. But if I keep at it, I will get used to the pace and energy should increase. Pandemic time warp effect plays into it too, I'm sure.

So, this is where I've been at. Overall, things picking up steam. 🚂 Choo choo!

Lila, I'm sorry you are sick. 🙁

I had the chicken pox three times. My Dd had it twice. I wonder if my body functions like my brain "darn it, I know I had those antibodies here somewhere. oh heck, the disease is here, I'll just let it in and make new ones later."

Yesterday I lost my cell phone. I think it fell out of my pocket at school (again - it always gets turned in when that happens, so hopefully.)

Road, good luck on your donating! You are making progress. I'm sorry about the puppy.

Why do people put dishes in the oven? That seems odd to me. I would definitely forget them and probably start a fire.

Yesterday was another "maybe small progress/maybe holding action" day.

Schools are closing here due to lack of staffing. The national guard is staffing our local hospital and the Air Force is staffing others in our state.

I am hopeful that things will peak locally next week. Meanwhile I took twice as many worms to school as usual because they can't work with partners, but may not need them because some classes have been missing half the students.

Today's goal - make it through the school day. Then regroup.

Just reporting in on my clearing update...

Swept and picked up first floor. Cleared off half thediningroom table, rinsed and loaded, ran a load of dishes and put them away.another load awaits me in the oven. And then I worked on washing out the microwave after ds burnt popcorn in there. I think it's 4 days and the odor is still very strong. Microwave defn. Needed a cleaning. The fridge is crammed (again) but I've been chucking a lot of stuff also. Struggling with the puppy. She will go pee on command outside but still has frequent accidents in the kitchen when she is still trapped for most of the day... and tonight I caught her peeing in her bed?! She has a crate and a bed. She sleeps in both. And she peed in it. Ready to take an obedience course with her if Covid will allow. Visited my parents outside today, they came out on their balcony and we stood in the snow talking up to them. (This is still me trying to be careful because my husband was exposed to my nephew over the weekend. We all feel fine). A much less comfortable version than last year's winter visits On their patio when they were still in their house. Kept son home today. We had a good time and he wasn't upset. Prob going to send him tomorrow though. Next week there are only three days so not sure what I will do. My sons special recreation stuff is starting to get cancelled. They're doing the right thing but it does make me feel like we are sliding into the pit again. I did hear on the news though that some countries had a sudden plummet in rates this week and we are just a little behind. Hopeful.

Alright, I could just blather on forever. You know I could! Subc, thanks for the perspective on the H. I am going to try to focus on the donation of clothes suggestion. There's stuff on the porch too ski so I will see if I can make a drop tomorrow and I will report back my cubic inches. Could be Exciting!

Oh no, Lila! I am so sorry. Do you feel ill? Or mainly mad that you're having to deal with it again? I wonder how many people have gotten it multiple times and just didn't know they had it the first time. Sending hugs.

I have covid, again. My aunt also has covid again and another friend. And we are all vaccinated. How can you be vaccinated, get covid, and then get it again?? I don't know. But my brain hurts, I am very tired and it is hard to think. I have so much to catch up on. Back later after I drink coffee and try to wake my brain up.

Good morning!

Hi CM!

Hi Lila!

Tatoulia, that is a big price hike on your jam! Any progress on your table is progress. I did not make my house better yesterday, but I did not make it worse either. I think I pretty much fought a holding action.

Road, I'm glad you didn't lose your post again! That is such a relief about your son!

I know the dumping from your Dh was annoying, but it actually doesn't sound too bad.. limited categories anyway. Can you get those donate clothes donated?

We had more teachers out yesterday. I got to meet a new sub who will be teaching in our music program next year. I don't know why, but somehow the addition of a young person with rainbow dyed ringlet curls who has not been dealing with this (school struggles) for two years was cheering.

I stopped to speak to my boss at lunch and she asked me if I thought we should go full remote. Apparently she is getting pushback from some of the teachers for staying in person. I hope the panic in my eyes was clear when I said no. I don't want people to have to come in if they feel unsafe, but really, I think our building is the safest place I go. (I mean, I go there, the grocery store for a few minutes - last trip was six minutes car to car, Bean's house, and my pottery class.) If you really feel like you can go nowhere, take a couple of weeks off. I told her I would try to help find subs. Then I jokingly asked if they had to be qualified, or just not murderers. She said "not murderers is fine." (I think she was also joking)

My Dd said she would take a day off to watch Bean so dsil could sub (he is qualified and subbed for us before Bean) if I needed her to.

Anyway Road - you have to do what feels right for your ds.

Lots to do this morning before school and my class. Maybe today I will also make the house better.

Hi all, I lost a very long post the other day addressed to each person. I was so upset I couldn't even come back to the board. That's so silly but it's true. When will I learn to write else where and cut and paste. Never! Because I'm doing it again now! Lol

I just checked the Covid dashboard and all year the school has had 4, 5, 3, 2, etc positive tests a week. Last week it was 75. Okey dokey. My nephew tested pos Tuesday and the H had gone and slept over at their house sat night which I asked him not to do and so he would have been exposed. However, so far everyone is testing negative via home tests. My bil, sil, niece, H, my son and me. I was already ticked at the H so I may have made him check into a hotel the last two nights. I was all high and mighty about not going to school and then I broke down this am because my son wanted to go so badly. Obviously, no one should even be breathing this week and especially not inside a building. Lol. My sister has a coworker who had Covid, had two vax plus booster, just got it AGAIN and was sick in bed for 10 days mainly with a migraine she said she was praying for death it was so bad. Obviously that must be highly unusual but gee whiz. Also, they keep saying vast majority of people in hospital have NOT been vaxxed. (Except for the 25% !!!! Who have.) this had better get better fast. I'm definitely losing it at this point.

Ok, now that I spun out on that and took you all along for the ride, I will try to rein it in,

The additional mess in my room was some more volume of clothing I'm just getting to the bottom of. This is going to keep happening as there are still about 5 loads of odds and ends in the basement laundry cue. It was also 3 bags of Christmas stuff. Some gifts, some decor, some shopping,.. and yes, the H dumps stuff in here, as does my son. It's pretty infuriating. Although this time I had kind of dumped some of the donate clothes on a chair in his room so he was basically just dumping it back. Oh well. I was emotionally overtaxed from my sons medical stuff so I took it harder than I might have normally. Seemed mean spirited to me. Things are pretty bad right now but we do miss each other when we are apart so hopefully we will be nice to each other tomorrow when he comes home.

Hey subc that's the way to do lesson plans. I was a sub for 6 years while I was freelancing at ad agencies and stuff. There was quite a range of lesson plans. I was always a firm believer in there being a way to write a plan that could be self contained and work for any class and at any time of the year. Some people did that but usually they wanted you to try to keep the class on track with the curriculum which you can do if you know the content. I could probably come up with an art lesson for any age level while roller skating backwards but math? No. History? Eh? Science? Also no. Music, probably... the behavior disorder classes were the toughest as some of the kids would come so unglued without the routine of the teacher being there they would really act up. One time I had a kid threaten to murder me. That wasn't too much fun. Overall, very good experiences though. Hard to imagine doing that now. Talk about the pandemic messing with you. I feel like my social skills are so altered, tatoulia...

Well guys, I feel like I'm through the really anxiety producing stuff with my sons medical stuff. Will still find out if they neurologist surgeon will clear him for special olympics with his neck, and will talk to the neurologist about the side effects of the meds etc. and need to schedule an eeg. But anyway, no threat of a brain tumor which was the thing freaking me out the most.

Our faucet is leaking in the kitchen and had to have a plumber come out. I guess the H cant fit inthecabinet . It's a 30" with two doors and our sink has a very low basin and there's a garbage disposal so really we need a 98 lb female to do the job like my niece.she should go into plumbing. Aggravating because we didn't notice the issue for a long time and then when it started getting worse theH didntwwnttodewlwithitwndnowthecabinet is ruined. Whoa that was we8rd. I hate typing on this iPad. I suck at it. Anyway, I cleaned the first floor of the house for the plumber and somehow one day later the house seems completely trashed again.

I need to figure out a way to do dishes in the bathroom sink tomorrow so the H doesn't have a heart attack When he comes home. I really shouldn't send son to school tomorrow but I probably will. Oh, I did clean out a big shelf of my sons school stuff. That was a 3 hour project over the weekend. When I say cleaned I mean I just reorganized it. Didn't get rid of anything.

CM are you out there?

Sorry for the grousing! Better hit post before I self destruct again.

Thank you, SubC, for doing your best as a teacher. This is such a terrible time.

My place was cleaned today and I'm pretty happy about that. They are very nice ladies. I did some grocery shopping and I felt the sticker shock. A jam that usually costs $4.99 was $6.99. I was shocked. I hope that outside the city the prices are better. Bf and I might do some stock up shopping this weekend. There were a lot of things out of stock at the grocery store but c'est la vie. We will not starve. He owns a small grocery and understands the supply chain problems. And we will not starve. It's now our job to make sure that others won't starve, either.

I've tackled a third of the stuff on my table. Not very good at all.

I've showered and am ready for bed. I had a 9 AM meeting today that isn't my style at all but I managed to put on makeup and look semi-presentable.

I bought groceries for mom and the person at the desk let me run upstairs with her things. I couldn't believe it! I only saw her for a second and I did not venture in to see the kitty. But I saw her. And that made us both happy.

I've learned a lot from being angry recently. I learned I don't want to waste a minute having an issue with her.

Goodnight, dear friends.

Tatoulua, of course you have the right to complain. Bad things happening to other people do not invalidate the bad things happening to you.

I did not clean up the dishes from dinner last night. But I did run a small load of laundry, dry it, and put it away, and I took my box to school, and I took a half filled plastic grocery bag of trash to the dumpster, and I ran the dishwasher even though I didn't empty it, so I think I can call the house better yesterday?

Yesterday I got a lot of conflicting feedback from my administration. I think the upshot is "close my door and do what I want" (except, don't really close my door, because - ventilation.)

One of my pottery students (17 y.o. Senior) started to ask me a question that began "if we go to full remote." and I cut her off. I said "if we go to full remote the answer to your question won't be my problem. Either this class will be on break, or you can ask the new teacher." Then I told her yes she could take home her project and her clay and yes I would come back and fire it.

I actually had fewer kids out yesterday than last Tuesday.

Oh SubC, I am so sorry. About all of it, and especially about your parents.

I did not tackle the table but I had a 20 minute task in the bedroom which was very satisfying to take care of.

I went to sleep after work. It's just too cold in Boston and my drafty house. I have a 9 AM Meeting so I will blow dry my hair tonight. I'm out of the shower. I will have to be dressed and some semblance of makeup on.

The pandemic is ruining me. Forgive me for complaining. It is ruining so many people in so many ways. I don't have the right to complain.