Couch 224: 2day, 2morrow, 4evah!

My BF just got the second shot yesterday and he’s stuck in bed shivering under a pile of blankets, poor thing.

The chills hit me about 24 hours after my first shot; they were awful. So far, so good with the second, but tomorrow is another day. I'm figuring I may wake up miserable in the morning.

Lunar New Year is a miserable time for me but hurrah for this LNY to be my first away from abusive family.

I usually fall into a deep depression lasting a couple of months around this time but it's not as awful this year.

I'm actually incredibly glad I don't have to pretend to be happy, and don't have to sit there as my father berates and belittles me over incredibly tiny things. Last year it was because I used chopsticks instead of a ladle although both are perfectly acceptable for the task of lowering raw food into boiling soup.

I've had two hotpots (tradition) with groups of friends, and I actually enjoyed myself.

My recipe for feeling better:

1. Hot bath
2. Warm fresh homemade bread via Zojirushi
3. Tylenol pm to knock me out last night for ten hours’ sleep

Still feel a bit shaky but so much better. Total shoo-in for FDA approval.

Oh, that sucks that you can't get enough space there. Are students there every day, or is there a hybrid model with different cohorts? Here, my daughter is eligible to go 5 days a week with her IEP, but most students would be going in person either 2 days or 1 day a week, depending on how many students opt for hybrid at their particular school.

From an article I read, about 4,500 students eligible for the 5-day group (out of 9,500) have opted for in-person. That's compared to more than 50,000 students in the whole district. As a whole, about half of those are staying virtual, too. To keep the 6-foot distance, each school needs to figure out how many students they could have in a classroom in a day, plus make sure there would be enough faculty returning (I think 85% are returning, some asking for ADA accommodations to work from home, with a monitor in classrooms). So if too many students wanted to return for twice a week to be safe, then a school will just do one day a week (which seems a bit pointless, TBH).

So it does seem like they're trying to be really careful about the 6 feet here. Like at my D's school, they said they could only do up to 9 students in each classroom (normally 20-25). And they'll all have to wear masks. Except in cafeteria, when they'll be at individual desks 6 feet apart (and I think not allowed to talk to other students?)

But, as you mentioned, particularly in middle and high school, where there are more class changes, students will be in the hallways. And each individual teacher would be exposed to more students each day. Well, I guess that applies to related arts teachers in elementary as well.

I just hope it goes OK here. And students, teachers, and staff stay healthy. I'm sure there will be some random cases here and there, likely some small outbreaks. And of course I worry about D bringing it home, too (H and I are at the end of the line for shot priority). But I think we need to take the chance for D's well-being, mentally and academically.

Some parents may want school for the babysitting. But in my case, it's that my D is both struggling mentally and falling behind quite a bit academically. I think she only got C's in everything (well, A in PE and B in music) because they aren't failing any kids this quarter. Or at least said they wouldn't fail her because of an IEP. I don't think she's learning what she needs to be.

And it's not for lack of us trying. Virtual learning just doesn't work for many kids. And we're lucky in that both H and I can work from home (and my schedule is flexible). For, say, single-parent households or ones where both parents are unable to work from home, this is a huge challenge. Or for parents who are not native English speakers, which make up a considerable portion of my daughter's school population.

For elementary school, we have to navigate through a nightmarish network of assignments on Canvas, which is a program developed for college students. H and I have difficulty figuring out where some of the assignments are or how to turn them in, and we both have college degrees (graduate for me) and are quite computer-savvy. For children stuck to navigate this alone--maybe they're living with grandparents, say, or parents who aren't that familiar with computers or English--it's a huge challenge. And there are equity issues.

So for us, it's not about babysitting. And I know we're not alone.

ETA: In the case of many kids, especially teens, there have been severe mental health consequences to not being in school for nearly a year. Which is another consideration.

In the UK, many parents are "freaking out" about home learning because they don't have laptops; they can't afford the data charges for online access; they can't afford the additional heating costs; they can't afford to buy necessary and basic materials such as pens, paper etc; they can't understand the learning material because of their own limited access to education; they have several children at home all day every day in a crowded council flat with no access to outside space. These circumstances are beyond tough for single mothers to navigate.

Similarly, social work agencies and children's rights organisations are concerned about the increase in domestic violence and sexual crimes involving children. Vulnerable children are increasingly invisible to those agencies who would ordinarily be able to monitor and help them.

So, yes, there is a lot to freak out about.

I hope he feels better soon. This gives you a chance to take care of him!

Agreed, these are other concerns. In my district, they did give all children Chromebooks (cheap laptops) at least, and I think had some sort of grants for WiFi.

Your other comment, regarding social work agencies, is a huge concern as well, one that Dr. T has mentioned, along with mental health issues.

Haha yeah, that has been the one nice part—it’s good to know that he’ll let me take care of him if he feels really crappy.

A hot shower, a good night’s sleep, and lots of Tylenol later, he’s at a solid 90% — @@, I think you’re on to something!

Interesting. The bread must have added only 10% to my recovery.

Anyway have been for my normal long weekend morning walk and now gave to get to the annual evaluations for the non-tenure-track faculty in my department. And I’ve been told to make no allowances for the pandemic conditions.

One of my cats is going to drive me crazy - this is the two week period of time where the weather here is completely awful -negative temps, ice, snow etc. He is walking around whacking the other animals, crying at all the doors, crying at me, clawing things, and so on. He was a stray my person took in - and he doesn't mind wet as much as cold -but he really hates cold. My old guy is more sanguine

No allowances for COVID? That's really harsh.

I think fresh bread would be about 25% of recovery

Orders from above. Not even my chiding German chair agrees.

Doesn't mean I can't put a thumb on the scales, though.

There are other ways to learn other than through wifi/computers. I wasn't directing anything at you.
I think the problem is more the idea of trying to replicate the in-school stuff to online. My solution would much much simpler and take on-line out of the equation all together.

Yes--this is just not possible. The best teaching evaluations I'm looking at right now are for faculty who obviously started with the premise "how can I teach effectively via Zoom?" rather than "how can I transfer my normally on-ground class to Zoom with as little work as possible for me?"

When I was in I think it was 4th grade, I was sick much of that school year so missed a lot of days. That particular year, our teacher had a "contract" system, where she had all of our lessons or whatever along with homework assignments, classroom work, etc. packaged together in what she called contracts, and we could work ahead if we wanted to. She taught of course as well, but I have always loved reading so my mom would just go to the school and pick up a week or so's worth of contracts for me and I read everything and did all my work and she would take it to school and turn it in, and bring home new contracts. It worked really well for me that year and I didn't fall behind at all despite being home sick so much (I had constant tonsillitis and ear infections that wouldn't quit, so the dr could never get me scheduled to remove my tonsils, still have them. back then everybody got their tonsils taken out.) Anyway I think that teacher was way ahead of her time, something like that would probably work for some of the kids during this pandemic, maybe.

I know people who have creatively home schooled for a long time. A lawyer I worked with had his grade school kids build a dug out canoe for one year's curriculum. They only used hand tools, and they had to read about the people who used them, write reports, show on the map where they went, had to do the math to figure out the dimensions, cuts etc, plan a trip to put it in the water and so on. Their vacation that year was a camping trip with the kids using the canoe they built.

Not all my best students were home-schooled, but invariably the ones who were home-schooled are among my best students.

Ordered a keto cookbook with 1000 recipes off Amazon. I've had the book 3 days, made 3 recipes, all have been delicious and I've lost 5 pounds! Only 60 more to go!

Thanks for mentioning this Polibeth. I have a couple of friends doing keto right now and I've been thinking about trying it too. I gotta do something...

No! No more sausages! Try the Starch Solution! You already like your red lentil chili. Its a diet so simple, even i can follow it - every meal is half starch, half veg. I eat meat (fish, chicken) a couple of times a week, but mostly do this plus fruit. Well and chocolate. Chocolate is technically a vegetable, it grows on a bush.

I haven't made my chili in awhile. I should go get the stuff and make it tomorrow, thanks. I have one more day of vacation. I dunno. Just nothing is making me eat healthy lately, not sure what my deal is. The past couple weeks I'm eating like a dang teenage boy!!! This has to stop.

If you want to follow a diet and are vegetarian or pescatarian - the Mediterranean diet or whole foods diet might do better than keto - particularly for longer term or as a life change.

I usually eat pretty decently but with my digestive issues this past 6 months - I am on steamed vegetables, brown rice/oatmeal/quinoa, some lean protein including beans/lentils, and fruit. I have started dehydrating greens and throw some of those into everything (eggs, oatmeal, rice, soups etc). Basically high fiber, lower fat, fewer and no refined carbs, and no added sugar. I tried going veering off one day last week (lasagna from a friend) and it was not a happy time -so when I got carry out the other night - I just stuck to my routine but with some different spices - grilled lean meat, rice, and dal - I came home and add a C of broccoli or greens to 1/3 C of the brown basmati rice and 1/3C of the kabab meat (grilled lamb hunks, chicken hunks, and beef hunks - no scientific reasons -just easy to remember and I am really full.
I really hate feeling sick/etc after eating so that helps keep the boringness in check

I also really like that cabbage soup that everyone uses to lose weight - I just like the taste.

I am not much of a chocolate fan and I prefer no chocolate at all to dark chocolate. Sweets are not that hard for me to resist most of the time - and my old lady body is getting so it can't handle any cakes/cookies etc without me feeling off and ucky - so that helps even more. I know I get sugar from the fruit but that doesn't make me feel terrible after I eat it.