The Coronacation Diaries, Episode 29

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

How can I work all damn day and yet accomplish nothing?

The to-do list today was manageable: grade student assignments from last week, set up assignments for this week, hold office hours, clean the giant pile of "where things go to die" on the counter, do yoga, do physical therapy, walk the dog, make a meal, clean up after the meal, write. 

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

That's what the day should have been.

Instead, I graded all student assignments, set up all assignments for the week, held office hours, got inundated with late work emails submitted after I entered grades, graded all student assignments, got more emails, graded all student assignments, got more emails, graded all student assignments, got more emails. And suddenly it was 4:00 and the day was gone. 

I did manage to yoga --if by yoga, you mean standing there watching the instructor do poses that I could do three years ago, but now my muffin top gets in the way-- but then I gave up on PT after the app locked me out and I was just too frustrated and annoyed to keep going.

I also managed to argue with Sam, who has suddenly decided that since school is not mandatory, he should not mandated to do it. And although I get it --I really do-- (and I feel the same way, kid) --I can't let him opt out. And now I can envision the daily fights in the weeks ahead, as both kids are now back in "school" on completely different schedules, all while I'm trying to teach all of my classes from home, and Michael is trying to work from home in the basement. That's a lot of devices and a lot of bandwidth and a lot of arguing and a lot of eye-rolling and a lot of heavy sighing.

And the giant pile of "where things go to die" on the counter? Now I remember why those things are there. Because I don't know where else to put them. I still don't have a system set up, or a desk, or a filing cabinet, and all I do is re-stack piles and then move them to a different surface on a bi-monthly basis. But at least the pile is now more aesthetically pleasing?

By the time I walked the dog, made another "meh" meal, and cleaned the kitchen, all I wanted to do was sit and write. But what can I write about? I am out of interesting topics. I am out of inspiration. Yesterday I was deep and philosophical. Today? I've got nothing.

At this point, all I can do is lather, rinse, repeat. Same meals. Same walks. Same food. Same workout. Same struggles. Pretty sure these are the same clothes I've had on since Friday.

And so I stream The Big Pink way too loud on the soundbar because everyone in the house has their earbuds in anyway and I drink cheap-ass Triple Sec straight up because we are out of tequila and lime juice and any other mixers, and I sit down, and I open up my Chromebook, and I try to write.