This week was a bit of a rollercoaster.
I had to go back to work. JP is still able to work from home and the kids are still on summer vacation.
I was very anxious to go back into a building with people other than my family. We haven't been with anyone except family since March. So to help ease our entry into the working world, Marti took the girls to her house Sunday for a sleepover. JP and I did a bunch of stuff around the house that afternoon. We hung up a bunch of paintings from Dunster Road that I made in college as well as other odds and ends around the house. We needed a few things from Ace to fix up the kitchen wall after JP moved a few outlets around so we headed over there. While we were out we thought we should grab something to eat. We ended up at Bar Louis at Patriot Place. We sat on their rooftop and enjoyed the evening sun and a bunch of appetizers. In hind sight, this was probably a good way to get me ready for work, being around a bunch of people without masks.
Monday morning I was up and dressed and ready to go. I packed up my lunch and headed into work. Once I got there I put on my PPE - mask and face shield and entered the building. My heart was racing. I was nervous. I didn't know what to expect. I got to my room and set up my laptop for the morning meeting. I put my lunch in the fridge and as I was walking back to my desk a colleague appeared in my room. I stayed more than 6ft away and chatted. Then another colleague came in from the other door and I started getting more anxious. We chatted a minute and then a third college came in. Ugh I didn't know what to do. My heart was racing. I felt safe but scared. We all parted ways and went to the first meeting of the day. After the meeting was lunch and I was feeling sick. I had planned on leaving and knew that I just had to pack up and head home. I got to my car and took off my PPE and I felt like I could breath again. I drove home feeling a bit weird. I got home, had lunch and then signed on to the afternoon meeting. I was finally able to relax, sitting outside on my deck in this meeting. It ended and I felt a wave of relief. I did it. I made it through day 1. I was a bit of a train wreck at home and JP thinks I'm crazy but I did it. Meanwhile the kids played at Grammy's most of the day and JP worked from home.
Day 2 was a bit easier. I donned my PPE and went in to school with more confidence. I knew the hallway routes, I knew that I could ask people to not come in to my space if I didn't feel comfortable and I knew that I was going to be ok. I was less anxious but I still had trouble focusing on work. I set up my classroom space, moving chairs and 'closing off' computers. I felt good about the work I had gotten done, even though it didn't seem like much. The kids played outside in the neighborhood and JP worked from home.
Day 3, Wednesday, was a remote day. Every Wednesday is a remote day, so we are modeling this schedule. It was so nice to get up and login and be 'at work.' I did a few technology trainings and then we had a department meeting. The kids were gone ALL day playing in the neighborhood. They finally came home at dinner time.
Day 4, Thursday, was even easier. I was not anxious at all going in to work. It was still a bit hard to focus at work, but I got a few things done in the classroom and participated in some tech workshops. So far the technology workshops have been review of stuff I did this summer, so nothing new but good to review I guess. Meanwhile JP was breaking stuff at work and losing his mind trying to fix it. So in came Marti to the rescue. She played with the kids and then took them to her house for a sleepover. By the time I got done with my doctor appointment and home he had fixed everything. I had to go right into a market research study on pet hospitals. Finally at 7:30 I said 'Hi' to JP! What a crazy day! We chatted with Nana, Baba and Uncle Dave & Alex after as they are all up at Dave's place in the Catskills! It was good to see them all enjoying their time together. I know Dad is running ragged fixing things up there for him, but that evening seemed to be fun.
Day 5 - Friday. I felt very comfortable going in to work. I didn't end up doing any of the technology training but getting ready for the first two weeks of school. I planned out what the in-school kids were doing, set up their online platform and also planned out what the remote kids were doing. At noon we had an emergency staff meeting only to discover that the school's weren't ready for opening day and we were going to begin remotely until September 29th. What a crazy turn of events. I now have to go in and redo my lessons for the first two weeks of school... It was hard to focus after that bombshell. I didn't get much done the rest of the afternoon. I left work at 3 and picked up the girls at Grammy's. The kids played in the neighborhood until it was time for dinner. And here we are. I'm sitting here, Friday night, on the deck by the fire pit with a tv on the table and a Grateful Dead concert on the tv. It's a Phish concert weekend. So we're waiting for it to start. Not a bad way to end the crazy week!
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