Lockdown: Some of them want to be used by you

Somehow, my sleep Monday night was worse than Sunday night. I don’t know how I keep doing this to myself.

I do know that I crawled to the desk at about 8:30 to look at emails and think about these three student profiles I’m working on, then attended a short training session on Zoom (mid-year self-assessments), then at 10:00 I made a run to Mexico restaurant, a very short drive from the house, to pick up my meals for the day.

It’s a good restaurant, or at least it’s quite popular, and I think I’ve eaten there twice, both times in its first year, maybe ten years ago. I’m trying to mix things up a little.

I had the chilaquiles for breakfast. They were good, but probably not as good as the same dish at Serge’s or Scratch. I also picked up an adobado burrito, which was enough food for lunch and dinner. All three meals from one mexican restaurant. The burrito was definitely above average. Whatever they call the preparation of the pork filling, I need to learn to make it.

Mexican food must have been what the doctor ordered, because I was super productive the rest of the day. I didn’t do any actual writing, but I edited a few things, corresponded with a few people, and put some good content on the website. Then I rescheduled my Wednesday one-on-one with my supervisor to late Tuesday so I could sit in on another Zoom training Wednesday.

Part of it was motivation to get as much checked off the list before the long weekend as possible. I get a four-day weekend here, and I am going to do my best not to think about work at all until the first working day of 2021.

After work I goofed around on my phone and read, and did a tiny bit of writing. I feel like there might be a few chores in there too but honestly I can’t remember. It was supposed to be laundry day, but since I’m taking Thursday off, I thought it was better to do the laundry Thursday; then I wouldn’t be dealing with more sleep deprivation. Or maybe I would be but it wouldn’t be while trying to work; it would be while trying to vacation.

There was a lot of texting. The Cindy-Julie-Suzanne group text shared some of the stuff we’re reading. Sylvia sent me a photo of her Yeti mug with one of the tea bags I left for the office. That was cute.

Crush Girl texted me a lot through the day. We talked about baking, about New Year’s plans, about Nigella Lawson mispronouncing “microwave” (she said “mee-cro-wah-vee”), about some Christmas gifs we received, and (the best part) books I recommend she begin the new year reading. I love it when people ask for book recommendations.

Ali asked for some creative ideas about something I won’t mention here. Of course I had a ton of ideas but it was an activity I didn’t want to think about her engaging in, especially in these pandemic days. But my feelings are irrational, and I knew it even while I was feeling them, so I did my best. I think she got something usable from my ideas. I told her I have more, so she can ask again any time.

It’s nice to be useful. She didn’t ask me for financial advice or to sing a high C, neither of which I would have been any good for. She asked for creative ideas. Crush Girl asked for book recommendations. These are things I can do.

I’ve continued to listen to Joan Jett — moved on to her third and fourth albums, which aren’t as good as her first two, but she is very good. A charismatic recording artist with her own sound. Before I heard these albums all the way through the way I have, if someone had announced she’d be here in concert, I would have been pretty apathetic. Now, if she comes (and if the world is a safer place), I am totally going and I’m bringing friends.

Spent a bit of time listening to Weird Al Yankovic, too. It was a nice, nostalgic trip. His rhymes on “Smells Like Nirvana” and “Eat It” are just so clever.

I read Weird Al loves the music of Tonio K., whom I also love, so I spun Tonio’s Notes from the Lost Civilization. Such a great album.

Somebody remind me to expound sometime this weekend on how I hate the last days of a year, but how they don’t feel quite as terrible this year as in other years.

The year draws to a close. Don’t ring out the old, feeling lost or disconnected. It doesn’t have to be that way. Leave a comment and I’ll send you some contact info. Just be warned I’m almost always a bit glum on December 31.